Uncomfortable Debrief

Posted on Mon Sep 23rd, 2024 @ 11:27am by Lieutenant Commander Rin & Lieutenant Anna Esquivias

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Rin's office
Timeline: A few days after escaping the Arena
1036 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

An Intel ensign led Anna Esquivias to LCDR Rin's office. Rin herself was sitting behind her desk, and motioned for Anna to take a seat just as she asked if she could get Anna anything from the replicator.

Anna took the seat that was indicated. She shook her head slightly at the question as she looked attentively to Rin. "Thank you, ma'am, but I'm good."

"Alright, just let me know if you change your mind," Rin replied, getting herself a cup of coffee. "My questions may get personal. Please let me know if you are uncomfortable. The more we know about experiences like yours, the more likely we are to successfully combat them in the future, both in this galaxy and back home."

"I'd like to start at the beginning," Rin continued. "Can you tell me about the day you were attacked? What you were doing at the time, where your ship was located, etc."

"I was aboard a shuttlecraft," Anna said. "We were headed towards a deep space rendezvous with the Endeavour where I was to take my new position. I wasn't at the conn. I don't know the exact coordinates when we were attacked."

Rin nodded. "It may be of slight solace to you to know the Endeavor was not attacked. I would have heard about an incident like that. So, how did the attack happen? Did they disable engines, beam on board, beam you off, etc. Take as much time as you need."

"They began by firing on us with energy weapons," she answered. "When the shields went down, they beamed me off the shuttle. I don't know what happened to Lieutenant Vera."

"Computer, bring up the service record of Lt. Vera," Rin stated.

Anna turned to look at the record as it came onto the screen. She was holding her breath. But, when she saw the record, it said he had survived the attack and had gone on to serve on the USS Phobos. "Thank God, Oscar made it," she said.

"So they waylaid a ship, beamed one person off - you - and then let the ship and its pilot go. What happened next to you?" Rin asked.

"I don't know why," Anna admitted. "Can we access his report?"

With a thought through her neural interface, Rin brought up a handful of holographic files, which she flipped through until finding the right one. "Looks like a nearby ship answered Vera's distress call. It's possible your kidnappers did not want to engage with a full sized Starfleet vessel. That lines up with them sniping at a shuttle."

Rin waved away the holographic display and turned back to Anna. "What happened next?"

"They....uh....they...Well, they sedated me. When I woke up again, I was in what was basically a cage and...uh...I wasn't...they..." She took a breath. She was not handling this as well as she thought she would.

"Take a breath," Rin urged. "Do you need a break?"

Anna took a deep breath. "No, I think I am ok."

Rin nodded. "Then please continue. We can smooth over some of the details for the moment, but it's important we understand their methods and motives."

"They grilled me a little about my knowledge and skills. They talked very crudely about my body. They informed me that I was, you know, chattel," she said, frowning deeply.

"What sorts of things were they interested in, skillwise?"

"Fighting at first," she said, "of the hand-to-hand variety. Then music, dancing, mixology, people skills. They weren't...I mean...It wasn't tactical. They wanted to know what they could use me for, what they could sell me for."

"Did it ever seem to matter to them that you were Starfleet?" Rin asked, trying to understand what the motivation of these people were besides profit. Common thieves do not often target the military, since there are so many less defended targets available. "Did they even seem to know what that meant? You were in uniform, after all, you were wearing insignia, and your shuttle was marked as well."

"Not at all," Anna said. "Just more meat for the market. They didn't seem to respect it or fear it or even much understand it. They didn't act like a military enemy. They acted like they were acquiring a resource." She paused and held up a hand. "Actually, that's wrong. It led them to hope I might be a good fighter for their games. They were disappointed I wasn't. I passed all my physical requirements but I was never the one you send in to fistfight a Klingon."

Rin made note of the suggestion of combat-oriented slaves having more value than other sorts, such as those used domestically. It certainly did not contradict anything she had seen in the Arena. It was the sport of the Arena that had drawn the most attention, and its gladiators had been predominant in sales advertisements. This was a culture that might value blood sports over personal comforts, which also lined up with what Teevs had shared about their exceedingly violent tendencies.

"Did they sell you at the Arena, or were you brought there later?" Rin asked.

"I'm actually not sure if I was sold," Anna said. "I was never put up for auction or introduced to any kind of personal owner. Once they learned a little more about me and about Ardanan culture, they used me to entertain guests visiting the arena to bet, buy or simply watch. I got the impression I was the property of the same business that initially captured me, but I don't know for sure. They didn't discuss the legalities with me. They simply trained me to..." Anna sighed, trailing off again and lowering her head.

"What part of your culture interested them?" Rin asked.

"Mostly the aesthetics," Anna said. "The music, the fashion..." She shook her head. "They basically wanted me to be an ornament."

Rin nodded. "That's enough for now. Thank you for your cooperation. I know this was not easy. It will help us get a fuller understanding of their motives and practices."

"I'm happy to help," Anna said, though it had, indeed been difficult. She rose from her seat. "Thank you, ma'am."