Miranda, Part 6

Posted on Fri Feb 15, 2019 @ 11:28am by Commander Caleb Ryan

986 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: USS Peacemaker/Theta Tau Nebula
Timeline: MD01 2215

Ash, Rilasa, and Jera materialized with the pallet of supplies in tall grass at the top of a hill. Rilasa instinctively turned to survey their surroundings. They didn’t have any weapons, but she was still a highly trained close quarters fighter. Her artificial eyes scanned the natural environment, but found nothing threatening.

“Welcome to Miranda,” Ash said, turning to grab the handle of the pallet. The anti-grave had been removed and a set of thick tires placed on it, making it more of a flatbed wagon. He grunted as he tugged it down the hill. Rilasa rolled her eyes and pushed him aside, her enhanced strength handling it much more easily.

“Nice place,” Jera commented as she looked down the hill toward the homestead they were approaching, a lake stretching off past it. There were a couple prefab buildings and even some of cargo containers like the ones they had brought had been converted into buildings. There was a tidy dirt yard where chickens grazed, snatching up bugs from the ground. One of the cargo containers had been converted into a coop. One of the buildings was a barn and the other a house where smoke rose from a chimney. A garden patch and a tilled bit of land stretched out from the lake, and a small boat was pulled up and inverted on the shore.

“Hello!” Ash called out as they drew nearer. A lazy cow looked up from its pasture before returning to chewing its cud. Some goats scampered out of their way.

The door to the cottage opened and a tall Cardassian woman in a plain grey dress emerged from the house. She was later middle-aged, though still quite attractive, filling out the dress quite nicely with an excellent figure.

“Ash!” the Cardassian woman exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you in years, much to my disappointment.” Her voice was lower pitched, soft and sultry.

“Entirely too long, Moia,” Ash said, grinning broadly. “I have missed you.”

“Not as much as I have missed you,” Moia said with a bit of a leer.

Ash laughed and motioned for Rilasa to park the pallet by the pig sty, which used another cargo crate on its side to provide shelter from the sun.

Moia snatched up Ash in her arms and gave him a deep, passionate kiss, which caused Ash to melt into her arms.

Rilasa stiffened slightly and Jera put a hand on the Romulan’s arm to reassure her and hold her back from anything rash.

Ash finally came up for air and extricated himself from Moia’s arms, catching his breath. “Moia Ilmater, may I introduce to you Rilasa and Jera,” he said, indicating the red headed Romulan and the blonde Bajoran.

Moia studied the two women and then peered closer at Rilasa. “Rilasa? As in Graeca’s brat?” Moia asked with surprise.

Rilasa blinked. “My father is Enrily Graeca,” she allowed carefully.

Moia laughed. “Oh, how time has gone by! Last time I saw you, you still hadn’t bloomed yet, and now look at you!”

“You knew my father?” Rilasa asked.

“We were business associates,” Moia said with a diffident wave of her hand. “He dealt in Romulan weapons and technology, and I had the market cornered on Cardassian and Dominion post-war leavings. And I do my homework on my rivals. I figured you would make good leverage against him if I needed it.” She gave a wicked smile that only a Cardassian could make.

Rilasa gave a bitter laugh. “Then you didn’t know my father well at all,” she said drily.

“Perhaps,” Moia allowed. “But I certainly trusted him more than I ever did Torm or Dys.”

“I guess I should have known you two might have known each other,” Ash mused. “What I wouldn’t have given to see you in a training bra, Ril.”

Rilasa glared death at Ash.

“And Myru Jera,” Moia said, turning to the Bajoran. “Yes, I know you, too, though not from my days dealing weapons. You were the Minister of Agriculture on Bajor.”

“A lifetime ago,” Jera said warily, shifting nervously.

“And yet you haven’t aged a day.”

“Good beauty regimen,” Jera said dryly.

“No, I think it was more than that. It was reported you died in a shuttle crash.”

“I got better.”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps some...philanthropic organization tipped the Provisional Government off to what you really were.”

Jera stared daggers at Moia, who just laughed. “Ah, but my days in the Obsidian Order are long done, thanks to your people, Founder,” she said, with no trace of bitterness. “So what have you brought for me, Ash?”

Ash cleared his throat. He hadn’t thought Moia would be so well-informed about his companions, but he supposed it was necessary. He turned to the cargo containers and opened them up.

“The seeds and foodstuffs you asked for. Clothes, paper. Everything you requested.”

Moia peered inside, her quick, calculating mind tallying up the inventory. “Yes, very good. Should get me through the winter quite nicely.”

“And how is it here?” Rilasa asked curiously, looking around.

“I cannot complain much,” Moia admitted. “This is a quite temperate zone. Mild winters and summers. Though Cardassians prefer it a bit drier and warmer,” she admitted.

“And you’re the only one on this entire planet?” Jera asked.

Moia’s facade showed the first signs of cracks as she nodded. “Yes. All alone, and no technology. Those are the rules of my imprisonment.” She turned and headed back toward the house. “Unload all that, Ash,” she said. “I will put together a place for your friends to sleep and start dinner.”

Jera and Rilasa looked at Ash. Moia hadn’t mentioned a place for Ash to sleep.

Ash actually blushed and turned to unload the pallet.

FIN

Ltcdr. Ash Danrisa
Intelligence Officer

Rilasa Graeca
Intelligence Asset

Myru Jera
Intelligence Asset

Moia Ilmater
Intelligence Asset

 

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