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"Deadly Negotiations"
Rating: PG-13 Eleven Although most colonists could trace their roots back to Earth, they decidedly were NOT from Earth. Travis had to remind himself of that fact as the consortium reps took their time taking their seats and the Boomers held themselves apart from everyone else. Not that Travis could blame them, especially with this current feud between the Boomers and the consortiums. Both avoided the Starfleet personnel and the MACOs as much as possible. He spotted Corporal Romero with Corporal Money as he talked with the consortium representative of Altair. Whatever was said disturbed Romero to the point where the MACO looked ready to deck the representative, orders be damned. Money drew Romero to the side and said something to him that caused a sad smile to flash across his face. "You okay, Alejandro?" Travis asked him. "What did he say to you that made you so mad?" "He has a lot of nerve," Romero said, his tone soft and dangerous. "First, he said that Altair was 'proud of of their native son' and that they would be willing to drop the sedition charges against my family because of my 'faithful service' to you and Philippe Trieste. Then he said that perhaps I could possibly be hired as a private security coordinator for their consortium." "You considering that offer?" Travis asked. His skin crawled at the slimyness of the Altarian consortium. "I told him that I would keep it in mind, but my loyalty is to the MACOs, to you and Lieutenant Commander Reed. He took the rebuff with grace and said he'd be in contact with me in the future." Romero shook his head. "Then he said that Commander Reed was not like Major Hayes, and that I was betraying my old commander by serving the new one." Corporal Janet Money cut in. "Then I told Alejandro that if the major was alive, he'd kick Alejandro's butt for even thinking such a thing." "Hayes would, and so would I." Travis clapped a hand on Romero's shoulder. "Thank you for your service, Alejandro. I really appreciate it." "As do I," added Malcolm, as the Armory officer came up on Romero's far side. The MACO managed a smile, then Malcolm glanced at Travis. "They're waiting for us, Travis." Travis nodded and took a position beside Philippe. Philippe wore a white shirt tucked into black pants, a ceremonial dagger at his side. "You ready for this, Philippe?" "Oui. Allons-y. Let's get this over with." Philippe only gestured towards the stage ahead. As chief Starfleet negotiator, he walked up the single accessway through the crowd at Philippe’s side. No one was surprised to see him armed with a phase pistol or surrounded by MACOs. Malcolm Reed and another MACO took the rearguard. Admiral Forrest and Guillem Montclaire already stood on the podium ahead. Neither man looked at each other and their own MACO bodyguards hovered nearby.This was it, the moment they’d all expected and dreaded. Travis glanced sideways at Philippe, but the heir-apparent of EdML strode with his head high and a slight smile on his face. He paused in front of his uncle and bowed his head briefly. Guillem nodded and gestured for his nephew to join him on the platform. Flashes of light dotted the audience as vidcameras recorded the proceedings. Travis blinked in the unexpected glare. He tried to keep his vision clear. “Are you willing to take your place at the head of your mother’s consortium, as is expected by bonds of blood, sweat and tears?” Guillem asked formally. He wore a long robe that reminded Travis of the ones the Vulcans wore, with the EdML insignia on the chest: an angel surrounded by thirteen gold stars. “I am,” Philippe replied. “And whom have you asked to attend to you during this process?” Philippe straightened with pride and glanced at Travis, then at Malcolm. “I ask Lieutenant Travis Mayweather and Lieutenant Commander Reed to be my honor guards at this momentous occasion.” “Very well.” Guillem replied, even as his mouth twisted into a grimace. “Gentlemen, I welcome you in the name of the Montclaires and the Triestes. May your bonds of friendship continue for as long as the three of you shall live. My nephew can ask no better for his Stewards.” Travis thought he heard an ominous note in Guillem’s tone. As long as the three of you shall live. He heard the MACOs stir at those words and saw Malcolm’s hand resting on the phase pistol at his side. Travis knew Malcolm was also armed with other hidden weapons, as well as Hoshi, Stuart Reed and Captain Archer. He looked over Guillem's head to see Commandant Etienne Descartiers. The head of the Centaurian Security Force lifted his chin in acknowledgment and a slight smile passed over his face. The CSF head kept his laser rifle at the ready at his side. Guillem swept his hand towards the stage and said,“Come forward, Philippe, and accept the oath of service and the badges of honor, as befits the head of Estelle de Montclaire Limited.” Travis glanced at Philippe, who nodded permission. Malcolm came up on Philippe’s far side and together, the three of them approached the only table on the stage. There was a long scroll, three quill pens in ink pots, wax seals and gold stamps. At another signal, Admiral Forrest slowly got to his feet and stood behind the low table, his hands clasped in front of him. His MACO bodyguard stood at his side. Guillem picked up an old-fashioned bound copy of the EdML bylaws and nodded at Philippe. “Raise your right hand, put your left on the volume and repeat the oath, if you please, Monsieur Trieste.” Philippe did so and repeated the oath line by line, first in French, then in English. He vowed to steer EdML “to true north, in good times and bad, with my heart and soul”, to “depend on the wise words of my executive board and my stewards” and to “make sound decisions to the benefit of the company." When he was finished, Guillem turned to Travis. “Lieutenant Travis Mayweather, do you vow to stand next to Monsieur Trieste in good times and bad, with all your heart and soul?” “Mais oui. Je promets, je promettrai,” Travis replied in French. I promise, I will promise. “Lieutenant Commander Reed?” “Je promets, Monsieur.” “Bien.” A slight smile graced Guillem’s face. “Then let us seal the agreement, Monsieur Trieste and Stewards. Please, after you.” Philippe took hold of a quill pen and dipped it into the inkwell. Travis and Malcolm glanced at each other and stepped a pace closer to him, protecting Philippe’s back. In front of them, Admiral Forrest’s eyes scanned the crowd as Philippe began to write his name on the scroll in flowing cursive. Travis’s eyes flickered briefly as he met Forrest’s gaze... He saw the faint yellow target on Forrest’s chest. There was no time to shout a warning. Malcolm exploded from Philippe’s side, throwing himself almost horizontally across the table at Forrest. The admiral's MACO guard stumbled as a bullet struck him in the leg, and he went over the end of side of the stage. Travis immediately tackled Philippe to the ground, covering Philippe with his body. Nate Kemper, Fiona McKenzie, Alejandro Romero and Andrew Chang surrounded them in a tight circle. In the chaos, Travis heard a loud roar directly above him, but he couldn’t tell from where it came. Now his responsibility was to keep Philippe safe; he had made the Vow as a Steward. Another sharp crack erupted over the gathering. Travis saw a stunned look come over Guillem Montclaire’s face as his hands rose to touch the back of his head. The blue eyes glazed over and Guillem toppled over like a felled tree. Travis tore his gaze away from Guillem's prone body to the line of CSF regulars at the back of the audience. The soldiers had their hands full directing the guests to safety and preventing a stampede. Travis's eyes swept the line of defenders...and realized someone was missing. Commandant Descartiers. The top officer of the Centaurian Security Force. A horrible sickening feeling came over Travis. Someone who defends the king. The knight had just slain Guillem Montclaire. “Travis!” Fiona shouted in his ear. “We have to get Philippe out of here!” "It's Descartiers," Travis gasped. "The head of the CSF. He's the knight!" "What?" "He's the one who killed Guillem Montclaire, and Rene Trieste as well. He's the one who stalled the murder investigation--" Fiona was already snapping orders over her headset. There was a roar of stunned disbelief from the CSF guards, but they immediately fanned out in search of their leader. Suddenly, Travis heard a scraping sound and caught a glimpse of Philippe disappearing from view. "Dammit all!" Travis yelled. "Philippe overheard! He's after Descartiers!" "Where's Romero? He's supposed to protect Philippe--" Fiona broke off as she saw Romero on the ground, a trickle of blood coming from his nose and mouth, and Nate Kemper, unconscious next to him. Corporal Chang screamed for a medic as he knelt on the stage and held a body in his arms. Travis's heart stopped as he saw Hoshi and Admiral Reed there, as well as Doctor Phlox and Captain Archer. Two stretchers thundered onto the stage. Malcolm and Admiral Forrest are both hurt. Travis pushed the rage and grief aside. "C'mon, Fiona. We've got to find Philippe!" Fiona didn't hesitate, but only gestured for the medics to take care of the fallen MACOs. They took off at a run in the direction where he'd seen Philippe last and Travis prayed he'd reach Philippe in time. Just as they reached the entrance to the Gardens, Travis heard the squeal of hovercar's overtaxed hydraulic system. A blue-and-gold 'car with the emblem of the CSF tore around the corner, heading straight for Travis and Fiona. Both of them dove out of the way with barely inches to spare. Travis rolled on his shoulder and got up in time to see Philippe following in hot pursuit. The grim look on Philippe's face frightened Travis as the EdML 'car thundered past. A third 'car rounded the corner and slowed down enough for Travis to throw himself into the front seat. Fiona dove into the passenger compartment as the 'car sped up again. Travis glanced at the driver of the car and couldn't help but grin, despite the situation. Paul Mayweather smiled back. "Just like old times, Big Brother?" "Just like old times. Just try to keep us in one piece, okay?" Travis replied, and he hung on for dear life as Paul hit the accelerator. They left the estate far behind and headed out of Cochrane Commons. Travis flipped open his communicator. "Mayweather to Enterprise!" "Enterprise, D'Angelo." "Lori, I need for you to do a scan and find Philippe Trieste. He's in pursuit of a murder suspect and he's in danger. We need to know where he is and in what direction he's going." "Yes, sir!" There was a long pause as D'Angelo gave the order, then her voice came back. "Relaying the info to you now, Lieutenant." Paul glanced at the scanner as it came to life. "North-by-northwest, headed towards the spaceport." "Thanks, Lori, I owe you one." "Deduct it from the three I owe you. And get that guy who hurt the Boss, okay?" Ensign Lori D'Angelo was part of Malcolm's Gamma shift Armory team. Travis nodded, though she couldn't see it. "Will do, Lori. Mayweather, out." Travis had new respect for his brother's piloting skills as they followed the sensor signal. Paul kept closing while avoiding huge ore transports and construction cranes. They dove into a narrow alley and shot out the other side, squeezing in between the pursuer and the fleeing man, with Descartiers directly in front of them and Philippe close behind. The whine of sirens echoed over the traffic lanes and other drivers hurriedly pulled over to the side to allow the CSF to pass. Descartiers glanced over his shoulder to see Paul and Travis barreling behind him. The CSF commandant only opened his throttle and tried to gain a lead. "Get us closer, Mister Mayweather," yelled Fiona. "I'm gonna try to take out his engines!" "Yes, ma'am!" Paul hollered back and pushed the stick forward. Travis kept an eye on the scanner and realized that Philippe had cut behind them, circling so he approached Descartiers on the opposite side. What the hell is Philippe doing? Is he crazy? Then Travis looked up to see Philippe heading straight for the CSF commandant. "Hold your fire, Fiona! You might hit Philippe!" Travis screamed, but it was too late. The first of her shots clipped the back of the 'car, but the second and third scored hits on the engine. There were two other flashes as Philippe pulled the trigger on his phase rifle. The laser bursts penetrated the viewshield and struck Descartiers at nearly point blank range. Paul pulled up and away, barely missing Philippe as he thundered past. The CSF 'car flipped over once, then ground to a stop in front of an abandoned lot. Paul hit the brakes and Travis and Fiona clambered out. Philippe knelt at Descartiers's side and flipped the body over. The man's lips were moving, trying to say something. Slowly, the light disappeared from his eyes and the lips stilled. "What did he say, Philippe?" Travis asked softly. "Je suis desole," Philippe whispered as he reached out and closed Descartiers's eyes. "'I am sorry." Then he bowed his head, his shoulders shaking. |
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