Admiral Christopher Pike – then a captain – once told a spiteful Skylar that he would go to any length to see that she had a secure future. This also entailed allowing one of his commanding officers permission to Vulcan Nerve Pinch her at her show to get her attention. Back then, Skylar did not realize what her uncle went through to pull talented, misguided beings onto the right track, one that would serve them with a greater purpose; one that would hone in on what they were good at and utilize that to benefit a system that operated on preserving life, establishing peace and discovering that which would benefit future generations. She did not believe him when he'd told her how hard it was to be rejected by strangers, let alone his own flesh and blood, when he saw things in people that they themselves could not see. She did not understand him when despite the constant saliva in the face; the slacking in an academic course; or even the self doubt that plagued many of those who walked the decks of his Starship, Christopher Pike could not find the will in himself to be defeated. He did not know how to accept failure or even the words 'I can not." This was probably why after his sister's death and the downward spiral of his brother-in-law's existence that he became relentless in mission to salvage his damaged niece. He had told her on that fateful night, the night she came to against the chest of a then unfamiliar Vulcan, that he saw so much of himself in her that he could not afford to lose her.

"You're a fighter, Skylar. There isn't a fight in this galaxy I can see you allowing yourself to lose."

Today, Skylar would have given anything to hear those words from the mouth of her uncle just one more time, because today all she could feel was defeat coursing through her with every face she came across. Skylar hardly spoke to anyone. In every face she saw the same kind of fear that she felt when she'd first accepted Pike's invitation to Starfleet. It had been shielded by her rough demeanor, but on the inside she was very much afraid. She did not want to fail. She did not want to be caught in a hopeless situation. That was not how she operated. The difference between her former self enlisting to die and asking the enslaved women of Armaga Set-ta to seal their own death warrants was that these women actually had something to live for. Back then, Skylar had nothing but herself. These women had families and, essentially, lives no matter how bleak. She saw these lives in the eyes of the dirty faces she passed, the eyes that watched her with unreadable expressions. No one had said anything in regards to joining her or telling her off. It was worse: they gave no responses. They merely stared. Some clung to their children as they stared, and in turn their children stared. She heard the voices of Leighland and Havara who led her about the kingdom – the internment camp of Armaga Set-ta; the planet of a single palace, endless forestry that sealed it off from the rest of the planet and the fields of slaves. That was it. As Earth-like as the planet was in the Enterprise's readings, Armaga Set-ta was only a wasteland of fruitless lives and defeat. Grimy, blatant defeat. Skylar breathed it in when the earth filled her nostrils from a group of women plowing. She felt the harsh reality when the twinges of pain reminded her of her bruised body. She saw it when the women bared their own scars from their private battles with living in their confinement.

Skylar had never felt so alone. Even in her darker years before the Academy she'd had others to wallow around with in mutual, inconsequential misery. Here, she bore the crest of her Starfleet status; she emulated the fruitfulness that accompanied hard work in a world far away from the dust. It was like being the Messiah amongst a population meant to be saved but without a holy power to do so. On Earth and in a great majority of the galaxy, Skylar was recognized and was of essential worth. On Armaga Set-ta, she was only a slave in a red uniform up against an unrelenting nation that had the ability to obliterate her in a heart beat. Any former courage she had before Cobia was slipping away.

"You're a fighter, Skylar. There isn't a fight in this galaxy I can see you allowing yourself to lose."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Chris," she whispered as a single tear ran down her cheek. "Not this time."

Her night was filled with regrets. Skylar had never realized how many opportunities she'd missed in her life to make something right; to be the first to say something to someone; to even apologize. She'd never actually called Christopher 'Uncle.' In fact, she'd purposely refused, even when they had become cordial again. And when things were considerably better between them after the Enterprise's encounter with Nero that had put him in a wheelchair permanently, Skylar could not muster the strength to push aside her pride. He was Christopher, the Admiral. She'd never allowed anyone to see her cry. She had denied several of her cadet friends the opportunity to fully know her by not allowing herself to open up. Skylar wished she'd had visited her mother's grave more often. She wished she'd have at least called to see if her father was still around. She turned down dates, she never allowed herself the ability to dance full out sober and she'd only allowed herself to tell Spock that she loved him once, despite many occasions that prompted her to reaffirm that to him. Perhaps it was because she'd never heard him say it. Maybe she actually held resentment because of this, even though he was mainly Vulcan. Regardless, Skylar had held out on him many a time in the release of emotions category. She wished she hadn't argued with him so much. She wished she'd attempted to learn 3D Chess even though she wasn't interested, despite Spock's desire to have a round with her.

Her mind flooded and began to drown her brain with all of the regrets until she opened her eyes and released that it was the next day. She turned her head to the side to see Leighland sitting on the floor in the center of the small hut with her children in her lap. She was speaking quietly to them, smiling, obviously not wanting to wake her sleeping guest. Havara was boiling something in a pot. Her hand mechanically stirred while her head was turned so that she could smile at the back of Leighland's head. Though her head pounded and her eyes were drier than the fields beyond the hut, Skylar managed to smile. So this was what Leighland thought was worth fighting for. All of this time, Skylar was sure that Leighland was just a naïve, uneducated woman living an unfortunate life whose head danced with visions of grandeur about the future. It was then that Skylar remembered her uncle. Right before her eyes, Leighland became Christopher Pike and Skylar found herself in his lap.

Her hands clutching the sides of the small cot, Skylar shakily pushed herself up into a sitting position, interrupting the charming scene.

"I trust you slept well?" Leighland more so asked but with a smile on her face as her hand continued to rotate with the smaller hand of the daughter in her lap. Her son was twirling a strand of her hair around his finger and eying Skylar closely.

"No," admitted Skylar simply. "But I don't think that'll ever happen here."

"You must eat," Havara stated, returning her attention to the pot. "Today we will continue to alert everyone of the war."

Skylar did not want to ask about numbers. Instead, she swung her legs over the side of the cot and waited for her portion of stew while she watched the fascinating scene of Leighland playing with her children.

:::::

Spock bent over and lightly tapped Sulu. "Lieutenant, we are leaving."

Sulu's eyes opened. His body protested profusely but he ignored the need to sleep as he stood, gathering his belongings. He saw Jim and Bones already up. Bones looked cranky but did not say anything. The bags under Jim's eyes were becoming apparent, but he managed to keep that confident command in his tone as he began giving orders to the few men who were to stay behind at the current post.

"What I wouldn't do for a cup of coffee," Bones muttered as he looked out at the fog.

Sulu joined him at his side, yawning. "Yeah. Or even a glass of rice wine would do."

"You know, it's not healthy for humans to operate on only three hours of sleep," Bones mentioned in a louder tone as Spock passed by them.

Spock stopped, fiddling with his scanner. Not looking up at either of them, he stated, "Nor is it healthy for a Vulcan to be without rest after three days." He raised his eyes to Bones. "However, the lack of rest has allowed for a quicker pace. We have covered enough ground to put us a day ahead."

Sulu looked to Bones, cocking an eyebrow.

"A day ahead to what?" someone in the group said.

All of the conversations seemed to die down at this as Spock, Sulu and Bones turned to the red shirted ensign who stared at Spock with bloodshot eyes.

"I mean honestly, what could possibly be out there for us to risk all of this?" the ensign asked, attempting to keep his tone even.

"Our freedom," Jim answered firmly.

"But Mr. Sulu already stated that we can blast out of here at any time," the ensign argued.

Bones shot Jim a glance. Quietly, he diagnosed, "Sleep deprivation."

Sulu stepped forward, looking between the ensign and the captain. His hands were elevated in a way that suggested he stood on middle ground. "I assure you, ensign, that if we could blast out of here now, the captain would order it. But it is impossible at this point."

"But you said –"

"Ensign," Jim interrupted heatedly, "I understand your concern. I don't want to be here any more than you do. But we must disable the –"

"This isn't about any damned cloaking device!" the ensign yelled. "This is about them!"

Bones' lips tightened. "You better what your tone young man! That is the captain to whom you're arguing with! His intentions are for the benefit of the entire crew, including someone as intolerable as you at the moment."

"They can't be alive!" the ensign shrieked. "You're going to get us all killed!"

Jim walked toward the ensign. "Listen, I understand that this entire situation seems hopeless," he gently said, extending his hand out to touch the shoulder of the weary ensign. "But I can assure you that I do have the safety of the crew and the preservation of the Enterprise –"

The ensign slapped Jim's hand away.

Bones stormed up to them both, a hypo already in his fist. "Jim, you need to send him back," Bones barked. "He is delusional and will only be a problem from here on out."

Jim stared at the ensign whose eyes were swimming with fear and anger. After a moment, Jim nodded and ordered quietly, "You are dismissed from duty. Return to the ship." Jim looked to another crewman in a yellow shirt and said, "Go with him. See that he finds the Sick Bay."

The yellow shirted crewman placed an arm under the shoulders of his delirious mate. "With all do respect sir, you're the captain and you have to make that decision."

"What decision?" Jim questioned as evenly as possible.

"The decision between your crew … and them." Both men turned around and headed out into the fog the opposite direction of the party.

Jim watched them disappear. It was quiet all around with everyone paused in the moment. He felt Bones move beside him. Inhaling sharply, Jim turned to the rest of the party. "For those of you who have lost faith in my command and feel that this is entirely a rescue mission, I want to inform you of the truth. The truth is that both Lt. Takashi and Lt. Pike are most likely dead. In fact, the odds that they are alive aren't even worth stating because of how low they are. I set out on this mission to disable the very device that is holding my ship – our ship – captive on this planet. The possibility of finding Takashi and Pike is secondary, but it does in fact exist. The preservation of my crew and my ship are top priority above any of that. If any of you desire to turn around and go back to the Enterprise, you have my permission to be dismissed. And if the helm finds a way to navigate off of this planet safely, then by all means, she will be ordered to do so. But in the mean time, I will not abandon the opportunity to find the very thing violating us of our freedom. And I will not miss an opportunity to find out what happened to two of my crewmen – two of my friends – who disappeared trying to help us figure out why the hell we crash landed here. So, if anyone would like to carry on, I will be following the course set out by Mr. Spock. For everyone else, you are free to go, no questions asked."

Jim carried on, his presence worn but his eyes focused as he slipped into the fog. Bones looked around at the speculative faces of the crewmen who watched their captain leave and then, with Mr. Spock and Lt. Sulu flanking him, headed on after Jim.

:::::

"All women are commanded to assemble in the ring!"

Armaga Set-ta warriors paraded about with mpals yelling out and knocking women over as everyone scurried toward the back of the palace opposite of the agricultural fields. Skylar watched them as Leighland kissed each of her children and left them in her hut, joining Skylar at her side.

"What's going on?" Skylar asked, focusing on the raucous.

Havara joined them both. "Either a war game … or an execution."

Skylar looked at Havara. Just then, two warriors approached them with their mpals directed at Skylar. Skylar couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Lt. Skylar Pike, you are requested to join us to the ring," said one of the guards.

Skylar looked back at Havara and Leighland. She managed to smirk. "Well, let's hope this isn't an execution." Her jest was not returned in laughter as she followed the guards towards the ring.

The ring was a vast open area behind the palace that was full of dirt and rocks. It extended far out and met with the edge of the forest. What appeared to be like small buildings, much like guard stations, sat on either end of the oval. Next to the building farthest away was a tall tower-like structure. Skylar's eyes widened at this as she was led up stairs of a small platform that stood on the inside of the clearing closest to the palace. The platform had a few notches cut into it where the posts of flags could possibly sit. The wood was stained with dark splatters from previous events. On the center of this large platform stood Cobia, Corvallis and a newly fashioned Amelia. She was bound at the wrists. Corvallis held onto a thick twine rope that was connected to her bindings. Despite the damsel in distress look, Amelia adorned a beautiful emerald green dress that was decorated in silver embroidery. She gave Skylar a distressed look as Skylar was placed at Cobia's side. She turned to see all of the women congregating at the base of the platform while an extensive lone of guards boxed them in from behind. Once everyone was assembled, Cobia raised his hand to silence everyone.

"My people of Armaga Set-ta, I am troubled by the rumors I've heard from the men of our kingdom. They say you wish to aid this foreign woman in an attempt to dethrone me. This is a disturbing fact considering how generous I have been to our guests. You see, have I not spared the life of Skylar Pike despite her wicked plots against me? And Amelia – she has been given to my son to produce an heir to our humble thrown. Have none of you the allegiance to stand by my decisions in this matter? Or have you all fallen victim to the witchcraft that minions of the Federation have bestowed upon your feeble minds?" He paused, but waited for no one to respond as he continued. "I offer you protection from the dictatorship of the Federation; they mean to poison you with ideas about expansion and accepting new beliefs and ways of life. I mean to preserve our people and their own beliefs and ways of life. I mean to keep the history of our kind alive! Under the Federation it would be overlooked and dismissed by the cravings they sate in exploration and technology … there is nothing to fix here – so why fix this? You are all exceptionally important in your own place. You make this kingdom thrive on its own without the need of outside help. I supply the necessities of your survival. We are symbiotic in existence – you the working class and we the ruling class. That is the way we have survived. But now you have the nerve to forsake this hand that feeds you? Well, you are all aware of my strength. Now I shall test the strength of your newly assigned general."

Cobia turned to Skylar. "Are you sure you want to do this? Are you positive you want to attempt to destroy me?"

"I was unaware I was given a choice," Skylar spat. "I'd rather die trying then live under your rule, Majesty."

Cobia's eye twitched. "As a general, you will come across painful decisions. I would like to show these ignorant fools an example because I can guarantee that none of them can fully grasp what they are getting themselves into."

"Look around you; have you seen any of them hailing me? Cobia, all of this is unnecessary. All you have to do is let us go!"

"No," Cobia shook his head. "It is too late. My hatred for you has reached a point that I, myself, must sate. Everything I have worked so hard for has been interrupted by your presence here. Now you must hone up to the talk you spit at me." He waved a hand at a guard who then bent down over the stairwell and produce and unbound Leighland who was pushed up next to Skylar.

A low rumble of murmurs sounded in the crowd below. Skylar looked out at them, their faces tense as their mouths moved at rapid paces.

Out of the corner of her eye, Skylar saw Cobia old out something gray to her. Skylar turned to see her phaser sitting on the palm of Cobia's hand.

"Before you even think of breaking the rules of this war game, Lieutenant, I advise you to think about your friend Amelia," Cobia instructed as he glanced at Skylar's twitching fingers. "If you even think about shooting me, her head will be impaled faster than your trigger finger can press."

Skylar hesitated, looking from Amelia back to Cobia, and then slowly took her phaser. "So I'm armed now. What do you want me to do? Take out fifty of your men?"

Cobia chuckled. "No," he replied. "I am going to demonstrate the formal execution of Armaga Set-ta, one that has been carried on by my people for generations."

A guard walked up next to Cobia carrying a golden plated mpal. Cobia took it in his hands.

"The mpal is thrust into the abdomen, and the warrior – showcasing dominant strength – lifts the impaled victim up and mounts the mpal so that the victim slowly bleeds to death on display."

Skylar remembered the notches in the platform at her feet. They were not for any kind of material flags. Her now pounding against her ribcage, Skylar held out her phaser. "And what's the point of this? To shoot myself if I'm too weak for your barbaric Vlad the Impaler antics?"

Again, Cobia chuckled. "You're a general and we're not currently in war. I cannot harm you just yet. I am going to see if you will weaken in to mercy over your second in command."

Skylar's eyes darted to Amelia as Cobia's face twisted into fury and his arm swung the mpal down. It made contact and that familiar sound of garments and flesh tearing at impact filled her ears as she stood stone cold during a fight for the first time in her life. Amelia stood just as horrorstricken, but her torso was completely unharmed. Skylar spun around to see Leighland's eyes wide, her mouth agape and her fingers tenderly touching the part of the mpal that stuck out from her body. The blood began to seep out from the wound. Like she had been uppercut in the stomach, the wind was knocked out of Skylar as she stood before Leighland … Leighland the defenseless mother of two.

In a swift motion, Leighland was elevated into the air, her blood trickling down the mpal and splashing down to the already stained wooden platform. Droplets fell onto Skylar's face as her mind raced a mile a second, drowning out the cries from the crowd and the clapping from a few of the soldiers.

"Where does your allegiance lay now, filthy slave?" Cobia hissed as he stood under her struggling body.

As blood crept out from the corners of her mouth, in a sharp whisper, Leighland replied, "With Skylar."

Cobia turned to Skylar, who stared up at the struggling woman. "Go ahead. Show her mercy and put her out of her misery. Let them see your weakness."

"You bastard," Skylar hissed. She could not break eye contact with Leighland. "Leighland," she cried. Guards instantly rushed her to prevent her from attempting to knock the mpal over. She heard Amelia crying. But she could not disconnect from Leighland's dying stare.

"Shoot her," Cobia taunted.

"With Skylar," Leighland managed to say again.

"I – I can't –" Skylar stammered.

"Do it. You're weak."

Skylar's fingers tightened around the phaser's handle.

"With Skylar."

"You're weak."

The guards around her started laughing.

"You're a fighter, Skylar"

Sweat was running down her face. The crowd was bellowing out. Somewhere behind her, Amelia was screaming now.

"With … Sky –"

The phaser went off. Leighland's body went limp. The entire crowd went dead silent. Skylar exhaled deeply and opened her eyes. They followed the length of her arm, past her white knuckles and fingertips that encased the handle of the phaser that was pointed directly at Leighland's now hanging head. In an instant, a large hand pried the phaser out of her hand, her eyes glued to the dead body of Leighland. She felt two other hands seize her by the shoulders and turn her around to face the crowd. All of the dirty faces before her remained still. Skylar could barely stand. Her feet wanted to give way. She wanted to cry but could not activate her tear ducts. She heard Amelia; she was crying enough for them both.

Cobia's booming voice overpowered the cries of Amelia. "You see this general you invest yourselves in? She is weak. Any who think to serve under her will meet the same fate of the young woman who has been executed today." Cobia paused. He began to chuckle. "Does any one out there still find themselves foolish enough to die for this woman's crusade against our kingdom?"

Skylar's head felt as though it was detached from her body. She heard Cobia's speech but it sounded light-years away. Her vision was slightly blurry. Something shot up from the crowd. After a moment, something else did the same but a little farther away. As her chest heaved, Skylar squinted to focus on what was happening. One by one, hands were shooting up into the air – the women were raising their hands. At Skylar's side, Cobia's chuckling faded.

The feeling in her legs began to return as Skylar managed to stand upright without the use of the guards. She looked across the crowd as hands rose everywhere.

She turned to Cobia who glared out over the crowd. "It doesn't matter," he hissed quietly to her. "You will lead every one of them to the same fate you bestowed upon Leighland." His green eyes met her stare, shooting daggers at her. "I will enjoy killing you in two days." Cobia waved his hand and the guards released Skylar. The royal escort began to leave the platform, Corvallis staring Skylar down as he passed her, his grip tight on Amelia's bindings. Struggling against his pull, Amelia leaned out towards Skylar red in the face and her tears flowing freely.

"Skylar, Skylar, don't give up." The words flew out of her mouth in a jumbled sentence as she was pulled away.

Skylar watched her friend disappear over the platform. What would the good old doctor say? her mind asked itself. It answered, Oh, he'd say I have a good old case of shock.

Skylar's eyes drifted up toward Leighland as she was left by the guards to embellish the platform. Even in death, she hung a strong, beautiful flag of the true meaning of Armaga Set-ta, the blonde material flapping in the breeze and red streamers wrapping around the flag's pole.