Park stepped down onto the pristine ship, adjusting to the darkness.  She and the others who came down after clipped on flashlights.  Tapping her badge, she said, “Park to Reid – make sure everyone is clear from the energy spot.  We might end up pulling more power in a moment.”She shifted forward.  They had landed in an open area with spartan outfitting.  “This doesn’t look like a Tholian interior…Lieutenant Wallaker?”

The red-headed science chief from the Perseverance was scowling as she moved deeper into the ship.  Park watched her move towards the doors, inspecting the various elements as she went further down.  She stopped suddenly, turning to face Park, “Commander, this might be a much older Tholian ship…but the interior is fairly modern…but modern for a humanoid crew.  Tholians couldn’t live on this ship or even pilot it.”

The Nova CO felt a rustling on the edges of her nerves.  Nothing made sense.  There were more questions than answers the further they investigated.  “Wallaker, find me a command module or command center.”  The woman set off while Park turned to the assorted team, “Stay here and close – full scans, catalogue as you go.”  She followed the footsteps of Wallaker into an upper module.

Hazel chuckled. “Found the bridge.”  She moved from console to console, “System is in standby mode.  Based on these readings, main power is actionable. Engines are offline…looks like they disconnected them entirely.  No weapons, no shields.”

Park replied, “Hold on to that thought.”  She tapped her badge, “Park to Edwards – find engineering.  I need a status report on the risks of activating the power core on this ship.”  He replied that he and his team were on it.  Park walked over to where Wallaker was standing. “I’m starting to wonder if they left this here for someone to find.”

The science officer cocked her head to the side, concern filling her eyes.  “You asked your chief engineer to check the core.  You worried this is a trap?”

Park walked listlessly around the small oval bridge.  “I don’t know…and that’s what is bothering me.  Everything happens for a reason – good, bad, or ugly.  There’s purpose in the universe, and it’s usually straightforward to figure out the meaning of things and what we should do with it.”  She gestured to the ship around them, eyes searching the smooth lines of the command center.  “This doesn’t make sense.  Old Tholian freighter.  New interior.  Buried, but supplied with careless power.”

The voice of Lieutenant Ebenezer Edwards spoke from her badge, “Commander, the core is in near-perfect condition.  Looks like a recent install.  We’ve triple checked with the scans and inspections – shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get her running.”

Park replied, “We’ll start it up here.  Keep in touch if anything goes wrong.”  She spoke to Wallaker, “Activate start sequence.”  She watched as Hazel keyed in the ignition activation, and slowly, the harmonic thrumming of the core filled the ambient noise.  Consoles and displays flicked on, and lights activated.  Within a few minutes, Wallaker had a report.

“Everything’s green aside from engines, weapons, and shields.”  She worked from console to console, “I’m trying to sort out what’s what on the schematics…there’s something odd – a majority of power being drawn is being sent to this location down on decks 2, 3, and some of 4.”  She grumbled, “But it won’t tell me what’s inside.”

Park followed her gaze, “There’s an access door there…no other way in.  Park to team – meet me on deck 2 at door 33.”  She nodded to Wallaker, “Be ready to see what you can do to open the door.”  She was out the door and walking fast.  What had once been nudging at her nerves was now dancing on and around them in a dizzying display of annoyance.  Her mind spun on controlled chaos as she asked herself what all of this meant.  What was the point?  She reached the door and the gathered group.  “Report?”

“The door is secured by a security keypad.  We’ve attempted to hack it, but nothing’s worked.”

She tapped her badge, “Park to Wallaker – tell me you can get door 33 open.”

“It’s possible, Commander.  The readings the ship is giving me are concerning.  I’m showing biological readings.  I can’t tell if they’re alive or dead – the sensors aren’t working as well inside that area as the rest of the ship.”  A long pause followed by, “Got it.  Should be unlocked…now.”

The door clicked and fell open with a groan.  The inside lights began to click on audibly, and Park stepped forward as the rest of the crew followed.  Park’s eyes beheld a staid sight of a several-floored laboratory, equipment seemingly in waiting for someone to use.  She held her phaser rifle out and in front as she pushed further into the facility, stepping down stairs as the security escort flanked her.  Shiny floors glared back at her as Park traversed the stairs to the bottom floor.  A medical bed lay against the far wall, surrounded by active life support equipment of various types, sizes, and kinds.  She walked slowly forward as Wallaker caught up with her, tricorder in hand.

“Whoever it is…they’re barely alive.”

Park pushed on and soon stood a foot from the bed, the body and face visible despite the unending wires and cores snaking all around the body from head to foot.  Wallaker was working her tricorder, trying to identify who it was, but Park put her hand on the tricorder.  “This is Doctor Galdrid  Ahon.”

A raspy voice startled them, “I had expected to meet back up with a certain Captain Dread.”  A fluid-filled chuckle resounded.  Ahon fell into a coughing fit, which took a minute to settle.

Park didn’t laugh.  She clenched her hands into fists.  The genocidal maniac who had murdered, kidnapped, and experimented her way to the cracked vision of perfection was not high on her list.  She wanted to walk away or shoot the woman in her last moments.  But that wouldn’t do.  She turned to Wallaker, “Update Captain Walton.  Have her transport down.”

Ahon sneered, “You don’t think you can handle me?”

“I don’t think you can handle me.”  She rolled her eyes. “Why are you here?”

“I couldn’t deliver on what the Tholains wanted.  Every test was a failure.  Every generation fell apart.  The more I tried, the more I muddled the data.”  She winced, and Park noticed that she had been doing so for quite some time.  “So they punished me.  Dropped me and my ship into the dirt…and buried me alive…to die a slow death.”

Park remained a foot away.  “Why don’t you pull it all off?  Break free?”

The ever-present smile on Ahon’s lips faded as her face fell incrementally.  “They broke all of my bones.  Shattered my back.  The medicine they feed me prevents the healing of the bones and everything else.  They are keenly aware of my capabilities.”  Another wince.  “They intended me to lie here in my filth and sin for as long as these machines keep me going.”  Her eyes flicked around, unable to see them.  “Yet…you’re here.  Why?”

Wallaker returned, nodding that Walton was on her way.  Park chuckled, “I think the Tholians wanted us to find you…or someone to find you.  Wallaker, any luck on the message?”

“We did get a better translation.”  She tapped at her PADD and read. “The experiment is complete.  Ahon’s life is held in contempt.  The price is death being an end.  The contract is fulfilled.  If discovered, leave her death to be completed.  Removal of Ahon will constitute an act of war with the Tholians.  We hold the contract for her life in our hands.  We are her judge, jury, and executioner.”  She let out a long sigh. “The Tholians aren’t messing around.”

Captain Wren Walton’s voice spoke from behind them. “No, they are not.” She stepped forward: “Clear the room. I need Wallaker, Eseri, and Park.” It didn’t take long for the crew to clear out. Walton turned her attention back to Ahon. “I’m guessing the pain hurts.”

“You have no idea.”  Her face told the true story as she fought the pain.  “I would have asked for the sweet release of death.  It appears the Tholians have taken even that choice away from me.”

Wren asked Park, “How long does she have?”

Park’s eyes widened, “You can’t be thinking…”

Walton repeated herself, her tone firm, “How long does she have?”

“With the machines they have her hooked up to… approximately another year.  Her body will begin to shut down organ by organ.”

Ahon’s sullen response rumbled from the bed: “I know this suffering. I know of this pain.”

Park snapped, “Because you pushed it onto your experiments repeatedly throughout the years.”

Ahon replied, “I cannot argue with fact.”

Silence fell in the room, the various beeps from the life-giving and torture device filling the space as each officer sat in their thoughts. Lieutenant Eseri looked as if she was about to burst and asked, “So what are we going to do?”  She looked to each of them, “I don’t know this woman, but there’s got to be something we can do?”

Another rumble from the bed, “They know my history, Andorian.  They know my sins.  They will share my story with you, and you will wish you had never had to hear it in the first place.”  A spattered cackle erupted and then slowly settled down.  “You will see there is nothing to be done.  I will be condemned to live the remainder of my Tholian-mandated life until my Tholian-mandated death takes me.”

Eseri shook her head, “No, I know the Federation and I know Starfleet.”  She turned to Walton and Park, “I know you have to contact Fleet Captain Fontana.  I can’t be the only voice of reason here.”

Walton pursed her lips.  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.  Wallaker, double and triple-check that translation.  Lieutenant Eseri, you’ve earned yourself a seat in the conversation with Fleet Captain Fontana.”  Wren felt a measure of satisfaction when the Andorian’s eyes widened in shock.  Walton turned to Park, “Observe only.  Don’t take advantage of the situation.  And Ahon – the same goes for you.  You want us to help you?”

A gurgled, “Yes,” was her subdued response.

“Then shut the hell up and lie there.  Lieutenant, with me.”