Incoming Message: Section 31
Posted on June 6th, 2000 by Dante Smith

Lieutenant Smith rolled over in his bed. His longtime partner and best friend, Wesson, wasn’t in the empty bunk across the room. It had been 6 months since they left Defiant and the familiar surroundings of Deep Space 22. They had finally wrapped up the case concerning the murders of the Bolian Senator and their friend and shipmate Dave Johnson which had pulled them off the station and attracted the eyes of their new employer…..Section 31.

Not that it showed up on their resumes. No, the records only said “Starfleet Intelligence.” Oh, they longed to contact their former friends on Defiant; Hawke, Watcher, Nova…..Buden. But there was nothing they could do. They were cut off from their former lives. Their very existence had been marked “classified.”

The door slid open. Wesson rushed in, “Dante! Wakeup! We’re going home!”

“What?” Smith sat up, “What are you talking about? Whose going where?” Keith Wesson plopped down on the bed beside the man he had known since Grade School. He handed over the PADD and Dante began to read. “These are transfer papers back to Defiant and DS22…..but only your name is on them.”

“Yeah, I know…Gorloff said he wanted to see you. I’m sure he has yours.” Wesson rose and went to the replicator, “Coffee, black.” A gentle hum is heard as the mug comes into being. “I can’t wait to see the old station again.”

“But Alexis….” Smith rose and started dressing, “I gotta see Alexis again before we leave.” He rushed from their quarters and down the hall to the TurboLift. “Deck 6.” He listened to the hum of the servos as they lifted him to the Science department on Starbase Alpha. When the doors opened, his heart was already in her office. When his feet caught up, his eyes went to the brass name plate on the wall….”Dr. Alexis Duke, Research and Development.”

He rushed in, “Alexis…Alexis?” But she wasn’t there. “Computer…locate Dr. Duke….”

“Dr. Alexis Duke is no longer onboard.”

“What?” She wouldn’t have left without telling him…would she? He turned to leave but stopped when he saw the blinking PADD on the chair by the door. He picked it up and read,

“Dante…..transferred to Bangor Punta Research Facility…..

gone down to planet to say good-bye to family…..I Love You!”

He tossed the PADD down and hurried away…tears filling his eyes.

When he arrived at Admiral Gorloff’s office he expected to find the Chief Intelligence Officer standing there with his transfer papers back to Defiant but instead was greeted by stern image of the cold-hearted, black-suited C. R. Hellstrom, Section 31 operative.

Smith couldn’t stand the grief of being separated from his love. “This is your doing Hellstrom! You sent her away!”

“Watch who you yell at Lt! I have the power to send her to where you will never reach her!” His face remained characteristically emotionless. He reached behind him and brought forth a PADD. “You have been reassigned.”

Dante took the PADD. “…..What? But…..this isn’t Defiant…..Huh? Ensign?! What are you trying to pull here?”

“Your new promotion is being revoked for the time being. We need you to infiltrate the lower decks of the Atlantis. We have news of a strange occurrence beginning there. You are to report on the situation. You leave immediately.”

“But Wesson…Alexis…they need to know…..”

Hellstrom cut him off, “They need to know nothing…..she is currently on Earth and his shuttle has already left for DS22. You won’t be seeing them for quite some time.”

“But me and Wesson…we’re a team….”

“Enough! Your flight leaves in 7 minutes!”

Smith stormed off, packed his bags, and reported to the docking bay.