The group of Starfleet officers were quickly met by the man dubbed "the Caesar" when they arrived at the cascading archways of the Colosseum of Cretins. The day had reached a scorching high noon, illuminating the grand structure and the crowds of bustling people that dwelt from within. Captain Kirk regarded the Caesar's sharp jaw and glinting eyes, giving the man an undeniably roguish demeanor. He dressed as one would imagine a man who called himself the Caesar would; a long, white, silk, tunic and a crown of golden leaves resting upon his golden curls.
"Greetings," he said with an ivory smile and outstretched arms. "Welcome to the Colosseum of Cretins!" He spun around, lifting his arms higher at the building above them and the arena behind him. "Madam Wormware and her kin have brought me such fine creatures on this glorious day!" his voice boomed at the six of them as he sauntered to Lieutenant Warren. "Now, you are a goddess if my eyes were ever to behold one." He lifted out a single finger and stroked the side of her chin.
Warren flinched away from him, scowling as she did so. "Don't."
"Feisty!" he clapped, turning his attention to Kirk. "And look at you! A specimen of a man I have never seen. How alarmingly attractive you are… Women must just die for you."
Kirk impatiently frowned at the flamboyant man, "What do you want with us?"
"I couldn't imagine that you are that dense," his whimsical tones floated above them and his eyes drifted to the Vulcan. "Now you, you're not exactly like them-" He jabbed a finger at Spock's chest. "You have the air of a practical and intelligent man. Why don't you educate your friends on the reason of you being here?"
Spock ignored the Caesar's impolite gesture but plainly responded nonetheless, "We have been sold into a form of servitude. More specifically, to serve you."
"Right you are!" the Caesar exclaimed, joyously slapping Spock on the back. "As I said, this is the Colosseum of Cretins; a place where chosen individuals meet an honorable fate."
Beginning to fume, Bones could not contain his vitriol, "We're not some slaves to be paraded around and just do what you say! You'll find that none of us will cooperate!"
The Caesar's hand sprung out, latching onto Bones' jaw and tightly squeezing it. "Now, now," he spoke as Bones helplessly squirmed, "You are not the first aliens to say such a thing and I doubt you will be the last. But as all others have, you will see things my way."
Captain Kirk lunged forward, but the two guards who stood behind him prevented any further movement. "Let go of my officer!" he demanded.
Rolling his head, the Caesar kindly complied. "Show them to their rooms," he gestured at Kirk and Spock with a flick of his eyes.
As the guards led Spock and Kirk down a stone staircase that descended beneath the colosseum, Bones cried out to his friends, "Jim! Spock!"
"Don't fret. You will have your turn." The Caesar pointed at both Warren and McCoy then to the stone stairs. "We will take these two and let us prepare the lovely goddess for battle. I am eager to see what she is capable of."
Four guards tugged at Bones and Warren, pushing them to the staircase as the Caesar closely followed behind.
Warren craned her head around, shooting daggers at the incorrigible man. "What do you mean by battle?" she asked as she and Bones shuffled down the uneven steps.
"You will see soon enough, my darling," the Caesar flapped a hand at her. "Women don't often last very long in the arena, so I am curious as to what such an angelic creature as yourself can do."
Once Bones and Warren arrived in the basement of the colosseum, they were taken along a curved corridor fashioned entirely of the same yellow stone that the arena was built from. Warren squinted at beams of light that entered the circular hall through barred doorways attached to segregated rooms of stone. And as they marched past several of these cells, Warren concluded that the entire inward wall of the arena's base must have been made up of these chambers. She glanced inside each cell, noticing humanoid beings dwelling from within; although, some of the imprisoned creatures seemed far from anything she had ever seen. Regardless of any of the being's stature or skin, they all wore the same grizzled, dead expression on their faces.
The Caesar stopped in his tracks, swinging open the barred door of a recently vacated cell. "Here we go," he said, staring inside. "This is where the two of you will be staying. But rest assured that if you prove your worthiness in the ring, you will be upgraded to more comfortable accommodations."
Leaning sideways, Bones peered into the cramped cell. One wall contained what he could only surmise was a bed made of stone that could barely fit one grown man, let alone a grown man and woman. In the opposite corner, a small hole was bored into the dirt floor; its use was obvious and didn't need elaboration. Across from the door and situated atop the wall was a one-foot gap that was also barred. Through this wide gap shone the sun and with it, the arena and its spectators could be seen.
Both Bones and Warren were shoved into the cell by their respective pair of guards.
"If you think we're going to fight for you, you're wrong," Warren said, her acid glare growing fiercer.
The Caesar pursed his lips and nodded. "I assumed you'd say such," he spoke, his eyes flipping between one of the guards and Bones.
Without warning, the guard pulled his arm back and launched a savage fist into the doctor's stomach. Bones bent forward unable to breathe and fell to his knees.
"Doctor!" Warren screamed, crouching onto the ground next to him.
Crossing his arms, the Caesar smugly clicked his tongue at them, "You see, I have met your type before. I may not be able to threaten you with your own life, but the lot of you are noble. So noble, in fact, that all I might do is threaten the life of one of your friends. If either of you refuses to fight, I will simply have the other one beaten to death. Do you understand?"
"We understand," Warren muttered as she stood back up.
"Wondrous!" the Caesar applauded. "We will get you some armor and a weapon and your lovely friend here can have the pleasure of watching," he said, pointing to the window.
Bones sat on his haunches and strained to lift his head to Warren. "Don't do it. Don't let this man force you into fighting for him. They're a bunch of wild animals, Susanna."
"Susanna?" the Caesar thoughtfully tapped his chin. "What an angelic name for such an angelic woman. But alas, these names aren't worthy of my arena. We will call you the Emerald Goddess; after those piercing eyes and that beautiful skin you have."
"Don't do it," Bones coughed, struggling to repeat his words.
"Obey your friend and have him die or come with me and see him live into tomorrow," the Caesar said, placing his soft hand on her arm.
The Lieutenant stepped out of the cell, allowing the Caesar to guide her. "I'm sorry, Doctor. But I won't let them kill you," she mumbled, leaving Bones alone in that hot, dry prison.