A Vorta's Tale

Posted on 25 Aug 2012 @ 9:16am by Captain Jonathan Holliday & Amril & Lieutenant Aria Rice

2,547 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Brig
Timeline: MD-09: 0530 hours

[ON]

The first Vorta in the Federation for over a decade... the words were enough to make Jonathan's blood run cold. He had seen his fair share of action during the war, the mark on his face enough to remind him of his youthful impulsiveness every time he looked in the mirror. Now to find that one of the Dominion's most trusted member races had left one of their members in a nebula was more than a little alarming.

The Brig on the Galileo was a small room, designed to hold only a few occupants at any one time, with a security officer on duty at the single computer terminal at all times. As the doors opened, John watched as the forcefield guarding the entryway dropped and allowed him entrance, before re-engaging with a blue shimmer. Secondary containment, just in case the Vorta should escape from the forcefield in front of his cell, he would be stopped by the one covering the door, walls and ceilings. Originally designed in the event of capturing a live changeling, or Founder as they called himselves, John was under no illusions that this Vorta could easily be deceiving them all.

Moving across the room, John nodded to the security officer on duty, dismissing them with nothing more than a glance, and watching as they left, leaving the XO alone in the room with their prisoner safely stowed.

"I'm told you wanted to speak with me... I'm Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Holliday... currently in command of this vessel."

"Ah," the vorta said, looking up from his seat. He looked quite pleased to see the commander despite being in the brig. "How good of you to come in such a timely manner, Commander. I am Amril, Three... but I must say, though it pains me to complain, I'm rather disappointed in the treatment I've received aboard your vessel. I was led to believe asylum did not involve a brig. But of course you can't be expected to trust me, I suppose, even if you are at peace with the Dominion. I'd very much like to alleviate your concerns and be treated more like a refugee than a prisoner of war."

The Vorta had long had a history for being talented orators, acting as both field commanders and diplomats for the Dominion when needed, although seemingly without their Jem'Hadar escorts, they were timid and indeed physically unimpressive as a species. Looking at the captive in front of him, John chose to do nothing other than cross his arms before replying.

"A refugee? Last time I checked when the Dominion lost the war, they retreated back to the Gamma Quadrant and since then we haven't heard as much as subspace whisper from them. So that begs the question, what is a Vorta doing in a stealth-capable vessel in a nebula near a top secret Federation facility?"

"Top secret?" the vorta replied, raising an eyebrow and then clucking his tongue, "Really, Commander, you ought to be careful what you say. I've no idea where we are, I assure you. You see, Commander, I have been in stasis since the beginning of the war. Your officers can tell you that much. I am not here as a spy."

"Then why are you here?" John was under no illusion that with a simple look at a starchart, the Vorta would know exactly where he was and exactly what the facility beyond the nebula was for. Starfleet had learned early on in its war with the Dominion that if anything, they were extremely adept at gathering intelligence.

"My XO mentioned something about asylum and that you had defected? I thought Vorta didn't defect, your 'Gods' made sure of that when they programmed you?"

"Ah, well, there is that, isn't there?" Amril agreed, "I would have told your doctor more, but she doesn't seem all that fond of me. Did she lose family to the Dominion?"

"The personal situations of my crew are not for discussion... almost everyone I have served with has lost someone to your kind..." John signed for a moment, preparing himself to lose the room with a hopeless response. If he had not been a Starfleet officer he simply would have wringed the Vorta's neck to find out everything he wanted, but in this case, it wasn't as simple.

"In the interest of being given back my freedom, I will tell you everything, if you'll agree to give my story fair consideration, I know you Starfleet people pride yourself on understanding."

"If your answer is good enough, then I will consider dropping the forcefield. Your only other alternative is I deem you a hazard and have you beamed into space. No excuses, no discussions, now start talking."

John was in no mood to debate the issue, he would either get the answers he wanted, or he would make this entire encounter disappear as an unfortunate accident, either way, he would keep this ship and her crew safe above all else.

A few moments passed before the vorta began. "You see, our genetic makeup is indeed carefully programmed by the founders to ensure our obedience. Once a vorta is created, the genetic makeup is replicated several times and when the vorta dies, one of his clones is activated. The new clone is identical not only in genetics but also in personality and even memories. It's a complicated process that you probbably would not fully understand even if I explained it well.

"But sometimes there are errors, it's a complex process after all. Errors in the transfer can create many errors, including personality deviations. I am a 'victim' of such a fortunate error. I am the third Amril clone, and when I was activated I found that my devotion to the founders was overpowered by something I have never experienced before... curiosity. You see, Commander, when I looked up at the stars, I didn't just think of the Founders, I thought of all those planets out there and I wanted to see them. My error is the desire to explore.

"So, when I was working on a secret project in Cardassia, I... borrowed the infiltrator and escaped. I will be honest, Commander, I had no more desire to defect to Starfleet than I did to keep exterminating Marquis. I set a course through Klingon space, to reach an area of unexplored space. The Klingon Empire was the least likely to fall to the Dominion quickly, so I planned to enjoy a peaceful life away from the Alpha Quadrant's wars and the Dominion. Of course something must have gone wrong while I was in stasis..."

"So you ran away to avoid doing your duty? You're not a refugee, you're a deserter. Now I see why you left... had the Founders or another Vorta spotted what you were... that little suicide implant in your head that Starfleet had such fun analyzing from other Vorta would have made Amril Four's day... correct?"

It was all starting to come together now. The papers that Deep Space Nine had published on a similar case were required reading on most tactical courses at the Academy now - under the guise of making sure new cadets understood that just because something appeared as an enemy, didn't automatically mean it was time to fire phasers.

"Why no, Commander. Do you accuse Borg drones of deserting if their connection to the Collective is severed? I am not a deserter, nor am I defective. I am liberated. All I want is the same freedom everyone in your Federation has."

"And how do I know that this isn't some elaborate hoax? Perhaps you've been sent here deliberately by the Founders to ascertain the current state of the Alpha Quadrant in preparation for a renewal of the war... or perhaps you are a Founder yourself masquerading as a Vorta so as not to appear threatening... if I walked into a Dominion facility saying the same things you are to me now, I doubt very much I would survive very long."

The XO was in a quandary. On the one hand, he had a member of the greatest threat the Alpha Quadrant ever faced sat in his Brig saying that he was wanting to defect, but on the other hand, there was still the possibility of this all being a ruse, and the last thing Holliday wanted to be responsible for was a second Dominion war.

"I cannot convince you of my sincerity in words, Commander," Amril admitted, "But I believe you can determine whether or not I am a Founder? I think in light of the fact that the Federation and Dominion are at peace and I have given you no cause to doubt my intentions, it is reasonable to treat me less like a prisoner and more like a guest, no? I cannot cause that much trouble, surely. I'm not a Jem'Hadar." He chuckled at that, at the fuss these Starfleet people made over him like he was about to tear the ship apart with his bare hands.

"And if I were to let you out?" The Commander questioned, having been thinking on that exact same subject from the moment the Vorta first even hinted at being allowed free from the Bridge.

"What would you do? You know I wouldn't be able to let you near any key systems or go anywhere without an armed escort?"

"I am only dangerous when I have Jem'Hadar to command. I am hardly a mighty warrior. Why not assign a security officer to escort me? I will happily stay confined to quarters when the officer is available, unless you see fit to assign another." He thought for a moment, then suggested. "That ensign, Aria, she called herself. She was most understanding of my situation but equally concerned for the safety of her comrades. I think she would be a fine choice."

"So let me get this straight... you want me to release you from the Brig, assign you a very specific escort, and allow you to remain in crew quarters for now? That's a pretty tall order... you realise the situation you've put me in here, correct?"

The XO wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. It was true that the Vorta as a species were generally harmless and not exactly designed for combat, but they were still cunning tacticians and negotiators, which sometimes was more than enough to turn the tide of battle.

"If I were a species you'd never heard of," Amril reasoned, "even if you knew nothing about what I was capable of, and if I told you less of my circumstances than I have, you would grant me asylum without question and would not bother with an escort unless I showed signs of being a danger. You know about my kind and I have been perfectly open with you, I've requested my freedom under stricter conditions than you would grant another. Is it really that much of a risk?"

For a moment the XO said nothing, in fact in this case, Holliday was caught behind a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, he had a possibly hostile force onboard that so far had made no threat, made no dangerous action, and done nothing to make him suspicious, but on the other, he was a Vorta.

"Very well... you will be transferred to quarters under guard... until I can get us out of here and I decide what to do with you... understood?"

"Absolutely, Commander," Amril said, beaming as if he'd just been given a fortune in latinum. "I assure you, you have my full cooperation. No doubt you will also want to debrief me eventually, yes?"

"Once I have more... important... issues dealt with then yes, you will be next."

Turning away from the glimmering forcefield of the Brig, Holliday slapped his combadge, knowing exactly who he wanted.

=^=Holliday to Ensign Rice - report to the Brig on the double.=^=

Aria frowned as she came into the brig, lifting her chin slightly as she saw the XO. "Sir," she said respectfully, taking a slow breath as she glanced at Amril. Not necessary about him, but more to take in the situation, see what was happening here.

"Ensign... escort our... guest here, to secure quarters, he is to be allowed access to the food replicator but all other systems are to be locked out... and I want a guard stationed with him at all times... are you up to the task?"

Aria looked at him with surprise before taking a deeper breath. She nodded gently, relaxing her stance. "Yes, Sir. As always, I will do whatever I am ordered to," she said, but finished at that.

"Good to hear. Any problems you contact me directly... and also... don't be afraid to use a phaser if he tries anything."

Moving to behind the security console, Holliday quickly entered his authorisation code, and watched as the forcefield around the Brig cell entrance dissolved into nothingness, allowing the Vorta full access to the outside world for the first time in what was probably a lengthy while.

Aria moved forward and offered her hand to Amril, holding his eyes. "It's okay," she said, holding his eyes. "Come on. We'll get you some quarters and I will grant you access to the replicator for food and drink."

"Ah, of course, ensign," he said pleasantly, taking her offered hand, shaking it quickly even if that wasn't quite what she wanted, and releasing it. "I'm sure you will be a fine escort. Oh, Commander, is the crew aware of my presence? I should very much like to meet some of your officers. I've never had the opportunity to meet a Starfleet officer in person. Perhaps a visit to the mess hall? With my escort, of course." He seemed genuinely eager to satisfy whatever curiosity he had, speaking quickly, more animated now that he was given back a semblance of freedom.

"The mess hall, as well as any other areas of this ship are off limits until I say otherwise... the deal was you stay in your quarters... so you stay there... is that clear?"

The XO placed his hands either side of the console and leaned forward, locking eyes with the Vorta as he did so, his point had to be gotten across, and he was going to make sure it did so, at warp speed.

"Why, of course, Commander, as you wish," the vorta agreed readily, giving a slight dip of his head to acknowledge the man. "I will await your pleasure on that matter."

"Get him out of here, Ensign. Dismissed."

The XO had little to say before turning his back on the pair and heading out of the doors destined for the Bridge, he had other things to attend to right now other than the safe transfer of one lone Vorta. His stomach was already in knots, he had just let a member of his greatest enemy out of confinement, but perhaps just once, he might need to overcome his sense of hatred for the Dominion, and just once trust this Vorta at face value. Another time perhaps.

[OFF]

Amril
Vorta Defector
USS Galileo

Lt Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

ENS Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Galileo

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