Breaking them Down
Posted on Mon Sep 28th, 2020 @ 2:41am by Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Lieutenant Sapphire Morgan [Lalor] & Consul Josephine Carlyle-Cragen & Lieutenant JG Nerinath zh'Rhilror [Lalor] & Cadet Junior Grade Triston Montgomery [Lalor] & Captain Gary Taylor & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea & Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant JG Ryan Kade III & Lieutenant Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen [Taylor] & Lieutenant Scott Gregory [Taylor] & Legate Imik S'Niohun [Lia Taylor] & Lieutenant JG T'Kek [Naxea] & Chief Warrant Officer Man'darr [Naxea] & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor] & Lieutenant JG Heather De La Rosa {Kelea-Salik} & Private 1st Class Durak
Mission:
SEASON 4: Episode 1: Know Thy Self!
Location: Arena Station - Mirror Verse
Timeline: MD1 - 13hoo -18h00
4335 words - 8.7 OF Standard Post Measure
=/\=
Across the ship a voice boomed. [[Attention federation dogs, you are now property of the Terran Empire. To properly prepare you for your new lives, you will be tested, broken and rebuilt. And your lives, will build more glory for the Empire! Your Ship has been surrendered by your Captain Lalor. She betrayed you to us. And for that, she will watch as you are all broken.]] As the voice spoke there was another shudder and then the ship stopped.
[[You will be now transported to Arena Station. Where you will be processed and placed in the Arena. Enjoy your new lives. Those who continue to resist, will die on the Elysium. Even now hunter teams are finding you all]]
Across the Cargo bays, black clad officers collared the Elysium crew and once they were collared they were beamed away.
In the transporter rooms, collars were also placed around the necks of the bridge crew then they were beamed also away.
Crew were beamed onto a dimly lit station, scattered around randomly. No one was with another person, so huge was the station.
Miraj looked around in the gloom. It was hard to make features out, the light was a dim orange little better than a candle. She tested the collar around her neck. There was no obvious lock, and it was solid enough she couldn't pull it off. In the time it took her to check, she realised her eyes has adjusted. SHe was making out definite shapes, and movement. People shaped patches of darkness began to take shape in the half light. "Hello!?" She called out. It was most likely some more of the captured crew. She started walking towards the nearest one, at least three hundred meters away. "its Miraj! Who's there?"
Sapphire, the Prime Universe Sapphire had stumbled as she had found herself on a peice of metal hanging out over an abyss. She wobbled and just kept her balance. Then bending down she felt her way back to what she hoped was a promenade. When Miraj called out, she called back. "Miraj! Its Sapphire!"
Miraj was flooded with relief to see a friendly face, and not a sadistic clone. "Are you alright? Have you found anyone else?" There might not be safety in numbers, but there was comfort.
Sapphire scrambled to her. "No, but I almost found the grim reaper. That stupid mirror of mine beamed me onto a thin pylon hanging over an abyss." She looked around. "No weapons, no food, this is gonna be hard." She added. "Which way?"
Miraj twisted a finger into the end of one of her pink bunches, she'd spent her childhood climbing around the wrecks of space hulks. She knew how to find her way in ship with no markings. Or even bulkheads. "Give me a moment." She slipped out of her boots and stood in barefeet on the deck for a moment, opening her senses to the vessel around her. The thrum was soft, languid. It was definitely a station. Powered flight felt different there was no sense of motion here. If it followed the pattern of most ships, there would be core trunking in the center, with small systems branching off. She took a step forward, and then back, and side to side, evaluating the feel. Then she put her boots back on, and pointed without hesitation, to the center of the station, even though they couldn't see much beyond the end of her arm.
"That way."
"lead on" Sapphire said. "Maybe we will find other crew"
Miraj started walking. The vibrations were much dampened through her boots, but she was confident enough for now. It was navigation, and that was something she could do as easily as breathing. "Hopefully we'll find a big macho marine, or a Vulcan. Someone stronger than me at least, who knows the right end of the phaser from another."
"If they have a phaser." Sapphire said softly.
===
As the familiar feel of the transporter faded away Alicia found herself alone, the rest of the senior staff were nowhere to be seen and she was in a long corridor with a large window that looked out over yet more corridors. She could see movement and sense a whole lot of people onboard the station. Right now she was more worried where everyone else was, with that in mind she cautiously moved off along the corridor to see if she could see anyone else she knew.
Rage... Pure rage was eating away at the rationality in Arrianna's mind. She hated these Terrans. Hated the pain that was in her mind, hated their barbarism, hated their very existence. She spoke to herself. 'Once... Tirielle was abandoned... betrayed in the deserts of the Moon Desolation. There she was tested... There she faced a harrowing... There all wickedness and corruption was stripped away... A terrible and painful herrowing." She said to herself, telling the story to keep her sane. "There... Blessed Tirielle was remade. She united the desert people... And lead them against the Savage Warlords....' She spoke to herself.
===
Lia found herself in a small room, she crossed to the door but it was locked. Turning back she now looked around the room, a bed and nothing else. Not much to use against anyone coming through that door, but her mind continued to work out a plan. She had to get the hell out of here, but why was she on her own?
The door opened and MU Lia stepped in, behind her stood a guard dressed in black. MU Lia now lashed out again, Holmes reeled back with the force of the blow and bounced off the wall. "You lack courage and backbone, but I will make you even more compliant when I'm finished". She grabbed Lia's uniform and pulled, the guard closed the door he knew better than to disturb the XO in her temper. As her uniform was being stripped from her, Lia allowed herself to fly forwards and hit MU Lia full in the chest sending both flying into first the wall then the floor.
As the Pair hit the ground, MU Lia's knife came loose and clattered across the floor. Holmes didn't waste a moment, in a flash she had turned grabbed the knife and turned back again. MU Lia had in the mean time sat up and then moved forwards, meeting her knife with her heart. MU Lia died almost instantly, Holmes pushed the knife so blood wouldn't seep out. She wanted MU Lia's uniform, and quickly stripped the corpse of all it's clothing. Dressing in the black uniform Lia checked for blood stains, there were one or two but she could claim it as splatter. Building up her courage she opened the door and stepped out, "Clean that shit up, the stupid bitch attacked me. Now I'll have to look for something else". The guard simply nodded and moved past Lia, he to fell to the knife as Lia stabbed him in the throat.
==
As the effects of the transporter faded away, Gary found himself on a long and dimly lit corridor, He could see figures ahead but because of the light couldn't make them out clearly. He cautiously began moving towards them.
Arrianna turned and walked towards Gary. "Commander?!?"
"Arri!?" Gary questioned then as they got closer to each other he saw it was Arri. "Arri! Am I glad to see you. You okay, I mean despite these damn collars."
"I haaate them... Commander..." He had never heard of Arri hating anyone before. "I HATE THEM!!!! And I want to KILL THEM!!!"
"Easy Arri. I hate them as well and what they have done. But getting mad, isn't going to help us right now. We need to keep our wits." Gary replied.
Arri screamed trying to focus the rage out of her. "I don't know what to do with hate, Commander. My people don't give ourselves to these emotions." She noted and calmed herself. "They are truly barbaric, Commander. But I do sense something else from them that might work to our advantage. It might be the key to our freedom. They plot and scheme, Commander." Arrianna mentioned. "They are barely united.. IF we can coax and prod them into betraying one another. We'll prevail. Which is more feasible than it appears."
"I need you to focus Arri." Gary replied firmly. "As to your suggestion. That's good. They do seem to be a rather greedy lot."
"They do not build their nation on goodwill and the strength of their people. Not with the values of liberty, unity and prosperity that even my people dedicated themselves when we built an Imperium for all sentients. Instead their corrupted empire is built on the backs of billions of slaves, Commander." Arri noted. "We have to destroy that which controls these collars, and they will loose control in an instant. And to do that... We have to turn them against each other. In order to defeat them, we may have to become them. I hate that thought too."
"Of course Arri. Their just another batch of psychos with weapons who use the backs of others to build this so called Empire of theirs. I agree find the control to these collars and they will see how quickly the tables turn and their Empire crumbles. As for turning them against one another, just plant the seeds of mistrust and sit back and watch as they destroy themselves." Gary replied with a cold rage of his own.
Arri spoke. "Our alter-egos are fascinated with us, Gary. This is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done... we have to submit to beat them. Make them think they've broken us. Then we break them." Arri shook her head. "What's happening to me, Gary? I never used to be this cruel to anyone. This isn't a daughter of Blessed Tirielle speaking. This is what they are." She sobbed. "Why do we have to become them to defeat them?"
"Arri." Gary said softly. "They are the beast within us. That dark side we keep locked up and out of sight. It's easier for us to pretend to be like them then it is for them to pretend to be like us. They have no goodness, no compassion, no warmth. Their animals, rabid animals and you put rabid animals down." Gary replied with a cold firmness.
Arri spoke. "Remind me who I am, Gary. When this is over."
"I will if you promise to do the same for me Arri." He answered quietly.
Alicia was walking alone and afraid of what that would mean when she heard voices from the dark, they sounded familiar as she edged cautiously closer. She breathed a sigh of relief as in the dull light she saw two familiar looking figures ahead. “Commanders!” She moved closer. “Am I glad to see you.”
Normally, Arrianna was a pillar of rational and intelligent thought to Alicia. Right now however. She was overflowing with pure rage at her captors. Arri's emotional control was tearing itself to pieces. She was fighting to maintain her rational mind with all the intense fear that Arri was sensing. "Alicia.... We should have never surrendered to them. We should have torn them to pieces, and made them suffer for once. Put them in their own pain machines, and make them suffer. I hate them so much, and I want to destroy them."
Alicia could sense the emotional build up in Arrianna and her Counselling instincts kicked in. “Arrianna listen to me ... you have to control your emotions. I can feel what you’re feeling and it’ll tear you apart!” She looked to Gary for help.
"I've been telling her the same thing Alicia. Sometimes I think she understands only to slip into this emotional rage you are seeing now." Gary informed the counselor. "By the way good to see you as well."
"Well, look at this." A woman with Arrianna's voice walked up with her personal bodyguard. "She does look like me... Splendid." Mirror Arrianna grabbed Arri's face and examined it. "Yes, she will do nicely for a body double. Once I break her, she'll be me, and then I can be secure from any assassination attempts. Ill just use this wrench as my puppet. Take her!" The bodyguard grabbed Arrianna and attached a chain to her collar. Mirror Arri spoke to Arri. "Hate me all you want, But one day if you survive, you'll enjoy being my lover."
"Hey! What do you think you are doing?" Gary challenged mirror Arri. "Let her go."
Alicia had been shoved back out of the way by the Terran guards as Mirror Arrianna had approached. Now all she could do was try and stop Gary from getting hurt. “Commander ... don’t!” She shook her head. “You’re no good to Arrianna if you’re dead!” She gave Arrianna an apologetic look.
Gary was about to make an angry reply but caught himself. He nodded at Alicia. "You are right counselor. Thank you for the reminder."
Alicia nodded and moved to stand with Gary, she wondered why it was the guards looked at each other as they looked at the two of them. It must have had something to do with their mirror counterparts but what?
"Yes, Counselor. You're right, you're no good to Arrianna when your dead." Mirror Arri mocked. "Maybe I'll bring her down here later on so she can personally torture the both of you. She'll have so much fun, and I imagine she's going to learn well from me. Just llike the last body double I had. Pity she didn't live very long, but as the Terran French say. C'est la vie." Mirror Arrianna laughed with her seductive, evil voice. "You know. My slavers are breaking your crew like clockwork. They're all bowing before your Terran Masters... Just. Like. That. Fascinating really these Terrans. How they plot and betray one another. Alindari do not do that. Wealth is the medium of advancement in our empire. I don't care about the Terran's ongoing tit-for-tat. Why die for whatever leader that is deposed when you can live and serve those who prove themselves to be the Strongest." Mirror Arrianna laughed again. "Oh, and I'm going to say hello to your Captain soon. Apparently all of Captain Taylor's horses and all his men, couldn't crack the egg that is Phoenix Lalor. I'm more skilled at making an Omlette" She held up a remote. "Something for you to remember me by." She activated both of their collars for a moment to give them both a jolt of pain.
Alicia bit her lip as pain coursed through her body, she wasn’t going to give this evil body double of Arrianna the satisfaction of hearing her cry out.
Gary clamped his jaws together to keep from making a sound. He wouldn't give the evil bitch the satisfaction.
"Oh... poor Arrianna." Mirror Jessica looked at Gary and Alicia.
Alicia glared at Mirror Jessica.
"Yes poor Arri," Gary replied carefully.
"Did they take her? They always take everyone, and they plot and scheme and kill, kill, kill. Just like they did on Betazed."
"Shutup!!!" The tone on mirror Jessica's voice changed. "You don't want them to hear us talking. You know what they do to us if we don't do mean things to People. All the torture and screaming. And the plotting, plotting, plotting. Then they betray and kill each other. Then we get new masters." If Alicia could sense Mirror Jessica. There were at least three of her upstairs.
Alicia looked at Jessica, it was sounding very much like she was fighting a battle with herself the very definition of a multiple personality disorder.
Gary looked at Alicia and then back at Jess as she ranted, she had definitely gone off the deep end.
"We don't have to do what they say. Mean, meanies who kill and kill and kill. We hate them! We need to help these people, or they end up like us. Left in an Agony booth for days, weeks, months. We should take Taylor, skin him alive, and flay him alive."
"That sounds like a good idea Jessie. What about you Jess. What do you think? Scratch these wretches backs until they bleed, and they scratch ours?
"Your a lunatic, Jessica." Mirror Jessica's voice shifted again.
Alicia shared a look with Gary that said ‘Let’s get out of here’
Gary nodded and carefully started to back away but he had to warn Jess. "Get somewhere before the dogs come. You don't have much time."
"OwWWWWWWWwwwww, he wants to feed you to the doggies huh? Oh we know things Gary doesn't know, we know things Gary doesn't know." Mirror Jessica skipped and hopped around them. "Doggies think they're tough, but their snouts are not. Kick them in the nose and they bleed and scream, run from them and you become doggie chow. Also, Terrans plot, and plot, and plot when they build bases. All sorts of secret passages here. Feel around bullkheads for doors. Can't say where... Don't want Terrans knowing about them. But we'll know." She laughed. "Oh we'll know... And when Taylor thinks he's won. We'll ring his neck, skin him, and tan his hide." She smiled at them. "See ya later gators." She hopped and skipped away. "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the kings horses and all the king's men... Fried up humpty dumpty in a pan and tore his flesh like a roasted hen." She laughed as she hopped and skipped away.
Gary shook his head sadly as Jess sang and skipped away. Yet maybe there was an element of truth in her craziness. When he and Alicia found a secure location and after the dogs had passed, They could look for these secret doors Jess sang about.
---
Samantha Prescott, or Sam as she had been known was tasked to wander the station giving these new comers information. She wore a collar and her dark brown jumpsuit bore no insignia or rank. She was a slave of the Terran Empire and now that was her life. She remembered her life before, before the horror of what it had become, she remembered but she could not show that she did. Or they would break her again.
She walked silently through the darkness and paused a few feet from an officer in a yellow collar.
Scott found himself alone on a corridor. He was looking for Sapphire when he became aware of someone else. He turned an saw an unfamiliar woman standing a few feet from him. "Um hi. I'm Lt. Scott Gregory of the USS Elysium. Who are you? Are you a member of the Elysium crew?"
"no. I am Sam. I am here to give you information from our masters."
"Um, nice to meet you Sam. Our masters? You mean the guys in the black armor suits? Scott asked,
"They are of the Terran Empire. We are their slaves. Submit to them and you will not suffer."
"Submit? No thanks." Scott replied. "Not in my vocabulary. I like being free, my own person."
"They don't care. You will be captured, beaten, tortured, raped even, and then if you still have not bowed your head, they will slit your throat. Most likely in front of your captain."
"You know what Sam? You may be right. But I'd rather die free than live on my knees." Scott replied defiantly. "I'd rather be killed fighting then living in terror waiting for some to kill for no reason."
Samantha looked at him. "You have a lot to learn." She said softly. "I was once like that. Now, I survive. You have 3 hours until they release the hounds."
"Hounds? What hounds?" Scott asked anxiously.
"Dogs crossed with Targs" Sam said. "You better hide." she said in a sing song.
What? Are you kidding? Scott asked but he knew she wasn't. "Hide? Hide where?" He asked Sam.
Sam smiled. "There are cabins a few decks down. You might be able to rig the doors closed. Captain Harrison tried that but they tore him to pieces." She mused.
"That doesn't sound like such a good idea then Where are you going to hide?" He asked. If Sam knew a safe place he was going to find one just like it and hide there as well.
She pointed to her collar. "They don't come near me. I am protected."
"Well, that's all well and good and I'm glad for you. I'm not protected and I really don't want to get torn to pieces. Got any other
ideas?" Scott asked anxiously.
"Surrender" She replied. "I must move on, my owner will be upset if I do not."
"Not an option and thanks. Nice talking to Scott answered thinking the poor woman was a wacko. Now he still needed to find Sapphire and a place to hide. Not necessarily in that order.
Strobing waves of light took hold of his body. The sound of excited energy hummed in his ears like white noise. He could feel the temperature change flush across his face and clothes as the white of the transporter beam curtain fell away. It was hotter in this new location, leaving a slight tingle to crawl across his skin.
He couldn’t see much, at first. The pristine and well lit Elysium had been replaced by an empty room. Or is it? He thought to himself as he instinctively began to crouch, getting a feel for his new environment. He reached out and felt his hand grasp the edge of something. A bio bed?
Ensign Ryan Kade, the Third, finally began to see as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. It was definitely some sort of sickbay, but decrepit. Time and lack of maintenance had done a number on it. More confident, now that he could see, the young security officer stood back up. He moved towards the only visible entrance, careful and patient. Momentarily, he stopped by the door, flanking the threshold with his back to the wall.
He finally spoke aloud for the first time, “Computer?”
Nothing.
Yeah, that would be too easy, wouldn’t it? The collar around his neck was obviously not a toy, probably capable of killing him, should his gracious hosts decided so. Doesn’t matter. I can’t stand around and do nothing. He resolved as his finger hovered over the door controls. He tapped the open button.
Nothing.
Sighing to himself, Ryan stroked his right hand through his hair, something he usually did to cope with exasperation. “Yeah, that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?” He repeated himself, this time out loud.
He crouched down, pulling up his black uniform pant leg to reveal a small cylinder in his boot. As someone who regularly manned the Elysium’s brig, he had learned a lot of things about how to break out of one. This small set of tools wasn’t much, but it gave him the edge he needed without putting him in danger of being shocked- mostly. He pulled out a piece of metal that was bent at an angle, almost like a nail filer, but thicker and more sturdy. With a single practiced motion, it slid under the edge of the door panel and was pressed against the wall. The panel came loose and popped open.
And we’re making progress!
His hands fiddled with the innards next to the door, a mess of wires and such. Ryan wasn’t an engineer, but he knew what to look for. When he found it, he took another one of his pocket-tools and snipped the air-pressure lock’s positive wire, making sure to avoid the grounding wire. A sudden noise was heard, all the hundreds of pounds of pressure releasing at once with the sound of steam.
With his pocket-tools put away, Ryan positioned himself at the edge of the door, this time manually pulling it open and across to the right. It took a little bit of elbow grease, but the thing finally slid all the way, tucking neatly into the wall.
Freedom? He thought as he took one step outside.
Josephine Carlyle was not happy. She had just been rescued from one bad situation and here she was again. She stood silent against a wall and didn't move. She wanted to just stay in one place.
===
T'Kek looked about his cell, studying the sturdy duranium walls and spotted the metal slab that posed for a bed attached to the rear wall. The front of the cell appeared open but he knew better as his vulcan hearing picked up the slight but unmistakable sound of a security field in place. He approached the field and looked both ways down the corridor, unable to see or hear anyone. He wondered who these captors were and why some of them seem to resemble members of the Elysium.
====
Durak sighed as he looked about his cell. It had duranium walls with one end open as well as a metal slab that he guessed was a bed. Moving to the opening, he reached out and was jolted back by a painful shock as his hand touched the security field. "Shit, that hurt!" he cursed, shaking his hand in an attempt to make the lingering pain go away. 'Where the hell am I?' he thought to himself.
=/\=
A loud horn sounded through the station.
[[ATTENTION SLAVES IN 3 HOURS, THE HOUNDS WILL BE RELEASED INTO THE STATION. YOU HAVE 3 HOURS TO FIND A PLACE TO HIDE. IF YOU CAN]]
Nerinath appeared on the Station and grimaced as she heard the information. Brilliant. She hated the Hounds. She pulled out her tricorder and set it to scan for the bio signature of Malak Kavanagh. She had to find him and the Command team of the USS Elysium and fast.
