Kamiana placed her hands on Michael's shoulders and forced him to look into her eyes. She reached out with her mind, not sure she could reach into Michael's and through him to whoever was tormenting him but she had to try. (You don't know Michael!) she shouted silently. (Whoever you are, stop this! You're tearing him apart!) There was no pleading or begging in her mental voice, only determination. She'd failed Michael once she would not let him down again. She couldn't. (I'll come after you myself!) she snapped in a burst of anger.
(Kamiana, no. Do not give in to his darkness. There is too much at stake, there must be peace. There *must* be.) His desperation to fulfill the dream he'd worked for all his life, even before the Light had chosen him, plus the support of Kamiana and the children, gave him strength to go on. (Would you prefer *this*??) and he flung at Goth another series of images. These were the ones the Light had shown him, of war so terrible that it left nothing alive anywhere. (I will not allow that vision to be. I will not! It is *not* what the Light wants, it is what the Light has chosen me to prevent!)
Tamianth and the other children exchanged looks. What was happening? while they could not hear the telepathic argument, they somehow sensed something was going on, they could see their beloved Prophet distraught in a way they had not before. Not even when he had first arrived on their world and found it a burnt out ruin, with the children scrabbling for bare survival.
Middy Renee watched this exchange between Kamiana and Michael, or 'the Prophet', as the children called him. He seemed to be in conflict with someone or something mentally, and Kami was being drawn into it. This had to be stopped before Kami was lost again to doubts and confusion.
While the two and the children crew were distracted. Renee slipped quietly to the Turbo lift and went below deck to see if she could find any of the crew or anyone left on the vessel.
She paused at a computer terminal. "Computer scan this ship, identify all known life forms currently aboard."
It ran down a list of the Starfleet personnel currently on the bridge, then mentioned a large number of unknowns, some on the bridge, some in various locations. Renee assumed these were the children, that would make the most sense.
"One additional lifeform reading," the computer finished. "No match for known Starfleet personnel or known unauthorized boarders. Location: cargo bay three."
Cargo bay three....she headed for the turbolift.
* * *
(You leave me no choice.) Goth sent. In his hands the small white sphere rippled like it was made from a thick liquid then it began to change color until it was jet black. Goth's eyes also changed from red to black as well, (I am sorry Michael. I wish there had been another way.)
Goth squeezed the sphere in his hand until the surface of it began to crack. He squeezed harder and the sphere exploded into fragments and powder which fell to the floor of the cargo bay. Goth's eyes returned to normal.
"I'm sorry." he said to no one present.
* * *
On the bridge....
Michael Landry screamed, his hands going to his head. Kamiana recoiled as she felt the agony exploding in his mind...."Michael!" she cried out as he staggered, then started to fall.
He would have hit the deck if she hadn't caught him.
Calara unslung her medical kit and ran to join them.
Tamianth went pale, the other children on the bridge were staring with wide, frightened eyes. Some of the younger ones were clutching at each other.
Kamiana ignored the throbbing in her own head as she held Michael's head in her lap. "What is it, what happened?"
Calara ran the tricorder over him and shook her head. "Some sort of massive energy surge. I..." she swallowed. "His neural system is almost completely burnt out." she said bleakly. "I...I don't think there's anything we can do." God she hated saying that.
Kamiana shook her head, the tears running unchecked down her face. No...oh by the Houses no, she could not lose Michael again and not like this... "Michael...please. Hang on...we're going to help you...Calara, we've got to try..."
Even as she said this blood began to seep from Michael's nose and ears and mouth. The crystal he had worn was now a dull gray instead of the shining white it had been.
"K--Kamiana..." he gasped, too weak now to touch her mind. "please... don't forget...me..."
She was crying even harder now, holding him close against her. "don't...don't..." she pleaded. Damn it she couldn't lose him again...
"I...only wanted...to bring...Peace...tell them that..." He closed his eyes for a moment, "this...is...for....you....."
There was a flash of light on the bridge...then another and another. Captain MacBreandain...Jen...Longshadow...all the rest, reappearing from wherever Michael had sent them.
Kamiana barely noticed, she had eyes only for Michael. The tears were flowing unchecked, she couldn't even speak only nod. His eyes gazed up into hers...then he gave one last rattling breath and sank limply into her arms.
Calara ran another scan and shook her head. Placing a hand on Kamiana's arm, she whispered, "I'm sorry," then stepped back.
Tamianth and the other children had drawn back, were now in a white robed huddle at one side of the Bridge, they made no attempt to interfere with the crew returning to their stations. They too were crying and holding one another, the confidence they'd had was gone, they were only children now, lost and frightened.
* * *
Middy Renee entered Cargo Bay Three and saw right away the strange man standing by the crew lockers, the shattered remains of something at his feet. He was no one she'd ever seen before, but something about him bothered her. The pale face, the red eyes...so like those of that other man, the one who haunted her dreams.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Returning from the dead. Fear not Renee it is I Goth Lasher." Goth said as he took a few steps towards her. Renee stood in shock.
"That's not possible. Kamiana said Goth's dead, for one thing. And you look nothing like him." Renee said. Although she did have to admit this person did look like one of Goth's people.
"Yes I know I've changed," Goth said pausing to look at his reflection in the surface one of the windows of the cargo bay, "It's going to take some getting used to," He then faced Renee, "You should read up on the biology of my people, then perhaps you would have heard we regenerate at the time of death. This is why we are thought of as immortal. Yet each incarnation of myself is different from the last." Goth held his hand out to Renee, "Pleased to meet you again for the first time." He said with a kind smile.
Renee took the outstretched hand and looked into those haunting eyes Almost for a second she was lost, but got control of herself. "Goth, for some reason, I believe it is you. What can we do to get our crews back and beat this Prophet at his own game? There are a few rescue crew on the ship but they are being held on the main deck by children. The other crew have all disappeared. Do you know where they are, or how to get them back?"
"I think you will find things are winding down. It's just a question of mopping up the loose ends." Goth said, "These children should be easy enough to deal with now. Without a center they will be alone and very scared, and no challenge whatsoever."
"By 'loose ends' you mean the Avalon crew?" Renee asked. "What did you do?" She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that 'without a center'. Wasn't Landry that center? If Goth had done something to him, as what she'd seen on the bridge suggested, what would that do to Kami? She knew how much Michael had meant to Kamiana.
"The children are the loose end. They should be easy enough to round up now," Goth said, "As for what I have done." Goth paused for a moment, "I am a Starfleet officer and the head of security. It is my duty to do everything to safegaurd the ship and its crew by any means possible. Let's leave it at that."
As they walked through the corridors, two things were obvious. There were more people on board than there had been when Renee had come down--many of whom she recognized as Avalon crewmembers, others she assumed were the civilian complement, family members and the like. Evidently whatever Goth had done had managed to bring them back. There were still plenty of the white robed children about, but they sat listlessly, some holding each other. One of them--a girl Renee remembered passing on her way belowdecks earlier--turned wide, frightened eyes at her and Goth. "Please..." she whispered, her voice trembling, "what has happened--the Light has gone from us."
"Child, you have been returned to normal thinking. You are no longer it seems under mind control by the Light. Rest and someone from Medical will be with you and check you out in a little while."
Middy Renee proceeded with the new Goth to the command deck. As the Turbo lift opened, she saw mass confusion there. It seemed all the crew were back in position. In the middle of it all, Kami sat on the floor crying, with Landry in her arms. It appeared that Landry was not breathing. Renee rushed over to comfort Kami, but also to make sure that Landry was really deceased.
Kamiana opened her eyes, though she could hardly see for the tears that streamed unchecked as she knelt with Michael's head in her lap, his body cradled against her. And the throbbing in her head caused by the echo of whatever had killed him didn't help.
She was dimly aware of a presence nearby..."P-Paulos..." she whispered, brokenly, "He's gone...I've, we've all, lost him again." Her own pain was terrible enough but to know besides that this spelled the ruin of all his dreams, that everything he'd wanted was ashes...that she couldn't bear. "Something--something killed him--oh god why didn't it kill me, too?" she pleaded. "Michael...oh, Michael..." she held him even closer against her.
She then became dimly aware of someone else bending over her and Michael. But it couldn't be..."R-Renee...???" she whispered brokenly.
Renee bent down on her knees before Kamiana. "Kami, Michael is gone and what he did to the Avalon and its crew and these children is also undone."
Kamiana looked up at Renee, the tears still streaming. She couldn't speak, though, the pain was too much.
She then became dimly aware of someone else bending over her and Michael. But it couldn't be..."R-Renee...???" she whispered brokenly.
Renee bent down on her knees before Kamiana. "Kami, Michael is gone. What he did to the Avalon, its crew, and these children is also undone."
Kamiana looked up at Renee, the tears still streaming. She couldn't speak, though, the pain was too much.
"Listen to me," Renee continued, "what Michael did was wrong for whatever reasons he did it. You, in a way, assisted by staying behind, without your crew, and not stopping him. Goth somehow stopped him from doing to the rescue crew what he did to the others of the Avalon. Michael also killed a StarFleet officer in the process, which makes you an accessory. Kami, get yourself pulled together before Goth gets over here."
Kamiana's tear filled eyes went wide. "Goth? Goth's dead. And we don't know what killed him...we *don't*." She couldn't believe Michael had had anything to do with that. Michael had been so utterly opposed to violence in any form whatsoever.
"Kamiana, listen to me!" Renee tried again to get through to her. "Goth was killed yes, but his kind can regenerate as a new being. There is a new Goth, and he is not a happy camper right now. He is out for blood. Michael Landry is dead. That leaves only you to face the fire of him and Star Fleet."
Kamiana nodded, bleakly, she knew what Renee was saying was true. What did it matter now, though? Everything was ashes, Michael's dream of peace was gone. Why shouldn't her dreams be as dead as he was? "I know..." she whispered.
"Goth looks different, but he still has those haunting eyes that you will never forget or want to. He is here on deck right now talking to the Captain and he will want to see you soon, so grieve but," Renee looked around to see if anyone was in hearing distance. Seeing no one close, she leaned in, and with as much reason as she could put behind her words, Renee continued. "If you can in any way save your career, you better start thinking of how to do it and fast. I grieve for your loss again of Michael, but what he did was wrong, morally and ethically wrong."
Kamiana shook her head. "Peace," she whispered bleakly, "all he wanted was to bring peace to the galaxy. That can't be wrong, it just can't be." Ashes, ashes...the world had turned gray around her, as if she'd suddenly been struck color-blind.
"Look out for yourself right now. I care deeply for you and do not want to see your career go down the drain, so get a grip on yourself before Goth comes to take you apart. He will try to destroy you. Someone living has to take the blame for this, and it looks like you are the one that will fit those shoes right now."
That roused her for a moment, the gray ache within giving way to anger for a moment. Goth had killed Michael and for a moment all she wanted was to lash out, to hurt him as he'd hurt Michael. But she couldn't. She *couldn't*. Michael wouldn't have wanted her to. If he had ever hated anything in his life it was violence in any form. She pushed it back somewhere deep inside.
Renee gave Kamiana a hug and got up. She went over to the rescue crew to see if there was anything else she could do.
Paulos stayed wehre he was, kneeling by her on the bridge. He didn't say or do anything, but waited and watched.
The Light, or rather the force that called itself the Light, was not gone. True, its latest Prophet was now dead, but the force that was behind him would go on. It was a pity that Michael had not turned upon it as he had wanted, or so Goth thought. Yes, to have the Prophet of light go against the light would have been a force that could have destroyed it. Now, however, Michael was dead and the Light would find another to further its dreams. God only knew what woud happen to the Galaxy when that day came.
But for now it was stopped, and Goth's plan for his people to become the master of the galaxy could go on once more. It was a pity that the Light did not succeed, it might have been the only thing that could have saved the other races of the galaxy. Yes, it was just a matter of time now. Goth smiled to himself.
Kamiana saw a pair of legs moving to stand beside her and looked up.. Seeing it was the man Renee had pointed out was Goth reborn somehow, she sighed and waited for the order to report to the brig that was surely coming. She wondered if they'd at least let her be there for Michael's funeral...she had to do that much for him, she had to.
"Fear not I have not come to arrest you Kami," Goth said, "The Light has a way of making others behave in ways that are alien to themselves. Indeed in your case with the Light's Prophet being someone that you have once known it makes it all that much more easy to give into its power. But with Michael gone now your mind will be free of its influence."
"Goth?" She said. Not so much in shock. Not so much in surprise. But merely confirming that this stranger who now stood before her was in fact the man she had known for some months now.
"Yes," Goth said. He stood looking down at the body of Michael, "A pity." He muttered, "I know what it is like to lose someone. I know what it is like to lose a whole race," He looked at Kami, "Although you may not believe me at the moment, the pain you feel now will pass in time." Goth gripped her shoulder and smiled. This was so unlike the Goth she had once known before; however, how was she to know that Goth was only playing upon her feelings at this time. Yes Kami would prove to be a very useful tool in the months to come. She was broken now, all that was left was to remold her into the shape that he wished her to take.
Everything was working out just the way he wanted it to. Goth squeezed her shoulder once more, "Be brave Kami. Know that your friends are always here for you." And Goth moved off to make sure his squad of security, now back on board, were rounding up the children.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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