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

Chapter Sixteen

I shrugged. "Okay."

Sebastian stared at me. "What?"

"Okay. What do you want? Shock? Tears? You want me to care that my parents thought they were shipping me off to die instead of just being locked up forever?" I looked behind him at Matt and Otten, who were already looking back at me. "Why are you even telling me this? Do you want me to thank you? These men have been through more than I can even imagine. They've been locked up forever. I don't think I have the monopoly on pain, here."

"I thought that would make you understand. I'm trying to do you people a favor."

"Us people don't want favors, Sebastian. We want to be left alone. Now turn around."

Sebastian looked down at me and I shivered as he turned to face the door to the elevators. A few seconds later, they opened. We were met by a large crowd of men and women in the uniforms of shapeshifters, all looking frightened. On the other side was a line of Sandorian naval officers, all holding phasers. We had walked into a standoff. I stepped forward as Matt and Otten cleared a path. The pain in my leg was starting to throb uncontrollably but I stepped forward, pulling Sebastian with me. I came to a stop a few feet in front of the men, my phaser firmly digging into Sebastian's ribs.

"We're taking these people out of here," I said calmly. I met the eyes of Commander Lewis, who was standing back and to my right. "I'm taking the Prime Minister with me. Once we're clear, we'll launch a pod and you can pick him up. If you try to stop us, I will kill him."

"Then you won't have a bargaining chip," Lewis said. His eyes were hard and his phaser was pointing squarely at me.

"And you won't have a Prime Minister. Otten, where's Sam and the others?"

"We're here," I heard Sam say from somewhere behind me. I didn't break eye contact with the Commander. "We got all three levels cleared out. Dean should be bringing the last groups up now. We're using the cargo turbolifts."

I smiled. "There's a thousand of us, Commander. You have twenty men. You can try to shoot us but what do you think you can do against a thousand shapeshifters? You won't even be able to see us."

I could see the man thinking. Everything in his training was telling him not to back down, not while Sebastian was in danger. But he also knew we had him outnumbered. He couldn't kill all of us, and not nearly fast enough. His best bet was to stand down now and go after us once we were airborn.

He looked to Sebastian for confirmation. I did too, meeting his eyes where he stood next to me, his arm still in my grasp. He looked down at me.

"Let them go," he said, loudly enough for Lewis to hear.

"Sir?"

"What are you going to do, Commander, let them shoot me? Let them go. They won't get far."

"That's the spirit," I told Sebastian. "Tell them to put their weapons down and go stand in the corner there."

Sebastian did as he was told and soon our path was clear. "What now, Jasper?" I asked. I watched Sam and Otten follow the Sandorian soldiers to keep an eye on them. Matt stayed by my side.

He pointed at a ship close by on the spaceport floor. "That one. It's just a cargo ship but it'll hold us, it can go up to warp three, and it's fully fueled."

"Good. Start getting them onboard."

I watched as Jasper lead the stream of confused and frightened shapeshifters toward the large hulk of a ship. It wouldn't be a comfortable ride but everyone would fit. I stepped forward and let them pass, keeping Sebastian close by.