Nashinarhr

[Kaylana Cornette]

Slowly, Kay began to feel time marching forward and the horrors of her capture a distant memory. She found that returning to the things she loved, engrossing in the familiar, helped heal the hurtful sting left by Hawk's rejection.

The ball whizzed past her ear, ringing its high-pitched tone. Ricocheting off the back wall, she allowed it to bounce once. She swatted it hard and sent it flying into the forward wall. The angle of Kay's shot dramatically skewed the trajectory. The holoplayer dove to the floor trying to volley a return before the ball bounced out of play. Though his programming was tweaked to advanced mode, he missed and sprawled awkwardly, his skin squeaking against the wooden-planked floors.

Kay, dripping with perspiration, wheezed, "Point and game. Computer, end program."

She picked up her racquet and twirled it in her palm. Grabbing a fresh towel, she blotted away as much sweat as she could and hung it around her neck. Playing racquetball was her escape, as of late, and it seemed to help burn away the frustrations.

Kay had made it to her quarters and just finished her shower when Falco called her from the bridge. He noted there were 28 unidentified ships heading toward them on long-range sensors. She acknowledged and told him she would be there momentarily. Her curiosity piqued. It was rare to run across an unidentified ship. Starfleet’s databases were brimming with every known ship across several quadrants – even several in the Delta quadrant.

She settled in on the bridge and pulled up the scant data Falco had gathered. She saw the size and configuration of two of the ships matched that of a Cardassian Galor class, four of them appeared to be modified Ferengi designs, one was distinctly Federation yet none of them bore any identification beacons. But, Kay was unprepared for what she read next. All life signs aboard all 28 ships were Vulcan.

Falco was by her side, sensing her next question. “I cross-referenced it with all Vulcan databases and there’s no record of any of these vessels.”

She puzzled a while then ordered an intercept course.


On board the lead vessel, Sefar was roused from his meditation by Stilik, his first mate and long-time friend.

“Forgive my intrusion, but you required immediate notification should we encounter any Terrans.” He was nervously shifting his weight, unsure how Sefar would react. Though his orders were clear, no one could predict, not even him, the outbursts of Sefar’s cruel anger.

Coolly, Sefar intoned, “I have already sensed them. You should have as well.”

Stilik lowered his head. “I admit my disciplines in the art of *Nashinahr are not as well practiced as yours, *Feihan.”

Sefar’s eyes flashed. “It is a fault you possess. To be a part of the New Order, you must first become a great psionic warrior. Otherwise, you are useless to me.”

“I understand,” Stilik answered meekly, head still bowed. “The Terrans have altered their course toward our Armada. We should be in range in exactly 52 *sexagints.”

“They will perceive us to be friends. We will use that to our advantage.” Sefar rose and thumbed a communications link open. His voice boomed throughout the battleship. “Warriors, prepare. We will board the Terran vessel within the hour.”

*ancient training to become an offensive psionic warrior

*Vulcan for boss or leader

* I had mycrocytes here... but they turn out to be tiny red blood cells. *shrugs* so I changed it to a play on the Latin word for sixty - thus, their time is the same as ours.

[lizjaneway]

Liz hadn't been back aboard the Majesty long when she felt them changing course. She sighed wondering what was up. She hated having to work through files and files just to have a couple dozen things suddenly end up on the floor. I bet he did that on purpose. I'll get Mikey for that later maybe make him clean it up. I hope nothing broke. She thought wondering if she should send a message up to him. She debated and then got back to work.

About half an hour later after cleaning up the mess around her and catching up on work the doctor decided to go upstairs and see exactly what was happening. She whistled as she walked out of sickbay and to the turbolift.

Liz walked out onto the bridge and then took her station hoping to hear something that might clue her in.

[Deleted]

"Captain, sensors show that the alien fleet has spotted us and has begun to scan us. There also seems to be an unknown power source on a build up.” Falco informed the Captain with a puzzled tone.

“Commander Greenwood what do you make of it on your science scanners?” the Captain inquired.

“I am sorry Captain but there is nothing on my sensor scan,” Greenwood replied

“Lieutenant?” the Captain’s voice questioned as she stood from her seated position.

“Sorry Captain but the power wave was only on my screen for a few flutters, urg I mean seconds and then it was just gone Sir,” Falco said with embarrassment that a Falconian term had slipped out.

“Never mind Lieutenant, just replay that scan fragment at science station 2 for Commander Greenwood and Mr. Aarons get Commander Hawk on the bridge NOW!” Kay barked her order, with still in a bit of frustration inside her.

“Ensign Rut’Loc request communications with this Vulcan fleet. I want to know who these people are and what they are doing in this sector,” Kay said with a heightened interest.

Hawk appears on the bridge at just that moment and Nik motions for Hawk to join him at science station 2. Nik fills Hawk in on what has been happening up to this point. As they are talking and looking at the wave, Dr. Janeway wonders over behind Hawk and Nik to take a peek at there wave out of curiosity.

“That wave looks kind of familiar to me,” Liz said with surprise to even herself.

“And just what do you think it is Doctor,” Greenwood said as he wheeled around to face Liz.
“Well it looks a great deal like a Vulcan brain wave.” She stated flatly.

[Kaylana Cornette]

“Captain! There’s… something… emanating from the lead ship. I can’t make heads or tails of what it is.” Greenwood was tapping his console with a flurry of fingers. “Whatever it is, it’s power is increasing exponentially and it’s on a collision course with us!”

“Shields!” Kay bolted from her chair just as Hawk flew from his perch at Science station 2. They met at his console. Kay jostled him aside as she brought up the shields. She needn’t have bothered. The wave hit her ship with the impact of a tsunami. Dampers went offline, bio-neural packs were selectively wiped clean, command function interfaces were corrupted and, worst of all, deck 9, absorbing the brunt of the wave, exploded, venting its contents, both crew and equipment, into the cold vacuum of space.

The bridge was acrid with the smell of burning circuitry. Lighting failed, even the emergency lighting, but the darkness was punctuated by random showers of sparks as one console after another burst into flames. Bridge personnel strained to regain their stations, shouting information to whomever was conscious to hear it above the din of explosions.

“Hull breach, deck 9!”

“Atmospheric containment fields aren’t responding!”

“Fire suppression! Engineering station, NOW!”

“Aarons! Get us out of here!”

“She isn’t responding!”

The hullabaloo continued as the great ship spun bow over keel, cart wheeling and tumbling. The crew, like rag dolls caught up in a centrifuge, desperately grabbed onto anything immovable and hung on.

Little by little, the explosions quieted, the spinning subsided and Kay was able to pull herself to her chair. Her lip was split open and blood oozed freely from the wound. She reached for her internal systems display and felt the sharp pain of a cracked rib. In the midst her repeated attempts at bringing her console to life, she suddenly decided to open a communications link.

“Thank you, Captain. I was eager to speak with you.” The face of Sefar was unmistakably Vulcan but his eyes flashed with cold cruelty.

“Why have you attacked my ship!?” Kay demanded. “Who are you?!

“We are your conquerors.” Sefar gestured to someone offscreen. “You and your crew will submit or you will experience far more damage than you have already sustained.” As he spoke, 11 Vulcans of the New Order, 7 male and 4 female, materialized on the bridge of the Majesty. Their dress was more befitting an ancient Klingon warrior and clearly not Vulcan. Gone were the long flowing robes. These Vulcans opted for the more tightly fitting, menacing garb of a soldier. Falco impulsively lunged at one of the intruders. He made contact but the woman easily overpowered him. She grabbed his skull in mind-meld fashion yet with an overtly vicious grip. Immediately, Falco cringed, screamed piteously and fell, curling into a fetal position. He lay there moaning and rocking himself. Kay saw a flitter of movement from Hawk and she worried he would be next. The Vulcan woman must have seen it too for she strolled over to him, locking stares. Hawk’s fists balled tightly and his jaw clinched.

“Try it and you will suffer more greatly than he,” she taunted. It was apparent by her tone she enjoyed the act of inflicting pain and very much wanted Hawk to challenge her.

Sefar sneered with approval from the forward screen. A chill went down Kay’s spine. To see Vulcans displaying such raw evil made her blood run cold. Sefar arched one eyebrow and spoke through a crooked smile, “My warriors are now strategically placed throughout your ship. They will convince you to assist in the repairs of your vessel.”

The implication of Sefar’s words was clear. These Vulcans utilized forcible mind control and malicious psychic weaponry to get what they wanted. Convincing meant they would be controlling the thoughts of her crew.

Sefar continued. “Once the repairs are completed, your ship will become a valuable addition to our Armada. If any of your crew desires to remain alive, they will become indentured workers for the New Order. Should they refuse to be enslaved, they will be discarded into space.”

[lizjaneway]

Liz came forward just then moving next to Falco. She sighed knowing that modern medicine would take too long to restore him. She placed a hand on one temple concentrating ignoring those around her. It wasn't easy to do but after a lot of concentration and about twenty minutes she was able to reverse what had been done.

The doctor stood on shakey legs noticing the icy looks from the vulcans. She knew it would be impossible for her to take them all on so she didn't even consider trying. She stood back knowing the wisest course of action would be to obey and not rebel.

~Captain, I suggest we do as they say. They are as strong as I physically and more mentally. At a later date we might be able to come up with something to help our situation, but now no.~ Liz thought shielding both her mind and the captain's. Her mental strength had grown while she was away, but she was no match for those in front of her.

One of the Vulcans moved closer to the doctor. "I need some medical attention," he said and she sighed.

"Treat yourself. Sickbay is around here somewhere."

[Michael Aarons]

The screen shone with the vile, semi-satisfied face of what could only be a Vulcan, like a post World War III Earth under the guidance of Colonel Green. The bridge was in shambles and except for a few functions here and there, nothing worked. The impertinent Falco had experienced their whip, hands on, and now lay broken on the ground stirring Hawk in the process. Hawk was face to face with the woman responsible; while she bore only a perverse smile, his had defiance written all over his face. The captain intercepted any further action and Hawk, heaving a sigh of restraint, stepped down from the incident.

“We have no choice,” she found it hard to breathe the next few words, “we can’t fight them and I will not sacrifice my crew in some futile effort.” The crew watching, were staggered by this response from the captain.

“Very well. I can see why they made you captain of this vessel.” His wicked expression stretched across the viewscreen. “Shel’ak!” He addressed one of the females, “Begin repairing our new acquisition and suppress any resistance. Make the crew understand who they belong to now.”

“Yes Lord.” The screen cut out and Shel’ak began dispensing orders to the others to begin claiming the Majesty. “I want our attitude corrected and this bridge operational.” Her voice rang with authoritative coarseness uncharacteristic of a Vulcan. “You there!” she barked at Michael who was typing something discretely into the helm console. He moved his hand away and stood there. “Why won’t these controls respond?!” She tried to activate what little of the propulsion systems still functioned.

“You’ll never be able to get to them. I’ve encrypted them to make sure of that.” Faces were all turned to Aarons right at that moment fearing worse retaliation than Falco who only now was beginning to soften from his ordeal.

“That can easily be subverted by bypassing the redundancies.” Her expression was darkening at the officer’s defiance. Their ears were a bit more curvier, much like an elder Vulcan while there were pronounced arches over their eyes not unlike the Romulan forehead.

“You think I haven’t thought of that!? I’ve made sure to rig it to where anyone who tries to mess with it will set off the destruction of the ship taking you with it. I’m willing to bet that your sense of self-preservation won’t allow you to take that kind of risk.” The first officer leaned over to the captain and whispered.

“Is it just me, or is Michael the worst bluffer ever?”

“It seems to be working right now.”

Shel’ak stepped up to Aarons penetrating his eyes with her own. He seemed to lose all ability to move. Suddenly she gripped his head and he let out a shriek as if directly shocked right at the nerve endings. All of his muscles seemed to react in overwhelming agony when she released him causing him to stumble. She leaned over and with a small input broke any lockout that had been placed on the helm. Aarons staggered to his feet, his breathing weighted by the experience. She looked him over.

“I think I’ll keep you for myself. You can be my new pet.”

“Forgive me if I don’t sit up and beg.” She slapped him across the face. “Oh please. That was nothing. I’m dating her.” He pointed to where Liz was standing. Shel’ak looked her way.

“You’re part Vulcan aren’t you?”

“I’m also part Klingon. Which part would you like me to show you first?!” The two glared at each other. Shel’ak lashed out scratching Aarons' face for which he whelped. There was now a bloody cut down the side of his face which he held on to.

“There, now you’re marked as mine.” She ordered the others see to their tasks then dragged Aarons off the bridge with her. “Your ranks are nothing now. You serve the New Order. Failure to do so means death.”


OFF: I wrote this before reading Liz's post and I'm not changing it.

[Deleted]

TEG was in still in the brig when the attack came. He, Rachael, and Petty Officer Coats were thrown against bulkheads. EPS conduits blew and the force-fields fell. TEG grabbed Rachael and indicated to Coats to check the ships status.

"Sir, the ship has been boarded." Reported Coats.

"Let's get out of here." Ordered TEG has he made his way to the doors, but they would not budge.

He went for the weapons panel on the wall and took out some phasers and two tricorders. He tossed a phaser to Rachael, and a second to Coats, then placed two on his hips and guided everyone toward a Jefferies Jube.

"Let's find out what's going on."

[Kaylana Cornette]

As she dragged Aarons to the turbo lift, the one working piece of machinery, Shel’ak addressed one of the females. “T’Sul, begin phase two.”

The willowy Vulcan stepped forward and turned to the young Klingon at the Tactical station, “Put me on the ship’s internal speakers,” she demanded.

Ensign Rut’Loc growled in defiance while he simply crossed his arms and turned his back to the Vulcan female.

Without any warning or change in her expression, the female pulled out a small phaser like weapon and fired at the Ensign. The Klingon let out a yell that would have sent shivers down your spine. What the crew saw next was incredibly horrible to watch. It was as if the beam for a few seconds caused Ensign Rut’Loc’s skin to be ripped away before it vaporized him.

“Let this be a lesson to all. We will not tolerate disobedience and there will be no mercy or second chances given,” T’Sul instructed with a purely evil tone. “Now, Captain, repeat your intent to surrender for the entire crew to hear.” She nodded to a large male who grabbed Kay and shoved her toward a console.

“I can access the comm. link from here,” Kay said with as much defiance as she dared. She retreated to her Captain’s chair. It was then that Kay felt Liz speak to her in her mind. She agreed. There was no way they could hope to overpower these intruders at the moment. She nodded slightly to Liz indicating her message was received. Then, slowly, decisively, she opened the comm. link and spoke to her crew as T’Sul hovered close by.

“Attention, all personnel. By now, it is obvious we have been boarded. The intruders exhibit strong physical abilities as well as mind-controlling skills. They are armed and have proven themselves to be without compassion or remorse. You are not to resist. Your survival is paramount.” Kay paused and swallowed hard. “I have surrendered the Majesty to them.” She closed the link and squeezed her eyes shut.

“You obey well, Captain,” T’Sul sneered, adding salt to Kay’s wounded pride.

T’Sul gestured to the remaining contingent who went about forcefully melding with each of the bridge crew. Kay watched as, one by one, her mates were unnaturally pinned into a vice-like grip and made to endure untold horrors revealed only by the moans and screams escaping their tortured bodies. Afterwards, the Vulcan performing the meld would assume the bridge officer’s post and begin tapping away commands like a 4th year cadet. The attackers were extracting knowledge and then familiarizing themselves with the ship’s controls.

A tall, yet-to-be introduced Vulcan male approached Kay. She fended off his first attempt at a meld by blocking him with her hand, but he easily wrenched her arm behind her back, turning her into his chest. He applied more pressure whenever Kay struggled, which were kept to a minimum by her injured rib. Each stretch of the arm caused searing agony. The Vulcan used his free hand to tightly clamp over her temple and cheek. She clawed at his arm momentarily then became peculiarly still, her eyes transfixed and unblinking. He was whispering in her ear now and Kay felt his presence in her mind. Frantically, she tried to keep her thoughts guarded from his ruthless probing. She turned her mind to her crew, her days with BB, the lyrics to “Stardust”, repeated the Pythagorean Theorem, but nothing seemed to keep him at bay. Finally, as a moan eked past her swollen and still bleeding lip, he released her. Kay staggered back and fell directly into the waiting arms of her CMO. Janeway shouldered Kay’s weight to relieve the pain caused by her rib and helped her to her feet.

“Take all of them to the holding area,” T’Sul bellowed.

The bridge crew was rounded up and corralled in the lift along with four Vulcan warriors. Soon, the crew found themselves in a common cell in the brig.

“Hold still, Captain,” Liz commanded, but Kay was squirming to get away from her poking.

“It hurts!”

“Yes, but I need to find which rib it is before I can treat it.”

Janeway prodded again and the pain caused her Captain to suck in air through her clenched teeth. “Unless you were packing a medkit when you reported to the bridge…” The end of Kay’s sentence dangled in mid-air as the cold hiss of a hypospray hit her neck.

“I never go anywhere without a medkit,” the doctor answered smugly. She then examined Kay's bleeding lip.

“Why do you think they put all of us together?” Falco asked weakly, still shaken from his earlier ordeal. “They have to know we’ll be plotting to retake the ship.”

“Why shouldn’t they let us plan? Kay retorted around Liz’s cell regenerator now busily buzzing on her split lip. “Whatever we plan, whatever we think, they can seize with a mind meld. We have no defense against them.”

Liz stopped her work suddenly. “I may be able to help, Captain.”



Joint post between Hawk and Kay

[lizjaneway]

Liz knew she had to speak up and couldn't hide it any longer. She sighed and finished with the captain's lip before proceeding noticing she had the attention of all those around her.

"I have been away for awhile this is well known around here, but what you don't know is where I went and what I did. I took time off and went exploring for others that could teach me how to use my mind accordingly. I am no where near as strong as those Vulcans, but I do possess strength they may not realize I have. Some of it yes, but all no," Liz said and then put the items to her medkit back in its places. She had hoped not to reveal any of this at least not for awhile only planning to tell the captain when she could get an hour alone with her commanding officer.

"Truthfully, your thoughts could be your own again. Granted to do this I would have to set up certain barriers blocking anything unwanted out. We would have to meld so I can set up the barriers, but nothing more after that. Once it is done they won't be able to enter your minds. Shielding is one thing I learned. I also learned how to communicate using only my mind. I can send and recieve messages from anyone who will allow me to do so. I would never betray my crew, use anything I learn in the melds, listen in on your thoughts, or try to control you in any way. I am part of this team - if you will a family - that needs one another right now," the doctor said waiting to see what the crew would do or say about this.

Liz had been completely honest about where she had been laying all her cards on the perverbial table. She watched the crew waiting their response to this.

[Michael Aarons]

"My lord," spoke Stilik, "there is a small vessel not far ahead of us." Sefar noted his right hand's report and brought the image up for him to see. The craft was no bigger than a merchantman's vehicle; further examination indicated there were at least 20 persons on board. Sefar signaled and one of the flanking ships broke off and took flight toward the ship.

The captain of the Lithone was waiting for someone to come relieve him, or at least bring him something to keep him awake after pulling an all-nighter. They were between ports and frankly there were a few he wouldn't have minded pulling in to.

"Kranix, how's the ore doing?" he asked.

"Safely secured in the hold, Captain." The captain began recalculating the figures for this load.

"By the Gods if he doesn't get..." he began uttering under his breath.

"Captain, there's something moving fast and right at us!" The captain moved to get a better look. Within view, the New Order ship, which was almost twice their size, headed straight for them.

"Take evasive maneuvers. We can't risk them wanting to take what's ours." It was no use though, the New Order ship was faster than they were by at least a whole warp factor. From the main deflector built a resonating wave. As soon as they detected it, it was already too late. The wave slammed the tiny ship blowing out everything and crippling her mercilessly. The damage went all the way to the hull, which was cracked, leaving nothing for structural integrity. Those on the Majesty who could see the event witnessed a bright flash. The persons on board were beamed off before the ship went up. With that, the New Order, like a virus, had procreated.

OFF: I do plan on naming the captain so please be patient.

[Kaylana Cornette]

It took what seemed an eternity for Liz to prepare herself for the melds. The doctor remained cloistered in a far corner of their cell, fingers steepled and her eyes closed. Kay wasn’t looking forward to anyone crawling around in her mind again so the delay was welcomed. Her recent mental tangle with the Vulcans had left her feeling violated on the most intimate of levels. To have your private thoughts prodded, mocked, then used against you, was an invasion into one’s soul. Liz’s promise to keep all thoughts confidential helped Kay relax. Kay wondered if Liz was aware of her hesitation to let anyone into her mind again. Her words of comfort seemed tailored to Kay’s fears.

Finally, Liz emerged from her self-induced trance. Behind her eyes was a tranquility Kay had never observed from her. She approached Kay.

“Captain, I will start with you, if that is acceptable.” Her words were soothing and lacked the usual trace of sarcasm.

Wordlessly, Kay submitted herself to the meld. This time, the experience was calming. The turmoil left in her brain from the earlier forced melds subsided as Liz not only fortified her mind, but tenderly healed it. Kay felt her strength returning.

Conversely, at the conclusion of their meld, Liz collapsed, weakened by the tremendous strain of mending and shielding the Captain’s thoughts. She refused help and again retreated into the corner, returning to her preparation for the next meld.

Suddenly, Michael appeared with Shel’ak. The group’s relief and seeing him was quickly dispelled. Aarons was clearly no longer himself. He demanded Kay to come with him. Hawk moved to protest, but Kay held him back with a word. She calmly accompanied her CNO.

They moved in silence to their destination. All the while, Kay’s heart broke for Michael. Gone were the eyes that flashed with boyish mischief. Instead, it was replaced by an empty, glassy stare. Shel’ak took great pleasure in commanding him. The sharp-tongued barbs Aarons freely incorporated into everyday speech were gone. Instead, he dutifully and silently obeyed. “Oh, Michael, what have they done to you?” Kay quietly breathed.

She was led to the battle bridge where Sefar had set up his operations. Kay had to admire his logic, though it pained her. The battle bridge was the most efficient mechanism by which to command her ship. The no-frills configuration aided the novice of all things Starfleet.

“Why did you bring me here? Just to gloat?” she asked with as much defiance as she dared. Though her mental and physical strength had been refreshed by Liz’s meld, she knew better than to severely test these Vulcans.

“Though we are superior to you in all ways, there is one attribute we can not duplicate.” Sefar showed his displeasure at having to ask her for anything by applying a Vulcan pressure hold on her neck and shoulder. The hold had the look of the famed Vulcan nerve pinch, but the outcome wasn’t unconsciousness, it was pure pain. Kay’s knees buckled and she moaned softly. “I need your voice,” Sefar hissed. “You will disengage the auto-destruct sequence.”

Kay looked up into the faces surrounding her. She found one familiar one and steadied her gaze on him. Aarons face was emotionless. However, Kay thought she saw a slight wink of his left eye. It was enough to make her think Michael wasn’t as controlled as she had thought… and that he may have a plan. Blandly, the Captain complied, nullified the one threat they had left and was rewarded by being hoisted to her feet and dragged back to her prison.

[Michael Aarons]

Shel’ak had managed to learn from Michael of his pet project to enhance the propulsion systems of the Majesty. In the fray of the attack, the results had left the engines crippled and so it was him who was deemed best to begin restoring the helm. Michael entered Engineering, which was in turmoil over the absence of any CEO, and trying to fix as many systems as possible; it was almost as if the ship hadn’t been invaded at all. There was much fire damage all around and the smokey atmosphere hit you almost immediately. Over somewhere else was an overseer who was paid little attention. He stood there watching over everyone scurrying around like ants.

Michael was of many thoughts right then. The Majesty had been brutally crippled and its inhabitants enslaved. Having encountered the awesome force of the New Order’s will over its subjects, he was of no position to oppose them. This new menace couldn’t be allowed to continue and they certainly were not going to live the rest of their lives as slaves to pointy eared freaks. Nevertheless, what could he do about it? He was just some young man whose entire life had been one carefree zig and zag after another; and now he was tasked with obeying their commands and fully placing the Majesty in their hands. But his thoughts were also focused on his new addition… Aarons had been fitted with a new collar. A bit bulky, it fit snug around the neck at an angle towards the brain. Two bolts protruded out the back resembling a resonator of some sorts.

Michael got to work, which was about all he could do, by first finding out what was actually wrong with the helm controls. The warp core was out and the only thing keeping the ship from having blown up was the anti-matter storage pods had remained intact. The problem was likely due to a rupture of the articulation frame of the dilithium crystals. There was considerable damage to relays, connections, and pathways throughout and with no other options, he began working on ways to fix them so that they would at least function.

He had been working for some time, moving back and forth between circuits, when he realized he was no longer by himself. He raised his head and turned to find, gathered close around him, three junior officers who showed a bit of interest in what he was doing. An Andorian, named Thrar; a man, Tyrell; and a girl, Judy were all hovering around him observing his work.

“What?!” he snipped.

“Are you actually trying to repair the helm?” Aarons stared at the Andorian, incredulous that he would ask something so stupid.

“Of course I am. Aren’t you?” They seemed to take the response with a bit of surprise as if they were expecting something else.

“We’re trying to repair the warp core, of course, that way they’ll be satisfied enough not to interfere with our real plans.” Aarons was not liking this.

“Those Vulcans have some sort of energy weapon that they use to immobilize ships. The way we see it is, when trying to restore the deflector, we’ll configure it to produce a wave that will disable their deflector so they can’t produce the wave and then take the opportunity to run away at maximum warp back to Federation space and get some help.” He knew that things wouldn’t be so simple and inquired as to what they planned to do about those like the overseer and the others under Shel’ak. They informed him that they would try to capture them behind security forcefields then came the overseer.

“Get back to work!” he ordered. Thrar’s antennae flared up as he indignantly replied.

“We’re helping our shipmate out!” Being from a more aggressive species, Thrar was poised to lash out at the overseer.

“Don’t!” Aarons ordered. Thrar was bewildered to hear this. “Don’t!!” he said more imperatively. Having experienced the sheer force of these Vulcans and bore witness to the power of their weapons, he wasn’t about to let him make a fatal mistake. The overseer smiled maliciously at the obedience of the helmsman as Thrar handed him a calibrating probe which wasn’t of much use to the commander.

After some time, Michael was able to finish with what he was doing down there. He left Engineering and reported back to Shel’ak like he was supposed to; he didn’t like that woman and was worried about Liz.

With the destruction of his ship, the captain of the once proud Lithone found himself now aboard Sefar’s command ship. The other members of his crew had been scattered throughout the fleet probably to never be seen again he feared. He still sored from his “inductance” into the New Order and was afraid of what was going to happen next.

The New Order finally allowed for a rest period, as they too required sleep, and everyone was permitted to halt their activities. Michael accompanied Shel’ak to her quarters aboard Majesty, which bore a striking resemblance to the captain’s. She sat at the foot of the bed and soon he found himself on his knees before her.

To the right of his face she placed her hand along his jaw, fingering various pressure points, while on the left side she placed her other hand on his brow. He didn’t know what it was she was doing but he had little choice. Shel’ak focused herself then suddenly, and without warning, within Aarons he felt her presence. He tightened a bit and his adrenaline began to flow. His pupils dilated skewing his vision as he could feel her around him. Her hands felt like they melted through his skin right to his brain. She whispered into his mind, feeding off of everything she could find and taunting him; it was if she were all around him, there but not there, and he was helpless to stop her. His body became paralyzed by the intrusion as his anxiety turned to fear and his breathing was heavy. Shel’ak delighted in the feelings and fed off of them turning it into a whole range of emotions from doubt to full on panic.

Once she had satisfied herself with this part, she slithered out of his mind leaving him to feel cold and empty. Then she stood up.

“And now for the next part.” She smiled.

The next day, as it seemed, Michael sulked into the mess hall; he had begun to suffer from a dry nausea from a lack of anything to eat. His face was flushed with sorrow from the atrocities he had seen last night and his eyes appeared to have lost all color in them. He walked with a slight limp he received from Shel’ak. Some of the other crewmembers were sitting around like any other day; probably due to a lack of supervision from the New Order.

“You look like a bridled horse there,” one of them teased. Some of the others tittered a bit at the sight of him wearing a collar. Seeing the mood he was in prompted him to come over and make amends. “I’m sorry man, I was just having a little bit of fun with you is all.” Aarons looked at him angrily.

“Are you actually enjoying all of this!?” he snapped at the other person.

“Well, there’s no more rank,” he started to kid, “and you gotta’ make the best of your situation and not let yourself get swept up in their game.” Aarons paused for a while before responding to the overly-optimistic officer.

“Do me a favor…” he said.

“What?”

“Dress up like an elf when Starfleet comes to kill these bast-!” Suddenly, Aarons was assaulted by a torrent of pain as he wretched in his seat. The others stood clear of him as they witnessed this torture brought on from some unseen force. It subsided and he trembled in fear for his safety.

After his mental attack, Michael managed to find something to eat and sat shivering in his cold emptiness; the night’s events weighing heavily on his mind as he desparately yearned for Liz. He had almost finished when a shooting sensation went up his spine. But this time, it was a summoning feeling and he attended to Shel’ak’s beckoning.

Now at her side, Michael accompanied Shel’ak to the brig where many of the staff were being housed. In the corner was Liz who seem entranced and distanced from the rest of the world. Many eyes were on him as they entered and Michael focused straight on the captain.

“Come,” he instructed her as clearly as possible while the security field was lowered for the captain. “Don’t make this difficult.” Hawk’s feathers were clearly ruffled by this but before he could do anything, the cool minded captain halted him.

“Sit,” she ordered. Kay moved forward of the field and it resumed. Shel’ak imperiously and devilishly instructed them where to go. In silence they moved through the ship to their destination; Kay’s feelings falling upon her CNO puppeted by the pointy eared shrew ahead of them.

“Oh, Michael, what have they done to you?” she whispered. Their arrival brought them to the battle bridge to which Sefar greeted them.

“Why did you bring me here? Just to gloat?” she asked with as much defiance as she dared. Though her mental and physical strength had been refreshed by Liz’s meld, she knew better than to severely test these Vulcans.

“Though we are superior to you in all ways, there is one attribute we can not duplicate.” Sefar showed his displeasure at having to ask her for anything by applying a Vulcan pressure hold on her neck and shoulder. The hold had the look of the famed Vulcan nerve pinch, but the outcome wasn’t unconsciousness, it was pure pain. Kay’s knees buckled and she moaned softly. “I need your voice,” Sefar hissed. “You will disengage the auto-destruct sequence.”

The captain was in much pain as Michael stood there watching with his own pain; his eye having developped a twitch at the feeling of Shel’ak’s finger so close to it the night before as she stole into his head. Kay looked almost helplessly into his gaze and it was then that she complied by ending the ship’s destruct sequence. At the termination of the sequence, Kay was dragged back to her feet.

“My lord…”

“Ah yes, Shel’ak, I did promise you your own command. Very well, you shall have this ship to command.” Shel’ak was pleased by this and intended to act upon this pleasure that night.

No sooner had their business concluded and Kaylana was being dragged off did TEG, who had covertly avoided capture, storm into the battle bridge hoping to take advantage of the element of surprise against Sefar and the others. He fired off a few short bursts causing some of them to scramble out of the way. He set his sight on Shel’ak and before he could fire, Michael knocked him out of the way onto the ground, narrowly missing the blast from one of their weapons. Sefar watched as the members of the New Order brutally kicked and roughed him up in retaliation. Michael shed a tear, whether it was for betraying his first officer to save his life or because it meant Shel’ak was still alive who knows. Kay also watched as they took perverse delight in TEG’s punishment instead acting upon a certain impulse.

“If you spare him, I’ll do anything you ask.” Sefar initially didn’t know how to react to this rather awkward proposal.

“Very well.” He raised his hand and, with a thought, they ceased attacking TEG. Kay approached Sefar at his beckoning and they both were beamed back to the command ship.

[Michael Aarons]

Michael stood there staring forward. His recent actions replaying in his mind alongside a thousand alternate scenarios. TEG was seized by one of their special grips which sent a rather paralyzing wave of pain through his limbs making him more cooperative. As he dared look that way, Michael saw what looked like bewildered hatred for him in his eyes; he couldn't imagine having gained that contempt from one of his superiors. Just before TEG was fully dragged out the door, Michael thought he spotted one of the soldiers put his hand to TEG's face much the way Shel'ak had that night. Left standing there, his mind almost shattered, there went a sensation through him like a tugging feeling telling him to come along and he sadly obeyed Shel'ak's beckoning.

Kay was now garbed in the attire of her new role: servant girl aboard the High Lord Sefar of the New Order's command ship; she thought it better suited for a more younger person. It had a lot of orange and it conformed to a figure she wished she had. She had never worn anything "revealing" and Kay felt like a cheap Dabo girl wearing it. Kay had also been fitted with a smaller collar device not unlike the one on Aarons. Not as bulky as his, probably out of some obscene sense of aesthetics or a more sophisticated model. Kay hoped this wouldn't affect her breathing problems.

The collar gave her a sensation and Kay saw the image of a location flash in front of her eyes to which she turned. Her instructor commended her on her ability to comprehend. Kay then felt an uncomfortable feeling begin to engulf her body to familiarize those with their way of punishment for failure. As a more obscene note, the instructor added that should any have any questions on how to serve the New Order, just come to her which earned her Kay's disgust. Kaylana was assigned to the third cycle and was sent to her "Command Master" to be familiarized with her section and duties.

The ex-captain of the Lithone, now having been placed on maintenance duty, was busy hauling equipment between portions of the ship. He found that he could keep his spirit up best by imagining various objects speared by the pointiness of his new overlords' ears. He was making his fourth trip back remembering the voyages he'd made in his ship when he spotted a fine little blond serving girl nearing her 40's moving through the corridors. Suddenly he found himself thinking more about her than his own ship.

Kay entered the bridge of the command ship and there, with Stilik, was Sefar, called "High Master."

[Kaylana Cornette]

The New Order’s lead vessel was nothing like anything Kay had ever seen before. The whole thing was fabricated with pieces of familiar vessels yet none of it was piecemeal. Technologies from several different races seamlessly integrated into a whole. It was designed with intelligence and logic, taking the best of the best and homogenizing it with precision.

Sefar rose from his throne-like command chair and, with odd gentleness, urged Kaylana to follow him. It took her a while to realize it, but she finally understood that Sefar was taking her on a tour. Were he a human, she would have attributed his actions to pride. Because he was a Vulcan on Romulan steroids, she didn’t quite know how to interpret him. The coolness of his eyes and upward tilt of his chin seemed to indicate it was a show of strength. En route, Kay spied an intriguing panel with modified cloaking technology, stolen, no doubt, from Sefar’s sister race. She hesitated, wanting to take a closer look, but trudged ahead trying to look bored. To her surprise, Sefar turned to face her, took her by the arm and guided her to the cloaking console.

“Your thoughts always betray you, Captain, and your interest pleases me.” He proceeded to expound on the details of the system, describing it with true Vulcan minutiae. Kay was astonished at his openness in discussing tactical systems. But, then she realized…

“Yes, it is true,” Sefar answered her thoughts, “You pose no threat to me. I know your every thought. There is no plan you can devise, no escape route you can plan that I will not know.”

Kay’s stomach growled fiercely and she frowned. She had hoped Liz’s mind meld would have shielded her thoughts better and residually given her the strength to squelch her hunger pangs. She couldn’t remember when she had last eaten but it was definitely before the tussle with Sefar.

Sefar wheeled around and faced her. Kay gasped, thinking her thoughts had once again betrayed her. If Sefar knew about the mind-shielding meld, her crew could be in danger of being destroyed. Mindless, obedient automatons were useful; defiant, free-thinkers were not. She waited for the expected punishment from her obedience collar.

“You are in need of food. I will make certain it is provided.” Sefar turned back around and continued his tour.

She tried not to appear stunned at his newfound show of compassion. Still mindful of her intense hunger, Kay gambled with a few more thoughts, formulating a theory. She wanted to think of something benign enough not to give Sefar any advantage, yet interesting enough to him to cue a response. She concentrated on her hunger, which wasn’t at all difficult, while picturing herself lunging at the closest guard and wrenching away his weapon. She waited for a response from either the guard or Sefar. Both continued their slow, determined walk. Not a glimmer of acknowledgement. “Interesting,” thought Kay. The group lumbered on and soon Kay had her second experiment. A large, free-standing metallic pipe leaned against the bulkhead. Still holding on to her thoughts of growling stomach, Kay let her mind imagine grabbing the pipe and braining Sefar. The thought rolled around her mind for several seconds. Again, there was no response. Hypothesis complete - intense hunger did block the Vulcans from reading her thoughts. Kay wondered if being famished was her only protection or if there were other basic instinctual needs that would work the same. At any rate, she decided a fast was the best tactic to keep her hunger sharp.

[Michael Aarons]

That night, Shel'ak was in a "good" mood and she let it show. The self doubt and misery Michael felt along with the self-conscious fear was like a toast to her new command. The delight she took delving into his mind made him feel like some performer acting for her amusement in which he couldn't stop and leave. The indignity caused by all this lead her to nearly become drunk off all the emotions. Once she had psychically fed off of him enough, she broke the link and it was time for the next part. Shel'ak wished to reward her little pet for his obedience and loyalty. Michael tried to hold on but all he could find was agony, despair, and shame.

The next day Michael's thoughts and worries became his own worst enemy. As much as he hated Shel'ak, he found himself hanging around lesser the people he'd rather be with and keeping very secluded in himself and his interactions. He could feel people looking at him whispering thoughts about him. After managing to find something to eat, Michael left the mess hall and almost aimlessly moved down the halls to wherever it was he was supposed to go. Suddenly there was a bit of an upset in the corridor and he looked; three bodies were being carted off to the shock of passersby: Judy, Tyrell, and Thrar motionless... dead! Aarons spied others looking his way commenting; suffice it to say he made no haste to leave.

Kay was being traipsed through the command ship by his high mightiness Sefar. His actions bordered on developing a hubris if it weren't for the fact that Kay's thoughts were on escaping than giving a damn who was the better captain with the bigger sword. The ego trip through the ship ultimately came to an end at the place where her lot would be fed. Kay's hope of starving herself some privacy might have become dashed then and there.

Having finally gone to his command master's satisfaction, the Seiberonian captain was allowed to go eat. He received his tray and then he spotted the little blond again picking at her strange, unfamiliar food and occasionally tasting it before reacting. He headed her way.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked while taking a seat when it didn't really matter if he did. Kay payed him little attention as she probed through her meal and thinking about trying to shield her mind with instinctual feelings. She really hated to be unsocial but when you're a collared piece of indulgence aboard an enemy ship you gain priorities. "Something wrong with the food maybe? It is a bit odd isn't it?" He smiled a tad charmingly at her.

"No, no it's just... uh..." She didn't really finish her explanation nor did she really know how to. She continued through her food when she found these things like berries that were real good. She decided to eat those at least to maintain her health and began picking them like red jellybeans. The captain watched her and was about to try and continue when Kay began. "I'm sorry, I really have to go!" She gathered her mess and, with her thoughts elsewhere, cleaned up and frantically headed off toward her new "duties." The captain sat there rather amused but glad to have met her.

"What a lovely voice, and she's got a nice er... "

In one of the corridors, Aarons was busy with the propulsion circuits of the Majesty. While it was that the New Order was removing helm control from the likes of the bridge, Aarons was still paramount to the restoration of the ship's flight capability. Granted there were many engineers ideal for such work, the extent of damage to the ship, including one of the nacelles, made it become his job to handle this; besides, it was a rather simple task compared to the work on the huge Sovereign-class nacelle.

Michael was trying to reconstruct and bypass various processor feeds while the images from that night played in his head. He finished using the briode nebuliser when his hand was shaking with nerves. He concentrated on his work and got a hold of himself. He picked up the next tool near the plasma awl and was about to use it then...

He suddenly threw down the sonic screwdriver as if he were shocked by it and fought to regain control of himself. He reclaimed the screwdriver and did what he needed to and placed it back in the box. Before continuing, however, Michael found himself staring at the business end of a laser spanner.

[Deleted]

Jamison found himself waking up in a brig cell with several other crew members. The last thing he could recall was the ship being attacked and him running out of his quarters, heading for the bridge. Than something struck the back of his head, sending him to the deck.

He quickly zoned in on a couple of his security personnel.

"Report!" he ordered. "What the hell happened?"

"We were by what appears to be renegade Vulcans, sir." reported Ensign Sony. "They appeared on the bridge without warning and took over."

"Took over? Just like that?" Will commanded. "No resistance? No security?"

"The Captain surrendered the ship, sir. They did some freaky mind meld thing to Hawk and Ensign Rut’Loc was killed when she defied one of their orders. The Captain doesn't want anymore deaths, sir."

"Where is the captain now?"

"I haven't seen her since I put in here, sir."

With that, Jamison began looking around for someone from the bridge so they could form a plan.

[Deleted]

Hawk found him self in his quarters locked away from the rest of the crew. He awoke with a huge head ache and in a fog of fear that came from the violation of his mind. He curried up in an egg shape and lay in his Aerie. Soon, as his mind cleared, he began to worry about the Captain but he tried to determine his condition and opinions. Hawk felt the presents of an animal friend just outside his door. It seemed that even these Vulcan's had a weakness for pets or well trained watch dogs. A Vulcan sehlat was outside Hawks door. Hawk linked to this animal and soon was able to roam the ship freely. Hawk could see through this animals eye’s however he did not have the power of speech. Part of Hawks mind was now being shared with the sehlat and part of the sehlat was now in Hawk.

The sehlat found him self outside of the chamber that held Will Jamison captive. Hawk had no idea how to communicate and even if he did it could reveal that he was part of the sehlat. Hawk had to chance it anyway and when the door was opened by the Vulcan guards he went into action.

Jamison rushed the guards in true CTSO form but Hawk’s sehlat interceded and grabbed the hand of Will. The sehlat’s bit was a series of long and short bit pressure. All Will knew was that he was being held in place. Will did not understand the pressure difference until sometime later.

What could these longs and shorts mean? Short short…short long-long long…short short short short-short long-short long long-long short long.

Jamison said, “There is something familiar about it.”

Could it be Morse Code?

[Deleted]

Will began to rush the guards only to find himself being halted by a sehlat. As it latched onto his hand, it began squeezing it in a series of short and long compressions. All Will knew was that he was being held in place. He did not understand the pressure difference until sometime later when he once again found himself waking up in his cell.

”What could those longs and shorts mean?”, he wondered to himself. Short short…short long-long long…short short short short-short long-short long long-long short long. “There is something familiar about it.”

As he thought more about it, Will began to remember something he read way back when. ” Could it be Morse Code?” he thought. ”Hell. I haven’t seen that since the academy. And I’ve NEVER used it.”

He sat up on the edge of the bunk with his head in his hands. “Think dummy. Think.” , he muttered. After a few more moments, it started to slowly come back to him. As the deciphering of the code came to an end, Will realized what it meant. He looked around and noticed that Commander Hawk was not in the cell with him. So now Will had three mysteries to solve. How did Hawk send the message? How was Will going to respond? And how were they gonna get out of this damn cell?

Will motioned for his men to join him so that they could brainstorm.

[Deleted]

Nik was confused, well too be honest he wasn't really sure if he was confused or not but he didnt know who or what he was. Yet paradoxically he did...

Their were voices, lots of voices. The problem was he couldn't work out whether he was imagining them or whether he was actually physically hearing them.

'If only I could .....'



OOC: Well its not much but not sure how to bring myself into the story.

[Kaylana Cornette]

The resourceful captain of a sovereign-class ship was reduced to cleaning the atmospheric scrubbers. Kay had done similar work during her time on the USF Argosy, but technological advances had made scrubbers outdated since those early days. However, this homogenized ship was yet to incorporate such advances and Kay was wallowing in grime. Her Command Master took pleasure in seeing her belittled and this task was the latest in his goal of fully humiliating her. Having scrubbed her share of scrubbers, Kay didn’t mind. She was particularly happy to be away from Sefar’s peering eyes.

After 6 hours of non-stop labor, Kay’s work detail was allowed to join another small group for a meal, if you could call it that. The rations were stolen from some unknown world and consisted of an unknown dried meat, a crispy square resembling a cracker, and some dehydrated paste pretending to be a fruit ‘dessert’. Kay’s hunger was getting the better of her which made her prison meal frightfully appetizing. To stave off her desire to eat, she envisioned a grizzly-bearded sloth as the source of the jerky and immediately dry-retched. A diplomatic mission several years ago had forced her to eat sloth to appease her host and the result was a three-day stint in sickbay. She regained her stomach after a few moments and nibbled slowly on the cracker.

“You need to eat better to keep up your strength,” a low voice whispered. The man Kay had met earlier sat down beside her.

Kay looked around furtively before chancing an answer. “I had a big lunch.”

The ex-captain of the Lithone scoffed. “I bet you did.” He broke off a piece of his fruit paste concoction and handed it to her. “Here. You can save it for later.”

Not trusting him enough to explain her starvation tactic, Kay accepted his offering. “Thanks.”

“So, what do I call you?” he asked, smiling at her.

“Kay, just Kay is fine.”

He waited patiently for her to ask his name. Before she could, a mental nudge from their overseers informed the group they were now allowed a rest period of unspecified duration. Several moved to join with smaller groups and Kay took the opportunity to excuse herself and stroll along the observation windows at the far end of the room. Staring out at her captured Majesty, Kay was overcome with emotion. She didn’t notice him beside her until he spoke.

“Is that your ship?” the Seiberonian captain asked gently.

“Yes.”

He nodded to his small vessel made even smaller now by the Vulcan’s scavenging. “That’s mine, or what’s left of it.” His voice quivered slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t think I’d react so emotionally. Seeing her sliced up like that… it’s almost too much to bear.”

Echoing his sorrow, Kay asked, “You’ve served on her a long time, then?”

“I’ve had the privilege of captaining her for 14 years,” he said proudly.

“I understand what you mean. A ship can get under you skin,” she said matter-of-factly.

Frustration filled his voice. “I feel so helpless! My ship, my crew, my cargo… all of it is gone.” He tore at his obedience collar futilely. “And I’m not allowed to even think of a plan to stop it!” His face reddened with pent up anger.

Kay touched his shoulder comfortingly. The mirroring of their emotions dissipated her mistrust. She wanted to help him fight back. She wanted to tell him how to shield his mind from their probing, but she couldn’t risk it. It could very well be Janeway’s residual mind-meld that was enabling her to use her hunger pangs as a feeble weapon. Without the meld, this new ally of hers may ruin what little advantage Kay had. One miss-thought by him and Kay’s hand would be played.

“Personally, I’m counting on these Vulcan Neanderthals underestimating our resourcefulness,” she soothed. She nodded subtly to her ship. “That’s a majestic ship with a well-trained crew, hanging out there off starboard. They won’t go quietly without a fight. Of that you can be sure.”

[Deleted]

After talking with his men for a couple of hours, Will finally came up with a plan that he hoped would set all of the crew members free. Or at least all the ones in this cell. Will walked over to an engineer and began sharing his plan. After a little bit of discussion, they started to get to work.

Will turned and nodded to his men who began to circulate and whisper instructions into everyones ears. A moment later, everyone in the cell began moving toward the front of the cell. As they did so, Jamison and the engineer started the work.

When they had finished a few hours later, they moved everyone back to the rear of the cell and turned on the holographic program they had been working on. All they could do now was wait and hope someone dropped the field to come in and investigate what now appeared to be an empty brig cell.

[Deleted]

TEG awoke bound to a conduit in the brig of the Majesty, along with others. It appeared as though the diversion worked, as he saw the lights in the brig flicker as though the Majesty's EPS conduits could not provide the power required to operate the ships systems.

Good Job Rache, now if only Coats... Before he could finish the thought, the door to the brig exploded. He tried to twist out of the way, only to find how much he'd actually been hurt in the attack on the Battle Bridge. His back spasmed in pain, but the blast opened the brig onto the corridor. He worked his way around to see the hole to see the silloutte of Coats holding a large Phaser Riffle, and after a few seconds, Rachael ran to her side from down the corridor. The both set about to freeing the captives in the Brig and TEG hoped that there rescue would be successful since the lack of power would slowly fry the Internal Sensors.

[Michael Aarons]

The laser device stared in Aarons’ face as he looked down its barrel, gripped clumsily in his not so steady hand. He had the trigger primed to fire only once he was firm in his resolve. A precise blast straight to his frontal lobe would burn out his neurons and everything would stop; even being brain-dead would be better than going on any longer as he were. Michael thought whether all of this was worth an end to it all. The New Order had cemented its dominance over the Majesty crew, that much was certain, and as yet no moves to fight back had been attempted with any sign of success. Michael certainly could not go on living as he was for the rest of his life especially if Shel’ak should ever tire of him. Aarons closed his eyes as if ready to go through with it when suddenly he felt the beckoning call telling him to get back to work. Michael ceased his little melodrama and resumed his work, disappointed at his own inability but in some tiny way glad he didn’t have to. As he was awoken from his stupor, he could almost hear a faint voice calling to him.

No Michael, don’t. You mustn’t. Don’t do it, please. You have to be strong.

“Liz?!” his voice faltered, as much of his heart had turned to sorrow. Liz was still in the brig and still under much concentration from when she prepared many of her crewmates minds for the battle which lied ahead; the abilities within her coming more and more naturally now.

You have to hang in there, for me, do you hear? she whispered as the thoughts reached out with her to Aarons’ mind. She could feel his awareness of her thoughts as she held the image of him in her mind. The faint connection didn't stay long and for what it did probably owed to the connection they shared with each other over time.

Janeway was still focused on keeping an opened mind. Her goal now was to sharpen her focus and clarity in perceiving others. She thought about trying to reach out to the captain and find her thoughts. As she spread out and opened up to her mental awareness she was unable to seek out the captain anywhere. Liz decided to put forth a stronger effort until she was able to take hold of something, coming off from the command ship, a faint sensation. It was a very weak, somewhat carnal, sensation probably best described as love. Janeway didn't know what to make of this and thought it no more than just her novice inability to fully bridge her mind with another.

TEG's aching body smarted as he awoke to being chained to a conduit in the brig. A swirl of nightmares bled from his mind as he began to regain his consciousness. He could hear the sounds of others informing that he'd come out his sleep as his mind raced to figure out what had been going through it and to catch up with what their current situation was.

The lights browned a bit as the power in the EPS's fluctuated. TEG started to regain his bearings and knew things were going good despite the contradictory feelings surging through his body. As he started to follow the next step of the plans, the door to the brig exploded and he tried to take cover as he met with further agony as his back spasmed. Coats, followed closely by Rachel, stood there at the opening to the brig armed with phaser rifles. They both stared for a moment, that is, until Jamison let down the crude, yet effective, facade. The two of them started releasing those held captive.

"Greenwood! Help me out, will ya!?" TEG called. Nik helped TEG free and everyone present and in any shape to do so was briefed on how they were going to fight back. Those going began to suit up. Liz was still very deep within herself until she was woken and brought along.

Kay really hated losing the sanctity of her own mind or even for that matter the effort she had to put forth to keep it and all those out. Sinking to such primal instincts, like hunger, was tasking to say the least and were the doctor there (assuming Michael didn't tear the fleet apart to rescue her ) would have never let the captain go about such a thing. However there was something to be had in the form of the nice man she had met and had seen numerous times, as it were, before.

As the Starfleet officers took point along the corridor, Liz once again focused her mind outward in attempted contact. Now that she was no longer encumbered by the forcefields in the brig, perhaps she could more clearly seek out the captain. Placing only the captain's image in her mind, the doctor tried to sense Kaylana since, in a way, they too shared a bond of sorts. Liz could definitely feel a stronger presence this time around.

The captain was settling in to resume work; the New Order certainly wouldn't approve of anything less than an 8 hour work cycle; though they could care less about those they've subjugated. She had been beckoned to stand ready to serve as needed to her masters when suddenly she could feel something buzzing in her head.

Cap...Captai...Captain Cor...nette? Can you...me? What little could be made out sounded like a choppy signal within the back of her mind. Somehow Janeway was making psychic contact with her. She didn't know how or if it had something to do with what was done to her mind before surrendering herself to Sefar but she hoped it was a sign all was about to change. Kay could hear Liz buzzing a few more times when suddenly she knew that her Command Master was approaching.

Kay panicked. She knew if the Command Master got wind of her sudden link then it would be all over. Kay's strategy of hunger wasn't going to be enough much longer due in part to her modest indulgence of her appetite. Kay didn't know what to do when suddenly: "You've got to be kidding me." Kay excused herself none too soon.

Liz found that the captain's mind again slipped away from her. The squad had advanced a bit before stopping again. She tried to contact Aarons again.

Mike, are you there? I need you to stay safe for me, please. Michael could definitely feel her presence this time as his task had reached completion. Afterwards he had the unenviable task of reporting back to Shel’ak.

Kay had managed to hide her thoughts at the hands of Human primal instincts namely her digestion. No matter, she thought, trusting in the tenacity of her crew she held on to the hope that she wouldn't have to play this game with her new masters much longer.

TEG's squad were about to progress when they met with one of the Nashinarhr at the end of the hallway. He responded by charging a psionic attack down the corridor at them. The attack loosened wall panels on their supports and even managed to flip a few weapons panels around. Everybody was fortunate to duck for cover before attempting to return fire.

"I'm starting to be glad Michael pushed me out of the way now."

Michael entered the battle bridge where Shel’ak had established her command of the Majesty. He hated dealing with her as much as he hated being around her but it seemed to be better than some of the alternatives he had witnessed. Michael mustered his strength before speaking.

"The connection is now complete. The propulsion systems can now be accessed when ready." This meant that the Majesty was now able to be taken wherever the New Order desired. Michael hated to allow them final control of the ship but there was little alternative for him. Shel’ak was pleased by this and "rewarded" him with a deep kiss, the experience of which he found to be like the captain eating sloth. He felt something warm as a tear trickled down his cheek.

Shel’ak sensed the reaction and responded, "re tem," and smiled. As Michael kneeled at her side, the only thing he could think of more undignifying is if he was made to wear some skimpy outfit and stand there looking pretty.

Kay stood there looking pretty on the bridge of the command ship. Her task was simple: do whatever anybody needed her to. She stood there out of the way watching everything go on when Shel’ak appeared on screen.

"My lord, we've regained flight and may now continue along at low warp," she reported.

“Excellent,” Sefar replied. "Stilik, prepare us to head out to our next destination." Stilik obeyed and the screen resumed normal.

“You aren’t going to tell him about the outbreak?" asked one of Shel’ak's underlings.

"Are you crazy?! Of course not. We don’t need to bother him with that. We can handle it."

TEG and the others were holding out against the Nashinarhr. TEG and Coats were about to return fire when he struck again. Liz could see the attack coming and all she could do was think about TEG. Some way, somehow he was unaffected by the attack; Coats, however, was dead.

The New Order fleet travelled to its next destination: a space station orbiting an Eonon moon, prime for refurbishing their ships.

[Deleted]

The mysterious, feathery haired man prowled the perimeter of his quarters, his bare feet leaving no sound on the slightly hardened deck plates. He’d been walking around in that manor now for the past…how long had it been? He couldn’t remember. Time seemed to have no meaning in the confinement of his quarters. He couldn’t remember how long he’d been there, or how the he actually got into this mess, but he was sure as hell certain that he had no idea how to get out of it.

His mind ached. Not a sharp, thundering headache, but it was there in the background; enough that Hawk was constantly aware of it and he rubbed absently at his temples as he brought himself to a ragged halt and the ache increased. Finding that the absence of movement increased his anxiety, he commenced to circling again, back and forth along the walls of his now prison, like a wild animal in a zoo and with an acute predatory grace. Needing to be somewhere else and doing something to help his crew, but with no way to attain his goals. Hawk struck out at the wall in a furious temper, achieving nothing but a sore limb, but the pain felt good. Somehow it had a comforting effect; at least he was doing something, anything. He replaced one limb with another and punched again and again at the dumb wall until his knuckles bled and left bloody smudges on its smooth surface. Hawk stopped himself from further damaging his body and stood with his forehead against the cool wall, panting and sweating as he got himself back under control.

The room was gray. It had gray walls, a gray ceiling; gray floor, but very little if any furniture to speak of. There were no paintings on the walls and the only color in the vicinity was his blood, vivid against the gray wall like some old earth modern art piece. There were no comforts to be found here, and more ominously, the monitoring camera was like a hole in the wall with a large window, an enormous pane of reinforced glass like an evil eye out onto the world of his captors. Not that he could see anything from where he was at. Just a long, winding corridor, but he felt like an insect under glass, or an animal in a glass cage. Hawk was there for inspection by anyone who walked along the corridor to look at him through the ship’s monitor; a prize exhibit in this nut house.

Hawk looked down at himself again, wondering again if there was anything about him that could lend a clue as to who he was or where he’d come from. Not many clues to be gleaned from his clothes or outward appearance. He wore only a simple two-piece uniform of sorts with no marks or pattern on them except for four dots on his collar. Idly, he thought that if this was some sort of hospital or prison, the uniform would have the name of it stamped on them.

Hospital?...Prison? Where the hell did those names come from? Was it something from his past? He had to have had a past! He couldn’t have been here all the time, could he? And how the hell did he know that much about hospitals or prisons anyway? He shook his head and the drops of sweat from the ends of his feathery plumage flew in all directions.

Hawk ripped off the confining top part of his uniform to discover his bare chest was covered in fine reddish brown, feathery hair, dense enough to disguise the dark nipples which peeped out. The chest was muscular and the abdomen flat, the muscles there defined and toned. His arms were similarly furred to the elbow and the upper arms again were well-muscled although not overly so. He stared at the wide copper colored band circling his left wrist. It was perhaps 1 inch wide and fit snugly against his skin, although there was no hint of a clasp or hinge. It seemed to be permanent and there was a pale blue welt at both the top and bottom of the bracelet, showing that it had been there long enough to roughen the skin.

Hawk continued his methodical search of his own body, desperate to try to pierce the blanket of impenetrable fog which bound his mind to the here and now. He ran his hands over his torso, wincing again at the huge bruise marring his otherwise unmarked frame. Possibility from being kicked by a prison guard or hospital orderly but how did I know this and not other things? Fingers searching, he found again the small indented area of skin above his left upper chest. He knew it was a scar from a knife wound, but how did he know that? And when did he get it? Fingers searching further, he crested the rise of his shoulder and searched the top of his back, feeling a larger scar mirroring the one on his front. So, the knife entered there and the front wound was a surgical scar. Curious!

Any more marks, he wondered? His arms were free of blemishes, although there seemed to be a slight indentation around his left ring finger. Had he worn a ring? Where was it now? Did it symbolize something?

Too many questions without any answers.

The Avian gave up his pointless pacing as he got to the corner and turning his back to the wall he slid himself down and onto the floor, knees up and arms draped over the top. His head hung down in exhaustion. He felt like that a lot now. Always fatigued; except for the other times, the times when he felt euphoric and powerful. But those times scared him because with the power came pain. He massaged the blue/black bruise over his right ribs and snorted hysterically. He couldn’t even remember when he’d gotten the bruise in the first place.

Was it during one of the “not weary” times? It must have been, although try as he might he couldn’t seem to remember when. All he knew was that he’d been locked up in this gray room for as long as he could remember and that once in a while men would come. Then he’d be some place else. There would be noise and smells again instead of the quiet and the ionized air of his room, but with the noise and the smells would soon develop into the physical exertion and the POWER...and the PAIN!

Hawk shook his head and for the millionth time tried to remember what this was all about. Wearily he closed his eyes and tried to relax back against the hard wall. What he wouldn’t give for a bed. Any bed but most of all he wanted his own bed – the one with the…the….He cried out in pain and held his head in his hands.

Crap! Thinking the intense torturous AGONY! But he needed to remember. There was something else. Something before the gray, there had to be.

He decreased his breathing and emptied his mind. There had to be something, if he could just get past the throbbing pain. He let his mind go blank, staring through closed eyelids at the blackness inside his head. Slowly he descended into it, not thinking, just following the progression of the patterns his mind threw up into his consciousness.

The mind of the Vulcan sehlat was within Hawk's body!

[Lorna Holsen]

OOC: Hi Everyone. I hope this fits in with what you've been doing so far.

Lorna was tired, drained and a captive it had been a bad couple of weeks. A 'friend' had asked her to investigate some telepathic attacks, or failing that do her best to help the survivor of the attacks. It seemed that the survivor had been attacked by a Vulcan mindmeld but beyond that Lorna hadn't been able to determine much else. She had sent the survivor back and continued to investigate on her own. This had turned out to be the wrong move. She had found the 'Vulcans' unfortunately not before they had found her.

They were strong telepaths and they liked to cause pain. So far they hadn't beaten down Lorna's shielding but they had gotten close. She was slung in a small cell in one of the ships in between times. They seemed to think it 'interesting' that she could keep them out of her mind and were testing it and her.

Lorna sat as comfortably as she could in her cell she was sure one of her ribs had been cracked but her lungs her okay. She ached all over. Occasionally she saw other prisoners obviously on some duty for their masters, each time her heart sank a little further.

Today though she saw a something that gave her hope. A starfleet officer who seemed to have a touch of fire in their eyes. Someone who clearly wasn't as beaten down as everyone else she had seen. Lorna did wonder which ship had fallen victim to her captors but she knew she had to taken a chance.

Speaking just loud enough for the other officer to hear. "Hey, over here. I'm Lorna Holsen. You are?"

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