- Something I Can Never Have, NIN

Hey everyone! As always, Star Trek doesn't belong to me, but Miletus and the planets mentioned do! Also, please review, even if you don't like it - it feeds my desire to write. c: So, if you want more chapters faster, review! And now, on to the new (slightly tarty) chapter! edit: Previous chapters have been edited for more readability!

He swallows thickly, the silence that settles around them like a thick, choking fog. It's colder than the frigid air of Invictus II, and the hidden pain it brings seems like a wound to the heart. "What... what do you mean?" He manages to croak out as he backs up like a frightened child. Miletus bites his lip, eyes simultaneously worried and... accepting. As if he knew this rejection was coming, was expecting it all along - and that hurts more, the sting of the breaking of such a fragile trust. "You're not a tyrant, Miletus. Not in front of me." The engineer blinks, slowly getting up from his chair and walking towards his friend. Rizo flinches, backing up so quickly that he hits the wall. Miletus stops, eyes darting from the blond's frightened expression to his clenched fists. "Now, tell me what you mean." There's more authority in his voice now, like a strict teacher or parent, but the redhead knows it's all an act. It's a shield of bravado, and it's annoying that after he's done so much, a mere experiment can still manage to stand up to him. With a sigh, Miletus straightens up, eyes cold and distant, unlike the man Rizo had come to know and rely on.

"Alright. You want to know? Fine, but you won't like it." He breathes out heavily through his nostrils, and clicks his teeth together in an attempt to gather up the courage to speak that has fled. "It was about... a year and a half ago, now. I was working on the scientific Colony number zero-two-seven-four-nine, located on one of Hirvald Beta's moons. I was working in one of the engineering wings, and a few weeks after my team docked, my fellow workers started disappearing."

The other man shivered, like an animal trapped in a nightmare. "Disappearing?"

Miletus frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Yes. I was behind it. You see, I found out some information that ultimately led to the event that earned me a thirty-five year sentence on this planet. The Colony had started importing what you would consider slaves." Rizo's eyes widened, and he tried to hide the tremble that coursed up his spine. "They were the outcasts of their planets, the old, injured and weak. Nothing more than freaks in their societies. So, the Colony bought them and experimented on them."

"Experimented?" His voice cracked, and his pupils were the size of dimes.

Bochco nodded mutely as one of the robots near the door moved, turning a corner with it's version of a grimace. "Yes, experimented. They tested different serums, cures, and sometimes even poisons on them. All in the name of science, from their point of view." Miletus let out a disgusted scoff, nose scrunching up in his distaste. "And we had to watch, myself and my friends. We knew, they all knew, but what did they do about it? Nothing! So, I had to make a stand. I had to fix it. Don't you see?"

His voice was desperate, and Rizo blinked, teetering on the edge of disbelief. Finally, he nodded, and his would be savior's face broke out into a smile that lifted the tension like the dawn. "Yes, I see. You had to do something. But... what did you do?"

Miletus chuckled, but his eyes looked suspiciously wet. "I made a deal with a group of radicals. Destroy the base, save the experiments. All for the price of... me."

Rizo jerked forward like a puppet who'd had his strings cut. "You?"

Miletus' smile enlarged, and after a moment stepped forward, lifting a hand to rest it on his 'friend's' shoulder. "Don't worry about it, they didn't do any damage. Just had me promise to do it myself. I knew I'd get caught eventually, but I didn't expect Starfleet to be so quick on the uptake."

Starfleet.

red outfits Kobayashi Maru late nights bars girls "Study my ass..."

He gasped, and Miletus jumped, hand clamping painfully down on his shoulder. "What? What is it, Rizo?" Not another one. Please, don't let me lose this one too!

Rizo shook his head, breath coming in short gasps. He held up a finger, clenching his hands into fists and biting his tongue until the images and voices slowed to a stop and he could feel again. "I'm OK... I'm OK."

Miletus offered him a tremulous grin, and licked his lips. "Good. Well, now you know. I've killed thousands of people, Rizo. Thousands. Do you understand now? I'm practically the dictionary definition of evil!"

Rizo hummed, brilliant blue eyes considering. They felt like they were judging him, and Miletus' bravado shrunk under that hawk-like gaze. "I understand. I know that most would consider what you did as wrong... but I understand better now. You did it to save them, Mil, not to damn them."

A solitary robot watched from his corner, and weighed the differences between right and wrong in ounces.

"It was about... a year and a half ago, now. I was working on the scientific Colony number zero-two-seven-four-nine, located on one of Hirvald Beta's moons. I was working in one of the engineering wings, and a few weeks after my team docked, my fellow workers started disappearing." "Disappearing?" "Yes. I was behind it. You see, I found out some information that ultimately led to the event that earned me a thirty-five year sentence on this planet. The Colony had started importing what you would consider slaves. They were the outcasts of their planets, the old, injured and weak."

One of the most respected Captains in the fleet sat back in his chair and watched the report, a smug grin slowly transforming his face.

"Interesting... very interesting."

Invictus II garnered attention, that's for sure.