The Joker Is Me

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:04am by Cailus Griffin & Captain Nycolas Temple & Sasha Vieers (Deceased)
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:43pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Paradise
Timeline: After "Paradise Falls"

ON:

Nyx and Cailus stood in the darkened room, staring at their visitor. The trap had worked, the diversion played out exactly as planned. Upon receiving the doctored message from Smith and Parrino, the Murderer had been lured to the hiding spot for a supposed meeting with their contact - only to find the Captain and Chief Security Officer waiting instead. With the Breen Guards out of action, this was their chance to arrest the suspect and take them back to the Pandora.

But Nyx was hesitating. He could not believe who was standing before him now.

"Ensign Vieers?" He scoffed.

Standing beside the Captain, Cailus kept his phaser aimed squarely at the newcomer's torso. His expression was carefully neutral, but the anger behind his blue eyes was undeniable. "Stand very still, Ensign," he said coldly, the phaser muzzle absolutely steady. "I will stun you if necessary. Captain?"

Nyx could only shake his head, "It was you, all along?" He said sadly, eyes narrowed accusingly. "You killed the Guard, Vicuno, and Dorian?"

Sasha slowly raised her hands, looking between the Captain and Lieutenant, her breath racing. "I... I don't know what you're talking about." She protested.

This caused Temple to sneer and lift his own phaser. "Lieutenant Griffin, care to explain to the Ensign how we came to be here?"

"You made mistakes, Miss Vieers," Cailus said with a relentless tone. "Your alibi was flawed. You claimed to leave the casino when the light show was starting at midnight, but the show was delayed for an hour. Mister Vicuno's murder alone made you a suspect. You dropped the same PADD at the scene of the crime that we identified as being with you, Mister Vicuno and Mister Rochester as you boarded the station, but by your own testimony, Mister Vicuno didn't have a PADD with him. The computer infiltration was very sophisticated, meaning that only a handful of people possessed the technical skill to pull it off, and you were present with Lieutenant Smith when the data about the bomb was corrupted. Most incriminating of all, however, was that Mister Rochester was murdered shortly after you learned that he was in custody and might be co-operating."

Cailus' eyes hardened. "I laid the trap, Miss Vieers, and you walked into it. I failed to account for your ruthlessness, and therefore failed to ensure adequate security to protect Mister Rochester. That is my failure, and his death is on my conscience. Regardless, you will face justice for your crimes."

There was a steely gaze to Sasha Vieers as well, but the moment that Griffin mentioned Dorian, it broke. Her face turned ashen red as she wildly pointed her finger at him, "Do you think he would give your death a second thought, Lieutenant?" She looked to Nyx, "You already know the answer, Captain. I did the universe a favour."

Nyx let out an obvious sigh, "What happened Sasha? What made you turn against your crew?"

At this, Sasha scoffed. "You did." Nyx was taken aback but he didn't lower his phaser, merely provided the opportunity for Vieers to explain and she didn't hesitate. "In the Bubble universe, or unconscious state, or whatever imbecilic name you wish to call it. You lost control of your people, Captain and when they splintered off, you asked me to spy on them for you. A role I played all too well..."


["Coping With Grief"]

Sasha bit her lip. "My defection to the separatists was staged in order to give the Captain an inside person in the group. It was my job to ensure they got the food they needed to keep them happy, and to pacify any signs of violent dissent. Unfortunately, I underestimated Rochester's true feelings against the Captain. I didn't know he was planning to steal the phaser rifle, and believe many others in the Splinter group were caught off guard by today's events as well."


[Paradise]

"But your crew fell apart." Sasha explained. "Everyone gave up on finding a way out of the Bubble and started fighting with each other. Kaleri and Brennan, Dorian and you, it was embarrassing. Your death didn't even stop it."


["The Temple of Our Faith"]

Krysia looked at Rochester as Cailus stopped talking waiting for his reply, she still felt a modicum of guilt for not sensing that there was something more than he’d been letting on to her.

"It..." Dorian tried to speak, before noticing the intense glares being thrown his way. "Was self-defense," he muttered under his breath.

"Self Defense!" Krysia looked at Rochester. "Self Defense! Are you completely mad?!" She walked across to Rochester. "There was NO reason for you to even that weapon let alone use it!" She stood, trying to keep a lid on her own anger. Granted she and Nyx hadn't seen eye to eye of late, but she would never have bore him any ill will. "You want something to yell self defense about..." Her anger boiled over as she stood, simply staring at him at least that's how it looked when she was actually invading his mind with every unpleasant thing she could think of.

The young man grimaced as the feeling of a searing headache suddenly infested his mind and within a moment he went completely limp, knocked out by the sheer overwhelmed emotion coming from Kaleri.

Sasha had watched the scene with a clear sense of disdain on her face. “Do you people have no shame? We are here to farewell our captain and you’re all still fighting! He died because we fell apart as a crew and now you dishonour his final moments by acting this way!”


[Paradise]

"I knew from then on I'd be looking after myself, making my own plans." Sasha said. "And once again, Captain, you provided the answer. I went into your office, supposedly to gather materials for the funeral and I found... them." She flashed him a terribly smug smirk.

Nyx glared back, knowing exactly what the Ensign was referring to, "My journals?" He said flatly.

Sasha nodded, "Exactly. Your glory box of ramblings from your time in Starfleet Intelligence. Calculations for encryption programs. Ways and means to avoid even the most modern of internal security systems. I spent months crawling around the jeffries tubes, working on getting faster and quieter. When possible, I syphoned off power to your computer to practice developing little subroutines where I could, using your work. Rather sloppy, Captain, to keep those lying around?"

"They were in my head when we became trapped, and because I was no longer able to protect my subconscious, you were able to walk right in." Nyx hazarded an answer. "But you should never have taken them!"

"THIRTY YEARS!" Sasha suddenly yelled, eyes blazing back to Griffin and Temple. "Thirty years stuck in that hell! If I didn't have something to keep me sane, I would have ended up like Shae. Crazy. Oh and don't think we've all forgotten about that, either, Griffin."

Cailus’ glower grew even fiercer in response, his lip curling in renewed anger.

Sasha sighed, "For a while I was happy just to practice and keep myself occupied. I even started to fall... in love. With Dorian. He told me so many nice things, he convinced me that he'd given up on his escape plans. Turns out he was just waiting for his chance..."

["The Rewards of Patience"]

Dorian quickly hurried around the quarters, gathering up his clothes. From behind a bookcase he retrieved a Security uniform, which had been fitted with extra kevlar panels across the chest, stomach, back, and arms. Sasha sat upright in bed with a look of confusion.

"What is going on?" She demanded to know.

"Griffin is dead." Rochester replied in a matter of fact tone, as he continued to dress. "Now is our chance to take the ship."

Sasha let out a gasp, pulling the bedsheets closer to her. "You can't be serious, Dorian! Not this again! Not after all this time."

Rochester moved to kneel by the bedside and he took Sasha's hands in his own. "No, it won't be like last time. I'm not going to hurt anybody. But you have to know, Sasha my darling, that we can't stay here like this. We have wasted almost thirty years stuck in this Bubble and I will not sit around while we all just waste away and die!"

"You've been planning this!" Sasha said, pointing an accusing finger to him. "For how long?"

Dorian sighed and went to the cupboard. After moving a few items aside he pulled out a second enhanced uniform, but this one was a female's outfit. He held it out to her, "Long enough."


[Paradise]

"Even then, I stupidly believed I was his partner, that he would chose me over his own plans." Sasha sighed, "But he didn't."


["End Game"]

Sasha and Rochester were preparing the Escape Pod for it's launch out of the Bubble universe, when Ensign Takada suddenly turned against them and grabbed Sasha as a hostage.

"Takada!" Rochester hissed, raising his weapon at her while still standing in the escape pod. "You're not going to stop us! Put her down!"

"Not until you back off!" Takada insisted, pressing the phaser tighter against Sasha's head, hard enough to bruise the skin.

"Very well." Rochester took a deep breath, looking down to Sasha who was struggling to breath in the headlock. "I'm sorry, my darling. But this is more important." Without blinking, Dorian aimed his phaser at Sasha's body and fired, sending a bolt of energy to knock her out.


[Paradise]

Sasha shook her head, "When we were rescued from that place, I was relieved at first. I thought we were all given a second chance to live our lives. I got back my youth and a future. I retained everything I had practiced and learned over thirty years, that was great. But the distrust, the isolation, the constant fear of death? We were damaged. Poor Mauricio couldn't handle it. All I had to keep me sane was remembering the knowledge I had gained and continuing to practice. I wanted to tell you, Temple, I thought you'd be happy to have a protege. But the way you looked at me had changed too."

"You put a note in my permanent record, even though none of it had actually happened. You moved me to Ops, to protect Brennan from having an awkward conversation, I bet." She snorted, "So I kept my new found skills to myself, with the intention of using them to prove myself."


["Karma"]

In Temple's Office, Sasha held her head up to look at Nyx as tears were falling down her cheeks. "I will do anything for you to trust me again."

Temple nodded, "I want you to see Counsellor Kaleri." He said softly. "You, too, will receive a note in your record, but you may stay on the Pandora if you choose."

"Oh, Captain. Are you sure?" She asked, thankful for his leniency. "I'll work as hard as I can wherever you put me, as long as I can stay here!"

"I'm sure you will." Nyx nodded, finally giving a smile. "We all make mistakes, Sasha. I did, in the Bubble. The trick is not repeating those mistakes."

"I won't sir, I promise." Sasha said firmly, "I won't forget this second chance you've given me."

[Paradise]

"You should know me, Captain. I didn't join Starfleet to become some trophy officer." Sasha remarked. "I joined to break my family's sad history of being over-looked for Symbiont selection. I wasn't going to sit in some chair and give out orders to fire on others. I despise your wars. But I was never going to be a candidate to become a true Trill with this shadow over my career. You might has well have thrown me off with Dorian."

"You were given a second chance." Nyx said. "You showed the remorse that Dorian could not. The choice was still in your hands."

"Was it?" She retorted sarcastically, "I was still deemed guilty, in all but official judgement. And your crew still hated me."

["Looking Past the Past"]

In Astrometrics, Shae growled at Sasha, but reeled in her response before she could bare her fangs at the woman. "All I can muster is pity. You sided with a man who murdered the Captain in cold blood, and I pleaded with you, I gave you a chance to chose the side of reason, and you have the audacity to be surprised that he not only manipulated you but then turned on you and left you for dead." Then with a scoff, Shae continued in an icy tone, "Even still, there's no need for apologies, because it didn't really happen so no one is being held accountable for their actions."

Sasha was stunned by Brennan's words, and she stammered for a moment to find a suitable response. "I will take your pity, Lieutenant, but please believe me that I am awake now to Rochester and how dangerous he is."

"I don't recall asking for your validation to hate him," Shae replied stiffly. "And for what it's worth, I do believe you, but that doesn't mean I have to like you. I know you thought you were doing a good thing by reach out to him; you thought you were helping him to move in a positive direction, and that is admirable, but when his true nature was revealed you made the wrong choice and now the trust is broken."

[Paradise]

"That was the day I first used my skills against the crew." Sasha said, thinking back. "When Shae wasn't looking, I stole one of her tri-corders. Silently, effortlessly. I started doing more things. Slipping in and out of rooms, taking things. I have a plant from the Botanics Lab in my office; been sitting there in plain sight for weeks and no one questioned it."

She curled up her lip, "The more you people looked away from me, the more I was able to get away with."

"I started dating Lieutenant Vicuno, too." She thought, and his name brought a sadness to her tone. "Just because I knew he hated Dorian and didn't appreciate being saddled with him. I knew it would punish Dorian to see me with someone else, especially someone like Vic. So I deliberately flaunted that relationship. It felt good to no longer give a damn."

"It was all just small things to keep me entertained, and perhaps would have stayed that way until I got bored or requested a transfer." Sasha frowned, "But then an opportunity chimed in..."

["Keeping the Home Fires Burning"]

The Pandora was in orbit of Paradise Outpost, with a vast array of other vessels circling around them in non-stop traffic. The Captain and a small team had taken the Yacht across to meet with the Station Chief.

On the Bridge, Executive Officer Nash looked over to the Ops station. "Ensign Vieers, systems report please," he ordered. "Let's make sure that everything is running in good order whilst we're waiting in this parking lot..."

"I've been fending off incoming hails from almost every ship in orbit of the station," Vieers replied with an exasperated sigh. "It's a good thing I know how to say 'Go Away' in twenty languages."

Nash gave his response and moved off to talk with Lieutenant Fick. At the same time, Sasha's panel chimed with another new communication. Her brow furrowed when she read the contents...

[Paradise]

"You received Katya's message." Temple interrupted, knowing this part of the story. "When I spoke to her, she mentioned sending a warning to the Pandora when we first arrived."

Sasha nodded, "It didn't give much detail, just that Paradise was not safe and that the Federation should not stay. That was my opportunity to prove myself. I would meet with Katya and find a way to help her. If I could do that, single-handedly, I would show my worth. I'd be a hero. People would forget all about the Bubble and I'd gain the fame and recognition I needed to be chosen as a Trill Symbiont. I would impress you, Captain, with my skills as an operative and go on to win your respect."

"I just had to make it happen first."

["There's Always A Joker In the Pack"]

Sasha made her way through the corridor and ducked into the auxiliary supply room, using a code she had gleamed off someone else. Then began to arduous task of searching the various drawers and cupboards for the right item. Slowly but surely, the officer checked the room. They couldn't access the store log as that would leave a trail; if someone did wonder why an officer had accessed the room, it had to look she weren't searching for anything. Sasha wore gloves too - black, synthetic - to avoid leaving any trace of fingerprint or residue. She had come prepared.

Finally she found the item in drawer 19, and the officer took it out with a quiet glee. The jump suit was wrapped in a nylon ziplock bag but with a clear panel showing the Starfleet insignia adorned on the silver fabric.

[Paradise]

"As soon as we were docked with Paradise, I tried to send a message from the ship to Katya." Sasha continued, "But I was thwarted."

["There's Always A Lonely Clown"]
In the darkened Marine Country's sleeping quarters, Sasha was seated at the computer console and desk. Using codes acquired through other means, the officer managed to access the Marine terminal and began looking through the various communication channels that were available. All those ships hanging around Paradise; one of them had to be the right one. The message was pre-loaded, they just had to find the recipient...

Suddenly the door to the Quarters opened again and a Sergeant re-entered, grumbling something about leaving his towel on the floor. He hadn't bothered to turn the lights on again, hoping to just pick up the towel and go, so he hadn't seen the shadowy figure by the console. Left without a choice, the officer made a sudden run for the Shower Block. The door swished opened and then closed behind them, making an unmistakeable noise. The officer continued running through the showers, knowing that it connected to the Marine Quarters next door. Alerted by the noise, the Sergeant was following slowly behind, calling out as he approached, "Who's there?! Jessup, you clown, you best not be playing pranks on me again!"...

[Paradise]

"It was a nuisance, but merely a hurdle. To avoid detection, I had to get onto the station." Sasha explained, "I used the EVA jumpsuit to hide my PADD and Phaser, as I theorised the material would block the station's device scanners. I also gave a PADD to Vicuno as a diversion incase they did detect something. Dorian told you the truth, Lieutenant Griffin, Vic did have a PADD with him during the Cube transport. I knew he wouldn't waste the opportunity to show up Dorian, and he did exactly that. Predicable men."

"Unfortunately, I didn't account for Vic's... attachment to me." Sasha sighed. "He booked an expensive room, used thousands of Federation credits to get it. He wanted to make the most of it too, spend the whole night in the room."

["There's Always a Jester, Just a Fool"]

Vicuno was lying back on the bed, uniform discarded on the floor in impressively quick time. Sasha meanwhile was sitting pensively on the edge, rubbing her temples.

"Come on now," Vicuno slid up next to Sasha with a goofy smile. "I bet you'll feel better if you just lie down."

He kissed her shoulder and started to zip down the back of her uniform. Underneath lay the EVA suit. Sasha stood up like a shot, moving a few feet away from the bed. "No, Vic. This migraine is terrible and I don't appreciate you pressuring me."

"I'm sorry!" He protested weakly, visibly deflating. "I didn't mean to."

Sasha sighed loudly, looking over to him with a patient smile, "How about you go to Concierge and see if they have anything? I'm sure they'll have some kind of pain reliever."

"Yes Ma'am!" Vicuno jumped up again, pulling on his clothes as quickly as he had abandoned them. "But in the meantime, I want you to start running a bath. The spa in this room is big enough for two and I plan on giving you a bubbly massage."

No sooner was the Lieutenant out of the door, Sasha got to work. She unzipped her uniform the rest of the way and did likewise with the jumpsuit. From there she was able to retrieve the PADD strapped to her inner thigh. She started accessing her encryption program and used a cable to connect it to the Casino's computer network.

Sometime later, Vicuno was returning. He had a small vial in his hands and the goofy smirk on his face. He opened the Hotel Room door to find Sasha was standing upright, fully dressed, with her bag in her hand. "Where are you going?" He asked weakly.

"Look, I need to go back to the Pandora." She said briskly, knowing this was hurting Vicuno. "I just can't do this."

"But I have something, it's no hypospray but it'll work." Vicuno begged, holding out the vial. "Come on, Sash, don't leave. It's far more comfortable here than your quarters."

Sasha shook her head, "No, Vic. I want to leave. And you need to respect that."

She started to move past him but Vic pleaded with her to stay, and he grabbed her hand to gain her attention. In the process, Sasha dropped her bag and the PADD fell out. Vicuno looked down and realised it wasn't the same one he had brought over. It was a different one. He looked back up at Sasha, his face contorted in confusion, and then envy...


[Paradise]

"He accused me of going to see Dorian." Sasha explained, closing her eyes. "He was so jealous of him, still. He hated Dorian, no doubt, but he was jealous too. I told him that I wouldn't stand for his behaviour and that he'd disappointed me. I told him we were breaking up. I knew it would crush him but it was the only way."

"Instead he chased after you." Nyx said. "He was seen by Raven and Ignatius in the Lobby, and spoke to a staff member at Concierge. He was desperately trying to find you, Sasha."

"I fear I have treated him as Dorian had treated me." She replied sadly. "I even told myself it was for his own good."

Cailus shook his head in disgust. “Mister Vicuno’s parents and sisters will likely disagree, given that they must now prepare for his funeral.”

Sasha shot him a sad look, "And I will live with that for the rest of my life." She replied.

After a moment, Nyx sighed. "Then what happened?"

"I started towards my rendezvous point. It was in a room of the Parlour. I had bought a map from a vendor, which helped to give me some short cuts and blindspots from Security." Sasha explained, "Unfortunately I ran into Dorian there. He was blind drunk already, said he'd made some bad bets and was trying to get some money to pay them off." She paused and shook her head, "I guess there was still a part of me that wanted Dorian's approval, or to show him how capable I was... I stupidly told him what I was planning. He told me that I was being naive to think it would work, and that I should have reported the message to you."

Nyx couldn't help but scoff, "He was damn right."

"I asked him to keep it quiet for me and I would get him the credit to pay off his debts." Sasha ignored the Captain's interruption and continued, "And to keep Vicuno from finding me. Of course, Dorian promptly ignored that advice."

["As Foolish As He Could Be"]

Out of breath, Vicuno ran down the street where Dorian was trying to haggle with a vendor on a price for his communicator badge. Vicuno saw Dorian and was not impressed.

"You!" Vicuno screamed, grabbing Dorian by the lapels and pushing him against the wall. "Where is she?"

Dorian wheezed from the sudden impact of being forced against the hard surface, but that didn't deter his churlish tone. "Who?" He asked playfully.

"YOU KNOW!" Vicuno growled.

"You know who?" Dorian replied, with a smirk.

Vicuno looked around and saw that they were at a sleazy, run-down motel, with aliens of all natures and creeds hanging out at the entrance trying to solicit customers. He looked back to Dorian in disgust, "I bought her a palace for the night and you take her here?!"

Dorian just shrugged, "Took who?" He said and then let out an obnoxious, drunken laugh.

[Paradise]

"Enraged, Vic fought with Dorian. He roughed Dorian up, tore at his uniform, cut his face." Sasha sighed. "It wasn't long until Dorian revealed what was happening. I wish I had been there to stop Vic from coming after me. I wish I'd never gone with him to Paradise. Then he wouldn't have followed me."

Sensing she was getting to the point of the story, Nyx leaned in, "What happened at the meeting?"

Sasha bit her lip and let out a whimper. "It was a trap." She buried her head in her hands for a few moments, shaking it as she softly cried. Eventually she looked back up again and her lip trembled. "I thought I had been sending messages to Katya but the Guards had received it. One of them was waiting for me. I tried to pull my phaser on him but he made me drop it on the floor. He threatened to arrest me, execute me."

"So you killed him?" Nyx asked.

Sasha nodded, "I didn't mean to!"

["Always A Joker"]

Sasha was being held hostage in the Parlour bedroom, as she was trying to make promises to the Silver-helmeted Guard in exchange for her life.

"Please! I was just trying to help!" She cried.

"You will help." The Guard replied in their vacant, tuned voice. "You will help us rid the Expanse of the Federation."

Vieers gulped as she stared at the Guard, trying to hide the trembling running through her body. "H-h-how?"

"You will secure the means for us to complete an explosive device." The Guard stated.

"No!" Sasha cried out loud. "I would rather die than help you destroy the Pandora!"

There was a short snort from behind the helmet, a definite scoff of cruel laughter, "The Pandora is not the target, but they will be blamed."

Sasha was breathing heavily, trying to take her eyes off the Guard's phaser rifle pointed directly at her. She wished she still had her own Phaser, but the Guard had made her place it on the ground and kick it over to him. It was too out of reach now. She asked, "How would I do that?"

"We have the mechanics and plasma material." The Guard explained. "You will supply us with enough technology from your ship that it will be linked to the Federation. The Federation will be found guilty and will be permanently removed from the Expanse."

"Oh..." Sasha said weakly, taking in the plan. "It will require time for me to organise. I barely made it here without being spotted. I'm not sure I can..."

The rifle was raised, "You will do as instructed or you will be executed!"

From behind them came a crashing cry, "SASHA!"

It was Lieutenant Vicuno, coming to the rescue at the worst possible time. The Guard immediately went to fire, but Sasha managed to pull Vicuno out of the way just in time, and the two came down hard onto a small shelf. The Guard closed the distance and grabbed at Vicuno, picking him up off the floor with very little difficulty. From there he proceeded to wrap his hands around the human man's neck and squeeze.

Sasha got to her feet and tried to pull the Guard away from Vicuno, but he was determined. She picked up a chair and tried to smash it against his back but he was strangely padded. It did manage to make the Guard stumble forward, however, and he dropped Vicuno for a moment. The Guard did not give up, he grabbed at the weakened Vicuno and slammed him into an armchair, which toppled over, as Sasha begged him to stop.

She grabbed at his helmet and started to bang her fist on it, managing to distract him for a while. But the harder she pelted him, the looser it became and suddenly the helmet came flying off. It took Vieers a few moments to realise who she was looking at now - a Breen Officer. Suddenly it made sense; why they were trying to set up the Pandora, why they were so hostile to the Federation. She wasn't given long to take in this revelation, as the Breen started towards her now, throwing Vicuno into the nearby wall.

That's when she saw it - the Guard's phaser rifle on the floor. It had been dropped during the ruckus and she immediately dived for it as the Breen rushed for her. Without thinking, she pulled the trigger and a bright flash went off. The Guard stopped in his tracks, a short gasping noise escaped from his mouth piece, before he fell over. The wound across his chest was obvious enough - burnt uniform and flesh mangled together as the Breen went dead limp.

[Paradise]

Sasha's head was buried in her hands again as she recalled the detail. "I knew the moment that phaser went off what I'd done. But if I hadn't shot him, he would have killed me! It was self defence!"

"And yet you still didn't come to us." Nyx said gently. "Your original plan fell through, you were almost killed, you killed a foreign agent - however justified - and yet you instead tried to cover up all your crimes?"

"How could I not?!" Sasha whined, "After what happened in the Bubble, no one would believe me that I was going there to help the Pandora. And it would have been my word against the Guards, who weren't exactly going to admit to what they were planning, were they? I would've been locked up for the rest of my life." She shook her head defiantly. "No, I wasn't going to risk it. I had to cover it up."


["Fate Deals the Hand"]
The body had to be moved.

Returning the silver helmet over the guard's head, Sasha moved about the room trying to find anything they could that would tie them to the location. She wanted to check on Vicuno but there was no time and the room was in such a mess after the fight. She had forgotten about her own Phaser, which lay beneath the overturned armchair. She had to quickly take the body out of the room and into the alleyway. She hadn't noticed the helmet fall off again as she was going behind the Parlour.

Back alleys, an air duct, a service canal. All of these were put to good use to avoid the crowds and people around the Entertainment level as she made her escape. The PADD helped - the PADD showing a map of dark spots and good areas to walk through to avoid detection from Paradise Security and its many cameras. Eventually she came to the end of a service tunnel that lead back into the Entertainment district and couldn't go any further.

Setting the body down quickly, Sasha tried her hardest to cover it with refuse and abandoned equipment that littered the alley. Anything she could find that would conceal the body long enough for her to escape. In the rush, she didn't notice that their PADD fell out of her pocket and became lost in the mess of trash.

In the distance, the patrol was coming closer around to the alleyway, so Sasha had to make her escape.


[Paradise]

"So that's how I did it." Sasha explained with a a sad little shrug. "When I was running back to the Parlour, the light show started. I thought the time was midnight."

"But you didn't know the light show had been delayed." Nyx nodded, "Which meant your alibi was already flawed."

"Such a stupid mistake." Vieers sighed loudly. "By the time I returned to the Parlour, Mauricio Arnaldo had somehow stumbled upon the alleyway. Dorian had tried to find us and got into a fight with him, then Dorian used the Guard's helmet to knock him out. I was infuriated, knowing Dorian was going to mess this whole thing up. He promised to take care of it and help me get Vicuno back to the Pandora."

"But he didn't." Nyx answered. "He tried to place Mauricio at the scene of the crime."

"We both did." Sasha said knowingly. "And I regret that."

["Saving Lieutenant Arnaldo"]

"Mauricio?" Sasha peered down at the Marine, his nose swollen and bloodied. "You awake?"

Arnaldo wasn't sure how long had passed but it felt like hours. The station was quieter now, the light show was long over. He was being watched over by someone else now, another voice he recognised. This one was female.

"I'm sorry, Mauricio." She said. "I'm sorry."

After this, he felt like he was being dragged somewhere. He could feel his body being slowly moved as he fell in and out of consciousness. He aware that the area around him turned from the cold outdoors to somewhere warm now. Somewhere soft. But he also remembered throwing up again, this time against a carpeted floor. There were voices around him, two people, who seemed to be arguing.

"We can't do this!" Sasha warned, her voice high and distraught.

"It's the only way." Dorian was saying, as Mauricio collapsed into unconsciousness. "Call it Plan B. If the body is found, if they trace it back to this room, Mauricio will cop the blame because he was here. And it looks like he won't remember a damn thing anyway."

"I don't like it." Sasha complained. "Mauricio has done nothing wrong."

"Then he has nothing to worry about!" Dorian cried. "Now come on, let's get Vicuno out of here."


[Paradise]

Sasha divulged into tears again, remembering that last line. Nyx realised there was a part of the story missing.

"Ensign, what happened to Vicuno?" He asked pointedly.

"I was so busy trying to cover my tracks and get rid of the body, I didn't realise how bad his condition was." Sasha sobbed. "I thought he had just been knocked out but he must have..." She took a deep breath, "The Guard crushed his windpipe, he hadn't been able to breath properly. He choked to death."

She started crying at the thought and Nyx could only shake his head. "You didn't even check on him? You knew he had been assaulted by the Breen and you didn't even check on him? You had enough time to drag the body away, try to frame Mauricio, and not see if Vicuno needed help? I thought you were cruel before, Sasha, but now I see you are criminally negligent too."

"I was panicked!" She screamed at him through the tears.

"You were thinking of yourself." Nyx simply replied. "You may not have killed Vicuno, but your actions helped lead to his death."

After a while, Sasha was able to speak again. "It was Dorian's idea to make Vic disappear. One body was going to be a nightmare to get away with but two would be impossible. He said he'd use the map to place the body in a refuse tunnel; Vic would be incinerated. But when we got there, it wasn't one. It was an air vent. I begged him not to go through with it but Dorian said it would just be expelled out of the station. Instead, Vic was caught in the ventilation system and sucked through. It made a god awful noise. He finally became stuck in a duct in the entertainment level. That's where he was found."

"No one deserves to be discarded and dishonoured in such a way." Nyx growled, his lips turned up in anger. "You desecrated his body and for what? To protect your innocence? Hide your crimes?"

"To save the ship!" Sasha cried. "If we had been found, if I had admitted to everything, the Breen would have immediately acted against the Pandora. Instead, we were able to buy some time."

"To cover your communication tracks?" Nyx immediately replied. "With Lieutenant Smith?"

"An easy fix." Sasha shrugged, regaining her composure. "Added in a booby trap to the encryption program that would be enacted either by my command or someone else's curiosity. Smith was lead to the right trigger and poof - the messages disappeared."

"Just like that?" Templed nodded, "You learnt a lot."

"I learnt from the best." She retorted quickly.

"But that wasn't enough." Nyx added. "You still had one more loose end. Dorian Rochester."

Sasha wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Like I said, I did the universe a favour. He wasn't interested in stopping the bomb plot, or the Breen. He didn't care that Vicuno was dead. He even started to point the finger at Vic in his statement, didn't he Lieutenant Griffin? He said he was trying to help me but I think he was trying to send you a message. To look into Vicuno and find me. He was just waiting to get an offer good enough to turn me in. I'd had enough of being betrayed and lied to, enough of Dorian's schemes that he always seemed to get away with!"

Nyx sighed and repeated, "So you killed him?"

Sasha shrugged, "This one was on purpose."


["Now I See"]

Sasha lay in the jeffries tube above Dorian's temporary quarters, waiting for the laxative she had placed in Lt Gemak's evening meal to take effect. Once he had gone and Ensign Niala was alone, she enacted her plan. Delivering a subroutine package that made it seem as if Niala had called for the turbo lift, she used this as a distraction to slowly open the hatch above him. Once the Ensign was suitably unnerved, she dropped down and knocked him out cold.

From there, it was a simple flick of a few buttons to turn off the lights and open the door to Dorian's quarters. He was shocked, of course, but for once he wasn't the one calling the shots. "Who's there?" She could hear Dorian call out, the fear evident in his voice. She contemplated not showing her face, but that would rob Dorian of the satisfaction of knowing his killer and she wanted to grant him at least that honour.

She took another few steps forward and Dorian’s face changed as he saw his visitor; he relaxed slightly but there was confusion still in his eyes.

“Oh, it’s... you…. But what the hell are you doing here?” He asked, shaking his head. “You know you can’t bust me out of this place.”

There was no response from Sasha. She had made up her mind; Dorian had to go.

Dorian frowned, and tilted his head. “Come on, you’re freaking me out now. I… I… did as you asked. I did everything!”

The silence from his visitor was unnerving and he started to fear again, as he realised the danger he was currently in. Trapped in the cell, no lights or security around. It was dawning on him that he was at her mercy now and she hadn't come to free him. He looked down and saw the Security Officer's phaser being raised up in her gloved hard. Immediately, his face broke into tears. He didn't want to die - not like this, not trapped and defenceless. Surely he could reason with them? He was always good at talking was Dorian Rochester. He just had to keep them talking.

“We are going to get out of this.” Dorian began, trying for a measured tone despite his growing fear. “If we work together…”


[Paradise]

"Work together?" She spat. "Not with him. He's had that coming since the Bubble, Captain, Lieutenant. And we all know it."

There was silence for a long moment. Outside the room, the sounds of revolution were growing louder, but the three of them scarcely noticed. Cailus’ anger seemed to have faded now, his phaser having remained steady and aimed at Sasha’s torso during her entire confession. He simply regarded the young Trill woman with something oddly like pity.

“Regardless of why you hated Mister Rochester, you made a choice the moment you fired that phaser at him, Miss Vieers,” Cailus said grimly. “The rest of your crimes were understandable given the context. You would’ve been court-martialled, of course, but up until that point, you were not a murderer. You killed the Breen guard in self-defence and Mister Vicuno’s death, while partially your responsibility, only occurred due to your negligence and deceit. You did not kill him, even if your inaction resulted in his death.”

Cailus sighed. “With Mister Rochester, however, you killed him in cold blood. You had a choice in that moment, and you chose to become a murderer.”

"It was my only choice." Sasha said in a low tone, "I still believed I could have saved the day. Vic's death wouldn't have been in vain if I could have stopped the Breen. Dorian didn't care about the Pandora or Paradise, he was only biding his time to see what he could get out of the situation."

Nyx had remained quiet, but at this he scoffed. "You're a fool, Ensign. If you have just reported Katya's message the moment you got it, all of this would have been avoided. Instead, lives have been lost and you may still have doomed this station." He walked closer to her, phaser still raised. "What happened with the bomb?"

"I don't know if they completed it." Sasha said with a shrug, "I wasn't able to get them the parts they needed," She looked around the small space, "But it's gone."

"When I spoke to Katya she said the station's sensors hadn't detected anything." Nyx replied, furrowing his brow. Katya had revealed that Paradise had extensive anti-explosive detection and felt confident no devices were present on the station.

"It wouldn't be on the station." Vieers quickly said. "They wanted to take over Paradise, not destroy it. The plan was to detonate the bomb on a docked ship and make it look like the Federation was responsible."

"But how?" Nyx sighed loudly. "If they didn't have our technology to plant as evidence, how are they now going to...." A final, heavy realisation dropped and Temple turned swiftly around to look at Griffin, his face full of dread. "The Captain's Yacht!"

Cailus’ eyes widened as he looked between Nyx and Sasha. “Captain, that’s our extraction point. The rest of the team should be there any moment.”

“Let’s get moving.” Nyx replies, turning back to Sasha and indicating for her to move with his phaser. She did so, without hesitation. “You better hope we get there in time.”

OFF