Consequences, Part 3

Posted on Sat Sep 12th, 2015 @ 11:20pm by Ensign Reva Madhava & Desta
Edited on on Wed Oct 7th, 2015 @ 1:37am

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Fisher's Ship

Desta immediately pushed Reva behind her and held her there. “Don’t move, Reva,” she hissed. “Are you so sure?” she growled in Pash’s voice. “Do you really want to harm Fisher’s toy and take that chance?” Desta herself was terrified but the rage at these men helped fuel her bravado and, she hoped, make the performance convincing.

"Fisher?" Almans laughed. "Since when do we call him Fisher? And since when do you stand by and let a fish wreck the ship's engines?"

“I have my own reasons,” Desta answered. “I’m tired of doing all the work and him making all the money. You know that’s true.” It was something she’d picked out of Pash’s head. Her hand on Reva’s arm tightened. I am trying...I’ll do whatever I can to get you out of this.

Wishing for pheromones, Reva wrested her arm from Pash's grip and urged the newcomer, "Go on, then, shoot him. Shoot your crewmate! Come on!" She laughed. "After the hell I've seen on this ship, that would be wonderful! You should know, though, engineer, that Pash and his girl - they set this up. They're going to take over the ship. Whose side do you want to be on? Fisher's? He's just one. We could be four, with you on our side," she'd closed the distance between them and cozied up to the man.

He watched her, torn. Suddenly all options were taken from him: Reva went down, screaming soundlessly. Behind him, Fisher spoke, "Get to work, Almans." He glared at Desta. "And you, shift back. Behave and you won't suffer as much."

Desta debated frantically what to do. Charge him? Swear she was Pash, which he would know was a lie. She knew very well the difference in consequences if she behaved or didn’t and that tipped the scales. Instantly, she shifted back to Pash’s favorite form and stood trembling. Her courage had evaporated the moment Reva went down.

“Please….” she whispered as she watched him.

Almans stepped past them and started assessing the engines. "It's going to take a couple of hours, Keval. She damaged the hull plating by the plasma vents. We need to replace that before hitting warp again, otherwise it'll shear off and cause more damage." He glanced at the Orion, still convulsing under Fisher's collar. "Keep it up, she'll be a shell."

Fisher grunted and released the collar's switch. To Desta, he said, "Help her up and follow me." He turned on his heel and strode away.

Gasping for breath, Reva shook and twitched as the collar's effect ebbed.

Desta bent down and lifted Reva, her strength belying her petite frame. She stood with the Orion cradled in her arms and began to follow Fisher.

“Where are we going?” Her contact with Reva brought the Orion’s thoughts and they worried Desta. Fisher had almost gone too far with his shock device and as they walked, she prodded Reva’s mind, hoping to pull her back from the edge.

I'm okay, Reva overstated her status. Don't provoke him, for your sake.

Ahead of them, Fisher was shaking with rage. He led them back to cargo bay four. He found the Shifter's collar and snapped it into place around her neck. He grabbed Reva by the arm and growled at her, "Read me, Orion. Go on, see just what I want to do to you right now."

She did, and worked hard not to react or pull away. Her undoing, though, was the intensity of his thoughts: they were vile enough that she was choked by them. She coughed and puked.

Fisher laughed, shoving her to the floor, and pulled a set of animal cages from one corner of the bay. "Get in," he told Desta.

Even Pash, as horrid as he was, had never caged her. Her eyes widened as she looked at Fisher. “Where is Pash?” It was a dangerous question, she knew, but she also knew that if they were caged, they were sitting ducks for whatever retribution Fisher had planned. Pash, at least, would stop him from too much damage.

"He's on the Bridge, working to mitigate the damage your Orion girlfriend did. The damage that both of you are going to pay for," he snarled at her. "Get. In. The. Box."

Reva tried to move, but her muscles weren't yet her own. When Fisher reached down and hauled her up, she didn't fight. He opened the top of one of the cages and, briefly picking her up completely, dropped her in, letting her fall with her full weight onto the thin steel bars that made up the cage's walls. She groaned.

Desta started forward, wanting to help her but one look from Fisher stopped her in her tracks. “Leave her alone!” The words popped out before she could stop them. She despised the man before her and the sudden urge to rip him limb from limb was almost blinding.

"Watch it, shifter. Otherwise, it'll be the Orion who suffers," Fisher warned her, holding up the device for Reva's collar. As he spoke, he clipped a lock onto the cage.

“She’s had enough,” Desta said quietly. “If you have to strike out, then I’ll take hers. Otherwise, she won’t make it.” She still stood outside the cage, delaying entering it as long as possible.

"Neither of you will survive if I punish you right now," Fisher warned. "I'm actually doing you a kindness. Now get in the box!" He was protecting his investments, actually, for he was being honest: if he punished them now, he'd likely kill one or the other, possibly both. He was not known for his restraint.

Desta turned and climbed in, remaining silent as he locked the hatch. His hand brushed her arm as he did so and the thoughts in his head made her dizzy, so vicious were they. She pulled away, making herself as small as possible to avoid further contact.

"Good girl," he said, anger still seething and cooling below the surface. "That should keep you two where I leave you." He tested the cages' locks; both were solid. He left them then, and headed back to the bridge to discuss the two with Pash.

Pash was pacing on the bridge when Fisher stepped out of the lift. “Well?” he demanded. “What the hell happened down there? What about my….the shifter?”

"Safe. For now. She and the Orion are in cages in bay four. Looks like the Orion picked the lock on the Shifter's collar; they made it to engineering, with the shifter posing as you." He sat in his chair, but his fury kept him from being still. "I've a mind to use the cat'o'nine on both of them, Pash." He said it, knowing Pash would keep him from doing so.

“You know you cannot,” Pash replied. “If you did, you’d lose the money on the Orion and have to repay the shifter’s buyer. It would break us and this crew would likely revolt if you cannot pay them.” He studied Fisher for a few seconds. “Besides, you like the Orion too much.” That was actually his own problem regarding Desta but it was far easier to accuse Fisher than to admit it himself.

"I like her tolerance for pain, you mean," Fisher sat back. "Perhaps we should drop them at the holding cell. I can sell the Orion virtually using a holographic version of her. Then we just have to deliver her. And the Shifter - we need to be rid of her as well. She's well-broken at this point. The buyer will be pleased. The Orion's wildness will be a selling point."

“Assuming the repairs go as planned, we should be underway in a couple of hours and then at the holding facility in another six,” Pash informed him. “I am due to go off shift soon. Does Almans need my help? And do you intend to let them out of the cages to deal with once you’ve cooled off?”

"No, Daleek can help Almans once he's awake. The shifter knocked him out. I think I'll deal with the Orion in the cage; what should I do with the shifter?" He watched Pash carefully.

A chilly smile settled on Pash’s face. “Well, let’s see. She got out of her collar, shifted against permission, had the nerve to impersonate me, attacked and knocked out Daleek, then assisted the Orion in damaging the ship. Did I miss anything? Did she go along quietly once you arrived on the scene?”

"Actually, she did. Whined a bit about getting in the cage, but she obeyed in the engine room when I told her to." Fisher grinned. "We've done a good job on her."

“Even so, this extreme disobedience cannot be ignored.” Pash’s tone was heavy with disapproval. “I will deal with her when I leave the bridge.”

"And if I decide to enact a punishment?" Fisher's eyes hardened.

“Then you should come do it. Can you restrain yourself now?” Pash asked. “I think I should come with you, just in case you cannot.” Suddenly, his distrust of Fisher cranked up several notches.

"Perhaps I should take my anger out on another." He smirked. "Our resident Orion would do well, I think. Allow Reva to see what one of her looks like when flayed?"

Pash shrugged. “Whatever you like. But let’s get to it, I have things to do once I am off the bridge.”

Punching a button on his chair, Fisher ordered, "Hidar, report to cargo bay four." He then stood and realized autopilot wasn't necessary. His rage ramped up again and he led Pash to the cargo bay. "Keep me from killing either of them."

“I will,” Pash answered. “Count on it.” Even if he had to strangle Fisher with his bare hands. They arrived in the cargo bay and when they entered, Pash was struck with how the two women cowered in the cages.

Desta looked up and her eyes widened, seeing both of them arriving together. For an instant, she had been a little relieved to see Pash, as crazy as that was, but with Fisher there, it could only mean bad things. She poked her fingers through the cage and into Reva’s, touching her lightly. Brace yourself, she warned.

Jerking awake, Reva lifted her head to see Fisher and Pash. "No," she whispered.

"Kev? You wanted me to report here?" An Orion, young and male, entered the cargo bay and stopped short as he saw the two cages. "What's up?"

Fisher clapped a hand on the man's shoulder and drew him closer to Reva. "You are going to be an object lesson for this one, Hidar."

Both Hidar's and Reva's eyes went wide. "Oh, no! Nonono! Please don't! Fisher!" Reva pleaded, slowly moving so she look up at the Cardassian.

For his part, Hidar tried to back off, but Fisher's hand closed into a fist on his shirt. "Hey, no way. I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, but you're Orion," Fisher growled.

Desta cried out as Fisher held the young man. “Pash! Stop him, please! I’ll do...anything you want. Just….don’t,” she finished.

Pash hadn’t thought Fisher would really do it, but he looked pretty damned determined. He looked over at Desta, smiled, then took hold of Fisher in one hand and Hidar in the other, pulling them apart.

“Do you want your entire crew to revolt and kill you?” he growled at Fisher. “Kill one of your own for such a reason and I can guarantee they will.” He shoved his face close to Fisher’s. “You need to get a grip before you end up in a cage yourself!”

Being manhandled by his second officer surprised Fisher, mentally knocking him back a few paces. He stared at Pash then looked at Reva and Desta in the cages. "Leave the Orion. Take your shifter, Pash. And Hidar, you owe Pash your life." Fisher walked to a wall and back. "Clear out."

Pash nodded to Hidar, who practically ran out of the cargo bay. He then took the key from Fisher, unlocked Desta’s cage and pulled her out of it. “Let’s go. You have a few things to answer for, none of them good, and now you also owe me for Hidar.” He began to drag her from the room and she shot a worried glance back at Reva before she was hauled out the door.

"Oh, my dear telepathic Orion," Fisher paced around the cage, careful to avoid getting the dead Bajoran's blood on his boots. "I could leave you here with the stinking corpse, wondering when I'll come get you and punish you for damaging my ship."

"I'm just glad that Orion and Desta are out of here," she said. She'd found a position in the cage that was almost comfortable; she was torn between staying in that position or shifting to keep Fisher within her sight. Not moving won out for the moment. Even with terror gripping her, she was exhausted enough that she nearly fell asleep before Fisher spoke again.

"Or I could take you back, clean you up and leave you wondering just when your punishment will come," Fisher crouched by the cage, looking at her. He stood and strolled from the cargo bay, a move that made Reva sit up and worriedly watch the door for several minutes. When he didn't return, she tumbled into a fitful, uncomfortable sleep.

**********
Ensign Reva Madhava
Fisher
Pash
Desta
Almans
Hidar