Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or its characters.
Last time:
"Last offer," Bon-gar said with a smile. "40,000 donglatts…"
Jim finally exhaled.
"…and your exquisite Orion slave girl."
"She is not for sale," Spock said flatly. Jim looked at him, confused. Where the hell had Spock picked up an Orion?
"Come now, you're a businessman," Bon-gar said. His expression hardened. "40,000 donglatts and the girl, or no deal." Spock was silent. "Where I'm going next," Bon-gar elaborated, "I'll need some company."
"I see," Spock said, his tone difficult for the Tonettan to read.
"Before we finalize the exchange, however, I require a demonstration, as is the custom." Bon-gar left the back room door open and strode out into the main room. "Let's have a song, my lovely," Jim heard him say.
"She will perform in the back room," Jim heard Spock say. "I wish to keep an eye on the Captain."
"Not as much room in there," Bon-gar grumbled as he returned to the back room.
"I do not require room to please you," a female voice said. Jim followed the line of the slim green ankle up to the shapely thigh, to the miniscule skirt, to the… face of Uhura?
"Holy shit," Jim said, utterly shocked.
Bon-gar scowled at him. "Do not speak." Bon-gar looked questioningly at Spock.
Realization hitting him, Spock clapped his hands. "We require music!"
If the situation hadn't been so serious, Jim would have burst out laughing as Lt. Sulu entered the room, carrying a small drum. He was also Orion green, and looking somewhat nervous. "Um, right away…" Spock arched an eyebrow, "…Master," Sulu added hastily. To Jim's knowledge, Sulu possessed absolutely no musical talent. Sulu glanced up at Spock then began tapping out a beat on the drum.
Uhura bowed coquettishly to Bon-gar and Spock and took her starting position close to Jim's cage. "Looking good, Lieutenant," he whispered.
"Bring this up on the bridge, and I'll kill you," she said through her frozen smile.
Even with a busted face, Jim could still deliver an amazing grin. "I'd rather have you kill me than Bon-gar." Uhura chuckled softly, got a feel for Sulu's beat, and began her performance.
It was captivating. Jim had no idea she could sing like that… or move like that. Spock was certainly watching her closely, Jim noticed. She was singing in flawless Orion over Sulu's accompanying drumbeats. Bon-gar was leering at her, at times running a hand up and down her smooth body when her dance steps brought her close to him. Uhura's movements became more rapid and, Jim grinned, flexible as the dance continued. God, he'd always had a thing for green girls… Dammit, this was wrong, he needed to focus. This was his Lieutenant, and she was dancing her very shapely ass off to try to save his life.
Bon-gar suddenly groaned. "I wish her to complete the demonstration now."
Jim reacted automatically. "What?"
"Shut your fucking mouth, human," Bon-gar yelled, throwing his lit cigar stub in the direction of Jim's face. He glanced at Spock. "Take the human's cage to the main room. Caldo-gar will guard him while I finish with your Orion back here."
Uhura didn't miss a beat. "An excellent idea… you are so clever, Bon-gar!" she said, embracing him tightly. As she rubbed her body against that of the Tonettan, she mouthed to Spock, "Get Jim out of here!"
Jim caught her eye and shook his head. "No fucking way." Jim looked at Spock. "Get her out of here right now," he whispered. "That's an order!"
Spock leaned in close to Jim's cage. "It will serve as a distraction, Captain… and I will not let him hurt her."
Spock looked so serious, and so confident, that Jim shook his head. He allowed himself to be carried out of the room by Spock and Sulu as Bon-gar became more and more hands-on with Uhura.
Once in the main room, Caldo-gar approached the cage. "Let me see your hands, Jim," he said softly. Jim held out his cuffed hands to the young Tonettan, who easily snapped the restraints in two. As Caldo-gar moved onto Jim's ankles, Sulu began hacking away at the bars of the cage with his sword. Meanwhile, Spock monitored Uhura's situation through a small crack in the door.
"The bars are strong, Captain," Sulu said tersely. "They're not breaking."
"Let me try," said Caldo-gar. He put pressure on the bars, and, grunting, tried to break them bare-handed. "It's not working!"
"Can't we just beam the hell out of here?" Jim asked.
"Negative, Captain," Spock said. "There is interference throughout the bazaar. Beaming would require us to locate a rooftop or open area."
"Great," Jim said sarcastically. He swallowed uncomfortably. "Hey Spock, how focused does Bon-gar look in there?"
"Very focused, sir."
Jim nodded to himself. "Time to take a chance, then. Sulu? I want you to blast the cage open with your phaser."
"Sir?"
"It's the only way I'm getting out of here. With any luck, the noise will distract Bon-gar and Uhura can make a run for it." Jim glared at Spock. "I don't want her in there a minute longer. You shouldn't have left her alone in there with him."
Spock seemed weary. Jim wondered if maintaining the Romulan persona had been difficult for him. "It was the only way, Captain. I would not have resorted to it if I had seen a better option." Spock suddenly seemed alarmed. "He is pinning Lt. Uhura to the wall!"
"Do it NOW, Sulu!"
Uhura found herself being unable to stall the Tonettan much longer. For a while, it seemed that he had enjoyed her playful teasing and dancing, but she could tell he was becoming restless. Hiding her growing apprehension, she began to make her movements more explicit in an attempt to appease Bon-gar. He nodded his head approvingly as he looked her body up and down - like a piece of meat, Uhura thought. Three years as the top linguist at the Academy, for this? Gritting her teeth, Uhura tried to focus on the fact that each minute she kept Bon-gar busy was a minute the others could use to free Jim.
"Yes, yes... that's good," Bon-gar said. Uhura swiveled her hips suggestively and ran her hands along her body, letting them linger on her breasts and hips. Bon-gar let out a satisfied chuckle and closed his eyes in pleasure. Seeing her chance, Uhura tried to quickly slip through the door to the main room.
"It's not like an Orion girl to play hard to get." Uhura felt the Tonettan grab her wrist and pull her from the doorway. She whirled to face him, eyes wide. Bon-gar was half-smiling, clearly enjoying the moment. "Lucky for you, I like the chase." Bon-gar firmly grasped her arm and held her body close. She could feel his slick, scale-like skin pressing against her. "But now that I've caught you," he said, his voice deep, "I wish to collect my prize." Alarmed, Uhura felt herself be pushed up against the wall of the hut. Bon-gar kissed her roughly and she gasped, startled by the extra row of teeth.
"Aghhh!" On cue, a blast ripped through the wall, flinging debris into the back of the large Tonettan. Uhura capitalized on the opportunity to deliver a few well-placed kicks. Bon-gar recoiled in pain, and Uhura saw her chance to exit the room. Spock, obviously having the same thought, grabbed her hand and helped her over the rubble. "Quickly," he panted, glancing back over his shoulder to see Bon-gar in a rage, shaking fragments of the wall from his clothing.
Spock and Uhura ran from Bon-gar's stall through the bazaar. They had studied the course before beaming down and knew they had to get to the open field at the far end of the bazaar. Caldo-gar was carrying Jim over his shoulder as Sulu ran next to him, sword drawn. It was remarkable, Spock thought, how little attention such a spectacle attracted. Tonettans must be used to chaos.
"DOWN!" Jim yelled suddenly as a phaser blast ripped through the bazaar. Sulu grunted and threw himself to the ground. Thankfully, the shot missed, but Bon-gar had gained ground. "Run, dammit!" Jim yelled. Slung as he was over Caldo-gar's shoulder, he had a clear view of Bon-gar's progress. "How long till we can beam up?" Jim shouted to Spock.
"Less than a mile!" his First Officer replied.
"A mile?" Jim repeated, panicked. "We won't make it, not with him gaining like this. Give me an alternative, Spock!"
"Rooftop, Captain."
"Right." Jim yelled at Caldo-gar to enter the nearest building with rooftop access. They would beam from there. Caldo-gar slowed his pace in front of a tall building by Tonettan standards, about five stories high. "Put me down, Caldo-gar, I can make it from here."
"Are you sure, Captain?"
"Yes," Jim said. "Now go on up the steps – and use your communicator to call the Enterprise as soon as you get to the roof. You're a civilian – you need to beam out of here as soon as possible." Caldo-gar nodded and began ascending the stairs. Sulu was next to reach the doorway. "Give me your communicator, Sulu," Jim ordered. Sulu complied. "Wait at the top for the next person who comes up and beam out together, got it?"
"But sir, your ankle!"
"Sulu, I just gave an order," Jim said authoritatively. "Now move!"
"Aye sir," Sulu said, and disappeared through the doorway.
Jim watched as Uhura and Spock approached him. Without warning, a phaser blast sounded overhead. "Fuck," Jim grunted. Bon-gar was fast. The three of them bolted the door to the building as Uhura led the way up the stairs. Relying on his First Officer's superior strength, Jim allowed Spock to help him with his progress to the roof.
It took every ounce of focus for Jim to make it up the stairs on his broken ankle, even with Spock's assistance. Without warning, Jim heard the door at the bottom of the stairwell break. Bon-gar was already at the building. "Faster Spock," he muttered. Spock suddenly slung Jim over his shoulder and began taking the stairs two at a time. "Damn," Jim muttered, impressed by his First Officer's stamina.
And like that, it was over.
The blast rang out so fast that Jim didn't even have time to warn Spock what was going on. All he could do was pull Spock off balance in the hope that the shot would miss him. It didn't, not completely. The phaser's pulse hit Spock in the shoulder and he fell writhing to the floor. They were only a flight from the top.
"Spock!" Uhura gasped. She was already on the roof, waiting with Sulu.
"Beam NOW!" Jim yelled. "That's an order."
"Not without you and Spock," Uhura shouted back.
Jim glanced at Spock, then at the door to the roof. Taking the steps three at a time (which was tough, because they were Tonettan-sized) he locked the door to the roof, effectively trapping Uhura and Sulu there. He could hear Uhura furiously pounding against the glass. At least Sulu had left his sword on Jim's side of the glass. Jim picked up the sword and flipped open the communicator he had taken from Sulu. "Captain Kirk to Enterprise."
"Keptin!" came the enthusiastic reply.
"Chekov, I need you to beam up Sulu and Uhura immediately, do you understand? They're on a roof in the Tonettan bazaar. Then monitor the signals at the same location for me and Mr. Spock, okay? As soon as we're clear, beam us up!"
"Yes sir!" Chekov replied.
Jim whirled around to where Spock had been shot. Sticky green blood was pooling around the wound and, worse, Bon-gar had caught up to the First Officer. Momentarily hidden from sight, Jim crouched down and tried to formulate a plan, which was tough with only a communicator and a sword.
Meanwhile, Spock could feel the cool tile floor below him becoming slick with his own blood. Breathe, he thought to himself, do not struggle and speed the blood loss. Without warning, a heavy fist crashed into the side of his face. He looked up to see Bon-gar grinning at him, the double set of teeth prominently on display.
"Humans are fragile, but Romulan thieves? Not so much," Bon-gar said, smashing his fist against Spock's face. Surprised at the amount of damage he'd just inflicted, Bon-gar stared closely at Spock. "No… it can't be…" he muttered, realization dawning on him. "You didn't come to steal the Captain, you came to save him." He gripped Spock's cloak and pulled his face in close. "You're Spock,"Bon-gar said, digging his fingers into Spock's phaser wound, "the Vulcan who started the whole Narada incident." The Tonettan slammed Spock down onto the tile floor, keeping pressure on his neck as he did so. "The Romulans are going to enjoy tearing you apart. You and your captain, a matched set." Spock groaned, reaching out blindly.
Bon-gar ducked his touch. "Keep your fucking hands away from me – I know what you sneaky Vulcan bastards can do." Another brutal blow to the head. Jim looked around nervously. Spock couldn't take many more of those. His prospects grim, Jim picked up Sulu's sword and launched himself from the balcony straight at Bon-gar. In a burst of energy, Jim brought the sword overhead and sliced straight through the arm that Bon-gar was currently using to choke Spock into submission.
Bon-gar screamed in pain as Spock rolled away. "Lean into me," Jim urged as he supported Spock's weight. They hobbled up the stairs together as fast as they could. "Just a little farther," Jim said. Spock nodded, still having difficulty speaking. God, Bon-gar was a bastard. Glancing behind him briefly, Jim realized with a shock that the Tonettan's arm had already partially regenerated, like a lizard. Spock was staring at it, too.
"Shit!" Jim swore, trying to take the stairs at a faster pace. "They regenerate? Spock, that was not in your report!"
"My apologies, Captain," Spock croaked.
Thanks for reading! I hope you have liked the story so far! ----AE