Rendezvous for the Search

Posted on Thu Jun 30th, 2022 @ 12:38am by Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Captain Gary Taylor & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Lieutenant Commander Malakai Starr [Taylor] & Lieutenant Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen [Taylor] & Lieutenant Commander Kara Starr {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Kintsugi - An Arrianna and Josephine Subplot
Location: SB 1
2989 words - 6 OF Standard Post Measure

The silence of ESD's ship traffic was broken by a ship exiting a slipspace conduit near ESD. A hail came in immediately to the ship as Arrianna looked at the viewscreen. Arrianna sighed. "Tell them I want to speak to certain people on the Elysium." She noted in her usual calm tone. "We have matters to discuss."

Imik was in her cabin when a message flashed up on her computer screen, her mind returned to the mirror universe and the women she had met. "I wonder what they require of me?" She spoke to herself as she continued to repair her Ojnas blaster, Imik wanted more power out of it. "I shall answer shortly", she now reminded herself.

Sthilg was asleep in his office when an alert caused him to shoot up. Blinking his eyes widened at who was calling as he opened a channel. " Arrianna you sssilly girl where have you been." he said at the familiar sight that appeared on the screen.

"I wish I was returning under better circumstances, doctor. I need to speak to everyone there." Arrianna said in her usual calm tone. There was something terribly wrong with Arrianna. True the calmness had returned, but it was laced with intense worry and longing. Regardless. She was the Arrianna now from before Mirror Taylor had imprisoned her. "I will not be staying very long, old friend. I'm taking a leave of absence from Starfleet for a while and I don't know when I'll return. I'll speak to you about it in the Elysium's Conference Room.

" I'll make sssure everyone'sss there. " Sthilg replied his mind jumping into doctor mode. Something terrible had happned.

Savar saw the light blinking on the console, Alicia has a tough feeding session with their daughter and had fallen asleep. "Alicia, we have a message, who is it from?" He whispered.

Alicia awoke to the sound of Savar’s gentle voice alerting her to a missed call, checking their messages she was surprised by just who the call was from. “It’s Arrianna.”

He was instantly awake. "Arrianna? What does she say?"

Alicia looked at the message. “It seems she wants to meet with us..”

---

Arri stood in the conference room in uniform while wearing an elegant silk-like cloak. She stood looking out to the star-field, waiting for those she summoned to arrive.

It didn’t take Alicia and Savar long to arrive at the conference room, walking in Alicia smiled as she greeted Arrianna. “It’s good to see you Arrianna.”

Savar looked at Arrianna. " Commander, allow me to echo Alicia's feelings. It is good to see you again."

Before Arrianna had the chance to reply in came Sthilg. " My dear girl what happened to you." The lizard said in full doctor mode.

"Every possible indignity one being could impose on another." Arrianna answered Sthilg. "Be seated, I've told many other people of my return."

Next through the doors was Kara, as ever flanked by husband Malakai. Where Arrianna, and events surrounding her were concerned Malakai was very protective of his pregnant wife.

Malakai stood next to Kara. They were both well aware of Arri's torture and what Michael bishop had done to her. He was glad to see her, looking fit and composed. A long wat from the shattered, broken they both knew when she first came aboard the Black Watch after her rescue from Cragen.

Having repaired her blaster, Imik now re-read the message on her computer. *A meeting in the conference room, then I had better attend*, she thought. Imik now dressed in her dress Ojnas uniform, a blue jacket and skirt with light green edging with side arm carried. She arrived at the doors of the conference room and pressed the entry button, "Blessings on all who attend here, how may this humble Ojnas be of assistance?"

Tag all Arrivals

---

Arrianna walked towards the head of the table. "The last time you saw me was when I left on psychological leave after Captain Carrington's... abuses.." She said calmly as she shot Mountbatten a glance. Arrianna didn't like the commodore one iota. "Became too much for me to bear.. But nothing prepared me for what would happen next. I'm afraid both myself and my partner Josephine Carlyle has been stalked for quite some time by a man named Kyle Cragen."

Kara looked around at those gathered. “Cragen is an El Aurian, and he’s also my grandfather. Granted a lot of generations removed.

"Cragen is the defintion of a beast..." Arrianna noted. "His ship captured our yacht.. Captured us.. I fought them with every ounce of strength I had.. But Josephine was torn from me." Arrianna noted. "Then I was tortured and drugged until a new personality became dominant. One of a disgraceful submissive whore named Flossie completely loyal to Kyle Cragen. It was then that Flossie did something unspeakable. She helped Cragen break the love of my life.." Arrianna noted. "I was then rescued by Lily Kass.. I tried to assist her in the Black Watch mission, but my unstable mind created yet another persona driven by pure hatred of Kyle Cragen. And an overwhelming obsession with finding Josephine. I had to be returned to Sena Alindar for treatment." Arri noted. "My mental integrity has improved. Significantly. But I am afriad I am taking an extended leave of absense from Starfleet." She noted. "I must find Cragen's right-hand... and retrieve Josie from him. And to that end, I cannot be a starfleet officer right now. I will run Micheal Bishop down to the far end of the galaxy if I must." Arrianna noted. "He is the one that tortured me, and I'm afraid his torture was.. Very specific to Alindari Physiology. He knew just enough how to coerce me into becoming.. Something else. Something... degrading."

Sthilg listened his artificial arm putting a noticeable crack in the table which he was gripping in anger " Who'sss leading the sssearch. i do have some freindsss in the kdf who could help." he asked.

“I’d also like to help with the search. I’d like the chance to put right at least one of the wrongs my grandfather committed.”

"I will help in the search for this Michael Bishop." Savar spoke from his seat next Alicia.

There was a soft cough from the door way. "Well well, look who finally showed up" Phoenix Lalor stood there, Captain's rank pips gleaming. "Commander Salannis au Vantar" She said.

Garrett stood to one side of Phoenix and looked at Arri. "Are you sure you want me here Arri?"

"I need to face what's happened. I haven't been a good Starfleet Officer lately. I need to take everything that's important back in my life from Kyle Cragen. And never surrender again. That includes making peace with Phoenix... You.. the Black Watch Crew, and Commodore Mountbatten." Arrianna spoke. "I need to do better.. For everyone, for the Federation...And even for the crew that saved me.. If they didn't save me.. I would have willingly spent the rest of my life in slavery. It shames me telling you how willing I was to degenerate myself for these slavers."

"I am at a loss as to what one such as I can do to help, but I am willing to aide you in any mission that is undertaken." Imik looked at those around the room, the original Star Fleet Captain had returned. How would she react to Imik's statement?

Kara looked towards Arrianna. “You weren’t to blame Arri, I for one am very happy to see you again!” She offered a smile. “I want to help you get Josie back.”

"Do you have any idea where this Bishop and by that I also mean Josephine may be?" Gary asked, having just arrived and hearing the last few bits of the conversation.

Arrianna nodded. "I've been working on that situation myself. When Cragen attacked the Black Watch base, The ship the watch was using; the equinox, recorded the ship'unique warp configuration and signature." She noted. "It is a decomissioned Starfleet Stormbringer Class Corvette. So I began to use a device we call a probability simulator to access multiple planetary networks for the names of Kyle Cragen, Micheal Bishop, and whatever associates they may have had. Combined with my own knoledge when Flossie... served them... I narrowed down a specific area of worlds between Rigel X and places where Cragen has done business, and I believe I have a search area for Cragen's vessel." The briefing screen showed the search area. "And I have a ship with me that can aid in this search."

"Cragen is in jail." Phoenix stated coldly. "And after the events of past weeks Arrianna, how do we know that you are fit enough for this?"

Arri spoke. "Someone you know very well.. Helped me recover.. Her name is Quinn. I believe she, in her own way, cared for you and your crew, Captain." Arri noted. "She helped me remove her from my mind."

“If it helps Captain...” Alicia looked towards Phoenix. “I’m not sensing anything about Arrianna that concerns me.”

Sthilg always hated slavers even before they touched his friends. Doing his best to keep his anger in control he breathed out a few times to calm himself. " I will be willing to help in any meansss that i can." he said with a determination in his voice.

Sensing her father’s emotions Alicia smiled and placed her hand on Sthilg’s large hand to offer him some support.

"This is all well and good, concerning Arrianna's mental fitness but what concerns me, is the fact, no one in the months since your rescue Arri, has stumbled across this Michael Bishop, Josie and the ship she is obviously being held on. So, you aren't dealing with some dope, driving his daddy's car." Gary replied sharply.

"What would you have me do Gary. Let him keep her?" Arrianna noted calmly. "Whst if it was Aurelia? What if it was Mirian, Phoenix?"

Gary got angry and got angry fast. "Of course not! No one is saying give up on getting Josie back and i resent you suggesting that I had." He fired back. "You are missing the point, Arrianna. You say you have all these probabilities worked out in where Bishop could be hiding. Yet Starfleet Intel hasn't found anything on him. I'm saying I think you and they are underestimating Bishop."

"I'm sorry, Garry.. It's just.. Even I have trouble restraining matters of the heart. But I cannot give up on Josephine. This is so difficult. I feel as if I want to tear this galaxy apart one inch at a time and get her back." The controlled desperation was in Arri's voice. "I'm here because I wanted to come back and trust in Starfleet to do the right thing rather than going off on my own and creating more regrets. I wanted to trust in you, trust in Phoenix. I've let everyone down too many times already. Especially the Black Guard Crew."

"Arriana, No one is giving up on getting Josephine back." Gary said softly, "You know this Bishop, you know how he thinks, what his tendencies are. Think outside the box. Throw away what you know about him. He's on the run, Starfleet Intel, is hunting him, he probably thinks the Black Watch and you are hunting him. He's not going to go to his familiar places. He's going to go to backwater planet and black-market dealers to get what he needs."

Arrianna began thinking. She had that look, the look many on the Elysium's crew knew well. Her mind was processing. Arrianna then grabbed a PADD and looked up the technical specifications of the Stormbringer Class Frigate's coms array. "Kara... What happened when you accessed one of Kyle Cragen's PADD's?"

Kara looked towards Arri. “Cragen’s people came looking for the person who accessed the PADD.”

"Yes.. He did come to our base on Rigel X to attack it. That meant the padd sent a signal to Cragen informing him one of his progeny accessed one of his possessions." Arrianna noted. "Do you think you can access another one of Cragen's PADDs? Only this time we hyjack the signal and send something else along with it. An exploit to reconfigure a stormbringer class corvette to broadcast on a narrow band subspace frequency. One that is often overlooked."

"Um." Garrett spoke up. "Didn't Phoenix say this Cragen is in prison? If so, what makes you think Bishop has kept any of his PaDDs or better hasn't already taken steps to prevent you from doing what you are attempting?"

"I'm not talking about the PADD's Bishop has.. I'm talking about the ones we've already siezed from one of Cragen's caches." Arrianna noted. "Also, Cragen trusted Bishop with many things, but many other things he kept to himself. Such as his most private correspondence. He wanted to be notified immediately if one of his progeny accessed one of his possessions. He wouldn't trust that to Bishop." Arri noted. "Also, Cragen had reason not to trust Bishop with everything."

Kara nodded. “I can do it.” She looked around at those gathered. “Whatever you do, do not touch anything of Cragen’s that we bring out, anyone who attempts who access them, besides me, will be killed. Kyle had them tamper proofed against anyone who wasn’t his progeny.”

Phoenix had remained silent throughout. "What makes you think Bishop still has Josephine?" She asked "He could have sold her by now. After all, she means nothing to him. She was Cragen's."

“She’ll still be with Bishop” Kara looked towards Phoenix. “My grandfather entrusted her to Bishop, if she’s not with him then he’ll know where to find her.”

"Even if you find her, he will not let her go." Phoenix said and then she looked at Kara. "And if you think you are going anywhere in your condition, you can forget it. I like living and I am NOT going to be the one Mattias and Malakai kill because you go on this mission."

Kara nodded albeit disappointedly. “Understood Captain” She looked towards Malakai who was sitting pretty quietly as her side. It was obvious he didn’t approve of her wanting to help in the first place.

Malakai looked at Kara, his expression set in stone. "Sorry Kara, I agree with the captain. You and the baby's safety is paramount."

"Look, I'm asking a lot." Arrianna noted. "This man took my liberty, my body, my life.. even someone I love endlessly.. I want my life back so much, Phoenix.. I want everything back he took, and I can't do it alone." Arri noted. "I have to try.. " She shed a tear. "I have to try.. If I do not, I will have completely failed her." Arrianna used her mental discipline to keep herself from breaking down in tears.

" I'll go." Sthilg said from his seat. His mind was flooded with painful memories. Of the pile of bodies that animal had called failed stock and left to die. Off the hand that burst out and grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go. " I ssswore to my Ssshassssssou I'd ssstop ssslaversss when ever i found them."

Imik now stood up, "I maybe of limited assistance, but if permission is given I will also aide you in this time of trouble."

“You’ve got my help Arrianna” Alicia offered a warm smile. “Josie is going to need all the help she can get.”

Phoenix crossed her arms and stared at Arri. Yes she was still pissed and she was getting more pissed that Arri thought she could just waltz in and take Elysium Crew for this... mission.

"Any officer wishing to undertake this mission will need to take a leave of absence" She said softly. "We have our own orders people. I need my crew here."

" I have two yearsss leave sssaved up." Sthilg replied.

Phoenix wanted to yel. She let her eyes, now an icy blue fix on Arrianna. "If you think I do not hate the fact that Josephine is in the predicament she is, if you don't think that I regret not getting her back when we got you back then you are wrong. BUT the fact remains Arrianna, that you are listed as on Medical Leave, for good reason! Hell Arri, Quinn aside you tried to kill yourself not a month or so ago! And you now want this crew to put their jobs on .... oh I give up!" Phoenix threw her hands in the air. "Had you not run off in a hissy fit about Carrington..." So saying Phoenix stalked from the room. "Do whatever"

Gary looked at Arri, "You have a lot of nerve Arri. We all want to get Josephine back, but you just waltz in and think you can snap your fingers and get people to go with you." He finished as he turned and followed Phoenix out of the room.

Imik remained standing and looked about, "Dare I ask what just happened here?"

Arri sighed and pulled out a PADD. She began to type it out and place her thumb on it. An official resignation from Starfleet. "I'm done with this. There's just no way. No way...." She pushed her thumb on the PADD and walked out to the transporter room. "You don't have to come with me. Phoenix chose the mission. I am choosing Josephine. I'll get her back if I have to KILL Bishop myself!!!" She screamed as she walked out."And I'LL NEVER LOSE ANYTHING AGAIN!!!"

Alicia looked towards her father. “ I can’t take leave I’m needed here. I’ll talk to Savar see if he’ll go along to help Josie in my place. Tell Arri I’m sorry!” With that she headed after Phoenix and Gary.

"C'mon, Let's go get her." Arri watched Phoenix leave.

 

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