The landing site was old and overgrown with weeds and grass.  Captain Walton stepped out first, scanning the area around them. Satisfied it was clear, she stepped down on the ground, followed by Lieutenants Reid and Wallaker.  The path to the castle was similar.  Wren slipped out her tricorder, “I don’t think anyone has been out here in a while.”

Hazel Wallaker walked alongside her and then pulled ahead, scanning various parts of the path, glancing at the sky, “Class M in every possible way.”  She pointed at the castle, “That’s not part of this place.  Whatever he built it out of is not native to this planet.”  The science chief tapped at her tricorder, flummoxed.  “Correction – that’s holographic, captain.  Initial scans were being returned with a different reading.”  She stared at the castle, spires and all.  “It’s not real—none of it.  I would guess the throne room is also a solid holographic creation.”

Jordan Reid was working along the path, scanning the plants and sampling the soil. “This place is rich with resources, captain. The soil is rich; these plants have multiple uses in agriculture.”  She stood, amazed, “This place would be at the top of our colonial operations list.  And yet…”

Wren pointed at the castle, “The Emperor. He wanted it all for himself.”  She could understand it at a base level – the prize of a planet.  But he shared it with no one.  Nobody else to enjoy the beauty that surrounded him.  “We need to have a conversation with him.”

The doors to the throne room rumbled open, and the expansive space unfolded before them—as it had appeared on the view screen. Emperor Maximus Bernard Pruft stood tall at the far end, the guards scattered around him, ready. “You will kneel,” he thundered.

Wren stopped, cocking her head to the side, “I’d rather talk.”  She had contemplated playing along with his act, but she’d decided as the doors had groaned closed that the time for placating a fool had ended.

He shouted, the cavernous room shaking at the sound of his voice, “You will kneel!”  The guards tightened the grip on their spears, the sharpened ends glinting in the light of the bright sunlight bending through a skylight above.

“I’d like to understand something first.  Are you the real Bernard Pruft or someone who took his name?”

A snarl jumped out of his mouth, “How. Dare. You.”  A blaster weapon was in his hands in a flash, and a bright yellow burst snapped across the room, slamming into Wallaker.  She yelped at the impact and flew up into the air, crashing into the hard concrete underneath and sliding a few inches before slowing to a stop.  

Reid was already in motion, her medical tricorder out as she slid to the ground next to the young science chief. Walton watched, holding her breath. Jordan nodded. She was breathing.  

Wren turned on the Emperor, “That was not wise.”  Her eyes burned with a barreling red fury. She could see him pause as his eyes met hers.  “Now we have to do things a much harder way.”

He scoffed, but she could see his eyes shifting nervously as she stood tall, squared up against him and his guards.  “I will just stun you and your doctor – and throw you into the depths of the sea.”  A sudden boom shook the ground, and he hurriedly glanced around, “What is that?  What have you done?”

Her smile dripped with malice, “You shot a Starfleet officer.  You’re going to hear from us now.”  She turned her head to the side, listening for the cadence of the maneuvering thrusters, “That is the USS Nova on planetary approach.  Her captain is an old friend of mine.”  She stepped forward, “My ship, the USS Perseverance, is in orbit, and I give them ten seconds or less before they figure out how to bring all of this down.”

“What?  How dare you!  I will…”

There was a thunderous roar, and the ground rippled, then shook as several explosions rocked the area.  Walton balanced as the ground stopped moving.  She watched with mute joy as the castle around them began to flicker and slowly fade until all that was left was the green surroundings.

And one man far across, sitting at a large console, blinking at the bright sunshine, “What?  What has happened?  Why is it so bright…oh, no.  No. NO!”

The whine of the transporters was a welcome symphony as security officers from both ships quickly pulled the man from the station and restrained him.  Walton had jogged back to Wallaker, who was sitting up now and groaning at the pain.  Reid confirmed she was going to be just fine.  Wren turned on her heels and stalked back to where the man was being held.  “You are under arrest for assaulting a Starfleet Officer.”

His eyes were wide, and he kept muttering, “What..no…I…no…this…you…no…”

She motioned to the officers, “Advise him of his rights and see that he gets checked out by medical and counseling services.”  She walked over to where Cadet Catrin Wiliams from the Nova stood, examining the expansive console.  “Anything?”

She jumped, her face red at the embarrassment.  “Captain Walton!”  She turned to the console, her heart rate slowing, “Everything.  He’s got logs from the beginning of when he settled here ten years ago to this morning.  Someone will need to go through them – there is a lot, ma’am.”

Wren smiled, “Congratulations, Cadet.  The task is yours.  Feel free to bring that whole console onboard.”  Before the cadet could protest, Walton found Reid walking her way, and she met her halfway, “Report.”

“There was a bank of underground power plants about three hundred yards down that ravine that Perseverance took out.  Engineering is examining the wreckage, but they’ve managed to track down the computer cores he used.  They will get to work understanding how and what he did here.”  She paused and pulled her CO away from the working crowd, “I’ve been scanning outside of the parameters of the immediate area…I don’t think we were the first people he’s tried this on.  There are at least three possible wrecks within range of the tricorder…and since we took out the power putting up the facade to our sensors…we need to look a little more closely.”

Wren grumbled, “Damn.”  She took a moment to accept that this story wouldn’t end happily.  Justice, probably…but not happy.  “Take it from here, Lieutenant Reid.  Inform Montana Station of our progress.”  Jordan stood at attention and was gone.  She turned to stare at the beauty around her.  It was a place that had only seen death and malice.  Perhaps they could help turn the page of this place.  She turned and returned to the work going on behind her.

There was work to be done.