*Jim is a sight for sore eyes, literally, as her skull is still throbbing from whatever that device is. She's glad to see him because he's always inspired a feeling of confidence and safety in his crew, but at the same time she's miserable that he's stuck here with her.* You're really not as funny as you think you are.
*She tries to joke to lighten the mood though the likelihood of succeeding is slim indeed. Giving up on that, she starts in with what she knows. It's been so long since she's seen anyway that could offer new information that her words are a quick jumble falling from her mouth.* The Orion Syndicate is behind this. Behind all of it. Tonia is dead. I don't know what happened to Christine. Chekov and Uhura were alive as far back as a week ago and I saw daddy in the market but...
*Jo shook her head and tried to fight back her tears when she finally stopped to take note of where they were. Transport ship. She did a quick sweep over the other occupants on board before realizing her father wasn't one of them. That meant-- that meant that they'd been separated.* He's not here.
[He winked at her when she tried to return the joke, fighting back the rush of emotion at seeing her alive and apparently unharmed. At least on the outside. What she'd seen and been subjected to in that prison, only she knew so far, and the mere thought of her every experiencing something like that left an acrid taste in his mouth.] I know. I'm actually much funnier.
[As she gradually gathered her wits, her training kicked in, and she reported what she'd found out. Part of him doubted she even knew that was what she was doing, but it made his heart swell a little with pride. He listened to her and when tears started welling up in her eyes, he moved his hands to stroke her cheek as best he could. It wasn't easy, and it made the shackles bite into his skin, but he didn't mind if it meant he could give her some small comfort.] I know, Jo... Well, I didn't know about Tonia or Christine, but... [It wasn't surprising. There would be time to grieve later, though, and he clamped down firmly on the thought of both women as he remembered them, keeping away imagined images of them being subjected to what he'd been through before their bodies finally gave up.]
I saw your dad in the market too. I think he's with Spock, so he'll be fine. Well, they'll argue and bicker, but they'll live. And now, I'm here with you, so you'll be fine too. I'm not leaving your side again, okay?
*She sighed, unable to come up with a retort given the weight of the situation. She wasn't panicking, and she wasn't in shock. She'd moved beyond that by now but she was very much trying to take it all in and make sense of it-- make sense of it and find a way out.* What if they separate us? They implanted something, I think it's attached to the brain stem, but it's impossible to fight. It's...
*A shudder ran through her with the memory and she could feel her skin crawling where they'd touched her.* I don't think I could remove it if I tried.
You mean the nasty little thing that makes you feel like your skull is about to pop open? Trust me. I'm familiar with it. [More familiar than he'd ever really wanted to be. He could empathize with the shudder that ran through her, and a new wave of anger ran through him at the thought of her being subjected to the same kind of invasive examination he'd been through. His thirst for vengeance had already been almost unquenchable, but this just added another layer to it, another thing he wanted to make the Syndicate pay for.]
We'll figure it out. I've already got a few plans. [His jaw clenched in barely controlled rage and he looked away from her to stare a hole into the wall.] They took my ship. They're not taking you away from me too.
That would be the one. *Thought that didn't much compare with the lashings. Those she could easily live without even if the damage had all been healed. She wasn't likely to look at leather the same way again in her lifetime-- provided they made it out of this.*
Do you know if they have any other crew members or are we the only two from the Enterprise? That market was packed...
*Her words were cut off when an overgrown lizard stepped into the hold with a large phaser rifle in its possession. Another followed behind it equipped with a whip and her mind supplied the word Gorn. But it was the appearance of an abnormally large Tellarite male that caught her attention. He seemed to be giving direction to the other two as they worked to get their prisoners into some kind of order. Jo could only assume that they'd arrived at whatever destination they'd been headed for and she looked at Jim when they motioned her over to a separate line.* It looks like we might not have a choice.
[Jim had only just opened his mind to reply when he heard an all too familiar hissing, and his heart sank a little more if that was even possible by now. Gorn. Of course. What else could go wrong? The other prisoners scrambled into the two lines that were being formed, and Jim used the momentary confusion to lean down and whisper to Jo.] Pretend you don't know me and that you don't give a shit what happens to me, okay? They can't know you care. I'll be right behind you, okay? I promise. I'll create a diversion in a bit, and you're going to do whatever you need to to get away. Your first priority is getting away, then contacting the 'Fleet. You can't save your dad yet, not without backup.
[Pulling back, he shifted so they were no longer touching and got up, shooting the Gorn a feral smile. They hissed back at him, though that didn't mean anything either way, and shoved him into the line. Jim's eyes narrowed as he noted just how they were being separated. A line for males and a line for females. Not good. At all. The line started moving, and just before he reached the exit, he turned to one of the Gorn.] You know, I've been needing some new boots for a while. I hear lizard skin is pretty good for that.
*If it had been any other situation she would have protested, but Jim was her Captain and she stood no chance of saving anyone, him included, if she started disobeying orders now. With a nod of understanding and an unspoken wish of luck in her eyes, Joanna went into the women's line. She watched in her peripheral vision as Jim provoked one of the Gorn, and when the three captors were focused on him, she attempted to slip out unnoticed-- only for the thing in the base of her skull to go off as soon as she stepped outside the door.
Collapsing to the ground with her hands on her head, she tried crawling back to the door way to make the pain stop, hating that she'd failed in so simple a task.*
[He tried to draw as much attention to himself as he could, and watched as Jo made her way through the line and to the exit. The Gorn and the huge Tellarite seemed to be amused by the little show he put on, though he suspected he'd have to pay for each second he bought Jo to escape.
She stepped through the door, and Jim had a brief moment of triumph until he heard her collapse just outside of his line of vision. Shit... Well, at least he now knew more about the devices that had been implanted in them, though he wished that information hadn't come at the cost of Jo suffering more pain.
Of course, one of the Gorn chose that moment to have had enough of his shenanigans and the end of the phaser rifle impacted with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. From there, he could see Jo try to make her way back inside, and he cast her an apologetic look, and swung out his leg to kick the other Gorn in the shin. Just to give her time to slip back into her line unnoticed. A second later, they seemed to forgo physical punishment and went for the implant, and he didn't notice much more than pain in his head for a while after that.]
*She made it inside just in time to see Jim struck in the face before the Tellarite activated something on his wrist. The push of a button and she watched Jim give up fighting, her mind supplying the answer as to why.
An Andorian woman quietly helped Joanna off the ground when she felt she could stand but kept her back when Jo made a move to help Jim, telling her to stay put. You can't help him if you're suffering the same punishment.
She watched as the two Gorn picked him up by his arms and dragged him from the room and the Tellarite oddity began moving the others. The women were taken to a small shuttle that she assumed would bring them to their final destination. The lack of windows on the shuttle didn't give her much in the way of an opportunity to try and recognize any constellations-- not that astronomy had ever been her strong suit. When the shuttle finally came to a stop she followed the rest of the herd down a hallway to a tunnel. Jo had the distinct feeling that they were underground if the formation of the rock and damp chill were anything to go by. They were brought into a large room sectioned off with cells and separated into them.
Inside the crude rock structures were fairly large cots, a wash basin, what she could only assume were the facilities, and a linen shift. Where the walls were cold stone, what served as the door was a see through panel that rose up from the ground and locked into place in the ceiling. It seemed to be some kind of plexiglass, thick and unyielding.
Sitting down on the cot with the shift in her hands, Joanna wondered what had happened to Jim and if he were alright. A bitter thought worked through her mind and she sighed tiredly.
[When Jim came to again (and he really had to stop doing things that ended up with him losing consciousness), he was being woken roughly by one of the Gorn. Not a face he wanted to see first thing, and he silently vowed never to cuss Bones out again when he woke up in Sickbay. Though that wouldn't happen anymore, there was no Sickbay, just as there wasn't an Enterprise anymore, and he really had to stop thinking about that when he had more important things to do.
Then, he was being half led, half hauled onto a smaller shuttle, and he glumly noted that his predictions had been accurate. The men and the women had been separated, and he'd lost track of Jo. So much for his brilliant plan. He slumped against the wall as the doors closed, and tried to crane his neck to see out the almost non-existent windows, but gave up when they were too small for him to get any decent idea of where they were.
When they landed, they were led down a tunnel to a room of cells, then herded into one each. But at least they removed the shackles once he was inside, something his wrists and ankles were at least grateful for.
It was to be almost a whole day before he got the chance to do more than pace his cell. The guards locked them out of their cells and led them in a single file into a small courtyard, and Jim relished the chance to move about more freely again. Amongst the faces he recognized from the transport, there were new ones, and Jim sought out one of the few human faces in the crowd.
When he was returned to his cell, he was much more informed than he'd been since he'd left the Enterprise, though not more optimistic. His new 'friend' had reluctantly told him why they were here. There was going to be monthly fights, serving both as entertainment to their captors, and to win the right to one of the women being held in another part of the complex. But what really disturbed him was that they were there to be bred like horses. You fought, you won one of the women, you fucked her and you hoped she got knocked up so she wouldn't have to be fought for again the following month. If you had a shred of conscience left, of course, Jim wasn't sure about the moralities of his fellow inmates.
He made a decision. The only one he could make really. No one would touch Jo but him. He wouldn't leave any room for her to endure something like that, of being used like... The thought made him sick, and maybe they could fool everyone long enough for the Federation to come to their aid. Maybe... If he just kept winning the right to her. At least they'd have time together to make a plan and put it into action.]
*There was no slow introduction into their new life and she'd been put to work almost immediately when she showed a skill for cooking. The temptation to poison the food she made was strong until she learned that what she made would be feeding the other prisoners. The Andorian woman she'd met had introduced herself as Shivan and between the two of them they managed to gather a fair amount of information. There were several wings to their prison, each separated into different halls for men and women. Nothing significant. Nothing helpful in planning an escape. Though it let her know what she would have to work through in order to try and find Jim. She could work her way wing through wing until she was successful in getting a message to him. Maybe set up a meeting spot to try and make plans.
And then there were stories that truly frightened her. She'd come across a pregnant woman in the kitchens and had been shocked to see it considering how closed off they seemed to be kept. It was only when the woman explained how the system worked, how their captors were able to pay top dollar for the best specimens and why they would even bother. Every purchase made served as a double investment-- the men were used like gladiators from the Roman age and the women as house servants. And then they were bred.
It had been bad enough when she'd been examined initially by the Syndicate's doctors, but the thought of being tossed to some stranger... some beast that would...
She couldn't think about that. Couldn't focus on it. If she did it would only make her stomach churn.
Still, the one bright spot she'd experienced was when they were given time above ground. The fact that they were allowed to mingle with their fellow prisoners meant she had a chance of seeing Jim, it just also meant that it gave the men a chance to see what they would be fighting for.*
[While Jo had been put to work in the kitchens, Jim had been thrown into a ruthless training regime. Each day, he and the other slaves - he might as well call them what they were, right? - were led to a gymnasium of sorts and drilled in what made for the best entertainment for the audience. The weapons they were given were blunted and unable to do any real damage, but Jim had no doubt that some of these fights were going to be vicious, possibly even to the death. From the looks of it, the other slaves knew it too, and there were no alliances or friendships made amongst them. There was a general consensus that it only made it harder to beat the living crap out of each other in the ring if you happened to care in any way for your opponent.
It seemed his plans to regain his freedom would have to take a backseat to survival for a while, at last for long enough to scope out the place and gather as much information as he could.
Twice a week, they shared the yard with a group of the female slaves, and though Jim never participated in the jeering and catcalling when the women were led into the yard, he never stopped scanning each face to see if Jo was in the group. He had no interest in claiming any other woman, had no interest in being forced to impregnate anyone at all, but he'd claim Jo to keep her from being forced on someone else.
The first time he saw her walk into the yard, his breath caught. Maybe he'd been in strictly male company for too long, secluded from any friendly faces, but in that moment, she was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. Unfortunately, some of the other men seemed to share his opinion, so Jim wasted no time in making his way over to her, elbowing the other who tried to follow in the ribs.
Falling into step beside her, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and lowered his voice to a quiet mutter.] We're training for the next monthly fight. I don't know how much they've told you but... I'm going to choose you. The others will touch you over my dead body.
*For days she'd been hoping to catch some sign of him, worried that he'd already been put into the ring to fight or that something had happened to him. It was her fourth time in the yard and she'd been prepared to fend off any unwanted advances when she finally caught site of him.
It was difficult to fight back the urge to embrace him but she obeyed her training and listened quietly as he spoke. They didn't have long if the previous times out had been any indication. What he said made her stare at him in shock.* If you seriously compete then you could get yourself killed. Your best bet is to put up enough of a fight to satisfy the requirements and then forfeit. It's not worth it. I'll... I'll deal with what I have to deal with.
[As they walked, he surreptitiously let the back of his hand brush against hers. To anyone looking, it would appear to be an accidental touch, but he hoped she'd find some reassurance and comfort in it. He knew he did, he hadn't had any contact with someone who he wasn't fighting since he'd had her head in his lap on the shuttle.] I won't get killed. The others don't know who I am yet, and I've been holding back a lot during training. They don't think I'm much of a fighter.
[He paused and turned to look into her eyes, sheer determination and stubbornness in his own.] We don't have time to argue about this, and I'm not about to let every brute in here have a go at you. Now, I need you to do something for me. You have more freedom to move around the complex than me, and better connections. If at all possible, get a PADD or something similar, something that can be hooked up to a network. When I win you in the fight, smuggle it with you to where they'll take us. There's more than one reason why I'm doing this.
*She didn't like any of this in the least. As it was she'd been considering what kind of paste she could make that might help prevent pregnancy with the materials she had access to in the kitchen. If the goal was to get her pregnant then the chances were good that they'd be gentle with her provided she gave in without a fight.* And what if they've been doing the same?
Not by much. I'm relegated to the kitchens and they pat us down before they send us back to our cells in case we try to smuggle a knife or weapon. If I can break something down into pieces I might be able to, but something fully functional? I doubt it.
*She gave him a look as much as she could afford to.* I didn't think it was because you wanted to sleep with me, Jim.
Then we're still on equal grounds when we enter the ring. [There weren't really any other options in his mind. Not when losing the fight meant having to surrender her body to someone she didn't want. It was as simple as that, really.]
Then break it down, and I'll put it together. It's going to take a while no matter what, but we can't lose any time. I need to get started on it as soon as I can and another month is too long to wait.
[Her comment made him chuckle to himself, though he made sure to keep his face carefully neutral.] I don't want anyone to sleep with you who you didn't choose yourself. No one should ever be subjected to that.
*She tries to joke to lighten the mood though the likelihood of succeeding is slim indeed. Giving up on that, she starts in with what she knows. It's been so long since she's seen anyway that could offer new information that her words are a quick jumble falling from her mouth.* The Orion Syndicate is behind this. Behind all of it. Tonia is dead. I don't know what happened to Christine. Chekov and Uhura were alive as far back as a week ago and I saw daddy in the market but...
*Jo shook her head and tried to fight back her tears when she finally stopped to take note of where they were. Transport ship. She did a quick sweep over the other occupants on board before realizing her father wasn't one of them. That meant-- that meant that they'd been separated.* He's not here.
Reply
[As she gradually gathered her wits, her training kicked in, and she reported what she'd found out. Part of him doubted she even knew that was what she was doing, but it made his heart swell a little with pride. He listened to her and when tears started welling up in her eyes, he moved his hands to stroke her cheek as best he could. It wasn't easy, and it made the shackles bite into his skin, but he didn't mind if it meant he could give her some small comfort.] I know, Jo... Well, I didn't know about Tonia or Christine, but... [It wasn't surprising. There would be time to grieve later, though, and he clamped down firmly on the thought of both women as he remembered them, keeping away imagined images of them being subjected to what he'd been through before their bodies finally gave up.]
I saw your dad in the market too. I think he's with Spock, so he'll be fine. Well, they'll argue and bicker, but they'll live. And now, I'm here with you, so you'll be fine too. I'm not leaving your side again, okay?
Reply
*A shudder ran through her with the memory and she could feel her skin crawling where they'd touched her.* I don't think I could remove it if I tried.
Reply
We'll figure it out. I've already got a few plans. [His jaw clenched in barely controlled rage and he looked away from her to stare a hole into the wall.] They took my ship. They're not taking you away from me too.
Reply
Do you know if they have any other crew members or are we the only two from the Enterprise? That market was packed...
*Her words were cut off when an overgrown lizard stepped into the hold with a large phaser rifle in its possession. Another followed behind it equipped with a whip and her mind supplied the word Gorn. But it was the appearance of an abnormally large Tellarite male that caught her attention. He seemed to be giving direction to the other two as they worked to get their prisoners into some kind of order. Jo could only assume that they'd arrived at whatever destination they'd been headed for and she looked at Jim when they motioned her over to a separate line.* It looks like we might not have a choice.
Reply
[Pulling back, he shifted so they were no longer touching and got up, shooting the Gorn a feral smile. They hissed back at him, though that didn't mean anything either way, and shoved him into the line. Jim's eyes narrowed as he noted just how they were being separated. A line for males and a line for females. Not good. At all. The line started moving, and just before he reached the exit, he turned to one of the Gorn.] You know, I've been needing some new boots for a while. I hear lizard skin is pretty good for that.
Reply
Collapsing to the ground with her hands on her head, she tried crawling back to the door way to make the pain stop, hating that she'd failed in so simple a task.*
Reply
She stepped through the door, and Jim had a brief moment of triumph until he heard her collapse just outside of his line of vision. Shit... Well, at least he now knew more about the devices that had been implanted in them, though he wished that information hadn't come at the cost of Jo suffering more pain.
Of course, one of the Gorn chose that moment to have had enough of his shenanigans and the end of the phaser rifle impacted with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. From there, he could see Jo try to make her way back inside, and he cast her an apologetic look, and swung out his leg to kick the other Gorn in the shin. Just to give her time to slip back into her line unnoticed. A second later, they seemed to forgo physical punishment and went for the implant, and he didn't notice much more than pain in his head for a while after that.]
Reply
An Andorian woman quietly helped Joanna off the ground when she felt she could stand but kept her back when Jo made a move to help Jim, telling her to stay put. You can't help him if you're suffering the same punishment.
She watched as the two Gorn picked him up by his arms and dragged him from the room and the Tellarite oddity began moving the others. The women were taken to a small shuttle that she assumed would bring them to their final destination. The lack of windows on the shuttle didn't give her much in the way of an opportunity to try and recognize any constellations-- not that astronomy had ever been her strong suit. When the shuttle finally came to a stop she followed the rest of the herd down a hallway to a tunnel. Jo had the distinct feeling that they were underground if the formation of the rock and damp chill were anything to go by. They were brought into a large room sectioned off with cells and separated into them.
Inside the crude rock structures were fairly large cots, a wash basin, what she could only assume were the facilities, and a linen shift. Where the walls were cold stone, what served as the door was a see through panel that rose up from the ground and locked into place in the ceiling. It seemed to be some kind of plexiglass, thick and unyielding.
Sitting down on the cot with the shift in her hands, Joanna wondered what had happened to Jim and if he were alright. A bitter thought worked through her mind and she sighed tiredly.
So much for staying together.*
Reply
Then, he was being half led, half hauled onto a smaller shuttle, and he glumly noted that his predictions had been accurate. The men and the women had been separated, and he'd lost track of Jo. So much for his brilliant plan. He slumped against the wall as the doors closed, and tried to crane his neck to see out the almost non-existent windows, but gave up when they were too small for him to get any decent idea of where they were.
When they landed, they were led down a tunnel to a room of cells, then herded into one each. But at least they removed the shackles once he was inside, something his wrists and ankles were at least grateful for.
It was to be almost a whole day before he got the chance to do more than pace his cell. The guards locked them out of their cells and led them in a single file into a small courtyard, and Jim relished the chance to move about more freely again. Amongst the faces he recognized from the transport, there were new ones, and Jim sought out one of the few human faces in the crowd.
When he was returned to his cell, he was much more informed than he'd been since he'd left the Enterprise, though not more optimistic. His new 'friend' had reluctantly told him why they were here. There was going to be monthly fights, serving both as entertainment to their captors, and to win the right to one of the women being held in another part of the complex. But what really disturbed him was that they were there to be bred like horses. You fought, you won one of the women, you fucked her and you hoped she got knocked up so she wouldn't have to be fought for again the following month. If you had a shred of conscience left, of course, Jim wasn't sure about the moralities of his fellow inmates.
He made a decision. The only one he could make really. No one would touch Jo but him. He wouldn't leave any room for her to endure something like that, of being used like... The thought made him sick, and maybe they could fool everyone long enough for the Federation to come to their aid. Maybe... If he just kept winning the right to her. At least they'd have time together to make a plan and put it into action.]
Reply
And then there were stories that truly frightened her. She'd come across a pregnant woman in the kitchens and had been shocked to see it considering how closed off they seemed to be kept. It was only when the woman explained how the system worked, how their captors were able to pay top dollar for the best specimens and why they would even bother. Every purchase made served as a double investment-- the men were used like gladiators from the Roman age and the women as house servants. And then they were bred.
It had been bad enough when she'd been examined initially by the Syndicate's doctors, but the thought of being tossed to some stranger... some beast that would...
She couldn't think about that. Couldn't focus on it. If she did it would only make her stomach churn.
Still, the one bright spot she'd experienced was when they were given time above ground. The fact that they were allowed to mingle with their fellow prisoners meant she had a chance of seeing Jim, it just also meant that it gave the men a chance to see what they would be fighting for.*
Reply
It seemed his plans to regain his freedom would have to take a backseat to survival for a while, at last for long enough to scope out the place and gather as much information as he could.
Twice a week, they shared the yard with a group of the female slaves, and though Jim never participated in the jeering and catcalling when the women were led into the yard, he never stopped scanning each face to see if Jo was in the group. He had no interest in claiming any other woman, had no interest in being forced to impregnate anyone at all, but he'd claim Jo to keep her from being forced on someone else.
The first time he saw her walk into the yard, his breath caught. Maybe he'd been in strictly male company for too long, secluded from any friendly faces, but in that moment, she was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. Unfortunately, some of the other men seemed to share his opinion, so Jim wasted no time in making his way over to her, elbowing the other who tried to follow in the ribs.
Falling into step beside her, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and lowered his voice to a quiet mutter.] We're training for the next monthly fight. I don't know how much they've told you but... I'm going to choose you. The others will touch you over my dead body.
Reply
It was difficult to fight back the urge to embrace him but she obeyed her training and listened quietly as he spoke. They didn't have long if the previous times out had been any indication. What he said made her stare at him in shock.* If you seriously compete then you could get yourself killed. Your best bet is to put up enough of a fight to satisfy the requirements and then forfeit. It's not worth it. I'll... I'll deal with what I have to deal with.
Reply
[He paused and turned to look into her eyes, sheer determination and stubbornness in his own.] We don't have time to argue about this, and I'm not about to let every brute in here have a go at you. Now, I need you to do something for me. You have more freedom to move around the complex than me, and better connections. If at all possible, get a PADD or something similar, something that can be hooked up to a network. When I win you in the fight, smuggle it with you to where they'll take us. There's more than one reason why I'm doing this.
Reply
Not by much. I'm relegated to the kitchens and they pat us down before they send us back to our cells in case we try to smuggle a knife or weapon. If I can break something down into pieces I might be able to, but something fully functional? I doubt it.
*She gave him a look as much as she could afford to.* I didn't think it was because you wanted to sleep with me, Jim.
Reply
Then break it down, and I'll put it together. It's going to take a while no matter what, but we can't lose any time. I need to get started on it as soon as I can and another month is too long to wait.
[Her comment made him chuckle to himself, though he made sure to keep his face carefully neutral.] I don't want anyone to sleep with you who you didn't choose yourself. No one should ever be subjected to that.
Reply
Leave a comment