He opened his eyes, and found himself in a world of darkness. How long had he been knocked out? Where was he? Was he even alive? Pavel Chekov, the navigator of the ISS Enterprise, had so many questions, but no one to answer him.

Chekov tried to think back to what he could remember. He remembered that the ship had received orders from the Empire to stop an uprising on a colonized moon near the planet Rigel. He remembered being selected by Captain Kirk to lead a pack of grunts to one section of the city. They gained control rather quickly; apparently the rebels had overlooked the use and strength of the portable agonizers. Then he and the other superior officers had gone to the only section of the city that did not rebel to enjoy a drink at a bar. The small group was just about to leave, when some woman approached Chekov. That's where his memory ended. Chekov sighed. Kirk and the others probably didn't care that he was gone. For Kirk, Chekov was now off of his back and not a threat to his captaincy. And for Sulu, his rival for Uhura was gone. Everyone won. Except Chekov. First it was the agony booth. Now this. Except for whatever reason, Kirk was lenient in his punishment with the agony booth. Odd, but a pleasant surprise. Perhaps the rumor of Kirk's invincibility was correct, and Chekov was never a true threat to him to start with. He hadn't exactly planned that attack out well with his own underlings turning against him. But now Chekov would never know.

The sound of a lock opening got Chekov's attention. A scraping sound occurred, followed by the entry of sunlight. He was blinded, but only for a moment. He was surprised to see three Romulan males walk in with two Orion males and a female. Chekov stood up now to face the female Orion, who was approaching. A dagger was on her waist, its hilt all jeweled. "Oh yes, you will do nicely." the Orion said in the Empire Standard. "She will most certainly like you."

"He's a bit scrawny that the last one…" a male Romulan said warily.

"Still, I think she will be pleased. For more reasons than one." the Orion girl gave Chekov a seductive grin. "My name in your Standard is Hope."

"That does not inspire me." Chekov retorted. "Who are you going to take me too?" And what are Romulans and Orions doing working together?

"She who is our leader." Hope said. "We must prepare you quickly. She expects you soon." The Orion males then put handcuffs on Chekov and pushed him out into the daylight. The world was covered in every kind of jewel you could think of. The buildings were made of various combinations of glass, jewels and crystals. Any plant life was clearly imported in pots, but this was few and far between. A good world for the Empire to exploit. he thought. But he still had no idea where he was.

Chekov was led to a different building, one that resembled a palace, only much more fierce looking because it was constructed out of sharp crystals. If one could compare it to the animal that was called a porcupine of the planet Earth, they would not be far off. A formidable natural defense. He was then led inside through a hidden entrance in the palace walls. Hope had a torch lit and led the way through a maze of narrow tunnels. Soon their walk began to climb upwards. Just when Chekov thought they would never finish their climb, Hope opened a door that led to what looked like a stable. Hay was all over the floor, and the smell was terrible. A basin of water was put near a cot on the floor, along with a small plate of bread and a cup of water. "This is where you will live." Hope said. "This is the servant's quarters. Forgive the smell. The last servant to serve her was found in here with his heart ripped out of his chest and on the floor. The blood was everywhere." Chekov gulped. Maybe this was a secret Empire base. It sure sounded like something they would do, although it was much more primitive.

"He is afraid." the same Romulan as earlier noted with distaste.

"They all are." Hope said, licking her lips. "Wash yourself and eat. But be fast. We'll be back in fifteen of your Standard minutes." And with that, the six left Chekov and slammed the door behind them. With such little time, Chekov looked around, but there was only a small hole in wall, which served as a window. He could see he was up at the top of a tower, so unless he managed to acquire a long enough and strong enough rope, he would not be able to escape that way without getting himself killed on the sharp crystals. The door was of course locked. He gave up and quickly washed his face and ate the small bit of dry bread. The drinking water didn't go down so easily, for it had floating bits of dirt and bug shells in it. He had to spit out as much of the crud as he could before he could take a swallow. He didn't get far before Hope unlocked the door. "Well, at least you are cleaner." she said, disapproving at the amount of bread he ate and the water he drank.

"These aren't exactly ideal conditions for a person born of the Empire." Chekov said.

"You aren't in Empire territory anymore. You are nowhere near it." Hope said. "We live a better life than you of the Empire."

"Vhen the Empire learns of your world, they vill destroy you all for it." Chekov said.

Hope laughed. "You're a feisty one, aren't you? She will most certainly keep you, at least longer than her last servant." Chekov was then taken back to the passageway, but only had to go down a few flights of stairs instead of the underground passages. Hope opened another door, but this one was unlocked. The room they entered was small, like his own, but had an elevator. So this place does have technology. He thought. The seven stepped inside, and Hope pushed the button marked 'Throne Room'. Chekov felt himself getting nervous. Next to that button was one marked 'Execution Room'. When the elevator opened, it was as if they entered another place all together. The floors were tiled, a table had a small viewscreen with a news feed playing, although Chekov could not understand what the reporter was saying. Everything here was modernized, and there was a bustle of Orions and Romulans.

Suddenly, a Terran walked up to Hope. Chekov wasn't sure if this was a good sign of bad. How many Terrans had defected the Empire and joined this place? Or were caught? He didn't recognize her though. Her hair was up like a basket, weaved around in such a pattern. She wore a pink mini dress with a black jacket covering her shoulders. "Is this the best servant you could find?" the Terran female asked Hope.

"Yes, Lady Rand. I personally think he will do nicely. One of our blue kind found him in a bar." Hope said.

Lady Rand nodded but her face did not betray any emotions. "The blue Orions have infiltrated nicely. It will not belong now."

Hope tapped her forehead and then her heart, clearly a symbolic gesture. "Down with the Empire, and may the Alliance rise above the stars."

Lady Rand finally turned her attention to Chekov and looked him over more carefully. "We must not keep the Queen waiting any longer." she told him. "You and Hope shall come with me. The rest of you, go back to your normal duties." The Romulans and two male Orions did the same gesture as Hope did earlier.

"Down with the Empire, and may the Alliance rise above the stars!" they chanted before they turned back to the elevator.

They then headed towards the center of the room, where a huge glass throne, with huge crystal spikes poking out at every direction away from the seat was located. On it was the most beautiful woman Chekov had ever seen. The Queen had metallic pink hair, which was down, and fell halfway down her back. Under her left eye was a black broken heart symbol. She wore a black tank top, which was decorated with blood red, dark blue, and amber crystals. The crystals dangled and whenever she moved, they made a clinking noise. Her tank top only covered her breasts. Her skirt was more like a wrap, where her left leg was almost totally exposed but her right leg was almost completely covered. Similar to the black tank top, it was also black, but with many more rows of dangling red, blue, and amber crystals. But perhaps what was most intimidating about her was the large saber tooth tiger that was at her feet. It was silver in color, with yellow eyes starting intensely at Chekov, as if deciding if he would be dinner or not. It had two large fangs, indicating incredible power. The Queen stood up and walked up to Chekov, walked all around him, assessing and sizing him up. She finally stopped when she had circled back in front of him. "You're a little runt. Are you really the best they could find?" Her voice was surprisingly childish. Chekov felt himself blushing as he stumbled to find words. But when he didn't answer quickly enough, Hope stepped up.

"He was brought to us by the blue Orions."

The Queen rolled her eyes. "Again, I will ask, was he really the best they could find?"

Lady Rand now spoke. "Yes, your highness, he is." She then whispered into the Queen's ear, and her amber eyes began to light up excitedly. "We hope you find the news satisfactory and pleasing."

"Don't be so Vulcan about this, Rand. It's better than I could have thought." Chekov coughed softly.

"Vhat about me is better than you thought?" The women raised their eyebrows in surprise. Then the Queen gave a laugh.

"You will learn, in time." She turned to Hope. "As promised, you will receive your compensation. Now, leave us." Hope nodded and gave the salute before heading back towards the elevator. The Queen then turned back to Chekov and then nodded at Rand, who then hurried off elsewhere. "I know you are from the Empire. But before you start panicking about me asking you for information, relax. I don't want your information." Chekov gulped. He wasn't sure where this was leading.

"Vhat exactly do you vant with me then?" She was now sitting on her throne, leaning on one of the armrests, her hand on her cheek as she gave a sly smirk.

"Oh, the usual stuff servants do. Clean the whole palace, cook my food, stuff like that. Only without holidays or time off, and for as long as you please me. If you can successfully please me, there are many benefits to this. However, if you fail…" She then put a finger in front of her neck and indicated that it would be cut off. She did not need words for that.

Chekov gave a wary nod. "So I am to be your slave."

"If that is what you call it. Not that you should be unfamiliar with it. Your Empire prides itself on the forced labor of conquered races." the Queen said.

"So is that vhat this is about? Trying to show the Empire what it is doing to others? Vell, you are wrong. Ve are fully aware of vhat ve are doing! And ve depend upon the free labor of others in order to survive." Chekov snapped, his pride of the Empire on the line.

"Oh, that's far from what I'm trying to do here. After all, I am the Queen of two conquered races and of my own people." she then gave that sly smirk again. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy you very much. I like a feisty attitude."

The rest of the day was less eventful in terms of meeting people and gathering more information. Chekov was quickly put to work polishing the dining room walls and floor. Everything was made of crystal and glass, so Chekov had to be extra careful not to mess up anything he had already buffed clean. He just couldn't believe that he was doing this with so little protest. Chekov never picked up a rag to do work a day in his life. He was the only surviving member of his family, as his family died in an accident on Luna, including his brother Pitor. He was sent off to a school on Earth, and from there he progressed through the Academy to serve the Empire who had taken care of him throughout his childhood. He was proud, never questioning why the Empire did what it did. He continued thinking all of this as he buffed and polished, but was interrupted when he realized that he was polishing someone's shoes. Chekov stopped, and looked up to see the tallest man he had ever seen before. The man had long black hair, and was wearing a fedora that was dark grey in color. His face was a mix of emotions. "So, you're the new servant. While I appreciate the free polish, I don't appreciate you." he said. Chekov stood up, although he wasn't even as high up as the man's shoulders.

"Who are you?" Chekov asked.

"My name is unpronounceable to you. But you can call me Tiger Eyes." the man said. He snorted. "She likes you, you know. Better than she liked any other servant."

"I suppose that is to my advantage." Chekov muttered. He was about to go back to work, when Tiger Eyes grabbed his arm and pulled him back into place.

"Yes, an advantage with her maybe. But not with me." His grey eyes were flaring with fury.

"You are her lover." Chekov said aloud.

"Was her lover. Perhaps the only one to survive." He narrowed his eyes intensely. "Let's keep it that way shall we?" Tiger Eyes left, and Chekov resumed his task.

That evening, Chekov was alone in his room, where the smell had been surprisingly filtered out. On his cot was a note. "Nice job polishing the dining room in such a timely manner. Tomorrow, you will wake up early and do more for me. A lot more. ~P"

Chekov raised an eyebrow. P? Obviously the Queen. But it now sunk in that he never did learn her name, apart from the letter P. The smell was better, at least it wasn't of old acidic blood anyway. Now it was just old stale air, which was more tolerable. No food was provided, only a cup of dirty water again. Chekov went to sleep upon finishing the cup, assuming he would best be up before sunrise…

"Wake up!" a sharp hiss came.

Chekov's eyes flew open. It was pitch black in the room, but he could sense that there was someone else in the room. "Who is there?" he whispered.

"It's me, of course." came the Queen's voice. Chekov quickly stood up and through a thin sliver of moonlight, she was there before him, dressed the same as before. He was surprised the clinking of her crystals did not wake him.

"Vhat is it?"

She gave a grin, showing teeth that were sharp like fangs. " 'Vhat is it?' You do talk in such a way…" She licked her lips, as if she were hungry. "All I want, Chekov, is you!" and she lunged for him.

Sorry for lack of any posts. Having writers block with Unspeakable Language. Have part one of the Mirrorverse Story. Enjoy!