An Uneven Trade

Posted on Wed Nov 24th, 2021 @ 8:41am by Captain Mattias Richardson [Reece] & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Michael Bishop & Lieutenant Commander Malakai Starr [Taylor] & Lieutenant Clara Lawson & 1st Lieutenant Joshua Young [Taylor] & Lieutenant Commander Kara Starr {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Darkness Rising - A Phoenix Lalor Sub Plot
Location: Orion X Base
Timeline: MD 28 / 1050 hours
3407 words - 6.8 OF Standard Post Measure

The fighting had stopped when Micheal Bishop realized the Black Watch had their leader. Kate had Kara tended to him, then Lily threw him into a damp and dark closet she rigged to be a brig cell, with a single light to keep Kyle Cragen company. Suddenly the door opened and Kate stepped in with some others.

"Enjoying your accommodations?" Kate asked Kyle.

Cragen had a bored look in his eyes. "I've been in cages far worse than this, my dear Flossie." He called her her slave name to goad her, see what the others might do. He felt zero fear when it came to these mortals.

Kate spoke. "I don't need you, I need Bishop. But the woman who commands me needs you. I just need Bishop to hand over Josephine for a guarantee that I won't kill you where you stand. And... I'm thinking on handing you over. Completely gagged and bound just as Bishop did to me. Pray Josephine is still alive in her mind. Or I will throw away my combadge and devote the rest of my life to hunting down every slaver in this galaxy.... Until you are all dead." Kate noted and stepped out. "He's all yours." Kate looked at Lily and left to go deal with Bishop.

Lily, still blonde with her bajoran nose and violet eyes entered the small makeshift brig and studied the man in the cell. "Mr Cragen" She said, her accent not Bajoran at all now, as she spoke using her normal voice. The accent was lilting, with musical tones. "My apologies, Kate is not feeling herself at the moment. I do hope her actions have not left you injured."

Cragen arched an eyebrow as he heard the Bajoran speak, but, in an Erisian dialect, and a Royal one at that! He began to scrutinize her face for several seconds. Then the realization dawned on him and a huge wolf grin filled his features. "Well, well, well. You must forgive me for not kneeling....your highness. Oh, what your brother will give me for your pretty head." A smug, calculating look now filled his features. The game had certainly changed. "And your little sister, mother and two bast..."

Lily merely smiled as he spoke and then she flicked her left wrist and the knife embedded itself in the man's upper thigh. "You might want to remember where you are."

Despite his bravado, even Cragen couldn't shake off the pain of the blade in his thigh. He grunted through clenched teeth, the look in his eyes saying he wanted to kill this woman. Then, after a few beats, he calmed and tried to smirk. "Really? Torturing prisoners? What would your crew think? And I don't mean that rabble outside. I mean your...bigger...crew."

Lily's eyes sparkled. "What makes you think they would not be here helping me?" She replied. "You tortured two of them, you sold one of them into slavery. I think i would be hard pressed to stop them from doing more than a dagger to the thigh." She pushed the blond hair back from her shoulder and stepped closer. "You deal with Pallas, which makes you both foolish, my brother thinks he has power, a man who has to say he is king is no king at all and deserves to die. And he will. You will as well. Eventually."

Kate wanted to kill Cragen right now for threatening Phoenix's family. But she looked at Lily and her friends eyes calmed her and brought back Arrianna's serene eyes somewhat.. Arri was still fighting the insurmountable hatred that had consumed her. Trying to be the serene.. rational woman Josephine loved.. She held her hand her fist turning white.. Wanting to kill. But then stopped as Arri took hold. Kate turned to leave.. The calm eyes of Arrianna Salannis an Vantar. held for a moment before the fury of Kate returned. The other black watch crew watched the internal struggle Kate was having with her fury.

Mattias entered next, after seeing Kate storm off. Seeing Cragen with a familiar dagger in his thigh made him chuckle. "Oh! That's the one I made you, back on Monty." He smiled again, feeling warm feelings for this beautiful woman.

Before Phoenix could respond, Cragen spoke first. "So, that must mean that you were the one in the Andorian power armor. What, afraid to face danger as yourself?" Cragen sneered. "As I was saying to the Princess here, oh yes, I know who and what she really is. As I was telling her, before I was rudely interrupted I will ensure that all of you will be killed. Including her her mother, brat of a sister and those two little bast..."

Mattias interrupted Cragen by landing a solid right cross, with his brass knuckles, into Cragen's jaw. There was a satisfying crunching sound as the hit landed. "Oops," he uttered, completely deadpan. "You really must be more careful, asshole. You don't want to fall down again."

Lily smirked. "Yes, he should be more careful."


===

Kate walked to the comms panel and opened up a transmission. "Hello Bishop.... And don't call me Flossie. That angers the people here."

There was silence for a moment maybe two before Bishop's cool voice came through, "Hello Arri."

"I intend to trade Cragen for Josephine.. But the woman who commands me has business with him first." Arrianna showed more... "And when it is done, we will both depart. I doubt your master will want you to do anything that might jeopardize 'Sephine.' Kate's eyes continued to flutter between the calm woman she once was... and the pure rage that was the identity she created for revenge.

"I understand." Bishop replied. His voice unruffled by this news. "Sephine, that is Josephine, is perfectly safe and unharmed. I have her confined to her quarters. So I can readily get to her to make the trade."

"He will be angry with you by doing this, Bishop. Please... for the sake of even the woman you love.. Do not stay with him. He will kill you and Clara." Arri's compassionate eyes showed further as she shed a tear for Bishop. True he torutred her into a slave.. But it went beyond that.. Arrianna's compassion for her enemy was showing itself. Everything that made Arrianna was fighting to the surface... Even Flossie was there.. "'Remember.' Tell Clara that.. It will restore... What I did to her." Arri admitted. "Yes... It wasn't anyone else there. I made Lara. Only I could make her like me.. Only I could make a masterpiece. Tell her to 'remember' and don't let the person you love die again." Arri noted. "But if you must stay with Cragen.. Don't die with Cragen my painter. Be there for Clara."

"Yes." Bishop admitted, "He certainly will be. Of that I have no doubt." While he had tortured Arri and remade her into Flossie, he took no pleasure in it other than the masterpiece he had made. He respected and admired her scientific genius. "I will tell her and Arri, do not be so hard on yourself. You only did what I had made you into. The responsibility for this is mine as well. I will tell her to remember and she will not die again, I promise you that." Bishop's voice was soft. "My masterpiece." He said in admiration. "I will endeavor do to as you ask."

Arri spoke. "Emperor Talhon once said 'a person is defined by the quality of their foes.' I have so much pure hatred in me towards you and mas... Kyle Cragen... And at the same time.. So much fondness and loyalty to my enemies. This is a strange feud we're going to have and I take no pleasure in it. I was broken and remade, broken again... and searching for who I am.. You are a worthy opponent, my painter. But we cannot be together."

"The Emperor was most wise." Bishop replied. "You have no reason to explain yourself or your feelings to me Arri. I understand how you feel. I did some horrible things to you, to make you my masterpiece. You were my finest creation. There will never be another." A soft chuckle followed. "It will be a strange feud, Arri, and you are a worthy opponent and as well as a remarkable woman. My masterpiece, you are correct we cannot be together but I will always remember you with fondness."

"I have to go... Before anyone realizes the bargain I have had to make." Arri noted. "Bishop... if we can find a way to save Kyle Cragen... Contact me." Arri noted. "I have hatred for him... but now I feel pity." Arri closed the channel.

"I will." Bishop replied. Not knowing if Arri heard his promise or not. It hardly mattered, right now he had to be ready to make the exchange of Josephine for Cragen.

===

"Mattias!!!" Arrianna entered the room once again. "Leave!!" Arri stared at Mattias after he did one over on Cragen. She needed him alive, not dead.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Kate, please, the arshole deserved it and more, or have you changed your tune in the past five minutes?"

Mattias had been about to say something, but stayed quiet as Lily spoke.

Cragen groaned softly, as he straightened himself in his restraints. After moving his tongue around the inside of his mouth, he found that his hidden transponder had not been damaged. Thanks to it's design, something he had been working on for the past several hundred years, it was completely invisible to scanning. As it drew power from his own body heat, it was undetectable by scanners. All he had to do was flip off the crown with his tongue and bite down, to activate the device. So long as his men were within ten kilometers of him, he would be seen and rescued. However, he decided to wait a bit. See where things would go here.

Arri smiled and then pulled the dagger out of Cragen's leg.

"I'll have that back" Lily held out her hand for the dagger. She did not use the word please.

Mattias watched silently, Cragen seated behind him.

Kate elegantly performed a flourish with the dagger and then handed it back to Lily. "Now then, Mr. Cragen. A thought has entered my mind.. I cannot help but to think it was no coincidence that I and Josie ran into you not an hour after leaving the Elysium. So.... The price of your life... is information on what contacts you have at Starfleet Command... and the price of your liberation is Josephine... Or you can choose not too cooperate and I can let my friends here make the last ten minutes of your life a living nightmare, along with myself, and my thorough knowledge of El'Aurian Anatomy. It will hurt.."

Malakai entered as Kate finished her little speech holding a collar in his hands. "Am I interrupting?" He asked as he looked between Kate and Lily. "I have the collar you wanted Kate.. It's got two tiny explosives charges in it. enough to blow his head clear off his shoulders." Malakai finished the last said looking at Cragen.

"Thank you Malakai." Kate attached the collar to Cragen's neck. "Oh and that is a very special collar. You remember it... I wore it for two weeks..." She noted. "I had it fitted just for you, with a bonus.. If somehow you get beamed up before its time for you to leave, or anything else foolish your men might do." Kate flipped open a remote. "Believe me... I want to be Arrianna Salannis an Vantar.. But the other me is still inside me, and she is angry."

The door opened and Kara walked in just in time to hear about the collar. She also noticed Cragen was injured. “What’s going on?!” She looked at Kate and at Malakai. “What happened? Why wasn’t I called to treat Cragen’s wounds?”

"Kara, Leave. You're not needed here." Kate stated.

“I will do no such thing!” Kara looked at Kate then at Cragen. “He needs treatment and I’m a Medic, he goes nowhere until I’ve treated those wounds!”

"Mattias...." Kate said simply, letting him get the idea what to do.

As much as Mattias wanted Cragen to suffer, he was also an honorable man, and Starfleet Marine Corps officer. "No, Kate. While I appreciate the pain this man has caused you, we are not like him." He looked over at his baby sister and tipped his head towards their prisoner, signalling that he had her back to do her job.

From his chair, Cragen started to chuckle. Though it was clear that his mandible was fractured on the left side, he didn't seem to be bothered by the pain he had to be feeling. "You're all weak. Even you." He looked at Kate, disgust in his eyes. "You threaten pain and death if I don't cooperate. Ooo, I'm so scared! That is where we differ. You threaten over and over and over again, but in the end, you will never go that next step. Not even with me. And you know why? You have ethics and morals. You feel the need to be able to look yourself in the mirror everyday, hoping you are still decent. Me? I stopped worrying about that nearly seven hundred years ago. Do you have that long to wait? I don't think so."

"You threaten me bodily harm, death even, if I don't cooperate. That is where you lost the power. You know nothing I tell you under duress would be true. So, you actually have two choices. One, release me and allow me to return to my ship. Once there, I may consider some of your demands. Or two, we see just how much of your souls you are willing to get rid of. I'm sure one or more of you would kill me and be okay with it. However, how would the rest of your crew, all loyal Starfleet, truly react? If they stay silent, they will be just as guilty of murding an unarmed, illegally held prisoner, who had medical treatment blocked more than once and legal representation was not provided, nor was said prisoner handed over to the proper authorities." He sat back in the chair, relaxing against the restraints. He knew he had won.

"You see the difference between Kate and I?" Lily said conversationally. "Is that I do not threaten. I act. And I think slitting you from ear to ear is what is best." She stepped closer. "And unlike my brother and father, I do my own dirty work."

Kate lost control and suddenly moved fluidly drawing Lily's knife out of its holster. Her speed was incredible. She was enraged by Cragen. It wasn't long until Kate began stabbing Cragen wildly. "HOW DARE YOU ENSLAVE ME, AND MY MATE. AND PRETEND TO BE RIGHTEOUS." Kate screamed as she stabbed wildly. "I am going to kill you! Then I will purify the last of your wretched race! Even better, I'll put every last one of you out for the borg to take!!!!"

"Give her back to me! Give her back to me NOW!!!"

Mattias moved quickly, tackling Kate and knocking the blade away. Using pure brute strength, he hauled her out of the makeshift cell and dragged her down the hall. "What the fuck, Kate?!" He turned her around and pressed her, face first, against a cold wall, holding her in place easily. "You better hope that he lives," he spoke to her with clenched teeth. "If this mission fails, and Phoenix's family, her babies are harmed because of your actions today, I will destroy you!" There was an anger in his voice that he had never shared with anyone, except two very special people. One was his brother-in-arms and best friend, Tim. The other, was the woman he loved more than life itself, Phoenix Lalor.

===Cell===

Cragen hung limply in his restraints. Blood was pumping freely from more holes than Kara had hands.

Phoenix/Lily cursed and grabbed Kara and pulled her up to Cragen. "Come on, lets save this arse!"

Kara nodded. This one was on her to save her, who knew how many generations removed, grandfather. It was sheer luck she had her medbag with her, but she was going to have to work fast with Lily’s help. “You work that side, I’ll work this!”

Lily nodded and got to work.

The priority was on stopping the bleeding long enough to repair the wounds, but Cragen needed blood as well. She did the only thing she could think of to do, attaching a transfusion line between herself and Cragen for the short term. “Don’t you dare die on me grandfather! I may not agree with your methods but I’m still family! I need you do you hear me? I need you!”

Malakai moved to Kara, he didn't give two shits about Kyle Cragen but he didn't want to see Kara hurt over this. "Kara, use this. It will seal the wounds long enough to stop the blood loss." He said handing her a small tube.

Before anyone could do anything more, a cocoon started to form around Cragen's body and chair. The fibers that came from his body were golden in color.

"Crap" Lily groaned and pulled Kara back. "El-Aurians" the word was said with a mix of disgust and resignation.

Having rapidly disconnected herself from Cragen, Kara had stood watching in awe as the cocoon formed around him. “What? What is this!?”

"El-Aurians, when injured, are able to cocoon themselves to heal." Lily replied cooly. "He will be out of it for days."

“Wow” was all that came out of Kara’s mouth. She’d never seen anything like it. “Will this...happen to me if I’m severely injured? He said that I have El Aurian dna in my genetics.”

"Not sure." Lily replied. "Come on, we best check on Kate."

Kara nodded, taking one last look at Cragen she stood and followed Lily.

===

Kate remained alone in her room. Staring at the blood on her hands.. She stood up and paced.. and then looked at Josephine's picture. "Maybe... I'll never hold you again... Maybe revenge is the only thing worth living for.. Maybe I've earned this life in hell." Kate then threw the painting.

"Yes... That's how it should be done!!!" Kate noted. "Evil must be slain on first sight. It should not be allowed to take hold!!" Kate screamed. "Why do I have so much hate in me?! Please... Come back... Josie." Kate moved to the door and locked it.

"What have I done?" Kate asked herself.

Mattias stood guard outside Kate's room. He would make sure she didn't do anything stupid. When he heard the bolt catch to lock the door, he turned and rapped on the door itself. "Kate, unlock the door now. If you don't i will take the damn thing off its hinges. You don't get to lock yourself away without hearing Lily out. Not after what just happened." He then paused and waited. He didn't really want to take her door off, but he would, if she tested him.

"No..... It doesn't end...." Kate layed down. Her mind turned inward.. Going back in time to the shore leave on Pacifica. When she introduced Josephine to her family. "She wanted those times back." She just layed prone on the bed.. Her mind turned inward to... Josephine.. Her memories.. Constructing a mental fantasy with Josephine's memories inside. "I only need my memories.. I only need my memories.. I only need my memories... I only need..."

As they arrived at Kate’s quarters Kara gave Mattias a curious look. “What’s wrong?”

Mattias turned to Kara and Lily as they arrived. "She's locked the door and there was a crash of some kind and mumbling. I was about to bust the door down."

Lily took a breath. "I am torn between leaving her in there and going in." she admitted.

"Well.." Mattias began, "We can't just leave her in there to her own devices. I mean...she'll starve, if nothing else. Maybe, we keep her locked in, but take shifts bringing her food and checking on her?"

"Yeah lets do that" Lily was still pretty pissed about the whole thing.

~OFF~