Finding in the Dark

Posted on Wed Sep 30th, 2020 @ 4:03am by Avalon [ADMIN NPC] & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Commander Sthilg & Ensign Olivia (Carter) Voight & Lieutenant Scott Gregory [Taylor] & Private 1st Class Durak

Mission: SEASON 4: Episode 1: Know Thy Self!
Location: Arena Station
Timeline: MD1 - 16h-19h
2177 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

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]]

Sam skipped along behind Scott as he moved towards the quarters area.

"Sam." Walk up here with me." Scott said to the skipping woman. He wanted to know about her, how she ended up here and if knew any way for them to get off the station. He glanced back at Turak and Olivia. "We need to find, shelter, food and water. If you see anything that looks secure, shout it out."

Sam paused. "No one has ever escaped without submitting." She said, the crazy look in her eyes gone. "You have no chance."

Olivia nodded slightly as she started to look around a bit. “So far it looks to be slim pickings, but will be on the look out for stuff,” Olivia replied. “”I wish I still had my medical kit so that the supplies could be used as needed when we come across other crew members.”

Durak's cell had been opened following the announcement about releasing the hounds. He ran a hand through his black hair as he walked down the corridor. "Where the hell am I even at?" he asked himself. 'Am I alone? Where is everyone?' After several minutes of walking, he stopped when he heard a woman's voice. As he turned the corner, he came face to face with the woman. "Who the hell are you people?" he asked the woman, glaring at her. "Where am I?"

"you are on the Arena. You are from the Federation ship, Elysium correct?" Sam asked, "Then you are here to be tested and to become a slave if you survive." She glanced at Scott. "I don't know who these others are."

"Arena? Tested? A slave?" Durak asked in frustration. "Last thing I know is that I was stunned, woke up in a cell, was released following an announcement about having hounds released and now I find you. And you didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

"Hey. Ease up pal. I'm Lt. Gregory of the USS Elysium and this is Samantha. She's a guide to this station. By the way since we're on the subject. Who are you?"

"I'm Lance Corporal Durak of the Elysium's 62nd Marine Detachment," he introduced himself. "A guide? Then she works for our captors?" he kept his eyes on the woman.

"No." Scott said quickly. "Sam is a captive a slave. She's been here on this station for years." He explained.

"What year is it?" Sam asked almost vaguely.

"It's the year 2396 Sam." Scott told her softly. "How long have you been here?"

"oh... he'd be 15 now." She said softly. "Been here..." she paused and did the math. "4 years."

"You've been here four years?" Scott asked amazed anyone could be here that long. "Who would be 15 Sam?"

"my son." She replied and then turned. "Come on, we need to find the others, the hounds are coming and then the hunters, they will finish off those dying and then sell the rest."

"Your son? Where is your son now Sam?" Scott asked falling into step with her. "Your from our reality aren't you?"

She gave him a small sad smile. "I was on the USS Hawthorn, as a civilian advisor. Captain Harrison and his crew... only 50 survived the hounds... the rest were sold as slaves."

"Oh my God! I am so sorry Sam. I promise you, we're going to get out of here and back to our reality and you will be coming with us." Scott assured the woman.

Sam shrugged. "Don't promise that. It never happens."

Lia now moved slowly out of her cell, the darkness made it difficult to see and her dark uniform helped hide her from other people. The guards sidearm hung low on her hip, and MU Lia's knife sat on the other side just within reach. She walked along a narrow corridor and found some steps, climbing up she arrived at a large open area. Working out how large was difficult with the lack of light, but she could hear people moving about. And that damned announcement, just what did that mean? Suddenly she was aware of a group close to her, she reached for her weapon and waited to see if they'd detected her.

A sound out of place caught Durak's attention as looked back the way he came and to an adjacent corridor. Had he heard something or was his mind playing tricks on him. "Shhhh!" he told his two companions, sighing internally. It was the one thing he hated about officers--they loved to talk their heads off and make promises they can't keep. "I thought I heard something."

"Hello? Who's there?" he asked as he moved carefully to the adjacent corridor.

Deciding to bluff it out, and just in case it was more MU crew. Lia stepped forwards and exposed herself to the group, "Haven't you heard the announcement, you better get a move on. The hounds are coming, unless your already waiting for death?" She watched the group as she spoke, the two males she thought she knew from the ship. The third was she thought not part of the Elysium, "You girl, announce yourself!"

Samantha all but flung herself to her knees. "Slave Prescott M'Lady. I was doing as Lt. Morgan ordered me. Lead them to the zones."

With her hand on her weapon, Lia looked at the girl. *Not a threat, but the two Elysium crew are a different matter* she thought. "So continue with your job, and inform them well. At least one looks like he will live, the other?" It was all total nonsense, but she had heard this kind of talk since the MU people had arrived. With luck, they would think better of attacking her until she could be sure they were indeed her Elysium people.

Scott looked at the woman. it looked and sounded like Commander Holmes but as he had only seen and heard her in passing he wasn't sure. Instead he went to Sam. "Sam, get up. Come on show us the zones."

"Are you a fool? She must do what she is told, you are not her master", Lia tried to sound as if she knew what she was talking about. But her lack of knowledge about how this universe worked was large, but for now she could bluff these people as the darkness hide her uncertainty. Only her past experience with the Romulans, gave her an idea just what the girl was.

Scott glared at Lia, "Her 'masters' said for her to show us the zones and that is what she was doing. But mark my words, we'll get out of this and we'll put an end to you and your kind."

She glanced at this male, she couldn't place him but clearly from his speech he didn't seem from this world. "Explain that statement, before I have you killed for your impertinence". Lia knew how to respond to that, Khoal had taught her that much. Only an ex slave truly understands the interaction between slave and master, the other male had remained silent and that concerned her.

"What it means you black suited bitch is neither you or the rest of your kind are ever going to win. The crew of the USS Elysium will fight you all the way and when we come out on top, you'll be begging for mercy." Scott snapped back.

"Such spirit, you may need it shortly. But how do you intend to fight back? You have no weapons and nobody to assist you, or do think words will win the day?" Lia had to be careful, she didn't want to provoke just ensure she had HER people and not MU people. She wanted to get the right answers before exposing herself more, she'd worked to hard to get this far and fail.

"Because that is the nature of the people where I come from. We don't roll over or curl into a ball and give up. We fight and we fight the hardest when the odd are against us, with out backs to the wall." Scott's temper flared but he didn't care. He was going to tell these Terrans just what he thought of them and their Empire.

The sound of heavy breathing and mumbling in broken gorn wandered down the corridor as the ship's doctor mumbled his way down the corridor. The terrans had broken his jaw when he wouldn't shut up about how small their gentile was and what alien STD was currently crushing through there blood. They were rather easy to rile up and that is what he'd been counting on. Now if he could just find a dam flashlight and some wire.

Lia now knew these where indeed HER people, "Cool your jets Lieutenant, the Terrans don't like you talking back". She glanced at the other male but still couldn't place him, "I'm Commander Holmes, your Chief of Security. It would appear I've had a bit more luck than you, and Sam is it? Stand up please, we don't have slaves". She heard mumbling and turned to face it, she instantly knew it was the Doctor. "Doc! Christ are you ok?" She now looked back at the other two, "Move your butts over here, and help our Doctor. Or I might just forget you are Elysium crew".

" Bet....an....ass....oro....clap." The gorn managed to mumble out through his broken jaw still trying to keep his mood up despite the situation. Despair and hopelessness would save no one. Noting Lia knife he gestured to it clearly wanting it for something. He may not need that wire after all.

Sam studied the Gorn. "He bad man." she said nervously.

Olivia moved over towards the doctor and looked up at him. “Time for me to check you over Doctor,” Olivia said. “Things would be easier if I still had the medical kit, but I will manage some how.”

" I...ve...." the gorn hissed before realizing this could take forever. Talking off his coat he pulled up his bloody t-shirt and using some of the dark green blood began writing on his left-hand side. His dark green figures drew the words. KDF emergency supply kit. Under my right gal bladder. His broken jaw had what could be a grin on his face his mind remembering to thank the paranoid KDF officer who had ordered all personnel have one implanted during the dominion war.

Durak simply stood back, trying to gauge the situation. He'd give anything to have a phaser or disruptor. Hell, at this point he'd be happy with a slingshot. "We need to hurry and find a safe area," he said looking at the large injured Gorn that would no doubt slow them down in his current condition. But he wouldn't leave him behind--Marines don't allow for that.

Sam was confused. She frowned at Lia. "You not Commander Holmes" She stated. "You don't act like her." And then she looked at the Gorn. "Rooms that way. Hounds come."

"Sam." Scott said softly, "This is our Commander Holmes from our universe. It's okay she's one of the good guys."

Lia pulled out her knife and handed it to Olivia, "Here use this, it's sharp so don't go to deep". She now turned to Sam, "I've been a slave as well, so I know how you feel. But I had to make sure, sorry but your safe now". She followed the group as they headed for the rooms, "I have an MU weapon, that at least should give is a fighting chance against these hounds".

Olivia nodded slightly as she took the knife from Commander Holmes. "Lets get into the safety of one of the rooms and then I can work on the good Doctor," Olivia replied. "That way someone can be on the look out for anyone coming into the room while I'm working on patching up our doctor as best as I can under these conditions."

"Come on, lets get moving." Scott replied as he turned to Sam, "Sam, we need you to get us to a safe place before the dogs come."

Checking behind her, Lia looked for movement. A shadow seemed to be boiling and moving in her direction, "Heads up guy's, I think the hounds are on to us. We need cover, and we need it bloody fast!"

Sam led them into the area and down into a large cabin. "Here" She said "This door locks."

"Lieutenant Gregory, go with Lieutenant Turak and find something to help secure this doorway". Lia watched as her people filed into the office, without some cover holding the door could be difficult.

"Come on Turak, let's see what we can find to brace this door in case the hounds want a look inside." Scott told the security officer.

It took them a while but they soon got it braced. Secure, the group settled in for the night.