Tegan Chronicles STV Style 3:
What's Left of the Flag 11
"Tegan?" Janeway's tentatively said her name.
"'I am an American Airman,'" ¹ Tegan's voice was tired and weak. "'I am a Warrior. I have answered my Nation's call.
"'I am an American Airman. My mission is to Fly, Fight, Win. I am faithful to a Proud Heritage, A Tradition of Honor, And a Legacy of Valor.
"'I am an American Airman. Guardian of Freedom and Justice, My Nation's Sword and Shield, Its Sentry and Avenger. I Defend my Country with my Life.
"'I am an American Airman. Wingman, Leader, Warrior.'" She looked up at her captain and then over to Tuvok. "'I will never leave an Airman behind, I will never falter, And I will not fail.' Hoo-ah."
"Hoo-ah?" Tuvok asked giving himself something to focus on other than the pain.
"Hoo-ah." Tegan repeated.
"Its old military slang, derived from the phonetic for H-U-A meaning heard, understood and acknowledge." Janeway explained. "It has a wide variety of uses, including some which can be sarcastic, but it never means no."
"I see." Tuvok looked back down at Tegan. "What was that you just recited?"
"The United States Airman's Creed." Tegan decided to give him fair warning. "Sorry Tuvok, this is going to hurt."
He braced himself as she grabbed the chain between her shackles and stretched her arms upward. When the chain was free of the hook her arms fell and she toppled over onto her side. "Hoo-AH!"
"I do believe that was said in place of an explicative." Tuvok stated once he was able to catch his own breath. He could think of a few explicit words to use, most of which would put most Klingons to shame.
Janeway watched as Tegan grabbed a hold of one of the knives with her biomechanical hand. "Tegan?"
She thrummed her fingers over it as if she was getting the best possible grip on it before she fisted it tightly in her hand.
"Lieutenant." Janeway's voice was firmer this time, her command tone taking over. She only waited a second for Tegan to acknowledge her before she barked her rank and name. "Lieutenant Kiser."
"'I am an American Airman.'" Tegan mumbled as she twisted the knife in her leg slightly causing Tuvok to inhale sharply and drink in the pain.
Something clicked and Janeway changed how she addressed Tegan. "Major Kiser."
"Ma'am?" Green eyes snapped up to meet cloudy blue ones.
"Let go of the knife."
"It's fine." She offered from her awkward position on her side.
"It's not." Janeway could see the blood flowing around the blade more so than she had previously. She was afraid when she had been lowered to the ground the knife may have moved and nicked a major blood vessel.
"I'm going to use it to kill him when he comes back." Tegan's eyes were glassy and in a far off place.
"No you're not, do you understand me?"
"I am a warrior, I will not fail." Tegan spoke louder.
"You will stand down Major Kiser, that's an order."
She opened her hand and let it fall away.
Janeway raised worried eyes to Tuvok.
"She has lost a lot of blood."
"I know." Janeway nodded. "I think she's delirious."
"She thinks she's back in the Air Force."
"It isn't a stretch; it wasn't that long ago that she still was."
"I'm right here you know." Tegan closed her eyes.
"Tegan?" Janeway asked.
"Can you feel it Tuvok?"
"I can feel your pain, Lieutenant."
"Teal'c? When did I get demoted?" She rolled her head and took a deep breath as the pain shot through her shoulder and neck. "Janet is going to kill me when we get back to base."
"Janet?" Janeway remembered Tegan asking about her when she had first come aboard Voyager. She remembered she had been killed in action only a few weeks after Tegan had been thrown forward in time.
"You know, Dr. Fraiser."
"You are Lieutenant Tegan Kiser, a Starfleet officer assigned to the U.S.S. Federation Starship Voyager." Tuvok attempted to ground her in the present.
"I am…" She thought for a second before rolling her head toward Tuvok. "Not going to give up."
"No Lieutenant," Tuvok agreed. "You are not."
"Awww, isn't that touching?" Jurroth marched over and grabbed the hook pulling it down and placing the shackles back in it.
"What did I ever do to you?" Tegan stared at him.
"You didn't give me the information I asked for and my balls are still swollen where you kneed me."
"Oh, right. Good." She smiled but it didn't last long as Jurroth walked over and pressed the controls lifting Tegan back up in the air, none too slowly. Her whole body protested and she screamed out. "Owww, you mother…" She saw Janeway's eyebrow quirk and finished the statement with a growl leaving her wondering if she actually ever used harsher cuss words. "Argh!"
"You're bleeding." Jurroth looked at the blood that was running down her leg from one of the daggers. "Maybe I should just pull it out?"
Tegan was too busy trying to catch her breath to offer a snarky come back.
"Or," he picked up the torch. "I could always cauterize it for you."
Janeway was glad they hadn't been given anything to eat as she watched him pulled the blade out about an inch and heat it while it was still buried in Tegan's leg burning the surrounding skin in the process. When he finished both Tegan and Tuvok were hoarse from screaming.
"Now, since I was so nice and helped you out how about one of you help me out?" He turned around looking at each one of them.
When his eyes landed back on Tegan she croaked quietly. "Fuck you."
If she had lifted her eyes she would have seen Janeway's jaw drop momentarily, but she was too busy watching Jurroth steady her leg and grab her dislocated knee cap. "I'm afraid I didn't hear that."
"I said," she licked her lips, "Fuck You."
This time as he jerked it to the opposite side of her leg she didn't scream. It wasn't that she didn't want to give him the satisfaction she just couldn't scream anymore. It didn't help anything hurt any less anyway. He watched as her eyes glowed for the second time. "How do you do that?"
"What?" She asked her throat felt blistered.
"Your eyes?"
"'I am an American Airman.'"
"The other prisoners, they're gone." Dr. Murdrow burst into the room breathless.
"What?" Jurroth grabbed the pole and raised it causing Murdrow to shrink back.
"They just, they aren't there. I got a call from the planet, they can't raise the men on the ship and they tried transporting them back but it's not working."
Jurroth swung around striking Tegan in the chest and breaking the ribs on the other side. She grunted but that was all as Tuvok cried out from beside her. "They'll never find us here."
"I wouldn't underestimate my people Jurroth." Janeway raised her chin to Tegan using her as an example of what they were capable of. "We don't give up."
"'I will never leave an Airman behind'." Tegan spoke through the pain.
"Shut up." Jurroth rammed the end of the rod into her sternum and let the pulses of energy fly. In his shackles Tuvok convulsed.
Over the crackling of the torture stick and the sounds of Tuvok convulsing Tegan could be heard. "'I will never falter… I will not fail.'"
"Stop," Janeway demanded.
Jurroth moved the pole away and turned to her. "You have nothing I can use now Captain."
"Let us go and we'll help you."
"How can you help us?"
"We can find a more habitable area of this planet and transport you there. We can give you supplies to build houses and start gardens with."
He pointed the pole at Tegan. "After what I've done to her, why would you help me?"
"Because no one should be treated the way you all have been, I don't care what crimes you committed."
Jurroth dropped the pole and looked at Murdrow. "Remove the neural link."
¹ "The Airman's Creed" USAF