Sleeper Service

Posted on Tue Jun 4th, 2019 @ 7:30am by Lu'kat & The Narrator

Mission: S1E3: Moments Of Consolidation
Location: Cardassian Automated Freighter, Part Of Long Jump Expedition Three
Timeline: MD7 12.00PM

Darkness.

Lu'kat couldn't see a thing. He was lying on a hard cold surface. He tried to move his arms, or his legs. Nothing, it was as if they weren't there. Then the memories flooded in. His exile, Federation Star Base 42, the Order of 12, the transport coming to take him back to Cardas... The transport! Lu'kat forced his eyes open. He was lying on the floor of the transport, but it was empty, the boy pilot that had attacked him was no where to be seen. Sheer willpower pushed his limbs into action.

What is the use of a body when one is not in control of it? Unacceptable!

It took all he had to get himself into a sitting position. Out of the window he saw the vast emptiness of space. So he had been left alone here. But why? Not to kill him, or he would've been dead already. As Lu'kat gathered his strength, he scanned the interior of the transport. It was still the same as when he had boarded it at SB 42. Another surge of determination got him into the co-pilot seat he had lain under. Where was he? Near Cardassia? Near Bajor? His eyes grew wide when he read the coordinates...

That was when the holoscreen switched on...

Light flooded from the screen, and solid shapes began to materialise out of the air as the holographic projectors of the room took the simulation and began to spin it into reality. Within moments Lu'kat was not in the drab almost-cell of the transport but within the finely appointed office of a high standing government functionary of the Cardassian Union. Behind the desk was a comfortable enough chair held a man who looked very much in comfort where he was.

Well fed, fat, happy, these were all words to use to describe Dracys. He was an older man, his skin taking on the dusted grey of age, but those golden eyes of his still twinkled with the energy of youth. He was a man with a lot left to do, and neither old age nor an assassin's blade would be up to the task of stopping him.

"I'm not really talking to you in real time," Dracys said in the tone of voice he'd always used on other people. The kindly grandfather who really only wanted people to get along, as long as they did so at his discretion. He waved a hand to the office and the high rise view of one of Cardassia Prime's city-states beyond it. "Bandwidth limitations you see. But this simulation has enough intelligence to answer your questions in a way that should seem almost lifelike. So get to it boy, and sit up straight. You're not dead yet."

Lu'kat eyed the holo-image of the man he knew to be Legate Dracys. 8 years ago this man was one of very few who had actually spoken out in favour of him during his trial for murder. Not that it had helped Lu'kat in the end, since he was sentenced into exile anyway. For the past few years, Legate Dracys had been his sole contact on Cardassia, and the one whom he had secretly sent intelligence on the Order of 12 to. This man was the man who was supposed to bring Lu'kat back into the fold. This man he was supposed to meet in his office, his real one, not a holographic representation of his office while drifting in the vast nothingness of space...

But then he wasn't really speaking to Legate Dracys, was he? This was a simulation. Perhaps Legate Dracys had had nothing to do with this at all, Perhaps the real Legate Dracys was dead. Perhaps this was orchestrated by someone else entirely... But by whom, then? And why? He had no answers to these questions, and put little faith in the truthfulness of a simulation. But he did not have any other option. He needed information, he would verify the truth of it later when, or if, he got out of his current predicament.

Lu'kat dispensed with any curtesy, since this was only a hologram. Or was it? How could he tell? He questioned everything and trusted nothing.
"What am I supposed to do for you?", he asked, getting right to the point.

"Good, very good. Drexalin compound can be a very funny thing. Too little and it just knocks you out for a few hours, too much and your heart stops. But just enough puts you in a timed medicated coma with minimal chance of long term brain damage. It's a little old school, but back in the day we swore by it for getting people past bio-scanners. Nice to see you came out with your faculties intact," Dracys said with a grin on his wrinkled face. He leaned against the deck, his waist pinching as he did so. "Do you know what disonium is? Of course, you don't, a man of action that you are I doubt you've kept up to date on the latest material science news coming out of the Science Ministry. Disonium is a new artificial material, truly wondrous stuff. Zero thermal conductivity, and yet its ability to run a tremendous amount of power before it reaches a failure state. A new form of superconductive cabling. The only catch is its far to resource intensive to make, and regular plasma feed lines do the job fine. For a spool of 200 meters of disonium cabling, we could build a half dozen Keldon class battlecruisers. Maybe as much as two of the new Damar class. It's a scientific and engineering marvel, but it's outpaced our need for it. Cardassia has no need for a new ultra capacitance power distribution system."

He smiled and leaned back in his office chair.

"So imagine my surprise when my opposite number, the previous head of the Federation's Office Of Special Investigations, reached out to me and enquired how much a production run of fourteen kilometres of disonium cabling would cost?"

Lu'kat listened. The hologram was right. He didn't know what disonium was, he didn't think many people were supposed to know what it was either. If what Dracys said was true and it was as powerful as he claimed it was, those with the means to produce it had the potential to become very rich, and very powerful, if Cardassia had mastered the knowledge of its production, most likely they also had a monopoly over it. Why else would the Federation come to a former enemy? Lu'kat didn't even want to think about the price the Cardassians had undoubtedly demanded for it.... Which led him to conclude the following:

"I am part of the bargain, aren't I?"

"I could slap you some times, you know?" Dracys said with a sigh, deflating a little. "You take all of the fun out of explaining the dastardly scheme to an underling. I've had men exiled to the furthest points of the Union for such offence. Which, I assure you, I have done to you for your own protection. I am your loyal patron my boy, never forget that! And a good patron looks after his investment. Do you know how many bodies I had to reveal to the authorities to get some of your detractors to settle back down?"

Dracys waved a hand, dismissing further discussion.

"You've probably assumed we hold a monopoly on the manufacturing process, and we do. It's a new form of manufacturing that, as far we can tell, the Federation cannot yet duplicate. Nor will they for at least a decade, maybe five years. It's amazing how byzantine the security measures can get on a project when you invoke State Security on the whole thing. And the Federation does need it, badly. See they're building something very interesting. Not a weapon, or a ship, but a means of exiting the Galaxy without passing through the troublesome Galactic Barrier and having half their crew die of madness and hysteria," he chuckled. "And to do it, they need a way to channel a great deal of power. That's where we come in. We provide the means, and we provide them with the cabling...and you. You are our token of cooperation across the Alpha Quadrant. Two power's stepping beyond the bounds of our home galaxy to meet the universe on our terms. Its a net win for the Union, as we have had to supply very little in the way of actual funding to this project. Starfleet sends us raw material, and we provide them with the disonium cabling. Yes, yes its all very neatly done if I do say so myself."

Taking the fun out things? Please, Lu'kat's intelligence was the one thing keeping him alive. The Legate wouldn't have gone through so much trouble for a simple-minded drone. As Dracys explained the why and how of his current predicament, Lu'kat started to feel something he hadn't felt for a long time.... hate. He hated this man, the architect of his doom who called himself Lu'kat's patron. No, Dracys was no such thing. Dracys was his warden, telling him where to go, what to do and when to sleep. Dracys held all the keys, and Lu'kat didn't think the Legate had any mind of setting him free. Ever.

"Very neatly done, indeed. Forgive me for not being more cheerful though. You see, Legate, your openness concerning this mission exposes the lie its wrapped in. If you had known me, truly known me, you would know that I would have accepted the mission if you had just asked it of me. Exiled or not, my life is pledged to the Union and its prosperity, and yes, I do see the merit in this bargain. But instead you chose to deceive me, drug me, kidnap me, force me unto this path as you would a puppet on a string."

"What are you not telling me, patron?" (he dragged out that last word like a sack of rotten meat dragged over a thousand razor blades)

"Don't be a child Lu'kat, its unbecoming of you," Dracys said with a huff. "THe game must be played to its rules. The show, the theatre of it...you know as well as I there are those in the First and Second Order who would not shed a tear to know you'd died. And you are far too useful a game piece to have you taken off the board so cheaply. This is my way of putting you somewhere where you can be of immediate use to the Union without getting into the way of other's who have their own plots to manage. On this Canopus Station, you will be our local Factor, the voice of the Union until such time as a full ambassadorial team can be sent out. Get a lay of the land, a feel for the locals. Be my eyes. Just like you did on Starbase 42. Only, you know, as told as a success story."

Lu'kat kept quiet for a few moments, going over options in his head. Searching for a way out of this, for a solution, something he could use as leverage, something he could hold on to. But right now, there wasn't much for him to hold on to. His hopes of restoring his status were ruined, his dream of returning to Cardassia broken. He was a true pawn indeed. His movements limited, quick to be sacrificed.

However, pawns that endured may live long enough to see themselves become a queen. At Canopus Station he would be far removed from everything Cardassian, far away from all the plots and all the schemes that were responsible for all the trouble Lu'kat had had to experience over the past eight years. He would be virtually isolated. But within this isolation he also saw an opportunity. Being so cut off from Cardassia also meant that he would be free from its influence, its oppression. For the first time in eight years, he would have some freedom of movement. And, as the 'voice of the Union', he could influence decisions of great importance, control and manipulate information flows, which gave him a lot of power, it may even eventually give him the leverage he had been looking for. He could beat them at their own game....

But then he felt doubtful. If he had thought of these possibilities, then, without a doubt, so had Dracys. Which led Lu'kat so a very somber realisation:

"You implanted something in me, maybe a bomb, or a virus. You needed insurance. To keep me to the path. That's why you had me drugged."

"Too clever by half, that's your problem. Most men would be eager to serve, ready to do the work they were assigned....but the clever ones? Those need a little incentive to keep them on the righteous path. Don't worry, it's nothing too onerous. I won't tell you what it is, or how it's disarmed or armed. Know only that it is there, resting as close to your heart as your soul is." Dracys smiled again. "Now remember, we're all one big happy transinstellar cooperative. The Federation and the Union, hand in hand to embrace our brothers in the sea of stars beyond our galaxy. You represent not only my office Lu'kat, but all of Cardassia. Failure would be...instructive for the next soul I send out there. Very, very instructive indeed."

Lu'kat had hoped so very much that after the tragedy of the Dominion War and the ruination of Cardassia, his people would reinvent themselves and leave behind their history of distrust and coercion, but it was clear for him that Cardassia had not learned from its history. Looking back at the past decade, he saw his people playing the same politics, the same power-games, with him on the receiving end of it.

If he hadn't been forced out Lu'kat could have done something about it, perhaps, made Cardassia follow a better course, a wiser way. Make the galaxy see that they were not only a Union of politicians and soldiers, but also of Arts and Philosophy. Cardassia could have been reborn!

But not like this, chained and kept out of sight, forced to obey Dracys' personal agenda.

Well, no longer. Lu'kat would find a way to break free of his bonds and become master of his own fate. Somehow.

"My honour would have kept me to the path, Dracys, if you had but asked. Though I understand why you would not think of honour, considering you have none. I have heard all I needed to hear about my mission from you. I trust you have uploaded whatever further information I need to perform my duties optimally into this vessel's memory banks; its location, for one, personnel files, schematics, past- and current affairs, local political players, specified mission parameters and the like, as far as you have them."

"How do you intend to 'put' me unto Canopus Station?"

As if on cue a shudder ran through the floor, not ruffling or mussing anything on Darcys desk. But then again the illusion of the office, and the tailored city park beyond was all just holographic trickery.

"That would be the docking tractor beam," Dracys said. Parts of the holographic overlay were beginning to fade, burning away to reveal the stark metal and control panels beneath. "You have arrived Lu'kat. I'm told Canopus Station has means of communicating back to the Alpha Quadrant from its lofty perch, and I trust you remember some of the things I taught you about signals intelligence. All of the information you seek you will find on Canopus, I'm told the base commander has a sensible and straight forward method of command. Very Cardassian, something that made me pick you for this mission. You might learn something useful from this Benjamin Ingram."

The desk faded, and then so too did Dracys.

"Goodbye Lu'kat. Do well by the Union, and the Union will do well by you."

With big eyes Lu'kat took in Canopus Station, his new home (and his new prison). He did not want to think about how long Lu'kat had been unconsious. Was it days? Weeks? Maybe months? He checked the ship's systems, noting roughly a week had passed. He would have to double check on the station, to verify.

For a moment Lu'kat contemplated hacking the ship's systems and turn around, but the thought went as fast as it came. Where would he go? His only option was to do what he was told. For now.
He didn't even know where he was... He didn't know much of anything. He felt naked, not knowing anything. He wondered if this Benjamin Ingram knew he didn't knew. He expected the commander didn't, so Lu'kat's first trial was to keep him in that illusion, as well as the rest of the station personnel.

Docking sounds announced his vessel had arrived. Almost without delay the doors hissed open. Next to him a small compartment flipped open, revealing the few personal effects he had, his only memories from a happier, less troubled time. Lu'kat left them, who knew how they might have been compromised while he was out. Better not take chances. Taking a small moment to ensure his uniform (which he would also replace at the first presented opportunity) and appearance were in their usual peek condition, he stepped out of the Cardassian ship, and onto Canopus Station, ready to meet whoever and whatever awaited him.

TAG whomever wants to meet Lu'kat in the docking bay