Chapter FOUR
Crais followed Morgan into the quarters she had been assigned to, peering over his shoulder to make sure no one suspected anything. He watched as Morgan secured the room, verifying that there were no listening devices hidden anywhere. She turned back to her satchel, unzipping it and pulling out the spare pulse pistol she brought with her, laying it on the desk. "Morgan, I…"
Morgan held up her hand, stopping him. "Crais, I don't care. What you did and who you did it with before we met is none of my business." She unzipped her jacket, shrugging it off and tossing it onto the bed in the corner. She turned back towards him, the upset expression on his face making her sigh. "What?"
Crais scratched his cheek. "She knows who I am…"
"Which is all the more reason to spring the prisoners and get the frell off this base," she finished. She propped her hands on her hips. "Did you tell the others yet?"
"Tauvo knows. I have not had the opportunity to tell Crichton and Aeryn." Crais stepped towards her. "I cannot get rid of Raseen long enough to speak with them."
Morgan's eyes flashed with anger, the green contacts darkening as her own blue eyes were underneath. She poked him in the shoulder. "Don't you think it might be a good idea?" she hissed.
Crais could feel Morgan's fury building up and he sighed, pulling her into his arms. "We are in serious danger. I need you to focus, Morgan," he whispered in her hair.
They had been there a few arns, Captain Raseen hounding them constantly, looking for anything she could use against them. Morgan looked up at him. "You better think of something and fast," she replied softly.
The chime on the door sounded, Crais moving away from Morgan quickly. "I will not tolerate any problems, Commander Mitane. Is that clear?" Crais snapped as he headed for the door.
"Yes sir!" Morgan responded, standing at attention.
"Am I interrupting?" Raseen asked as she walked in. She stared at Morgan, not liking the defiant expression on her face. Raseen peered back at Crais, an expectant look crossing her face. She did not like this Commander Mitane one bit.
He glanced back at Morgan, his hands locked behind his back. "No. The Commander and I were discussing the best course of action in regards to the prisoner transfer tomorrow."
"Good," Raseen answered, nodding, her face stern as she stared at Morgan, approaching her cautiously. "We really wouldn't want to have to worry about any security issues, do we Commander?"
Morgan bit back the retort that almost slipped out. "No, sir."
Raseen's eyes locked with Morgan's. "Then we are in agreement." She turned back to Crais. "I insist that you join me for dinner Captain Jerich."
Crais gazed over at Morgan. "Commander." He pointed to her jacket.
Raseen peered at the Commander as she pulled her jacket back on, quickly fastening it. "That won't be necessary Commander. I have high level matters I need to discuss with Captain Jerich and your clearances aren't high enough." She smiled slyly as she faced Morgan. "There is a refreshment lounge on tier seven. Please, feel free to indulge yourself." She swept out of Morgan's quarters, standing in the doorway, waiting for Crais in anticipation.
Crais' eyes met Morgan's and he nodded curtly, following Raseen from the room. The Captain had left him little choice, especially if they were to keep from blowing their cover. He was skating on very thin ice and all of their lives were at stake.
Morgan's eyes narrowed as the door slid closed, not at all comfortable with the situation. She checked the charge in her pulse pistol and stormed out, heading up the corridor behind them, far enough away to keep Raseen from realizing she was there, close enough to pick up Crais' thoughts and the conversation. Morgan was thankful Talyn wasn't too far away. His assistance would be invaluable in getting them off the Gammack base. Especially now.
Crais stopped in the doorway of Raseen's office, watching her as she continued further into the room. "So Bialar, what brings a wanted renegade to my base?" she asked casually, pouring two glasses of raslak. She handed one to him, sipping her own, waiting for his reply.
Crais set the glass aside, gazing around the office. It was clear Raseen had not been there long, some of the previous Captain's personal belongings sitting in boxes around the room. "What answer do you want, Jira?" he calmly asked, divulging nothing, but controlling the conversation.
Raseen laughed, a throaty sound that brought goose bumps to Crais' skin. "Well, it is obviously not because I am here, although, you did break that whole thing off when you were promoted to Captain and given your own carrier group." She swallowed another sip of raslak, setting her own glass down, moving slowly towards him. "My guess, then, would be that you have something to do with my esteemed guests in holding block four." Raseen reached out, unfastening the collar of Crais' jacket. She peered up at him as he grasped her wrist. "Maybe we can come to some form of agreeable compromise," she suggested, leaning forward, her lips meeting his in a kiss.
Crais wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her against him, her wrist still caught in his hand as he deepened the kiss, his mind running through options. He could simply kill her, but then they would never get off the base alive. Threatening her would not work; Raseen would never give into any of demands, forcing him to kill her anyway, leaving them back at square one. "And what…solution…did you…have in mind?" he asked between kisses.
Raseen slipped her free arm around his neck, grasping his head and pulling Crais' lips back down to hers. "Let me think on it," she whispered against her lips.
Morgan froze in the doorway, just out of view in the darkened corridor. What are you doing? she thought to herself, backing away and starting back up the corridor.
Raseen saw the flash of red from Morgan's hair and smiled to herself as she kissed Crais again. It occurred to her that his security chief was more than she seemed. She would have to take the arrogant little trelk down a few notches before she was done.
Tauvo raised his finger to his lips, silencing Crichton and Aeryn. "Who is it?" he snapped.
"Zalora." The door opened and Morgan slipped in. "You tell them?" she asked Tauvo.
"Yes." He could tell something was bothering her. "What's the matter?"
Aeryn stood up, walking over to Morgan. "Are you all right?"
"Do I look like I'm frelling alright?" She moved over to the bench, plopping down on it and leaning her back against the wall, unconsciously copying Crichton's position of foot pulled up on the edge, arm draped over her knee.
Crichton looked at her. "Mmm, jealousy is not a good emotion on you," he commented softly.
"Frell you," Morgan hissed. "This is turning into a mess."
Tauvo looked at her, his arms crossed as he leaned back against the console. "Where's Bialar?"
Morgan grimaced. "Having dinner with the good Captain." She sighed. "I'd like to jack-slap that bitch," she hissed softly.
Tauvo ran a hand through his hair. "Her presence here is only going to complicate matters. Our contacts may not be willing be reveal themselves."
"How will we know them if they do approach us?" Crichton asked, leaning forward on the bed.
"Someone will mention that they've heard you're interested in buying some trellan oil," Tauvo replied.
Aeryn grabbed Morgan's wrist, pulling the human woman to her feet. "Come on. We are not going to get anything done this way." She started for the door.
"Where are you going?" Tauvo asked, concern tingeing his voice.
"To get something to drink." She looked at Crichton. "And to see if we can find out some useful information on Captain Raseen." She paused, pointing at the two men. "You two put your heads together and come up with a plan."
They walked through the quiet corridor, Aeryn glancing occasionally at Morgan. Her face was a perfect mask of calm and disinterest, the only outward sign of her annoyance her clenched right fist. "We'll get out of this," Aeryn said quietly.
"Damn right we will." Morgan looked at Aeryn. "He better know what he's doing."
Aeryn shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure he has a plan." She fell silent as they walked into the refreshment lounge, looking around warily at the other Peacekeepers that were already there. The music was playing a bit too loud, the conversation a dull, unintelligible roar around them. She nodded towards a table in the far corner and Morgan headed for it while she ordered two raslaks.
Morgan sat with her back to the wall, leaning the chair back, balancing it on two legs. She studied the other Peacekeepers, her chin tilted slightly as if they were beneath her, all the while allowing Talyn to access the feed, trying to gather as much information on the base's occupants as possible. Raseen wasn't supposed to be there. Who else was not what they seemed?
One lieutenant, a tall, gangly man whose uniform hung from his shoulders walked over to the table. "You're new here." He sat down. "What's your name?"
Morgan let the chair drop and she leaned towards the Peacekeeper. "I don't recall inviting you to sit down, Lieutenant. And my name is none of your business."
The lieutenant stared at her. "Oh, come now, Commander. We're off duty and everyone is looking for a little something to make their evening more enjoyable." He reached out and laid a hand on Morgan's. "Even Commanders like you."
Morgan was not amused. As a matter of fact, she was getting downright angry. Quickly, she turned her hand, grasping the lieutenant's wrist and twisting, driving the man off the chair and onto his knees, the glass of raslak he had been carrying spilling on the floor. "I am not interested. Do you understand me?" The man nodded. "Good. Then go the frell away and don't bother me again."
Aeryn raised an eyebrow as she approached the table, setting the two bottles down. "Problem, Commander?"
Morgan looked at the lieutenant, who shook his head. She let go of his arm and sat up. "No. Thank you." She popped open the bottle, drinking it down as the lieutenant skulked away. "I'm beginning to think Peacekeepers are undersexed."
Aeryn's mouthful of raslak came spewing out at Morgan's comment. "Frell, Zalora. Next time make sure I'm not drinking anything when you make a comment like that," Aeryn laughed, remembering to use her assumed name as she wiped the raslak from her jacket.
Morgan shrugged, a smile on her face. She was beginning to feel a bit better and she let the link to Crais open. So, I'm spying on him, big deal, she thought to herself. She watched as Raseen walked away, seeing everything from Crais' point of view. For some reason, though, she couldn't hear what they were saying. Raseen approached Crais again, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel his discomfort and her eyes narrowed as his hands slid up from Raseen's waist towards her breasts. Your hands go any higher and I'll kill you, she thought, making sure Crais heard her. Morgan severed the link, tossing the mental block back into place as another lieutenant made his way to the table.
He smiled down at them. "May I buy you ladies a drink?" he asked politely.
"Sure. Why not?" Aeryn answered. She looked at Morgan who had once again propped her chair on two legs, sipping her own drink as the man came back. He sat down, opening the raslaks for them.
"My name is Lieutenant Andri Leris. And you are Commander Zalora Mitane and Sr. Officer Sela Taren." He leaned forward. "I understand you are looking to buy some trellan oil."
Aeryn nodded. This was one of Tauvo's contacts. "It depends on how much you have for sale and its quality," she answered.
Leris took a sip of his drink. "Would you like to inspect the goods?"
The three of them walked out of the lounge, none of them noticing that the Lieutenant that propositioned Morgan was watching and reporting to an unseen source.
Morgan's snarl echoed through Crais' head and he stopped, asking himself just what the hezmona he was doing. He looked down at Raseen, forcefully pushing her away. "It has been a long day. We can discuss this in greater detail in the morning."
Raseen looked up at him, a smug smile on her face. "You are more than welcome to remain with me tonight," she purred, inching her way back towards Crais.
Crais smiled and nodded. "Thank you, but no. My officers may get suspicious." He gently kissed her forehead.
"Mmm, especially that little Security Chief of yours." Raseen turned and walked over to her desk, sitting down behind it. "What is she to you, anyway, Bialar?"
Crais opened his hands wide. "She is nothing more than the assigned security chief with the marauder crew. They have no idea who I am. I arrived after they were already given their orders." He rested his hands on the desk, leaning towards the Captain. "Believe me, she is nothing more than a nuisance."
Raseen tapped her fingers to her lips. "A nuisance that I can conveniently dispose of, if you like." She watched Crais' expression for any indication that Morgan meant anything to him.
Crais smiled. "I may take you up on that offer, if I find her loyalty wavering." He stood up, tugging his jacket back into place. "Thank you for dinner."
Raseen returned his smile. "You are more than welcome. If you change your mind…"
Crais nodded, turning and leaving the woman's office. He could smell her on his clothes, taste her on his lips and he shuddered. She wasn't Morgan. She didn't look like Morgan, didn't taste like Morgan, didn't feel like Morgan. The Captain was not happy with the way things were progressing. Crais took the lift down to the billets, stopping at his brothers. He rang the chime.
Tauvo unlocked the door and took one look at his brother's scowling face. "So, how deep is the dren we are in?"
Crais paced back and forth, his nostrils flaring. "Oh, very deep. Very deep indeed."
"Well, I figure you're in deeper dren than the rest of us. Just what the hell did you do to piss Morgan off?" Crichton asked as he walked in from the back part of the quarters.
Crais glared at him. "Nothing more than what I had to do to keep Raseen from shipping us off to High Command immediately." He stopped in his tracks. "Where are Aeryn and Morgan?"
"They went to the refreshment lounge to see if they could find any information out on Raseen," Tauvo supplied, sitting next to Crichton. He keyed a sequence in on the console before him, bringing up a layout of the base before them. "The prisoners are here. Crichton and I don't foresee any problem getting down there and back to the marauder. But, if Raseen is on to you, it's going to be more heavily guarded than anticipated."
"We need a distraction," Crichton chimed in, leaning his arm on his knee and propping his chin in his hand.
Crais studied the layout. "Have any of your contacts checked in yet?"
Tauvo shook his head. "Unless they approached Aeryn and Morgan. We may want to try and free them tonight."
Crais nodded. "I have an idea, but I need to talk to Morgan first."
Crichton looked up at him suspiciously. "What's the idea?" he asked softly.
Crais gazed down at him. "Raseen has an immediate dislike of my wife. If Morgan is agreeable, I can provide the distraction. But it will mean I stay on the base and provide cover for you."
"No." Tauvo shook his head vehemently. "Absolutely not. Raseen will eat you alive."
Crais looked at Crichton. "Don't look at me. I agree with Tauvo."
The door chimed again, this time Aeryn slipping through as it opened. "We've made contact with one of your people. Raseen has contacted High Command already. There's a carrier group on its way here."
"Where's Morgan?" Crais asked, heading for the door.
"She returned to her quarters. We've got to get out of here and now," Aeryn replied as Tauvo and Crichton stood up. "Leris is waiting for us in the detention area."
Crais looked at the three of them. "I'll get Morgan. Head for the detention area. We will meet you there."
Aeryn followed Crais. "I'm going with you. You may need my help."
He smiled. "I may."
Morgan dug in her satchel, looking for the extra power pack for her pulse pistol. She knew she had tossed it in there, wondering if she was loosing her mind.
"Looking for this?"
The human spun around at Raseen's voice, watching as the Captain walked towards her from the back of the quarters, the missing power pack in her hands. "What the frell are you doing in my quarters?" Morgan hissed quietly, all pretense of being a Peacekeeper gone.
Raseen smiled evilly. "Just checking on a few things. Like who you really are." She tossed Morgan the power pack, running a finger along the side console as she moved towards her. "I know Commander Zalora Mitane, and you are not her. It took me a few microts to put it all together and as soon as I did, I contacted High Command." Raseen paced around Morgan, impressed by the lack of surprise on the other woman's face. "You're good." She chuckled. "You are very good, whoever you are." She stopped denches from Morgan, their eyes meeting. "Who else is here with you?"
Morgan scratched behind her ear in boredom. "As if you really think I'm going to tell you."
Raseen's eyes narrowed. "You will, or I will make sure you watch Bialar die a slow and painful death before I kill you."
Morgan laughed, propping her hands on her hips. "You have to catch him first, you Peacekeeper bitch." Without any further provocation, Morgan lashed out and belted Raseen, her fist connecting with the Captain's nose in a satisfying crunch.
Raseen staggered backward, blood spewing from her nose as she glowered at Morgan. "How dare you strike a senior officer!"
Morgan simply smiled as she swung again, this time her other fist connecting with Raseen's jaw. "Oops, I did it again," she commented.
Raseen lunged for Morgan, her hands grasping a handful of hair, pulling. She yanked backwards, her legs hitting the console behind her, both women going down in flurry of fists. The Captain rolled, knocking Morgan off of her, straddling her as she pummeled the smaller woman, her hands leaving scratch marks on Morgan's face.
Morgan jerked her head form side to side, Raseen's fists hitting the floor. She bucked her hips, tossing the woman head over heels behind her, quickly standing, her body poised in a defensive position.
"You will pay for this!" Raseen snarled, crouching to lunge at Morgan again.
"Yeah, well, give it your best try," Morgan taunted, motioning for the Captain.
Raseen lunged, taking Morgan in the gut as she pushed backwards, an enraged growl emerging from her lips. The force of her attack pushed Morgan back, the door sliding open, the two women slamming into the opposite bulkhead in the corridor. She slammed her hand into Morgan's knee, causing the human to loose her balance, pain lancing up her leg.
Morgan refused to go down without a fight. She brought her hands up, clenched into one fist, backhanding Raseen. The Captain swung back, her fist connecting with Morgan's cheek. She felt the bone crack, her face immediately swelling as she regained her balance. Fury flowed through her and Morgan ran at Raseen, jumping and turning in a flying roundhouse, her foot connecting with the Sebacean's face, ignoring the pain that coursed through her already sore knee. Raseen went flying, hitting the bulkhead in an unconscious pile as Crais and Aeryn rounded the corner.
"What the frell happened?" Aeryn asked as the alert siren began to wail.
Crais grabbed Raseen and dragged her body back into Morgan's quarters, turning quickly as a phalanx of Peacekeepers came jogging down the corridor past them, heading for the detention center. "We must go, now," he growled.
Morgan and Aeryn fell into step behind him, the human limping. "Psycho-Sebacean back there tried to get one up on me." She stared daggers into Crais' back, wondering what exactly Captain Raseen had offered her husband. "She was waiting for me in my quarters. It seems she knows Commander Mitane."
Crais glanced over his shoulder at them. He noticed his wife's bloody knuckles and returned his gaze forward as they entered the lift. "She's called High Command, Morgan."
Morgan whirled on him. "So she said. How the hell are we going to get out of here?"
Crais simply shook his head, the mask of concern on his face disconcerting.
Tauvo and Crichton slipped into the detention center a little too easy. The guard on duty verified their iden-chips and waved them on. Crichton looked sideways at Tauvo, the pulse rifle in his arm primed and ready. "I don't like this."
"I don't either." He saw Leris standing at the end of the corridor.
"Tauvo." Leris looked at Crichton. "You must be Crichton. Come on. There's already a Phalanx of guards on the way." He led the way around the corner, stopping at a cell, sliding his iden-chip in the slot. The door opened and Jorin Tadace slipped out, taking the pulse pistol from Leris.
"What took you so long?" Jorin asked, smiling at Tauvo as they continued down the corridor.
"Ran into a family member who joined up." Tauvo popped the security code on the second cell, freeing Lorac.
"Please tell me it's Bialar," Lorac commented, having heard the conversation. They continued on, Tauvo waving them back at the intersection.
"Yes." Tauvo glanced at Leris. "They should've been here by now."
Leris tapped his comm badge. "Commander Leris to Commander Mitane." He received nothing but static.
Crichton took Tauvo's place at the intersection, watching as he darted across the corridor intersection towards the other bank of cells. The look on Tauvo's face darkened as the last cell opened and he disappeared, reappearing shortly, shaking his head. Crichton peered around the corner, Aeryn, Morgan and Crais coming up behind them as Tauvo rejoined them.
Lorac looked at Crais. "Fancy seeing your ugly face again," he joked, shaking Crais' hand.
Crais nodded, acknowledging both men as he approached Tauvo. "Where's Tara Korin?"
"Dead. Her throat's been cut." Tauvo looked at Morgan, her left eye swollen shut, the entire side of her face black and blue. "Who did you have it out with?"
"Captain Raseen," she answered, smiling, taking the pulse rifle from her brother-in-law.
"Can you fire like that?" he asked, pointing to her face.
Morgan gazed at him. "Yeah. Just makes it easier." She slipped past them, taking up position across from Crichton.
Crichton chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at her bloodied knuckles. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"
"Damn right I did," Morgan answered.
Crichton took off up the corridor, dropping into the service corridor on the right. Crais and Jorin joined him, Lorac and Leris next, leaving Tauvo, Aeryn and Morgan to bring up the rear.
Which would have not been a problem had Captain Raseen and her security detail showed up. The Sebacean Captain was livid, her nose crooked on her face. She fired off a shot, the laser blast chipping the wall just above Morgan's head. The security detail opened fire, smoke rapidly filling the corridor.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Crais and the others watched Raseen's attack. He and Crichton fired, taking out some of the guards, but there were too many. Morgan, Aeryn and Tauvo were trapped, cut off from them. Tauvo waved for them to go, firing as he crossed the corridor, Peacekeeper bodies littering the ground between them.
And then time stopped. Raseen aimed at Morgan, firing, the laser bolt taking the human woman square in the chest, knocking her backwards down the corridor, her body sliding to a stop, motionless.
"NO! MORGAN!" Crais screamed as Crichton, Jorin and Lorac pulled him back, dragging him from the detention area, knowing that, right now, there was nothing they could do for the others.