The Snare, Part II
Noon struggled against his shackles. He had been chained to some kind of hanging imprisonment contraption. It was a flat vertical table, angled slightly forward with chains hanging from it where his arms and legs had been restrained. The air was hot and muggy, and it was a little difficult to breath.
He'd been left alone for only a minute before a trio of Gorn came through the door he had been shoved through only minutes earlier.
The leader looked him up and down in disgust.
"Ssssssso," it hissed, "Thissss iss what passessss for a Starfleet captain? Pathetic."
"This act violates a treaty of non-aggression set up between our—OOF!"
The breath was violently forced from his body as the Gorn slammed a fist into his stomach, silencing him.
"Sssssilence!" the Gorn hissed. "There issss no treaty between predator and prey. You will sssspeak only when ssspoken to and you will tell usss all that we want to know."
Noon coughed and caught his breath. "What… you didn't learn anything from the colonists?"
The Gorn shook his head and waved his clawed hand dismissively. "They knew nothing. Even after we took classssessss of their children and held them hosssstage, they refusssed to tell ussss anything of value. Sssso we ordered them all to walk and executed them."
Noon spat on the floor. "This will mean war. Any peace we could have had will be shattered forever."
"No, I think not," the Gorn said disdainfully. "Luckily for you, we do not act according to the will of the Hegemony."
"What, you betrayed your people?" Noon asked.
The Gorn jumped forward and violently grabbed Noon's throat.
"It is the Hegemony who have betrayed ussss!" the Gorn spat. "It makessss treatiessss and pactsss with those who would break upon our borderssss. Who will one day challenge usssss. We know enough of your 'Federation' to know that it is worthy of extermination before it dares to challenge our power. But not enough to know how…" the Gorn released Noon and shoved his head harshly. "That is where you come in."
"That so?" Noon whispered darkly.
"Yessss… you will tell us of your Federation's weaknesses and exploitations. Codes to break their defenses."
"Your one ship's gonna take down the whole Federation, huh?"
"No, we are not foolssss. There are those within our bordersssss who would sssupport us, as long as we bring back knowledge of how to strike at your vulnerabilitiessssss…"
"And what makes you think I would know any of that?" Noon balked.
"You are a Captain. You would have knowledge of enough to get usss on the right path."
Noon laughed and shook his head. "You're not going to get anything useful out of me."
The Gorn smiled, showing off rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"Ahhh… I find your challenge agreeable."
He snapped his fingers and one of the other Gorn pulled over a tray of nasty-looking tools.
Another Gorn stepped forward and whispered something to the lead Gorn. The leader snarled.
"It appears as if your ship has decided to commit sssuicide by following," the Gorn said. "No matter. This workssss in our favor. We ssshall destroy it and remove all evidence of your abduction. We will break you, you will tell us all that you know, and then… I will spill your guts upon the ground and throw your carcass to our hounds."
Noon glared at the Gorn.
"Sorry," he said, "But I'm more of a cat person."
The Gorn snarled and raised a lip in agitation, picking up one of the bladed instruments and holding it to Noon's face.
"Your sssensse of humor shall be the first thing I remove," the Gorn hissed.
Noon swallowed hard and braced himself for what came next.
"The engines won't last if we keep this speed up," Banks warned.
"Yes, they will," Vedra responded, not taking her gaze off the view screen.
"Look," he said, "I know you're the Chief Engineer and it's your area of expertise, but the engines will give out. Especially if that ship is heading back to Gorn space. No matter how much energy we divert, it won't be enough."
"You're right, Lieutenant. I am the Chief Engineer. And at the moment, I'm also the commanding officer of this ship. So why don't you sit back down in your chair and wait for me to tell you the things I want to know." She gave him an icy stare. "Understood?"
"…Yes, sir," Banks scoffed and stepped back, taking his seat.
Vedra returned to looking at the monitor. "We are not losing that ship. End of story."
"I was only concerned about our capabilities if the enemy ship were to turn and start attacking us. They may be waiting for us to blow our engines."
"Your concerns are noted, Lieutenant."
The air was thick with tension. Everyone was worried. M'Ress noted that even Novo seemed on edge. For a vulcan, at least. This was not the best of circumstances for Vedra to take command. The crew just didn't have a feel for how this structure was supposed to work.
It reminded Catra of back home. When her parents would be away and her elder brother M'Sitt would be in charge of their home. Their parents would often return with all the younger children trapped in makeshift cages and the older children shouting and throwing things at each other.
"…So let's just start getting snippy with each other then," Chen said under his breath.
Vedra turned to him and responded with, "Would you like to repeat that, Doctor?"
M'Ress sunk down lower in her seat, feeling trapped.
Yep, she thought. Just like home.
"Look, I know we're all on edge, but you shouldn't take out your frustration on us," Chen said.
"You think this is me taking my frustration out on you?" Vedra asked rhetorically. "Oh, you have not even begun to see me take my frustration out on anyone!"
"No, but you're clearly taking it out on the mission," Chen accused. "And it could lead to you make mistakes! It's a valid concern."
Simmons stepped forward.
"Doctor, maybe it would be best if you went down to the medical bay," he said.
"Why? Am I starting to sound too mutinous for you?" Chen asked, hands on his hips.
"Of course not, but you're sounding frustrated yourself and if all you're going to do is distract from the mission, then maybe it should be best if you remove yourself from this environment."
"I'll decide who goes and who stays, Simmons," Vedra snapped. "And the doctor stays. Even if he is being a distraction."
"If being a frustrated distraction is grounds for getting someone kicked off the bridge, then none of us should be here," Banks said.
"What did I tell you the last time we spoke, Mr. Banks? Vedra asked.
"He's allowed to voice his concerns, Vedra! We all are," Chen said.
"Doctor, this mission is too vital to turn every order into a town hall meeting!" Simmons barked.
"A mission," Banks added, "That might not even have much of a point. How do we even know Noon is still alive over there? For all we know, he's dead and we're chasing after a corpse."
M'Ress had had enough.
"HEY!"
All eyes turned to her.
"The Comm… the Cap…" M'Ress struggled with the words. "…Atticus is not only our commanding officer, he's our friend. He is a part of us all, as we are a part of him. You can be as worried as you want, but don't you dare give up on him. Because he wouldn't give up on any of you. And even if… even if is he just a corpse, his remains deserve better than to be left with the Gorn."
M'Ress slowly took her seat again. She put her head in her paws. Not to cry, but just to take a moment to breath. Chen walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She took it and squeezed his hand in appreciation.
Vedra tapped her finger against the armrest, chewing on the back of her thumb. She turned her head slightly.
"Lieutenant Banks?"
"Aye, sir?" Banks responded without looking at her.
"Please feel free to voice any concerns you may have in the future."
"…Aye, sir. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now… let's get our Acting Captain back. Keep up the pace, Miss Novo."
"Aye, sir," Novo replied.
The Gorn leader threw the electrode back onto the bloodied tray of devices. He washed his claws off on a rag and threw the soiled garment at Noon's face. In the hours he'd been held captive, he'd already been cut, bruised, burnt, electrocuted, and it felt like they had broken something in his leg.
"That the best you got?" Noon spat. "I've been tortured worse by bad music recitals."
"That is hardly my worssst, Human," the Gorn said slowly. "I've merely been tenderizing you for the main course."
He snapped his fingers, and one of his attendants brought over another tray. This one had only a single device on it. A short black rod. No bigger than a blackjack. The Gorn picked it up and flipped a switch on its side. A quiet hum emitted from it.
"More electrcitity, huh?" Noon asked.
"No, I think you've had your fill of that. Thissss? Is something far different."
The Gorn brought it up to Noon and placed the tip of the rod against his bare chest. Nothing happened.
"Allow me to demonstrate." The Gorn pressed a button on the rod's side.
Noon's entire body lit up in agonizing pain. Every single square inch of his flesh felt like it was being subjugated to every known type of brutalization that could exist. None of it was specific enough to place. From the top of his head, to the soles of his feet, his arms, legs, groin, back, all of him was being simultaneously put under the worst amount of pain he could imagine. But the parts of him that were already hurt, the cuts, bruises, and the throbbing pain in his leg, the pain in those places multiplied a thousand-fold.
The Gorn removed the rod from Noon's skin and his screams of agony faded away. Noon panted and gasped, sweat rolling off his body in thick drops. He coughed and wheezed, unable to speak.
"This… isss sssomething quite rare," the Gorn explained. "Electricity, fire, the blade… those thingsss can only get you sssso far. But this? Thissss is beyond ssssuch crude methods. It stimulates every sssingle pain receptor in your body. Grabs a tight hold on it… and squeezessss. And all your pre-exisssting wounds, well those get a little boost."
The Gorn lazily angled the rod towards Noon, and the ensnared man did his best to twist violently out of the way, rattling his chains and exhaling breaths of panicked exhaustion. The Gorn smiled.
"You ssssee? Even you understand now. Those other methodsssss may take years to get you to speak… but I prefer a quicker route."
The Gorn jabbed the rod against Noon's exposed skin and the pain returned. He cried out and tried holding back any additional screams, but it was no use. Even his lips were lit up in excruciating pain. Tears poured from his eyes and his limbs flopped uselessly in their chains.
The Gorn yawned as he stood there, bored and sighing. After a minute, he took away the rod. Noon shook and whimpered. He blinked back tears and coughed up flem.
"That was only ssssixty ssssecondsss, Human," the Gorn teased. "Now you could go ahead and tell me what I want to know now… or I pull up a chair and hold you to the rod for an hour. What do you sssay?"
Noon gasped and panted, collecting his breath. He swallowed hard and tried to speak.
"I… I…" he whispered hoarsely.
"Hmmm? Sssspeak up, Human," the Gorn commanded.
Noon swallowed and manage to find a sliver of energy to put behind his voice.
"I have an itch… on my shoulder. If you could get that for me, I'd really… appreciate it."
The Gorn sighed and said, "So be it." He pulled up a chair and leaned toward Noon again. "I had a feeling you wouldn't talk anyway. But after an hour… you'll tell me anything I want to know."
The Gorn jabbed the rod against Noon's skin, the pain returning once again. And once again, Noon's body violently writhed and twisted in agony. His screams also returned, hoarser this time.
Noon had once heard an old idiom of pain. That the person experiencing it can get used to the pain, that it would become like pleasure. This wasn't anything like that. Any time he tried to retreat away from the pain in one part of his body, he'd find another. There was no respite, no break between bouts of agony. Every part of him rang out in a constant stabbing arc of hurt.
Time faded away. Reality faded away. Existence was pain. That was all there was beyond his mind. Within the walls of his brain, Noon tried to cling onto anything he could.
He thought about his sisters and Earth. A warm home and family. But that only made him feel weaker. More vulnerable and exposed. His family and home were safe. He didn't want to feel safe, he wanted to feel strong. Through the never-ending surge of aching bodily horror, Noon searched his mind for anything he could grasp onto for support. For strength.
Starfleet. The Hood. His crew.
…M'Ress.
He saw her more clearly than anything else. Her golden eyes, the swing of her tail, the feel of her fur, and the curve of her smile.
Through his mind's eye, Noon saw every second he ever shared with her.
The park on Yorktown. Endless turbolift rides. The spider cave. Escaping the slavers. Nights spent together.
Thinking about those things didn't make him feel vulnerable. He had been vulnerable around her, but it never felt like opening up. It was like she was already a part of him. Picturing her now was like picturing the strongest part of himself, far away from the torment his body suffered through. Noon tightened his fists and kept M'Ress at the forefront of his mind. A shining beacon of sanity in the madness of pain.
The Gorn finally took the rod off Noon. His screams had long since stopped, but the hoarse gasping of breaths ceased as he struggled for air.
"My apologiesssss, Human. I have to cut our time short. Apparently, your ship still follows ussss and now it needs to be dealt with."
Noon tried to focus on the words, but his entire world was faded and far away. The Gorn sounded as if he was at the end of a long tunnel. He blinked his eyes, trying to see anything through the crust of tears.
"But don't worry, my subordinate shall continue your punishment while I deal with your allies. Unless, of course, you have anything you wish to say to me?"
Noon shook his head, trying to come back to the world. M'Ress was the most solid shape in his hazy world. And this guy… whoever he was… didn't sound like M'Ress at all.
Noon blinked and said, "Who're you supposed to be?"
The Gorn widened his eyes in approval. "My, my. Twenty-five minutes and you ssstill have that attitude. I'm imprssssed, Captain."
The Gorn turned to walk away, handing the rod over to his subordinate.
"Keep it up until I tell you to stop," he commanded.
The subordinate took his leader's seat and pressed the inactive rod against Noon's skin. The Gorn smiled wickedly. Noon stared back with an empty coldness in his eyes. The rod was activated, and Noon's world lit up like fire again.
But M'Ress was still there. And he held onto to her with all his might, even as everything else broke away into pieces.
"Ma'am, the enemy ship is dropping out of warp," Novo alerted.
"Pass them," Vedra ordered. "But stay in combat range. I want us in front, then use the thrusters and our momentum to pull us around."
"Aye," Novo confirmed. The Hood slipped past the gorn ship and then dropped out of Warp. The Constitution-Class vessel activated its thrusters while still using momentum from Warp to spin around and face the gorn vessel directly. The gorn, which had already begun to turn to meet their pursuers, attempted to correct to the other direction.
"Shields on full, power to phasers, and fire our torpedoes at their engines! I want them dead in the water."
The Hood launched a volley of torpedoes, the missiles impacting on the rear shields.
"Enemy shields are holding," Novo said.
"Load another round of torpedoes and don't wait for my order, get our phasers locked onto the same target."
"Sir!" M'Ress called out. "The enemy vessel is hailing us."
"Belay those firing orders!" Vedra called out. "But be ready on my command. Put them onscreen, Lieutenant."
Vedra stood and approached the front of the bridge as the image of the Gorn leader materialized.
"I am Captain Shakkath of the Gorn," it said. "To whom am I speaking?"
"I am Lieutenant Commander Gauri Vedra, commanding officer of the Federation starship Hood. You are holding our Captain. I demand you release him at once and surrender yourselves to our custody."
"Or elssse what, Lieutenant Commander?" Shakkath asked. "You will destroy us along with your preciousss Captain?"
"No. We're not the murders here, Captain, you are. If you do not comply, we will disable your vessel and take you by force."
"A bold claim. But one I do not believe you can fulfill."
"We launched a wave of torpedoes at your shields and your engine are just as depleted as ours. We have the advantage, Captain."
"Perhaps," Shakkath said. "But there are two hundred of my own on board this ship. If you come to us… all you ssssend over will die. None will surrender to your Federation rule, Lieutenant Commander." A sneer crossed Shakkath's maw. "And I will personally ensure that your preciousssss Captain will die along with ussssss…"
Vedra mulled that over for a moment.
"…So be it." She signaled for the view screen to close. Communications now cut, Vedra took her seat. "Simmons, get a boarding party ready in the transporter room."
"Aye, sir," Simmons said, turning to leave.
M'Ress stood up. "Sir," she said, "Permission to join the away team."
Vedra turned to look at her. "M'Ress…"
"Please, Gauri. I have to go," M'Ress pleaded.
Vedra considered it. Then she waved her hand in approval. "Go."
"Thank you," M'Ress said as she rushed to join Simmons in the turbolift.
"Fire upon that ship until its shields break and its engines are useless," Vedra ordered.
"Right away," Novo replied. "Firing all armaments."
"Transporter room?" Vedra asked. "This is Vedra, as soon as the enemy shields are down, scan for any human life signatures and beam the Captain aboard. If you can't get a solid lock, beam the boarding party directly at his location."
The Hood was scoring hit after hit against the Gorn shields. The enemy ship had turned around at this point and was dishing out its own armaments. The bridge of the Hood shook and rattled with impacts.
"Shields holding at 65% percent," Novo reported. "But the enemy vessel is beginning to lose complete shield integrity."
"Hold off on torpedo fire, concentrate phasers on their engines."
"Aye."
The phasers ripped and tore at their shields. The enemy ship tried to give as good as it got, but the Hood had the advantage and pressed on. There was a shimmer of light as the gorn warship's shields broke, phaser fire hitting directly at their engines. The warship sputtered and stopped dead in the cosmic water.
"Enemy ship immobilized."
"Well done. Aim for their weapons array next. Transporter room?"
"They just beamed over now, sir," the chief reported.
Alright then, Vedra thought. Good luck, team.
M'Ress came back into existence in a room that felt like a swamp. The others around her were blinking their eyes, trying to adjust to the low light, but she could see perfectly. She turned around in all directions, trying to get her bearings… and then she saw him.
Noon was strung up in some insidious device. He wasn't moving.
"Simmons, it's Atticus!" M'Ress shouted, rushing to his side, and starting to get his chains unlocked.
"Get him down, we'll watch your back!" he called out, pointing his phaser at the door along with the three security officers with him. M'Ress fiddled with the chains, considering herself lucky they weren't locked by a key or combination. She got his legs unhooked and then his arms, being careful to grab his weight slowly as he fell from the chains. M'Ress brought him down to the ground gently and moved her paw over his face.
"Atticus," she called out to him. "Atticus, I'm here. Please wake up, please…"
Noon twitched and an eye cracked open.
"M'Ress…" he whispered weakly.
"He's alive!" she cried out.
"Good, now beam out of—LIEUTENANT, BEHIND YOU!"
M'Ress jerked around just in time to see a Gorn approach her with a strange black rod. She crouched over Noon and covered his body with her own. A series of phaser bolts sounded through the air as M'Ress kept her head down.
When they stopped, she looked up and saw the Gorn dead on ground, his body smoldering with multiple phaser burns. Looking back down, she was shocked to see her own phaser in Noon's hand, pointed directly at the smoldering remains of whatever the Gorn had been holding.
"Don't… touch her…" Noon said hoarsely. The danger passed, his grip became limp and the weapon fell to the ground. His eyes fluttered shut and the rest of his body went slack.
M'Ress didn't waste any more time. She pulled out her communicator.
"Transporter Room, we have him! Beam us out of here!" she exclaimed.
The energy activated and the away team were pulled away from danger just as the shadows of approaching gorn appeared on the wall outside the cell. They re-appeared in the transporter bay, Dr. Chen rushing over with medical aid.
"He's alive," M'Ress choked out. "He's alive, but I don't know how bad he's hurt."
"It's alright, I'm here now," Chen said. "Can you pick him up?"
"Of course," M'Ress said and cradled Noon in her arms.
"Good, bring him to sick bay. Keep pace with me."
Chen and M'Ress rushed from the transporter room and out into the hall. Simmons stretched a bit and holstered his weapon. He pulled out his communicator.
"Bridge, this is the boarding party," Simmons said. "We got him. Safe and sound."
"Thank you, Mr. Simmons," Vedra responded.
The crew of the Hood breathed a collective sigh of relief. And then began the arduous process of taking the rogue gorn captive.
Orlando stretched out under the clear blue sky. This was definitely the perfect meadow to catch a nap in. He had feared the Forest of Arden, seeing it as a wild and savage place. But now, after having spent so much time in it, he saw it for the lovely escape from normalcy that it was. Birds cried merrily from the far-off trees and the soft babbling of the nearby brook made this truly a heaven on Earth. There was only one thing missing.
"Hail, Orlando!" cried a familiar voice.
Orlando looked up and saw the guise of Ganymede walking towards him.
"Hail, Ganymede! Playing tricks again, are we?"
"Trick? How now, Orlando! Do you take me for one of Touchstone's ilk?" Ganymede asked, looking annoyed.
"No, I take you for something that which you are not! Come now, is it necessary?"
"Only in the sense that I wanted to have some fun, friend Orlando," Ganymede said coyly, stripping off his disguise to reveal the guise of Rosalind underneath.
"Much better," Orlando said. "But methinks you still hide your true self, my lady."
"Whatever do you mean?" Rosalind said, spinning around. "This is as real as I have ever been!"
"No, you are not the creature I love," Orlando said.
Rosalind gasped in shock. "So it is true! Your heart has been captured by a foul creature of the night! Whatever would the lords and ladies of the court say!"
"A pox on them!" Orlando declared. "My heart is my own and I choose to love the creature who hath ensnared my soul in her clutches! Now reveal yourself for what you truly are!"
"Alright, alright," said M'Ress, discarding the guise of Rosalind. "I suppose the fun would have to end eventually. But since I got rid of mine, you get rid of yours!"
"Fair enough," Noon responded, taking off the guise of Orlando. "But is the crown necessary?"
"Hey, it's your dream," M'Ress accused, straightening her crown atop her two-headed dragon horse with the butt of her scepter.
"I'm… dreaming?" Noon said.
"Of course, you silly billy!" M'Ress waved. "I've never even been to the Forest of Arden! And since when have I ever called anyone a silly billy?"
"Sorry," Noon apologized. "It's a dream, I don't really have any control over it."
"So wake up," M'Ress shrugged. "Declare you undying love for me and we'll make kittens."
"How many kittens?" Noon asked, worried.
"All of the kittens!" M'Ress shouted, spraying kittens out from her scepter. "Hundreds and hundreds!" she began to cackle madly as the world was smothered in kittens.
"But I don't even know how to kittens!" Noon shouted, drowning in the sea of fluffy death. His face became smooshed with the fuzzy warmth of fur. As the fur pressed further and further into his face, his breath became more strained and ragged.
The dream fell out of gravity and Noon landed motionless on his back. He reached up to pull away the kittens smothering his face, only to feel another form of soft fur covering his face. He pulled and pulled, managing to release his head from the fluffy coffin. Blinking his eyes against the sting of the light, Noon took in his surroundings.
He was in the medical bay of the Hood, laying in one of the beds. And passed out on top of him was M'Ress. She was sitting in a chair by the bed, but her upper body was laid out across him. She had rolled over and had started smothering him in her sleep.
Noon groaned and tried to push her off. The weight was comforting, but it restricted his breathing.
"Lieutenant," he said, his voice hoarse and weak. "Lieutenant, please get up."
M'Ress groaned in her sleep and stretched out.
"Just an hour longer, Commander…" she mumbled. Then her head shot up, she blinked wildly, and looked at Noon, a wide grin spreading across her face.
"Commander! Atticus!" She yelled out, throwing herself over him in a joyous hug.
"Hello, M'Ress," Noon managed around her fierce hug. "It's good to see you too."
"I thought I'd lost you…" She whispered.
"No one on this ship is that lucky," he said with a hint of good humor. She released her hug and looked him dead in the eye.
"Don't ever joke about that," M'Ress said, deadly serious.
"Sorry, sorry," Noon said. "Still too soon to make jokes, I guess. I'm still trying to remember exactly what—"
Then it all came rushing back to him. The memory of the pain made his body shudder as he fell back down and began to hyperventilate.
"Atticus!? What's wrong!" M'Ress began to softly pet his head and tried to calm him. "Doctor Chen! He's awake! Come over here! The Commander is having some kind of attack!"
Chen was there in an instant with a hypo in his hand.
"Yeah, it's some kind of attack alright," he confirmed, injecting Noon with whatever was in the hypo. Noon then began to feel calmer. He could control his body and stop the shaking. His breath leveled out and he gulped deeply. "What did you say to him?"
"Nothing!" M'Ress exclaimed. "We were just talking and then he started to… I don't know."
"It's… it's okay," Noon reassured them. "It wasn't you, M'Ress. Just… muscle memory from my stay with the gorn."
"What did they do to you?" Chen asked. "You had some superficial wounds, a hairline fracture in your leg, but you came in completely exhausted and drained."
"They had… a device. A rod," Noon explained between gasps. "It caused… pain. He said it stimulated the body's pain receptors. It was…" He broke off and shuddered again.
"It's alright, sir," Chen said. "Just lay here and get some rest."
"That's right," M'Ress reiterated. "Lay back and relax. Don't think about it."
"No," Noon said, "M'Ress, you don't understand, I… I just…" tears began to well up in his eyes. "I couldn't fight it and it tried to take everything from me and I just…"
Tears streamed freely down his face now. M'Ress pulled him close to her chest and held him as he wept.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here now, Atticus. I'm here for you… you're okay…"
Chen turned away and left them alone. This would take time.
And we're back! Wasn't that exciting? Anyway, with this chapter closed we now move onto the final part of this saga! Not the last chapter, mind you! The final batch of chapters will compromise a single, continuous narrative. So get ready for that!
NEXT TIME ON STAR TREK: THE CAITIAN'S PAW:
"Ties that Unwind"
Following the harrowing battle with the gorn, Noon and M'Ress spend some time on Earth among his family.