On The Chopping Block

Posted on Fri Oct 9th, 2015 @ 10:41pm by Commander Oralia Zeferino & Lieutenant Commander Nicolao & Lieutenant Commander Ophelia Payne & Lieutenant Commander Solis & Vic
Edited on on Sun Oct 11th, 2015 @ 12:07am

Mission: Further Challenges

When the Blackbird landed, they were all glad to be home. Jackson had volunteered to get Eli’s parent’s situated, then Eric had departed at Oz's order to report in about the trip and the arrival of Loran. For now, he’d be held in a cell in Intel and that fell to Vic to escort him there while Nico took care of the ship. It had fallen quiet inside the ship as Vic closed up his bag.

“Alright, I think I’m ready. Let’s get you out of my hair, shall we? No funny stuff. I’m not in the mood and you won’t like me when I put you down.”

Loran watched the older man closely. He was seemingly on the edge of saying something in response when Nico appeared from the cockpit and spoke to Vic quietly. Loran eased into their background and waited.

The moment passed and Nico went back to the cockpit. Vic had shouldered his bag and was turning toward Loran when the young man struck him. Loran had already cut through the zip cuffs and, while Vic was still surprised, managed to drive an elbow into Vic's face, breaking his nose. He pressed his advantage and shoved a thin, sharp piece of deck plating into Vic's side.

He had worked the entire trip on that piece of deck plating - it had been sheer luck that the piece had come loose at some point and was small enough to be hidden away in between his attempts to sharpen an edge on it. Now, its job was done; Loran froze for a moment before scrambling for the ship's hatch and out into the Station's docking area. He ran and was quickly lost in the crowds.

It had all happened so fast that Vic hadn’t time to react. Through the haze, he heard Loran’s footsteps disappearing and reached out mentally for Nico. He passed the scene to him in a flash and the last thing Vic heard was the echo of Nico’s footsteps also fading and his voice yelling for security.

Nico hit the deck running and yelling at a security guard as he passed to go see to Vic. Now he pushed through the crowd, opening his thoughts to search for Loran. There were so many voices and he had to sift through them as he ran for the exit. Too many voices...too many. He passed through the exit and reached out again, searching for an Enaran mind in the near vicinity.

Breathing hard from his attack on Vic and subsequent dash into unknown territory, Loran paused. Mentally, he reached out, looking for a familiar mind - either Eli's or their parents'. There were a crushing number of minds all around him, though: people who thought their thoughts without filters or silencers or care for the telepaths amongst them. Loran recoiled from the tumultuous noise and chaos. Still breathing hard, now from panic, he slipped into a doorway and stopped, staring out at the crowds.

Nico had to clear his mind for several seconds before the cacophony drove him mad. He then reached out once more and not far away, he caught Loran’s vibe. He seemed to be still and Nico wondered why as he moved forward silently.

Wide-eyed, Loran saw Nico coming toward him. "There are so many! And they just all... they're loud! And ignorant!" He held his head in his hands.

Nico wanted to laugh at Loran’s reaction, realizing it was his first time off Enara and in a place where not everyone was a practiced telepath.

“Welcome to the real world, Loran.” He reached Loran and stopped before him. “Give me the weapon and if you try to use it on me, I’ll split your head wide open,” he growled.

"I don't have it. I left it in his side," Loran said, flashing his hands outward before grabbing at his head again.

“Walk. Now.” Niro moved Loran out of the doorway and swiftly, wrenched his hands behind his back. He wrapped his hands around Loran’s wrists and they began to move. “You realize that instead of a nice cushy cell in Intel, you are now Security’s problem?”

"What's the difference? A cell is a cell." Loran walked, grimacing as Nico held his wrists tightly. Ahead, he saw several officers in gold converging on them.

“What the hell did you think you were going to accomplish? Why Vic?” Nico asked. “Why not Eric or me? Or Jackson? Or your parents for that matter, since you seemed willing to stand by and let Reed finish them off.”

"You know nothing about my parents!" Loran hissed. "Don't talk about them!" He shut up then as the first Security officer reached them.

"Commander Nico? What's happened here?", SPCO Donovan asked.

“He’s all yours,” Nico answered. “For a lot of reasons but the main one right now is that he attacked Vic on Major Smith’s ship. Vic has a stab wound and judging by the blood, a broken nose. No visitors unless it’s one your staff or me.” He looked at Loran and shook his head. “On second thought, I’ll walk him down with you. I don’t want him touching any of you.”

"Touching?" The Chief shook her head. "I don't want to know. Here," she handed him a set of zip cuffs then ordered the others to accompany Nico and the young man to the Brig. "I'll check on Vic and get back to you on his status," she told Nico.

“Thank you." Niro secured Loran’s wrists, then the group started off for the brig. “You’d better be glad it’s me here and not Jackson,” he commented. “You can face him later. Glad I’m not you.”

Like a sullen teenager, Loran glared at Nico and muttered, "Whatever. As if I'm afraid of a blockhead."

“That ego will be the end of you. Jackson may not be a telepath but he is your worst nightmare, trust me on that. Besides what you’ve done to Maran and Irina, you were responsible for putting Eli in danger, and now one of his closest friends. Be glad there will be a force field stopping him.”

Focusing heavily on Nico to avoid the thoughts of those around them, Loran gave Nico a wild look. "What I did? I did nothing but defend Enara's traditions! Eli, our parents, they're willing to let those values we hold dear just fall away and tarnish. You, too, I see. Disgusting."

“Don’t make me regret letting Security have you instead of making you disappear,” Nico growled at him. They emerged from the turbolift and moved towards the brig. “Remember, I’m one of the few who can get to you.” He grinned at Loran as they entered and approached an empty cell. “Something to think about.”

"You can't do anything," Loran taunted him. "You follow the Federation's rules, which say you can't harm me." He sneered, entered the cell and stood still while a Security blockhead removed his cuffs. "Something to think about, isn't it?"

“It is. Niro will be happy to hear that you’re on the station and left his friend Reed to die...or be killed by your little circle. I’ll tell him you said hello.” Nico turned away to speak to the guard once he was out of the cell and the force field was up.

Loran explored his small world then sat on the bunk and thought of nothing at all.

* Sickbay *

“He’ll be up and around in about fifteen minutes, Ophelia,” Solis informed the head nurse. “Nose is repaired and the stab wound wasn’t deep but I had to do a little internal work. Whoever got him had a good aim and nicked his left lung. Once he’s awake and you’re satisfied, have him moved to a room. I want him in overnight.”

“Understood.” Ophelia checked the time and made a note of it in her padd and set an alarm. “I got a message from Nico that he’d be up to visit soon, and I notified Jackson.”

“Nico can see him as soon as he’s awake, that’s fine. If anything changes, Earl’s coming on shift. I’ll be in surgery in OR Five for the next few hours.”

“Got it.” Ophelia moved back to check Vic’s vitals as Solis left.

Groggy, Vic felt Ophelia's fingers on his wrist. He tried to smile charmingly, but the drugs in his system skewed it, making it an amusing smirk. What have I done to have you looking after me?

His crooked grin got a smile from Ophelia. Loran stabbed you on your ship,remember? Don’t worry, Nico chased him down and he’s been secured. Solis had to fix your broken nose and that stab wound.

That shithead! I'll kill him! Vic's vehemence transmitted easily with his words. While his mind was ready to go kick Loran's Enaran ass, his body was unwilling at the moment. Vic settled back down. I do recall - he surprised me. Does Jackson know?

Yes, Jackson has been informed. Nico called to say he'd be up in a few minutes to see you. Anyone else you’d like me to call since you’re going to be here overnight?

Six. The thought was out there before he could filter it.

Certainly. Ophelia checked the readings on the biobed arch and nodded. Everything looks good. They’re going to move you to a regular room and I’ll find Six. I’ll also send Nico in when he gets here. You need anything else?

Maybe a little of you, too? He blinked slowly.

Ophelia laughed aloud and patted his hand. “That’s the drugs talking, my friend. You relax and I’ll check in on you in a bit.” She hurried out and it wasn’t long before the orderlies arrived to roll Vic out of recovery and into a room.

He hadn’t been in the room more than a few minutes when Nico stepped in through the door. “Hey, how’s it going?”

Completely awake now, Vic was sitting up in the bed sipping a hot tea. "Hey there. Who'd have thought we'd make it back without a scratch, only to get stabbed on the Station?"

“Loran is a slimy little shit,” was Nico’s response. He sat in the chair by the bed and shook his head. “I walked him down to the brig with the security detail because I was afraid he’d touch them, make them forget what he did and then take off. Hard to believe he and Eli are brothers but people say that about me and Niro too.”

"Families are funny things, aren't they?" Vic shook his head, too, even as he felt a yearning for his own, very distant, family. "Perhaps exposure to the wider world will make Loran see the errors of his ways."

Nico laughed for a moment. “He’s never been off Enara, so this non-telepath world is driving him crazy - too much noise. He even insulted me for giving in to off-world ways, which could mean the Fleet or Dru. I don’t take too kindly to an insult to either.”

"At least we didn't leave him behind to be offed by that Circle group." Vic was more casual about insults to things and people from crazed, closed-minded boys. Even if the boy had stabbed him.

“No, but now we have to figure out what to do with him. Enara may raise hell about us taking him but at least we can claim that his parents came willingly and wanted him brought along. Not much room to argue there and it may avoid an incident,” Nico answered. “He’s better off in the brig at the moment where he’s safe from Jackson.”

"Yeah. He put Eli and Chance in danger and now...," Vic shrugged. "But, hey, he was unsuccessful."

“Luckily. I am curious, though, how deep into this Niro is, and I intend to find out. Normally, he’s just interested in something so far as it benefits him, which means money, revenge, or power. I suspect money in this case.” Nico shrugged. “We’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I have to go. Do as Ophelia says and she’ll let you out of here tomorrow.”

"I'd be happy to follow Ophelia's order," the patient leered, jokingly. "I'll follow up with you once I'm out of here. I don't think I'll visit the brig, though."

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Nico laughed and departed, leaving Vic to rest.

******************
Vic
Loran
Lt. Commander Nicolao
Lt. Solis
Lt. Ophelia Payne
SPCO Donovan