It was a hour later the next torture rotation came for Lorca's shared cell. SuDqu' came to the door of the cell with several Klingon officers around him. He pressed in the code onto the side panel then stepped forward. The recently taken captain was laid against a pillar. His yellow shirt was discarded to the side on the floor while one of the long sleeves were tightly wrapped around the shoulder injury. His black shirt was sleeveless while it outlined his muscular torso. He put the golden badge onto the shirt. Lorca stood up using the pillar as his support.
"Choose your pain," SuDqu' requested.
Lorca stepped forward with his hands up.
"Me," Lorca said.
Lorca exited the cell then the door closed behind him, silently, leaving behind a small medical device on the small pile of clothes. L'Rell came out of the shadows coming toward the door aiming it at the window. Tyler was by her side as they looked down onto the screen. They looked over in shock at each other.
"It worked," L'Rell said.
"I can't believe we didn't think of that," Tyler said.
"We did not have any of these devices with us when thrown in here," L'Rell said.
"Nor did we know that we were being tossed here," Tyler said. "we got a connection to the doors."
L'Rell looked toward the human.
"All of the doors?" L'Rell asked.
"All the prisoner doors," Tyler said. "We got a chance."
The torture chamber was wide and circular. The torturer on duty had all of their hair braided making the forehead crest standing out prominently. SuD cleaned the last of the daggers. She looked down toward the padd. Subject had damaged eyes that needed to be replaced. Most starfleet officers during their torture talked about what they had gotten replaced recently when in the middle of torture. The anger and resentment in their voices gave her life. It couldn't be exactly explained. No one could explain, a human argued with her and informed SuD that it was sadism. Humans had implied that eyes could be replaced with prosthetics. She prepared the lighting, opened the cuffs for her next subject and adjusted to the subject's wrist size.
She looked up from her padd to see her next subject brought in.
"Captain Lorca," SuD said, as she gestured the two Klingons to center. "Nice to see you in my chambers."'
"I have met worse people under better conditions," Lorca said, with a grin.
"Why do you grin at the face of your torturer?" SuD asked
"Because what you are going to do will take all the fun away," Lorca said.
"I think not," SuD said, as the cuffs clicked onto his wrists.
"I'm just one more bright explosion to being blind," Lorca said. "If I have be blind and wear a visor, then I will gladly live with it."
"Go," SuD dismissed the two Klingons. "SuDqu'."
SuDqu' came to a stop at the doors.
"Tell the captain that I am not happy with this subject," SuD said.
SuDqu' nodded then walked off.
"You like fun," Lorca said. "Now do you?"
"As every living being does," SuD said, snatching the badge off his chest.
"I am surprised," Lorca said. "why are you speaking federation standard?"
"It has become a necessity," SuD said. "as it is for all the Klingons aboard this ship."
"And here I thought you didn't give a rats ass about understanding people different from you," Lorca said, as SuD picked up a small dagger that had a sleek screen in the center of it. She quietly came toward him. "As it has been lately with the rogue Klingons."
"You call us rogue?" SuD asked.
"Not all the Klingons agree," Lorca said. "in fact, they are trying their best in stopping your captain and his allies."
"They will band with us and prevent you from taking more of our territory," SuD said, approaching him.
"We are not the best soldiers but we are the best sailors," Lorca remarked, as she slid the dagger under his throat. "killing me won't be fun for you either, Miss."
"It is SuD," SuD said, as she cut into the shirt until it fell apart. Her eyes lit then looked toward him. "How many wars have you been in?"
"Skirmishes," Lorca said. "a few." he had a small shrug.
"Battles," a fire flickered in the Klingon's eyes. "Losses, pain, and honor."
"Used to be retired last year, comfortably, living." She felt the shapes of his scars on his chest. Some of them had faded over time. The shape of a large bat'leth's scar was on his left shoulder. A 'C' shape but not quite. "then Voq came around and I got the Buran destroyed. Not the best arrangement I pictured for my retirement."
"What is your Klingon body count?" SuD asked.
"I lost count at thirty," Lorca said. "A long. . . long time ago."
SuD positioned the dagger on the center of his chest.
SuD made three separate lines in the shape of a circle then carved ten more lines that connected in the center of this circle. He closed his eyes resisting the temptation to scream in pain. Klingons were unique in some retrospects when it came to pain as far. At least some xenoanthropologists had managed to go uncover blending in and coming back to tell the tale. How they survived spending time on Qo'Nos was mostly unbelievable that Klingons would allow federation officers disguised as Klingons to observe them and to learn from them. There were documented cases of Klingons restraining themselves from screaming giving themselves a unnecessary scar. There are very few documented cases where Klingons relished in giving the xenoanthropologist a unnecessary scar. In each cases, they were unexplained. If Lorca were shown what they were given, it would not have looked like the scar that was being made on his chest. After finishing the final touches, she made a deep 'x' scar crossing out the bleeding mark on his chest earning a loud gasp.
"Is this your pain of choice?" SuD asked. "physical scarring?"
"No," Lorca said. "my pain helps me remember what I couldn't give to my crew."
"A choice," SuD said.
"No," Lorca lied, with a deliberate pause. "being explorers."
SuD pressed on the small screen as she stepped back.
"Then this will be fun," SuD said.
The cuffs glowed a shade of red and the blinds slowly began to open letting in sunlight.
"What a coincidence," Lorca said, with a wince and sarcasm. The blinds fully opened letting bright intense light into the room.
"We're stationed by a sun," SuD said, as Lorca's scream echoed through the sun. She wore a smile with folded arms looking off toward the human. "isn't that perfect?" He screamed in agony as the cuffs burned into his skin. His eyes opened to be blinded by the bright light pouring from all around him. SuD put on sunglasses as she sat down onto a chair and took a bite out of her lunch while listening to his painful screams.
Burnham popped out of the corridor coming along to Landry's side.
"Captain," Burnham said.
"Commander," Landry greeted. "Status report regarding the spore drive."
"Doctor Culber and Lieutenant Stamets have informed me that they agree on letting in Stamets being our Spore navigator," Burnham said.
"That could not have been easy to do," Landry said.
"For them, it was not," Burnham said. "for me. . .I needed their decisions final. It has been five hours since I first informed them."
"Good work, Number One," Landry said. "Looks like we can make this big jump tomorrow morning on schedule." She looked over toward Burnham. "Make sure Engineering puts a support chair in there for the Lieutenant."
"Aye," Burnham said, then split up from Landry.
"God help us with what we are about to do tomorrow morning," Landry remarked to herself.
"Hey, lover," Tilly said appearing on the observation deck. She was off duty outfit that was a matching two piece purple outfit. Her hair was freely laid on her shoulders. Tilly fumbled with her fingers looking over to see what Burnham was looking at. Then she looked over toward the slightly shorter woman. "What is up?"
Burham didn't budge where she stood watching the vastness of space pass by her from the large windows. They were different from the ones on the Shenzhou that were small enough to be used in a office and long enough to give a good view of the city. These windows were five inches larger at first glance. The Shenzhou represented simpler times. Not having to make requests of the crew. Crew that sacrificed their foreseeable future, potentially, for the needs of the many. Burnham sighed, briefly closing her eyes. Burnham shook her head then looked over in the direction of Tilly.
"I am bothered," Burnham said.
"By what?" Tilly asked, placing a hand on Burnham's back.
"The future," Burnham said. "On the Shenzhou, I knew the future was bright and certain a bit mysterious and perplexing but not as terrifying as being in a war." Tilly rubbed a circle on Burnham's back.
"You're so used to peace that with all these rogue Klingons make everything uncertain and seem like we could die," Tilly said.
"Indeed," Burnham said. "I do not know if feeling this is either good or bad."
"It is a good thing," Tilly said, lowering her hand over toward Burnham's side.
"How is that?" Burnham asked, raising a brow as she looked over toward Tilly.
"Because you can will into existence your future," Tilly said. "I willed my way into becoming a cadet, graduating early, and getting on a ship of science during the war."
"I plant the seed, I tend the seed, and I observe the seed grow into adulthood," Burnham said. "one of Surak's well known free verse poems." she had a smile of her own at space as a thought occurred. "Humans and Vulcans are not that different from each other philosophy wise."
"We are not," Tilly said, with a nod. The two women stood there observing space together. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Tilly made Burnham feel grounded and relaxed. Most of all, it felt right. "When are you coming to bed?"
"Now, Sylvia," Burnham said, reaching her two fingers out.
Tilly returned the gesture with a equally bright look on her face.
The door to the cell flew open. Tyler and L'Rell stood up then came forward. Lorca was shoved into the floor only instead landing into the arms of L'Rell. She seated him down against a pole. Lorca blinked adjusting his vision to see color but there was no shape. His eyes stung. He had a hoarse voice from screaming for hours on end. He opened his eyes to see red and gray seated side by side.
"What 'chu looking at, sailors?" Lorca asked, tiredly.
"Your wrists are severely burned," L'Rell said.
"Yes, about that," Lorca said. "My doctor can fix that."
"I think we're doomed with this development," Tyler said.
"My eyes will be better in a few hours," Lorca said.
"What if you don't?" Tyler asked.
"Then it looks like you have to fire on a Klingon," Lorca said. He closed his eyes, welcoming darkness shrouding them like a old friend. "I don't really like it." Lorca felt the woman's eyes were on him.
"Rest," L'Rell said. "we will figure out a better plan in case your eyes are permanently damaged."
"I damaged my eyes once," Lorca grumbled. "Can't be damaged even worse."
Tyler looked up toward L'Rell distressed as Lorca's eyes closed.
"How are we going to escape?" Tyler said, getting up. "I can't. . . I can't stay another day here!"
Tyler hit the wall with a fist and his head pressed against the wall with another hand placed on to it.
"I have heard . . ." L'Rell said. "that you and your starfleet officers, in dire times, turn to the faith of the heart."
"A classic earth song," Tyler said, turning toward her.
"Does it help you?" L'Rell said.
"No, it doesn't help," Tyler said. "where did you pick it up?"
"A doctor from the Yeager," L'Rell said. "What you call. . . Southern. Optimistic. She managed to escape some how, without dying from her torture." L'Rell had a long, sad but fond look on her face. "She sang it like it was her soul."
"It's a mantra that things will get better these days," Tyler said.
"And you have lost that hope," L'Rell said, in dismay.
"It's never going to end," Tyler said, with a shake of his head. "the next time I go in the captain's quarters. . ." he shook his head, emotionally, with his back to the wall. "I. . . am . . . going to. . ." he slowly sank down as it sunk in. "die in here."
"It will still work," L'Rell said, taking out a handkerchief from a hidden part of her armor. She knelt down to the side of Lorca then dabbed away at the blood on the human's chest. She looked down to see in Lorca's partially open hand was his badge. "I give you my word." she looked over toward Tyler. "We will make his plan work."