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"Black And White"
[Previous post: "Kzinti Mind Play"]
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Setting: USS PARADOX, Jefferies Tube
Stardate: 63073.2115

To say that following the Bolian and Arcadian had been easy would have been a flat out lie.  One things had been the truth though, from what Adam had been able to gather from the way the two had so far interacted, Anya knew her blue skin rescuer well.  Well enough in fact for her to lead him to the one location the Arcadian knew to be out of the way and relatively safe from the rest of the crew; Cargo Bay 6.

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Setting: USS PARADOX, Cargo Bay 6
Stardate: 63073.2125

Adam rushed into the large room to find the pair had already arrived and the Arcadian holding on to Shawn as a mother would a child.  With the Bolian standing immediately behind the Anya, Ensign Russell's heart sank certain that he had somehow been betrayed.

"I was worried something had happened to you when you weren't here," Anya said with relief, the smile on her face having quickly been overshadowed by the young boy's own excitement at seeing his father return safe and sound.  The Arcadian did nothing to hold back the boy who left the embrace he had been in to seek the loving arms of his father.

"I went looking for you," Adam said as he welcomed his son into an embrace that made it seem as if all had been right with the universe. "I was ready to mount a rescue in Sickbay when *Captain Blue Skin* there came in and replaced you with a hologram."

"I feel so special," Anya giggled.  "I had two brave men came to my rescue."

"This is the guy you mentioned?" The Bolian asked of the Arcadian in an almost laughter manner.

"Don't be such an ass," Anya snapped back.  "He is the one responsible for the majority of the sabotage that plagued this ship and the reason why you and the others had enough time to get here.  Plus he's a nice guy, you could actually learn one or two things from him."

"Only one or two?" Adam hissed as he shot a glare at the blue skin man, not at all having taken a liking to the obnoxious Bolian despite the fact that he had rescued Anya in a manner that had been far better than anything the Ensign could have come up with.

"You are right," the Bolian sarcastically sighed.  "I can see that's he's a real charmer, but in the end it doesn't matter.  Jade sent word that Onyx is here and that she will be coming onboard the PARADOX."

"Jade? Onxy? Who the hell are these people and what do they have to do with this ship?" Ensign Russell demanded while holding on tightly to his son as if some evil force had threatened to snatch him from his grasp at any moment.

"We really don’t have time to play twenty questions," the Bolian snapped at Adam before turning back to Anya.  "All that Jade said was that Onyx would be bringing help and that we are to assist her in gaining complete control of this ship."

"Wait," the Arcadian quickly interrupted before the Bolian could continued.  "We are going to held *her* gain control of the ship!  She is not going to help *us*?"

"Those are our new orders," the Bolian nodded, not appearing either pleased or displeased with this change of plan.

"Who is this *us* you are referring to?" Adam demanded, his frustration having reached the boiling point.

"The Orion Syndicate if you absolutely need to know," the Bolian impatiently replied obviously holding a higher position in the organization than the Arcadian did.  "It was our goal to take this ship before Sumariss and his Vorta associate could make use of it. Now we are going to make sure Onyx leaves here with it."

"Why would the Orion Syndicate turn the ship over to this *Onyx*?" Ensign Russell demanded, confused more than ever before.

"Because she *wants* it," what the only reply given by the blue skinned man.  "It's that simple."

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William Reeve (altrealityman@gmail.com)

Ensign Adam Russell
(in another reality)
former
Flight Control Officer
USS YORKSHIRE