Charting a Rescue
Posted on Sat Apr 2nd, 2016 @ 1:58pm by Kaeli & Isaura Panossian
Edited on on Wed Apr 13th, 2016 @ 9:21pm
Mission:
Further Challenges
Location: CIS Intira
* CIS Intira *
Kaeli had finally emerged from the quarters she was sharing with Jarad, dressed in shorts and tank top, no shoes. After inquiring of the computer, she tracked Isa down to the small mess hall. She realized that she was ravenous and she ordered some food, then joined Isa by the window.
“How’s it going? Bored yet?”
“Eh, I’ve been kinda busy keeping Drekkar from making a meal of Tindam. Tindam seems determined to get under his skin - Tin’s as bad as Rafe. He keeps rubbing it in that we ... ah... had relations on Romulus.” Isaura made a face, making fun of both Drekkar and Tindam. “Men... ugh. How’s yours?”
“Kissing my feet for being so insensitive when we got here. I told him the whole story, and what happened with Rekar. Then, I cried myself to sleep and we took a trip through the sickbay to get rid of the last traces.” Kaeli paused and frowned. “I didn’t tell him all of it.”
“What did you leave out? The part about me killing a guy?”
“Oh! I forgot that too.” Kaeli was silent a moment. “Just one bit about Rekar that I neglected to mention. Doesn’t matter.” She took a bite of her dinner. “What he doesn’t know keeps all of us happy.”
Isa nodded. “Yeah, likely for the best. Drekkar told me we’re supposed to get to the cardie homeworld, find that woman we met on Archadia and take her back to SB900. Did Jarad tell you the same thing?”
Kaeli nodded. “He said they are going to meet with Boroca, regarding Order business and keep him occupied so you and I can do what we need to do. Her Bajoran is on his way so he will be with us. We’ll get her to his ship so he can take off. Seems simple enough, especially if she goes to her old house she shared with Zikar to pack things up. It’s a believable excuse.”
“Unless Boroca has her things packed up for her and brought to her wherever he’s keeping her.” Isa suddenly grinned, “Maybe we could storm Boroca’s castle and take her?” She sobered quickly, “Oh... only we don’t have the Ning. I wonder what her Bajoran is flying. Think it’s big enough to take Tindam with us? If we leave him with Drekkar, he might end up with his head on Drek’s wall.”
“We should, we might need him,” Kaeli agreed. “And the men can keep him occupied long enough. They have a few years’ worth to catch up on.”
“I’ll be happy to spend as little time as possible on or near Cardassia,” Isa said. She was well aware that she’d escaped being tortured and having a gruesome end when she’d last left Cardassia. “I told Drekkar that there is no ‘we’. He remains unconvinced, even though I didn’t make any secret of where Tindam was last night.”
“You want me to talk to him?” Kaeli asked. “I’m not exactly the gentle one, that’s your department. I’ll be happy to tell him to get a grip or we’ll leave him on Romulus and see how long he lives.”
“I thought we had to keep him around to make the Order think Jarad was playing along?”
“We do, but that may put the fear in him at least.” Kaeli ate some more of her dinner. “You staying in quarters with him?”
“He gave me the Captain’s quarters. I had Tindam join me last night and probably again tonight. It keeps Drekkar away, sort of hammers home the idea that we’re not getting together again.”
”Good plan.” Kaeli rose to return to the replicator for something to drink and to dispose of her dish. “I don’t really want to be on Cardassia. Granted, it was Zikar but I don’t doubt Boroca had a hand in it back then. He cannot see either of us.”
“I’d really rather not be seen by any of the Cardassians,” Isa said.
“I appreciate that sentiment,” Tindam came into the room, grinning like a cat who got a canary. He ordered a drink then joined the two women. “Can’t imagine why you ladies would bother associating with Cardies,” he shook his head as he fondled a thick lock of Isa’s hair.
Kaeli raised her eyebrows at him. “I could try and explain but it wouldn’t make any sense to you, in either case. Let’s just say that both of us are alive because of them, but that’s not what keeps me close to Jarad.”
Snorting lightly, Tindam glanced at Isaura then Kaeli. “Right, fine. The Bajoran here might disagree with -- Ow!”
Isa had kicked his shin, “Shut up, Tinboy. We were just discussing that we need to help a friend leave Cardassia, so we’ll be splitting up from Jarad and Drekkar once we reach the planet.”
“Jarad spoke to Eldren, her friend,” she informed Tindam. “Eldren spoke to her - she’s on a Cardassian ship with one of their Intel directors.” She glanced to Isaura. “I hope she knows some way to keep that transmission hidden. I don’t think that Cardassian would be too thrilled, do you?”
Blinking, Isaura agreed, “Gods... do you think she’d be stupid enough to send the transmission without hiding it? Let’s hope not. If she is, then rescuing her is going to be a lot of trouble.”
Kaeli nodded. “I’m hoping that after living with Zikar for that long, she picked up a few tricks. It’s likely or she never would’ve gotten off Cardassia and stayed alive this long.” She paused as another thought occurred to her. “Did you ever have any dealings with Boroca?”
Tindam, who had been mid-sip, tried to laugh and made himself choke on his drink. Isa shot him a narrow-eyed glare. “Stop eavesdropping on my thoughts. Ass,” she muttered before addressing Kaeli’s question, “Ah, yeah, I knew Boroca. He was a dinner guest a few... more than a few times.”
Kaeli blinked back at her as a few more pieces of the puzzle came together. “Well shit. That explains how you landed on the radar as far as Drekkar and Zikar were concerned.” She rose and went back to the replicator to get coffee. “What a weasel! I mean Boroca, just to be clear.”
“He was, yeah. Still is, I suppose.” Isa found something interesting on the ceiling to stare at.
“Ah...,” Tindam’s brow rose slightly as he read her thoughts. “It was also how Drekkar ended up in the Butcher’s chair,” he said. “Wait... Why would a butcher have a ch...?-- oh gods!” He paled. “And we're traveling with him?”
“I told you not to eavesdrop,” Isa said, frowning.
Kaeli’s attention snapped back to Tindam. “What do you know of him? The Butcher?”
He turned a horrified look on Kaeli and pointed at Isaura. “What I read in her head! He tortures people! And she turned in Drekkar and he... ended up...--”
Isa had stood and leaned over towards him to hit him, hard, across the face. “Shut up! You don’t know what I did.”
He rubbed his jaw. “Yeah, okay. But... we’re traveling with this guy? You trust him?”
“She turned in Drekkar because he made her do it!” Kaeli snapped. “Otherwise she would’ve been dead. The Butcher, as you call him, is the reason Drekkar is still alive.” She crossed to stand before Tindam, poking him in the chest. “And yes, I trust him. He’s the reason I am not dead as well. If you must know, I was turned over to him and he kept me alive. At least until my own people kidnapped me and cracked my head open.”
His face went through a few permutations of expression. He glanced at Isaura and a look of anger and hatred washed over him; the look and emotions passed in a flash. In their place, he looked confused and said, “Oh.”
Isa watched him, concerned, and sighed a tiny sigh of relief when his face went blank again. “Tindam, just leave it at ‘yes, we trust him’. He hasn’t given me cause not to.”
“There’s a reason Rekar hates him,” Kaeli said softly. “He beat him at his own game. I’ll leave it at that.” She turned away from Tindam and crossed to the window. “There are some strong, deep ties here that sound crazy but deep down, we couldn’t have survived without them.”
He nodded, though his thoughts were suddenly elsewhere. “I’d better get back to my quarters,” he announced, standing. “I’ll see you ladies sometime later,” he said as he left.
Isa watched him go and remarked, “He leaves a good view.”
“I guess. So, how much did you rearrange in his head?” Kaeli asked.
“Rearrange? I didn’t rearrange anything,” Isaura tried to look innocent, but knew that Kaeli could likely read her thoughts - the thoughts of how she’d reached into Tindam’s head and smoothed over a particular area of his memories and attitudes. Making eye contact, she frowned and admitted, “It’s not really ‘rearranging’ per se, as it is... sort of... um... turning things around on him. It’s enough to make him not hate me.”
“Wait till he hears how close I am to the Butcher,” Kaeli grumbled. “It won’t help our situation unless one or the other of them saves his ass.” She sighed and wandered back over to sit down. “So, we need a plan for getting Nyyar out. Once she is away from Boroca.”
“Drekkar and Jarad are keeping Boroca busy, aren’t they? We’ll find her, probably in his quarters and take her to ...Tohr?” She looked at Kaeli for confirmation on the name then nodded. “And we’ll take his ship back to 900. Easy, right?”
“That’s the idea. Jarad said Tohr hoping to hear from her before we arrive so they can finalize the location. We’ll go down with Tohr, get her and get the hell out. Jarad won’t be inviting his ‘little woman’ to dinner with the boss either.” She grinned at Isa.
“I’m glad I’m not known as Drekkar’s ‘little woman’,” Isaura said, grimacing. “Like I said, I would like to do this without seeing too many Cardassians, if any at all. I’m fairly sure Boroca would be happy to have my head. Or other parts...”
“Mine too. Old score to settle but not as bad as yours.” Kaeli’s violet-eyed gaze rested on Isa now. “If things get screwy and he turns up, you are to get away. Got it?”
“Yup, got it.” Isa nodded, though she knew she’d likely take a shot at Boroca then get away as fast as possible. “Now we just need to get there. Game of chess while we wait?”
“Certainly. You know I suck but I don’t mind. Then I need to get back. Jarad is still trying to make it up to me for being an ass earlier.”
“Good, he needs to,” Isa said, calling up the game board. “Just think, when we’re back on 900, Nyyar will owe us a favor. So will Tohr. That can’t be a bad thing.”
Kaeli nodded. “We just have to make sure that Boroca won’t come looking for her.” She looked down at the board. “I’ll be white so I can go first. After that you’ll squash me.”
**************
Kaeli
Planning The Opening Move
Isaura Panossian
Plotting the Planet Play
Tindam
Thinking of the Afterplay
