No Escape, Despite The Pod

Posted on Sun Oct 2nd, 2011 @ 10:11am by Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali & Commander Patrick Leroy

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Escape Pod 9A

If nothing else, Thumb had been a means of touring almost the entire starbase. He'd kept her on the move, never too long in one place...not since mention had been made of the chroniton particles. They'd hovered around a young man in science for a bit, watching him work after Oz and Gilroy left the labs. Thumb had been even less happy after that and now they were moving through much less populated areas. This made Kh'ali more nervous, though it shouldn't have. In their current state, he could have torn her to pieces in the middle of the promenade crowd and no one would ever know.

"So where are we going now? I doubt you brought me over just to stroll the station." She glanced to Thumb, her expression venomous.

"You'll see soon enough." he said pushing her forward none too gently. "It happens that you'll probably be my way out ticket from this sore starbase." He cast her a sideways glance "Don't be too relieved though. Just the idea of you can be enough for your pathetic comrades for bargaining. Don't get me angry."

From that moment on the man stood silent leading her through a maze of unending corridors and hallways. Time and again he used that infamous weapon on her, every time he thought she was recovering from the effects.

Playing quiet was of no use into making him have a lighter hand. Kh'ali wondered, through the haze of pain, if this man was just too intelligent to be fooled or if just awesomely cruel.

Probably it was both.

"Here you are." he said in the end. They stood before a door set in the heavy bulkhead, Kh'ali thought they should have reached the external hull of the base. The man deftly typed some commands on the small console to the side of the door and a strange sound came forth when it opened as the air was sucked in the small space of the escape pod.

"Make yourself at home." he sneered as he thrust her inside. "For it can be for a long time. Oh... I'm sorry. No room service available here."

Her eyes widened, seeing the escape pod. The logical part of her mind had to agree it was a good idea - off the beaten path and not often checked, aside from scheduled routine maintenance checks. And while she could easily pass through doors and windows, the thick, heavy walls of the pod would make sure she stayed just where Thumb put her. But without activation, there was only so much air in the pod. She couldn't stay there long. The idea set off an alarm and panic rose within her, carrying good sense with it. It was now or never. Time to recall who she was. The Klingon in her raged and she lowered her head, growled and charged Thumb with all she had.

Caught by surprise while checking the inverter Thumb couldn't avoid to be whopped right in the stomach. A million stars filling his eyes as he banged the head against the wall behind him. A metallic sound dug its way through his mind as he realized, with anger, that the neuro-stimulator baton was rolling over the floor outside his arm reach.

"Filly keeps prancing... But now I'm tired of this game," he managed to say regaining his feet.

"Filly, my ass!" She growled at him. In the split second that Thumb saw his neuro-stimulator rolling away, Kh'ali saw it as well. Both instantly made a dive for it, but Thumb was faster. He hadn't been repeatedly zapped with the thing after all.

"I have to concede. You've some guts to spare... A nice try but now it's over." He threatened her with the baton.

Having missed the opportunity, Kh'ali recoiled on the defensive but she was still dazed and the strength born of desperation had left her as quickly as it came.

"This will ruin your good-looks for a while." Thumb grinned as he seized her neck with one hand "But it seems that technology can't keep you Klingons in your place. Conventional methods are always the best resort."

The pain this time was short, and when his fist landed on her cheekbone everything faded to black.

*********
Lt. Commander Kh'ali
Chief Diplomatic Officer
In The Dark

Thumb
The Hand Of Fate
Keeper Of The Light