Meanwhile,
Clancy is in charge with a short crew. On getting the distress signal
he contacts Dolak IV. Elrod Tain, colony administrator, answers and
denies that any distress signal has been sent. But he's acting
suspicious so Clancy decides to check it out. Meanwhile, now that stun
can kill, Venor must find a way to abuse the system. This week he
doesn't have enough time to finish his improved phaser.
Once in orbit around Dolak IV. Sensors reveal about 100 people at the
camp, with a couple of dozen people five kilometers west of the colony.
Warden Mulholland of the Penal Colony hails the Discovery and asks what
is their business. Clancy is evasive. Clancy, Krystal, Venor and an
altogether too large security detachment take a shuttle down to the
planet. First stop is to check out the couple of dozen people west of
the colony.
They sneak up on the people, hiding in a cavern system with two guards
out front. Venor spots some colony guards preparing to attack the
escapees. While the group discusses what to do, the guards attack.
Clancy and the rest push forward and meet with Ray Crier, head of Dolak
IV security. This is an internal matter, well under control, he
explains. Starfleet is out of its jurisdiction, though Krystal points
out a way to get around that (doesn't prevent you from getting negative
renown though).
The escapees give up. Look who's leading them but it's Tom Paris. He
explains that Romulans have taken over the base and are mind
controlling the guard and administrators. They've also killed all the
non-humans. Krystal scans Ray, getting the impression that he's under
some sort of hypnosis, though still present with his faculties. Clancy
decides that they'll all go see Warden Mulholland.
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Back at the
colony, Clancy and his two assistants meet with the warden. Everything
is fine here, the prisoners escaped a few days ago but that is not
Starfleet's problem. Clancy makes up an excuse about having to fully
investigate any distress signal. Venor backs him up saying that they
need to compare voice scans of the prisoners with the signal the
Discovery received. The warden relunctantly agrees and assigns them
quarters in the barracks.
Tricorder scans reveal that the hospital building has a sensor screen
set up. Krystal, Venor, and two of the security guards visit the
hospital with some made up illnesses. Krystal finagles a tour of the
hospital while Venor sneaks out and looks for the source of the sensor
screen. Krystal notes that the tour doesn't include surgery, which she
insists on seeing the operation in progress.
The nurse takes her to the observation deck. There, to her horror, she
sees Tom Paris strapped to a chair. A Romulan doctor is working on
Paris while a subcommander (which Krystal recognizes as Major Sela of
the Tal Shiar, obviously under cover) and two centurions stand guard.
Transfixed by the scene, she almost fails to notice her danger sense as
two more centurions burst into the room, spraying phaser fire.
Meanwhile, Venor traces the sensor screen to the generator room of the
hospital. Outside are two human guards. Venor walks up to them, acting
all friendly like, then he strikes like a snake and takes them down.
Once in the generator room he proceeds to disable it, bringing down
power and the sensor screen. Just then Krystal is calling for help on
her communicator. Clancy picks it up, but the signal is very weak. Then
it clears up for a few seconds before the secondary sensor screen comes
up. Clancy and the three remaining security guards rush to the hospital.
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