Part of USS Challenger: Rewrite the Stars and USS Challenger: Searchin’ In The Dark

Rewrite the Stars – 6

Published on October 10, 2025
Pergamon V
Late March 2402
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The austere room that acted as Niran’s office still felt cold, despite the environmental controls being set just how he liked them. He reached out and increased the temperature by a few degrees. His plans for an exit strategy from Oreth’s control were beginning to take shape, but the biggest immediate threat was the woman Oreth had assigned to assist him, though he’d long suspected she was there to spy on him.

Niran casually set his PADD face down on the desk when Vellora walked in. If the action made her suspicious, it was impossible to tell. Her face was as inscrutable as ever.

“What have you found?” Niran asked, sitting back in his chair.

Gintak had brokered a deal with the human arms dealers for a small quantity of trilithium. A test to make sure they could produce the substance as promised. It seemed too good to be true, especially given the subspace disruption that was impacting Gintak’s own supply lines. 

“Not much, beyond the public records,” Vellora replied, confirming what they both already knew. She looked down at the PADD in her hand. “They arrived from M’Talas Prime less than a month ago on the Cerulean Star. The bar they own was purchased by them prior to their arrival on the planet.”

Nothing about this deal felt right. It was all too convenient. But they were also offering exactly what Oreth wanted, and Niran knew that failure would likely result in his death. That’s why it was so important that he figure out how to escape before the conclusion of this deal.

“Without being able to reach out to my contacts in the Tal Shiar, this is the best I could do,” Vellora told him, her frustration clear in her voice.

Despite not being officers of the Tal Shiar, Vellora had proven that her friends within could be trusted to provide them with information whenever they needed. But the subspace disruption, which the locals referred to as simply ‘The Disruption’, cut off that information stream.

“You’re as troubled by this as I am.” Vellora’s words weren’t phrased as a question.

Niran nodded slowly. “It’s too convenient.”

“We’re scheduled to meet with them in thirty minutes to take delivery of the weapons,” Vellora reminded him.

Convenient or not, this was a risk they had to take. “Let’s find out if these humans are as good as their word.”

Despite the two of them having worked closely together for many years, particularly over the past few months, Niran was in no doubt where Vellora’s loyalties lay. She was Oreth’s creature through and through, and she would burn Niran if he ever crossed Oreth. If he were to extract himself from Oreth’s grip and survive, he would need to tread carefully around her.

The pair made their way out into the frigid daylight, a light snow falling from the clouds. It would have been a more charming sight were it not for the pollution that constantly spewed from the industrial zone.

The journey to the bar owned by the Pierces involved catching the transit system from one end of the city to the other. Niran sat in his seat, watching the city pass by in a blur. There wasn’t much to see anyway. One grime-covered building looked much like another on this awful planet. The sooner Niran got away from here, the better.

It wasn’t just a matter of escaping; it was doing it in a way that prevented Oreth from chasing him down. At least Ian’s safe. That thought was the only comfort Niran had right now, that Oreth didn’t know of Ian’s existence or that his husband was safely tucked away where Oreth would never find him.

Niran didn’t realise he’d let out a wistful sigh until he noticed the sharp look from Vellora. He ignored her and kept his eyes on the blur out the window. A glance at the display inside the transit car informed him that the next stop was theirs. As it slowed to a crawl, Niran stood and moved to the door with Vellora following.

They walked to the bar in silence. Vellora wasn’t the type to fill extended silences with small talk, and Niran actually liked that about his aide. The cold of Pergamon’s winter cut deep as they neared the bar. Niran wasn’t built for this cold, and he could imagine the teasing his husband would give him. 

Ian loved the cold and had dragged Niran to a ski resort for their honeymoon. Niran had hated it. The only enjoyable aspect of the entire trip was spending evenings with his husband in front of a roaring fire in the chalet. Niran gave himself a mental shake. Now wasn’t the time for reminiscing. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

The bar was closed at this time of the morning, but they were expected, so when Niran pushed the door, it easily gave way. Warmth washed over them as they stepped into the bar, forcing a sigh of relief from Niran’s lungs. Behind the bar, Nathaniel Pierce cleaned down glasses and placed them upside down on a nearby shelf.

“Morning,” He greeted them guardedly. “Come on back. Gintak and my husband are downstairs already.”

Niran and Vellora followed Nathaniel down to one of their storage rooms. This one was empty, save for some chairs, a table, and a few crates on top of which was a container not much larger than a raktajino mug.

“Welcome, my friends.” Niran found Gintak’s voice particularly grating today. When the Ferengi reached out a hand to Niran, he accepted it with a firmer grip than was necessary. Gintak let out a small yelp. Fear flashed in his amber eyes, providing Niran a perverse sense of satisfaction.

With an insincere smile, Niran said, “It’s good to see you, my friend.” 

“Uh, yes,” Gintak hesitated. He eyed Vellora warily but avoided getting too close to her. “You too. I believe we’re already all acquainted. Shall we get down to business?”

The human couple shared a darting glance, and Nathaniel looked almost uncomfortable for a brief moment before schooling his features. Marcus picked up the container and placed it on the table. 

“The trilithium, as agreed. Feel free to check it out.”

With a sideways glance in her direction, Niran gave Vellora a nod. He watched her step forward and pull a tricorder from one of the inner pockets of her coat. She pointed the scanner at the trilithium container and spent a few seconds silently scanning it. The high-pitched whine of the tricorder was the only sound in the room.

“My initial scans indicate the sample is pure,” Vellora announced. She picked up the container and tucked it under her arm.

Marcus Pierce stepped forward. “We only deal in the best. Shall we discuss a further order?”

“We will need to run more in-depth tests on this sample before we can discuss that,” Niran announced as Vellora packed the second rifle away. “We’ll be in touch with our requirements once we’re satisfied.”

Gintak chose that moment to speak up. “There’s just the small matter of payment.

“Of course,” Niran replied. 

Marcus handed a PADD to Niran. After checking the details to make sure Gintak hadn’t included any last-minute surprises, Niran touched his thumb to the reader to authorise the release of the payment. The price for this small sample was steep, but Oreth was willing to pay any price to get his hands on it. 

That explained Gintak’s glee. Even though he was only being paid a small percentage of the fee, it was still a significant sum of latinum and more than he would have earned from Niran’s last ten purchases combined. 

“We’ll be in touch to discuss our needs once we’ve completed a more thorough analysis of the sample and are content with the results,” Niran told them.

Niran shook hands with Marcus before he and Vellora were guided back up into the bar and were deposited onto the street again. A biting cold wind blew down the street. Niran pulled his coat tighter and stuffed his hands in his pockets as they set off back to the transit station.

“How long will it take you to complete your analysis?” Niran asked quietly as they walked towards the station. 

Mindful of the people around him and the value of the special cargo now nestled underneath Vellora’s coat, Niran’s hand tightened around the grip of the disruptor hidden in his pocket. If anyone knew what they were carrying, it would make the two Romulans very tempting targets.

“A few hours,” Vellora replied. “If my initial analysis is borne out, this is exactly what we’re looking for.”

But for what? Niran asked himself. The amount of trilithium they now carried would be enough to destroy several blocks of a large city. 

Oreth had never told them what he needed with something as dangerous as trilithium, or rather, he’d never told Niran.  Vellora always seemed better informed than he was, and Niran was in no doubt that Oreth had already shared his plans with her. If Niran were a betting man, he would put latinum on the Federation being the target of whatever Oreth had planned.

“Good,” Niran didn’t think that was a remotely good thing, and he had no intention of being here long enough to complete the deal. But his options for escape were limited. The most immediate threat to whatever plan he came up with would be Vellora.

At one point during their walk to the transit station, Vellora had her back to him. His grip tightened on his disruptor. For the briefest of moments, Niran considered taking this chance to rid himself of Vellora, but doing so now before he was ready was too big a risk. 

But one thing had become clear to him. If he had any hope of escape, he would have to kill Vellora.

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