The Next Chapter has arrived! I hope you enjoy it and please review if you can!!! Thank you to those who did review!
On the Bridge…
As Spock came onto the bridge Kirk was reading off from a PADD.
"I want Bones for medical, Lt. Uhura for communications, Ensign Chekhov for being the boy genius that he is, and Commander Spock for negotiations to accompany me and Admiral Pike down to the planet. Things could get hostile so stick together and don't speak unless spoken to. These are Klingons and they are all about honor and respect. Basically, don't mess with them and they won't mess with you. We're on their planet now, trying to get back one of our own. I'm not going to sugar coat anything. This is a dangerous mission. Be prepared for anything," he said and returned to his PADD.
Spock walked up and stood by him. Kirk looked up and nodded to him.
"Are you going to be alright?" he asked and Spock furrowed his eyebrows.
"I am fine Captain. Is there a problem?" he asked and Kirk shook his head.
"No it's just she's your friend and all…" he trailed off and Spock nodded once.
"That will not interfere with my ability to handle the situation properly," he said firmly and Kirk nodded.
"Good because we need you down there," he added.
"Captain, we're here," Sulu said and Kirk looked as the planet Klingon came into view.
"Yes we are," Kirk said standing.
"Head for Qo'noS. Alright, those of you that were called, let's head to the transporter deck. Scotty will beam us down and then beam us up, hopefully with an extra person in our group," he said smiling and the group followed him off the bridge.
On Klingon…Qo'noS…
The group was greeted by the Ambassador Klingon. He stood tall, way taller then any of them. A mask was covering his face. He looked like one of those old century executioners. Pike walked up to him and held the piece of paper out to him. The Klingon Ambassador took it and looked at it quickly.
"Welcome, Enterprise crew. I am called Ro'ork of the House of Mirth," he said in English.
Kirk leaned over to Bones.
"Mirth? As in entertainment?" he asked confused that Klingons had houses dedicated to fun.
Ro'ork looked at the group members individually.
"I understand you believe we have a member of Starfleet in our midst. If we do, it was not with our knowing," he said and Pike nodded.
"The Klingon Empire will not be held accountable as long as they are not guilty of kidnapping," he said firmly.
Ro'ork took a step back.
"We receive prisoners from off planet frequently. We do not go out and find them, they are brought to us. We hold them all in the same place. Follow me and when we arrive, do not speak. Even if you see her, you are not to speak. Understood?" he asked and the group nodded.
Kirk wasn't going to lie. He was a little intimidated by the Klingons. As they walked they all realized that there wasn't another Klingon in sight. The houses were empty and all was quiet. Ro'ork walked them a few hundred yards before they heard it. Yells and screams and cheers and boos. It was coming from a large arena right smack in the middle of the square. Ro'ork turned to them all.
"You are about to see something that our race takes very seriously. I told you I was from the House of Mirth. Besides being Ambassador I am also in charge with keeping the population entertained. What you will see may shock and even repulse you but it is our fun, so do not interfere or try to stop it in any way. When researching, I found it most like the late gladiatorial battles. It is a kill or be killed world out there. Fight or die with honor," he said and pushed open the huge doors.
The group's eyes widened. The arena was circular and huge. Klingons sat in seats around the fighting area below. Two barred prison doors stood on either side of the arena.
"That is where the prisoners come from," he said pointing to a door on his right.
He led them all the way down to the Ambassador's box which was close to the carnage. The group all sat down and Uhura covered her nose quickly. Ro'ork laughed.
"Women usually love this smell! The smell of carnage!" he said laughing again.
Uhura wanted to gag. Even Chekhov was having a hard time coping with the smell. Spock sat up straight. He did not like it here. He watched as a worker Klingon dragged a dead body off the floor and into a bin with the help of other worker Klingons. Ro'ork stood up and the whole arena quieted.
"Klingons, now the match you have all been waiting for has arrived! I am pleased that I did not miss it! What Klingon will fall by her hands today?! Or will she be the one to fall this time?! She is a lethal Klingon killer! Show her the respect she has earned!" he roared in Klingon and the crowd went crazy as the Klingons stood up.
Uhura translated to the group who seemed uncomfortable when hearing this. Ro'ork turned to the group.
"This match will be most entertaining," he said sitting down.
The right prison door opened and a young woman walked out. Her pants were ripped from a fight previously. Her shirt was still intact but hung off her shoulder from being pulled. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and was short. Cuts, bruises, and even some scars littered her arms and legs. Her face held a cut across her cheek and a busted lip. Her feet were bare and her wrists were chained. Her eyes were dark but alive. The crowd upon seeing her went crazy. Cheers and boos came from all directions.
Pike stood up quickly but was pushed back down by Ro'ork.
"I have told you to not interfere. You must watch," he said dangerously low.
Spock couldn't take his eyes off her. She was there, in the flesh. She was alive. A worker Klingon walked up to her and released her hands and then backed up quickly. He almost looked scared. Ro'ork stood up.
"Olivia! How will you fair in this match?!" he yelled in his native tongue making the crowd go crazier.
Uhura translated. Olivia looked at the crowd and then stared straight ahead at the left prison door. The crowd began chanting for a speech. Olivia flexed out her wrists and cleared her throat some.
"It was three years ago today that I was brought here," she started and the crowd was silent immediately except for a Klingon translator.
"Three years since I have had to fight for my life everyday. Three years pleasing the ever growing crowd. That's over 1,000 Klingons who have died by my hand! You cheer as your brothers' fall! You find it amusing! Well let me amuse you some more!" she roared raising her hands and the Klingon crowd lost it.
Ro'ork raised his hands and gave out a loud roar almost mimicking her. The rest of the crowd joined in. Bones leaned to Kirk.
"They liked that speech? She basically just said she's going to kill more of them today," he said to his captain confused.
Ro'ork turned to him.
"She has been loyal to us for the passed three years. She fights for us and we let the friends she has made here live. Today though, the rules change," he smirked under his mask.
Pike turned to Ro'ork angrily.
"She is the one we've come for! You can't make her fight! I have the papers so hand her over to us now and—" he watched as Ro'ork ripped the official papers and dropped them to the floor.
"She is our entertainment. I will not let her go because a piece of paper tells me too," he said and moved to a lower box to watch the fight.
Pike was shocked. Spock's mind raced. What were they going to do?
"You can't do that! You're planet is part of the Federation! This is a direct violation!" Kirk yelled.
Ro'ork shook his head.
"So what will you do about it? You are on our planet Mr. Kirk. You have no say here," he turned to watch the fight.
Olivia watched the left door closely. Her opponent would be coming out of there any moment. Ro'ork smirked.
"The rules have changed! We have special guests here to watch you Olivia. I want them to see you sweat a little. So besides Klingons we're going to add some surprises to the list. Release the other prisoners. She's going to need help," he said in Klingon and the crowd cheered.
Olivia's eyes quickly scanned the crowd but she couldn't place who the 'special guests' were. There were just too many people in the stands. She turned to look as the right door opened. Many bloody and bruised people of all races came out. The prisoners were a rag tag bunch. A young Andorian girl no more then seventeen ran up to Olivia and threw her arms around her. Olivia held her tightly. Only then did Spock watch as her dark eyes softened only a little.
"I heard one of the workers say to get the Krencha ready," the young girl whispered.
Olivia's eyes widened slightly. Ro'ork was desperate. Olivia ran the information through her head quickly on what she knew about the Krencha. It was an animal that was three meters long and had four legs. It was reptilian and possessed strong claws and deadly fangs. They had reptile-like tongues which helped them detect their prey. They were among the more intelligent hunting animals on Klingon. They evolved as quick attack predators but that was an advantage to her. They would not last long in battle. Olivia looked at the young Andorian girl.
"Nia, be brave. Stay with me and remember what I taught you and you will live," she said calmly.
A young man walked up to them. He was Cardassian.
"Ro'ork really wants us dead this time, huh?" he asked quietly so that Nia could not here.
Olivia shook her head.
"No he just wants a show that was better then the last to please the crowd," she rubbed one of Nia's antennas softly.
"How do you want to proceed?" he asked carefully.
Olivia watched as the doors on the left started opening.
"Let's go with the 'don't die today' technique, okay?" she said and the young man smirked.
"We'll be alright, Nevis," she said quietly to her friend.
"I do hope you're right," he said patting her head.
She smiled at him kindly. Cardassians were so awkward sometimes. She didn't smile often but when she did it was radiant and it was usually for him or Nia. They had become close these past three years. Spock watched keenly. Not one expression escaped him. He could still read her easily. She was putting on the brave front but she was nervous. Not for herself but for the two before her. Pike leaned over.
"What the hell are we going to do about this? She'll be killed before we can get to her!" he whispered angrily.
"We can do nothing at the present time. Ro'ork is right. This is his planet, not ours. We must wait for the right moment and use it to our advantage. It will be dangerous but I see no other way," Spock said as calmly as he could.
Kirk leaned over to them.
"Let's just make sure the right moment comes before she's being dragged off the floor by one of those worker Klingons and thrown into one of those carts," he said and he received glares all round.
The left door was opened fully and a loud roar was heard. Six Klingons made their way into the arena. Olivia took in a deep breath and pulled out a single axe from her back holster. It was old and rusted but it was her favorite weapon and got her through many battles. She flipped it in her hand and got a good grip on it. Nevis pulled out a sharp spear and held it in front of him. Nia pulled out a small handmade knife and held it to her chest. The other prisoners pulled out their weapons and waited. The six Klingons held their positions as well. Olivia could feel it. Something big was about to happen. A shriek from one of the prisoners made her whirl around. The Krencha was attacking her. Nia let out a scream and backed away with Olivia. Nevis ran forward but it was too late. The six Klingons charged. The crowd cheered.
"Nia, I must fight now. Please stay hidden and try not die," she said and released the small blue girl from her grip.
Olivia was quick. She knew how to attack and from which points. Klingons to her were nothing. Her main concern was the Krencha. It had already taken out two prisoners. She hit a Klingon square in the chest stopping his heart, a move taught to her long ago in another life by a friend she would never forget. Spock watched as she slammed her palm into the unsuspecting Klingon. It was a subtle but deadly move he had taught her back at Starfleet Academy.
"Olivia, I could use some help!" Nevis yelled fighting the Krencha.
Olivia grabbed another Klingon's arm and palmed his elbow up, effectively snapping it. She then took out his kneecap causing him to fall to the floor. She stared at him straight in the face.
"I will go with honor," he choked out in Klingon.
"You will go to hell," she shot back in his language and snapped his neck quickly.
She turned her attention to Nevis who stabbed the Krencha repeatedly and dropped it to the floor. He turned to her.
"Thanks for your help," he said sarcastically.
Olivia grinned and scratched her head.
"I was dealing with Klingons," she defended herself.
Nevis grinned back. The last Klingon was being dealt with by one of the stronger prisoners. Olivia began walking to find Nia. The girl was good at hiding that was for sure. Even her blue color, white hair, and thin antennas were not visible among the arena. She was about to bend down when she was roughly shoved out of the way by someone. It all happened so fast. It was another Krencha. It was about to attack her but Nevis took the hit instead. He went flying back with the Krencha on top of him.
Olivia sat up quickly. More Klingons had arrived too. The prisoners were losing. She took off for the Krencha and jumped on its back, viciously hacking into it with her axe as hard as she could. She was screaming as blood flew everywhere. The Krencha was dead and she went to push it off Nevis when a Klingon grabbed her and threw her roughly onto the ground. Olivia went to get back up but a fist connected with her face and she hit the floor again.
Pike stood up but Kirk grabbed his wrist.
"Don't distract her. She needs to focus on staying alive. She sees you and she's done," he said and Pike sat back down reluctantly.
Kirk was right. Spock knew it. It didn't make things any easier to watch. Uhura took Spock's hand gently and gave it a small squeeze. He looked down some at her hand and then to her. She thought she saw pain in his eyes and it bothered her. She could do nothing but sit and watch. She felt a light squeeze on her hand and held it even tighter.
"Nia! Get to Nevis! See if he's alright!" Olivia screamed while fighting the Klingon before her.
Nia ran from out of no where and to the dead Krencha. It was like she was hiding in plain sight. She pushed it to the side and Olivia could not see what was going on. She was distracted. The Klingon took advantage of the opportunity and Olivia felt something slice into her side. She let out a gasp and stopped the blade from going any further into her side. It became a battle of who was stronger.
The crowd went wild as she struggled to keep the blade from hitting something vital. Blood spilt out of the wound and she felt weak. She managed to glance over to Nia. She was crying. Olivia felt a wave of adrenaline hit her and pulled the blade out. Her axe went flying at the Klingon stabbing him in the head, killing him. She backed away quickly holding her side. She pulled her axe out of his skull and stumbled over to her friends. Nia looked at Olivia with tear stained cheeks.
"Livvy, you are hurt too," she said crying harder.
Olivia leaned down to look at Nevis. He was messed up. He was going to die, she could tell. She fought back emotions that were threatening to overcome her. She took his hand tightly.
"Be free my friend. I will join you soon enough," she whispered and Nevis let out a small smile.
"S-See you on t-the other s-side beautiful," he choked out and his eyes closed.
His hand went limp in hers. She felt her vision go blurry. Nia began to cry again. Olivia turned to her. She could see more Klingons being released from the left door. There were only two other prisoners left besides her and Nia. She ripped a piece of Nevis' cloth off and tied it tightly around her side to stop the blood. She turned to Nia.
"If I die, run for it. If you cannot run, end your pain and join me and Nevis in the other life," she said and Nia nodded quickly holding her knife close to her.
Olivia stood up slowly. She was tired of fighting. She faced the Klingons. The two prisoners were dead.
"I do not want to f-fight anymore," she said dropping her axe to the floor tiredly.
In the crowd there were shocked gasps and curses. Olivia looked at the ground.
"I'm s-so tired. P-Please do not make me fight anymore," she begged feeling the tears trail down her cheeks.
It had been weeks since she shed a tear. Before that, it had been years. On that day a few weeks ago she had learned that the planet Vulcan had been destroyed. She had wailed then. Her planet was gone. Her family, friends, him. He was gone. She had convinced herself they had all made it out in time. She stuck with that. She also came to the conclusion that this was where she was going to die. Ro'ork stood up.
"You cannot quit Olivia!" he roared angrily.
Olivia took in a deep breath and held her side, wincing slightly.
"I have nothing left to give you except my life. So please just take it and let me have some goddamn peace!" she roared.
Ro'ork was infuriated. Olivia picked up her axe and threw it at Ro'ork as hard as she could. He barely dodged it and went flying to the floor. This made everyone look up in shock. Everyone including the Klingons by her. She attacked ruthlessly.
"Nia, run for the door!" she yelled killing the last Klingon quickly.
Nia looked and noticed that the door was unguarded. A small spear protruded through the guard's chest. Olivia was a quick one and had thrown Nevis' spear with her axe to two different locations. Nia took off towards the door followed by Olivia. Klingons were everywhere. Most of them were just trying to get out of the way. Some were after Olivia and Nia. The two bolted through the door and didn't stop. Ro'ork looked for the Starfleet group. They were gone. He let out a ferocious roar and headed out of the arena.
Olivia had Nia by the hand and flew out of the arena doors. Sunlight hit them in the face and they were almost blinded. It had been some time since they had seen the sun. This did not stop them though. They kept running and running hard. All the Klingons were in the arena so they knew they shouldn't be running into any from the front. They flew through the thicket of trees and into the forest. They never stopped to even catch their much needed breath. Nia tripped once and Olivia helped her up roughly and they ran some more.
"Keep running Nia, we can't stop now," Olivia said as they pushed aside some brush.
Then they heard a noise and bright ringlets began to swirl around them. Nia looked terrified. Olivia stared wide eyed down at the ringlets encircling her.
"Don't move Nia," she said quietly.
"What is happening Livvy?" she asked nervously.
"We are being beamed up to a ship. If it is a war bird, remember what I told you," she said and Nia nodded.
"If there are humans on it, then Nia I think we may be saved," she said trying to give the girl some hope but not get her hopes entirely up.
The two girls disappeared from the planet.
Okay I really hope you liked it! Let me know! ^_~