Plan of action - Loosing the Crazy?

Posted on Wed Nov 24th, 2021 @ 9:49am by Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Lieutenant Commander Malakai Starr [Taylor] & Lieutenant Commander Kara Starr {Kelea-Salik} & Captain Mattias Richardson [Reece]

Mission: Darkness Rising - A Phoenix Lalor Sub Plot
Location: Various
Timeline: MD37 - Time unknown.
2578 words - 5.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Phoenix had prepped the Ferengi shuttle she and Mattias had appropriated from the arms dealer.

She had stored all of Arris belongings in the hold and asked Mattias and Malakai to bring Arrianna, who was still sedated to the shuttle. Kara was also summoned.

Phoenix wore her Lily Kass disguise, along with a skin tight leather outfit that she knew showed her body off. The role of Lily was central to her survival now.

Kara didn’t take long to arrive, her medical kit hanging over her shoulder just incase she’d need it.

"I am going to drop Arri off just outside Allindri space." Phoenix said to them as they settled Arri on a bunk. "Kara i need all the medical information you have on Arri since her arrival. And if you wish to come with me, speak now or hold your peace."

"I'm going with you," Mattias sooke up without hesitation. "Give me ten minutes to get suited up." He then hustled off to the armory, to don his Andorian power armor.

Kara looked towards Phoenix, “I’m going, Arri is my patient I’m not leaving her side until we drop her off.”

"If you think I'm going to let the three of you go off and leave me behind, you are sadly mistaken. I'm going with you. besides you need someone to keep you all out of trouble." Malakai said with a tight smile.

Phoenix nodded. "Her people are better equipped to help her. If I had any other choice I would take it. I have sent her shuttle on auto pilot to deliver the rendezvous instructions. It will take us 15 hours to get to the planet I selected."

"Then what are we waiting for? Lets get going." Malakai announced.

Mattias made it back to the shuttle with two minutes to spare. After securing the hatch, he moved to the helm and powered up the engines. Once he recieved clearence from Tinkerbell, he exited the hanger and laid in the course that Lily had already instructed.

Once the ship jumped to warp, there wasn't much to do but sit and think.

Kara smiled as she moved across to Malakai, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind she kissed his cheek. “Hey handsome, thank you for coming along. I hate leaving you behind these days.”

Malakai twisted in his seat, placed his hands atop Kara's and reached to kiss her back. "Hi sweetie. You are welcome. Can't let you go and have all the fun and I hate you going off without me."

“Then I promise no more going off without you from now on!” Kara grinned as she playfully sat on her husband's knee. “I wonder how long it’ll be before this bump gets so big you won’t be able to stand me being on your knee! Two months down only another seven to go!”

"That's a promise, I'll make sure you keep." Malakai bantered back. "I'll never get tired of you sitting on my knee Kara. Never." He promised. "Those seven months are going too fly by and then there will be three of us.... a family." He beamed at her.

“Now that I’m looking forward to very much!” Kara grinned as she leant in for a kiss. She made it brief seeing as they had company.

"Me too!" Malakai exclaimed excitedly and returned the quick kiss as they didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves. They could always continue this later...alone.

Kara smiled before returning to her seat.

*Above Neferat II, 15 Hours later*

The shuttle had been sitting in geostationary polar orbit for the past thirty minutes. Mattias, having said very little during the trip, was seeming tense as he sat, nearly motionless, at the helm.

Lily stood at his shoulder, her hand on his right shoulder as if contact was the only thing keeping them together.

The Consoles began signalling that a ship was emerging from slipstream. What appeared was a graceful yet deadly looking frigate. It's contours made the ship seem beautiful, but even the Ferengi Shuttle's scanners picked up this ship.

"Got an Allindri frigate scanning us." Malakai announced. "Their weapons however are powered down, so that's a plus."

As soon as the Alindari ship reverted to realspace, Mattias activated an internal control on his suit, and his helmet clamshelled closed and sealed.

Kara focussed on the job at hand, taking care of Arri. With her people her she would have a much better chance.

Lily sighed and opened hailing frequencies.

Aletheia came onto the screen. "Lily Kaas I presume? Furthermore it seems you have my daughter. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have your shuttle boarded and all of you taken into custody?" The Imperial Guard captain noted. "But that action is ill-advised, you have my daughter, and I would be foolish to do anything that would result in her harm. I would like to know where Kyle Cragen is now however." Aletheia's calm voice noted. It seemed like Arrianna's.

Kara looked towards the screen. “I’m K... Arrianna’s physician, she desperately needs help. After everything that’s happened with Josie...she tried to kill herself! We’re not your enemies, we brought Arri home because we care about her.”

"My mission is to find my daughter, find her mate;.Josephine Carlyle, and being that monster Kyle Cragen and all of his associates to the Federation's justice. But I see the situation has been complicated. Ast ven tu lan." Aletheia disappeared from the bridge in a transporter beam and appeared before them. She walked up to her daughter. "Martyrs of Alindar. I feel it already."

As soon as the woman beamed aboard, Mattias was on his feet and moving to stand behind Lily, to give her support, if needed.

Kara nodded. “I’ve been feeling it the whole time. I’ve had to keep her sedated at her own request, and for her safety.”

Lily stood coldly by. Then she spoke. "We are still looking for her partner. We brought her here at much risk to ourselves. " Lily pressed a button and Arris things were transported to the other vessel. "We suggest," the bajoran added " You take your daughter home as soon as possible. And do not follow us."

"Is that a threat, Ms. Kass. I could still board your ship, take you all into custody, and deal with this situation as I see fit." Aletheia noted. "But doing so would waste time I don't have."

"I don't waste time with threats" Lily replied, her tone cool. " Good luck with her. Give the lady the medical file" she instructed Kara.

In silent support, Mattias extended the combat blade on his right gauntlet. He didn't raise the vicious-looking weapon, he just used its presence to strengthen Lily's words.

Kara nodded and handed over the medical file she’d been keeping on Arri.

Aletheia noticed the extended blade spoke into her coms unit. "Ak caniaia fan." The shuttle was seized by a tractor beam.

Lily growled in her throat as the shuttle jerked.

"I'm taking you all back to Sena Alindar." Aletheia mentioned. "I believe you know where Josephine Carlyle is."

As Aletheia talked, Malakai moved silently behind her and placed a phaser in the small of her back. "Please ma'am, we came in good faith and delivered Arri to you so you can help her, now please let us leave in good faith."

“Please...we don’t know where Josie is” Kara looked at Arri. “Do you think we’d be letting Arri suffer like this if we did!?” She sighed. “If you want Kyle Cragen then take me with you instead, I’m descended from his family line.”

Mattias started to move and object but, thankfully, Malakai beat him to the punch.

"Kara, you aren't going anywhere." Malakai told his wife. "You haven't done the crimes Cragen has."

Lily stepped between Kara and Aletheia. And then she began to speak. "Ok, so done now, I am so over Alindarii and their threats, their interference. You will release this ship and take your daughter or by the gods as my witness I will unleash such a force on you and yours that you will pray for the Borg. We FOUND HER, We freed her. We brought her back to you. Where were you? Where were your famed Alindari? Where were they when your daughter and her lover were captured and tortured? Where were they? NO WHERE. So we find her, buy her freedom, heal her as best we can, and bring her to you and this is what you do to repay? ed' i' Seldarine You are as stubborn as your daughter. Take her and get off this ship. NOW"

Aletheia looked at her for a moment then spoke. "I sense truth from you. Very well. I'll take Arrianna. I will give you an opportunity to accomplish what you're doing." She held up her coms. "Ak Canaiai Lo." The Tractor beam was disengaged. "Please. Do not blame her for anything she might have done... When we get this way... Our behavior becomes erratic.. unpredictable... Dangerous."

She walked up to Arri and spoke to her communicator. "Ast ven tu fo." She and Arri disappeared.

Lily sagged and looked at Malakai. "Lets get out of here. Convoluted course please."

Kara breathed a sigh of relief, “Sorry I didn’t mean to leap in like that. I just hope they can help Arri.”

Mattias was already ahead of Malakai. He sheathed his blade as he hustled back to the pilot's seat. Once in place, he started a very convoluted course away from the Alindarii vessel. He made a dozen micro warp jumps in the first ten minutes alone. As he did so, he put his suit sensors on full power, making sure a tracker wasn't somehow secreted aboard during the transports. As he had already uploaded a complete micron by micron scan of the shuttle to his suit computer, even if there was a passive, cloaked, bug on board, he'd know about it in about five minutes.

Ten minutes later, he popped open his helmet. "There's no tracker on board, but I'm gonna still take the scenic route home. You might as well go get comfortable, we won't be back till tomorrow afternoon."

Kara smiled. “In that case I’ll be in back taking a nap” She looked at Malakai. “Want to keep me company?”

"What an excellent idea. I do indeed,." Malakai said with a wink as he took Kara's hand. "Please lead the way Kara.''

Taking Malakai’s hand Kara offered everyone a smile before heading back to the rear of the ship. Once they were alone she turned to look at him. “Okay say it...I shouldn’t have volunteered myself, and I know it.”

Malakai shook his head, as his hands came up to caress Kara's face. "I don't need to say it. You said it and know it. I will say it was foolish and that is all I will say on the subject." He leaned forward and kissed her, "Please don't be foolish. For my sake, yours and the baby's."

Lily moved back into the cockpit and sat down in silence.

Once they were alone, Mattias put the ship on autopilot and looked over at Phoenix. "So, how much shit do you think is going to rain down from this?"

"I do not know. Hopefully Arri will be able to stop it." She shrugged. "Right now though I couldn't care less, we have a mission to complete."

Mattias nodded slowly. He knew that every day this mission took longer, was another day she was away from her babies. He would give anything to get her home to them faster.

After a few beats, he said, "Why don't you go get some sleep, sweetheart. I wasn't kidding about our eta to the base."

She curled up in the seat she sat in. "I will be fine here. I find its hard to sleep without you beside me."

He typed in a request for Malakia to take over in six hours, so he could make sure that Phoenix rested. "Give me a minute." He stood and moved to the storeroom just behind the cockpit. There, he stepped out of his bulky armor.

Once back in just his running shorts and tank top, he moved back to the pilot's seat and sat down. After ensuring the programed course was still being executed, he spread his arms to her as he sat back. "Come here, baby."

She climbed from her chair and into his lap easily. She snuggled down.

Mattias sighed contentedly, when the woman he loved made herself comfortable in his lap. When she stopped moving, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her securely. "I love you, Phee."

"Love you Matt" She whispered back and closed her eyes.

The two of them just sat there, quietly being together, as the lightyears sped by. Soon, Mattias felt Phoenix relax and drift of to sleep. He gently kissed her forehead, then laid his own head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, thinking just how far they had come in a relatively short time.

Six hours later Malakai entered the cockpit and found Lily asleep in Mattias's lap and he too was fast asleep. He smiled down at them as he slipped into the co-pilot's seat, checked their course and made sure they hadn't picked up any pursuers. Satisfied they were on course and in the clear. He spoke to the sleeping pair. "Ahem, sorry for disturbing you lovebirds but go to your quarters...please."

Lily woke and muttered something in Erisian as she slid from Matt's lap. "6 hours already?" she asked yawning.

"Yep." Malakai replied with a grin. "It's amazing how time flies when you're having a good time especially with someone you care a great deal about." He finished nodding at the sleeping Mattias.

"All we did was sleep. Unlike you I am guessing" Lily smirked and then she leaned over and whispered in Mattias's ear to wake him up.

"All you did this time was sleep." Malakai bantered back easily. "As for Kara and myself, well we slept too..... after awhile."

Hearing Phoenix whisper in his ear, Mattias opened his eyes and stretched, yawning like some wild animal. "Wow! That was a great nap!" He stood and looked over the controls.

Looking over at Malakai, he said, "there's gonna be another burst of micro jumps in an hour. I was trying to make things seem unpredictable, just in case some is actually following us. I'll come back and take over in six hours." He gently patted his brother-in-law's shoulder as he turned and smiled at Phoenix. "Shall we retire for the evening, my dear?"

"Got it." Malakai replied and then added with a grin, "Don't do anything, Kara and I wouldn't do."

"So that leaves us with what?" Lily said over her shoulder as she tucked herself to Mattias's side easily.

"Not a heck of a lot." Malakai quipped. "So enjoy yourselves which I have no doubt you will."

"If the cabin's a'rocking, don't come knockin'." Mattias said with a slight smirk as he wrapped his left arm around her. He always felt at peace when Phoenix was with him. She always knew exactly how to chase his demons away.

Lily grinned and let Mattias lead her from the cockpit.

OFF