Episode 6: Retribution, Part IV

Jake May 1 2004, 12:53 PM	Lieutenant Commander Tanik - Pollux, Engineering "I want you to get that power grid back up to 93% efficiency!" Tanik bellowed to a crewman nearby. As the crewman acknowledged and went about his duties, Tanik was amazed that he found some free time for himself, and snatched the opportunity. He went over to his office off of engineering, where he got himself a cup of coffee and picked up a PADD before sitting down. As he began to look at the photograph on the PADD, there was a beeping sound from his desk terminal. "Yes?" he said, not looking at the terminal.   "Commander, we need weapons and shields working at their top efficiency," Halliwell said. Tanik immediately put the PADD down and looked at Halliwell on the screen. "Yes, ma'am - I'll get on it right away. May I ask why we need them?"   Halliwell went through the situation quickly. "We're surrounded by twenty-four Alliance warships, and the Romulan commander isn't giving me much breathing room." Tanik's eyebrows perked up. "Who is he?" he asked quickly.   "He says he's a Commander named Jarek," Halliwell said plainly. Tanik's face lost it's color, and began to take on a white pallor.   Halliwell immeditely caught on and looked concerned. "Do you know this Romulan?" Tanik paused before answering. "...Yes," he breathed. "He's a very old enemy of mine..."   Halliwell nodded slowly. "Well, if you have anything to contribute about him, please do so. But not right now - I've got to talk to Commander Hurst in private. Halliwell out." The screen flashed out back to the Federation logo. Tanik was still pale.
RMrulz May 1 2004, 06:22 PM	Admiral Tom Garrison - 001, OCC   "Security to Admiral Garrison." Tom looked up from the power status report he was reading, and hit his commbadge. "Garrison here. Go ahead." He didn't recognize the voice, with K'Rak on the Pollux and Sith still missing, he didn't know who was in charge of security. His thoughts briefly turned to Sith, wondering if there would ever be any sign of him, but he snapped back to reality. No time for that now.   "Sir, Lt. Smith here. The computer has just informed us that Lt. Clark attempted to contact somebody, but was cut off before he finished. He left his commbadge open. Also, the computer detected very strange readings in the section he was in - I have no way to describe what they were, the computer couldn't make any sense of them." "Send a security team. Keep me inform--" "Sir!" Lt. Karelia, at the ops station, interrupted. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've been looking at those readings. I can't make much sense of them either, but for a second or two I have a pretty clear reading on Dr. Lauren's biosign. She was in that section." "Lt. Smith, send that security team, but have them meet me outside of the section."   "Sir, I don't know if it's wise for you to be going into a ..." "Yes, Lieutenant, thank you for your concern. But for obvious reasons, I have a personal stake in catching Dr. Lauren. Have them meet me outside the section. They are not to enter it until I get there."   "Understood. Security out." "You're in command," Garrison shouted to Karelia as he entered the turbolift and the doors began to shut.
	Captain David Major - 'The Circle' "Name?" asked the same Cardassian male that Major had met earlier in the day. "David Major," replied David, too drugged up to know what he was doing. "Rank?" "Captain." "Species?" "Human." "Good, the drugs seem to be working. You know, my good Captain, I like you so much better when you're on our drugs. You talk back much less." He knew Major couldn't possibly comprehend him in his current state, but he spoke anyway. "Now, down to business. What are the Federation's current battle plans in regards to the Alliance?" "I don't know." "You're lying!" Anger suddenly flared up within the Cardassian, and he struck David across the face. He took a deep breath, and asked again. "What are the Federation's current battle plans in regards to the Alliance?" "I don't know," came David's monotone reply. ----- Several hours later, David awoke to find himself laying on the cold metallic floor. The Cardassian sat at the desk in the room, staring at him with an amused expression on his face. "Ahh, welcome back to the world of the conscious, Captain. Judging from what you were saying aloud, it would seem you had some interesting dreams." As David struggled to his feet, he felt pain in his face. Not only his jaw, from where he had been struck when he first met this Cardassian, but his cheekbone and nose were also sore. The Cardassian noticed him gingerly touching his face, and laughed. "You're probably wondering how those injuries came about. Let's just say you were most uncooperative in our recent 'discussion.' " Something about the way he said discussion sent chills down David's spine. He thought hard, but he couldn't remember any of it. "I assume you've injected me with all sorts of drugs at this point, obviously you know everything I know. So why am I still here?" The Cardassian ignored that question, and looked down at his desk where he was looking at a holoPADD. David grew impatient, and wobbled over to the desk. "Well? Why am I still here?!" he shouted. In a sudden flash of rage, the Cardassian slammed the PADD down on the desk, jumped up and came around the desk, and slammed his fist into David's already sore nose. It all happened so fast David didn't have any time to react. He staggered back and ended up on his rear on the floor, blood pouring profusely from his nose. He looked up at the Cardassian, who's demeanor suddenly changed from anger to apathy. "Around here, I ask the questions," he said as he walked back around the desk and sat down. "And right now, I have one question for you." He pushed a button on the desk, and the four round things hanging from the ceiling that David had noticed yesterday suddenly poured out bright light. "How many lights do you see?" David squinted up at the lights, counting them. "Four." Something about this seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. "Wrong, there are five," the Cardassian replied. Suddenly it hit David - he had read about this form of torture in the Academy. A famous Captain had once been subject to it. Who was it..... who... PICARD! That's it, Picard once endured this. Well if he could get through it, so can I. "No. There are four lights." The Cardassian smiled, looking amused.
Hawku May 2 2004, 04:03 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Valecron City Sith glanced at her and saw that she was sleeping in bed. He smiled affectionately, turned and went upstairs of the house, making his way to the roof. The night sky and calm air painted a peaceful atmosphere. He walked along the flat roof to the edge and looked out. The entire Market Place, cleaned and empty, could be seen under the massively lit buildings of Valecron in the distance. One or two people seen below and far away were impervious to his awareness. For a second Sith's mind wandered, taking it all in... until he fell to his kness in the strangest of sensations. The feeling executed throughout his entire body, "Aaaarrggh!" and continued on until it tickled... "Heh, heh, heh. Hahahahaaa! Aaaahahahahaha!! HahaHAHAHAHahahaha!" Sith clutched his face in tears, laughing like crazy. He stopped, out of breath and crying. Looking at his shaking hands, he felt a strange presence as if above and behind him. It encompassed his soul, and took over his fear. Who was this person? What do they want with me?? The large shadowy figure with evil eyes that had haunted his dreams suddenly rushed to his memory like a force in nature destined to demand its presence among purpose and articulation. In the background of his mind, Sith knew this person was real... more real than he wanted to believe. What happened on the Tsengate? Sith thought to himself. Who crippled us so badly? It was then when he first was harmed by the fluxuations, curled up in the corner of its Bridge.
RMrulz May 3 2004, 10:22 PM	Admiral Tom Garrison - Sickbay Tom stood next to Lt. Clark's biobed, waiting for the young lieutenant to wake up. The doctor on duty - Tom hadn't caught his name - told him that Clark's injuries were minor, and that he would regain consciousness within the hour. With no sign of Dr. Lauren anywhere in the section, and no evidence that anything had gone wrong there besides Clark's unconscious body, he had nothing else to do. Security was sweeping the area for evidence, and they would let him know if they found anything. In the meantime, he waited.
	Captain David Major - 'The Circle' "Wake up, human!" David groaned as he felt a sharp pain in his side. He slowly opened his eyes to find a Cardassian boot swinging towards him, then felt the shooting pain as he was again kicked in the ribs. "OK, that's enough. He's awake now," said another voice, this one familiar to David. He struggled to sit up, and as he did felt nauseous. He leaned back over and vomitted, at least his body tried to. But there was nothing in his stomach, so nothing actually came out. David looked around, disoriented. His throat was dry, his head was killing him, and most of the rest of his body was sore. He felt so weak he could barely lift his arms. He tried to remember where he was, and as his eyes focused on the Cardassian standing before him, he remembered. I've been taken prisoner. They're torturing me for information. He had no memory of when he last lost consciousness. They must have drugged me again. As his eyes began to focus better he saw two Cardassian guards behind his captor. One of them must have been the one that kicked him awake. He looked back at his captor, who was looking down on him with an unreadable expression. For a long moment, both men stared at each other. Then the Cardassian turned his back and strode to the desk and sat down. The two guards came and stood on either side of David. "We learned some interesting information from you this time," the Cardassian said as he sat at the desk and poured himself a glass of some sort of clear liquid. David's eyes fixated on the glass. So... thirsty, was all he could think to himself. "But nothing too helpful, I'm afraid. It's a pity, you know. All you would have to do is tell us all you know and you would be a free man. You humans can be so stubborn some times." David tore his eyes away from the glass, which the Cardassian was raising to his lips, and looked him in the eyes. "You've injected me with god-knows how many drugs. You must realize I've told you everything I know by now." After taking a long sip from the glass, the Cardassian set it back down and regarded David, who was still seated on the floor halfway across the room. "Perhaps," he said, thoughtfully. "Only time will tell, I suppose." He picked the glass back up, then in the middle of moving it to his lips stopped and looked at David. "Oh my, I completely forgot. You must be so thirsty!" he exclaimed with mock sympathy. "Would you like some?" he asked while holding out the glass. In his state, David couldn't even consider that it was a trick. He was too thirsty, all his mind could think about was getting a drink. He shook his head yes and started to struggle to his feet. He was restrained by the guards before he could fully stand up, and they forced him to sit back down. "Ah, my dear Captain," spoke the Cardassian. "Not yet. You can have a drink, in a minute. But first you must do one thing for me." David nodded, he would do anything. He needed a drink. The Cardassian pushed a button, and the lights came back on. "Tell me, how many lights do you see?" he asked. David looked up and counted. "Four." The Cardassian shook his head in disapproval. "Captain, Captain, Captain. We've been through this before. There are five lights, remember? Now look up and count again, count five lights." David struggled to his feet, this time the guards let him. He walked toward the desk, until he was standing just in front of it. He stared at the Cardassian for several seconds, then looked back up and squinted into the lights. One... Two... Three... Four... .... .... Four. There's no fifth light. "No, there are only four lights." "Captain, why must you make this so difficult? All you must do is look up there, count the lights, and then tell me there are five lights. Can't you see them? There are five of them?" David stared, and stared, and stared. He stared into the lights so long his eyes started to hurt. But he could only see four. He looked back at the desk, and saw the Cardassian had poured the rest of the pitcher into a second glass. He was holding it out towards David. "Just tell me there are five lights," he whispered as he held the glass out just beyond David's reach. David looked back up. There are four... but ... so thirsty. Need to drink. Just say there are five? No! Yes! No! Yes? No, there are four. Maybe... he'll still give me the drink. Maybe...... "Four," David finally said. He looked towards the glass expectantly, hoping to get the drink anyway. Instead, he watched as the Cardassian raised it to his lips and drank it all himself. "NO!" David cried as he lunged towards the Cardassian. He didn't get very far before the guards slammed their disruptors into his ribs. He fell to the ground, and they each kicked him repeatedly. He screamed - not in pain, he barely felt the blows - but in grief over not getting the drink, over watching it all disappear into the Cardassian's mouth. He screamed again, and the world began to dim. Between the lack of food and drink, the mental torment of watching the liquid disappear, and the physical torture, his mind began to shut down. He was aware of voices as he faded out. "That's enough. He'll be unconscious for awhile, any more and you'll kill him." "Yes, Gul Donnat," the guard replied. Donnat... that name... familiar... David thought as he slipped into unconsciousness.
k4m4caZ1 May 5 2004, 09:01 PM	Lieutenant Daniel Clark - Sickbay Clark woke with a yell as he swung his head up from the biobed, clutching his left shoulder where he had been hit. He frantically looked around the room breathing heavily, wondering where he was. His head fell back against the bed and the swirl of bright lights slowly focused on an older man now leaning over him. "Nurse!" He half-heard the man call, barely noticing a woman step up to his side with a hypospray. The blurred vision vanished instantly with the small injection, however his splitting headache did not. He tried to sit up again, but was quickly set down by the nurse at his side. Pressing his forefingers against his temples in an attempt the release the pressure in his head, his attention came back to the man to his left. "Admiral!" He said with a start, realizing who it was beside him. Again trying to sit up in his bed but this time forced down by Garrison. "Easy, easy." He responded in a light tone, "You were hit pretty hard; high-yield stun. Do you remember what happened?" What happened... Everything that was a blur a minute ago was coming back to him. "It was Doctor Lauren, sir." He managed although his headache didn't agree; "She caught me by surprise... I- I tried to call security, but she..." His sentence didn't need finishing as he clenched his shoulder again. "Sensor logs recorded strange readings from that area, but we don't know what they are..." He let Clark sit up this time. "Are you feeling alright to come with me?" "Always Admiral." He managed a smile as he got to his feet, and followed Garrison out of sickbay despite the protests of the nursing staff.
RMrulz May 6 2004, 02:20 AM	Captain David Major - 'The Circle' David awoke to find himself lying on the cold metal floor, alone in the circular detention room. His uniform was dirty and ripped; his face was stained with dried blood and tears. His mouth and throat were so dry he couldn't swallow, he couldn't remember the last time he had been given a drink. He also had completely lost track of how long he had been in this room. Hardgrove, Larkin, Lietra... I wonder where they are. If they're ok... His thoughts were interrutped by a sound behind him, it sounded like somebody coming into the room.. He tried to sit up but found himself too weak to move. He heard laughter behind him, then a voice speak. "David Major... proud Starfleet Captain. Decorated Battle Officer. Respected Commanding Officer. And look at you now... you can't even get to your feet." The Cardassian walked around so that David could see him. "For that matter, you can't even sit up." The room was filled with the sound of his laughter again, as he turned and walked to his desk. Once he sat down he picked up a PADD and started at it for several long minutes. While he was doing that, David's mind was racing. There was something... something at the edge of his memory. But what is it... DONNAT! That's right, his name is Gul Donnat, I heard that the other day, or hour, or week, or whenver it was. I know that name! But from where? ... Dammit! Why can't I remember?" Summoning strength David didn't even know he had, he struggled to a sitting position. Donnat looked up from the PADD and watched David, his expression a cross between amusement and hatred. David managed to stand up, and took a step towards Donnat before falling over. Donnat snorted. "Pathetic human," he almost spit out the words. Not letting himself give up, David again struggled to his feet. I can't let him win.. if I just hold out a little longer, maybe this will all be over. He knew the likelihood of it all ending soon was small, but his mind refused to consider the alternative. He had just gotten to his feet when Donnat stood up. "I have something to attend to, my dear Captain. I'll be back soon, don't go anywhere." He said this last bit as he was walking past David. He gave him a shove, and David again found himself on the floor. Donnat walked out of the room and was gone. David lay there for several minutes gathering strength. He then stood up again, not even sure why he was doing it. He stood there trying to figure out what to do when his eyes fell on the PADD on Donnat's desk. Curious to see what he had been looking at for so long, he walked to the desk. He picked up the PADD and looked down. His eyes widened. It was a picture of Mokan Donnat, a Cardassian that David had killed years before in a border skirmish. Suddenly it all made sense - his captor must be related to the man David killed. Maybe even his father...? He seems to be about the right age... As David was lost in his thoughts, Donnat walked back into the room. He looked at what David was holding, and anger flashed in his eyes. "Put that down!" he roared. He was on David in an instant. He grabbed the PADD out of his hands, and landed a blow on David's face. David again fell to the ground as Donnat kicked him repeatedly. "You disgusting, pathetic, son of a bitch. You have NO RIGHT to touch that picture. NO RIGHT!" Donnat screamed as he kicked David again. "Killing my son wasn't bad enough?! Now you have to dishonor him by touching his picture?" Donnat was out of control, kicking David over and over again so fast that his foot was a blur. David simply lay on the ground, curled up into a ball. His mind was getting blurry, and soon he wasn't even sure of where he was. There was a limit to how much abuse a body can take, and David was nearing that limit.
RMrulz May 7 2004, 12:07 AM	Captain David Major - 'The Circle' Gul Donnat... Hardgrove... Four lights... Lietra... Five lights... Pollux... Larkin... Garrison... Four lights... Donnat... Words were tumbling around in David's mind, but he couldn't make sense of them. He was suddenly aware of a presence nearby, and tried to open his eyes. After trying for a minute he realized why he couldn't - they were already open, he just wasn't able to focus on anything. "Who's there?" he called out. In response, he heard harsh laughter. "Admiral? Admiral, is that you?" More laughter. "Larkin?" Even more laughter. "Hardgrove? Dammit, who's there?" The laughter now reached a feverish pitch. "Captain, Captain, Captain. My how the mighty have fallen. I wish you could see yourself now. Dirty, bloody; laying on the floor mumbling to yourself. Not even sure where you are. How pathetic you look." David's eyes cleared slightly, and he was able to see the shape of Gul Donnat standing in front of him. It was enough for him to remember where he was. The memories of what had happened since he had been brought here were blurry, and he still wasn't completely sure what was going on. "Donnat." "Ahh good, you remember." "Mokan Donnat," David muttered. He was met with a kick in the ribs. "How dare you utter that name," Donnat yelled. "Mokan Donnat," David replied, talking more to himself than to his captor. "The battle... he cloaked... I had to guess ... fired... direct impact. Distress call sent, surrendering. Too late... explosion. All dead." Donnat looked down on David, he seemed to be reliving the moment he killed Donnat's son. He was filled with a blinding rage at the thought of this pathetic human that couldn't even figure out where he was had been responsible for his son's death. "SHUT UP! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, SHUT THE HELL UP!" He lifted his boot up and smashed it down on David's ribs. He heard the sickening crunch signifying broken bones, and felt a little better. "Now STAND UP!" he roared. He dragged David to his feet, who screamed out in pain. "Shut up!" He dragged David over to his desk, and thrust him into a chair facing the desk. Hitting a button on the desk, the lights turned back on. "How many lights are there, Captain?" David looked around, bewildered, but said nothing. "HOW MANY LIGHTS, CAPTAIN?" Donnat roared as he struck David. "Four," came from the weak reply. "WRONG ANSWER!" He struck David again. "Look up at those lights, you murdering bastard." David just stared at him blankly. "LOOK AT THE LIGHTS!" This time David turned and stared at the lights, not even having enough sense left to squint. "Count them and tell me there are five lights!" "One... three..... two... four. Four." He forgot how to count, but still managed to end up at four. Donnat was infuriated, never before had anybody lasted so long before breaking. He began pounding David's face and head with his hands, losing all self control. "Why do you keep defying me?! Just say there are five lights!" he cried out as he continued striking David. "Why?! Why?! Why! Why can't you give in? Why did you have to kill my son?! WHY?!" With this last word, he struck David one last time, as hard as he could. He then watched as David slumped to the floor. "Four..." he whispered. He drew a long, ragged breath, and then was still. Donnat stood there, composing himself. A man walked into the room. "You weren't supposed to kill him," he said. Donnat shrugged. "Oh well. He didn't know anything important." The man thought about it for a second. "Fine. Just don't lose your self control like that again. Ever again." Donnat nodded. "Get rid of the body," the man said as he turned and left the room, leaving Gul Donnat there enjoying the taste of revenge.