The Sands of Time (A Star Trek: The Next Generation Fan Fiction)

Chapter Eight

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying to you. I just want you to understand your position. The Enterprise left not long after you beamed down."

"No, they kept looking for me, I don't care how many days it's been."

"Days? Tasha, you've only been here for a little under thirty hours."

I gripped the sides of the chair, my knuckles turning white. "A day?"

"Just over. I apologized to the Enterprise for the deception, but explained that it was the only way I could get to you, my childhood friend. The Captain was very confused as to why you never mentioned that."

I rested my face in my hand for a second, trying to compose myself. Pushing my hair back in an automatic gesture, I looked back at Sebastian.

"Why would they leave?" I demanded, still refusing to believe him.

"Why wouldn't they? You're wanted for a crime here, and didn't you say how attached they are to their Prime Directive? Once I explained my situation, and how glad we were to have you back, the Captain had no choice but to leave. I told him you would be well looked after and would have justice, even if you are an escaped criminal."

"Well looked after?" I repeated.

"I'm sorry about the cell, but I had to keep you there until I finished some other business. Now, of course, I'll move you to more comfortable quarters."

"Then I'm still a prisoner."

"You don't have to be. If you'll cooperate with us, then we'll forget about the murder and you can go wherever you like, within the compound, of course."

"The compound?"

"That's not important," Sebastian said, waving it away. "I need you to understand why I've done what I have."

I opened my mouth but shut it again. I didn't want to go back to my cell, even if the alternative was staying here and listening to Sebastian. Instead of replying then, I just nodded. He took this as an invitation to continue.

"You think you're friends with the Enterprise, but they left you here alone. They obviously care more about their own rules than helping you, even after you came all this way for them."

"They care about me."

"They used you."

"I don't believe that." Whatever you could say about Riker or Picard, they were not manipulative.

"You're disposable, Tasha. If they lied to you about that, then they probably lied to you about me. You wouldn't believe me yesterday when I told you that we just wanted what was best for Sandor."

"No, I believe you, Sebastian," I cut in. "I know you want to help Sandor, but you're doing it by hurting other people. I don't care if they're Sandorian or human or Federation, they're still people. There are thousands of people on Minos III and you're letting them starve to death."

"It's the Federation, not me. The wormhole is in our sector and legitimately belongs to us. We don't need the Federation to vindicate us, we just want them to pay tribute like everyone else."

"Alright, say you do own the wormhole. How did you expect them to deliver tribute if you wouldn't answer them? The only reason I'm here was to get you to answer their hails." Right now, I could be safely back on Karos VII, if I had only told Will "no." He would have understood, even if he was disappointed. I was the one who couldn't have lived with it.

"We gave the Enterprise very clear instructions on when and where to deliver the tribute," Sebastian continued. "If they had followed our orders, then further contact would not have been necessary."