Post Mortem

[Lucy Lineas]

"No kidding." Lucy rolled her eyes. "The Ryders, Kellows, and Lei's... huge families." she slipped on her glasses and crossed her arms. "In the meantime, I'll communicate with your people. You've both got to give a few words, they were your family and your men and women that we're memorializing today."

[Ethan Talon]

Ethan winced, "Yeah, you're right. Another burden of command."

[Lucy Lineas]

"That's why you have that flash on your uniform, someone has to speak for those who can't speak for themselves." Lucy said and pecked his cheek. "And Nicholas... don't ramble."

"I'll try not." Nick chuckled lightly. "You realize something, first time since the peace accords that the Imperium has been on Terra Alpha and we've actually been on the same side."

"I think Kaikoa is far more sane than his mother. I wouldn't have married him otherwise." Lucy said softly. "Personally... as much as I think a formal alliance with the Alliance would be good, I think it's for the best that Earth is on it's own. I feel her days may be numbered."

[Lydia Cartwright]

A heavily modified runabout broke through the clouds as it decended. It circled Lake Riker as it skimmed over the surface of the water kicking up rooster tails of water from the engines.

Lydia stood between the pilot and the co-pilot wearing an Aquatic EVA suit. The rest of team were similarly dressed, but seated. "Anything?" She demanded.

"Sensors aren't picking anything up in the lake," The co-pilot replied working her controls. "Or on the bottom of it either."

"Okay let's get us a visual inspection," Lydia said. "I'm not going back to the former president telling hin we didn't do an exhaustive search. "Configure for water submersion."

There was a few minutes as the crew worked, "We are configured for submersion. Taking us in," the pilot replied.

The runabout's nose dipped and the ship plunged into the lake. It was a very deep lake formed from a fissure in the tectonic plates. A perfect place to hide something. Soon as they decended below 200 meters the light faded into a world of darkness as only one percent of the sunlight reached these depths.

"All right," the pilot said. "638 meters. We're at the bottom. All systems are functioning within accepted guidelines. Switching on external lights."

The lake floor was suddenly illuminated, and to Lydia looked more alien and foreign than anything alien planet she'd visited. "Standard search pattern if you would Mr. Thomas."

After several hours of searching they came upon the pod sitting on the floor, no signs of life. Silt rested on every surface making it look like it had been there for decades.

"Okay," Lydia announced. "Hargrove, and Kla'vel you two are with me. Check your phasers, make sure you can use them underwater. Remember we have follow duplicate protocols. We don't know if they are friend or foe. We treat them accordingly."

She pressed a button on the neck of her EVA suit and the helmet materialized in place. "Let's go!"

Once out of the airlock they swam slowly to the pod. The Andorian engineer Kla'vel overrode the pods locking mechanism for the airlock and a few moments later they were all crowded inside with their hands on their undrawn phasers. "I am Lt. Commander Cartwright. HazOps IV. We're going to get you out of here."

[Noella St. James]

"About time..." Noella said as she struggled against her bonds. "I've been down here for months, that tube is all that's been feeding and watering me... at least Bartyn put me on a toilet... but I'm not walking out of here."

[Lydia Cartwright]

"Okay let's do this. Kla'vel return to the runabout and connect a grappler. We'll tow the pod to the surface."

The Andorian nodded, activated his helmet, and was gone. Lydia pulled out a tricorder and scanned St. James. "Yoir vitals are stable for now. We were ordered by General Talon to follow Duplicate Protocols. We're not putting you in a wet suit, so there's no need in releasing you at the moment. Hargrove, come let's secure the pod for towing."

After twenty minutes of tedious work the shuttle pod slowly lifted from the lake bed and rose to the surface. Once it was bobbing in the sunlight the rest of her team arrived heavily armed.

They were all trained first responders, but rhe team medic knelled next the St. James and gave her a thorough examination. "She needs to see a doctor," he said.

Lydia nodded, "Jackson please notify Dr. Lineas-Lei to meet us at the Mount." She ordered manacles for her wrists and shackles for her ankles, and chained them all together.

[Noella St. James]

"You do realize that I'm not going anywhere on foot." Noella said as she lifted up the fabric of the dress she was wearing. "Bartyn made sure of that." she displayed the bruised skin and twisted limbs. "Bastard took a sledge hammer to my legs when I tried to escape. I think he shattered my hip."

[Lydia Cartwright]

She nodded and the shackles were removed. "Sorry protocol. We don't have a brig, so we have to use otjer means of detainment."

The team medic had a hover stretcher, and with the help of to others the loader St. James into it, and pushed out the pod, across the water and inside their runabout.

"Cooper, signal Mr. Ryder that we have St. James and are heading for to Mount. Tell him medical assistance is required. And let's take that pod into tow."

"All ready have it locked on Commander."

Kydia smiled , "Then what are we waiting for. Take us out."

[Lucy Lineas]

Lucy beamed into the Mount, dressed in her old Alliance uniform she walked toward the small secure area that Noella was beamed into. "What the hell did Bartyn do to you?"

"I tried to escape, he made sure I couldn't, stuck me on that toilet, shackled me down and well... if my 'other' didn't check in, the computer would start to shut down and I'd lose oxygen, every so often she'd forget for a few minutes and I'd watch helplessly as the systems turned off and the air got really thin and the ocean around me started to crush the hull." Noella said and winced. "At least she gave me some really good drugs for the pain."

"I'll get you fixed up... meanwhile..." Lucy said as she set up the thrombic modulator to work on her leg. "Just sit back and relax."

"Nice to see you back Doctor Lineas... thought we lost you forever." Noella said and sighed heavily. "I'm... sorry I didn't send a card for your wedding, I guess the Imperium and what happened, I had a hard time being happy, it wasn't fair to you."

"Entirely forgiven. Not every day an old doctor marries a young kid who just happens to be the Emperor of a planet, but at least I'm making a difference again. Not just a prisoner doctor anymore." Lucy replied and glanced at her leg. "You think you can repair the damage?"

"I don't know... I may need to replace your hip, possibly your femur and your knee. Now if I was Nicholas, I'd suggest just taking the leg off and replacing it, but I know that's not an option for you." Lucy said with a wink.

"I heal fast, but I need to have something decent under it all to heal. I'm fine with pain. Really. Just... get me back on my feet. It's hard to be the strong diplomat when I'm in a chair." Noella said as she laid back.

"I'll do what I can." Lucy said and gave her a sedative.

-- Later

"Well, from my scans and the records... the Noella we found IS our Noella St. James. The other one... I think she needs to be held for a while, who knows what she did while she was pretending to be 'our's." Lucy suggested.

"Thanks Lucy... Cartwright, your team did well... tell them that when the new Leo's is open tomorrow, they can have whatever they want." Nick said with a smile.

[Lydia Cartwright]

Lydia nodded, "Of course sir, but this is our job. We don't require thanks. This is what we train for. It was a privilege to finally get to execute that training in real life. Let me know if you got anything good from the pod's computer. I would hate to know that we put all that effort into the recovery for nothing."