Suthy/Lexington: Blood Cries Part 9 cont
“Counselor Freedman...Dr. Murakawa? Report to the Captain’s ready room as soon as possible.” Sam ordered through the ship’s intercom. Getting up out of the center seat, the roguish Canadian grinned, “Mr. Sito...Mr. Django...want to join me?”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Sam.” Lavelle’s dusky-skinned Brazilian lover replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, “And if I see you drooling over the Captain in that green miniskirt...”
“You know I only have eyes for you, Maria...” Sam leered back, lowering his voice so that the rest of the crew couldn’t hear their conversation.
“Yeah...” The Sutherland’s chief helmsman snorted, lowering her voice as well, “Now that Treasure’s gone.”
“You’re still holding that against me, Maria?” Sam exclaimed, still maintaining a low voice, “Come on...you know practically everyone’s seen Treasure’s tits at one time or another! Besides...” he leered, “...you know I like yours better...”
“Good answer...” Maria leered back, “Ok...you’re off the hook...for now!”
*********************************************************************
“I wonder what it’ll be like? Talana ventured, her antennae twitching with anticipation, “To be on a starship from a hundred years in the future!”
“You realize...” Liz cautioned as she turned and addressed the Lexington officers accompanying her, that you won’t be allowed to talk about or even mention what you might or who you might see or talk to with anyone else—ever. That even the slightest wrong step could permanently damage the time-line—your future...my present.”
“We understand.” Alexei responded gravely, speaking for the other officers. “We know our duties, Captain.” The big Russian declared with just the slightest hint of reproach in his voice.
“I know.” Liz responded, not backing down one inch to the Bear, “I just want to be sure you all understand the seriousness of the situation.”
“We understand, sir.” Talana interjected in a soothing voice. “It’s just...well...how often do you get a chance to see your own future?”
A slight smile crossing her lips, Liz nodded her head, “I guess I see your point, Mr. Zha’Thara—in a way, I feel the same way about meeting all of you...I’ve read so much about you that I almost feel as if...”
“Captain...” Charles interjected, phrasing his request as delicately as possible, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but remember that matter I mentioned earlier...”
“Yes, Dr. Vincent. I know what you want to talk about and I promise, we’ll discuss it later. But for now...we have other business...and...I want to get back to my ship.”
“Understood, sir.” The New-Englander responded as the group took their positions on the transporter pads.
“Energize.”
************************************************************************
Looking down from the transporter pad, Alexei saw, much to his relief, that the transporter room on the Sutherland wasn’t that much different from the one he was familiar with on The Lady. Looking down, the Bear saw a raven-haired man wearing the black with grey trim uniform and red shirt whom he immediately recognized as being his counterpart. Standing next to the Sutherland’s first officer was a slender and petite, dusky skinned woman with long black hair, also wearing a red shirt under her black and gray top, but with two solid gold pips on her collar instead of three. On the other side of the dark-haired man, a blonde woman—the ridge-like creases on her nose immediately marking her as non-human—with a masculine close-cropped hair cut and hard eyes stood.
“Welcome aboard, Captain.” The Sutherland’s first officer spoke, smiling as he regarded Captain Shelby, “It’s good to see you again.”
“You too, Sam.” Liz grinned as she stepped off the pad first. Turning towards the Lexington officers, she introduced each one in turn. “This is Commander Alexei Kuznetsov, first officer of the Lexington...Lieutenant Commander Talana Zha’Thara...Doctor Charles Vincent...Lieutenant Cilla Oudekirk.”
“Welcome aboard.” Lavelle greeted in return. “This is Lieutenant Maria Django...chief helmsman...” he introduced, tilting his head slightly towards the Brazilian pilot, “...and our chief security and tactical officer, Lieutenant Sito Jaxa.”
As Alexei shook each of the officer’s hands, he couldn’t help but notice how the security lieutenant drew back just the slightest bit. It was almost imperceptible, but the alert Russian picked up on it immediately Watching, the Bear also noticed how the blonde woman did the same thing with Dr. Vincent, but did not do so with Lieutenant Oudekirk or Talana.
Talana also noticing the subtle flinching on the part of the Sutherland’s security chief, gave the other woman a reassuring smile as she approached her and took her hand. For some reason that she couldn’t quite explain, Talana felt at home on this ship...as if she truly belonged here. Shaking the feeling from her mind, the Andorian science officer joined her comrades as Commander Lavelle gestured towards the door. “The Admiral and Captain Rodenko are waiting in your office, Captain...”
************************************************************************
Watching as the auburn haired ensign washed the blood from her latest kill off of her, Commodore Wesley called out from behind the forcefield that confined him. “Is that you, Aliz? Or am I talking to the thing that’s taken you over?”
“It’s me, sir.” Aliz replied, facing her gray-haired commanding officer, her green eyes, wet with tears, confirming the truth of the young woman’s words to the commodore as she walked to the rear of the commandeered runabout. Falling to her knees before the older man, the little Hungarian pilot sobbed, “It enjoys tormenting the both of us by letting me free for a few minutes after...after...”
“It’s not your fault, Aliz...” Robert consoled, “I want you to always remember that. We’re going to get through this. For some reason, don’t ask me to explain why, I can’t explain, I have a feeling Captain Shelby is going to come through for us.”
Her lips turning up into a warm smile at the mention of her granddaughter’s name, Aliz answered back in a soft voice, “I know she will, sir.”
“Good.” Wesley responded, his own spirits buoyed by the young ensign’s smile, “Now, I have a feeling your connection with this thing inside you...I have a feeling that...in part at least...it works both ways. If it’s able to ransack your mind, then you ought to be able to get at least an idea as to what’s going on in its...”
“Not much, sir.” Aliz demurred ruefully. “More like impressions actually...feelings...sensations. They’re very powerful.” She shivered, “I’m afraid that if I look too closely...”
“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Wesley quoted in a soft voice.
Nodding her head slowly, Aliz replied in a sad voice, “Yes, sir. When that thing uses my body to do those...horrible...horrible...things...most of me is sickened by it and when that thing gives me my mind back, I want to kill myself...”
“It’s doing that to torture you, Aliz.” Robert comforted, “To break your will...”
“I know that, sir.” The young ensign responded, “...and I’m doing my best to fight back.”
“I know you are, Ensign.” Wesley replied reassuringly before Aliz interrupted.
“But, sir...there’s a part of me...” she stammered, lowering her head in shame, “...there’s a part of me that...please forgive me...there’s a part of me that enjoys it...that makes me...sir...Robert...afterwards...I...I...I can’t help myself but I get so...that I...”
“It’s all right, Aliz...” Robert soothed, wishing that he could reach out beyond the forcefield to hug the tormented young woman. “We all have our demons and devils inside ourselves. What a makes a man or a woman is how that person deals with those demons. Do you face up to them, acknowledge them for what they are, and so control them, or do you let them control you. That thing inside you...it’s feeding those demons...maybe...” his eyes lit up, “Maybe that’s the key...”
But before he could say another word, the young woman’s eyes flashed red again, “That will be enough I think. Now...Commodore...I think it is time you remained silent for a while.” With that, the possessed Aliz held out her open hand towards the commodore and then gradually began to close it. As she closed her hand, Wesley began to gasp as he felt an invisible force slowly strangle him. Before he could slip into unconsciousness though, he had time for one last phrase, “Face them, Aliz...face them.”
***********************************************************************
As the Lexington senior staff made their way through the corridors of the Nebula-class starship, they were at once taken both by how busy the passageways were as crewmembers went to and fro about their tasks, and at how roomy and...yes...comfortable they were. The decks were actually carpeted! Yet, at the same time, Alexei’s practiced eye noticed that this appeared to be a well-trained crew, much as the crew of his ship.
“How many crew are on board, Captain?” The Bear inquired as the group entered a turbolift, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“The Sutherland has a crew of 750.” Liz responded proudly, adding, “Although we’re still waiting permanent replacements for our operations officer and science officer.”
“What happened to them?” Talana inquired, and then paused as she saw the pained look on the blonde captain’s face.
“We...lost them...recently.” Liz answered back. “I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to talk about it.”
“Temporal Prime Directive again.” Alexei interjected, the phrase pretty much seared into his mind by this point. Although, as he observed the pained look in the eyes of the miniskirt-clad captain, he softened his voice, ending his sentence with a compassionate tone. “It must be hard sometimes...to have to deal with that.” The big Russian stated, the double meaning in his words obvious.
“Right.” Liz replied, nodding her head once as the turbolift doors slid open to reveal the futuristic starship’s bridge. “My ready room is this way...” she gestured, “...follow me.” As both future and past Starfleet gazed upon each other with curiosity, the tiny group made its way across the bridge as Liz opened the door to her office. “Come in.”
Walking in first, Alexei immediately spotted the portrait of Commodore Wesley on the wood paneled wall hanging in a place of honor in the middle of several other portraits of officers, apparently all Starfleet with the exception of one man wearing the uniform of a 19th century British naval officer and another wearing what appeared to be a 20th century Royal Navy uniform.
“Who are they?” Talana whispered as the group slowly filed in. “And what is the commodore’s picture doing here?”
Motioning with his head at the two men standing behind the desk, one of them with his back turned to the party, Alexei rumbled, “I think our questions ought to wait for now.”
“Elizaveta!” A booming and cheery voice with a thick Russian accent called out, “You’re looking good in that outfit—maybe we ought to consider bringing miniskirts back, Da?”
Boris’s next words were cut short though by the sound of a throat clearing. Laughing good naturedly, the Commissar remarked, “Someone else wants to say hello to you too, Elizaveta...we’ll talk alone later.”
Slowly turning around, the bearded man smiled as he regarded his old comrades that he had not seen for years, “Hello, old friends. It’s been a long time.”
I want to wikify and orb!
