life's blood

[warpfairy]

They're not near Cardassian Union space.

But then, they're not near Federation space either. This ship has as much right to be in this system as they do.

It makes Isabella nervous, anyway, and she's just about to suggest leaving and coming back another time, when the Prometheus is hailed.

They're armed. She can't warp inside a solar system.

She answers the hail.

"Hello, Federation vessel," says one of the three visible Cardassians in bad but intelligible English. "What're you doing out here alone?"

Isabella swallows. "This is the deep space survey vessel Prometheus," she begins.

The computer lets her know that they're charging weapons.

"We have no hostile intention," she says.

Comments

[dream_me_up]

He shakes his head. He points at the door.

[alicornucopia]

"Brol," howls Kelvok through the window. "Get me Janor -"

"I'm busy," laughs Brol.

Kelvok looks like he's developing a headache.

[dream_me_up]

All right, fine. Pretending is getting him nowhere.

Lalita opens the door and takes the few steps down the corridor to the room where they are keeping Isabella.

[alicornucopia]

The door to that room is closed.

Kelvok follows him, grabs his shoulder. "Lalita."

[dream_me_up]

Lalita shrugs him off and opens this door, too.

[alicornucopia]

When he starts picking the lock, Kelvok grabs both his shoulders and hauls on him.

[dream_me_up]

He declines to be hauled.

The door opens.

[warpfairy]

Kelvok summons Janor by communicator, exasperated, unhappy.

Lalita has managed to walk in on Brol and Isabella. Neither of them is currently wearing anything. If Isabella has had a break from being beaten to within an inch of her life over the past couple of days, it's not in visual evidence; she's in a sort of heap on the floor, awake but with the dead-eyed calm of full Vulcans in full suppression. She perceives but does not discernibly react to Lalita's presence. Possibly she can't move.

Brol snarls and lunges for Lalita. "Kelvok can't keep his playtoy under control -"

[dream_me_up]

Looking at Lalita, 'brawny' would never be the first word that came to mind. He's tall but not broad; he has the physique of a dancer, not a weightlifter. This is particularly obvious at the moment because neither he nor Kelvok is wearing anything either.

Appearances can be deceiving.

He wraps one hand around Brol's throat, picks him up off the floor, and throws him bodily out of the room.

[warpfairy]

Kelvok makes an undignified noise and bolts down the hall, possibly to retrieve some manner of weapon or see what's taking Janor so long.

Isabella continues to be a heap of controlled emotionlessness on the floor.

Brol hits the wall. He's stunned but, thanks to his scales, not unconscious, and staggers to his feet.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita studies Brol coldly.

"Are any of you idiots related to each other?" he asks in flawless Cardassian.

[warpfairy]

Brol backs away a few steps. "...No."

[dream_me_up]

"I didn't think so," he says, and smiles, and walks forward.

It is not a good smile.

[alicornucopia]

Brol turns and runs.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita is faster.

[alicornucopia]

Thus ends Brol.

Janor and Kelvok appear on the scene a few seconds later, armed with handheld disruptors. Janor is apparently less reluctant to shoot at Lalita than Kelvok is.

[dream_me_up]

He's still faster. He dodges - a disruptor beam grazes his ribs - he disarms them both, breaking Janor's wrist in the process, and points one disruptor at each of them.

Then, after a short pause in which he decides not to bother offering mercy, he shoots Janor.

"You're kind of cute," he says to Kelvok, still in casually fluent Cardassian, "so at the moment I plan to let you live. If you annoy me, that plan will change. Clear?"

[alicornucopia]

Kelvok nods.

[dream_me_up]

"Good," he says, and smiles his nasty smile again. "I want something to tie you up with. I suggest you help me find it."

[alicornucopia]

"...There are spare electrical cables," mutters Kelvok, closing his eyes. "In the cargo bay."

[dream_me_up]

"Show me the cargo bay, then."

[alicornucopia]

Kelvok warily leads the way to the cargo hold.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita does a very quick, very thorough job of making sure Kelvok will not be going much of anywhere or doing much of anything in the near future, and then he takes both disruptors and leaves. Back to the room where they were keeping Isabella, with a short detour through sickbay.

[warpfairy]

She is still a heap.

Her eyes are still empty of content.

[dream_me_up]

He doesn't ask if she's okay. The answer is too obvious.

He does ask: "Can you move? Can you talk?"