Star Trek®: Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows

by Marco Palmieri

  Keiko clasped her hands behind her back and watched them shuffle past, some of them shooting her looks that alternated between frightened and defiant. She evaluated them as they went by. Some would definitely need attitude adjustments, some looked like sheep that probably wouldn’t last long, and the rest looked malleable. Not a bad batch at all.

  One of the new slaves, a thin Terran with close-cropped dirty-blond hair, gave Keiko a wide-eyed look as she walked by. Keiko furrowed her brow. There was something…

  Keiko stepped forward and pointed at the blonde before she broke eye contact. “You. Step forward.”

  The woman shifted her eyes to either side, then broke out of line and approached Keiko, with perhaps more confidence than Keiko would have thought likely for a slave.

  Keiko glanced at the woman’s designation on her filthy, baggy coveralls. “Seven-oh-one-Delta.” She lowered her voice slightly. “You have something to say?”

  The girl nodded once and kept her eyes focused on Keiko’s feet. “Yes, Madame Overseer. I had a question for you, if I may.”

  Intrigued, Keiko said, “Very well. Ask your question.”

  The blonde raised her head, daring to look Keiko in the eyes. In a breathy whisper, the girl asked, “Would you like to learn a new technique from a love slave?”

  Keiko stared at the girl, the question rolling around in her head. She consciously had to keep her mouth clenched to keep it from dropping open in shock. Keiko leaned in close. “What makes you think I need to learn anything new?”

  The blonde stared into her eyes. “You’ve been in this facility a long time. Things change. There are new techniques you’ve probably never dreamed of.”

  Keiko held the woman’s eyes, matching her smile with one of her own. Keiko inclined her head, then nodded. She turned to 404-Theta, who stood near one of the tunnel exits. Keiko indicated the blonde.

  “I’m going to process this one myself. See to the others.”

  Slave 404-Theta nodded in silence. Keiko had occasionally singled out a slave for personal attention—this was nothing new.

  Keiko turned back to the blonde and indicated the tunnel that led to a row of slave quarters. “Follow me.”

  Keiko waved off the two guards who normally accompanied her in the mines and led the slave into the tunnels. Most of the quarters were little more than niches with curtains covering their entrances, but some of the chambers were large enough to move around in.

  Keiko stopped in front of one such chamber and pulled the curtain aside. She indicated the narrow bed revealed inside. The blonde moved past her and into the chamber, unsnapping her coveralls as she did so.

  Keiko stepped in behind her and pulled the curtain closed. The new slave pulled her clothing off and slipped into the bed, covering herself with the thin sheet. Keiko glanced at the curtain, aware that guards and slaves could enter or pass by at any moment.

  Keiko moved to the side of the bed and undressed quickly, then slid under the sheet with the woman. The bed, little more than a thin mattress on a metal frame, was too narrow for them to lie side by side, so Keiko put her arms around her. The blonde did likewise, hugging Keiko close so that she could whisper into her ear.

  “My name is Tasha. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to find you alive and well.”

  Keiko nodded into the embrace. “It’s been a long time. Why have our friends waited so long to contact me?” She was careful to keep her voice low. Keiko rubbed Tasha’s back and shoulders, playing the part in case anyone should discover them.

  “I don’t have those details, but I do have a message to deliver. Unfortunately, I can’t read it. It’s for your eyes only.” Tasha nuzzled her neck, following Keiko’s lead to keep up appearances.

  Keiko blinked in confusion, then breathed into Tasha’s ear. “By what means are you to deliver the message?”

  Tasha combed her fingers through Keiko’s long hair. “There’s a tattoo on my leg.”

  Keiko nodded, impressed at the ingenuity. Tattoos were common enough among many slaves. The Alliance didn’t care what Terrans did to their own bodies, as long as the work got done.

  Keiko glanced at the curtain covering the entrance to their chamber, sensing a presence on the other side. She suspected they were being watched—as hard as she tried, she hadn’t been able to purge all the Alliance voyeurs from her command. A few still lingered, like the one outside her curtain now.

  She met Tasha’s eyes and quickly glanced at the curtain, indicating to Tasha that they were being monitored. Tasha nodded imperceptibly and gently pushed Keiko’s head down.

  Keiko kissed Tasha’s neck and shoulders, then lifted the sheet to cover her movement as she switched her orientation so that her head was near Tasha’s feet. She worked her way up Tasha’s legs, seeking out the tattoo Tasha had mentioned.

  Tasha settled herself more comfortably on the bed and uttered a low moan. Keiko grinned under the sheet. Clearly, Tasha had been trained by T’Lara, just as Keiko had been all those years ago.

  Keiko found the tattoo high up on Tasha’s thigh. She shifted her weight to a more comfortable position and examined the tattoo. At first, it seemed to be nothing more than an elaborate design consisting of black whorls. On closer inspection, Keiko discovered that the tattoo was actually made up of densely packed lines of Japanese calligraphy.

  Keiko grinned. She doubted there were many in the Alliance who would bother to investigate Tasha’s tattoo any closer than with a surface glance, and she doubted that there were any in the Alliance who could even read the writing if they recognized it for what it was. Keiko had known of only two other people who knew how to read it, let alone write it—her mother and her honored grandmother. And her grandmother had passed on years ago.

  Another low moan from Tasha broke Keiko out of her reverie. She realized that Tasha was keeping up the show, which meant that their voyeur hadn’t left. Keiko needed to speed things along, before that voyeur decided to get a closer look or, worse, join in.

  Our efforts proceed apace. rebellion growing in Bajor sector. Proceed with training and liberation. Destination: Terok Nor.

  Keiko read it twice to make sure she got it all, then worked her way back around to face Tasha. She kissed Tasha lightly on the lips.

  “Thank you for your help and your service,” she whispered.

  Tasha nodded breathlessly, keeping up the act. “What do we do now?”

  Keiko wrapped her arms around Tasha and hugged her close, finding unexpected comfort in the embrace. Tasha was the first person she’d seen from her old world in years. “Now we form an army and get off this rock.”

  2376

  Keiko walked the short distance from the infirmary to the security office, scratching the fabric of her blouse where it covered the healing skin underneath. The wound would heal, but the process would be an itchy distraction for some time. She paused outside the security doors, noting that she didn’t see anyone in the office or at the desk.

  She palmed the gift she had for Tiron and stepped into the office. As the doors closed behind her, she glanced at the screen on the wall displaying the interior of the holding cell area and winced.

  Eddington and Shar circled Tiron, who was kneeling on the deck with his arms bound behind him. Dark blood trickled out of his nose and the corner of his mouth. Eddington looked as if he wished he were somewhere else, but Shar…Keiko shuddered at the look on the Andorian’s face.

  Keiko entered a few quick commands into the security monitor, altering the angle of the security pickups and deactivating the audio sensors. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the scene she was about to unfold, and entered the holding area. All three men glanced up as the warning bell sounded, announcing that someone had entered the room.

  Eddington nodded at her. “I’m glad to see you’re up and about. Feeling better?”

  Keiko answered with a nod and crossed her arms in front of her chest, keeping a fair distance from the bound Tiron.

  Shar glanced at
her, then returned his attention to Tiron. “O’Brien told us to save a piece of him for you.”

  She nodded again. “I wanted a chance to talk to him before…before you finished with him.”

  Tiron gave her a wide-eyed look, no doubt reading the subtext of her statement.

  Eddington gestured at the prisoner and said, “You’re more than welcome to talk to him. There’s not much he can say in his defense, though.” Keiko gave him a questioning glance. Eddington explained, “He’s all but confessed to doing this on his own. He’s not an Alliance operative. He’s simply a former slave with a vendetta against you.”

  Tiron started to stand in protest, but a sudden backhand from Shar sent him crashing back to the deck. Tiron looked up at her, desperation evident in his bloodshot eyes.

  “Please, Keiko! What they’re saying isn’t true!”

  Shar sneered and kicked Tiron in the stomach. “Shut up! We have all the evidence we need.” He pressed his boot down on Tiron’s neck.

  Keiko turned to Eddington. “Evidence?”

  Eddington nodded. “Sloan contacted us about a half-hour ago. He went through Tiron’s quarters and found his personal files.” He glanced down at Tiron. “They’re sufficiently incriminating.”

  Keiko shook her head. “What did Miles have to say?”

  Eddington shrugged. “He wasn’t happy, that’s for sure. But he told me to take care of this for him. He’s busy reallocating the resources he gathered for the Alliance attack we thought was coming.”

  “Could we have pulled off an adequate defense?”

  Eddington nodded. “Miles managed to move a lot of things ahead of schedule and called in some markers I didn’t know he had. We could have defended the station long enough to get everyone evacuated. I don’t know if you’d classify that as an adequate defense, but it’s better than what we had earlier in the day.”

  Keiko nodded, relieved. It had worked. She looked down on Tiron. “I’d like to have a minute with him, alone.”

  Shar stared at her as he ground his boot against Tiron’s neck. “Do you think that’s such a good idea?”

  Keiko nodded. “I’ll be all right. You two will just be in the next room, right?”

  Eddington asked, “Are you sure?”

  “I just want to hear him tell me why he did all of this.” Keiko moved over to Tiron, waving Shar away. She pushed Tiron over onto his back with a carefully aimed kick. “Trust me, I have this under control.”

  Eddington gave her a doubtful look but nodded to Shar and led him out of the holding area. Keiko watched the door close and turned to Tiron.

  “You’ve certainly made a mess of things.”

  Tiron managed to roll over onto his side, blood dripping off his face and onto the deck. He offered a weak smile. “I have, at that.”

  Keiko walked around him in a circle, then stopped and kneeled down next to Tiron, using her body to block him from the cameras.

  She leaned in and, in a low voice, said, “I can’t thank you enough for all of the services you have done for me.”

  Tiron looked at her with hope in his eyes, an odd counterpoint to the trickles of blood on his face. In a quavering voice, he asked, “Did everything turn out the way you intended it to?”

  Keiko nodded, offering Tiron a gentle smile. “You did well, Tiron.”

  She raised her hand and presented her gift to him, a small green capsule. “This is for you.”

  He glanced at it, then at her. “How long will I have?”

  She held his gaze. “About an hour. Do you think you can hold out for that long?”

  Tiron glanced at the door Eddington and Shar had gone though, then back to Keiko. He nodded. “I suffered worse at the hands of Kozak. I can handle this well enough.”

  Keiko frowned. “I wish you didn’t have to, but I don’t know of another way.”

  Tiron shook his head. “Freedom doesn’t come without its price, Keiko. I’ll be all right. Give me the pill.”

  She stared into his eyes, finally nodded. She placed the capsule in his mouth and leaned down to give him a chaste kiss. She leaned back on her haunches and watched as he dry-swallowed the pill and grimaced.

  She stood and said, “Thank you again, Tiron. Good luck. I hope we can meet again someday under better circumstances.”

  He looked up at her and nodded in silence. A film started to crawl over his eyes—the drug was taking effect. She gave him a final nod, then joined Shar and Eddington in the security office.

  Eddington stared at her as she walked in. He put a hand on Shar’s shoulder and said, “Go see to the prisoner.”

  Shar gave Keiko an ugly grin and pushed past her. Once the door had closed behind him, Eddington turned to Keiko.

  “Care to tell me why you altered the angle of the security cameras and deactivated the audio pickups?”

  Keiko pursed her lips. “I needed to talk to Tiron, and I didn’t want an audience.”

  Eddington stroked his chin as his frown deepened. “Keiko, I didn’t want to say anything in front of Shar, but something about this whole situation just doesn’t feel right.”

  Keiko sighed. Eddington was no idiot. She gave him a tired smile. “A lot of things don’t feel right, Michael.” She walked past him toward the main doors, which opened as she approached. He didn’t offer another comment, so she walked out onto the Promenade and didn’t look back.

  2375

  Tiron pulled Keiko out of the line of fire and pressed her against the side of the rough-hewn mineshaft. “That way’s blocked off, Keiko! Where do we go now?”

  Keiko glanced past Tiron and saw a handful of guards, a mix of Cardassians and Klingons, working their way toward her group’s position, firing their weapons with indiscriminate glee. “We’ll have to go the other way around. At least, we know the way behind us is clear.”

  Tiron nodded and moved past her back down the corridor. Keiko and a couple of her freed slaves fired their weapons toward the approaching guards. Keiko didn’t check to see if they’d hit anyone—she was more interested in slowing them down at this point.

  Tiron led Keiko and the others through the main assembly area and into the prefab corridors that made up the facility’s command and control center. Stepping over bodies of guards and slaves, Keiko moved over to the remnants of the computer consoles her people had destroyed a few minutes ago and addressed the twenty or so rebels with her.

  “We can’t take the easy way to the landing pads, so we’ll have to work our way around to the ore loaders and get out that way.”

  Some of the former slaves traded groans and grimaces, but Keiko was pleased to see most of them nod with determination. She’d spent a long time training these people under the collective noses of Gul Zarale and his Alliance guards.

  The large door leading deeper into the Alliance facility cycled open, and Keiko and her group took covering positions and aimed their weapons toward the door. Keiko saw who was on the other side and raised her hand. “Hold your fire!”

  Tasha leaned her head in, then gave Keiko a smile when she laid eyes on her. “Oh, it’s you.”

  Keiko stood up out from behind her cover and waved Tasha in. Tasha entered the control room, more freed slaves following behind her.

  Keiko grinned. “Good work. How many do you have with you?”

  “Forty-seven.” She indicated the corridor from which she’d entered. “We lost some along the way, though.”

  Keiko nodded in sympathy. She’d lost several as well. “We need to keep moving.” She pointed in the direction of the mining area. “We have guards moving in.”

  Tasha nodded and thumbed toward the Alliance corridors. “That way is clear. We didn’t find Zarale, though. He must have slipped out.”

  Keiko frowned. “He’s probably making a run for the transports. I should have killed him in his sleep last night.”

  Tasha gave her a sidelong smile. “Not much we can do about it now. Where to?”

  Keiko waved Tiron over and clapped him on the sh
oulder. “Cover our backs, all right?”

  Tiron nodded. “Go ahead.”

  Keiko moved back toward the mining corridors, Tasha and the others following behind. A massive Bolian fell into step with Keiko, taking point with her. She didn’t recall his name.

  The two paused near the opening to the central assembly area. Keiko checked the area and waved the others to follow. She turned to the Bolian.

  “Go on ahead, and scout out the passage to the ore loaders. We’ll be right behind you.”

  The Bolian nodded and trotted off in that direction, disruptor pistol in hand. He disappeared into one of the corridors leading off the assembly area. Tasha and the others joined her at the entrance.

  Keiko glanced at them. “We head for the ore loaders and then on to the landing pads. We don’t stop. We don’t go back. Understood?”

  Tasha looked into her eyes and nodded. Even if no one else understood what was at stake, at least she did. If they went back for someone who had fallen, or slowed their pace, they all might fail to get away. And they needed to get off the planet. There wouldn’t be a second chance.

  Keiko saw that her people were about as ready as they were ever going to be. She saw the Bolian at the entrance to the tunnel he had gone into. He waved at her to follow. She nodded.

  “All right, people! Let’s move!”

  Keiko led the way, the other slaves charging in behind her. She followed the Bolian into the mining corridor, blasting the few remaining guards as they went, freeing what slaves were still imprisoned and adding them to their numbers. As they rushed through the mining complex, Keiko estimated that she had almost two hundred slaves with her. She and Tasha hadn’t trained more than a third that number, so the remainder made for a nice bonus. The Terran rebellion on Terok Nor would no doubt appreciate the additional personnel.

  In less time than Keiko would have expected, they were all rushing up the conveyor belt that carried ore to the transports. The Bolian rushed to the top of the conveyor and out onto the landing pad. A flurry of disruptor fire cut him down. Keiko paused at the entrance and looked out at the landing pad.