Nashinarhr

[Michael Aarons]

"Hey, over here. I'm Lorna Holsen. You are?" Lorna had been looking over at a young man with waved brunette hair and wide eyes. His uniform said he was in the command division and that he was a lieutenant. His posture said he was cautious but all the same uneasy. He searched around quickly for whoever it was that had spoken to him. He spotted Lorna and moved over closer to where she was.

"I'm Jarvis, Jarvis Tennebaum. I don't think I've ever seen you before." He seemed to act like they were being monitored and avoided long eye contact with her.

"Well I think it's safe to say you haven't. How exactly did you get here and why were you not affected like the others I've seen?"

"I don't know. Those kind of things have never really bothered me before. Maybe it's because of all my experiences with similar beings. I was on the Majesty when the ship was massively disabled and we were invaded by these... Vulcans." Majesty? She'd heard that name before. She tried to think then suddenly she recalled. That was Cornette's ship. Starfleet had heard tales about that ship alright. "Where are you from?"

OFF: To our newcomer, may that welcome you aboard. Feel free to continue as you please. And now...

ON:
The New Order fleet moved in on the Eonon station. Due to its value to them, the New Order were forced to send out their Nashinarhr to directly take hold of the facility. The initial wave was brutal in its unflappable execution. They unleashed their psionic attacks and took down anyone that even seemed to impede their taking over. The attack was handled in waves beamed throughout the different levels and subjugated the staff and civilians. The station had been in no condition to defend itself and never even had a chance. Sefar beamed over in the aftermath and beheld his new acquisition.

"Feihan, we have secured a number of the females. What should we do with them?" Stilik announced to his master. Sefar responded with a disdainful delight.

"Send them to the outer ships; let them know we haven't forgotten them," he smiled horribly.

"Aye Lord." Stilik ordered the females taken away. From what they could discern, their fate was unpleasant.

"Get these slaves working! Our ships need repair!" He barked at Stilik who responded by obeying his master's command and got everyone remaining to work. "Shel'ak," he hailed, "your ship requires refitting."

"That is correct," Shel'ak responded.

"Then move your ship into position and commence."

"Yes Lord." As Michael had been in control of flying the Majesty he was ordered to take the helm and back her into the docking space. As he did so, his keeper took the opportunity to psychically feed off of his misery which was like a pick-up for her. She began casually massaging his shoulders which reminded him of Liz or even when the captain had stood behind him before. He berated himself for even remotely enjoying any gesture from this woman.

"Docking complete," he sighed. Her hands inched toward his neck. Tears began to form in his eyes as she dared pervert something she sensed so meaningful to him. It felt as if her fingers glided under his skin and began directly stimulating the nerve endings with them. The ensuing endorphins milked him into a subjective state. She thought about how much she'd like to retreat back to her room with him during the down time if not for the fire fight raging below deck.

[Deleted]

Hawk cried out despite himself at the lancing pain in his head that threatened to plunge him into a more permanent blackness if he didn’t stop thinking. Clutching his hands to the sides of his head with fingers that had turned to claws; he concentrated through the pain on that one name.

Was it a name?

It began with S.

S-e-h….the pain increased!

S-e-h-l….Oh PLEASE, make it stop…make it stop…too much. Need to remember.

SEHLAT, he yelled at the four walls as the pain took him and shook him and he sweat until wet, limp and unconscious body slipped sideways onto the floor.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”, Hawk moaned in pain.

The power he felt was that of the wild powerful sehlat which he was and the pain came from the memory of his task master’s whip of obedience and his tortured mind trying to remember who he was.

The sehlat looked up at his captors as they entered the room, his indigo silvery blue eyes defiant as they approached.

‘NOOOO!’ he yelled at them and tried to struggle against the prison restraints holding his wrists together behind his back. His ankles were similarly bound together and there was a broad leather band which tied the two together. The cold of the steal floor robbed his almost naked body of the little warmth he felt and the hard surface dug into the bones of his spine as they dragged his bound body across it.

‘For the Love of Sha Ka Ree, We can’t treat him like this! Just secure him!’ the unknown voice said.

Hawk continued to struggle, more so now that he caught sight of the two Vulcans approaching him. As one held his head in a vice like grip, the other threaded a thick leather strap across the sehlat’s throat, like a collar and another on his forehead for control, stepping back to admire his handiwork.

The bound humanoid had come to the end of his animalistic reactions. He was lost, bewildered, hurt and alone. Not only did he not have the comfortable touch of a humanoid companion to ease his fears, he had no memories to fall back on. His mind was an empty void, filled only with darkness and pain and any effort to try to penetrate the darkness ending in a pain which felt as though his eyeballs were being sucked out of his skull through his ears.

He felt the sharp sting of an injection in the side of his neck and tears of forlornness came unbidden to his eyes. He squeezed them closed. He wouldn’t give these scum the satisfaction of seeing just how hurt and sacred he was.

He was a humanoid, not an animal ripe for experimentation or was he?

The drug was beginning to take effect and he could feel the fire coursing through his veins. The more he tried to think, the worse the burning became and he struggled again against his bonds, writhing on the floor as the neck strap threatened to cut off his breathing.

He was an animal.

He was a wild animal.

He was no humanoid.

He was….

He knew he was….

As Hawk opened his stormy indigo eyes and stared defiantly at his captors, one word came unbidden to his lips. He licked them, gathering his strength through the fast acting drug and yelled at the familiar face of the Vulcan bending over him.

“SEHLAT!” Hawk screamed.

“Really?” the Vulcan made a cruel mental note in his head, holding the cold steal of a lirpa to his heaving chest.

“But for how much longer will you hide your thoughts Falconian, huh?” he said calmly as he walked away, leaving the body on the floor shaking, panting and sweating.

Hawk’s mind was registering all that was taking please with his body and the mind of the sehlat within. Hawk believed that this was not just a dumb animal’s mind but something much more. This animal was of a much, much higher degree of intelligence, almost to the level of humanoid.

How could this be Hawks mind thought as he was returning to his body?

The two words that kept flashing through Hawk’s mind were, “KATRA” and... And… “FAL-TOR-PAN”, what could this mean?

[Lorna Holsen]

"I'm Jarvis, Jarvis Tennebaum. I don't think I've ever seen you before." He seemed to act like they were being monitored and avoided long eye contact with her. Lorna note this and took it as safest for both of them.

"Well I think it's safe to say you haven't. How exactly did you get here and why were you not affected like the others I've seen?" she asked, curious how he had escaped.

"I don't know. Those kind of things have never really bothered me before. Maybe it's because of all my experiences with similar beings. I was on the Majesty when the ship was massively disabled and we were invaded by these... Vulcans."

Majesty? She'd heard that name before. She tried to think then suddenly she recalled. That was Cornette's ship. Starfleet had heard tales about that ship all right.

"Where are you from?"Jarvis asked.

"My last ship was the USS Hanson, I was the Academy medical instructor. Since the closure I've been on an assignment looking into some telepathic attacks. I found the perpetrators, but not before they found me." She sighed slightly.

"Could you get me out of here," She gave a small gesture at her cell. "There's a release switch on the wall over there somewhere." She indicated a direction a move that was half stretch and half point.

Jarvis's eyes flicked to her for a moment and then he ambled in the direction Lorna had indicated, he brushed the release switch for Lorna's cell and continued on his way. He was pretty sure that they were being watched even though he was supposed to be under their control. he didn't want to draw any attention to himself.

When the barrier went down Lorna slipped out quickly into the shadow, it felt good to be free even if that freedom was relative. She was appalled that the Majesty had fallen to these torturers but at least with a whole Federation ship here she should have rather more potential allies.

Lorna worked her way deeper into the enemy ship, she was going to have a word with Neilas about this, she deserved hazard pay for this mission. She sighed to her self and headed off she was looking for weapons, a hiding place, things to sabotage, and potential allies.

She believed she could break their control on an individual's mind but if one person had slipped through their control then the odds were that others had as well. Lorna worked her way slowly through the ship, she took the first opportunity she had to pry an access panel loose and slip into the ducting beyond. She was now acutely aware of her cracked rib and her finger tips were raw from prying the panel loose. She didn't know how long she had before they would notice that she had escaped, they came for her irregularly. She wanted to maximise her distance from her former cell before her absence was discovered.

She crawled quietly through the ducts taking every opportunity to peer through access panel and try to establish where she was in th ship. She hoped the vessel wasn't too large as she had no idea of the layout. She intended to explore until she found something or someone or somewhere useful.

[Deleted]

The corridor down which he was prodded was narrow and dimly lit. Only occasional torches burned in the ceiling, casting their gloomy and terrifying cold light through metal cages engulfing them, so that anyone in the corridor wouldn’t be able to blot out the light. It was apparent that Hawk’s mind was playing tricks on him now in his condition. The cages reminded Hawk of something, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was. He couldn’t remember anything, couldn’t think past the fire that was coursing through his veins.

The last injection he’d been given had hyped up his emotional responses to the fullest and he was ready to rip the head off anyone who crossed his path. Almost a maximum dose, they’d said. Whatever the size of the dose, it always made him feel this way; made him feel as though he could fight with himself if there was no-one else around. He hated the feeling and he loved it; hated it because he knew deep down in his subconscious that this wasn’t the humanoid he was meant to be. But he loved the feeling too, because the animal in him for a brief time in this unimaginative place could actually feel something, even if the feeling was raw animal anger and hostility.

The Vulcans, that were with Hawk, believed that this was how he would react to the drug. They’d seen the process a few times now and it never failed to peak their interest how a single injection could turn even the most cowardly or docile of humanoids into a mean machine. But with this one, this bundle of antagonism and fury, and the other one, namely Falco, that had been brought in at the same time, they took extra precautionary measures. They had no idea how Falconians would react to their drugs or even a partial Falconian for that matter.

The Vulcan scientist had watched with great interest and satisfaction the transformation of the Falconian from controlled, but hurting prisoner to this hellion. When Hawk was ready to be let up from the table, they’d taken extra precautions and had attached strong chains from his wrist restraints to a sturdy leather belt buckled around his waist, similar to the belts used as collars to subdue wild sehlats... But this had an extra piece to it, another chain from the waistband leading upwards through the feathery hair on his chest, to a leather collar buckled securely around his scarlet toned throat. Another chain attached his wrists to the back of the belt so that he was effectively restrained. The collar was the main controlling device, and Hawk remembered the first time he’d tried to make a break for freedom, not remembering that he was a sehlat at the time.

The collar had seemed to tighten around his neck, like a hangman’s noose, threatening to cut off his oxygen supply as the electric shock from the wires embedded in the leather straps and sent uncontrollable tremors through his body. He ended in a heap on the floor, clawing at the terrible instrument surrounding his neck as the amplitude of the shock ceased and he twitched pitifully on the deck plates as the Vulcan guards watched in amusement.

So now, the feathery haired humanoid walked slowly, with measured steps down the corridor, but didn’t try to run since he was trussed up like a Christmas turkey. Why should he? There was nowhere to run to anyway. He tried to calm the breathing that rasped from his throat as the Klingon style pain stick at his back signaled for him to turn to the left into a small room. As he turned he saw another row of cells, just like his own further down the corridor. In the closest one, he saw a struggle taking place between two Vulcan guards and a 6 foot tall green eyed man. He paused for a second, thinking it is Jamison, watching the guards beat the green eyed man to the floor with pain sticks and then shrugged his shoulders. Who is Jamison anyway he thought, he had enough problems of his own to deal with. What was one more prisoner’s problem to him?

Hawk stopped at the doorway of another small room. Like his cage, this room was gray, but unlike the cage, it held a single piece of furniture. It was a metal chair, very much like an alien torture chair from deep in his subconscious and it was to this item of furniture that he was now directed.

Hawk hated the pain stick and hated the humanoids who wielded it without pause. He stopped in his tracks. No way would he make it easy for these dirt bags to secure him to that chair. If they wanted a fight, he was ready. Hell he was more than ready, he was spoiling for a fight and as he felt one of the Vulcan guards come up behind him, Hawk turned on his foot and kicked out in a perfect Kung fu roundhouse kick, sending the guard blasting back against the wall.

With a screeching battle yell he launched himself at the other Vulcan guard, again using his feet because his hands were chained to the belt around his waist. He jumped up, kicking with both feet against the humanoid, but the guard was ready and took a step back, meaning that the feathery haired captive hit nothing and crashed to the floor with a bone crunching, teeth rattling bash. As he laid panting and shaking his head slowly from side to side like a wounded animal, the second guard reached for the control device on his belt and pushed the red button.

Instantly, Hawk curled into a ball, trying to get his hands up to his neck to claw at the fearsome pain now encircling his neck. It was on fire, sending tendrils of white lightening down his chest, back and arms. He clamped his lips closed, desperate not to let the guards see how much the miserable device hurt, but the current remained live so long that eventually he could hold out no longer. He threw his head back, his lips peeling back from his teeth in a grimace of pain and a guttural shriek escaped the spasm of his throat.

That gratifying sound was what the guard had been waiting for and he removed his thumb from the button, leering at the torso twitching on the deck in front of him. Normally he would have taken pleasure in kicking the obstinate captive, but with this one he knew better. With an unknown humanoid, it was always prudent to stay a safe distance away, even with the safety of the collar and the chains.

The man lay wheezing on the floor, ruby sparkles still flashing in front of his eyes as he tried to calm the tortured muscles of his body that were still randomly firing throughout his being.

Where are you Falco? Where are you buddy, I need you. Oh hell! Was that Falco in the other cell? Why didn’t I know before? The pain! The pain makes me think clearer? Sweet Mother of pearl, that’s special. What? The only way to remember is to fry your brain? Cool, real cool Hawk. Just trying to get to Fal…try to get to...who? Who were you thinking of? Thinking without the pain...thinking…

Falco only meters away in his cage stands holding his head, “Hawk is that you?... Do you need me Hawk?... HAWK!...” Falco yelled out.

The memory faded with the pain until Hawk lay panting and spent on the floor, his mind once again a deep dark and empty pit.

“Get up” the Vulcan guard’s voice commanded and it didn’t occur to the Falconian to contravene. He tried to stand, but it was difficult with his hands bound to his waist and he scrabbled about on the floor as he saw the pain stick approaching.

“Ungh….dam it!” he yelled as the malevolence instrument caught him on the flank and he twisted away. “I’m going to kill you. Ya hear me? Don’t ever relax, coz I’ll be there, behind ya, ready” he ground out as he struggled to his feet, staring at the Vulcan guard from knitted brows.

“Not while I have this,” the guard goaded him, indicating the control device. “Now be silent and sit down”.

Slowly, and without taking his eyes from the sadistically brutal guard, the plumaged humanoid lowered himself into the chair. The second guard, the one that he’d kicked, had recovered and now bore down on him, licking his lips in anticipation. His comrade stood by with the controller, he set to connecting Hawk’s wrists and ankles to the rests on the cold metal chair. Hawk tugged experimentally at them, but the guard had left no play in the restraints and all dug into his flesh uncomfortably. Staring deep into the indigo blue eyes, the man took hold of a handful of the feathery hair and pushed Hawk’s head back against the head support, securing it there with a supple metal band, then stood back, satisfied that the fuming feathered humanoid was going nowhere. With a final look at his captive, he drew back his fist and plunged it into the hard abs, making a whistling sound from between Hawk’s clenched teeth as his lungs were forced to empty.

“That was a mistake” he said. “So remember, we have the keys. Don’t try it again”.

The stormy blue, tearing eyes stared back at him in defiance, but the feathery captive was sensible enough not to utter the retort that sprang to his lips. Instead he tried to resign him self to whatever came next.

He didn’t need to wait long as the Vulcan Scientist came bustling into the room, a padd under his arm. He took a moment to nod at the guards, exchanging greetings with them, ignoring the humanoid bound to the chair completely.

Hawk thought he’d seen the doctor before, but he couldn’t remember where. Dam, he couldn’t remember who he was so there was no hope for putting a name to a stranger’s face. But the fact gnawed at him. Why did he know the scientist? Where from? Why was he here now? And most importantly, what was he going to do?

“Return this birdie to his gelded cage, I am finished with him for now,” said an unemotional voice.

[Deleted]

Hawk stared at the reddish haired man being held upright by the two guards. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Falco look so bad, including the atrocious time they’d had while fighting hand-to-hand with Romulans. Where had that memory come from? Black and blue bruises stood out lividly over the lightly tanned torso, and bruises, cuts and grazes marred the handsome face. Whatever had been done to him, Falco hadn’t taken it without a fight. He stood, wavering between the two Vulcan guards, his breath piping through his battered and bruised mouth as he looked despondently at his friend tied to the chair again, scared at what he would find this time.

“Falco?” Hawk said again a little less hesitantly. He believed that he knew the man, although he couldn’t quite recall why he knew him. Was he a relative? Was he a friend? Something nagged at his mind, telling him there was a longstanding relationship with the tall, flaxen haired man, but he was damned if he could remember. He’d told the doctor he was a Falconian. Was that right? He had no recollection of being a Falconian, although he thought he remembered a high mountain perch. Was that part of his past?

His heart hammered in his chest as he fought the fear caused by the deficiency of memories. It was as if he was looking out at the world from a big pit, surrounded by nauseating blackness and he longed to feel; he longed to have any sort of emotion, even the angry, painful ones.

The reddish haired man had called him by his name and had called the doctor a name too. Syvar?…no, Sylavar. Hawk thought he should know that name also, but his mind was still partially fogged and in his desperation to remember he almost wished the doctor would put the electric prod against him again, so that the pain would bring more clarity. Dam, with the band around his head, holding it in place, he couldn’t even shake it! The name coursed through his head. He should know why it was important, why couldn’t he remember?

Falco… Falco… Falco, Remember…try to remember….dam, hurts…..It hurts Falco, Oh Man does it hurts!

“Hawk, you have to fight this! Fight the mind control Hawk. You don’t want to do this” Falco pleaded. “Don’t give in. You are Hawk. You’re a person, not an animal. Hawk? Hawk? Remember! For me fac…auh. For Falco!” His voice tailed off into hopelessness as he saw the light leaving the familiar eyes and he knew then that he’d lost his friend, maybe forever.

This was the first time Falco had seen Hawk since they were separated. He’d been brought into this room to witness his friend’s descent into oblivion. At the beginning, on the first day Hawk would have fought with every ounce of his being to protect the crew however the Vulcans were too powerful and too many. The threat the Vulcans made to kill crew members if any one resisted prevented Hawk from taking action at that time. On that first day, there had been more Vulcan guards because the entire crew had to be lock down. Now they both must fight to keep their memories and get out of the mad Vulcan doctor’s clutches. They’d both been injured in the process. Not seriously; never seriously, just bruises and minor cuts. The doctor and his associates still needed them in decent shape for their purposes. Broken bones were something they wouldn’t tolerate. To the friends, the important thing was that they’d fought together. Shoulder to shoulder, as they always had. A team, Hawk and Falco, they’d watched each other’s backs however they’d been beaten into submission by the well-equipped Vulcan guards. The guards held Falco firmly, as Hawk was removed and taken away. Now it was Falco’s turn to be bound to that torture chair so their captors could start the mad brain washing experiments on him.

What Hawk and Falco did not know was that these Vulcans have been experimenting with moving humanoid katra’s into the mind and body of animals. This was their twisted form of entertainment as was the beatings they bestowed on the pair. The Vulcans must first break the person’s will before the transference and they seem to enjoy that part greatly, for Vulcans that is.

The darker side of this action has yet to be revealed.

[Lorna Holsen]

Lorna had worked her way through the ducting, she knew she wanted to try to get on board the Majesty but in order to do that she had to get more information, hopefully she could find some other members of the Majesty's crew about.

She had obtained a medical kit, sadly not one packed by someone who (like her) believed type one phasers were vital part of a medical kit, and a few other useful tools. Still, hyposprays full of anaesthetic made very potent weapons in the right hands and if all else failed she could fall back on her hand-to-hand not that scrapping with the 'Vulcans' was likely to be on her list of fun activities.

She looked out through one of the vents. She was looking more or less directly into a cell. There was a restrained Falconain staring back at her. Not that his restraints left him much option in that.

He wasn't wearing starfleet uniform, but Lorna was near certain that he was starfleet. There had only been a few Falconians who had left their homeworld and if Lorna's memory was serving her correctly at least one of those was serving on the Majesty.

There was a complete blankness to his features that scared her. She didn't know what had happened to him but it had certainly involved a beating she could see the bruises from here. Although it galled her to leave him in such a state she did not think there was much she could do for him at the moment. She forced herself to concentrate on her empathic abilities, normally she closed them off but now they were the only warning system she had.

Her awareness brushed across the Falconian's mind. What she sensed there did not make any sense. It made her hate those who had done this two him. Lorna swallowed hard and moved on

[Deleted]

Hawk’s mind within the sehlat had still not made the return trip back to Hawk’s body. His trek was filled with detours needed to navigate around and through the Vulcan captors.

With every progressive hour since he’d been forced to watch Sylavar inject more of his mind ripping serum into the bound, muscle corded arm and more and more of the person he knew as Hawk disappeared with the depressing of the injector. His friend was disappearing before his eyes and Falco didn’t know what was worse; the fact the Hawk’s mind was being eroded away, or the fact that he was helpless to resist.

The change in the feathery haired humanoid after the administration of the drug was dramatic and almost immediate. That first day, Falco had watched in horror as Hawk had been bound to that damned torture chair and Sylavar had pushed the hypo-spray against his friend’s immobile arm and depressed the injector. Hawk had been icily calm after the initial fight, staring antagonistically at the evil Vulcan doctor and refusing to meet Falco’s eyes. He knew his friend hated injections, not just a fear, but a pathological dread of them and there was no way he wanted to see the fear and horror in those ice blue eyes.

But Falco had watched as the injector came away and his friend’s eyes turned glassy and unfocused. At first the reddish haired man had hoped that the drug was maybe a tranquilizer or sedative and fairly harmless, but within minutes the changes had started to happen. Hawk started to struggle in the chair tugging at the bonds until he was in danger of ripping the flesh around his wrists and ankles. His breathing was rapid and gravelly as if he’s run a seven mile race and his eyes stared about him wildly. He looked angry, the most angry and disturbed that Falco had ever seen him and even when he looked at the reddish haired man, there was no hint of recognition in the eyes. It was that which chilled the reddish haired man to the bone. No more shoulder to shoulder. No more team of two. No more me and Thee. If he read the look on the handsome tanned face correctly, Hawk would much prefer to beat him unconscious rather than pull him into his familiar bear hug of an embrace.

And then Sylavar, sitting calmly in his chair, padd in hand had started to ask him the questions. Simple questions. The sort a young child could answer without another thought. But for the drugged feathery haired humanoid they were a test of his mind control and how much of Hawk remained once the feared vile injections had claimed him.

“Tell me your name,” Sylavar asked in a solemn voice.

Hawk had stopped his struggling at the sound of the voice and looked at the doctor as if seeing him for the first time. He opened his mouth to answer, and his lips worked at forming the words, but instead a confused look came over his face.

“Ha…H….Haw…..My name? I don’t know. Dam, I don’t know” he’d said with rising panic in his voice and had started to struggle again. “What the hell have you done to me? I’m Ha….Ha…dam!” He’d looked in mute appeal at the reddish haired man, fear sparkling in the indigo depths and Falco had met his gaze and locked his eyes on Hawk’s, willing him to know the answer. Willing him to be strong and retain his identity. Little did Falco know that the mind inside of Hawk was that of another humanoid whose mind was altered to act like a sehlat and to forget his true identity as a humanoid. Some of Hawk’s deeper and more permanent memories remained in his body and tried at time to surface. These memories would always cause severe pain to the individual.

Sylavar had noted something on the padd he carried and had sat back and waited, watching in satisfaction as the bound man struggled with his emotions and tried to regain his memories. Falco had tried frantically to talk to his partner, but that was never part of the experiment and at a nod from the mad doctor, the guards had set about silencing him with their fists. What unnerved the reddish haired man even more was that when he looked back at his bound partner, Hawk was watching the beating in rapt attention, a small smile on his face, his lips parted in anticipation of the next blow. He was enjoying the show!

Eventually Falco had calmed himself, and the guards reluctantly stopped their attack, watching the panting sweating reddish haired form at their feet. They were hungry for more, knowing that now, while the reddish haired man was still free of the drug, they could take advantage of him. Maybe later, they’d have to take as many precautions as they had to do with the feathery haired hellion in the chair.

Ten minutes passed, Sylavar again tried the same question.

“Tell me your name,” Sylavar asked again in a solemn voice.

Hawk’s eyes had been closed. He’d felt dizzy and sick as the drug washed over him and felt like he had the mother of all hangovers. He thought he’d been made to watch a movie, a violent one at that, but when he opened his eyes he thought he say the face of an angel looking back at him from above. The image soon pasted and Hawk saw his reddish haired friend’s body, cut and bleeding, he realized with horror that he’d witnessed Falco being brutalized and it was no sick film. He stared back at the evil Vulcan doctor with contempt.

“Why? You know my name! Leave him alone. If you want a piece of me, fine. But let him go!” Hawk pleaded.

Sylavar smiled and said nothing. Instead he noted on the padd:

Dosage 10cc.

He signaled the guards and they picked Falco’s body up, supporting the semi conscious reddish haired man, between them. Painfully he lifted bruised eyes to his friend.

“Be careful”, Falco wheezed.

“Falco! Watch your back, buddy,” Hawk said as he turned his defiant gaze on the doctor. “You no good piece of low life filth. I’m going to kill you, soon as I get free, you hear. You leave him alone. I swear, if you lay one more hand on him I‘ll….” His tirade tailed off as the two guards propelled Falco out of the room and Sylavar pushed another hypo-spray against his arm.

And it had been that way every hour since. The feathery haired humanoid had slowly lost his identity as the drug that Sylavar administered with ever increasing doses slowly robbed him of his memories. And always there for the doctor to check on whether the strong-minded humanoid was faking it was the reddish haired friend. Sylavar understood well the bond between the two men and that the feathery haired humanoid would not sit idly by while his friend was beaten. He’d seen with satisfaction the blood lust in those deep, indigo eyes while he’d watched the savage attacks on the reddish haired man, and he’d reported back to his leader that the drug was becoming a success.

With the increasing dosages the only thing that allowed Hawk to remember that he was Hawk, Chief Operations Officer on the USS Majesty, Starbase Bellicose was the pain. And Sylavar knew he needed to eradicate that last little bit of free will too. Otherwise his superiors would not be happy with their new pets.

Now, Sylavar pushed the hypo-spray against the arm again, the crease of the arm at the elbow marred by the tiny injection wounds caused by toxins in the drug, and noted this in his padd.

Dosage 100cc.

He sat back and waited. Hawk had already had a 90cc dose earlier that day and the results had been encouraging. Now he wanted to use the final 10cc dosage to see if he could eradicate the last remnants of the feathery haired humanoid’s persona and change him once and for all into the animal he needed him to be.

Hawk’s body trembled in the chair. The fire which had course through his veins earlier now turned to molten lava, forcing its way through his body and cleansing him of any thoughts save the feelings of anger and rage. He wanted to fight. He wanted to sink his fists into soft flesh and hear the grunts of pain…..he wanted to KILL!

He stared back with wild eyes at the doctor and as Sylavar came forward to lift the eyelids and shine his light into the stormy orbs, Hawk’s body jerked against the bonds, trying frantically to punch at the pointy eared man.

Sylavar stepped away in alarm and then a satisfied leer crossed his features. Calmly he sat back down in his chair and picked up his padd.

“Tell me your name,” Sylavar repeated in a solemn voice.

“Who the hell cares?” Hawk’s voice was in a weakened state.

“Tell me your name,” Sylavar repeated again in a solemn voice.

“Hawk” the man in the chair snarled, struggling still against his restraints.

“And what do you do?” Asked the irritating voice.

A rough smile crossed the features as he stared back, panting at the doctor, but he said nothing. Sylavar pressed him further.

“What do you do?” Sylavar asked again.

The one word answer was spat out with such venom that it took the doctor by surprise.

“Fight!” Hawk yelled in defiance as his voice trailed off.

Sometime later Hawks limp body was dragged back to his cage and deposited there by two large Vulcan guards.

At this point Falco knew he was next.

[Deleted]

(OCC this is a continuation of the post that got me back to our time and Galaxy.)

*IN aboard the USS Vesuvius*
As Larok left the sick bay he heard Saryn call for him to help him with the alien, but as Larok steeped through the door he found himself in a white void occupied by a female in a dress from 18th century Earth.* " Looking around Larok spoke to the Female ; If I am still alive then you must be Q's wife.

" I prefer Lady Q.' she replied. But to save time I have brought you here as you are needed elsewhere. Do not argue nothing you say or do can change what needs to be.

" Who are you to decide the needs of the many? asked Larok; I am Q. she replied as the world dissolved around Larok and the solidified as a Klingon station.

" I see Lady Q is as good as her word but I expected a Marine, but not one who had bested me in combat. Laork turned to see who had spoken to him . Standing before him was General Krok the commander of Outpost D'Kul. "I have orders for you Lt. Colonel. "

Larok replied ," I am only a Major." Taking the pad from Krok Larok began to read. "It seems I am reassigned to the USS Majesty, I did get promoted, and it says you will provide me with a ride to the Majesty.

" What the orders do not say is the Majesty is missing. I will send you out there on the Paugh. I will be sending you reinforcements as soon as we can. Replied Krok


*As the IKS Paugh approached the last known location of the USS Majesty Larok entered the bridge. Approaching the commander of the Bird of Pray, the Officer a Klingon rather young to be in command, noticed his approach and spoke. "Colonel Larok I never had the pleasure of fighting at your side but anyone who can beat my uncle in Bat'lth competition is worthy of the name warrior. The Majesty is not where it should be but there seems to be signs of a battle."

Larok proceeded to the science station and began to analyze the data collected by the Paugh's sensors. " Commander I have found the Majesty's impulse trail."

"Show me", commanded Vegeta. * Larok transfered the sensor readings to the main viewer.* " Helm follow that trail, best speed , tactical engage cloak. I smell battle. Qa'pla.

*Larok had mixed emotions about that statement, Not that he let them show on his face but it would be illogical to deny what was. Worry for the fate of his new ship and crew mates. But the prospect of combat did raise his pulse.* "With your permission Commander I will unpack my combat armor as it looks like it will be useful."

*Vegeta looked at the Vulcan. I never got to attend your classes at the Academy but I would be interested in examining you armor. You may precede and My chief engineer will provide what ever help you require."


"The honor is to serve; Qa'pla, Larok replied as he turned and exited the bridge.

*The IKS Paugh was originally sent to transport Larok to the Majesty but now it seemed that there might be something more for the crew to do than play transport.*

[Deleted]

The two Vulcan goons holding his arms dragged Falco back to his cell and pushed him roughly inside. He overcompensated and fell against the wall, knocking the breath from his body. One of the guards threw a pair of gray cotton drawstring pants at him, identical to the ones Hawk had been wearing.

“Strip and put those on” the Vulcan guard ordered in a voice that brooked no argument.
“And if I don’t?” the angry reddish haired man spat out.

“There is no alternative. Either you do as we say voluntarily, or we make you, and have a little more fun along the way,” the guard said with an evil chuckle.

Seeing the force of the argument, Falco braced himself against the wall and levered himself into an almost upright position. As the guards stood watching, he unbuttoned the tattered and torn, blood covered uniform he’d been wearing since the two friends had been taken, almost forty-seven hours previously.

Falco shrugged out of his soiled uniform and dumped it on the deck, stalling for time. He looked from one guard to the other and then at the door, realizing that he had no potential of escaping that way. He also realized that he needed to keep himself in as good shape as he could if he was going to have any chance of getting both Hawk and him self out of this hellhole and so it was pointless to pick a fight with these scum bags. They stood watching, looking as though they meant business. Reluctantly, he unfastened his lower uniform and stepped out of them. The guards had waited for that moment and descended on the naked man, pushing him backwards onto the deck plates. Roughly they turned Falco until he was kneeling in front of them.

“Well, Red. You don’t have to be anywhere for a few minutes. This would be more than enough time for some prisoner abuse and torture for our enjoyment!” The guards finished removing his tattered Starfleet uniform and walked towards the defiant reddish haired man...

Eventually Falco was allowed up and he stood braced against the wall, shaking before taking the proffered garment and stepping into the plain thin pants. Thus attired, bare-chested and bare foot he followed the guards quietly as they paraded him back to the sickeningly familiar room with the torture chair at its center. He felt sick to the stomach at his disparagement and longed for retribution, but the assault had left him feeling soiled, exposed and defenseless and for the moment, the fight had flown from him.

This time, his friend was not there and the two Vulcans at his side motioned for him to take up position in the chair. Falco stopped dead in his tracks. There was no way he would willingly submit to the same treatment he’d seen meted out to his friend. He stood stock-still staring defiantly back at his two captors and braced himself as he felt the firm grips of the guards on either side of him. He pulled back, although he had no idea where he was going to run to if he’d gotten away and tried to twist out of their grip. It was pointless to kick out at them with his bare feet and he had no way to punch at them with them anchoring his limbs. He gave up the unequal fight and the guards dragged him towards the dreaded chair and forced him into it, swiftly immobilizing his arms and legs as he kicked out at them, making it as difficult as possible for them to complete their task.

As they finished, the door opened again and Sylavar came into the room and sat down on his small chair, opposite the bound and panting reddish haired man. He had his padd in his hand and he took a moment to make himself comfy before looking at the shining emerald green eyes.

“Operations Officer Falco, or is it Mr. McCloud? Who knows? Perhaps after the drug it won’t matter”. Sylavar chuckled at his own joke. ‘Have you figured out yet what’s going on?’ he asked conversationally.

“I’ve figured that you’re as mad as you ever were Sylavar. Does that count?” Falco ground out, determined not to let his fear get the better of him. The thought of the hypo-spray left him cold. The thought of the hypo-spray’s contents and their effects left him even colder and he swallowed hard.

“But I told you about the drug when we had the cozy little chat in the corridor” the doctor was continuing, obviously pleased at the sound of his own voice. “The hallucinogenic derivative?, It seems that my leader got wind of my little experiments and decided that the drug could be adapted and used in a different way and to his own advantage. Its mind erasing qualities seem to work quite well with the transfer of humanoid katras now”.

“You’re sick, you know that?’ Falco said, pulling ineffectually at his bonds. His mind went back to 24 hours ago. The sight of his friend trussed up and sweating on Sylavar’s torture table had stayed with him a long time. And in his nightmares he was still standing at the bottom of the small metal framed bed in the cold room, having just enveloped the smaller man in straight jacket and pushed a gag into his mouth.

“I may be sick, but I’m rich in power, and you’re the one who is sitting immobilized in that chair. My leader wanted to know how powerful my drug was and asked me to give it rigorous testing. My first subjects were fairly tame Vulcans, low life enemies of our primary beliefs. I needed more powerful, intellectual minds and I have searched a long time for ones like the both of you!”

“I’m flattered,” Falco grunted, eyeing the guard who was coming towards him with a silver bracelet like object.

“You should be. Your friend has provided me with reams of useful data about dosages and effectiveness, and now it’s your turn. Two such determined humanoids! I wonder if the final test will prove too much, even for you.” Sylavar nodded at the guards and they descended on Falco’s sweating body, clamping his right wrist to the armrest as they unfastened the restraint. They lifted his arm and fitted the bangle around his wrist, pressing it shut. The hinge and fastening were hard to detect, making it seem seamless and as they stood on either side of him, Sylavar stood over Falco, with the dreaded hypo-spray.

Falco’s body started to tremble as the hypo-spray hovered above his arm and he closed his eyes to stop himself from pleading with the doctor. No way on earth Falco would ever stoop to that level.

With a cold feeling of dread, he felt the stick of the hypo-spray as it entered his arm. And then there was a period of nothing, followed by a sea of red-hot fluid coursing through his veins. The blood thundered in his ears as he felt raw rage consume him. With his limbs immobilized he had nowhere to spend his pent up emotion and he yelled out at the surrounding guards.

Sylavar stepped forward and shone his light again into the emerald green, wild eyes and then sat down on his chair.

“Show him” he said, and the guard lifted Falco’s right wrist up into his line of vision. Inscribed on the shiny white metal were three words. “Animal designation le-matya”

[Deleted]

*Larok had completed all check outs of his combat armor, when his work was interrupted by a comm call;* "Colonel Larok your presence is required on the bridge." Larok tapped his commbadge' " On my way" *Larok left the engineering area and headed for the bridge.*

*Entering the bridge he noticed a small object on the screen*; " Looks like a Federation escape pod." Larok noted.

*Vegeta turned from the science station and approached Larok: *" Yes we have detected one life sign Human very weak but stable the locater beacon and IFF have been turned off. We are ready to bring it on board but I thought you could be there to help calm them."


" Yes sir I agree." Larok replied as he followed Vegeta to the shuttle bay. As they entered the hall outside the shuttle /fighter bay, A warrior turned and addressed them;" My Lord, Colonel the Federation pod is in the bay we are re pressurizing and a Medical team is on the way."


*As Larok opened the escape pod and the woman inside got a look at the Vulcan Marine she started to scream " NO NO NO.....*then she stopped screaming as she noticed the Klingons. " I hope this is a rescue and not a mind trick."


*Larok was taken back by her question;* "Rescue we are looking for the USS Majesty this one of her escape pods; how did you get in it and what happened?

Replying to Laroks question she handed a disaster bowie memory module. " I am Yeoman Forbes; the last thing I remember is heading to the bridge in response to the Red Alert , On deck two a security officer handed me this memory module and hypoed me then I woke up here. I tried to activate the rescue beacon but they were disabled. So I examined the memory module and was very upset by what I saw. I am glad you came along."


"Why did you react so violently to me?" Larok inquired.

"The bad guys are Vulcan I think. You will have to look at the sensor information and log entry's contained on that memory module. I just hope that you have brought a fleet as they now have 29 ships." *As the Klingon doctor showed up and took charge of the Yeoman Larok and Vegeta headed back to the Bridge.

As Larok played the information for Vegeta he encoded it for transmission to Star Fleet and the D'Kul Fleet. " I hope we can get some help but until we do I need you to get me aboard the Majesty. "

Vegeta just looked at the Vulcan as if he had just grown a second head. "The only sensible thing to do is destroy this fleet from long range. and be done with it."

Larok stood and looked the Klingon in the eye. "If anyone else had just suggested that I would think them a coward, but I know you better and you should know me better. I need you to drop me at a range of 50 meters. My armor and I will do the rest. Do not threat my friend you will get your battle but only with enough firepower to do it right or make it glorious battle.

Vegeta looked as if he were going to kill Larok where he stood, then he relaxed and begin to give orders to allow his Uncles Friend to complete his mission.

*As Larok stood in the open airlock of the Paugh he finished his meditations to make his mind disappear; something he had not had to do in over 60 years. Only now could he appreciate the training his grandfather had made him do on those long nights on the Forge. Mind warriors, the thing of legends so they were real and not just story's to make him complete his training. Although this would be the first real test of the lessons he taught himself in the last 50 years of his travels on the T'prine. Activating his armor's cloak he exited the ship. Activating his suit thrusters he began moving toward the Majesty. "Computer scan for open access to Majesty. " " Cargo bay 6 has a damaged door and bay is open to space cargo transporter shows active."
*Larok drifted into the bay and tied into the internal sensors. After setting up an alpha wave scrambler and disabling all internal sensors of the cargo bay he looped the readings of the empty cargo bay so the ships sensors would read an empty bay while he shut off the cloak to conserve power and gather more Intel.

[Deleted]

The Vulcan guard stood in the doorway as Falco stared malevolently back at him. The first injection that Sylavar had given him had lasted only a short time, and thankfully he could still remember who he was and what he was doing there, in that bleak white room. He could also remember exactly what had been done to his feathery haired friend and the sight of Hawk reduced to the equivalent of a lab rat made his blood boil without the need of one of the doctor’s adrenaline stoked hypo-sprays.

What had the mad Vulcan scientist said? The drug was an adrenaline derivative. But instead of the original purpose, to work with the victim’s fight response and calm the individual, this little fabrication did just the opposite. The drug introduced into the reddish haired Ops Officer’s veins had enhanced the fight response to such an extent that the once fair minded and happy man had been transformed into a well conditioned and well trained obedient mindless wild animal.

And now it seemed that it was the reddish haired man’s turn to face whatever it was at the bottom of the corridor. The large Vulcan guards walked towards him and Falco backed himself up until he felt the walls at his back and he could back no further. The evil Vulcan guards advanced upon him and Falco felt panic rising in his chest as he saw the hypo-spray in their hands. As one guard pushed him back against the wall, his hand across the reddish haired man’s throat, the other placed strong leather restrains around his wrists and fastened them together behind his back, affixing a length of chain from them to a broad leather collar buckled around his neck. Thus immobilized Falco stood panting as the guard continued to use his body’s weight to pin him against the wall.

The other guard pushed the hypo-spray against Falco’s bare arm and the reddish haired ops officer closed his eyes and shuddered at the horror of it.

“Falco McCloud, I’m Falco McCloud, not a...” Falco screamed as he leaned forward trying to ease the blistering hot pain lancing through his head and gasped as the guards chuckled at him. McCloud? Falco wondered where that name came from.

“Thinking hurts, don’t it, birdie?” the guards said poking fun at him.

The reddish haired man turned wild eyes on his tormentors. “Shut your beak, or I’ll shut it for you” he chirped out with a vengeance which startled even him. The guards backed off a step, amazed at the speed of the drug and the ferociousness it had evoked in the formerly placid reddish haired man. Leering at each other, they descended on Falco, and then took hold of his arms and propelled him towards the door and out into the corridor.

“Where are you taking me? Take your hands off of me. I’ll kill the lot of you”. Falco screeched as the red hot lava flowed through his veins, burning away the panic and replacing it with need. He needed to run; he needed to shout at the world; he needed to…to…to fight!

“Somewhere you’ll be able to do what you need to do” the guard said with conviction as they proceeded down the corridor.

Falco didn’t want to wait to fight, he wanted to do it now and he struggled against the two men holding him, making it hard for then to steer their ward towards the ever growing noise at the end of the corridor. The reddish haired man heard it to, and the still lucid part of his mind wondered what in the world was happening.

At the end of the corridor was a door and as they got to it, one of the guards started to unbuckle the collar from round Falco’s neck, loosening the chain. The collar was replaced by a strong hand, the fingers wrapped around the back of his neck and squeezing mercilessly until he put his head forward and ground his teeth together in pain. A small Falco-like voice in his head snorted. Great Mc...Fa…dam, whoever. You got yourself a Vulcan death grip wannabe!

As the guard continued to hold him, the other released his wrists from their leather restrains and as he stopped to massage them, the door opened and he was pushed inside.

After the dim light of the corridor, the bright lights of the cargo bay dazzled him and he put his hand up to his eyes to shield them from the glare. Then all went dark in Falco’s mind.

Sometime later Falco awoke on the floor of his cage bruised and bloody with almost no memory of what had happened.

[Deleted]

*As Larok watched the security feeds he noticed a red haired officer being dragged between two large Vulcans. After they deposited the officer in a room and left Larok activated the cloak of his sute and beamed int the nearest cargo bay. Looking around the bay, as it was not empty.
The Vulcan looked to the transporter and not seeing anyone ,anything, or sensing a mind. He moved to the transporter controls and began to run a check when he felt a cold hand land on his shoulder and attempt a neck pinch. when nothing happened he began to Laugh until he felt a hand clamp on his chin and the other cross his chest. Larok was left with no choice but to kill. Laying the body on the transporter stage and activated transporter code 14.
Larok exited the bay and found the room that held the red headed officer. Entering the room Larok let the door close and moved to check on the health of the officer when he noticed the presence of the another officer.
Larok:" Computer scan these officers and advise emergency medical treatment. " "Apply auto injector to the neck of the human. Then reset and apply to the Alvin."

*As both Officers began to stir Larok opened removed his helmet which had the effect of his head floating in the air. "OK you must be commander Hawk, put these containment suits on;they have been rigged with first contact cloaking devices. We will have to get to the Marines armory and then you two can get in the armor. Now the Vulcans may be able to sense you but they should be confused long enough for me to take them out. "*Larok reattached his helmet and moved to guard the door.*

<tag Hawk and Falco>

[Lorna Holsen]

Lorna had stayed in the ducting, she'd had a couple of near misses but so far her mind sense had enabled her to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. She'd gathered a few more tools to her arsenal and more importantly gained a tricorder so she could have a chat to the ship's computer and more importantly keep maps. She passed by the cell where she had seen the Falconian he was still there and his mind was still wrong. Lorna had no other words for it.

A second prisoner had been dumped in the same room, his mind seemed somewhat battered but still his own. Lorna was debating with herself, she hated leaving them to suffer like this, she had no doubt that they were suffering but she knew that there was A third mind entered the room. Lorna could see no one but she could sense them.

Lorna knew this wasn't one of the bad guys, maybe it was outside help. She heard a voice in the room. Then, through the small barred window in the door she saw a floating head, cloak-suit then she thought...

Lorna dropped silently out of the ducting aware that whoever had arrived had no reason to believe she was a friend.

She caught the tail end of a comment ...Now the Vulcans may be able to sense you but they should be confused long enough for me to take them out. "

She pushed the door open and stepped back. She turned toward the mind she could not see. Holding her hands up and clear from her body. "I'm Doctor Lorna Holsen, Commander, Starfleet. I think I can help you." She knew she was about to get questions and maybe violence but this was what she had to do. She waited

Tag: Larok

"You can ask me all the questions you want, my mind is my own. I don't know how I can prove that to you, but now we don't have much time." Lorna pointed at Hawk "His mind is not his own. I can't describe it much better than it's wrong, it's almost as if the mind and body don't belong together"

[Deleted]

*As Larok put on his helmet he noticed the proximity alert had been tripped. Turing around he raised his left hand and prepared to use the stun unit .*

Lorna: "You can ask me all the questions you want, my mind is my own. I don't know how I can prove that to you, but now we don't have much time." Lorna pointed at Hawk "His mind is not his own. I can't describe it much better than it's wrong, it's almost as if the mind and body don't belong together"

Larok opened the latches to his helmet faceplate and raised it ; so she could see his face." I am Lt. Colonel Larok Star Fleet Marines; when there is time I would like to know how you were able to sense my mind when the Vulcans could not. But for now put this transporter tag on Commander Hawk and then put on the other cloak sute. When I will signal the IKS Paugh to start their boarding action they will transport you two to their medical bay. Do not worry all Outpost D'Kul ships have Star Fleet rated Medical Bays. Mr Falco and I will join the Klingon's in their fun.

<tag Falco>

[Michael Aarons]

Sefar remained on the Eonon station rather than returning to his command ship. It was pleasure for him to escape the underlings around him each and every solar day. The servants’ unchecked thoughts melded together, forlorning their captivity, took their toll after awhile and even the almighty Sefar needed his shore leave.

TEG and his contigent were still being pinned by the Nashinarhr and his psionic attacks. His attacks were swift and lethal with little time for aiming. Any moment others could show up and bring a certain end to the group’s lives.

“Rachel,” TEG suddenly ordered, “when I go to fire, wait then take aim and fire before he can take me out.” TEG waited then showed himself. At that moment the warrior caught sight of him but as he was looking TEG’s way, Rachel went unnoticed and sighted the Nashinarhr just as TEG ducked back down. She took the shot and he was down. Now they were free to continue onward. The next order of business was to round up any of Leo’s remaining Marines due to stand down with the arrival of Larok and his team.

As they carefully continued through the corridors, they freed some of the commandos who were otherwise hungry for some action against these overlords. Since the battlebridge was being used and the main bridge was smashed, the reasonable thing to do was override command in Engineering. They progressed further picking up a few more Marines along the way when Nik noted something.

"You know, right now the Majesty's docked in some alien space station; how do we plan on dealing with that?" They all stopped.

"He's right." They were shocked. "Okay, new plan." TEG ordered the security teams go with Rachel and Jamison to the battlebridge now that they had more people with them while he took the Marines over to the station to try and release the ship. By now the engines should be nearly restored.

Kay was exhausted. She had worked with little room for a breather and that collar around her neck was driving her nuts. She lamented the fact she may never see the day it came off. She had been working the bridge delivering things here, serving things there; the only thing missing was being called yeoman. With Sefar off the ship and that questionable Stilik gone too, it was a little safer to think as long as she didn’t attract anybody else’s attention. She stood ready for whatever was asked of her next when the captain of the small ship entered to take a look at some of the wiring. She sure did seem to be running in to him a lot lately. There was little time, though ,to think before something began happening.

“Lord Sefar, we are detecting a small craft just out of visual range.”

“Report!” Sefar commanded.

“Feihan, it appears to be a Klingon Bird-of-Prey. It’s weapons aren’t charged.”

A Bird-of-Prey would be a fine piece to have in his armada Sefar thought but the Klingons are an ally of the Federation. “Destroy it!”

Sefar ordered Stilik to take the command ship after the Paugh while the other ships remained in position for refitting. The commander of the Paugh had been ordered to stay back but now it seemed that battle was upon them and in any case, it was going to be glorious!

TEG and his group materialized on the lower level of the drydock and, floating above them, was the elegant Majesty -quite large being viewed from the outside. The captive Eonon were surprised, by the look on their featureless faces. Shortly the warriors present were alerted and once again a firefight was at hand. The shootout advanced forward with the team’s goal being the command deck of the station where Sefar waited.

While the Marines fought it out with the Nashinarhr, TEG was able to split off to take the command deck while everyone’s attention was diverted. He snuck his way up to the third level where the command deck was located. He found the doors leading to it when they opened and there stood Sefar!

TEG was knocked away before he even knew what was going on. Sefar was the highest psionic warrior there was. He managed to produce three bursts in one shot at a time which TEG desparately evaded. The XO had some business with Sefar; sort of returning the favor for all the bumps and bruises he gave him and for the death of Coats. Sefar was far more aggressive than those before and weilded far greater power. It wasn’t easy escaping the blasts from his psionic powers and there was little room for TEG to return fire.

The battle had been hard fought what with the command ship’s muscle and the Paugh’s commander’s tenacity. On board the command ship, Kay and the captain watched as Stilik came down on the Paugh with the fire power of the command ship.

“That ship will never withstand the firepower of these Vulcans,” Kay said to the captain.

“You're right, not the way these guys play.” A couple hits and the ship shook causing the two captains to take cover. Stilik was mad with the joy of battle.

"What we need is a way to even things up a little."

The captain's face lit up with a thought. "We could take out the weapons systems if only for a small while by disrupting the control interface there." He pointed to a panel that housed bundles of wiring. "I'll disable the circuits... with this." He picked up some heavy object and looked like a kid ready to smash something. "Wish me luck Kay!"

"Kaylana."

He paused. "Arblus." He leaned over to her and landed a nice kiss on her. "Been aching to do that."

Arblus moved over to the panel and sought out the firing circuits then smashed into them. The overwhelming power sent him to the ground but he was dead before he even felt it. The command ship's weapons ceased almost suddenly. The Paugh knew there would be no better time and moved in.

TEG was really wishing he hadn't gone it alone as the sinister Sefar put him through his trials with his attacks. Sefar found this far more amusing then his breaking Captain Cornette; perhaps this was the release that he so desparately needed.

"Feihan," interrupted Shel'ak.

"What is it?!"

"My lord, it seems that the Federation slaves have taken out some of our warriors." She was deathly apprehensive to tell him this but would have faced deeper consequences had she continued to say nothing.

"Then kill as many as you think you need to resolve it!"

Aarons was aware that this meant they would start killing everyone he knew until they surrendered or there was no one left.

TEG couldn't let them start exterminating the Majesty's crew but unfortunately he was between a rock and a hard place. Sefar began taunting him, mocking the loss of his crewmates. TEG scanned with his tricorder the attacks Sefar was making and found the wavelength they were working on then tuned his phaser to the same wave. He set for the widest possible dispersal and readied himself. Sefar readied his next shot when TEG went flying out, firing in the process, and ultimately landed in a UTR. The wide shot struck Sefar sending him into nueroparalysis on the ground.

Michael wasn't about to stand by as his tormentor committed any more acts of murder aboard his ship. With the summed mustering of his strength, he unleashed his fist right to Shel'ak's face. As the effect passed, Shel'ak merely looked at her pet. She hated to have to do this but no pet is allowed to bite the hand of their master twice in the New Order. She lunged at him and forced her hand to his face, the agony reducing him to the floor. The pain was worse than had been felt before; like Falco when he dared show defiance. Michael struggled to resist and moved his hand to her face.

The Paugh pounded the command ship with all its disruptor banks. The damage done by Arblus' interference allowed the Bird-of-Prey to render the ship dead in the water as adjacent systems collapsed under the strain and overload. Kay had her chance to escape... finally.

Shel'ak was overwhelmed by her own attack being turned back on her and was thrown off of him. Michael laid there laughing as he had finally been freed of that vile woman. But his laughter soon turned to tears as he was now surrounded by the other warriors on the bridge. Suddenly, as if history were repeating itself, the battle bridge was stormed by the team lead by Rachel and Jamison who took the warriors' distraction as a priceless advantage.

Jamison signalled to TEG that they had taken the battle bridge and he acknowledged. Liz raced to Michael's side and, as he saw her, his tears turned to happier ones and he embraced her, determined never to let her go lest he lose her again. This made it all the more easier for her to sedate him. Once he was inundated, the turbolift opened to reveal a triumphant XO with Captain Cornette in tow.

The system was overtaken by ships of the D'Kul fleet with Starfleet vessels in tow. There, Klingons on the left, and the Federation, on the right.

On the battle bridge, the reunion was going on when Larok entered followed by Hawk. He was a bit surprised by the unusual situation before him. However, Hawk merely stood there silently, emptily.

"Hawk are you alright?" one of them asked. He didn't respond. "What's wrong?"

He continued standing there, his mind full of rage from the doctor's drug. Larok took aim not sure if he'd have to take him out. He heaved with aggression and animosity cringing as something struggled within him. Liz raised her hand toward Hawk, concentrating as she connected with him.

She could feel something inside him and fought to release the mind that was truly his. She then raised her other hand toward the others: Nik, TEG, Will, Captain Cornette, and anyone else who knew him then drew from them their thoughts of him and who he really was. They could sense the efforts being made and moved closer together increasing the bond with their friend. Suddenly the name from which he couldn't even draw a breath of screamed out within him as he finally knew who he was. Larok looked upon all of this with extreme fascination. The captain moved to her dear friend and hugged him.

"Hawk, how do you feel?"

"Much better," he replied. He looked at her dressed in her "outfit" with wide-eyed confusion. She blushed.

"Don't ask."

Michael awoke in Sickbay; the past few experiences a jumble in his mind. The collar he had been forced to wear had been removed and it felt freeing now that it was gone. He wondered if his last few minutes with Liz had all been a dream or what. He sat up and found a note written for him from Liz. Michael rushed out of Sickbay as Lorna entered.

"You must be... oh!" she started as he zoomed by her. He raced to the transporter room where he knew she'd be. He entered and found her standing on the pad, her stuff packed and sitting at her feet.

He was out of breath from running all the way from Sickbay. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Vulcan. The Tanegashima is going to take me."

"Why?" He was starting to feel the loneliness rising within him again.

"The powers inside me are developing and I have to realize my full potential. I can't do that here so I'm resigning as Chief Medical Officer."

"Then I'll come with you. We'll go together."

"No..."

"But... I love you..."

"I love you too, but you don't belong there. You're a pilot. You belong here amongst the stars. It's what you do best. Now I have to find out where I belong."

He stood there, comtemplating her words. Until it almost seemed like he wouldn't, he motioned to energize. He watched as she disappeared in dazzling light then slowly he turned and left.

Michael quietly entered the bridge. It had been newly refurbished; a gift from the Eonon who were very grateful. He sat down at his station and realized the truth in Liz's words as, without thinking, his hands had effortlessly glided into position and plotted a course once the word was given. The only thing he had left of Liz was her letter, which he would read, when he was ready.

OFF: I know some of you still had some plans but just make them take place before this post.

[Lorna Holsen]

" I am Lt. Colonel Larok Star Fleet Marines; when there is time I would like to know how you were able to sense my mind when the Vulcans could not. But for now put this transporter tag on Commander Hawk and then put on the other cloak suit."

Lorna accepted the transporter tag and went to do as he asked. "As for my mind-sense," Lorna paused and scuffed hair behind her ears. She didn't often use her mental abilities so she usually didn't have to talk about. "No ones quite sure about that. I'm half betazoid, I can tell there's a mind there but I can't read thoughts and I'm barely empathic." She shrugged and started pulling on the suit.

"When I will signal the IKS Paugh to start their boarding action they will transport you two to their medical bay. Do not worry all Outpost D'Kul ships have Star Fleet rated Medical Bays. Mr Falco and I will join the Klingons in their fun."

Lorna was tempted to say that she would stay with the Colonel and fight but she knew that Commander Hawk needed her help. She doubted the Klingons would have the right sort of specialist along. Of course she wasn't either but she could be the best hope he had. That of course left the unanswered question of why a vulcan marine was hitching a ride with a Klingon fleet.

It wasn't long before the two of them were swept away in a transporter haze.

[Deleted]

*The D'Kul Fleet was inbound with Larok's Marines and a Klingon assault force. The Fleet consisted of the IKS Mo'Bah a Negh'Var class Capital ship, IKS T'Gor and D'Gal, K'Vort class cruisers. Also along were the IKS QuOv , a Vor'cha class Battleship, the IKS PuBa and Cho'Le'Va ; K't'Inga class Heavy Crusers. They were accompanied by a Federation Squad consisting of the USS Merrimac-A (Sovereign Class Battleship), USS Flying Tiger (Prometheus Class), USS Reprisal B(Intrepid Class) and the USS Oberon A (Defiant Class) ships.
The sight of a Klingon Vor'cha class Battleship firing it's main disrupter cannon is a beautiful sight to see; unless you are on the receiving end of it. The QuOv stood off and blasted away at the space station's defenses while rescuing the survivors of the bird of pray Paugh.
The Klingon assault force began to beam into all areas that had life signs. Lorna found herself materializing in the sick bay of the USS Merrimac, she was approached by a doctor; " Bring him over here we have the medical scans from Colonel Larok"s armor and have an isolation ward ready for Commander Hawk.
<tag Lorna>

As more Marines and Klingons beamed aboard the station and ships they began to take on the Vulcans. Larok headed for the stations command deck he had a few questions to ask of the leader of these mind Warriors. A chance to achieve balance especially if this is the one who killed his grandfather. Finding him was easy defeating him another story.
Larok had never fought a mind warrior for real. His grandfather had trained him to do this but this is where theory meets reality. Larok removed his helmet and announced. "I Larok son of Savane call on the warrior of fire I am warrior of the Forge face me if you dare." As he waited he continued removing his armor then as he picked up a dropped bat'lth, he felt the first probe of his mind and for the first time Sefar found a mind he could not manipulate or take over. This one would have to fought in the ancient ways. "I have no time for you." Sefar turned to the Vulcan next him Sylavar this is your test. Defeate this Sand Rat or do not return."
Sylavar picked up a Lirpa and headed toward Larok.

[Lorna Holsen]

Lorna arrived on the Klingon ship, in the medbay. Someone approached her immediately. "Bring him over here we have the medical scans from Colonel Larok's armor and have an isolation ward ready for Commander Hawk."

Lorna gave a curt nod, she didn't have the breath to spare for anything more. Hawk was awkward to drag. She was grateful for the isolation room not because she thought he was contagious but because she thought he could well be a danger to himself or someone else. She had often dealt with people who had suffered some form of telepathic or empathic 'break' but she had never seen anything like this. She would have to wait until him came round and then try to see what had happened to his mind...

[Deleted]

Falco followed the lead of Colonel Larok for a time as he was intent on finding and killing the mad Vulcan Doctor that had done those horrible things to Hawk. After what seemed like hours of fighting with no sign of the mad Vulcan doctor, Falco confronted Colonel Larok and requested, no demand that he be sent to the ship where Hawk was.

“I am sure your friend Hawk is in good hands Lieutenant and there is no need for you to be there at this time,” Larok assured him.

“Listen Colonel, you may be my superior officer but I do not know you and you are not part of the Majesty’s crew that I know of, therefore I will look for Hawk with or without your help VULCAN!,” Falco said with great emotional contempt.

“Fascinating, your emotions are quite unexpected, however I will comply with your request since it is evident that you will not be of any more help to the cause here,” Larok stated in an unemotional way.

He placed a transporter tag on Falco and contacted the IKS Paugh and in moments Falco was gone.

[Deleted]

TEG watched Coats writhe in agony and die in the attack. He had felt some sort of connection just before the attack and somehow had been saved. He set is phaser to a wide-beam stun and fired at the Nashinarhr, disabling them all. Those with him quickly made it to their destination, Cargo Bay 6. It has only one main access point, several jefferies jubes, and a Transporter. TEG quickly organized the rabble into 8 distinct teams. He sent 3 of them off into the jefferies tubes to hopefully keep sensors disabled, and to do recon. He sent 4 others to guard the cargo bay, as it was going to the the base of operations for now. TEG began to work on finding a way to beam to engineering without setting off the engineering security alarms, as they were not tied to the main internal sensors. However he did not expect what happened next.

A contingent of Klingons beamed in, headed by a Federation Marine.

[Deleted]

Doctor Lorna Holsen managed to get Hawk to the Klingon sickbay only to find that it barely had any beds for the sick. She had to get Hawk stable but looked as if she would have to use stone knives and bearskins. “I guess they were to install the equipment on Tuesday” Lorna thought to herself. The place looked like a 20th century torture chamber to Lorna but good thing she remembered her medical history.

~~^~~A few hours later~~^~~

Falco staggered his way through the Klingon ship to the bed side of Hawk where he soon passed out cold.

=^= Sometime Later =^=

The voices where whispering annoyingly in the background and he wanted to shut them out. He’d never felt so tired in his whole life and the elephant that was sitting on his chest was beginning to annoy him intensely because it was stopping him breathing properly and it was also emitting high pitched bleeps every second or so. He tried to lift his arm to swat it away, but the arm was leaden heavy and he hadn’t the strength to do it. His body felt disassociated and sore and he wanted it to stop. If the voices would only just let him sleep, he might feel better, but he had the impression they were there to stay.

Falco tried to swat the elephant away again and a warm, strong hand took hold of his arm and laid it gently down on the side of the bed.

“Hey there buddy” a familiar voice said softly.

Deciding that now was probably a good time to make his entrance back into the world of the living, the reddish haired man smiled.

“Hawk” he mumbled through dry lips. Much as he hurt, if he had to wake up in sickbay he always liked to wake to those friendly indigo ice blues looking down fondly at him. Hawk always new what made him feel good and could take away his pain with one blaze of his beakish smile. He opened his eyes a crack, but was startled. The eyes that should have been the color of Sri Lanka sapphires were Colombian coffee bean instead. It woke him up fully and he opened his eyes wider.

“Wrong buddy, buddy” Glen Shepherd smiled back at him. “How do you feel?”

Glen Shepherd was a helm officer on the Majesty that often worked the bridge’s second shift with Falco. Glen befriended Falco and they often got together off duty to unwind.

Falco rested his head back on the pillow feeling oddly exhausted and very sore. “Confused! Where’s Hawk? Is he OK? Where is he?” He tried to sit up and look around him, but Glen Shepherd’s strong arm across his chest held him down.

“You are not going anywhere pal” he said gently. “Feather head’s going to be ok. They still have him in isolation, but they’ll bring him up here later, promise. Just lay back and relax OK? You need to rest now.”

“What’s the matter with him? Is he ok? Why is he in the ISOLATION? And where the devil am I?” the questions came thick and fast, and Glen Shepherd could see the beginnings of panic in the emerald green eyes. He laid his hand on the bed by Falco’s hand and wondered how the hell he was going to be able to explain what had gone n.

That subject had troubled the helm officer since he’d made it back to sickbay with his two friends. How was he going to explain to the Captain that they’d been drugged and schooled to forget and become animal like? He’d thought about it long and hard and had finally decided on quiet with a leaning towards silence, unless he was asked specifically. Somehow, though, now that the reddish haired man had woken up, he didn’t think plan A would work and was now busily formulating plan B. Just exactly what that would entail would be as much of a surprise to Glen Shepherd as it would be the Falco and Hawk.

“Take it easy buddy. You really need to rest. It was a close call there. How much do you remember? Of the past two weeks?”

‘What do you mean, what do I remember? I was…I…Dam! I can’t remember! There’s nothing there! No memories. What is happening here? And what do you mean close call?’

He took a minute to take in his surroundings. He was laid in a remote part of the sickbay, propped up slightly in the bed. His bare chest had leads from small adhesive pads affixed to his chest and side attached to a bio monitor at the side of the bed and large livid bruises showed across his ribs and abdomen. His left arm was engulfed in a large black restraint. His other arm was pierced half way down its length by a cannula attached to a bag of normal saline hanging from a drip stand on the right hand side of the bed, but ominously, his right wrist was attached to the bed restraint. Some of the Klingon medical equipment was indeed crude and the Starfleet equipment had not yet been installed.

The monitor bleeped annoyingly with every beat of his heart and he thought it was going remarkably quickly as he tried to piece together the past few days. He turned pleading eyes on the helm officer.

“Are you going tell me what this is all about? Falco said softly, rustling the restraint against the bed frame. His heart was in his mouth, dry tongue rasping over dry lips as his mind jumped through hoops trying to piece together why he should be chained to the bed like a criminal. The beeps became more frequent on the monitor and Glen Shepherd pushed the nurse call button as he saw the sweat break out, beading on Falco’s cheeks and brow.

“Try to stay calm buddy. You need to take it easy. Just try to concentrate on breathing and I’ll get the doctor to tell you everything”.

Falco heaved a deep breath and fixed his eyes on his friend. Glen Shepherd was a calming influence, but nothing could come close to the calm his partner poured over him at times like this. He needed Hawk and he longed for the mellow voice telling him that he’d be fine and not to be a baby.

The Doctor came bustling into the room. She put her hand on the reddish haired man’s forehead, checking the large fresh gash there that peeked out from below a large white dressing and checked his bio signs on the monitor.

“How are your feeling Falco?” she asked as she shone her penlight into his eyes. At her approach he flinched backwards, visions of people in uniforms swimming up through his consciousness, and he threw his left arm up as if to fend her off, a strangled cry being forced from his throat, although he didn’t know why he should feel like that. She was a doctor, right?

The Doctor continued her examination more slowly, talking low and calm under her breath as if quieting a child or a skittish horse, and finding that there was no pain involved, Falco relaxed back and let her finish. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall, with wavy coppery-brown hair and she walked around the bio bed, pulling up a stool to sit at Falco’s side.

“I’m Doctor Lorna Holsen. I’ll be your doctor while you’re here. I know you will have a lot of questions and I’ll try and answer as many as I can. Can you remember anything of what has happened to you?”

Falco shook his head, panic mounting in a fluttery tide in his stomach. “Why don’t you tell me?” he said slowly, bracing himself. With the restraints in place and the leads on his chest, and the single silver manacle on the other wrist he knew it couldn’t be good. Oh my! Had Hawk been killed? Falco thought.

“You are lucky that you had good people around you back there” Holsen started. “Falco, you’ve been held captive for several days. During that time, from what we can deduce from blood tests, you’ve been given ever increasing doses of an alien adrenaline derivative with an old earth drug known as LDS, oops, I mean LSD which is a hallucinogenic compound. It seems to have been designed to work on your memory and pain response centers, making you want to forget and indeed unleashing the animal instinct within you. You were found in a compartment near a cargo bay by your ship mates and it would appear that you have had several beatings recently. I take it you don’t remember any of them?”

Falco shook his head, too stunned at the information laid at his door to actually speak. He found it incredible that he could lose so many days of his life.

“I think, once the drugs are completely out of your system, there is a good chance that your memories will all return. There seems to have been some element of brainwashing involved. Maybe you were not allowed to remember and were, shall we say, discouraged, by painful stimuli”.

“Recently you seem to have been given a massive dose of the drug and it overloaded your system. You had an irregular heartbeat, your heart was beating way too fast and stopped for a brief time, although we’ve dealt with it in time and you should be fine if you can rest over the next few days” Lorna informed Falco.

Falco stared skeptically. “A heart problem! My heart stopped? Gee whiz Doc! And you’re telling me I’ve been made to forget? What? Raw animal rage? Claw baring anger? What? Dam!...I can’t remember anything! And what about my friend Hawk? Was he…was Hawk there during all this?”

The doctor nodded. “Please, try to keep calm. When you were found, you both were at the end of a rather dangerous ordeal.”

“Dam!...Is he ok?” the reddish haired man asked softly.

“He will be I assure you. He has some injuries which we still have to deal with, but he’ll be up shortly” Dr. Holsen reassured Falco.

“What injuries? Did he have to fight off the guards? Who did he struggle with? Did they hurt him?” Falco was getting anxious again and the doctor stood, preparing to give her patient a shot of a sedative.

“Yes he had to fight off his captures. He’d been strangled and had stopped breathing. If it wasn’t for your friend there and Colonel Larok” she paused and pointed at Glen Shepherd who looked away in embarrassment “he’d be dead”.

There was a pause as Falco processed the information and Glen Shepherd could see the reddish haired man putting two and two together and coming up with a big, fat and indigestible answer.

“Doc., The Vulcan that strangled my partner…the one who, tried to killed Hawk...it was an evil Vulcan scientist named Sylavar.” the voice was small and lost as Falco tried to come to terms with the hellish existence he’d endured for the past few days.

Holsen nodded again and as Falco’s face crumpled and he hid it behind his left hand, the doctor hypo-sprayed the powerful sedative into the side of his arm.

“He’ll sleep for a while now. It may be good for him if you stayed for a while” she told Glen Shepherd, as she checked again on the trembling patient and left to attend to Hawk.

[Deleted]

*Sylavar just stood there and kept trying harder to get through Larok's defenses. Tiring of this Larok pulled his phaser and stunned Sefar; then walked over to the fallen mind warrior and applied a cortical inhibitor to keep him unconsciousness and transporter tag.*

K'tar: Why didn't you just kill him?

Larok: No that would have been a better death than he deserves, he will be returned to Vulcan and face trial on Mt. Selia. "Larok to Merrimack lock on to transporter tag 369zs and transport into a statius unit not to be opened except by me or Vulcan Security."

Merrimack: " Acknowledged General Krok has taken charge until the Intrepid can get here to take charge of the Nashinahr followers."

Larok: "Understood; we will continue our sweep of the station." Turning to the mixed squad of Klingons and Federation Marines he began to issue orders to round up any remaining Vulcan rebels and survivors of their torture. " Find me Sefar; their leader, I have some questions of him and I am sure the Majesty's senior officers also want to talk to him".

[elizabethquinn]

OFF: Hope this is okay, wasn't really sure how to work myself in.

ON:
Beth had practically danced with joy at finding out she was being assigned straight to a fleet ship as an Acting Ensign, she'd been hoping that she would be and when the new finally came, it was all she could do not to embarrass herself in front of her mentor.

"The Majesty is a fine ship," Jerron told her. "You are to report to the IKS Paugh for transport."

Beth frowned. A Klingon ship? "Why?" she asked.

"The Majesty is missing, the Paugh is being sent out to find her, along with a group of Marines, to find out what happened, as further reinforcements are prepared, if they are necessary" Jerron told her.

"But why are they sending me then?" Beth asked. She was only an Acting Ensign, sure, she could handle herself, you couldn't have lived her life and not, but it seemed strange.

"I told them you were perfectly able, don't prove me wrong," Jerron said with a smile that bordered on a smirk.

"I won't," Beth promised. "I just... I won't let you down."

*~*~*~*~*

The IKS Paugh was everything she'd expected from a Klingon ship, not that she'd truly known what to expect, she'd had very little interaction with any Klingon's, but it was dark and dingy and everyone seemed twice as big as her.

A young Klingon officer showed her to her quarters and left her, with a wicked grin as he suggested she might like to try the Gagh for lunch. Beth tried not to cringe at the thought of it, she'd eaten worse she supposed, when she had too, but when she had the choice, she preferred food that didn't move.

When news came down to her about the escape pod and the officer found on board, Beth ventured from her room, heading towards sickbay, thankful at least that she could read and speak enough Klingon to get by.

"Yeoman Forbes," Beth approached the woman quietly.

"Yes?" Forbes replied softly.

"I'm Beth, Acting Ensign Quinn, are you okay?" Beth asked.

"I'm okay, the Doctor said I'm uninjured," Forbes said. "Are they going to help the crew of the Majesty?"

"Lt. Colonel Larok has already left the ship, he's hoping to sneak on board," Beth told her, relaying what she'd been told. She hadn't even met Larok yet, but she'd known a few marines in her time and if anyone could do it, she'd think it was a marine.

"I wish I could do something," Forbes replied.

"You gave us information we didn't have before, that helps," Beth replied. "If you need anything, just ask I'm sure someone can find me."

"Thank-you," Forbes replied.

*~*~*~*~*

Beth made her way cautiously to the bridge. "Commander," she greeted, trying to keep herself at her full height.

The Klingon turned to her, baring his teeth slightly. "Ensign, ready for your new assignment," the Klingon's teeth showed even more as he grinned.

Beth wondered if it was a challenge, to see if she'd cower, she wouldn't, not even if her stomach rolled unpleasantly at the idea of going head first into a situation she had little knowledge about and no control over. "I'm ready to do my duty," she replied.

The Klingon nodded, seeming to accept that answer. She felt out of place here, but she was here now and there was no where else to go. There were reinforcements on the way and all she could do was wait.

*~*~*~*~*

The battle when it happened was swift, so much so that Beth didn't remember most if it, a blur of adrenaline and bright lights. The Vulcan's, for when Beth got close enough to look, they definitely were Vulcan, at least physiologically, did not make it easy, but the overwhelming force, both from the Paugh and it's reinforcements and from the crew of the Majesty and other captives, overcame them.

In the end Beth thought, it was almost easy from her perspective, although looking at the ragged groups from the Majesty, none of them would agree. She felt strange, watching them, the hell they must have been through she could probably never imagine. She wouldn't try, she decided, it was an insult to them to pretend to understand.

Looking away from the officers, she looked around at the Majesty, from where she was on the station, she could see the charred shell, the empty spaces where bulkheads should be and she wondered if her she'd ever get her chance to really serve on this ship, it was in a state of disrepair she knew not every ship came back from.

Giving up her musings, she turned to continue sweeping through the station with the others who'd come from the rescue fleet, she had a job to do and musing wouldn't help anyone. Still, this was far from what she'd envisioned when she'd received news of this assignment and it was hard not to feel a little pang of disappointment that her first assignment was shaping up like it was. There would be no victory dances anytime soon.

[Lorna Holsen]

The Klingon sickbay was similar enough to what she was used to that Lorna didn't too lost. She had altered the lighting levels a bit though. Her two patients were making her feel lost though, she didn't know a great deal about Falconian physiology and she didn't understand what had been done to them. She wasn't sure she wanted to, she had seen some pretty horrible things in her time but she had never seen anything like this.

Falco was physically well on the way to recovery, he had given her some scares on the way but now she was pretty sure he was out of danger. She knew he had been drugged and that the drug had messed with his mind, retarded the formation of short term memory technically.

Hawk on the other hand... he too was physically recovering although his body had taken a beating. Lorna sighed deep and then winced as the movement pulled on her recently healed but still tender cracked rib. Mentally though... Lorna could make no sense of his mind. There was a lot of damage but the whole thing just seemed wrong.

Lorna looked over to the biobed where Falco lay, she'd had to restraint him while the hallucinogenic affects of the drugs wore off. It galled Lorna to know that whoever had done this to them had a pretty good medical knowledge... 'First of all do no harm'...

Falco's friend was still with him and she noticed that he was stirring, coming out of his sleep naturally. She went over to him for a moment she looked at Glen, he'd been a well behaved visitor. Lorna bit her lip. "I need to find out what happened to him and his friend. I know it's going to be traumatic for him, I would like you to stay." He nodded.

Lorna waited until Falco awoke. She sat quietly next to him waiting until his eyes focussed on her. "I'm Lorna Holsen", she said "I've been looking after you and Commander Hawk." She paused, wondering if he remembered their previous conversation. "Physically you are both recovering. I have been trying to undo the damage that was done. You both have high levels of hallucinogenic and psychoactive drugs in your systems. I need to know if there's anything you can remember about what happened to you."

(Falco)

Lorna wasn't surprised that he didn't want to relive what had happened to him. She could feel it but she didn't need to it was etched into his face. "I need to know what happened, Commander Hawk's mind may have been irreversibly damaged and the sooner I can find out what caused the damage the greater my chances of undoing it." She paused not mention her fears that the damage might not be undoable. "Please."

(Falco)

[Deleted]

Hawk’s mind, now trapped in the body of a sehlat with his missing humanoid body, had little choice but to hide until the fighting was over. He could only hope that at some point he would be able to reunite with his body again. Hawks first order of business was to just survive until that time comes so he hid in the most remote part of the ship and began to wait it out.


They brought Hawk back out of isolation to the main sickbay about twenty four hours later, while Falco was dozing in a sporadic restless way. With the absence of the drug in his system he was experiencing withdrawal from it and felt anxious and at the same time bone crushingly tired. His body refused to let him rest however and when he closed his eyes he was beginning to have flash back memories of men in white coats and a small white room.

The noise of the gurney on the tiled floor and the whisper of voices in his room shook him awake and for a moment he couldn’t remember where he was. He lay in a cold sweat while the infernal bleeping of the machine next to him began to slow down from its faltering rhythm.

Falco looked sideways at his close friend’s body as the doctor lay it on the bed and started to attach various leads and tubes to the antiquated machinery that had accompanied him. Hawk too had black restraints around his arm and had a crude intravenous tap flowing into the back of his left hand. Ominously there was also an old style respirator in the room and Falco closed his eyes and shuddered. Hawk had once woken up with one of those infernal tubes down his throat and had panicked so much that he’d had to be sedated all over again. But now, as he looked, he realized it wasn’t hooked up to anything, and he relaxed back on the bed, burying his head in the pillows as the feelings of penitence and blame washed over him in a black tide. His anger started to boil however, when the Starfleet security officer who had accompanied the retinue came forward and snapped a restraint onto the limp left wrist, attaching the feathery haired humanoid to the bed.

The smaller man was still unconscious and once the doctor had done her job and settled her patient into his room, she left the two men alone. In the quiet of that small room, Falco steeled himself and took another look at the humanoid he referred to as brother, and the man that he had, to all intents and purposes “let nearly be killed”. He felt sick to his stomach as he peeped around the corner of the pillow and took his first good look at Hawk.

He looked pale, of course. There was a fresh white bandage around his ribs and below it, Falco could see bruises, large and purple, spreading across his flat abdomen. There were white taped dressings over the feathery haired humanoid’s knuckles and fresh cuts on his forearms. But it was the usually handsome face, which seemed to have taken the brunt of the beating. Large cuts bloomed across both cheeks, making the unconscious man look as though he was wearing American Indian war paint. There was another, equally big gash over his left eye and that eye was swollen shut, stained with a port wine colored bruise, bisected by a white butterfly strip closing another smaller cut.

But the bruise that stood out most of all was the purple, blue and black bruise that cut across the reddish haired man’s neck enhanced by grazed and abraded skin.

Falco rattled quietly at the restraint still on his right wrist.

He ran his left hand through his tangled hair and angrily wiped at the tears that were prickling in his eyes.

With the bitter thoughts still racing through his head, he turned away from the body in the other bed and closed his eyes against the world, wishing he could plunge back into the oblivion the drug had allowed him. But his mind refused to close down and instead he tossed and turned on his bed, memories of another bed; a cold and hard metal bed beginning to surface. Vulcan faces hovered above him and he felt the hypo-sprays jammed against his arm time after time as they pumped the alien adrenaline drug into his veins.

And then there was a loud noise. He heard the crowd again and the bright lights of the arena temporarily blinded his eyes. There was another person in the fighting pit with him. Another man that he knew, but at the same time didn’t know and the memory of sinking his fists into the hard flesh of that man left him shaking and whimpering on his cot. He flexed the fingers of his left hand, feeling the confining strictures of the white oxide tape around them and the open grazes on his knuckles, the memory of the punches he delivered living on in the fist he made. He swallowed down the bile burning in his throat and almost wished the heart issues he’d suffered had finished him off. He had just tried to beat to death the very man he’d sworn always to protect.

He jumped as he felt a hand on his bare shoulder and thought it was still in his dream. In his fuddled thoughts, Falco tried to bat it away, but his wrist was still firmly anchored to the side of the bed and he cried out in frustration and helplessness, plunging his head once more into the depths of his pillow. The doctor’s hand remained where it was, a comforting and heavy weight, anchoring McCloud back to the present, and slowly, the dreams fell away and he turned over onto his back and looked at the tall black man.

“Memories returning?” Doctor Holsen asked gently.

The reddish haired man sighed shakily. “Give me something to block them” he mumbled through dry lips. “I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this”.

The doctor sat down at Falco’s bedside. “Can’t do what? What do you remember?”

The lids closed down over the cold emerald eyes. “….remember hitting someone’ he said in a strangled voice. ‘I remember trying to kill somebody….and I don’t want…..dam…..just give me something, please? Hurts…..it hurts too much to remember”.

Holsen regarded the suffering man, knowing how much it cost him to have to go through not only the withdrawal, but the return of the memories, and he wondered just how much would come flooding back today, and how much he would still need to be told. Hopefully, he thought, the very painful memories may lay dormant until both men were well enough to help each other through.

“Your memories will continue to come back over the next weeks, Falco. And you must always remember that what you did, you were made to do. Perhaps, if the tables were turned you friend would be having these same feelings of recrimination now”.

The reddish haired man stole another sideways glance at the figure in the bed opposite. ‘How bad is he?’ McCloud asked in a small voice.

“He’s been subject, I think, to more trauma than you. It seems he was made to fight more times”.

The reddish haired man’s eyes flew open. ‘How do you know that?’

“We found wrist bands on you both. They gave an indication of what had happened. Yours said….”

“Animal Designation le-matya.” the reddish haired man’s eyes were closed and he was visualizing the wicked sliver bracelet surrounding his right wrist, the words indelibly burned into his brain. He opened them and looked at the ring of slightly paler skin now partially covered by the metal handcuff. “I remember the bracelet, but I don’t remember how I got it. What did his say?”

“Animal Designation te-resh-kah .”

“Yes, and it might have been the last I ever saw Hawk” Falco said softly. ‘Doc, tell me how this thing worked. I need to understand. Why can’t I remember?’

“It will come back in time. For now you need to rest and allow nature to take its course. Its as though your body has been on the highest anxiety levels for over two weeks, and it needs time and sleep to help you recover from your physical and mental injuries”.

“And what about these?” McCloud struggled with the restraints gently. “I can understand why I need them, but not him. Look at him! He’s not going anywhere. Can’t you take them off him?” he pleaded.

“I’ll instruct the guard to remove them from both of you. We allowed them as a precautionary measure. We didn’t know how you would be when you woke up. It’s as much for your own protection as anything. We couldn’t have you trying to get out of bed in your current condition. But it would appear that the heart abnormality was as a direct result of the drug, so I’ll also ask the nurse to get rid of the annoying machine there too” he smiled encouragingly. “Take your time Falco. Rest and try not to beat yourself up about what happened. No-one could have fought that effects of that drug…no-one!”

“How’s my Fri….how’s Hawk?” Falco couldn’t bring himself to use the word friend. Would the brunette ever trust him again?

“He’s resting. As I said he has more extensive injuries than your own, probably as a result of the previous fights. Amongst others, he has three cracked ribs to deal with. The strangulation injury across his neck….”

Falco paled visibly at the mention, but Holsen pressed on regardless. “This could have been much worse lieutenant. Hawk’s larynx has been severely bruised, but nothing is broken. The cricoid is in tact, so as long as there is no more swelling over the next 12 hours, he should escape with nothing more serious than a husky voice for a while. I scanned him to make sure, and the respirator is there just as a precaution, but at the moment, he seems to be breathing fairly easily. He’ll need your support when his memories start to return. You’ll both need to support each other. I will be able to do more when the Starfleet medical equipment is unpacked”. The doctor gave a sad smile and walked towards the door.

“Just a minute Doc. What’s that supposed to mean? What aren’t you telling me?” Falco shouted, sitting more upright in his bed.

Holsen paused at the door. “Later, Falco. It’s much too early for this yet. Just rest; sleep and see how many of the memories return on their own. And talk to your partner” he emphasized the last word, and closed the door behind him.

McCloud’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion. What was all that about? Of course he’d support his partner if Hawk could bear to have him around. But why would they both want support? He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate as the doctor came into the room, along with Glen Shepherd, the young helm officer that the blond knew from the Majesty’s bridge. The young officer fumbled with the restraint mechanism and apologetically released it from around Falco’s wrist.

“I’m sorry Falco. They made me” he looked up shyly as the reddish haired man massaged his right wrist.

“That’s OK, you were only following orders. Just make sure Hawk’s ok?”

Glen Shepherd unlocked those cuffs as well and stuffed both pairs into his pocket as if trying to get them out of sight as quickly as possible. He smiled again and went quickly from the room.

McCloud submitted quietly as the pretty young doctor disconnected the leads from his chest, apologizing as the adhesive pads pulled at the fine hairs over his skin. McCloud ignored her, consumed by his own world of self-loathing and almost wishing for any sort of deep cleansing pain. He needed it; he deserved it. He felt her checking his bio signs again and then she left, leaving a deathly quiet behind her.

Without the steady bleep of the monitor, Falco had nothing else to listen to but the slightly wheezing breaths of the man in the other bed. He’d become so attuned over the years to knowing Hawk’s every breath; every nuance of his body. And now, he knew that the feathery haired humanoid was beginning to wake up.

With a feeling of dread, but knowing that he needed to be there, just to witness the reaction, he slowly dragged his tired body out of his bed and padded quietly over to his partner, pulling his drip stand with him. He drew a chair to the side of the bed where he could see the first signs of consciousness and waited, his hand hovering over the limp hand on the bed, unsure whether his friend would want to be touched by him, or whether the feathery haired Ops officer would recoil from McCloud's presence.

Slowly the wheezing deepened and the eyes below the eyelids started to move. Falco felt the hand beside him twitch and reflexively, he reached for it, holding it and rubbing a soothing thumb over the back as his friend regained consciousness. The right eye, the one that was not bruised and swollen shut, blinked open and looked straight ahead as Hawk tried to assimilate the feelings his body was shouting at him to understand. The first sight of the icy indigo blue eyes was both a joy and a burden to the reddish haired man and he stole himself for any reaction. He pulled himself to his feet and perched on the side of the bed as the single eye focused and homed in on him.

“Hawk?” Falco asked softly, bracing himself for the loathing he felt sure must follow.

The dry lips worked and a dry tongue peeped out and tried to wet across them.

Hawk looked up into the face of his friend, the confusion of the past weeks suddenly dissipating in the warmth of the Colombian emerald eyes, and he locked onto them, feeding of the familiarity as he managed to rasp out four painful words.

“Thank….the Gods above”.