Disclaimer: I don't own anything Star Trek it is all property of Gene Roddenberry, J.J. Abrams, Paramount, and whoever else owns rights to the franchise. I am not making any profits off of this so please don't sue me.

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Chapter 7

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...CRUNCH!...

The sound seemed to reverberate through the whole of Observation Deck 3. And it sent cold chills through all who heard it.

It was the sound of It'vek's remaining arm being shattered.

The loud crack that Jim Kirk had vaguely heard just as he had realized that too many seconds had passed by without him feeling the pain of the serrated edged knife that had been intended to be the instrument of his death, had been when It'vek's first arm which had been holding the knife had been twisted and snapped like a twig, by the hands of a very enraged Lieutenant Mirna Bansali.

Now she had just given the vile being's other, intact arm the same deserving treatment.

Neon blue liquid was spattered all over the floor. It was Antarian blood and naturally it would be there to stain all available surfaces seeing as to how both of It'vek's arms hung useless and utterly ruined with compound-fractures to each. His face had also been pummeled to the point where it had become barely recognizable as the face of an Antarian. The floor along with being well stained was also heavily littered with blue-green scales that had somehow been forcefully knocked clean off of where they had been securely embedded in It'vek's outer dermal layer.

At this very moment It'vek screamed long and loud as the agony from his freshly destroyed arm washed over him in full unmerciful force.

But then a hefty boot-heel forcefully hitting him square in the gut had It'vek's scream of pain turn into a breathless wheeze.

And then when It'vek doubled over in a vain attempt to shield his injured gut he was grunting loudly, crying really as a hard knee smashed into his already well-beaten face, in the process destroying what ever was left of the Antarian's already broken nose and adding a deep fracture to his jaw.

With a gurggling scream It'vek pitifully crumbled to the floor stained with his own blood.

Above him his flame-haired punisher loomed and stared down at him with fiery disgust radiating off of her in waves.

The whole of the Observation Deck was silent save for the pathetic mewls and whimpers of It'vek where he lay sprawled on the floor.

It'vek looked up at Lt. Mirna Bansali with terror filling his ruined face. With a high-pitched scream that sounded like it would normally have come out of an Antarian woman or child, It'vek flopped around on the floor screaming in agony as his well-pummeled body protested vehemently at the fear-fueled movement.

Lt. Mirna Bansali stood tall and silent, her face a cold mask but her eyes still blazing with the fury. Her deep red uniform had a light spattering of neon blue all over it, as did one side of her face, from forehead to cheek to chin. He hands were clenched tightly to her sides, they were littered with smash cuts and bruises here and there but mostly over the knuckles. And with the force she had been putting behind each punch and other blow she had let loose against It'vek it was natural that her hands had gotten just a tiny bit torn up. Antarian scales were usually dull but with enough force unprotected skin could get cut on them.

Bansali's hands were bleeding lightly, red mingling with the vivid blue that already stained the floor and a pool of which was already beginning to form of It'vek who was feebly attempting to crawl away even though both of his arms were badly broken and he couldn't actually feel much from them let alone use them.

From where they all stood Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, A'tal, and the others were frozen by both the morbid sight of It'vek in his sorry state and the sight of the woman who was responsible for single-handedly putting him in such a state. And indeed it seemed like something straight out of a nightmare. Despite their still burning hatred for him, they all winced inside when they gazed upon It'vek's beaten and bleeding form. He looked like he had been forced through a meat grinder, he looked so sickeningly bad. But they all collectively felt fear and awe when they gazed at Lt. Mirna Bansali. No one who stood in audience had ever in their lives beheld such power, such rage, and such strangely savage magnificence all wrapped into one blood red-haired and amber eyed woman.

None could argue that the Lieutenant had not been oddly beautiful in her rage, in all the blows she had rained down, and in her systematic destruction of the one who had dared to hurt Captain James T. Kirk.

A sudden low and deep growling sound was suddenly heard, all eyes went to Bansali when they realized the sound the was coming from within here. It was a deep throat rumble. If it were possible Bansali's amber eyes hardened even further as they slowly shifted from the wretched being that was sprawled and whimpering before her to the long since forgotten knife that lay just a few feet away where it had fallen just a little further down the corridor.

With slow and calculating movements the Lieutenant turned and took the few steps down the corridor till she reached It'vek's discarded blade. With fluid grace she lightly sank to one knee and swiped up the blade from the floor. Holding it in one bloodied-knuckle hand Bansali slowly walked back over to where It'vek was moaning and bleeding.

She loomed over the filth for a few seconds and them with lightening fast speed she was on him, kicking him viciously in the gut and in the process rolling him over over onto his back. It'vek groaned breathlessly as he felt several of his well abused ribs, some were either cracked or fully broken. The kick sent a massive wave of mind-numbing pain through the already agonized Antarian.

But Lt. Mirna Bansali couldn't have cared any less about how much pain It'vek was in because if she had it her way she'd be adding more and more pain onto the vile scum until his body and hos mind could no longer withstand it.

" ARGH!" Screamed It'vek as an unforgiving knee suddenly pressed down hard on his chest, pinning his battered form forcefully to the floor.

" SHUT UP!" Roared Bansali.

Everyone else jumped at the woman's voice, not expecting it to be so loud and so forceful. It'vek on the other had instantly fell silent, obedient to the voice of the woman who had wiped the floor with him.

" I know what you did, how you you violated a Starfleet Captain. What made you think you had any right to do what you did?" Asked Bansali very slowly with a seemingly calm voice.

Feeling terrified to his very core It'vek opened his bloodied mouth to answer as pathetically as he could with trembling, garbled apologies when he found himself with the point of his own knife just centimeters from his one eyes which somehow not swollen shut.

" You so much as utter a sound I will end you, bury this knife into this one still serviceable eye of your." Hissed Bansali.

With a small moan of fear It'vek shut his mouth and nodded his head furiously all the while with tears gushing from his one good eye and bloody snot running freely from his destroyed nose.

" I would love nothing more than to bury this knife into your heart like you were going to do to Captain Kirk. I would love nothing more than you send you to hell, but I won't. I will spare you your miserable life for the simple reason of making sure that you will suffer for the rest of your days. And besides, I have sullied my hands enough by touching you, you filthy son of a bitch." Gritted out the Lieutenant.

Then in a move so fast it almost was a blur to all who saw it, Bansali tucked the edge of the knife away from It'vek one good eye and then smashed her fist into it as hard as she could. It'vek's head snapped to the side with the force and then he lay very still.

Unfortunately for him it wasn't a killing blow, the right hook and simply knocked him out and made sure that his one good eyes would be swelling shut very soon as well.

With a look of disgust aimed at the now unconscious Antarian, Lt. Mirna Bansali gracefully rose to her feet and chucked the knife in her hand aside. It clattered noisily onto the floor and then there was silence.

Absolute silence.

With a lingering look of hatred at It'vek where he lay, the lieutenant stepped away from the prone form and silently made her way over to the crowd of people who had stood in audience. She came to a stop just a few feet before them all and her hard amber eyes focused on one of the young security officers.

" Mr. Myers." She said firmly.

That seemed to snap everyone out of their awed gawking of the red-haired woman and the young officer in question quickly scrambled forward and stood to attention before the Lieutenant.

" Yes Ma'am." He said, eager to obey whatever orders this extraordinary woman had for him.

" Myers you and your men will take the Antarian to sick bay and have his injures treated. Death is too good for him, is that understood?" Asked Lt. Bansali.

" Understood Ma'am." Said Myers with a small nod before he turned to his fellow security officers and gestured to them.

" You heard the Lieutenant. We gotta get him to sick bay." Said Myers quietly.

The other officers hesitated for but a moment before a look from Bansali all had them scrambling to comply.

They all walked past the blood spattered Lieutenant with deep respect in their eyes. But the respect quickly grew to loathsome disgust when their eyes settled on the bleeding mess they were now in charge of. Myers and another officer strode forward to pick the unconscious Antarian up. Myers hooked his arms under It'vek's armpits while the other officer grabbed hold of his feet. Together they lifted the Antarian off the floor, It'vek hung limp and listless between them and sure enough his other eyes had rapidly begun to swell shut.

The group of security officers were just taking the first steps when Bansali's voice rang out.

" Oh and guys?" She called.

The security officers all instantly turned to eye the Lieutenant and she spoke.

" The prisoner isn't going anywhere and the base is secure, so you guys can take your time." She said with a small, savage glint of glee in flashing in her amber eyes.

This had many of the security officers perking up just a tiny bit.

" Yes ma'am." Said Myers while the others nodded.

Then they all turned and slowly started making their way down the corridor, and it was still such a long way to the Star base's sick bay.

Bansali's gaze lingered on the group for a few minutes before she turned her gaze to what remained of the once massive group. The crew members of the Enterprise and the members of the Antarian delegation.

For the longest moment they simply stared at each other before Bansali spoke.

" Where have they taken Captain Kikr?" She asked.

" Ze Enterprise, Commander Spock and Doctor Meecoy hurried away with him to treat his injuries." Answered Chekov shakily. He was naturally in fearful awe of the red-haired woman.

" Captain Kirk was taken away to the Enterprise, so why are all of you still standing here?" Asked Bansali suddenly to the Enterprise crew members.

Taken aback by this, the senior staff and one Ensign could not answer her, they could do no more than look guiltily back at her piercing stare.

Amber eyes hardened once more and with a very frigid voice she spoke.

" So, all of you decided to stay and enjoy the show instead of going with your injured commanding Officer." She said flatly.

" But listen, Commander Spock and Doctor McCoy took him, we wanted to help you with It'vek." Piped up Lt. Uhura.

" Well as you have clearly seen, I did not need assistance from any of you." Said Lt. Bansali.

Then with a small huff Lt. Bansali spoke.

" Alright then what are we all standing around here for? Your Captain is injured and you have all delayed enough in getting to his side where you are supposed to belong." She said coldly before she turned and all but fled down the corridor that Spock and Bones had long since disappeared down.

From where he stood, Ambassador A'tal was feeling slightly disturbed when he caught sight of the immensely guilty expression that had fallen onto the faces of Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov. But remembering the red-haired woman's words the Ambassador quickly shook himself out of his reverie. Sending the Enterprise crew a pointed look the elder Antarian sprinted off down the corridor with the three younger Antarian delegates following after him.

The crew of the Enterprise stood frozen where they were as full shame crashed down on them.

Then with his eyes welling once again with tears, Chekov broke free and began running.

" Captain Kirk." He sobbed softly before he disappeared down corridor.

Clenching jaw tightly, Scotty sent Sulu and Uhura a meaningful look before he took off as well, Sulu dashed off after the Enterprise's chief engineer and quickly ctching up to the other man. Together they too disappeared down the corridor that would lead to where the Enterprise was securely docked.

This left Lt. Nyota Uhura all alone in Observation Deck 3.

The woman was still just standing there in shock.

What the hell had just happened? How had it all happened? It was so surreal yet at the same time cold hard reality.

Uhura slowly turned her head to the side and looked over to see the neon blue mess that were the remnants of the what had probably been the most brutal beating she had ever seen anyone receive in all her life. Even more brutal than the one an emotionally compromised Spock had given to Jim Kirk during the Nero incident.

Then Uhura gasped and felt her insides freeze.

The Captain! The Captain who had been viciously assaulted twice by that Antarian bastard and had looked like death warmed over the last time she had seen him.

Captain James T. Kirk who was now fighting for his life, her Captain, whom she along with the others had disrespected so badly and failed so horribly.

With tears bursting from her eyes and a sob wrenching itself from her throat, Uhura finally sprang into action and ran off down the corridor that everyone else had just disappeared down.

Lt. Bansali had been right after all.

Their place was with their Captain.

Pity they had all had to have been reminded of that,

It should've been a duty, if not an instinct entirely to them.