The Tameness of a Wolf

Posted on Thu Jul 9, 2015 @ 4:45am by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin

1,995 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Things Past
Location: Near Theta Cygni
Timeline: 2386

::ON::

There was a hum in the otherwise still corridor of the Orion Interceptor and four starfleet officers in EVA suits materialised. Commander Pharas's antennae twitched against the face plate of his suit. "What have we got?"

There was a series of bleeps as tricorders flipped open. "We're just outside engineering. I'm reading high level anti-matter radiation," Lieutenant Valag, the telurian engineer observed.

"And the radiation here?" T'Vel, Pharas' security cheif asked sharply

"Whilst the seals are holding, the rest of the ship is fine." The telurian examined the contamination seals. "We can cycle through and take a look without endangering the rest of the ship. And we're going to have to. It looks like life support only gave out a couple of hours ago, based on temperature. Its cold, but not frozen."

"Okay. Lets take a look at Engineering since we're here." Pharas decided, "lets get life support back up then we can get these suits off and take a look around."

It took a moment to establish the contamination seals were still good at the entrance to the engineering section, and then Valag had the manual overide pulled and the first door of the air lock opened. Once the lock had cycled they saw the wreckage beyond.

"Wow. What a mess." Pharas looked down at the bodies. "Orion, klingon, bolian, cardassian." He cocked his head on one side to examine the radiation ravaged features of another corpse. "Is that a Breen?"

Nathan Dorain, the doctor, gave the body a glance. "The refrigeration suit would suggest so. But I suspect we will need to run DNA. The corpse is certainly unidentifiable."

The Andorian commander looked over towards the warp core. "What happened here Lieutenant? If there had been a warp core breach then the whole ship would have vaporised."

Velag stepped across the bodies that were clustered around the entrance. The poor bastards had obviously tried to get out. "The anti matter chamber's been ejected." He looked at the warp core, the nacelle controls, the internal generators. It was a strange set up. Then it came to him. "I think they tried converting it to a transwarp drive. And it broke."

"Transwarp? I thought that was still experimental"

"Extremely. There's only been limited success using alpha quadrant technology." He popped off another panel and looked inside. "And it looks plumbed for sustained use - its a long haul engine not something for quick escapes. Totally bodged too, surprised it worked in the first place."

T'Vel raised both eyebrows. "What do Syndicate Pirates want with long haul transwarp?"

"A good question. We should take a look around."

"Just a moment sir, Velgag moved a couple of breakers, and a computer panel came to life. A few moments later, lights came on, and the feint whine of the environment systems came back on line. "I don't think in here will improve much, but you should be able to take the suits off once you get back through the air lock. I'll see if I can figure out exactly what happened."

"Good. Call us if you find anything interesting.

Once the radiation lock cycled again and Phara, T'Vel and the doctor were outside of the engineering section, Pharas checked his tricorder, and seeing all the readings green, practically threw the helmet of his EVA suit to the ground, and gasped in a refreshing mouthful of air. "That feels better." He stripped off the rest of his suit, and straightened his uniform.

T'Vel and Nathan followed his lead, and then the doctor flipped out his tricorder to take his won readings. "Its sixteen degrees and rising. Radiation is dropping, oxygen looks like its settling out and-" he stopped and shook the tricorder. When it didn't seem to do anything, he banged it against the bulkhead.

"Is there a problem doctor?" T'Vel asked.

"I'm picking up a life sign. But its not conforming to anything I've seen."

"A new species?" the vulcan woman asked.

"It would explain the Transwarp engine," Pharas said. "A species from the edge of space perhaps."

They followed the blips on the doctors tricorder as they climbed down the turbo lift shaft. T'Vel reached the right deck and opened the doors. They scrambled out into a small lobby area. Pharas helped the doctor up and Nathan let out a sharp yelp.

Nailed to the bulkhead was a body.

Nathan looked sheepish, but stepped over to the body. "Boslic, male, mid twenties. Based on tissue decomposition, dead for at least ten days."

"Did he die here?" T'Vel asked.

"I don't think so. This was cause of death." He pointed to the Wound under the chin, "Someone stabbed him all the way through scrambling his brain matter." He pointed to the thick metal staples driven through the corpse's shoulder. "These are post-mortem. Also the lack of blood suggests he was killed elsewhere and moved here."

"A warning?" T'Vel theorised.

"More than likely," Pharas agreed. "Either don't run, or don't touch. depending on whether he was crew or not, I'd guess"

They turned from the body in silence, and cast their torches around the rest of the unlit room. It was long, with heavy metal doors featuring small barred openings, lining the far wall.

"A brig?" Nathan asked.

"Slave pen." Pharas corrected.

"Do we call out?"

Pharas nodded and shone his torch down the corridor. "Hello? This is Commander Pharas of the USS Kehra. Is there anyone here in need of assistance?"

There was no reply. The andorian nodded to T'Vel, and the vulcan forced the first door. Inside was a woman of a humanoid species. Dead. "Dehydration" the doctor said after a moment,

"Human?" T'Vel asked. the woman looked human.

"No," Nathan was looking at his tricorder. "but I don't recognise the species. So I cant be sure.".

"They abandoned ship and left the cargo to die. Bastards." Pharas half growled. "Keep going."

The next two cells contained two more women, both dead from dehydration, "But not for long." Nathan announced. "They've still got traces of rigor. For most humanoids I'd say were looking at about a day."

"Well shit." Pharas murmured. "If they'd hung on a little longer, we might have been able to do something."

"Self recrimination is illogical, Commander." T'Vel told him kindly, putting a hand on his shoulder

"Patronising Vulcan." Pharas replied fondly, squeezing her hand. "lets find the survivor."

He moved to the next cell, empty at first glance, but Nathan nodded confirmation. Pharas twitched his antennae. "Hello?" he called out. Still no answer. t'Vel took up position next to the door and heaved it open. Pharas stepped in cautiously. The room stank of bodily wastes, but he could see nothing. "I need more light," he said turning back to T'Vel.

Someone dropped on him.

Legs wrapped around him, and then his unseen assailant rolled around, dragging him further into the cell, spinning him around. A sharp kick to the back of the knee sent him to the floor, a chain wrapped around his neck, and then he felt a foot in his back, increasing the leverage on his neck. The room began to spin.

Pharas snatched at the ushaan at his ankle, and slashed wildly, catching a glancing blow on the arms holding the chain, it was enough to buy a slight drop in pressure, enough to get a hand underneath. He threw his head back, his skull cracking against soft tissue then twisted, got his shoulder under his assailant and heaved forward.

A woman, naked as the day she was born, her skin bright yellow but mottled with pitch black bruises rolled over his shoulder. She came up suddenly, flicking long braids of white hair back from her face. She had stopped short because there were manacles round her wrists chaining her to the far wall. Irisless, pupiless orbs glared at him with white hot fury.

She kicked out again. Pharas blocked, and she slid around his arm, giving her slack again. She swung her hands together, aiming a devastating blow at his head. He raised his hands to block, too late saw it for a feint as her foot slammed into his chest and cracked two ribs. He dropped down, swung a leg around to knock her down. She jumped his scything leg, spun underneath the length of chain that held her to the wall and landed her heel in the small of his back.

He rolled with the impact, drew his phaser and came up in a crouch, snapping off a shot in one smooth action. The phaser fire was short, a warning only, then he thumbed the setting down to stun. The woman crouched back, but he recognised it for what it was. Not cowering in fear, but getting ready to strike again. "We're here to help," he began, his voice raspy from the damage to his throat.

The woman spat out a stream of invective in a language that didn't translate, then kicked a pile of faeces at him. He flinched away, firing his phaser as he did so. The woman threw herself back, the phaser beam passing over her head by inches, and used her momentum to spin forward to the end of her leash and kick up with both feet in a tornado kick that sent his phaser flying and his wrist numb. The room was too small for the others to fire and not hit him. "Phasers to stun and fire anyway," he gasped as he stepped forward, weaving under another swing and landing an uppercut that sent the woman skidding back, snarling at him.

"Commander, duck!" T'Vel shouted, and she and the Doctor fired their phasers. Pharas dived for the floor as the beams struck her centre-mass. She tottered for a moment, and then she fell.

Pharas got to his feet. "That, I was not expecting." He felt the bruises round his neck. He was going to be croaking for a couple of hours, "She okay?"

Nathan joined him, kneeling at the woman's side, his tricorder out and scanning. "Stunned, dehydrated, multiple injuries old and new, nothing life threatening right now though." As they watched, the colour of the woman changed, going from yellow to a soft violet. Even her hair changed colour, the myriad of braids becoming purple. The only thing that didn't change colour were the bruises. They stayed inky black and swollen.

The doctor looked up at the commander who raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Did you do that?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, I think that was all her. I'm not getting any signs of distress or change in state. It's probably natural."

"Lets get her back to the Kehra see if we can find out what sort of rabbit hole she fell down." Nathan nodded, and a moment later, the doctor and the woman were gone. The manacles that had held her fell to the shit covered floor with a clang. Pharas glared at them, as if the restraints themselves were responsible for the bruises and filth, and not the beings who had run this ship.

"The Syndicate do not respect sentient life," T'Vel joined him in the small cell. Though her detached Vulcan mask remained smooth, her distaste was obvious. "Self-reproach is not a useful or justified emotion in this situation."

"I know. But you saw the front end of this ship. The lifeboats were launched. Whoever did this got away. When that poor girl comes round, I can't even tell her that the bastards who did that to her are all dead. They're out there somewhere."

"You are assuming that will be a comfort. It will be far better to reassure her that she has survived. She, at least," T'Vel qualified, thinking of the other bodies, "got away."

Pharas growled, then booted the manacles at his feet all the way across the cell in sheer frustration. "But so did they, T'Vel. So did they."



::OFF::

A post by Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner, The Box of Delights

 

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