Chapter XII - Among Dark Adversaries
In orbit around the Bolaris Minor Sun...
The fires no longer burned across the hull of the starship Equinox, but a different kind of inferno was about to ignite within. Captain Rudulf Ransom stood in the Brig of his vessel, arms folded, the picture of calm, as a Kazon trooper stood guard. Within though, Rudy was livid, and if he had even a tenth of the power the Ocampa warlord Kes had demonstrated, every Kazon on board would be lobotomized by now.
Plus a certain Science Officer...
The door slid open and the traitorous Science Officer in question strode in, still carrying the Klingon rifle he had given her. She ignored him and spoke in quiet tones with the Kazon guard. Oh yeah, and if I had the mental ability, she would be drowning in her own stomach acid. Rudy clamped down on these thoughts, they were getting him nowhere, and they might cause him to make a stupid mistake, to act before he should.
Eleanor, or was it Seska? Yes, that was the name she had stated to the Second Officer of the Fury, I was partially stunned at the time, but I remember. Seska, a Cardassian spy? Never saw that one coming, but maybe I should have, maybe I was too distracted by...by...and he winced at the image of Ezri that appeared in his mind. She was dead now and he needed to concentrate, my god, she's even more distracting deceased then when she was alive, Rudy thought to himself.
"Is that how you see me?" came Ezri's voice from the cell's bunk and he turned to see her lounging there.
She wore her favorite shirt, the one he had given her when they had first met, in the slave pits aboard that awful Klingon ship, the Bok'ra. Loth the Changeling had inadvertently used it to wrap the symbiont pod, when he rescued it from the burning Klingon ship he had been imprisoned aboard. Ezri had laundered it, patched the rips, and wore it when they were alone in Rudy's quarters. But usually not for long...
"What?" asked the nymph-like Trill, glancing down at the many sizes too large garment, "You're not going to complain about it again are you?"
He sat down beside her and smiled tightly, "No, I remember what you told me the last time."
"That's right. This was the best present I ever got, it means the galaxy to me. You have your starship, and I have my shirt." Ezri said proudly and her eyes flashed in the way that made him forget everything else.
"But what about all those gadgets you have concealed about your person?" he asked, "You go nowhere without them."
"They are part of me, I would not still be here without them, but this shirt is not a part of me..." and she paused and slid onto her bare knees, and leaned slowly toward him, "...It's a part of you. I love you Rudy..."
His heart lurched, "I...love you too, Ezri, why did you have to go, I should have sent Noah, or-" but the girl shook her head, her tousled hair askew, she was so young, why him? Why was he so lucky to have been chosen by her?
"You and I both know it had to be me. And you couldn't have stopped me anyway. Now I'm sorry, Rudy, but I've got to go." he reached for her, but the illusion was gone.
He was alone in the cell, he had only imagined she had come back to him. Inside him, the last shred of optimism died. He now understood the look on Ezri's face as she was led away from him back on Ty'Gokor, to fight in the arena. Now he too had resolved himself to defeating his enemies, no matter what the cost.
"Ransom!" came the shrill voice of Seska, and he snapped his head in her direction, she sounded angry.
She smiled arrogantly at him, "Dreaming of your precious Olympia Prime?" she asked, but he only stared back at her.
"Bring him to the Conference Room." she ordered, and strode out of the Security Office...
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Onboard the Kazon-Ocampa Sodality flagship, things were already heated, and threatening to boil over. The ship's physician was booted away from the examination bed, and High-Maje Kes pivoted to the side, then slid off, onto wobbly feet. She grabbed the injector tube from the Doctor's tray.
"Maje, I do not recommend..." began the flustered Talaxian physician, but he clamed up at her wild eyes.
Kes set the tube for it's strongest stimulant and injected herself. She sighed, then her back arched, her chest expanded, and she gritted her teeth, that was the stuff! She dropped the device onto the floor and stormed from the room, feeling strong once more.
Her Kazon Second, Rajal, was waiting for her, grasping a data-padd, and he matched her pace down the corridor, "I am pleased the High-Maje is recuperated, we feared you would be unable to continue to lead the mission, but-"
Kes spun and grabbed him by the neck. Despite the fact he was more then a head taller then her minuscule form, he shrunk back against the wall. She stared into his eyes with a look of pure disgust, "You would have liked that, wouldn't you have, huh, Rajal! You have been out to trip me up ever since I proposed this incursion."
"N-N-No! What do you mean-of course not, I-" the words streamed from him, but her eyes flashed and he felt his body temperature begin to rise.
"You were the one who brought that thing, that spotted alien whore onboard MY ship. You wanted her to kill me, you must of struck a deal while she was in my quarters!" she increased her power and his flesh began to glow, his hair began to steam.
"It's not true, no! I-I have stood loyally by your side, since we met on the surface of Ocampa, you know that!" he begged, then suddenly her grip lessened, and the heat vanished.
Kes released him and shrunk back, hands to her temples, and she groaned. Rajal took a deep breath, sweat pouring down his face and back. He stared at his mistress, and for the first time since he had met her, he began to doubt her. Perhaps he should make plans to...no, she is our savior, she pulled us up from barbaric obscurity, she united the Sects, she...
...she was insane, for the first time he allowed himself to see it. And she was getting worse. His hand stole to the ceremonial dagger on his belt, ever so slowly.
Kes's head swam, the drugs plus her concussion, she was over-exerted. But she called upon hidden reserves now, utilizing methods her father had taught her, and everything began to clear. She rose to her full height, her mind centered and became crystal again. The pain dropped away.
She would pay for it dearly in a day or so, but for now...for now, she was ready to finish what they started. She glanced back at Rajal, who was looking very nervous, and he abruptly jammed his hands in his belt and smiled nervously, "...Maje?" he asked slowly.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "My apologies, I was not myself, I know you are my most loyal servant." and she released him and headed back up the hallway, headed for the Command Center, "Come on, and tell me about this woman, Seska."
Rajal stared after her for a long moment, then followed...
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Ezri Tigan glanced around the corner, then she and the tall Pendari stepped out and strode down the corridor, confidently.
The door ahead slid open and the two of them stepped out onto a catwalk that looked down four stories into the hollowed-out cargo deck of the KOS Fury. Far below sat a bizarre apparatus, all twisted gray metal, yellow pulsing conduits, and solar-panel like protrusions. From it issued a low hum, and Ezri guessed the apparatus was in standby mode.
"I've seen something like this before." said the Pendari, staring down at the device, "It's Nacene technology."
Ezri nodded, realization dawning, "This must be what the Kazon used to invade our part of the galaxy. Hmmm..." she paused, deep in thought, then surmised, "I bet this device is the only one they have, that's why Kes has kept the Fury out of most of the combat so far."
"So...we destroy it, or what?" asked the Pendari, but Ezri was unsure, then the door at the other end of the catwalk opened and a group of Kazon appeared, saw them, charged.
Ezri drew her disruptor as the muscled warrior ran forward to meet their attackers, then she realized that in such close quarters they were at a bad disadvantage. So she turned to open the door for an exit, but it opened by itself to reveal a tall Kazon holding a dagger. He grinned down at her, a look of brutality in his eyes. She holstered her weapon and drew a knife of her own, "Bring it on." she hissed and he leapt at her.
The Pendari was among the troopers before they could even draw their weapons, and he chopped one in the neck and body-checked two others. One managed to land a punch across his jaw,and he was knocked back, blood on his lips. The Pendari glared at the Kazon, who's own eyes went wide, and he took a step back, "Oh no, you're not going anywhere I don't send you." growled the strong-man and he charged.
He piledrived the Kazon in the chest, smiled at the sound of crunching ribs, grabbed him by the tunic and spun, smashing him into the wall. There came a sharp burning pain in his upper leg and he spun to see another trooper had slashed him with his knife and the Kazon was now raising it to stab him in the chest. The Pendari swung the stunned trooper he held and knocked the knife-wielder over the catwalk, to plunge screaming to the floor far below. He dropped his make-shift weapon after him and turned back to see how Tigan was doing.
She ducked under a slash, then blocked another, and planted a kick in the tall Kazon's stomach, but he rolled with it and grabbed her foot. He pulled her forward, off balance, and she fell toward his dagger. At the last second she swung out and caught the catwalk railing and dropped her own knife to grab the blade of his, stopping her fall.
The trooper tore the knife away, but she managed to open her hand in time, the Kazon nearly lacerating her palm. She lashed out with the now free hand and used it to grab the railing, beside her other. She swung her lithe form into the air and smashed him with her free foot across the jaw! It snapped with a crack and he released her. He fell against the wall, grunting in pain.
The Trill dropped to the catwalk, grabbed up her dagger, snapped back and threw it at him. It whirred through the air and buried itself to the hilt in his windpipe. He gurgled and slumped down onto the gridded walkway, dead.
Ezri rose and the Pendari clapped in approval. She ignored him as she wrenched her knife free from the Kazon and cleaned it on his uniform. She picked the alien's own knife from his dead fingers, and then slid both in her belt. She looked at the Pendari, who was smiling at her, "What, you never saw a lady fight before?"
He chuckled, "You're good, Spots, almost at my level." she smiled back and grabbed up a dropped disruptor and offered it to him, but he shook his head, "Never use them, not while I got these." he raised his meaty fists.
"Yeah, you seem to get along pretty good with them." she remarked.
He crooked one side of his mouth and looked her up and down, then said, "They have other abilities I'm well known for, other then combat, you know."
Ezri laughed, "I'll bet. But sorry, I'm spoken for." the Pendari shrugged, as if to say her loss, and she laughed again, "Come on, lets get down to the cargo deck, I have an idea." and she swung over the railing and grabbed onto a ladder...
To be continued...