Chapter 2

The world rematerialized and I took in a lungful of fresh autumnal air, rich with scents of flowers and the industrial dust that follows every Federation colony into space. Blinking rapidly, the world resolved around me. I was no longer inside the hull of my starship, instead I was in the middle of a vast administration complex, primarily composed of colonial prefabs integrated into locally constructed buildings purpose built after the fact. Gardens of flowers native to a dozen member world's dotted the open spaces between these structures. In the center of the administration park a flagpole bearing the blue and white flag of the United Federation of Planets fluttered, while below it hung a flag with a symbol from a Human religion I didn't recognize. Groups of colonial citizens moved back and forth between these structures, apparently uninterested in our sudden arrival. The Administrator must have mentioned we were coming.

“Captain,” an unfamiliar voice called. My hand at once moved to my phaser before I'd even noticed, and I pulled it back sharply. The voice belonged to a human woman who was approaching from a building bearing the same symbol as the flag. She was flanked by a group of what appeared to be attendants, all dressed in the same black uniforms. Two of these attendants were armed but were showing no hostility through their body language. I relaxed slightly, this was a meeting with a Federation colonial administrator. An administrator who may have been overseeing a society of haves and have nots on a Federation world, but I wasn't in any immediate physical danger. I took in the woman approaching me, she appeared to be middle aged for a human, though I have never been a good judge of age in other species. Dark skinned, with large curly hair she cut an imperious figure in her billowing gold lined white robes, no doubt a symbol of some rank and authority in the culture of this colony. She continued speaking as she approached.

“Welcome to New Jerusalem, may the Lord be with you on this day.” I smiled, having no idea how to answer that. I’d never met a religious human before and hadn't had any experience with this side of their culture. As I stumbled over how to reply to her greeting, thankfully she continued speaking. “I am pastor Kiera Stone, second to our Administrator and champion of the faith here.” She extended her hand in greeting. I momentarily balked at the title she had given, though I recovered quickly and took her hand.

“Captain Zh'kaarrin of the Federation starship Resolute.” I replied, shaking her hand, her larger hand enveloping mine. I had so much I wanted to discuss with this woman and the colony's administrator, but here in what was clearly the colony's public square was neither the time nor the place. I Introduced my remaining officers. Commander Foro smiled and nodded politely while Lieutenant Risi was as inscrutable as ever. I continued. “Could you take us to Administrator Rator please...” I fumbled over the title, unsure of what to use. “...Pastor?”

“Yes Captain,” She smiled, though I could tell there was no joy behind it. “You could also use Sister.” I made a note of that. “Please follow me.” She spun on her heel, and we followed, her entourage forming up behind us. At this point we were starting to draw a crowd, and I was surprised how many non-human faces it contained despite this ostensibly being a colony devoted to a Human religion. Notably absent from the assembly were any Suliban faces. Given what my science officer had told me, I wasn't surprised.

Pastor Stone led us through the doors of one of the unremarkable prefab structures and into an antechamber. Once inside I frustratingly found my hand drawn back to my phasers safely selector once Pastor Stone had set off to retrieve the Administrator. Yet again I hadn't realized I was doing it and I angrily folded my hands across the front hem of my gold tunic. I was going to need to work on that habit. It undermined the crew's confidence in the captain to watch me fidget with a gun every time we had a moment of downtime. As well it could easily escalate a situation more tense than meeting with a colonial administrator.

I was sure Lieutenant Risi had noticed me, given how one of his eyes had swiveled to watch me, but the last thing I wanted to do was give him anything else to worry about. It isn't easy to read Saurian body language, but my old XO on the USS Antioch had been Saurian. We had learned quickly what an asset being able to give instructions with a flash of color across scales or a shift of plates could be. Risi was worried, I could tell, likely because of the presence of armed personnel in this administration building. He would be feeling outnumbered, and would be looking for exit points, cover and trying to maintain a head count of all personnel in the building. I had been there before. When I had been a Starfleet security lieutenant, I knew the worry that came with bodyguarding the captain and here I was with my old nervous tic adding to his worries. I made eye contact with him and smiled. I wanted to let him know I understood and appreciated what he was going through at that moment.

Fortunately, Commander Foro hadn't noticed this exchange, engrossed as she was in the plants filling the large atrium. I knew from her file botany was one of her hobbies, not to mention her minor at the Academy. She had lost herself in examining the bounty of flowering plants representing half the worlds of the Federation that covered the walls and tables of the administrative center. I was glad for her. Already I could tell that this was going to be a much more challenging mission than Starfleet had predicted, but I was grateful that she had a moment to spend cooing over Vulcan ash lilies growing next to Risian flame orchids in the same soil. Apparently, they have ‘entirely different nutrient profiles’ I heard her murmur to herself. A moment like this is the whole reason we are out here after all, to see the impossible, and sometimes the impossible is two different plants cohabitating a single wall planter. The irony of this as it applied to the Suliban situation here was not lost on me. Commander Foro stepped back and noticed that I was watching her. She blushed, embarrassed her Captain had caught her so wrapped up in the decor of this place. I stepped towards her to offer an encouraging word, but we were interrupted by the large double doors in the south wall sliding open. Pastor Stone had returned with Administrator Rator.

“In the name of God, welcome to our colony Captain.” They bellowed, their voice a deep baritone as they crossed the expanse to grab my hand. “Welcome, welcome to the home of the faithful. We are so thankful that God has sent you to us. There is a great deal of unrest here after that barbaric Klingon declaration and we were worried that Starfleet had forgotten about us.” They continued to shake my hand as they spoke. “We couldn't be more thankful for the protection of your ships, and we offer the full hospitality of our world.” Finally, they let go of my hand, but did not stop talking “Ahh but where are my manners, have you been offered anything to eat? To drink? Anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask.” At this point I was growing suspicious. These were the actions of someone who wanted something from us or who had something to hide. I thought back to Commander Foro’s report, perhaps the unrest was worse than we had thought? I took the direct questions as an opportunity to interrupt.

“No Administrator, no, my crew and I are quite alright.” I put on my best diplomatic voice. “Thank you for welcoming us to your colony, I’m sure there are many among the Resolute’s crew who would love to avail themselves of the hospitality of your planet, if the conditions permit.” I let that last bit hang, I wanted them to know that we were still here on a mission. I straightened my tunic before continuing. “I would like to get to the reason for our visit, unless you had any diplomatic functions planned?” I kept my face neutral, though I was hoping they would say no. Their smile lessened a fraction at my words, clearly, they were stalling to avoid this conversation.

“Of course, Captain, would you join us in the arboretum? The autumnal blooms are just coming in and I maintain a small workspace there, so I can better enjoy their majesty.” They looked hopeful.

“Certainly,” I replied, not wanting to offend and we were swept up by a procession of attendants who followed us to the rear of the structure. This section of the structure was taller than three decks of the Resolute and twice as wide and was filled to capacity with even more flowering plants than the areas we had seen before. Wild swatches of vivid colors from across the visual spectrum danced a controlled waltz around this space, clearly carefully arranged to complement each other, but also allowed to run wild on the edges to create stunning blends of color. The smell of it all was heady and intoxicating, the perfumes of a hundred worlds all mingling in one space. Small flying insects, no doubt pollinators, flitted between the flowers, the hum of their wings added to the background tinkling of water from sprinklers and small aesthetic fountains and waterfalls. All of this was capped by soft music I couldn't place that seemed to be playing out of the plants themselves. This garden was beautiful, no other word could do it justice, no wonder the administrator worked out here instead of in their office. As we entered Lieutenant Risi assumed a position by the door alongside two armed humans in black uniforms from before. I heard Commander Foro gasp as she came into the arboretum, I leaned in close so only she could hear me.

“Go have fun Commander, I’ll handle the administrator.” She smiled at me, unholstering her tricorder. “But don't go too far, in case I need your expertise.”

“Of course, Captain.” She smiled again before setting off to examine a tree with sunburst patterned flowers the size of my fist. I followed both officials to an antique wooden desk situated in a grass clearing. A plush high backed chair accompanied the desk and the top of the desk was covered in data pads and other tools required to run a colony. Two bald human attendants in matching robes brought chairs for me and Pastor Stone, and a third presented a pitcher of a dark red liquid and three tall necked glasses to the Administrator, who nodded. Bowing, the attendant poured the liquid into the three glasses as Pastor stone spoke a blessing over them. I suddenly felt very awkward. I did not know what to do if I was presented with one of the glasses, so I waited. As the blessing finished the other two took their seats, as did I. The attendant passed the drinks to us, and I looked to the other to see how they took theirs and did my best to mirror it.

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“So, Captain,” The Administrator said softly, “Starfleet was vague when they informed us you would be arriving, no doubt worried about subspace eavesdroppers. Could you please fill myself and Sister Stone in on why you are here?” I quickly weighed my options, I wanted them to broach the subject of the Suliban as soon as possible, so I could glean what their stance on it was. I replied.

“With the Klingons unilaterally redrawing the borders, Starfleet and the council believe it is the Federations best interest to assess the state of border colonies, render any assistance that might be required and remind the Klingons that we won't retreat despite where they might think their territory encompasses. To that end we are here to do all of the above for New Jerusalem.” I replied, flatly. That was the official letter of my orders. I continued. “So, Administrator, what can Starfleet help you with?” They took a sip of their drink before replying, clearly savoring the flavor of whatever it was they were drinking.

“Well Captain, we are not equipped to be a border colony. The Lord and the Federation have provided, but we lack key equipment for defense such as industrial replicators, long range scanners, modern phasers, or even more than just a militia constabulary.” At that they gestured to the black uniformed troops standing by the entrance before continuing “We would not be able to offer even a token resistance to the Klingons if they attempted to expand here, and frankly we don't see any indication that they will stop at the T’kuvma line.” In this they were correct. It was firmly believed by the admiralty that the Klingons would continue to test the Federation along the new border, taking advantage anywhere they could to expand their territory by conquest. My communicator chirped, but I ignored it. I wanted to press them for more details.

“Do not forget, Administrator, we are commanded to turn the other cheek.” Pastor Stone spoke up next to me. Rator made a sour face for a moment.

“I know that Sister,” They replied, a harshness underpinning the word sister. “These assets would help our colony even if there was no imminent threat from the Klingons.” I headed them off before they could keep arguing.

“Well Administrator, I can alleviate some of those fears at least. The USS Aurora is carrying two type seven industrial replicators for immediate deployment to your colony as well as a suite of early warning sensor buoys. We plan to seed them across the border and will happily integrate into your planetary sensor grid. In addition to those needs you mentioned, our ships are carrying supplemental medical supplies for your hospitals as well as teams of trauma doctors well versed of the kinds of injuries that you may not be familiar with having not been on the Klingon frontier.” The injuries I was speaking of were disruptor burns and Bat’leth related trauma, but I let the implicit threat of that hang rather than go into detail. After letting them take that all in for a moment I continued.

“The Federation cannot provide you soldiers without the Klingons perceiving that as military buildup along their border, but we can provide training and equipment that would allow you to present a show of force that should see off an ambitious D-5 Captain looking for an easy prize.” I leaned back in my chair, feeling confident. I believed I was able to alleviate most of the Administrator's obvious fears. My communicator chirped once more, but again I ignored it. I wanted to address the issue of the Suliban now that I had addressed the colony’s immediate fears. The carefully manicured luxury of this administrative building was starting to grate on me. It stood in stark contrast with the Suliban’s living conditions, even if half of what Commander Foro’s reports had said was true. I decided at that moment, while I would defend this colony and I would teach it to defend itself, I would not allow some of the population to live in poverty as their leadership lived like this. That meant I was going to bring it up and damn the politics.

“So, Administrator, when we spoke earlier you asked us for help with your, and I’m using your words here, less integrated areas. Can you explain that to me and exactly what you need from my security teams?” I kept my face neutral but crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn't leaving until we had talked about this. To their credit, their smile didn't lessen and after taking another drink, Rator continued.

“So, Captain, in 2259, when the Klingon Empire annexed the Suliban Union,” they began. I rankled at this, the so-called Suliban Union had been nothing more than a rump state which had no legal jurisdiction over the Suliban diaspora. Despite that, it still provided the legal basis of the Klingons mass enslavement of the Suliban people. I decided against arguing this point with my host and instead let them continue talking.

“We ended up being the last point of call for many Suliban, Efrosian, and other unfortunates caught up by the Klingon and Orion slave raids. Naturally we took them as both the Federation charter and the commandments of Lord God require of us. However, the Suliban seemed content to keep their own company and traditions and were not interested in our evangelizing efforts outside of their material benefits. In cooperation with them we adopted a joint policy of live and let live with our new guests. This has served both our groups well over the last few months but following that barbaric Klingon proclamation and our new proximity to the border,” they paused again, taking another drink and clearly taking an opportunity to consider their words carefully.

“There were differences of opinion between this administration and the people it stands for and our Suliban neighbors. Specifically, around what should be done now that our circumstances have changed. Some advocated for evaluation of the Suliban, some to evacuate all of us even. Others debated on what the colonial policy would be towards the Suliban if the Orion’s came knocking or, heaven forbid, the Klingons.” I cut them off before they could continue.

“What were some of those proposed policy’s Administrator?” I didn't take the anger I was feeling out of my voice. This reminded me of the Tandarans capitulation, where they had turned tens of thousands of the Suliban over to the Klingons without even so much as an argument.

“It's not what you're thinking Captain, certainly nothing official was ever decided, but like any responsible government that is far from the protection of Starfleet we evaluated all options.” They hurriedly replied. This Rator had a decent poker face, I was unsure if they were just trying to lessen the impact of what they were saying or if the administration had actually considered something truly terrible. They continued.

“However, some of the documents outlining these more extreme options found their way into the hands of the Suliban, and they have, righteously in my opinion, been outraged at them despite not having the full context. I have done my best to mollify them, and to explain the situation, but they are scared Captain. Add to that unscrupulous agitators calling for us to enact these plans or even expel them, some of whom even held government office until we sanctioned them, and we have a veritable powder keg on our hands. There have been riots, attacks on refugees, chaos in the streets. The church's Brotherhood can only be so many places at once, and we lack the tools and the training to deal with this.” Their eyes were sad and pleading at this point, and they motioned to Pastor Stone. She cleared her throat before elaborating.

“The Brotherhood is our church sanctioned protectorate forces, you have already seen a few members. They are just and fair and trained to uphold the Federation charter as well as all local laws as well as any other Federation security force, but our population doubled last July, and we simply do not have the numbers. This is running our people ragged.” She stated. I saw this for what it was, she was trying to form my opinion of the local security apparatus before I met any of them or spoke to any Suliban. This on its own was an alarming development. What were they trying to hide? What has been happening here? My communicator chimed a third time.

“Administrator, Pastor,” I began, unholstering my communicator as I spoke. “Clearly this is a sensitive situation, if things truly have escalated to riots and attacks on refugees as you said, then I would be happy to deploy my security personnel to serve as a mediating presence. I would also like to meet with representatives from the refugees alongside you Administrator, to see what we can do to address the needs of both parties.” I was putting on my best diplomat's voice again, despite the frustration I was feeling at the moment. There would be time to take account of what had happened here later.

“Please coordinate with my first officer, Commander Marcus Fane, for personnel deployments and immediate needs. I will also be beaming down medical teams under the command of my doctor, Allan Truong. Can you provide a list of any urgent medical supply needs and anywhere extra support might be needed?” This was familiar territory for me, during the war we had coordinated many planetary support operations, and this was something that Starfleet excelled at. This would also let me get more boots on the ground, and I was relying on my officers' natural curiosity to help me expose the truth of this planet. Standing, I flipped open my communicator and spoke.

“Go for the Captain.”

“Captain,” It was my First Officer, “The Aurora has just arrived in the system, they will enter orbit in just under fifteen minutes. How are things on the planet?”

“Fine Commander,” I replied. “Could you please coordinate the deployment of the security teams and Doctor Truong’s teams to the planet. These folks look like they could use our help. Additionally, please assemble the senior staff for a briefing in the conference room. I will have Lieutenant Risi take command of the deployment on the ground, Commander Foro and I are returning to the ship.”

“Aye-aye ma’am, would you like me to invite Captain Aleya to the briefing as well?” He replied. I could tell from his tone that he was concerned, it was unusual for the captain in a situation like this to not remain onsite to coordinate, so he must have realized there was something I needed to speak with them about away from prying ears. I hoped neither Administrator Rator nor Pastor Stone knew that I was deviating from procedure here. Commander Fane was right, I did need privacy and I appreciated his intuition. Though I wasn't sure if I wanted the Aurora’s Captain included in my suspicions yet, because at this point, that was all I had.

“I will decide shortly Commander. Captain Zh'kaarrin out.” I thumbed a dial on my communicator and turned back to the two colonial officials. “Thank you for your hospitality and hopefully we can have this crisis resolved shortly.” Thankfully Commander Foro had overheard me and had joined me at my side.

“Captain to transporter room, two to beam up.” For the second time that day, the world vanished in a kaleidoscope of light and energy.