Post by do on Sept 25, 2009 22:01:42 GMT -5
"Captain's Log, Stardate 11.12.2170. We have been asked to render assistance to the planet Angel 1, a non-aligned world on the edge of Romulan space. It appears that the Elected One, the planetary leader of Angel 1, has fallen ill with Rigelian Measles, a fatal condition if untreated but an easily treatable one by Starfleet medicine. The Vanguard has been dispatched to provide medical assistance with the possibility of opening diplomatic relations with Angelians as potential candidates for Federation membership.
Starfleet is also eager to gain what intelligence there is about the Angelians as the society has been wary of off-world contact for quite sometime. Although the Angelians have achieved warp capability, they are known to travel infrequently and have been rumoured to trade with the Romulans on occasion. Following contact with their Second Mistress Kahlia, I am confident that the Angelians' need is genuine and they have agreed to allow an armed security force to accompany the medical team dispatched.
As this is something of an unknown situation, we are sending the medical team led by Dr. Vedder to the surface, with a company of Sharks, headed by Captain Mercer.
~~~~~
"Why not us?" Armando asked. "At least one of us, guys..."
Cate looked at him, a smile tugging at her lips. If he thought pouting would help, Cate believed Medic Armando Bernard would. "Because there's going to be enough testosterone as it is," she replied simply, glancing at Nurse Janice Clayton.
Janice chuckled, looking at Armando and Tyler next to him. "Sorry, boys. But the Doc's got a point. The Marines are accompanying us..." Enough said.
"Well, if they expect trouble than one of us should be there," Tyler pointed out. "You know what Martin would say..."
"Oh, yes, I know." Cate nodded. "Thanks for that. That's just strengthening my resolve." She flashed them a smile as she finished packing. "You guys keep Sickbay tip-top shape, alright? Doctor Martin won't be happy when he comes back from his conference on Vulcan to find the place a mess."
Turning to Janice, she waved to the woman. "Come on. We won't hear the end of it if we make the MACOs wait.
*
"I don't think this is going to take too long," Captain Jake Mercer said to his 21C Lt. Ray Rigby as he stood on the transporter platform, waiting for the Starfleet Medical team beaming onto the planet Angel 1 to arrive. "According to your mom," Jake stated that last word with a hint of teasing, "the Elected One on the planet's got Rigellian measles and probably just need a shot. They don't have the treatment for it."
"It better not or I'll tell 'Mom' you're playing hooky." Ray grinned right back. "And remember. Don't drink the water."
"Yeah, babysitting medical personnel." Jake rolled his eyes. "It's a thrill of a lifetime." Of course, anyone who had been on the ship for the past two months knew that part of what he was saying was bullshit, largely owing to the fact that the medical team was being led by Lt. Cate Vedder, whom the Captain of the Sharks had often been referring to as 'Doctor Cate' and with whom he had shared several meals together in the galley. They weren't exactly an item but they weren't exactly considered not either. Only Jake and Cate knew the extent of their relationship and right now, they were giving nothing away.
Ray grinned, more a smirk really to himself as he refrained from saying what he wanted to. "Depends on who's on the medical team." Okay. So his restraint wasn't that good.
"Grow up," Jake snorted defensively, reluctant to discuss his feelings for Doctor Cate with anyone right now. He knew how he felt about her – oh, that was fucking clear as a bell to him - but after Sloane, he was determined to proceed with caution.
Not bothering to hide a smirk, Ray remained silent. For now.
Cate walked into the transporter room on the tail end of the exchange. Raising an eyebrow, she still couldn't keep from smiling. "Captain, Lieutenant," she addressed both men before turning to Rigby.
"You're joining us?"
Hiding a smile, Janice followed behind Vedder and went to stand on one of the transporter pads.
Of course, anyone who saw Jake the instant Cate entered the room would see a not so subtle shift in his manner, like someone had turned on the thaw switch in the refrigerated unit.
Smirking at Jake still, Ray managed to clear it before answering Cate oh-so-innocently. "Nah. Someone's gotta be in charge," he said. "Do me favour though, Cate. No holes this time, okay?"
Behind Jake, the Sarge snorted, but managed to cover his mouth with one hand.
"You're a fucking riot," Jake threw at him as Sarge, Dee and the rest of the party waited impatiently for them to get started.
"No holes." She nodded. "I'll do my best, Ray." She gave him a sweet smile as she passed him to go stand on a pad next to Janice. "Good to go?
"Yeah," Jake nodded in her direction, expression neutral. After Solarian, Jake had learned how to keep his reactions to Cate in check when in the presence of his Sharks. "Might as well."
Turning to the rest of his party, who was still lingering around and near the transporter pad, he barked, "You want a fucking invitation or you going to get on the pad?" He scowled at Sarge and the others and inwardly winced.
Great, Ray was sure to get on his ass about being more of a people person when he got back from this duty.
Ka'ana lumbered past Jake up onto the transporter pad, looking DOWN at his Captain. "Of course. Sir." He'd never do that off the ship, Mercer didn't like it and neither did he..but damn, it was fun to get the man's goat.
"I see what you meant about the testosterone," Janice said, leaning to nudge Cate's shoulder.
"Welcome to my frigging world." Corporal Deidra 'Dee' Sheridan rolled her eyes, snorting waiting for these... men. This was her life. Everyday was spent drowning in testosterone, while these guys scratched nuts, hit on her and continued their daily chugging fests. It was old hat for Dee.
Cate chuckled, shaking her head lightly. Oh, yeah. Leaving their male counterparts behind had been a good idea for the medical team. Of that, she was certain.
"See you in a few, Ray," Jake said to Rigby as they were all assembled on the transporter pad, ready to go.
"Get me a t-shirt," Ray returned, nodding at the transporter tech.
Jake had just enough time to scowl and show Ray the finger before the transporter started humming and the world shimmered out of view in a shower of gold.
*
When the solid reappeared around them again, Jake found that the Away Team had transported in the centre of a great hall. With high ceilings, thick ornate pillars that ran along the length of the room against coral pink marble floor, there was no doubt that they had been delivered into the cradle of Angelian government. Huge windows allowed views of a panoramic city, whose architecture resembled Betazed somewhat. Except for them, the hall was devoid of life but not for long, Jake realised once he regained his bearings because he heard footsteps echoing across the floor.
"That must be security," he commented to the others, turning to look at the approaching party when he paused.
They were all women.
That wasn't unusual to him. Jake had served with women for years and did not look at gender if they knew how to do their jobs. Of course, there were differences in serving with the opposite sex but for the most part, Jake had just as much confidence in a female soldier than he did in the male. However, the security team approaching him was another story altogether. Jake was accustomed to seeing women come in all shapes and sizes but these, these were all tall, athletic, not quite muscular but strong enough in their appearance to take on any man.
They were also armed to the teeth, carrying not only subtle energy weapons at their hips but swords and blades that didn't look ceremonial. Not to mention that every one of them, wore imperious expressions of disdain as they approached and did not look as if they were happy to welcome company.
The leader of the group was a statuesque blonde that could kick Ka'ana's ass if she were on the rag, carrying a broadsword. Their uniforms were a mixture of Amazon Women on Mars and functional modern security wear.
Taking a deep breath and reminding himself that he had to be diplomatic, Jake stepped forward to greet them, glancing at Cate long enough to remark, "Better let me."
"Sure, Captain," Cate found herself saying, her attention on the group of women approaching them. There was something to be said about oestrogen as well...
Jake stepped forward, straightening up and regarding the tall blonde. Christ, her legs went on for miles, he noted.
"Captain Jake Mercer of the SS Vanguard. We're here to assist your Elected One?" Keeping his tone even and almost pleasant, Jake was certain Ray would have been proud.
Captain of the High Guard Dalana narrowed her eyes at the man that stepped forward even as one of her women gasped behind her. Ignoring Rali, she assessed this one with great interest, thinking those eyes alone would be worth the Var'ana challenge for him. Crazy thoughts, she already had a full stable, and certainly Kiva elected would want him. A similar gaze assessed the tall one behind the dark-haired the same before she turned her attention to said woman, ignoring the male.
"Is this custom among humans to let the men speak?" Dalana asked Cate, who was obviously in charge here. There were two other females, but Dalana supposed they were lower ranking because of the way they stood around the brunette.
For a good ten seconds, it didn't register what the woman had said.
Probably because he was so fucking stunned.
"What?" he burst out, glaring at the woman, about to tell her who let her off the leash, when he remembered himself, well barely. "Let him speak? What the fuck does that mean?"
Somewhere on Vanguard, Jake imagined Ray smacking his face with the palm of his hand.
"Silence!" That was Rali, who had stepped up behind Dalana, hand on the knife tucked into her belt.
"Rali..."
"He should have his tongue sliced for his insolence," the younger woman spat at Dalana. "To speak to the Captain of the High Guard..."
"Enough..." Her tone calming, Dalana urged her back into formation. "Or she shall be gifted from your own stable. They are human," she offered helpfully. The younger one's temper was why she wasn't in charge of much. Kiva Elected did not appreciate one who could lose control so easily.
Glowering, Rali reined in control at the threat and stepped back into line. Dalana turned back to Cate. "My apologies for Rali. She is young," she said, hoping the woman wouldn't claim offence.
Feeling like all the spotlights were on her, Cate squared her shoulders. "Mercer," Cate muttered under her breath, stepping forward next to him before he could say anything else, her hand going to his arm. "Shut up."
Jake was about to balk at that when he noted the glare in the woman's eyes and decided better against arguing. Okay, okay, he thought fuming, when in fucking Rome…
Her gaze surveying the rash one, Cate took another second before looking at the Captain of the High Guard.
"Apologies accepted," she said with a nod, her voice sounding a lot more steady than she felt. "And yes, our customs do allow for our men to speak. Will that be a problem?"
Dalana shot her sisters a look, raking her eyes over the man who had dared speak to her so insolently. While she did not understand all his words, the emphasis on certain words almost certainly involved profanity. "It is hardly a problem in that they seldom have anything of value to say." She fixed her gaze on the woman.
Cate couldn't help the slight quirk lifting one corner of her mouth. The woman's words would go down well with Mercer. Ignoring the comment but holding the woman's gaze, she said, "I am Doctor Vedder. I am here to be of assistance to your leader. Shall I be permitted to proceed?" She had the distinct impression that the quicker she got that done, the quicker they would leave and the better they would all fare.
Jake was smouldering with anger but he had sense enough to know when it was time to take advice. Clearly there were some cultural issues here that they had neglected to tell Captain Houser when they first made contact. Although he wanted to respond to the quip so obviously directed at him, Cate's advice to dummy up was good. Looking over his shoulder, Jake issued a silent warning to his men to do the same, even though half of them looked like they were about to split their sides laughing. Dee, on the other hand, just looked smug.
Fucking women. They always stuck together.
"Doctor Vedder," Dalana said graciously. "Thank you for coming. Please, follow me. The Elected One grows worse every hour."
"If they stay here, Rali, then you will be assigned as their escort," Dalana replied evenly, the younger woman's acridness wearing her patience. "They do not have to enter her sleeping chamber."
Like fuck they didn't, Jake was about to blurt out. After what he had seen, he wasn't letting Cate out of his sight and was about to open his mouth to protest when a well-timed discreet cough by Dee instantly halted him enough to remember himself.
"Permission to speak?" He felt like he was in fucking boot again. He directed his comment to Cate.
"For this disease, time is of the essence," Cate said with a nod. "But I do not intend to be separated from my team. My captain was assured their presence was welcomed here. I need them close by." She didn't want to come as pushy but they knew next to nothing of these people and she wasn't about to let them split them up. "One moment," she added with a curt nod, before she turned to Mercer.
"What is it?"
Like the rest of this fucking situation, her tone irked him and, throwing a glance at the reproachful way Queen Bitch of the Universe and her cronies were glaring at him, Jake felt his anger going from simmer to bubble.
"Nothing now," he answered sweetly, experiencing near physical pain as he forced those words through gritted teeth. "Just wanted to remind you that you shouldn't go anywhere alone." Loosely translated into you're not going anywhere on your own without us.
Cate gave him a small smile, trying to play the game these people were pushing on them, but her eyes told him to stay put.
Jake caught the pointed stare and had no choice to concede defeat. Yep, those were his balls she had in her doctor's kit alright, right next to the tongue depressor.
Her gaze went back on the head lady. "So, what will it be?" Cate offered them the choice. It was either the treatment and men in the vicinity or nothing.
"No!"
"Rali!" Dalana glared at the younger woman, her gaze going to Jake and back to Cate. Had Rali kept her mouth shut, Dalana would have gladly taken the whole ensemble straight to Kiva and it was only Rali's damn insular sight that was keeping them.
"They may stay with you, please..." One hand went out elegantly to indicate the way, walking to get the group moving. "I understand your customs but please know there are members of our council sitting with her. They will not understand if your Mercer speaks out as he has here." Belatedly, she realized she should probably address the man himself but habits withered with difficulty. Forcing herself to spare him a glance, Dalana continued. "He will have to exercise restraint of the utmost degree," she said earnestly.
Sensing any show of weakness would go against her and their standing here, Cate kept herself in check as well as the relief she felt. "That will not be a problem," she said, before glancing at Mercer and the men standing behind them. "Shall we?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jake answered, swallowing piss and vinegar as he played the good little boy and obeyed. He didn't trust himself to say anything else because restraint would not be exercised and this was a first contact mission despite how much of a clusterfuck this was becoming.
Confident that Dr. Vedder had proper control of her stable, Dalana nodded at her own entourage to proceed and like the queen bee, led the entire party across the marble floor.
Following Dalana, Cate walked close to Mercer, sensing him still simmering but quietly. "You okay?" she asked in a hush tone.
"I'm fine," Jake growled, certain he was wearing his teeth to the gums. "Just let's get this done and get the fuck out of here."
"Working on that," she snapped back, annoyed he would bite her head off. It wasn't her damn fault this planet was the home to a damn breed of Amazons. Speeding up, she put distance between he and herself. He could be such a dick. Frankly, a stay on this world could probably teach him a thing or two.
Shit, Jake thought to himself as he saw Cate walk away from him, clearly pissed.
Sarge fell into stride with him and commented, "Jeez, Captain, do you think it's wise to piss off the woman who's the boss of you right now?"
If looks could kill, only the fucker's dreadlocks would be left after Jake retracted his glare from him.
Following Dalana, Jake and Cate were led out of the enormous room, through a series of smaller ones. Unlike the earlier hall, these ones weren't devoid of people as the other had been. In fact, this section of the building appeared to be largely normal, with lighted hallways and people going about their business. Not people actually but rather women. Jake couldn't see a man in sight, which only added to his growing concern about what the hell kind of place they had willingly beamed themselves into.
"Where are all the men?" Dee asked Sarge quietly. While it was nice to see women in charge for a change, there was an extremism to this that made her concerned.
"Off making… swords or something," he rumbled back, eyeing the way this place seemed so much like the Earther's Greek architecture.
Finally after a few minutes of walking, they reached another doorway. This one was tall, brass and had all the opulence of leading somewhere important. One of the women activated the door panel and soundlessly, the doors parted, allowing them entry into the room beyond.
Unlike the rest of the building, which so far appeared fairly pedestrian, this room was anything but. It was decorated in expensive silks, plush carpets on the smooth floor. The lighting was ambient and reminded Jake of a luxury bordello he once visited on Orion 3.
Fuck, that had been a good furlough.
There was soft music being played by a young man who couldn't be more than eighteen, who looked pretty enough to be female. He wore bright colours, with chest exposed and his stature, while lean, seemed smaller somehow, less developed. He was lying on a divan, playing the instrument, strumming the chords delicately. There were cushions strewn about the floor, large ones that held more of these pretty looking men, who looked right out of a gay bar or a male strip club, Jake hadn't been in enough to say for certain. They all seemed to be waiting and regarded the newcomers with some measure of veiled hostility.
In the centre of the room, on a raised platform surrounded by a gossamer-like shimmering canopy, was a large bed. Lying atop the sheets and mattress of silk was a woman in her fifties, whose eyes were closed and did not appear to be in good health.
"Our custom is to bow," Dalana told Cate, more of a suggestive plea as she kneeled down for example. "Everyone must," she said pointedly.
Cate glanced again at the Marines, giving Mercer a pointed look in passing, and faced forward again, bowing as requested.
Averting her eyes from the many male bodies surrounding them, Cate tried to evaluate the older woman's condition, even at a distance.
Janice, on the other hand, had no such qualms. She wasn't quite gawking, but damn near it. Catching Dee's gaze, Janice mouthed a 'wow' before she glanced at the other Sharks, trying to imagine them lounging on those precious cushions.
Dee nodded in agreement while Jake looked at Sarge with an expression that said clearly, 'You gotta be fucking kidding'.
Avyn shook his head at Sheridan, dreads rustling slightly as he fixed the pretty (but damn noisy) nurse with a glare that said, 'Not in your fucking lifetime'.
The seriousness of the situation not sinking into Janice yet, still thinking (and appreciating) this was like some cosmic and karmic payback for the male Marines, she just thought it was a shame Ka'ana took it that way. Swallowing, she looked away from his dark gaze.
Get the job done, get out. Get the job done, get out. Jake chanted to himself repeatedly as it became pointedly clear what the role of men in this society was. He wondered in Earth culture had they ever been this bad and knew that unfortunately men had been dishing out this kind of shit to women since the beginning of human history. Even now, vestiges of this behaviour remained, even in himself, however, seeing all this, it was a fucking sobering experience to say the least.
He saw that he and his Sharks were being glared at something fierce by the harem, like they were usurping something or rather. Not on your fucking life, asshole, he thought to himself. Although Jake was starting to wonder if there was anyone else on this planet they could piss off? Nevertheless, he bowed like Cate had indicated he should do.
Once the offworlders had bowed, Dalana spoke again. "The rest of you will remain where you are, only the healer is allowed to approach the Elected One."
Cate nodded and moved forward, her medical bag in hand. The decor of the room was as sumptuous as the room was large, with high ceilings and floating curtains and draperies, but she didn't really notice any of it. The woman looked bad... worse than she should have if she had only been suffering from the illness for as long as her people had said. That got Cate worried.
As Cate was conducting her examination of the Elected One, the great doors opened again and this time another woman entered the room. She was in her thirties and, like the rest of the women on this world, looked amazingly in shape, with long red hair and a graceful, athletic build. Her eyes fixed on Jake with clear interest as she entered the room and the way in which she looked him over as she did, made Jake feel decidedly grateful he was armed. There was an almost predatory vibe radiating off of her as she studied him. As if she was measuring him up.
Moving gracefully to intercept the new arrival, Dalana greeted her with the clasped hand and slight bow she had exhibited for Kiva. "Second Mistress Kahlia," she said, indicating where Cate was kneeling at Kiva's side. "This is the Federation healer and.. her stable," she said. Best to say it that when Kahlia was such an avid collector of men, both for breeding and pleasure.
"Good," Kahlia said before turning to Jake and the others. "What are these... doing here?"
"Oddly enough, these Federations allow their men to have equal standing with them."
"How peculiar," Kahlia replied. "How can men be expected to learn anything of use. They're so closely linked to their sexual impulses? How would they get anything done?" she made no effort to lower her voice.
"Don't know about you, Captain, but I think they just nailed us." Sarge smirked.
"Shut the fuck up," Jake hissed, his rage turning into a slow ticking bomb.
"Hello," Cate spoke quietly to the Elected One, out of earshot of the exchange between Kahlia and Dalana and its repercussion amidst the MACOs. She wasn't sure if she was even allowed to address her but Cate knew no other way to be around a patient. "I'm here to help. My name is Cate. Rigelian Measles can be pretty nasty but it's not as bad Rigelian Fever. So I guess that's a good thing..."
"Good day, young one," the older leader said, her voice scratchy and weak. "You have come a long way for the likes of me..."
Cate smiled and got her tricorder out. "May I?" At Kiva's nod, she scanned her body. Dehydrated and feverish, the woman was already looking rather frail. Unlike the fever, the measles weren't likely to cause an outbreak, but like the fever, the measles required something from the rare mineral ryetalyn to cure it and, luckily, Vanguard's sickbay had some. "How long have you been suffering, ma'am?"
"One cycle..." The woman blinked, slowly losing the fight to remain conscious.
One cycle? On this world, what did that mean? "Captain Dalana?" Cate called out, turning toward their hostess and the newcomer.
Dalana pulled away from Second Mistress and approached the healer. "Yes, what is it?"
"One cycle... how many days is that?" Cate asked, not bothering with lengthy sentences and flowery words.
"That would be six revolutions of our planet," Dalana explained. "Why is this significant?"
Six days... Cate blinked. "Because we were told a couple of days," she replied quietly, standing up as to not upset the sick woman. "The measles can be treated but the longer the delay the less successful the treatment is..." She glanced back at the patient. "I fear we may be too late," she told Dalana, wanting to give her a heads-up. "I will do my best..."
Dalana stiffened, not liking that possibility and glancing at Second Mistress Kahlia who would almost certainly inherit the position of the Elected One if the current holder of that title did not survive. "Please do all that can be done to help her."
"I will." Cate nodded, returning to a kneeling position by Kiva's bed. She prepared the hypospray with the cure and pushed the meds. Next she prepared an IV and worked to make the woman more comfortable. After a few more minutes, Cate stepped back and looked around, seeking Dalana.
The MACOs were behaving though Cate could sense tension between them and the other males in the room. And there was also that new woman warrior. She was eyeing the men on her team like they were a piece of meat... Ka'ana and Mercer especially. Cate wasn't sure she was entirely comfortable with that.
Dalana stepped back and noted the same thing from Kahlia, finding it unhealthy, the attention paid to the humans by the Second Mistress. Kahlia's stable was vast and she was often adding upon it. Her stable consisted of breeders and pleasurers. She wondered which one Kahlia had would prefer to the two men she was studying so closely.
"That is all we can ask," Dalana said politely. However her attention kept drifting.
"Dalana," Cate tried to get the woman's attention again. "I have administered the cure. All we can do now is wait."
"Thank you for you assistance," Dalana said graciously. She went to the Elected One's side, kneeling before the woman in reverence.
Meanwhile, Kahlia approached Cate. "That one," she pointed to Mercer. "Does he belong to you?"
Oh fuck, Jake thought, whishing the ground swallowed him up now. Behind him he heard a barely stifled guffaw from Dee.
Being as big as he was, subtle was hard to do but Sarge managed it, finding something minute on his rifle.
Pardon? Cate's brain switched back to French she was so surprised by the question. She eyed the woman before she glanced to Mercer. She was about to say that no, that he didn't, but then thought better of it. The men here were clearly property and the way that woman had been eyeing Mercer, Cate might as well play it safe. She could apologise to Mercer later.
"Of course."
Jake's spine straightened and he would have smirked if the circumstances were different. However, what amusement he was finding in this situation was gone long ago and now he was just starting to get really pissed. Instead, he just managed to maintain his composure as behind him Sarge and his MACOs were struggling to hide their titters.
"How well does he breed?"
Cate nearly choked at that and figured if that was her reaction, Mercer must have bit through his tongue to remain this silent.
Come over here honey, Jack bit back the urge to say, I'll show you how fucking well I breed….
"How is that your business?" Cate said, going for insulted as she looked away from Kahlia to glance to Dalana.
"It will help determine his value of course," Kahlia retorted, staring at the offworlder as if she were an unschooled barbarian. "I have need of breeding stock in my stable. He will do nicely."
He will do nicely?
Jake looked over his shoulder and saw Sarge trying to hold a straight face. The other members of his squad were either looking down or away from him, unable to make eye contact.
Avyn choked at that, turning it into a cough and cleared his throat.
Jake stared at Cate, wondering what she would say. If it wouldn't possibly make things worse, Jake would have been tempted to tell the woman what he thought about her stable but as it was, they were walking a fine line.
In her stable?! "He won't do nicely for you," Cate said, bristling, thinking the insufferable bitch couldn't handle him anyway - not that Cate knew if she could herself... "Because he is mine." Oh, my god, she could not believe she was uttering those words.
Janice gulped, her usual radar for trouble turning on big time. This could turn ugly and fast. She looked between the two women intently.
"I see." Kahlia frowned, turning to Jake once more, determined to have him. There was something different about him that piqued her interest. "I will pay handsomely for him and the other one as well." She regarded the taller one. "It is not good to separate them."
Dalana finally left the Elected One's side and returned to the two, alarmed by the tone of the conversation. "Kahlia," she said firmly. "These are offworlders."
"Yes, and we are not here to conduct business," Cate said firmly. "My men are not for sale. Not him," she looked to Jake, "and certainly not him," Cate added pointedly, her eyes touching on the Sarge, trying to save herself some explaining later if she only defended Mercer.
Jake was listening to this with his jaw just about on the floor. Were they fucking serious? Looking at Sarge he muttered, "Not good to separate them?"
"Lady Kahlia means that our men," Dalana addressed Cate in answer to Jake. "Do not appreciate being separated once they have bonded with each other. They are very... temperamental," she offered in hopes that explained it.
"Dalana, you do not need to explain our customs to such a weak female," Rali growled as she joined the group, glaring at Cate, hand drawing a sharp belt-knife half out of its scabbard. "Now that you have seen to our Elected One, I claim Var'ana...."
"RALI, NO!" Dalana practically hissed as the little bitch continued.
".. for him, to teach him a lesson!!" Rali snarled, chin indicating Jake.
The minute Jake saw the knife, his weapon was drawn and the ripple effect moved swiftly throughout the room as the Marines followed suit, weapons were drawn ready to fire. The men in the harem immediately let out terrified cries of panic, causing Jake to shoot them a bewildered 'what the fuck' look before he faced front again.
"Hey, drop the fucking knife," he demanded.
Even Cate had her hand on her phaser at Rali's reaction. Doctor or not, she was a Starfleet officer and even though Capt. Mercer didn't think she was more than one notch above a civvie, her training kicked in and she stared the other woman down, her sixth sense telling her she could not back down here.
"I am not finished with your Elected One," Cate spoke, looking from Rali to Dalana. "We have to wait and see how she reacts to the treatment..." But carry on as you are now and we are leaving, her eyes told both women.
"Of course." Dalana's hand closed on Rali's shoulder, fingers flexing into the muscle and tendons in a grip that made the younger woman flinch.
"Kahlia," she continued, without breaking her contact with Rali. "Please see to the men," she urged.
The other woman, eyes wide nodded, just as the doors burst open to Kiva's chamber, revealing several members of the council who had been patiently awaiting the human doctor's assessment of their leader. One of the women gasped, hand going to her mouth when she spied the weapons and a second woman fainted dead away.
"These men have dared to taint our Elected!" Rali cried out, glaring at Dalana triumphantly. "They have raised weapons in her presence!! This doctor cannot heal the Elected One!"
"That is quite enough!" Dalana's voice went up sharply as she yanked Rali back from Cate, fingernails digging into the fabric of her tunic.
As she did, Rali turned, the knife flashing quickly in the light and catching Dalana's thigh, quickly causing the taller one to shove her away. As blood blossomed brilliantly red across the torn linen, Dalana's gaze went from angry to .. cold. Nothing. Void.
Rali's hand tightened on the hilt of her knife as she glared angrily at her commander.
Around them, the other women had ushered panicky men out of harm's way.
"Oh shit." Jake saw the reaction and had a very, very bad feeling about this.
Steeling herself, Cate managed not to take a step back when Dalana and Rali got into it. She heard Janice gasped somewhere behind her and she realised they were having a front row seat to some power struggle among the Angelians while them drawing their weapons had probably propelled this medical consultation to some diplomatic incident.
She glanced to Jake, wondering what to do here. Just pull back or let this play out?
This lack of control in those women sure wasn't a point for the girl team, Cate thought. And what the hell was Var'ana anyway?
"ENOUGH!" the Second Mistress barked at Dalana and Rali.
Kahlia had been waiting for the opportunity to speak and now with the weapons raised by the men, she had it. Once she had put a stop to the battle between Dalana and Rali, she addressed the other counsellors. "It was not at my request that we invited these offworlders here but now that we have, we must deal with their violation of Law. Men may not bring weapons into the presence of the Elected One, you should know this better than anyone, Dalana!"
Turning on Cate, she added, almost smugly. "I am afraid that these men are to be confiscated as property of the Angelian Matriarchy. Take them into custody, Rali."
"Second Mistress!" Dalana ignored the cut on her leg to glare at Rali, practically vibrating in the want to remove that smug smirk. "They only drew because Rali violated our rules as well. She threatened the healer first and these men were only protecting her!"
"Circumstance is no excuse for violation of Law," Kahlia said smugly.
"This is unacceptable," Cate replied, surprised by Kahlia's claim. Her gaze moved to Dalana, the only sane one in this room, it seemed. "We came to your aid at YOUR request. Nobody deigned to inform us of your laws and customs..." How could they be held accountable for something they weren't aware of? "We will apologise but we will be taking our leave." Her tone was firm even as she felt she lacked sorely the clout of a diplomat.
"I'm afraid that is not possible," Kahlia replied. "You will not be allowed to leave. Your Federation guidelines, as it was presented to us, indicated that before we accepted your assistance, you would adhere to our local customs. This is in accordance with your Prime Directive, is it not?"
"Fuck this." Jake stood up. "We're leaving."
Fuck the Prime Directive, Cate thought, her mind echoing Mercer. What had the Federation sent them to? They'd given these women all there was to know about their own rules and not bothered to get the Angelians' own take on life and the universe?
"They are guidelines," Cate retorted through gritted teeth. If push came to shove, she would ignore them.
"Vedder to Vanguard, the team is ready for transport," she said, keying her comm unit and not wasting any time.
"You cannot," Dalana said quickly, her eyes on Kahlia, now clear on who the spiders in the wardrobe were. "This building is set with a shield that will not allow transporter lock. We only lowered it for your arrival," she explained, using her torn skirt to dab at the blood on the bare thigh that could now be seen.
Fuck. Jake's expression spoke volumes. Fucking Fleeters and their fucking eagerness to go out and meet new fucking people. The profanity level in Jake's Mercer's head might have given him an aneurism. No longer caring at protocol since they were for the moment... fucked and possibly literally, Jake shot a look at Cate, amidst the outrage of the Angelians, who were shocked at his temerity to speak to his... he couldn't even think it... owner, directly. "Get Houser on the line, now."
Her mouth a thin line, Cate's worry doubled when she saw the situation had gotten to Mercer beyond simply pissing his male ego off. "Vedder to Vanguard. I need to speak with Captain Houser now."
*
"Ma'am, the away team is requesting a direct connection." Lieutenant Monroe announced from her station at comms.
Looking up from a padd, Shay nodded. "Open it." With a nod from the comm officer, she continued. "This is Captain Houser."
"Captain, we have a problem here." Cate met Mercer's gaze as she brought Houser up to speed, as unbelievable as her tale might come across to the Bridge crew. "We are done here," she finished, which wasn't quite true. She would have normally wanted to stay to make sure the patient responded well to treatment, but now she got the distinct impression they better be gone before they found out either way. "Awaiting your instructions."
A full moment went by before Shay could compose herself to speak, which said something for the usually on-the-ball officer. Words just.. did not define this. A power struggle with the current leader sickened. Lovely. Just.. fucking.. peaches.
"Please let me speak with the.. Second Mistress," she asked. "And does Captain Mercer have the long range telepadd with his team?" If this was going to turn into my-bra-is-bigger-than-yours, she wanted to meet the woman eye-to-eye and would beam down there outside that damn building if she had to.
Cate looked to Mercer about the telepadd and at his nod, she replied to Houser, "Yes, yes, he does. One moment, Captain." She turned to Kahlia and her eyes narrowed when she realised the Second Mistress was circling the men, and one in particular.
Meanwhile Kahlia and the guards had surrounded Jake and the others, having foregone their traditional weapons and going now for the disruptor-like ones they had previously left holstered.
She came up to Jake and studied him closely. "You might need a restraint collar for the first few months, I think." She spoke as if she were looking at a prized stallion. "Once you've learned your place, I think you will be an excellent breeder."
"Hey, we don't breed our men," Dee spoke up. This had played out like that dream she had once when the guys had been particularly insufferable and she found holovids of herself in the shower on the stream. Dee had imagined the guys in a situation like this but seeing it for herself in reality gave her no joy. Trust their indignation to fuck that up too. "We treat them as equals."
"I am not breeding any fucking thing," Jake snapped. "And you're not my type."
"What difference does it make what you think." She reached for him and, without warning, grabbed him south of the border. "Your only value is here."
So surprised by the obvious blatantness of it, Jake felt her hand for about a second before withdrawing. "Hey, watch the fucking hands."
"I think that's the point," Dee remarked, eyes wide, still trying to remember this was a serious situation.
Cate blinked, feeling Mercer's shudder like it was her own.
"Second Mistress... Kahlia," she said, her tone full of venom. "My leader would like a word with you, if possible..."
Hearing her name being called, Kahlia left Jake and returned to Cate.
"This is not a matter to be discussed here," Kahlia said as she took the communicator. "Captain Houser."
"Second Mistress Kahlia," Shay returned in the same tone given to her, business now, having wrapped her mind around the situation at hand. Basically, it boiled down to her people were being held. "I understand there is an issue regarding my away team?"
"They have violated our law," Kahlia replied, eyeing Jake up and down with clear designs upon him. "You agreed to adhering to our customs while they are here. Are you telling me you now refuse to recognise our sovereign rights? It is a poor start to any future relations between our peoples. Perhaps we should ask the Romulans to mediate the matter."
"I'm not refusing anything," Shay returned, her voice still even. Almost pleasant. "We did agree to adhere to your customs." She hit the mute button on the right hand console on her chair.
"Monroe, send an alert to Starfleet. Notify Gaia and any Starfleet ships in the vicinity that we may have a situation and to stay tuned." Shay keyed the remote off.
"However, you refused to expound on your customs and I let Dr. Vedder go in order to facilitate a good start to future relations." Take that. "And now that we're playing cards, I should inform you that the Federation does not parlay with slavery."
"It is not slavery," Kahlia retorted. "Slavery is a term applied to sentients. Men have not been proven so. Their only use is breeding stock, they play no other role in our society. We use them for pleasure and abuse them at our leisure." Kahlia almost smiled at Cate when she uttered those words.
Jake on the other hand was about to start shooting.
And Cate was about to let him.
Come on, Captain Houser, she thought, pull a damn rabbit out of your ass and get us out of this or I swear I'm going to be forced to go against my oath and drop the bitch with a lethal dose of something.
"Humans have long since known that men are sentient," Shay replied casually, as if talking to a child who should know better. "I would be happy to discuss entrant criteria to the Federation with you since it appears Angel may not meet every requirement." Shay keyed the mute again.
"Gavin," she addressed the engineering officer. "Get Monty on that shield signal. See if he can hack it," she said quickly and returned to the conversation.
"I should also inform you, since it also appears your information is lacking, that the Romulans are not the ones you would want to discuss slavery with."
"Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere," Kahlia said sourly.
"Rali, take these people into custody, pending my discussions with Captain Houser."
Dalana closed her eyes at that, before opening them quickly. "Challenge her," she hissed at Cate, eyes shooting towards Kahlia. "It's the only way..." she ground out.
What? Cate eyed Dalana for a second before going for it, thinking that once they were locked up, it would be harder to do anything about it.
"You will do no such thing," Cate growled to Rali as she stepped forward, her phaser now in hand. She glanced to Kahlia. "I challenge her."
"What?" The outburst came from both Kahlia and Jake at the same time.
"Whoa." That was Sarge's input and up on the Vanguard, Shay's response mirrored Mercer's.
Cate put on her best poker face, hoping the challenge meant a game of chess. "I challenge you, Second Mistress. My men are mine and I will teach you that." Eyes on the woman, she refused to even look at Mercer.
"You would presume to challenge me," Kahlia looked at the healer as if she were mad. "Do you know who I am? I am Second Mistress of Angelia. I am a hundred generations born of warriors. Do you think you can best me? For that piece of meat I will own anyway?" Her eyes shifted over to Jake.
This was a fucking nightmare. When he was thirteen and discovered hard on and porn, he had dreams like this but right now, this was a nightmare. Cate couldn't take that woman on, surely. She was a doctor. The woman froze when she got shot at. She'd get herself killed.
"I don't care who you are. I am a healer, I know better than anyone how the body works and how to make it fail," Cate replied, her voice cold. She had no idea where this was coming from but after facing down Klingons and chopping up Jems, that bitch was pissing her off enough for her to forget her fear (and common sense, it seemed). "YOU presume to take my property as yours. I, who came to your help. I will not only best you, I will take your stable as well."
Oh, my frigging god. Cate bit her tongue. Getting a little carried away there, huh?
Jake stared at Cate as if she had lost her mind. What the fuck....?
"I accept your challenge," Kahlia said with anger. "Your people will be placed in seclusion until the hour of Challenge. You have one day to make ready and then we will meet in battle, to the death."
"To the death?" Jake exclaimed.
"AND HE WILL NOT SPEAK!" Kahlia snapped. "Silence him or we will do it for him. I do not require his tongue to be of use to me."
A pack of nerves as it was, Cate just turned to Mercer and slapped him across the face. "There," she returned her gaze on Kahlia. "Silenced. But do not dream. You will never have use of any part of him, whether you wish it or not."
Jesus God, please beam me out of here, Cate prayed. To the death?!
She..slapped ...him. Jake stared at her and crushed ruthlessly the want to respond. Oh, woman, you are so going to pay for that later, Jake thought but took the gesture for what it was, keeping his tongue in his skull.
Kahlia seemed satisfied at that, though she glared daggers at Cate and Dalana for giving the offworlder that counterpoint. "Very well, it has been decided, I accept your challenge."
"Rali, removed these offworlders, take their weapons and store them. When the challenge is concluded, I will return them to their ship, after I have claimed my prize." She looked at Jake with an expression that told him that more than just his virtue was at sake here.
The Hell She Would. "Monroe, get Rigby to assemble his team," Shay announced, letting herself be heard.
With the order given, Rali walked towards them, her lips curling in a triumphant smile. "Submit your weapons, now." She spoke only to the men.
Dee tossed a look at Cate and returned, finally getting a feel of how this world worked and being able to play the rules a bit, "These are still our men and as such their weapons belong to us. Is that not right, Dr. Vedder?"
"It is." Cate glanced at Dee, thanking the woman for her military brain.
"I will have charge of our weapons," Cate told Rali while the some of the High Guard neared the male part of the MACO team to strip them from their weaponry, blasters, knives and sidearms.
Rali wanted to protest but Dalana spoke. "You have that right," she answered with a nod.
Kahlia didn't seem happy at this but could not argue since the Law was what she had used to place them in this position and questioning it now would place her in an awkward situation. "Take them into the seclusion area of the Domicile. Partake of your last day in this world, enjoy your property for as long as you will but, tomorrow, I will take ownership over your dead body."
"Whatever," Cate replied to Kahlia, not showing the woman how damn certain she was that the Amazon would make true on her promise. Oh, well. Cate had bought them some time, if nothing else.
Jake wanted to fight this, wanted to scream and start shooting but they had a stay of execution and, judging from Kahlia's conversation with Captain Houser a short time ago, there was no way the Vanguard was going to let this happen. Therefore, as much as he hated this, he had to submit for now.
"Here." He handed his gun to Dee and gestured at the Sarge and the others to do the same to Cate and Janice.
Avoiding Mercer's pissy gaze, Cate grabbed Ka'ana's weapons and found he carried more knives than the rest of them all put together.
Ready, she turned back to Rali. "Lead the way," she said. "My men need some tending..."
There was a part of Jake that wondered if Cate wasn't just loving this a little.
As their weapons were collected and handed off to the women, Rali led them out of the hallway through another series of corridors, not to mention a long elevator ride before entering a lush suite, not unlike the one they had left a moment ago, although not as opulent. However, there were bars on the windows and the room sat almost fifty feet off the ground. The room may have been opulent and luxurious but it was still a gilded cage.
Standing in the middle of the room, Cate turned back to Rali. "Please, leave us." Even as she feared what the MACO captain would do or say, the doctor made the request.
Rali looked at the glare the male was throwing in her direction and said smugly. "It will be a pleasure to see you broken."
Jake opened his mouth to speak but Dee jabbed him in the ribs. Realising that this was not the time and just to let the bitch leave, Jake didn't say anything until they were alone. When they were, he turned to the doctor.
"Have you lost your fucking mind?" he demanded of Cate, eliciting a groan from almost everyone present.
Normally, Cate would have flinched but after the day they'd had so far, she only felt like slapping him again. "What did you want me to do? You want to be her bitch, is that it?" she retorted, mad as hell he would blame her for this.
Jake stiffened. "I am no one's... bitch," he growled. "You can't fight her! The bitch is on steroids! She'd kick your ass!"
Dee rolled her eyes as she listened to the exchange. "You're not going to get that washer dryer with that attitude, Captain," she couldn't help remark.
Jake threw her a look that could have reduced a person to cinders.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Cate muttered, marching to go and drop the weapons and her med bag on one of the large day beds. Turning back to him, she glanced at everyone in the room, men included, before she met his glare. "Honestly though, what did YOU want me to do?"
"I don't know!" He growled, finding he had no answer for her. "I just don't want you fighting that psycho man-eating fembot!"
This whole thing was humiliating enough as it was. However, knowing that Cate was going to have to fight for him like he was some kind of Fleet pussy that was just... he had no words to describe how mad he was.
"Well, until you figure it out, I'll have to fight her." There was no backing out of this now, unless Houser could call on miracles. Cate gave him a dejected smile before she walked to one of the barred windows. She knew she would get her ass handed back to her on a platter, he didn't need to remind her of it.
As Cate moved to the far side of the room, he caught the look being given to him not just by Dee but by his men. Yeah, he could have handled that better and cursed under his breath. What he couldn't say and probably should have was that he cared about her, a lot. The idea that tomorrow, she could lose her life because of him was unimaginable.
"Nice going, Captain," Dee remarked, shaking her head. Men. Just when you felt sorry for them, you actually believed that maybe a good horse whipping was what they need.
Janice stayed uncharacteristically mute. She was with Mercer on this; Vedder wasn't a warrior. But she also certain Cate had been pushed into this by Mercer's loud mouth to begin with. So he could very well cut her some slack now.
Sarge cleared his throat. "I'll check the layout of this place, see if there's anyway we can get out."
"Uhm good idea," Jake nodded and realised he had some apologising to do.
Walking towards Cate, he leaned next to her on the window. "I'm sorry, Doctor Cate," he used the word as a gesture of peace. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, you know?"
Cate blinked but didn't look at him. "Such a beautiful city," she commented on the view. It was hard to reconcile it with how they treated half of their people. "She asked me if you were good breeding stock..." Her words were somewhat disjointed as she still tried to process their situation fully.
Breeding stock. The thought was ridiculous and she had no problem guessing what else they did with their property and would want to do to... hers. Over her dead body.
Yeah, she liked Jake Mercer but her reaction wasn't wholly to save his virtue. The whole thing rubbed her the wrong way, went against her beliefs in freedom. Ka'ana, Wallace, Chou. While the idea of them as reclined playthings on a sea of cushions was funny, she knew Rali and her mistress had other plans for them.
"And frankly, I don't want to live to see you broken." That last bit came out unchecked and she glanced at him before looking away again. Damn it, Cate.
Jake almost smiled. "That's not happening," he said, leaning close to her ear. "I wouldn't let it. Besides..." He tried to make light of the situation, as unbelievable as it was. "What did you tell her?"
His breath on her neck did things to her Cate was unable (or unwilling) to think on, as worried as she was right now. How could he sound so sure? She really believed it would happen. If not broken than killed. "You were there," she let out with a sigh. "I told her it wasn't her business." She turned her head to meet his gaze. Was he trying to be funny? The absurdity of their situation didn't escape her but she knew she had still forfeited her life.
"We're going to figure a way out of this," Jake replied, trying to sound confident. Their weapons had not been confiscated and only adherence to Starfleet rules kept them from blasting their way out of here. If push came to shove, Jake was more than prepared to do that. "We'll give Captain Houser time to try and sort this out but if it comes to it, we'll fight our way out of here."
Giving him a small smile, Cate nodded. "I like it when you talk about blowing and blasting things up," she quipped, but this time it was true. She so wanted to claw at the bitch as well. "I still might need some pointers from Dee." She looked at his stormy grey eyes - for they were steely grey right now - and found she would definitely fight for him.
"I know you don't expect much from the likes of me," she said, remembering what he had told her back on Solarian IV. "But I'm not totally useless. I'll try and buy us some more time..."
"I didn't say that," Jake quickly protested but had to admit he did say that and now that he remembered that, he did feel like even more of an asshole if such a thing was possible. "And I know you can fight." As MACO commander on Vanguard, Jake knew that a lot of Fleeters got their hand to hand training from Sharks. While Cate wasn't one of these, she had the same Starfleet training in defence as any other officer. While he had no doubt she could probably hold her own, that Kahlia bitch was physically more imposing and that required a kind of skill to overcome he didn't know Cate had or not. "But yeah, Dee will help you and we'll keep talking to Captain Houser, see if there's anything she can do diplomatically before I decide to blow shit and not give a flying fuck who gets in the way."
"Okay. Thanks." At least he was no longer screaming or barking at her. "You know, some men would probably love this..." she joked.
Jake's face hardened. "Let's not even go there." As it was he was trying to get past the fact that the Second Mistress Bitch had felt him up.
"Don't like being treated like property, huh?" It was a rhetorical question, and while Cate didn't like it either, she wondered if Mercer realised how often that still happened to women back on their world.
"I told you." He gave her a wink. "I don't like fast women. She was going at warp speed." Actually it was more than that, the way she said 'use them for pleasure, abuse them at our leisure', there was something twisted in the way those words were delivered. A ring of truth that made him wonder what she did do to the helpless men born on this world.
Like she was reading his thoughts, Cate commented, "Dalana doesn't look so bad." Though, of course, she had looked bad enough when she had first greeted them. "So if Houser or I fail, you think you and the others will end up in the... skin trade?" She didn't know how else to put it. "I suppose there's always Janice and Dee to try and challenge Kahlia again, keep ownership of you guys." She shook her head. "This is all so ridiculous."
"It's fucking ridiculous and it's not happening. We are getting out of here," Jake retorted, refusing the idea of her failing. "You're not going to fail 'cos it's not going to get that far. Our phasers are here, fuck any membership in the Federation," he said, looking at his men. "We're not being anyone's bitch for the sake of trade."
"Well, it depends on what they want," Sarge remarked, a smirk on his face.
Cate turned to Ka'ana, a scowl on her face. "Tell you what, Avyn..." She never called him by his first name, he or any other Marine except for Dee. "I'll offer you up first tomorrow. You want that?" The fucking sexual innuendos or even the blatant references to it were coming out of her ears and ass. "You wish that crazy bitch had copped a feel of you too?"
"Sorry, Doc," Sarge replied, slightly embarrassed by the rebuke. "Prefer to let the Captain be the one to get felt up. Just trying to see the funny in this instead of kicking some ass and getting the hell out."
"Yeah." Jake nodded. "I don't think it's going to be much fun, not judging by the way she was referring to us as livestock."
"I mean don't they have to pass some Federation code of ethics before they can join?" Dee asked.
"I thought they were going to check your teeth out..." Janice let out, her arms wrapped around herself.
"That's not what they were interested in," Dee retorted, glancing at the Captain. "At least not Second Mistress Kahlia and she's got a real boner for you, Captain. I don't think she wanted anyone else."
"Fucking great," Jake snorted, giving Cate a look. "Just what I always wanted."
Cate stared the Sarge down before he could make any comment about the fact Mercer had liked it with the Battle Bitch of the North so that maybe this Second Mistress wouldn't be so bad.
"I'm not up on diplomatic issues, Dee," Cate let out with a sigh. "Just when it comes to medical help. They're far out of our usual agreed guidelines now for us to be pressed to render them assistance. But that's too late anyway. I've treated their leader. I don't know if she made it but yeah, that ace in the cards is gone."
Looking at Mercer, she shook her head. Kahlia did have a boner for him. Had had one since walking in that room.
Cate was looking at him oddly and Jake wondered what was going through her mind.