Winter Inside

Posted on Thu Jul 15th, 2021 @ 5:19am by Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Lieutenant Commander Kara Starr {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Darkness Rising - A Phoenix Lalor Sub Plot
Location: Rigel X Base
Timeline: MD - 19 1700Hrs
2264 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Kate was found in an isolated part of the base again with the sword she seized from Cragen's horde. Practicing her artistic, graceful swordmanship. It seemed like Arrianna was dying inside the woman, soon to be replaced by the hatred for all slavers of Kate Daniels.

Kara stood in the doorway, simply watching Kate with the sword. Clearing her throat to get Kate’s attention she offered a brief smile. “Can we talk?”

Kate spoke. "Kara I'm sorry I yelled at you." She noted. "I don't want to see you broken into slavery."

Kara nodded. “Apology accepted” She walked into the room. “I’m not planning on being a slave Kate, I’ve got a baby to protect. I was just offering to help you look through the documents.” She paused. “At the earlier meeting you said your people don’t like, or trust El Aurians? Does that include me now? Somewhere in my dna are traces of El Aurian dna as well, I don’t have a clue what that means for me though.”

"No Kara, let me explain what happened." Kate noted. "Four centuries ago, my people learned that the El'Aurians were 'studying' younger races. And not in a way we approved of. If fact we viewed such direct contact by masqurading in these races as cultural contamination." Kate mentioned. "My people, the Senate, and the Emperor at the time were incensed. We didn't want a situation with the younger races in our imperium where we were suddenly at war with an emerging race over xenophobic hysteria. However, that may have changed after the Borg attempted to assimilate our own people."

Kara nodded. “Understandable I guess. So where does that leave us?” She walked over to the window and looked out before turning back to Kate. “I just found out I’m one of Kyle Cragen’s long lost progeny! The A.I. on the PADD, Carolyn... she told me to rejoice because I’d soon be with my master. I have no intention of being a slave, not to my long lost grandfather or anyone else.”

"Kara, I can say this. Even my parents would be more loving towards you than Kyle Cragen, even if you were not direct family with them. We are a kind and peaceful people, but we've had to be strong since he Borg Holocaust. Our lives are diffucult, and we never take anything for granted." Kate mentioned. "Even at the worst of times... My kin wake up with a desire each day to be better than what we were yesterday."

“I’m not looking for a family reunion Kate, I’d much rather be here with you.” Kara smiled warmly. “I know you care, I care about what happens to you, I don’t want to see you hurt Kate! Those PADDs of Cragen’s could all have dna keys and traps, I’m immune you’re not.”

"Do not fall into his trap. Be careful with that AI." Kate noted. "I'm going to be spending years getting over this, Kara, but they took me with Josie.. I fought them.. First on the shuttle, then when they had me in bonds." She noted. "I killed five of Cragen's men, and bit off his nose, before they subdued me."

Kara winced as she listened to Kate telling her of the brutality, and the fight she tried to put up.

"They tortured me overnight, and then with a Klingon Pain Stick. They used drugs on me, but then I was so delerious in pain.. I would have become anything they wanted me to be.. And so I did... The ultimate whore.. just to make the endless pain stop." Kate mentioned. "Kara, I'm fighting between the Starfleet Officer I really want to be, the one who would never let Josie down... The whore that sold herself and others so well.... And the searing burning anger and hatred for all slavers that is Kate Daniels. And I'm afraid, if I lose enough people. Kate Daniels is who I'll be. I'll just let everything go, And use this to dispense Justice on Kyle Cragen." She performed a beautiful flourish with her sword and sheathed it. "And you know what, Kara. I am very, very tempted to start dispensing that kind of Justice on those bastards. What the hell is Starfleet doing." Kate mentioned. "While they are fussing arguing over Phoenix Lalor commanding the USS Elysium, we have abominations like Cragen running around the heart of the Federation. And they only people who are capable of doing things about it..." Kate mentioned. "Is this ship... and a crew of renegades in the shadows that I should have joined with Phoenix. I am really, really beginning to be convinced Starfleet isn't worth a damn anymore, Kara. All they have thought about for years... is how to smear Phoenix and remove her from Command." Kate mentioned. "I hate it. We have a duty, and it's literally being pissed on by Starfleet Command!!!" She continued cooling off.

“I don’t know Phoenix like you do Kate, Yes I know her from her relationship with Matt but I’ve never served alongside her besides being here with Bkackwatch. One thing I know is, when all this is over I’m going to move to the Elysium. I want to stay with my family and that isn’t just Matt & Malakai, it’s you too.” She offered a smile. “As for the A.I. I smashed that PADD so she won’t be back, I just hope the beacon the PADD sent was stopped before it was too late!”

Kate simply smiled warmly and then embraced Kara... "I don't know what I'd do without you, yours husband, and your brother... I owe all three of you a debt I could never repay." She noted. "I just... you and your family is just so good to me right now..." She smiled. "Whenever your family is near my world, please come by my home on Sena Alindar, I'd love for you to meet my cousin."

Kara smiled and nodded. “I’d love to Kate! I’ve only ever had Matt as family, I never had a sister, but you... you treat me like I’m your little sister and I like that.”

"I have a littler sister than you. I can guarantee you, Kirasanna will like you. Then she'll attach herself to your leg and never let go." Kate noted.

Kara grinned. “She sounds like a character!” Her smile faded a little. “You have to fight this need for revenge Kate, if you feed it you’ll lose the real person that’s underneath that hard outer shell of yours! As much as I like Kate, I want to meet the real you once all this is over.”

"I don't know if I can be that person again, Kara." Kate noted. "I guess..." She spoke in the calm voice of Arrianna for a moment. "People have described me as 'a sea of calmness.' I once believed a calm mind could overcome any obstacle." She mentioned. "That didn't help me with Cragen."

“No” Kara sighed. “I’m not surprised seeing how he treated Josie when I was there pretending to be Lady Karlyn. “If she is truly what he wanted, why treat her that way?”

Kate spoke. "Greed, Kara. He's from a time and place where women were subserviant to men... Greed, combined with Lust and Envy. And it happens in our minds... With such searing pain.. we form a defense mechanism to make the pain stop. Our true personalities get shoved aside... And I submitted... Just so I wouldn't be tortured." Kate noted. "I was who they wanted me to be.. And she did terrible things to my Josie to make her submit to." Kate bowed her head. "Oh Ascendants, Josie... Please forgive me, my love." Kate spoke again. "Kara... he doesn't really love her... And that's the key to getting her back." Kate mentioned. "Kara, my mate is an equal to me.. I would give my life for hers in an instant. But with Cragen... all she'll be is property, and she will realize that fact very soon. At some point, his desire, envy, and lust will overwhelm him and he'll kill her rather than let her go. I just hope we are fast enough to get to her before he kills her."

“He’d really do that! He’d kill her just to possess her so no one else can!” Kara shook her head. “I’m not letting you do this alone... I’m his descendant, we can put that to use somehow! My dna is the key to getting information, maybe there’s more hidden places in this massive home where Cragen has things stashed away. The smallest thing could help!”

Kate thought a moment. "0600 Tomorrow Morning... Before breakfast... I'm going to teach you what my mentor taught me." Kate noted. "I had an abnormally harsh Pellar Zellan instructor at the academy. You're about to learn everything he taught me. We'll skip the heavy physical training he killed me with each morning due to the fact you're with child... But he taught me how to shoot good. And no offense, I don't know why the Epsilon Protocol put a pregnant woman into this position... but I suppose they needed a medic."

“That’s not Starfleet’s fault, I never told anyone I was pregnant.” Kara offered an apologetic look. “A medic is usually stuck aboard ship, plus I was needed. To find a replacement at the last minute would have left the team incomplete.”

"Understandable." Kate noted. "I hope we capture him alive. My people have a special punishment for Slavers."

Kara looked at Kate curiously. “What would that be?”

"We call it the Sarcophagus." Kate noted. "The prisoner is taken to a specialized facility where he or she is placed inside a specialized stasis chamber, and placed into bio-stasis. The Chamber is then bolted shut with one hundred tritanium bolts and then interfaced to an unmarked grave that would provide a renewable energy source for the Sarcophagus. There the Prisoner is kept between life and death for as long as the chamber is operational, or if some other race in the future finds him and takes pity on him." Kate mentioned. "The Alindari do not execute our prisoners. Most of the time, we try to understand the crime and the criminal. But slavery... Depriving a being of his or her rights... We punish that by denying the slaver death. Limbo, for the slaver, to offer the ultimate reflection."

“A permanent living hell” Kara nodded. “Lifetime after lifetime of being alone with nothing but their own thoughts. Maddening!”

"A punishment that fits the crime." Kate noted.

“Very much so” Kara nodded. “Kate promise me something... if we ever capture Cragen you’ll let me talk to him, he can’t hurt me from a distance. I just need some answers, about my past and my family, he may have some answers.”

Kate sighed and then nodded. "Alright, but I'm going in with you. Do not believe anything he says. He's a master manipulator."

“I can’t promise Kate, but I trust you to keep me out of trouble.” Kara grinned. “To be honest I feel drawn towards Cragen. I don’t know if that’s just me wanting to know more, or whether it’s a result of something else...” she looked at her finger where the PADD took her dna sample. “The PADD did sample my dna, I don’t suppose that went two ways and introduced anything to my body did it?”

"I doubt it..." Kate noted. "And if he did. Well lets just say the stuff he injected into me put me into a week-long high. You'd be feeling it by now."

"Definitely no high!" Kara grinned. "I guess it's just me feeling the pull of learning more about my family history."

Kate spoke. "Kara... I must thank you.. again. If it weren't for you... I would have lost my sanity after what they did to me.. I was filled with so much shame when you found me... I wanted to be dead, or put back into the recess in my mind. So much shame.... so much disgrace... It was Lily's presence that brought me out of it, and this family's."

“We’ll always be here for you Kate, I will always be there no matter what!” Kara smiled. “Promise me something? If Cragen ever... if I ever... you won’t let him take my baby.”

"I am not letting him take you, Kara." Kate noted. "That is my promise."

Kara nodded. “Thank you, so... what now?”

"I promise you, Kara... Whatever it takes.. I am not losing anything else to Kyle Cragen. This time we're strong enough to fight him."

Kara nodded. “I trust you Kate, you’re our best chance you know him better than any of us. We can do this!”

Kate spoke with a smile. "You know... there is a certain human holiday that is immensely popular on Sena Alindar. You should come to my people's world during Christmas."

“You celebrate Christmas?!” Kara’s face lit up. She loved Christmas time.

Kate chuckled. "Of course, we fell in love with the romance, the pagentry, the gift giving. We love to give gifts to each other. It's one of the things about humans we so adore."

“It is such a wonderful time of year, wait until you see my quarters next Xmas!” Kara grinned. “I do love to decorate!”