Krieg's Conversation

Only a sore aching in his chest and the leaden weight of his limbs reminded Dalius Krieg that he was less than a day from being struck by the alien weapon which nearly killed him. Although this Starfleet ship had rescued him and the rather handsome doctor standing off to his right had saved his life, he could tell that in his current state just getting up and moving around was a non-trivial exertion. Once he finished his current task, he anticipated a return to sickbay. Perhaps the handsome doctor might help him arrange some guest quarters while the *Lilah Belle* was being repaired? All these things flitted across Krieg’s mind while he configured the Horizon’s comm system to send a disguised signal. He made sure it was on the correct subspace frequency, and employed the right prefix codes, although the recipient would surely recognize that it wasn't originating from Krieg's own ship. He could only hope she’d respond.

It took several seconds, but she did eventually accept and establish the connection. Her familiar features resolved and clarified on the screen - sharp, angular, thin-lipped, and unmistakably *Romulan.* “Krieg. I was expecting you later this evening. I don’t suppose you’re calling to tell me you’re running early?” The faint crook of her lips might be mistaken for a smile, but Krieg knew her better than that. She didn’t smile, at least not for the likes of him. The universal translator rendered her speech with a crisp, aristocratic accent which his limited knowledge of Romulan indicated was fairly accurate.

“No, I’m afraid not. In fact, I’m afraid I won’t be arriving with the expected haul at all. I was attacked late last night – pirates of some sort, I don’t know who they were but they trashed my ship and incapacitated me, then made off with… everything. They cleaned out everything I picked up and stripped my engine down for good measure to make sure I’d stay dead in space.” Krieg’s words tumbled out quickly, nearly piling one on top of another as he tried to get the information out without giving her a chance to interrupt him.

“WHAT?!” she interrupted, furious. “You lost the entire cargo? How could they have known what you were carrying?”

“I don’t know, Taris…” he stammered as his eyes grew wide. He hadn’t meant to use her name. His frayed nerves were obvious, even across the lightyears on the comm channel.

“You utter fool! Where are you if your ship is disabled?” She scrutinized what she could see on her comm screen besides his bearded, human face. “You’re not aboard your little freighter.” She scowled.

“No, I’m not. I managed to get out a distress signal with an independent beacon. It was picked up by…” he paused and without meaning to he glanced toward the doctor before looking back at Taris, “a Starfleet vessel that was passing through the sector. If they hadn’t found me I’d be dead by now.”

“Starfleet?! You called me from a Starfleet ship? Are you mad?” Taris rolled her eyes and sighed with disgust. When she caught Krieg glancing off-screen, her fury grew even further. “Are you alone, Krieg? Right this moment?”

He swallowed, but steadied his expression. “Yes, I’m alone. And I’ve been assured this line is secure. They have no idea who I’m speaking to, alright? Just listen to me – whoever did this hit me with some kind of neuro-electric stasis weapon. Locked up my whole body. My heart and lungs stopped for a good 30 seconds. If this ship hadn’t got to me when they did I’d already be gone. But whoever attacked me must have known what I was carrying, and where I was coming from. Which means there’s a good chance they know where I was headed, too. If they’re interested in…” he needed to be discreet, searching for the right phrasing to avoid provoking her wrath any further, “ in that specific cargo… then they might be interested in the largest collection of similar items in the quadrant. If they’re coming for you, they could be there at any time. I just wanted you to have some warning.”

“So instead of the trove of artifacts I was promised, I may have a rabble of pirates and thieves arriving at my door instead? Wonderful, Krieg. I suppose I was getting too comfortable here anyway.” She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as if suppressing her rage. “I’ll make preparations to leave immediately. Assuming Starfleet doesn’t hold you in custody, meet me at the original dig site I hired you for once your ship is repaired. I won’t be able to stay there long, but it will suffice while I figure out where to go from here. We cannot allow any more of these artifacts or technology to fall into anyone else’s hands, Dalius. Do you understand? If any of those artifacts turn out to be intact and operational, the consequences could be.. Unthinkable.”

“I understand, Taris. I’ve worked for you long enough to have an idea of what we’re dealing with.” He sighed and gave her a weary look of reassurance. “Let me worry about Starfleet, and as soon as I’m able, I’ll meet you. I’ll contact you again once I’m en route. Keep your head down and your cloak up, Admiral.”

“Indeed.” She sneered at the comm screen just before the line went dead.

Krieg sighed again and slumped back in his chair, now even more exhausted than before. He glanced up at Doctor Saunders and offered a weak smile. “I do hope you didn’t heroically save my life just for her to kill me before I have a chance to properly express my appreciation.”