STAR TREK: KHITOMER
- Thread starter 47
- Start date
I wouldn't be counting out Urkel so easily. With that transformation chamber of his he can literally become anybody or anything, so he could become Urkel-Hulk (Hurkel) and thus able to defeat the regular one.
Congrats on the new PC. 
CHAPTER TEN
February 21, 2400
Miral and Annie had kept fighting for more than an hour. Drenched in their sweat, covered with bruises, exhausted, they were now sitting in a corner of the holodeck, side by side, each having one arm around the other's shoulders. They were drinking from the same bottle, and sometimes splashing each other.
"So, blondie, you liked the fight?" Miral finally said, still working at getting her breath back.
"Not bad, girlie girl, but I've met Klingons who fought with a lot more brute force. Still, you're quick, and you're spunky. I like you!" Annie answered, tapping Miral's chest with the palm of her hand.
"I like you too. You're not bad for a human! Of course, you've been enhanced, otherwise you could not fight a Klingon!"
"Probably not", Annie acknowledged. "But still I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't suffered what that damn Cardie did to me."
"Is it true, all of it?"
"All of it, Miral."
"Damn. I don't know if I would have survived."
"I don't know, honey. But I did, and sometimes I'd prefer it if I had died … But not today! Today, I had a good fight, and I found a good sparring partner! Are you staying on the Samurai?"
"Possibly. I'd like to stay with you. You're a nice girl", Miral answered, in turn tapping Annie's chest with the palm of her hand, much more strongly than Annie had tapped hers though.
"We should get out of here now …"
"My quarters are very close", Miral said. "Maybe we could go there, take a sonic shower and get clean uniforms."
"Good plan, Miral. Let's go!"
***
"15,256 in all, Commander."
"That's quite a fleet."
Teroth and Lovok were contemplating the tactical chart in front of them. They had almost missed it. But since they were out of Dominion space, they were trying to find something, anything which could be a clue as to the whereabouts of the Qalans.
And then they had found them.
"They don't seem organized for battle. In fact, they don't seem organized at all."
"Lifesigns?"
"Millions of them. Tens of millions, I'd say."
"But where are they coming from, Lovok?"
"A better question would be: Where are they going? They would not be here if their objective was Khitomer."
"The Qalans, maybe?"
"What an interesting idea! More than fifteen thousand Dominion Dreadnoughts assembled to make war to the very race we seek to recruit as allies … This opens a very interesting new set of possibilities, doesn't it, Commander?"
"Certainly. Especially if the rumors are true …"
***
B'Elanna Torres was not in a good mood.
"I suppose that even with a quarter of Klingon blood, she'll be able to survive longer than her quitter of a mother …"
"Damn you, Tomalak", she was thinking, "you really know how to push my buttons! I really hate you now!"
"Your daughter will be an orphan. But don't worry, I'll take care of her. I'll marry her to one of my great-grandsons, and she'll belong at last to an honorable family."
"You will leave my daughter alone!"
"I'll marry her to Kaol. He's older than you are, but he likes life and he enjoys it to its fullest. I'm sure Miral will be able to give him the children his first three wives couldn't …"
"Damn Romulan! Never, never will any of your damn race touch my daughter! She's mine, mine, mine! I'll choose who she marries, I'll choose who she has sex with! Not you, not your damned son, you damn Green Head!"
Yes, Tomalak had found B'Elanna's Achilles' heel. The woman had one weakness, one terrible weakness: her daughter, her only family, and he had played B'Elanna on it to make her get out of her torpor. Only B'Elanna didn't care why he had acted in such a way. She was mad, and only the fact that he was a war ally had stopped her from tearing his head off his shoulders.
The Klingon woman had not been brought her clothes quickly enough. She had taken a physician's blouse, had wrapped herself in it, and was now roaming barefoot the corridors of the Samurai. Anyone seeing her angry expression just went out of her way. She finally arrived to the door she was looking for.
The door opened, B'Elanna went in. What she saw froze her blood in her veins.
***
After close to an hour of watching Annie and Miral fighting, Sabrina had left. The show was spectacular, very erotic to her in fact, and she was very anxious of spending the night with her lover, who had given her sweet dreams for a long time. But she had to go. Family affair.
"Lieutenant Chekhov?"
"Lieutenant Watson. Follow me, please."
Sabrina followed Julia to the Yorktown's brig. Her heart jumped in her throat when she saw him. Still, bravely, she went inside the cell, and the force field was reestablished behind her.
"Hello, Uncle Jethro."
The giant, sitting on his cot with an empty look, seemed hit by lightning. He jumped on his feet and looked around, until he saw her, so small, so like before and yet so different.
"How are you, uncle?"
Jethro Watson looked again at the little girl. In his heart was nothing for her, just a memory, the memory of the conversation he had had with Benteen and Hertzler when Sabrina was ready to die.
"Mister Watson, your niece could die at any moment, and your presence might make her last days more bearable. The Yorktown will therefore leave for Qo'noS …"
"Excuse me, Captain, with all due respect, I'm not interested in seeing her."
"Trouble in the family, Lieutenant?"
"We are not a family anymore, Sir."
"She's your niece."
"Only by accident, Sir."
Yeah, a damn accident. Nobody knew who the father was. They had raped Sabrina's mother for hours. She had been found three days later, practically dead. With some kind of medical voodoo involving kilometers of technobabble, they had saved the embryo and let the mother die. Now that thing was supposed to be his responsibility. He had hired a nanny and sent it far from him. And now there it was.
"What are you doing here?"
"I've come to visit, uncle. It's been a long time."
They had met once, when Sabrina was twelve. What had happened that day should have made Sabrina hate her uncle-by-accident. But she couldn't. That he had refused to visit her when she was dying should have made her understand once and for all that this guy wanted nothing from her. But she couldn't.
"Not long enough for you yet?"
Sabrina wasn't expecting much. The last time he had touched her wasn't her best memory by far. But this time, the security officer standing by would make sure that she would be safe.
"We're family, Uncle Jethro. Have you nothing to say to your sister's flesh and blood?"
***
"MOTHER!"
Miral was looking at her mother, angry and surprised at the same time. Annie was at attention, Miral was hiding her breasts and crotch.
B'Elanna was looking, stunned, at her daughter and that other girl, both completely naked and sweating profusely. She couldn't believe her eyes. All she could say was, looking at Annie and pointing the door:
"You! Out!"
That didn't please Miral at all!
"NO! You stay! Mother, you have no authority over her! She's a Starfleet officer! You're not! And these are my quarters! Since when do you get in my quarters without … Ah, forget that one! You've never treated me as an adult anyway!"
Annie made a move to her clothes. Miral looked at her in a way that froze her where she stood.
"I don't need to ask permission to enter my daughter's quarters", B'Elanna answered angrily. "What are you doing with her? Was the show beginning or already over? Let me guess!"
"What do you mean?"
"Did you have sex with her?"
Miral looked at her mother, more stunned even than her now. But she'd answer promptly.
"Yes, Mother! I've just had hot, wild sex with her! We're dripping from each other's sweat because we did it for hours, Klingon way and human way alike! She's my lover, Mother! Every night we meet in my quarters and we make love for hours! Satisfied, Mother?"
B'Elanna knew her daughter. If there was one thing Miral couldn't do, it was lying to her.
"The truth, Miral."
"Oh you don't believe me? So I'm a liar now? Well, maybe you'll believe this!"
And suddenly, Miral grabbed Annie by her waist, held her in her arms, one hand on her blade shoulders, the other on her butts, and gave her a long, very long and passionate French kiss, to which Annie happily answered in kind …
***
She knew the place. It seemed like a long time ago, but she had definitely spent time here. The only thing was … it looked smaller.
She was wearing a yellow tunic, black trousers, black boots. A lot of people were wearing similar clothing, although many wore red or blue tunics.
She was walking in a large place full of those people, and others, wearing some other … they had to be some kind of uniforms. So she belonged to an army? Was this a military outpost?
"Lieutenant!"
She kept walking, looking all around her, trying to remember more. That way, she felt, led to her most favorite place in the world. She couldn't remember what it was or why, but she had a feeling of pleasure, rest, safety …
It was associated to some flashes: a man and a woman. The man was somewhat stocky and looked older. The woman was slender and very pretty. And …
There was something else about that man. But for now all she could remember was his face and a general impression of stockiness. It was very strange.
"Lieutenant!"
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She practically jumped out of her skin, struck by a burning pain and frozen by terror. But she wouldn't show it! After all, she was …
"Is there something wrong, Lieutenant?"
She took a look at the man. Young, looking half-suspicious, half-concerned, wearing a yellow uniform too.
"Hmm? No, no, everything's fine," she answered.
"Sir, I'm asking because you look dazed. May I help you?"
"No, no, I'm just … tired or hungry, I guess."
"Oh. Would you like me to escort you to your quarters?"
Think quickly, girl. You don't know that guy, you don't know what he wants.
"I … just arrived. I haven't been assigned quarters yet."
Where the hell did that come from?
"Oh. Well, until you are, may I escort you to the best place for waiting? You'll be able to rest and get a meal there."
She looked at the guy. As long as he wouldn't try to bring her to his quarters …
"OK."
***
B'Elanna had stormed out of Miral's quarters. Now Annie was looking at her new friend with different eyes.
"Was it good for you too, girlie girl?" she asked Miral.
"Not bad, Blondie. Did you feel something?"
"Not in a physical way, except for the lips, but I was still very pleased."
"I still prefer guys."
"What's the deal with your mom?"
"She can't seem to understand that I want my life to be my own. She has recruited me in the damn task Force the Admiral is setting up without even asking me what I thought!"
"Few engineers would object to that, Miral."
"Well, I do! I wouldn't mind if anyone else had recruited me! But she always messes up my life!"
"I wish I still had my mother to mess up mine, Miral."
Miral looked at Annie. Yeah, she knew the tragic circumstances in which Annie had lost her parents, right before the Cardassian butchers started to …
Miral had already forgotten that she had almost lost her mother too, and those few words from the wiser-than-her-age Annie had reminded her that. Yeah, she would have to find her and apologize. Damn!
But before that, a good sonic shower with her new friend was the way to go.
***
"Colonel Torres!"
"WHAT?"
B'Elanna had left in a hurry. Of course she knew that her daughter was not a lesbian. Or was she? Anyway, she was mad, not because of her kissing another girl, but because once again Miral had shown her youthful defiance of her wishes.
And now that little bit of a probably flat-chested girl, probably younger than the last gagh she had eaten on Kubrak V, was looking at her, half-determined, half-scared out of her wits.
"Colonel, Admiral Wilkins has asked me to … take care of you."
"Are you a doctor of some sort, with a gold uniform to make you pass for some fellow engineer?"
"N… No, Ma'am. My name is Greta McClure. I've been affected to your bodyguard team, Ma'am."
B'Elanna had to smile. That little itsy bitsy thing, small enough to be used as a toothpick, her bodyguard? That had to be a joke!
"You're my … bodyguard?"
"One of your bodyguards, yes Ma'am."
Greta had noticed the very ironic tone and had answered as matter-of-factly as she could.
"OK. Guard me then."
"My orders are to escort you to Admiral Wilkins, Sir."
"First, little lady, make up your mind. Is it 'Sir' or 'Ma'am'?"
"As you wish, S… Ma'am?"
"Call me 'Colonel', OK?"
"I don't think it's appropriate, Ma'am."
"Why not?"
"I think the Admiral would rather explain that part himself, Ma'am."
"OK, let's go."
"Would you care to get dressed first, Ma'am? Your quarters are that way."
B'Elanna looked at the blouse and her bare feet.
"Lead the way."
***
Teroth and Lovok were still looking at the screen, as the Mogai, still using her phase cloak, was getting still a little closer to the huge fleet.
"Your intuition was right, Commander."
Teroth had been looking at the charts for a very long time. Lovok knew that when she was doing that, the best — nay, the only policy — was to shut the hell up and wait. After almost an hour, she had finally emerged from her thoughts.
"Yes, but the question remains: Who are they?"
"Their technology is clearly not Dominion, that is certain, although all their ships look like Dominion Dreadnoughts. Their signature looks like they're made out of a mix of several technologies. This one looks …"
The two officers looked at each other, stunned.
"We have to find out. Let's get closer."
***
"What the hell is this, Greta?" B'Elanna asked, looking at the clothes set up for her in her quarters.
"Those are your clothes, Ma'am."
"Not mine!"
"Admiral Wilkins insists that you wear them, Ma'am."
"Quite a sense of humor. Oh, hell. But not THAT!"
***
Jethro and Sabrina Watson were still looking at each other, Jethro with defiance and despise, Sabrina with hope. But that hope was quickly abandoning her wounded heart …
"Family! Your mother was family! Your mother was my sister, your father was a damn bastard who couldn't find himself a girl, so he raped my sister! Then you finished her by being born!"
Tears were beginning to roll on Sabrina's cheeks now.
"Oh yeah! Go ahead and cry! That won't bring her back! That won't give her back to me, damn you! You don't even look like her! Your bastard of a father couldn't even be white!"
"Is that why you never loved me? Because I'm half-white half-black?"
"You killed my sister!"
"Is that why you tried to rape me twelve years ago? Retribution for being born?"
"DAMN YOU!"
The giant hit Sabrina's jaw with his anvil-like fist, so fast that no one had time to react. The security officer drew his weapon, made him stand back, and brought Sabrina out, then called Sick Bay.
"That … won't be … necessary", Sabrina just said.
"But Sir, he …"
Sabrina got up. Truly there was no trace of the hit. Obviously her new skin and skeleton had withstood the giant's fist. She turned toward her assailant.
"You're right, uncle, obviously I have no family. But if I'm a bastard, Sir, so are you, and much more than I am, or even my father was. At least he didn't try to rape his niece."
And Sabrina left without looking behind her.
***
B'Elanna had just entered. She was greeted with a round of applause. But she was not in the mood.
"Cut the crap! What's this?" she yelled, pointing at her uniform.
"That," Wilkins answered, "is the proper uniform of a Starfleet Rear Admiral, B'Elanna, except for the pips that you forgot to …"
"I didn't forget! I'm not Starfleet!"
"You are not in the Klingon Military anymore", Karov answered.
"WHAT?"
"It's for your protection, B'Elanna", Wilkins continued, "and for my commodity."
"Why do you need me here?"
"Why DON'T I need you would be a shorter list. The Deletham Task Force is starting right now, B'Elanna, and we're counting on you to lead it. Admiral O'Brien will keep looking for recruits, but you will organize the work."
"Oh."
She looked at Wilkins, while he took something in a drawer. He came to B'Elanna and gently pinned on her collar the insignia of her new rank.
"Congratulations, Admiral Torres."
"Thank you … I guess", she answered with a smile.
"You know Dvorak and O'Brien, you know Karov, this is Commander T'Rul of the Deletham, and the girl in the back is?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know", B'Elanna answered hurriedly, "and I know that one too", she said, hinting at Tomalak, who had just come in.
"Tomalak!" Wilkins exclaimed, "At last! So, what do you have to tell us?"
"Quite an interesting story, Admiral, quite an interesting story. I suggest we sit down. I wouldn't want your new admiral to tire too soon."
B'Elanna threw him daggers with her eyes, as everyone but O'Brien's escort was taking a seat.
"I believe", Tomalak began, "that a small history lesson is required here …"
***
Sabrina was sitting in the Mess Hall, a piece of cream pie in front of her. When she was little, cream pie always consoled her from any pain, any wound she might have suffered.
Today however, the knot in her throat was too big.
She knew that her uncle didn't love her. He had made that obvious for twenty-four years. But she had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would have a little something in his heart left for her, a spark, a good word …
Today she felt lonelier than ever.
***
Tomalak was standing. The others were sitting, except that other girl.
"It happened in 2374.
"The Khalid was exploring the Boden Star System, where an important source of trilithium was thought to be available. I'll spare you the details, but it was a military operation."
"What was not?" B'Elanna sneered.
"Indeed, Admiral. I visited the site a few days after the discovery, and what I saw soon appeared to be a way to jump over existing technologies and build a much stronger Warbird.
"It was a ship.
"It took our best engineers four years to study it. They finally reported that they were able to reproduce the technologies they had found onboard. It was therefore decided that the ship would be activated and brought back to Romulus, where it would be dismantled and reproduced at hundreds of copies."
"To defeat your former allies, the Klingons and the Federation, no doubt!" B'Elanna added.
Tomalak looked at her.
"Yes, Admiral, that was the plan. Please remember that at the time, the Dominion war was over, and many senators feared the Federation-Klingon alliance which essentially roamed alone their side of the Alpha Quadrant. But I digress.
"The ship was activated. Everyone was holding their breath as the ship started a long, plaintive sound, like an animal being tortured. Then it moved, slowly, almost painfully, and screeched even louder. As it slowly lift off, it caused a shockwave which shook the Dhival and the Hataki, two ships carrying observers, so strongly that everyone on both ships, fell on the ground.
"Once the commotion passed, and the alien ship had landed, under their wondering eyes, only then did they notice that the Jhimn, which was much closer than them from the mysterious ship in order to take detailed measurements of any atmospheric change, had disappeared. They opened hailing frequencies — without result. The Jhimn was gone.
"Then they made a macabre discovery.
"A routine scan of the planet revealed … nothing.
"There and then, they knew something had gone deadly wrong. More scanning still revealed nothing. Exactly nothing. Of all the high-security installations in close geostationary orbit around Boden VI, nothing, absolutely nothing was left. The planet itself was more burned, more dead than it had ever been. Only the ship was still there, apparently intact.
"That’s when they understood that it would be a waste of time to look for the Jhimn …"
***
She had been escorted by that officer in a yellow uniform, who had brought her to a public place, which reminded her of something.
She was sitting down now, and several people were looking at her. A strange being, bald and with big ears and bad teeth, asked her what she wanted.
"Moba Fruit, please."
Where the hell is that coming from?
After a few minutes, a little woman, dressed in a blue uniform, smiling and looking quite young, came to her. She looked at her like if she knew her.
"What do you want?"
"Molly?"
February 21, 2400
Miral and Annie had kept fighting for more than an hour. Drenched in their sweat, covered with bruises, exhausted, they were now sitting in a corner of the holodeck, side by side, each having one arm around the other's shoulders. They were drinking from the same bottle, and sometimes splashing each other.
"So, blondie, you liked the fight?" Miral finally said, still working at getting her breath back.
"Not bad, girlie girl, but I've met Klingons who fought with a lot more brute force. Still, you're quick, and you're spunky. I like you!" Annie answered, tapping Miral's chest with the palm of her hand.
"I like you too. You're not bad for a human! Of course, you've been enhanced, otherwise you could not fight a Klingon!"
"Probably not", Annie acknowledged. "But still I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't suffered what that damn Cardie did to me."
"Is it true, all of it?"
"All of it, Miral."
"Damn. I don't know if I would have survived."
"I don't know, honey. But I did, and sometimes I'd prefer it if I had died … But not today! Today, I had a good fight, and I found a good sparring partner! Are you staying on the Samurai?"
"Possibly. I'd like to stay with you. You're a nice girl", Miral answered, in turn tapping Annie's chest with the palm of her hand, much more strongly than Annie had tapped hers though.
"We should get out of here now …"
"My quarters are very close", Miral said. "Maybe we could go there, take a sonic shower and get clean uniforms."
"Good plan, Miral. Let's go!"
***
"15,256 in all, Commander."
"That's quite a fleet."
Teroth and Lovok were contemplating the tactical chart in front of them. They had almost missed it. But since they were out of Dominion space, they were trying to find something, anything which could be a clue as to the whereabouts of the Qalans.
And then they had found them.
"They don't seem organized for battle. In fact, they don't seem organized at all."
"Lifesigns?"
"Millions of them. Tens of millions, I'd say."
"But where are they coming from, Lovok?"
"A better question would be: Where are they going? They would not be here if their objective was Khitomer."
"The Qalans, maybe?"
"What an interesting idea! More than fifteen thousand Dominion Dreadnoughts assembled to make war to the very race we seek to recruit as allies … This opens a very interesting new set of possibilities, doesn't it, Commander?"
"Certainly. Especially if the rumors are true …"
***
B'Elanna Torres was not in a good mood.
"I suppose that even with a quarter of Klingon blood, she'll be able to survive longer than her quitter of a mother …"
"Damn you, Tomalak", she was thinking, "you really know how to push my buttons! I really hate you now!"
"Your daughter will be an orphan. But don't worry, I'll take care of her. I'll marry her to one of my great-grandsons, and she'll belong at last to an honorable family."
"You will leave my daughter alone!"
"I'll marry her to Kaol. He's older than you are, but he likes life and he enjoys it to its fullest. I'm sure Miral will be able to give him the children his first three wives couldn't …"
"Damn Romulan! Never, never will any of your damn race touch my daughter! She's mine, mine, mine! I'll choose who she marries, I'll choose who she has sex with! Not you, not your damned son, you damn Green Head!"
Yes, Tomalak had found B'Elanna's Achilles' heel. The woman had one weakness, one terrible weakness: her daughter, her only family, and he had played B'Elanna on it to make her get out of her torpor. Only B'Elanna didn't care why he had acted in such a way. She was mad, and only the fact that he was a war ally had stopped her from tearing his head off his shoulders.
The Klingon woman had not been brought her clothes quickly enough. She had taken a physician's blouse, had wrapped herself in it, and was now roaming barefoot the corridors of the Samurai. Anyone seeing her angry expression just went out of her way. She finally arrived to the door she was looking for.
The door opened, B'Elanna went in. What she saw froze her blood in her veins.
***
After close to an hour of watching Annie and Miral fighting, Sabrina had left. The show was spectacular, very erotic to her in fact, and she was very anxious of spending the night with her lover, who had given her sweet dreams for a long time. But she had to go. Family affair.
"Lieutenant Chekhov?"
"Lieutenant Watson. Follow me, please."
Sabrina followed Julia to the Yorktown's brig. Her heart jumped in her throat when she saw him. Still, bravely, she went inside the cell, and the force field was reestablished behind her.
"Hello, Uncle Jethro."
The giant, sitting on his cot with an empty look, seemed hit by lightning. He jumped on his feet and looked around, until he saw her, so small, so like before and yet so different.
"How are you, uncle?"
Jethro Watson looked again at the little girl. In his heart was nothing for her, just a memory, the memory of the conversation he had had with Benteen and Hertzler when Sabrina was ready to die.
"Mister Watson, your niece could die at any moment, and your presence might make her last days more bearable. The Yorktown will therefore leave for Qo'noS …"
"Excuse me, Captain, with all due respect, I'm not interested in seeing her."
"Trouble in the family, Lieutenant?"
"We are not a family anymore, Sir."
"She's your niece."
"Only by accident, Sir."
Yeah, a damn accident. Nobody knew who the father was. They had raped Sabrina's mother for hours. She had been found three days later, practically dead. With some kind of medical voodoo involving kilometers of technobabble, they had saved the embryo and let the mother die. Now that thing was supposed to be his responsibility. He had hired a nanny and sent it far from him. And now there it was.
"What are you doing here?"
"I've come to visit, uncle. It's been a long time."
They had met once, when Sabrina was twelve. What had happened that day should have made Sabrina hate her uncle-by-accident. But she couldn't. That he had refused to visit her when she was dying should have made her understand once and for all that this guy wanted nothing from her. But she couldn't.
"Not long enough for you yet?"
Sabrina wasn't expecting much. The last time he had touched her wasn't her best memory by far. But this time, the security officer standing by would make sure that she would be safe.
"We're family, Uncle Jethro. Have you nothing to say to your sister's flesh and blood?"
***
"MOTHER!"
Miral was looking at her mother, angry and surprised at the same time. Annie was at attention, Miral was hiding her breasts and crotch.
B'Elanna was looking, stunned, at her daughter and that other girl, both completely naked and sweating profusely. She couldn't believe her eyes. All she could say was, looking at Annie and pointing the door:
"You! Out!"
That didn't please Miral at all!
"NO! You stay! Mother, you have no authority over her! She's a Starfleet officer! You're not! And these are my quarters! Since when do you get in my quarters without … Ah, forget that one! You've never treated me as an adult anyway!"
Annie made a move to her clothes. Miral looked at her in a way that froze her where she stood.
"I don't need to ask permission to enter my daughter's quarters", B'Elanna answered angrily. "What are you doing with her? Was the show beginning or already over? Let me guess!"
"What do you mean?"
"Did you have sex with her?"
Miral looked at her mother, more stunned even than her now. But she'd answer promptly.
"Yes, Mother! I've just had hot, wild sex with her! We're dripping from each other's sweat because we did it for hours, Klingon way and human way alike! She's my lover, Mother! Every night we meet in my quarters and we make love for hours! Satisfied, Mother?"
B'Elanna knew her daughter. If there was one thing Miral couldn't do, it was lying to her.
"The truth, Miral."
"Oh you don't believe me? So I'm a liar now? Well, maybe you'll believe this!"
And suddenly, Miral grabbed Annie by her waist, held her in her arms, one hand on her blade shoulders, the other on her butts, and gave her a long, very long and passionate French kiss, to which Annie happily answered in kind …
***
She knew the place. It seemed like a long time ago, but she had definitely spent time here. The only thing was … it looked smaller.
She was wearing a yellow tunic, black trousers, black boots. A lot of people were wearing similar clothing, although many wore red or blue tunics.
She was walking in a large place full of those people, and others, wearing some other … they had to be some kind of uniforms. So she belonged to an army? Was this a military outpost?
"Lieutenant!"
She kept walking, looking all around her, trying to remember more. That way, she felt, led to her most favorite place in the world. She couldn't remember what it was or why, but she had a feeling of pleasure, rest, safety …
It was associated to some flashes: a man and a woman. The man was somewhat stocky and looked older. The woman was slender and very pretty. And …
There was something else about that man. But for now all she could remember was his face and a general impression of stockiness. It was very strange.
"Lieutenant!"
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She practically jumped out of her skin, struck by a burning pain and frozen by terror. But she wouldn't show it! After all, she was …
"Is there something wrong, Lieutenant?"
She took a look at the man. Young, looking half-suspicious, half-concerned, wearing a yellow uniform too.
"Hmm? No, no, everything's fine," she answered.
"Sir, I'm asking because you look dazed. May I help you?"
"No, no, I'm just … tired or hungry, I guess."
"Oh. Would you like me to escort you to your quarters?"
Think quickly, girl. You don't know that guy, you don't know what he wants.
"I … just arrived. I haven't been assigned quarters yet."
Where the hell did that come from?
"Oh. Well, until you are, may I escort you to the best place for waiting? You'll be able to rest and get a meal there."
She looked at the guy. As long as he wouldn't try to bring her to his quarters …
"OK."
***
B'Elanna had stormed out of Miral's quarters. Now Annie was looking at her new friend with different eyes.
"Was it good for you too, girlie girl?" she asked Miral.
"Not bad, Blondie. Did you feel something?"
"Not in a physical way, except for the lips, but I was still very pleased."
"I still prefer guys."
"What's the deal with your mom?"
"She can't seem to understand that I want my life to be my own. She has recruited me in the damn task Force the Admiral is setting up without even asking me what I thought!"
"Few engineers would object to that, Miral."
"Well, I do! I wouldn't mind if anyone else had recruited me! But she always messes up my life!"
"I wish I still had my mother to mess up mine, Miral."
Miral looked at Annie. Yeah, she knew the tragic circumstances in which Annie had lost her parents, right before the Cardassian butchers started to …
Miral had already forgotten that she had almost lost her mother too, and those few words from the wiser-than-her-age Annie had reminded her that. Yeah, she would have to find her and apologize. Damn!
But before that, a good sonic shower with her new friend was the way to go.
***
"Colonel Torres!"
"WHAT?"
B'Elanna had left in a hurry. Of course she knew that her daughter was not a lesbian. Or was she? Anyway, she was mad, not because of her kissing another girl, but because once again Miral had shown her youthful defiance of her wishes.
And now that little bit of a probably flat-chested girl, probably younger than the last gagh she had eaten on Kubrak V, was looking at her, half-determined, half-scared out of her wits.
"Colonel, Admiral Wilkins has asked me to … take care of you."
"Are you a doctor of some sort, with a gold uniform to make you pass for some fellow engineer?"
"N… No, Ma'am. My name is Greta McClure. I've been affected to your bodyguard team, Ma'am."
B'Elanna had to smile. That little itsy bitsy thing, small enough to be used as a toothpick, her bodyguard? That had to be a joke!
"You're my … bodyguard?"
"One of your bodyguards, yes Ma'am."
Greta had noticed the very ironic tone and had answered as matter-of-factly as she could.
"OK. Guard me then."
"My orders are to escort you to Admiral Wilkins, Sir."
"First, little lady, make up your mind. Is it 'Sir' or 'Ma'am'?"
"As you wish, S… Ma'am?"
"Call me 'Colonel', OK?"
"I don't think it's appropriate, Ma'am."
"Why not?"
"I think the Admiral would rather explain that part himself, Ma'am."
"OK, let's go."
"Would you care to get dressed first, Ma'am? Your quarters are that way."
B'Elanna looked at the blouse and her bare feet.
"Lead the way."
***
Teroth and Lovok were still looking at the screen, as the Mogai, still using her phase cloak, was getting still a little closer to the huge fleet.
"Your intuition was right, Commander."
Teroth had been looking at the charts for a very long time. Lovok knew that when she was doing that, the best — nay, the only policy — was to shut the hell up and wait. After almost an hour, she had finally emerged from her thoughts.
"Yes, but the question remains: Who are they?"
"Their technology is clearly not Dominion, that is certain, although all their ships look like Dominion Dreadnoughts. Their signature looks like they're made out of a mix of several technologies. This one looks …"
The two officers looked at each other, stunned.
"We have to find out. Let's get closer."
***
"What the hell is this, Greta?" B'Elanna asked, looking at the clothes set up for her in her quarters.
"Those are your clothes, Ma'am."
"Not mine!"
"Admiral Wilkins insists that you wear them, Ma'am."
"Quite a sense of humor. Oh, hell. But not THAT!"
***
Jethro and Sabrina Watson were still looking at each other, Jethro with defiance and despise, Sabrina with hope. But that hope was quickly abandoning her wounded heart …
"Family! Your mother was family! Your mother was my sister, your father was a damn bastard who couldn't find himself a girl, so he raped my sister! Then you finished her by being born!"
Tears were beginning to roll on Sabrina's cheeks now.
"Oh yeah! Go ahead and cry! That won't bring her back! That won't give her back to me, damn you! You don't even look like her! Your bastard of a father couldn't even be white!"
"Is that why you never loved me? Because I'm half-white half-black?"
"You killed my sister!"
"Is that why you tried to rape me twelve years ago? Retribution for being born?"
"DAMN YOU!"
The giant hit Sabrina's jaw with his anvil-like fist, so fast that no one had time to react. The security officer drew his weapon, made him stand back, and brought Sabrina out, then called Sick Bay.
"That … won't be … necessary", Sabrina just said.
"But Sir, he …"
Sabrina got up. Truly there was no trace of the hit. Obviously her new skin and skeleton had withstood the giant's fist. She turned toward her assailant.
"You're right, uncle, obviously I have no family. But if I'm a bastard, Sir, so are you, and much more than I am, or even my father was. At least he didn't try to rape his niece."
And Sabrina left without looking behind her.
***
B'Elanna had just entered. She was greeted with a round of applause. But she was not in the mood.
"Cut the crap! What's this?" she yelled, pointing at her uniform.
"That," Wilkins answered, "is the proper uniform of a Starfleet Rear Admiral, B'Elanna, except for the pips that you forgot to …"
"I didn't forget! I'm not Starfleet!"
"You are not in the Klingon Military anymore", Karov answered.
"WHAT?"
"It's for your protection, B'Elanna", Wilkins continued, "and for my commodity."
"Why do you need me here?"
"Why DON'T I need you would be a shorter list. The Deletham Task Force is starting right now, B'Elanna, and we're counting on you to lead it. Admiral O'Brien will keep looking for recruits, but you will organize the work."
"Oh."
She looked at Wilkins, while he took something in a drawer. He came to B'Elanna and gently pinned on her collar the insignia of her new rank.
"Congratulations, Admiral Torres."
"Thank you … I guess", she answered with a smile.
"You know Dvorak and O'Brien, you know Karov, this is Commander T'Rul of the Deletham, and the girl in the back is?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know", B'Elanna answered hurriedly, "and I know that one too", she said, hinting at Tomalak, who had just come in.
"Tomalak!" Wilkins exclaimed, "At last! So, what do you have to tell us?"
"Quite an interesting story, Admiral, quite an interesting story. I suggest we sit down. I wouldn't want your new admiral to tire too soon."
B'Elanna threw him daggers with her eyes, as everyone but O'Brien's escort was taking a seat.
"I believe", Tomalak began, "that a small history lesson is required here …"
***
Sabrina was sitting in the Mess Hall, a piece of cream pie in front of her. When she was little, cream pie always consoled her from any pain, any wound she might have suffered.
Today however, the knot in her throat was too big.
She knew that her uncle didn't love her. He had made that obvious for twenty-four years. But she had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would have a little something in his heart left for her, a spark, a good word …
Today she felt lonelier than ever.
***
Tomalak was standing. The others were sitting, except that other girl.
"It happened in 2374.
"The Khalid was exploring the Boden Star System, where an important source of trilithium was thought to be available. I'll spare you the details, but it was a military operation."
"What was not?" B'Elanna sneered.
"Indeed, Admiral. I visited the site a few days after the discovery, and what I saw soon appeared to be a way to jump over existing technologies and build a much stronger Warbird.
"It was a ship.
"It took our best engineers four years to study it. They finally reported that they were able to reproduce the technologies they had found onboard. It was therefore decided that the ship would be activated and brought back to Romulus, where it would be dismantled and reproduced at hundreds of copies."
"To defeat your former allies, the Klingons and the Federation, no doubt!" B'Elanna added.
Tomalak looked at her.
"Yes, Admiral, that was the plan. Please remember that at the time, the Dominion war was over, and many senators feared the Federation-Klingon alliance which essentially roamed alone their side of the Alpha Quadrant. But I digress.
"The ship was activated. Everyone was holding their breath as the ship started a long, plaintive sound, like an animal being tortured. Then it moved, slowly, almost painfully, and screeched even louder. As it slowly lift off, it caused a shockwave which shook the Dhival and the Hataki, two ships carrying observers, so strongly that everyone on both ships, fell on the ground.
"Once the commotion passed, and the alien ship had landed, under their wondering eyes, only then did they notice that the Jhimn, which was much closer than them from the mysterious ship in order to take detailed measurements of any atmospheric change, had disappeared. They opened hailing frequencies — without result. The Jhimn was gone.
"Then they made a macabre discovery.
"A routine scan of the planet revealed … nothing.
"There and then, they knew something had gone deadly wrong. More scanning still revealed nothing. Exactly nothing. Of all the high-security installations in close geostationary orbit around Boden VI, nothing, absolutely nothing was left. The planet itself was more burned, more dead than it had ever been. Only the ship was still there, apparently intact.
"That’s when they understood that it would be a waste of time to look for the Jhimn …"
***
She had been escorted by that officer in a yellow uniform, who had brought her to a public place, which reminded her of something.
She was sitting down now, and several people were looking at her. A strange being, bald and with big ears and bad teeth, asked her what she wanted.
"Moba Fruit, please."
Where the hell is that coming from?
After a few minutes, a little woman, dressed in a blue uniform, smiling and looking quite young, came to her. She looked at her like if she knew her.
"What do you want?"
"Molly?"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
February 21, 2400
Ezri Dax had been killed January 6, 2395, at the Battle of Cestus IV.
Her remains had been brought back to Deep Space Nine, where Julian Bashir had executed the transfer of the dying Dax into the body of its new host, Neema Jarix, a girl barely 17, but exceptionally well balanced, who had accepted her responsibility enthusiastically.
Neema had entered Starfleet Academy a few months earlier, and was already on a stage in space when her school ship had been brought to the station, while the Captain explained to her why she was called to serve in such a different way, and received some basic training. Fortunately, Neema was very attached to the Trill values, and knew much more than the counselor did. That counselor learned more than a thing or two on Trills and their symbionts that day.
Neema had entered the Academy with the idea of becoming a Captain. But her joining had changed all that. Her Zhian'tara in particular had introduced her to Ezri and Jadzia. It had brought in her the desire to continue the work those two had done for years. She wanted to serve on that very station where her life had been changed once and for all. She would serve as a counselor, using whatever she could get from Ezri to customize her work to her environment.
She was still Ensign Dax when she was called to Quark's.
"What do you want?"
"Molly?"
The girl was still eating her moba fruit. That name had reminded her of something.
"Do I know you?"
"Not exactly. But I know you."
"You'll have to explain that one, simply I hope."
Neema lifted her long hair over her ear. On her dark skin, the spots were harder to see, but with some attention, it was possible.
"I'm a Trill. My two previous hosts knew you. They were Jadzia and Ezri. I'm Neema Dax."
"Dax … And you say my name is?"
Neema was surprised.
"Molly. Molly O'Brien. You don't remember your name?"
"Molly O'Brien … Tell me, Neema, have I been living on this station?"
"Yes, about seven years, from 2369 to 2376."
"That would explain many things …"
***
Sabrina had returned to the Samurai. She had contained her tears until now, but as soon as she had arrived, she had gone straight to Annie's quarters.
Annie was on duty. So there she was, alone, trying to regain her composure. It was not easy.
The young woman had spent months with half of her body charred beyond recuperation, excruciating pain searing her tired soul every second of the day, standing on one leg, needing support — mostly from Ensign Nicole Fox, wounded herself, but on the other side — to hop along the whole ship, encouraging, managing what was left of the Chameleon and her crew, and during all that time, although when alone with Nicole at night, she sometimes let a few whimpers escape what was left of her mouth, she had never taken time to cry on herself.
But now she felt at the end of her rope. Physical pain she had endured bravely. Danger, possibility of dying or worse, staying some kind of fish in a tank for the rest of her life, she had all taken in stride. But today her heart was broken. That's where she was when Miral found her.
"Lieutenant?"
Sabrina didn't want to raise her head. Miral knelt down.
"Lieutenant, what is it?"
Sabrina looked at her. She was definitely not the half-naked savage she had seen in the holodeck. Now, clean and completely dressed, she looked like the portrait she had seen of B'Elanna in history class.
"Hi, Miral."
"What happened, Lieutenant?"
"Call me Sabrina, Miral. It's just … a family affair."
"Tell me."
Miral liked Sabrina already.
"Not this time, Ensign … Miral, right? Call me Sabrina. And call her Annie. One of these days, we'll fight together, just you and me. For now, I'll study your moves."
That answer, given to her in the holodeck, had been the answer of a warrior at heart. She wanted to strip to the waist and join them, Miral had felt it. But she also was respectful of Miral's honor, and had let her fight Annie alone.
"I don't want to", Sabrina answered wearily.
But she wanted to, Miral knew it.
"As you wish. Is now a good time to fight?"
"What?"
"Sabrina, you can stay here and keep crying, or you can come with me, and we'll have a hand-to-hand fight that will help you vent your rage and frustration. Later we'll meet in my quarters — or yours — and we'll massage each other while emptying a bottle of Bordeaux. Then we'll talk of whatever you want to talk. What do you say?"
***
Commander Sonya Gomez had promptly become somewhat of an icon on Deep Space Nine. Everyone knew that she was a workhorse, and you had better be ready to survive on raktajino for days at a time if you intended to satisfy her. That's what she did anyway.
"Well, Sonya, exactly what do we have here?"
"Weapons, Malcolm. Weapons, shield generators, ammunitions, and enough of the most advanced cloaking devices anyone has ever seen — or not, if they're activated."
"For our ships?"
"The cloaks, yes. The rest, for the ships and the station. Deep Space Nine will be a fortress in a matter of weeks, Malcolm. All we need is time and lots of manpower."
"I have the manpower. I'll find the time if I have to go French kiss Jaro to get it."
That conversation had happened six days earlier between her and Rashid. Since then, she had organized the work in the most efficient, practically Borg-like manner.
The phase cloak technology was very advanced, very new. That she would work on herself, training the best and preferably youngest engineers to assemble, disassemble and operate them in all kinds of circumstances.
She had started with the Valiant. Wrong decision. Ro was sniffing her ass every step of the way. It was quite disturbing.
"Colonel, I assure you that I know what I'm doing."
"And I assure you, Commander, that I will know what you are doing to my ship."
"The Avenger is your ship."
"Yes, except General Kira is not on the Valiant and you are."
"I see."
Sonya waited patiently, leaking a "huh" and an "hmm" here and there. Ro came closer, practically breathing in her neck. That's what she wanted. Abruptly she rose up and crushed Ro's toes under her heels.
"HEY!"
"Oh, sorry, Colonel", she said in a contrite tone, trying not to smile, "did I hurt you?"
That wouldn't stop Ro of course. But she would be more cautious from now on.
***
The two girls had not wasted any time. They had returned to the same holodeck where Miral and Annie had fought earlier and stripped to the waist. Now they were studying each other.
Finally the fight began. Sabrina was smaller and leaner, but Miral was faster. She was also much stronger. When she seized Sabrina by the waist and started squeezing, it became apparent that the young human was at a disadvantage.
Sabrina was wincing with pain, trying to hit Miral on the side of her head with her arms. The Klingon let her fall, then jumped over her and smacked her face one … two… six times, but not with all her strength. Then she jumped back on her feet, leaving Sabrina motionless on the floor.
"Not bad for a human" she thought, "but still somehow disappointing …"
But Sabrina wasn't out of the fight.
"Hey, girlie girl! Tired already? Maybe I should let you tie my hands behind my back? After all, Annie tired you earlier …"
Miral could not believe her eyes. There she was, standing up, wiping the blood off her nose with her left arm, inviting her back with the right. So she really needed a good fight after all!
***
While this was happening, Wilkins, Dvorak, Karov, T'Rul, O'Brien and B'Elanna were still listening to Tomalak's saga.
"The Jhimn had been destroyed? By a shockwave coming from that ship?" B'Elanna asked.
Tomalak turned around and looked at her. She was still very angry, but trying to dominate it.
"Yes, Admiral."
"How then were you able to study it? Test it?"
"It took almost ten years of additional studies before the Senate authorized a second try. Every precaution was taken, and only drone ships were observing the events this time. To everyone's relief, everything went without problem, and the ship followed docilely to an advanced yard built specifically for it. There we tried to dismantle it, and new problems started to emerge."
"What kind of problems?"
Tomalak was about to answer when a small voice made them turn around.
"She wouldn't let us."
All eyes turned to the little Romulan girl still standing behind O'Brien.
"Everyone", Miles said, "this is Lieutenant-Commander Yirina Sorel, Starfleet Engineer extraordinaire and former Chief Engineer of the Deletham."
"What?"
That was Wilkins, practically choking on his tongue.
"What do you mean, she wouldn't let you?" B'Elanna asked.
"Exactly that, Admiral. We tried to take her apart, but for some reason, no procedure, no tool, how appropriate it seemed, worked. It was as if the ship was a live being and wouldn't reveal her secrets."
"Alive, like an 8472 bioship?"
"I have only read about 8472 bioships, Admiral, so I can't be sure. But from among other things your description, I would say it's well beyond 8472 technology."
***
The second fight between Sabrina and Miral was even shorter. Sabrina was still groggy from the first beating, and it took only two punches to throw her against the metallic column she was now leaning on. Miral punched her again, in the belly first, then in the face. But she missed her face and hit her left shoulder with all her might. Sabrina bit her lips not to scream, then fell back to the floor. She breathed heavily for a few seconds and started to stand up again.
Miral was stunned. That petite, thin, no, not just thin, skinny, small-chested human had already been to the floor twice, she was bleeding from the inside of the mouth and the nose, yet she was still asking for more.
"Well, let’s see how long she’s ready to play the punching ball", she thought before punching her in the stomach and hitting her face with her knee.
***
Molly and Neema had been talking for a moment, Neema trying to awaken Molly's memory, Molly feeling more and more frustrated because those memories seemed so close and yet so far, when Quark arrived.
"Ensign."
"Hi, Quark."
Quark wouldn't try again to conquer the Dax host. He had seen her die twice, now he was out of the race.
"Would you like something?"
"Raktajino, please, and some kushnuks."
"Coming up!"
"Prune juice for me, Quark!"
"Coming up!"
Neema looked at Molly.
"Prune juice?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Worf taught me to …"
Molly stopped, her eyes turned empty, as if she was looking something behind Neema, without really fixing anything.
Something was coming back …
***
In Sickbay, Julian Bashir was having one of those days. Kai Onara was a most difficult patient.
"Doctor, I have other things to do than stay here and be pampered by you and your staff!"
"Eminence, you have several burns, a broken leg, several …"
"Nothing that you can't repair with a couple passes of your instruments of torture, right?"
"For an ordinary patient …"
"I am an ordinary patient, Doctor. A servant of the Prophets, just like every Bajoran. Just an ordinary Bajoran."
"There is no huge crowd in front of Sickbay for ordinary Bajorans, Eminence."
"That's because, just like you, they have an over-inflated view of my role. Doctor, I have so many things to do …"
"It'll have to wait."
Onara turned around. She knew the voice. She also knew that if Kira had decided so, she wasn't going anywhere.
"Nerys, you understand what I'm trying to explain …"
"Yes, Eminence. I know that you consider yourself just as another servant of the Prophets. Unfortunately, you are the one who tells us how to serve them, and for that you are very precious to each of us."
"That's not fair."
"I know. But Colonel Tahn won't let you out anyway. Security matter, yours and the station's."
She was so lying. Tahn couldn't care less about the movements of the Kai. He was busy trying to find the authors of the bombing, and he was now positive that they were on the station.
He was also quite convinced that Jaro had nothing to do with it.
***
When Sabrina got up for the third time, her arms were dangling at her side. She did not even have the strength to wipe the blood off her face, nor to raise them to defend herself. Miral had broken her left clavicle by punching her shoulder against the column, and Sabrina had broken her left wrist by trying to lean on it to get back on her feet. She was not sure, but her left arm was probably broken too. All she could expect now was to be beaten up again, and again, and again. She knew it. But she could not stop. She knew it was a matter of honor, for her and for Miral.
And Miral knew it too, plus that Sabrina needed that. So she punched her in the face, in the teeth, in the chest, in the stomach. Sabrina fell. She got up one more time, more painfully than the last. Miral started punching her again, this time holding her by the right arm in order to hit her several times, with her fist, her head and her knees, before letting her fall, hoping that this time she would not get up again.
But she did. Slowly, painfully, she leaned on her right arm and got up again, standing up with an intolerable pain in her side. She knew that she had broken ribs. Miral knew it too, and she was hesitant to continue.
"So, ready to quit now, girlie girl?" Sabrina sneered. Then, seeing that she still hesitated, she threw out her chest to challenge her.
Miral could not refuse the challenge. So again she went, hitting the defenseless, bloody, crippled young woman in front of her. Once again, she crashed to the floor, drained of all strength, except to start getting up again. This was not funny any more, but Miral could not stop until Sabrina remained on the floor. It was a matter of honor, for both of them. So she hit her again, holding her by the hair this time, and hitting her with all her might in the face, in the ribs and in the left arm. She fell again, breathing more painfully than ever.
When the young woman rose up from the floor, having found back her balance and standing up again, for the seventh time, to keep getting her punishment, Miral finally gave up. She hugged and kissed Sabrina, and helped her lie down. Then she called Sickbay.
***
The two engineers had been talking for a good five minutes now. Some things even B'Elanna and O'Brien didn't understand, but it seemed right. Clearly that little Rommie was a top-notch engineer, much more up to date and knowledgeable than they were …
"So what would you do to find out what makes it tick? Because the way I understand you, the Boden ship is the Deletham, right?"
"Yes, Admiral. While we were trying to find out what makes it tick, as you say, we were instructed to make it look more Romulan. This was done from the outside in, including the introduction of an adaptive interface which would be reprogrammed as we would better understand the ship's capabilities."
"Who designed that interface?"
"I did, Admiral, as the Chief Engineer."
"I'm interested in learning what you know about this ship. Have you been recruited in the Task Force?"
"Yes, Admiral, with your approval of course."
"Just try to run away, Rommie", B'Elanna said with a smile and a pat in the back which made Yirina feel welcome. "So, Tomalak, are there any smart MALE Romulans, or should I keep the conversation to a level you can understand, like 'Ship boom boom good'?"
Tomalak smiled, but clearly it was not easy for him to be talked that way in front of T'Rul and Yirina.
"I'll raise my hand when I want to understand something."
"Good boy! So you decided to make a few cosmetic changes on the most powerful ship in the galaxy then, without a damn clue as to her capabilities, you put a live crew in it?"
"Yes. We Romulans aren't afraid to take chances."
"I've noticed. You've been lucky, then and today."
"It was worth it, Admiral."
"Maybe. But don't do it again, because your luck has run out."
"Noted."
B'Elanna turned around to T'Rul and Yirina.
"I bet you two could show me a lot of documents pertaining to the attempts at analyzing the Deletham. I'd like to see them."
"We can download it all here if you wish, Admiral", T'Rul acquiesced.
Clearly this had become a conversation between the three women. After a moment, the others left them alone.
"Admiral O'Brien, Sir, a communication from Deep Space Nine."
***
McCoy was not happy.
"That must have been quite a practice, Miss Watson. Tell me, what gave you the bright idea of having your body rearranged like that?"
"I needed a good fight, Doctor."
"Huh. You call that a good fight? I call that remodeling. Anyway, you're mostly repaired. Try not to be hit by any torpedo for a couple of days. Now get out before I change my mind."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Humph."
Sabrina walked out of Sickbay, where Miral was waiting.
"Feeling better, Hom yoHwI'?"
"Who?"
"Hom yoHwI', that's your warrior name. Wear it proudly!"
"What does it mean?"
"Literally, it would mean 'Brave Skinny One'. I guess you could say 'Fearless Shrimp' or something like that."
Sabrina smiled.
"Thank you. It's an honor to be given a warrior name."
"So how do you feel now?"
"I think you helped me put my ideas back in the right place, girlie girl. That guy had stopped being my family the minute I was born, I shouldn't have wasted my time visiting him. The hell with him!"
"I'm glad you came to that conclusion by yourself, Sabrina. Now for the massage and the Bordeaux: your place or mine?"
Sabrina looked at Miral.
"Which one is the closest?"
***
"You are black."
Neema smiled.
"No, I mean … Your spots are almost invisible. You could pass for a human. Ezri was white, it was easier to see …"
Molly was feeling assaulted by her memories, and had been talking for almost an hour. Neema had been listening. Quark wanted to join the conversation, but the little Trill had given him the "Not now, Quark!" look both Jadzia and Ezri had given him so many times and he recognized so clearly.
But that one, Neema couldn't stop.
"Molly?"
"Aunt Nerys?"
She jumped on her feet and hugged the general, without thinking of anything else than the mother of her dead brother finally in front of her.
"Molly, Molly, Molly … We thought you were dead! What happened to you?"
"I don't know, Aunt Nerys. The last thing I remember … I was being …"
She paused. Kira and Neema could read panic in her eyes.
"I was being tortured."
***
On the bridge, Wilkins and Tomalak were talking, while B'Elanna was still grilling Yirina about the Deletham.
"The Admiral clearly feels no love for me."
"Maybe you should try flowers. But she's right, you know: that was a very bold move. Too bold for my own taste."
"I know, Admiral", Tomalak answered, "but remember what was happening at that time. The Tal Shiar had heard of Jem'Hadar movements at the edge of the Beta Quadrant, and that made many people quite nervous. So when we found that technology and understood what kind of warship it could be — at least we thought we understood, and we found your nickname "Romulan Defiant" quite appropriate at the time — we tried to move as quickly as we could."
"I remember. I was surprised to have been invited to her shakedown cruise, and yet be confined in this giant control room on Romulus, to follow it on remote. Now I understand."
"We couldn't risk your life, Admiral."
"I would have loved to meet that young girl though. Her life in Starfleet hasn't been easy, according to O'Brien's report."
"What will happen to her tormentor?"
"If it were me, I'd lock him in a cell with a group of very hungry Nausicaans …"
"Or with Admiral Torres."
"Even worse."
"You think she'll forgive me?"
"Forgive you? Yes. Let you forget? Never!"
***
Aboard the Mogai, things were not going quite as expected.
"They're still in pursuit, Commander!"
"How did they penetrate our shields?"
"I still have no idea, but they're going to catch us!"
"They're still not damaged?"
"Our phasers had effect on the first shot, but not since! And their shields are too good for our torpedoes!"
Teroth sighed. She had played and lost. Tonight she would wake up in Vorta Vor …
February 21, 2400
Ezri Dax had been killed January 6, 2395, at the Battle of Cestus IV.
Her remains had been brought back to Deep Space Nine, where Julian Bashir had executed the transfer of the dying Dax into the body of its new host, Neema Jarix, a girl barely 17, but exceptionally well balanced, who had accepted her responsibility enthusiastically.
Neema had entered Starfleet Academy a few months earlier, and was already on a stage in space when her school ship had been brought to the station, while the Captain explained to her why she was called to serve in such a different way, and received some basic training. Fortunately, Neema was very attached to the Trill values, and knew much more than the counselor did. That counselor learned more than a thing or two on Trills and their symbionts that day.
Neema had entered the Academy with the idea of becoming a Captain. But her joining had changed all that. Her Zhian'tara in particular had introduced her to Ezri and Jadzia. It had brought in her the desire to continue the work those two had done for years. She wanted to serve on that very station where her life had been changed once and for all. She would serve as a counselor, using whatever she could get from Ezri to customize her work to her environment.
She was still Ensign Dax when she was called to Quark's.
"What do you want?"
"Molly?"
The girl was still eating her moba fruit. That name had reminded her of something.
"Do I know you?"
"Not exactly. But I know you."
"You'll have to explain that one, simply I hope."
Neema lifted her long hair over her ear. On her dark skin, the spots were harder to see, but with some attention, it was possible.
"I'm a Trill. My two previous hosts knew you. They were Jadzia and Ezri. I'm Neema Dax."
"Dax … And you say my name is?"
Neema was surprised.
"Molly. Molly O'Brien. You don't remember your name?"
"Molly O'Brien … Tell me, Neema, have I been living on this station?"
"Yes, about seven years, from 2369 to 2376."
"That would explain many things …"
***
Sabrina had returned to the Samurai. She had contained her tears until now, but as soon as she had arrived, she had gone straight to Annie's quarters.
Annie was on duty. So there she was, alone, trying to regain her composure. It was not easy.
The young woman had spent months with half of her body charred beyond recuperation, excruciating pain searing her tired soul every second of the day, standing on one leg, needing support — mostly from Ensign Nicole Fox, wounded herself, but on the other side — to hop along the whole ship, encouraging, managing what was left of the Chameleon and her crew, and during all that time, although when alone with Nicole at night, she sometimes let a few whimpers escape what was left of her mouth, she had never taken time to cry on herself.
But now she felt at the end of her rope. Physical pain she had endured bravely. Danger, possibility of dying or worse, staying some kind of fish in a tank for the rest of her life, she had all taken in stride. But today her heart was broken. That's where she was when Miral found her.
"Lieutenant?"
Sabrina didn't want to raise her head. Miral knelt down.
"Lieutenant, what is it?"
Sabrina looked at her. She was definitely not the half-naked savage she had seen in the holodeck. Now, clean and completely dressed, she looked like the portrait she had seen of B'Elanna in history class.
"Hi, Miral."
"What happened, Lieutenant?"
"Call me Sabrina, Miral. It's just … a family affair."
"Tell me."
Miral liked Sabrina already.
"Not this time, Ensign … Miral, right? Call me Sabrina. And call her Annie. One of these days, we'll fight together, just you and me. For now, I'll study your moves."
That answer, given to her in the holodeck, had been the answer of a warrior at heart. She wanted to strip to the waist and join them, Miral had felt it. But she also was respectful of Miral's honor, and had let her fight Annie alone.
"I don't want to", Sabrina answered wearily.
But she wanted to, Miral knew it.
"As you wish. Is now a good time to fight?"
"What?"
"Sabrina, you can stay here and keep crying, or you can come with me, and we'll have a hand-to-hand fight that will help you vent your rage and frustration. Later we'll meet in my quarters — or yours — and we'll massage each other while emptying a bottle of Bordeaux. Then we'll talk of whatever you want to talk. What do you say?"
***
Commander Sonya Gomez had promptly become somewhat of an icon on Deep Space Nine. Everyone knew that she was a workhorse, and you had better be ready to survive on raktajino for days at a time if you intended to satisfy her. That's what she did anyway.
"Well, Sonya, exactly what do we have here?"
"Weapons, Malcolm. Weapons, shield generators, ammunitions, and enough of the most advanced cloaking devices anyone has ever seen — or not, if they're activated."
"For our ships?"
"The cloaks, yes. The rest, for the ships and the station. Deep Space Nine will be a fortress in a matter of weeks, Malcolm. All we need is time and lots of manpower."
"I have the manpower. I'll find the time if I have to go French kiss Jaro to get it."
That conversation had happened six days earlier between her and Rashid. Since then, she had organized the work in the most efficient, practically Borg-like manner.
The phase cloak technology was very advanced, very new. That she would work on herself, training the best and preferably youngest engineers to assemble, disassemble and operate them in all kinds of circumstances.
She had started with the Valiant. Wrong decision. Ro was sniffing her ass every step of the way. It was quite disturbing.
"Colonel, I assure you that I know what I'm doing."
"And I assure you, Commander, that I will know what you are doing to my ship."
"The Avenger is your ship."
"Yes, except General Kira is not on the Valiant and you are."
"I see."
Sonya waited patiently, leaking a "huh" and an "hmm" here and there. Ro came closer, practically breathing in her neck. That's what she wanted. Abruptly she rose up and crushed Ro's toes under her heels.
"HEY!"
"Oh, sorry, Colonel", she said in a contrite tone, trying not to smile, "did I hurt you?"
That wouldn't stop Ro of course. But she would be more cautious from now on.
***
The two girls had not wasted any time. They had returned to the same holodeck where Miral and Annie had fought earlier and stripped to the waist. Now they were studying each other.
Finally the fight began. Sabrina was smaller and leaner, but Miral was faster. She was also much stronger. When she seized Sabrina by the waist and started squeezing, it became apparent that the young human was at a disadvantage.
Sabrina was wincing with pain, trying to hit Miral on the side of her head with her arms. The Klingon let her fall, then jumped over her and smacked her face one … two… six times, but not with all her strength. Then she jumped back on her feet, leaving Sabrina motionless on the floor.
"Not bad for a human" she thought, "but still somehow disappointing …"
But Sabrina wasn't out of the fight.
"Hey, girlie girl! Tired already? Maybe I should let you tie my hands behind my back? After all, Annie tired you earlier …"
Miral could not believe her eyes. There she was, standing up, wiping the blood off her nose with her left arm, inviting her back with the right. So she really needed a good fight after all!
***
While this was happening, Wilkins, Dvorak, Karov, T'Rul, O'Brien and B'Elanna were still listening to Tomalak's saga.
"The Jhimn had been destroyed? By a shockwave coming from that ship?" B'Elanna asked.
Tomalak turned around and looked at her. She was still very angry, but trying to dominate it.
"Yes, Admiral."
"How then were you able to study it? Test it?"
"It took almost ten years of additional studies before the Senate authorized a second try. Every precaution was taken, and only drone ships were observing the events this time. To everyone's relief, everything went without problem, and the ship followed docilely to an advanced yard built specifically for it. There we tried to dismantle it, and new problems started to emerge."
"What kind of problems?"
Tomalak was about to answer when a small voice made them turn around.
"She wouldn't let us."
All eyes turned to the little Romulan girl still standing behind O'Brien.
"Everyone", Miles said, "this is Lieutenant-Commander Yirina Sorel, Starfleet Engineer extraordinaire and former Chief Engineer of the Deletham."
"What?"
That was Wilkins, practically choking on his tongue.
"What do you mean, she wouldn't let you?" B'Elanna asked.
"Exactly that, Admiral. We tried to take her apart, but for some reason, no procedure, no tool, how appropriate it seemed, worked. It was as if the ship was a live being and wouldn't reveal her secrets."
"Alive, like an 8472 bioship?"
"I have only read about 8472 bioships, Admiral, so I can't be sure. But from among other things your description, I would say it's well beyond 8472 technology."
***
The second fight between Sabrina and Miral was even shorter. Sabrina was still groggy from the first beating, and it took only two punches to throw her against the metallic column she was now leaning on. Miral punched her again, in the belly first, then in the face. But she missed her face and hit her left shoulder with all her might. Sabrina bit her lips not to scream, then fell back to the floor. She breathed heavily for a few seconds and started to stand up again.
Miral was stunned. That petite, thin, no, not just thin, skinny, small-chested human had already been to the floor twice, she was bleeding from the inside of the mouth and the nose, yet she was still asking for more.
"Well, let’s see how long she’s ready to play the punching ball", she thought before punching her in the stomach and hitting her face with her knee.
***
Molly and Neema had been talking for a moment, Neema trying to awaken Molly's memory, Molly feeling more and more frustrated because those memories seemed so close and yet so far, when Quark arrived.
"Ensign."
"Hi, Quark."
Quark wouldn't try again to conquer the Dax host. He had seen her die twice, now he was out of the race.
"Would you like something?"
"Raktajino, please, and some kushnuks."
"Coming up!"
"Prune juice for me, Quark!"
"Coming up!"
Neema looked at Molly.
"Prune juice?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Worf taught me to …"
Molly stopped, her eyes turned empty, as if she was looking something behind Neema, without really fixing anything.
Something was coming back …
***
In Sickbay, Julian Bashir was having one of those days. Kai Onara was a most difficult patient.
"Doctor, I have other things to do than stay here and be pampered by you and your staff!"
"Eminence, you have several burns, a broken leg, several …"
"Nothing that you can't repair with a couple passes of your instruments of torture, right?"
"For an ordinary patient …"
"I am an ordinary patient, Doctor. A servant of the Prophets, just like every Bajoran. Just an ordinary Bajoran."
"There is no huge crowd in front of Sickbay for ordinary Bajorans, Eminence."
"That's because, just like you, they have an over-inflated view of my role. Doctor, I have so many things to do …"
"It'll have to wait."
Onara turned around. She knew the voice. She also knew that if Kira had decided so, she wasn't going anywhere.
"Nerys, you understand what I'm trying to explain …"
"Yes, Eminence. I know that you consider yourself just as another servant of the Prophets. Unfortunately, you are the one who tells us how to serve them, and for that you are very precious to each of us."
"That's not fair."
"I know. But Colonel Tahn won't let you out anyway. Security matter, yours and the station's."
She was so lying. Tahn couldn't care less about the movements of the Kai. He was busy trying to find the authors of the bombing, and he was now positive that they were on the station.
He was also quite convinced that Jaro had nothing to do with it.
***
When Sabrina got up for the third time, her arms were dangling at her side. She did not even have the strength to wipe the blood off her face, nor to raise them to defend herself. Miral had broken her left clavicle by punching her shoulder against the column, and Sabrina had broken her left wrist by trying to lean on it to get back on her feet. She was not sure, but her left arm was probably broken too. All she could expect now was to be beaten up again, and again, and again. She knew it. But she could not stop. She knew it was a matter of honor, for her and for Miral.
And Miral knew it too, plus that Sabrina needed that. So she punched her in the face, in the teeth, in the chest, in the stomach. Sabrina fell. She got up one more time, more painfully than the last. Miral started punching her again, this time holding her by the right arm in order to hit her several times, with her fist, her head and her knees, before letting her fall, hoping that this time she would not get up again.
But she did. Slowly, painfully, she leaned on her right arm and got up again, standing up with an intolerable pain in her side. She knew that she had broken ribs. Miral knew it too, and she was hesitant to continue.
"So, ready to quit now, girlie girl?" Sabrina sneered. Then, seeing that she still hesitated, she threw out her chest to challenge her.
Miral could not refuse the challenge. So again she went, hitting the defenseless, bloody, crippled young woman in front of her. Once again, she crashed to the floor, drained of all strength, except to start getting up again. This was not funny any more, but Miral could not stop until Sabrina remained on the floor. It was a matter of honor, for both of them. So she hit her again, holding her by the hair this time, and hitting her with all her might in the face, in the ribs and in the left arm. She fell again, breathing more painfully than ever.
When the young woman rose up from the floor, having found back her balance and standing up again, for the seventh time, to keep getting her punishment, Miral finally gave up. She hugged and kissed Sabrina, and helped her lie down. Then she called Sickbay.
***
The two engineers had been talking for a good five minutes now. Some things even B'Elanna and O'Brien didn't understand, but it seemed right. Clearly that little Rommie was a top-notch engineer, much more up to date and knowledgeable than they were …
"So what would you do to find out what makes it tick? Because the way I understand you, the Boden ship is the Deletham, right?"
"Yes, Admiral. While we were trying to find out what makes it tick, as you say, we were instructed to make it look more Romulan. This was done from the outside in, including the introduction of an adaptive interface which would be reprogrammed as we would better understand the ship's capabilities."
"Who designed that interface?"
"I did, Admiral, as the Chief Engineer."
"I'm interested in learning what you know about this ship. Have you been recruited in the Task Force?"
"Yes, Admiral, with your approval of course."
"Just try to run away, Rommie", B'Elanna said with a smile and a pat in the back which made Yirina feel welcome. "So, Tomalak, are there any smart MALE Romulans, or should I keep the conversation to a level you can understand, like 'Ship boom boom good'?"
Tomalak smiled, but clearly it was not easy for him to be talked that way in front of T'Rul and Yirina.
"I'll raise my hand when I want to understand something."
"Good boy! So you decided to make a few cosmetic changes on the most powerful ship in the galaxy then, without a damn clue as to her capabilities, you put a live crew in it?"
"Yes. We Romulans aren't afraid to take chances."
"I've noticed. You've been lucky, then and today."
"It was worth it, Admiral."
"Maybe. But don't do it again, because your luck has run out."
"Noted."
B'Elanna turned around to T'Rul and Yirina.
"I bet you two could show me a lot of documents pertaining to the attempts at analyzing the Deletham. I'd like to see them."
"We can download it all here if you wish, Admiral", T'Rul acquiesced.
Clearly this had become a conversation between the three women. After a moment, the others left them alone.
"Admiral O'Brien, Sir, a communication from Deep Space Nine."
***
McCoy was not happy.
"That must have been quite a practice, Miss Watson. Tell me, what gave you the bright idea of having your body rearranged like that?"
"I needed a good fight, Doctor."
"Huh. You call that a good fight? I call that remodeling. Anyway, you're mostly repaired. Try not to be hit by any torpedo for a couple of days. Now get out before I change my mind."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Humph."
Sabrina walked out of Sickbay, where Miral was waiting.
"Feeling better, Hom yoHwI'?"
"Who?"
"Hom yoHwI', that's your warrior name. Wear it proudly!"
"What does it mean?"
"Literally, it would mean 'Brave Skinny One'. I guess you could say 'Fearless Shrimp' or something like that."
Sabrina smiled.
"Thank you. It's an honor to be given a warrior name."
"So how do you feel now?"
"I think you helped me put my ideas back in the right place, girlie girl. That guy had stopped being my family the minute I was born, I shouldn't have wasted my time visiting him. The hell with him!"
"I'm glad you came to that conclusion by yourself, Sabrina. Now for the massage and the Bordeaux: your place or mine?"
Sabrina looked at Miral.
"Which one is the closest?"
***
"You are black."
Neema smiled.
"No, I mean … Your spots are almost invisible. You could pass for a human. Ezri was white, it was easier to see …"
Molly was feeling assaulted by her memories, and had been talking for almost an hour. Neema had been listening. Quark wanted to join the conversation, but the little Trill had given him the "Not now, Quark!" look both Jadzia and Ezri had given him so many times and he recognized so clearly.
But that one, Neema couldn't stop.
"Molly?"
"Aunt Nerys?"
She jumped on her feet and hugged the general, without thinking of anything else than the mother of her dead brother finally in front of her.
"Molly, Molly, Molly … We thought you were dead! What happened to you?"
"I don't know, Aunt Nerys. The last thing I remember … I was being …"
She paused. Kira and Neema could read panic in her eyes.
"I was being tortured."
***
On the bridge, Wilkins and Tomalak were talking, while B'Elanna was still grilling Yirina about the Deletham.
"The Admiral clearly feels no love for me."
"Maybe you should try flowers. But she's right, you know: that was a very bold move. Too bold for my own taste."
"I know, Admiral", Tomalak answered, "but remember what was happening at that time. The Tal Shiar had heard of Jem'Hadar movements at the edge of the Beta Quadrant, and that made many people quite nervous. So when we found that technology and understood what kind of warship it could be — at least we thought we understood, and we found your nickname "Romulan Defiant" quite appropriate at the time — we tried to move as quickly as we could."
"I remember. I was surprised to have been invited to her shakedown cruise, and yet be confined in this giant control room on Romulus, to follow it on remote. Now I understand."
"We couldn't risk your life, Admiral."
"I would have loved to meet that young girl though. Her life in Starfleet hasn't been easy, according to O'Brien's report."
"What will happen to her tormentor?"
"If it were me, I'd lock him in a cell with a group of very hungry Nausicaans …"
"Or with Admiral Torres."
"Even worse."
"You think she'll forgive me?"
"Forgive you? Yes. Let you forget? Never!"
***
Aboard the Mogai, things were not going quite as expected.
"They're still in pursuit, Commander!"
"How did they penetrate our shields?"
"I still have no idea, but they're going to catch us!"
"They're still not damaged?"
"Our phasers had effect on the first shot, but not since! And their shields are too good for our torpedoes!"
Teroth sighed. She had played and lost. Tonight she would wake up in Vorta Vor …
Fantastic work, 47. Keep going. But, you don't mention Borg at all in last two chapters.
47, I noticed that last two chapters beginning on February 21, 2400? That's not very good, because you can't put all these events in just one day. It's impossible, and it hurts the story, little.
47, I noticed that last two chapters beginning on February 21, 2400? That's not very good, because you can't put all these events in just one day. It's impossible, and it hurts the story, little.
Great, a new chapter, and somehow I missed the one before it, must have been those four days I was away, heh, don't hurt me.
Please!
I bruise like a peach...
Please!
I bruise like a peach...
Sorry I took some extra time getting to this but I wanted to be able to sit down and read it straight with no interuptions, and time like that is a very rare commodity for me these days. It was great seeing Gomez again, she fit in perfectly, and as well I'm wondering big-time what Molly's secret is. Your character interaction gets better and better and there were far too many great lines in here to mention, though Quark's cameo stood out for me: Quark wouldn't try again to conquer the Dax host. He had seen her die twice, now he was out of the race. Nice...
Oh yeah, and Fearless Shrimp.
Oh yeah, and Fearless Shrimp.
Thank you. I have started working on Chapter 12, but I'm definitely NOT a 1800-style writer.
I'm trying to get good interactions. Some characters are much easier than others. But Miral obviously likes to give nicknames: Qa'Hom, Dummy, Blondie, now Shrimp ...
I wonder what name she would give Molly ...
I'm trying to get good interactions. Some characters are much easier than others. But Miral obviously likes to give nicknames: Qa'Hom, Dummy, Blondie, now Shrimp ...
I wonder what name she would give Molly ...
Your interactions are good, don't worry. Nothing feels staged, the series so far has a natural feel.
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