Frying Pan Pt 4

Posted on Mon May 22nd, 2023 @ 4:43am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali

Mission: Repairs and Retribution
Location: Cardassian Freighter

It must have been night-time, or at least some version of it. The already dim lighting was dimmed further, plunging the cell into almost pitch blackness. The guards didn't harass them for a few hours, leaving the trio in relative peace and discomfort.

Aurora had tried her best to make what little their trio had to lie on a little more comfortable. There wasn’t much to work with but she did her best trying to ignore the fact that she was feeling hungry again.

Savar watched as Aurora tried to make their confine more comfortable, but she had little to work with and an attempt made more difficult with her hands bound behind her. After a few moments he spoke, "Aurora, you should try to conserve your strength and get some sleep."

Rhenora leant against a wall, her eyes closed but ears always listening. She drifted between a light sleep and meditation, allowing her body to rest but remain alert if necessary. Soon they would be at their destination. With the Cardassian union in tatters, any prisons, labour camps or the like would be well hidden, but even Cardassian space wasn't that big.

Savar could tell Rhenora was awake. "Captain." he spoke quietly. "You should try and sleep for both you and your baby. We have no idea how much time remains before we reach our destination, and we should be prepared as possible."

Aurora gazed at Rhenora. “I wish you could teach me that, I’m so hungry!” She gazed at Savar giving him an unhappy look before moving back to him and resting her head gently against his chest again.

"I'm resting, close enough. It's an old survival technique that allows your body to rest but your senses to remain alert" Rhenora replied with her eyes still closed. "If you think you're hungry now, wait till they toss us in the labour camps" there was an ironic synergy with the Captain's younger life. After all these years it appeared she would need to bust out of a Cardassians strong hold - again.

“Labour camps!” Aurora shook her head. “I thought we were on our way to be killed, not to be put to work as slaves.”

"If we are put to work in a labor camp Aurora, that is a death sentence only slower, so the Cardassians can enjoy our suffering." Savar pointed out.

Aurora nodded. “Cardassian cruelty! They don’t care that they’ve got two pregnant women here!!” She was afraid but he fear was coming through as anger. “They’re nothing but monsters!”

"Correct Aurora. The fact that you and Rhenora are both pregnant means nothing to them other than your suffering will be more pronounced since you both are with child." Savar answered truthfully.

Aurora nodded as she sunk into unhappy quietness, was there any hope of rescue? How would anyone find them?

"Try to remain strong Aurora. Do not give in to despair." Savar told his wife in an attempt to bolster her sagging spirit. Though inwardly her worried, if they were sent to a labor camp, what other humiliations awaited them?

Aurora simply nodded. Right now she wasn’t worried about herself just the thought of what might be to come.

Rhenora sat quietly, thinking, scheming, remembering. She racked her brain for every off world labour camp or facility she had been to or heard about back in the resistance that may still be operating. The majority of them had been on Bajor which rules those ones out. The rest however - if they were in Cardassians space - were fair game."How long do you think we've been travelling?" She asked.

Savar looked over to where Rhenora sat against the wall. She was bound just as Aurora and he were. "I would estimate ten hours Captain." He replied evenly. "Though that is only an estimate." As if knowing her thinking, he continued. "We are in Cardassian space Captain."

"Yeah but I'm doing the maths as to where in Cardassian space we may be and extrapolate where we may be heading" Rhenora remarked, a mental map in her minds eye. The maximum warp on these tubs was warp 5 at best, more like warp 4. Depending on how long they remained at warp for would give her a better idea. She'd narrowed it down to three possible locations - two labour camps and a scientific research facility notorious for its unsanctioned experiments on slaves and prisoners. Neither option was appealing in the least.

“How long do you think we have before we arrive?” Aurora looked at Rhenora worriedly.

Rhenora did the maths in her head, her brow creasing slightly as she did so. "I'd say another 6 hours maybe, that's if we're going where I think we may be. Working on the theory that the Cardassians would want us as far away from prying eyes as possible, there's a little moon in the heart of Cardassian space, with a labour camp mining high grade ore."

“A labour camp!” Aurora looked suitably horrified. “What kind of high grade ore are we talking about?”

"Aurora. stay calm. Do not let your emotions get the better of you." Savar replied. Hoping to stop Aurora's growing fear.

Aurora looked towards Savar. “Will you please stop that! I’m afraid Savar! What if something happens and we lose our baby? We’ve wanted this for so long, and poor Sidak he’s without his parents, now all this...” she stopped herself. “I’m sorry...”

Savar recoiled as if he had been physically slapped. He simply offered, "I am aware of all you have said Aurora." Then grew silent.

Tension grew, which was exactly what the Cardassian's wanted. The 6 hours came and went, throwing Rhenora's theory of a particular labour camp out the window. The ship continued at warp, the thrum of the engines remaining ever constant. Had she miscalculated their warp speed? It'd been a while since she'd been on a Cardassian ship so it was possible she could have misjudged their speed. Or they were going somewhere else entirely.

Aurora gave her husband a worried look wishing she could hold him so she could show him how much she regretted what she’d said to him earlier. “Imzadi, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean what I said earlier, please forgive me!!”

Savar looked at the love of his life. "Aurora. It is alright. There is nothing to forgive. You have nothing to be sorry for. You were upset. An emotional outburst was the logical reaction." The last said in a deadpan manner but Aurora would know he was joking with her.

Aurora nodded and smiled, she could tell Savar was joking. “We’ve been travelling longer than expected haven’t we?” She looked to Rhenora. “At least it feels longer.”

"Longer than I thought for the place I thought we were going to, unless this tub is only going at warp 1 instead of warp 5 - it's possible I guess. Cardassians were never good with keeping up maintenance" Rhenora replied with a smirk.

Aurora nodded. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough” No sooner had she spoken then there was a flatter outside the forcefield as guards arrived.

“On your feet Fleeters!! Your presence has been requested on the bridge” the Cardassian grinned. “You’re about to see where you’ll be spending your final days!” There was a round of cackling laughter.

Looking at Savar, Aurora got to her feet as instructed. She’d been dreading this moment, but there was little she could do to prevent it.

Savar rose fluidly to his feet at the command and stood close to Aurora. It seemed that now the time had come for the trio to see what their destination was. Judging from the laughter coming from the guards, it seemed that he, Aurora and Rhenora would find themselves in a totally unpleasant and harsh environment.

Rhenora levered herself calmly to her feet, not rushing but not giving the Cardassians any reason to mistreat them further. She followed the soldier to the bridge and tried to indentify the small planet they were approaching. It didn't look like any of the facilities she knew about which meant that it was a fairly recent addition to the Cardassians mining or scientific regimes.

Savar stood between Rhenora and Aurora as the entered the bridge and stared at the rapidly growing planet in the viewscreen. This it appeared was there destination. Was it also going to be the pace of their execution? He looked at Rhenora who stood calm and composed, bound like he was. Ready to face whatever the Cardassians had in store for them. His head turned to look at Aurora, his wife also bound like himself and Rhenora. She was clearly afraid but composed. He knew she would be strong in facing whatever came next. His mind wondered, what was coming next? No doubt the Cardassians wished to humiliate them but then what? Would they be executed or did their captors have something else in mind for them?

The Cardassian traipsed around the bridge of th old freighter, taking great pleasure in explaining every last detail. "Welcome to Kunar, named after the finest Cardassian beverage due to its flawless and exquisite finish. This is the newest and most efficient mining facility in the Union, as well as the most advanced scientific research station. These facilities also have the most intoxicating little detail. No-one leaves alive"

Savar stood there and accepted the information stoically. He knew the Cardassian was telling them to get a specific reaction from the captives. He knew Rhenora would be strong and face the situation head on with courage and determination. He was however concerned about Aurora and how she would react to this news.

Aurora felt a very large Pitt forming in her stomach, heartache that she was to live out her life here. Have her baby in some mine if she lived long enough, she fought back tears burying her feelings deep so as not to give the Cardassians the fun they wanted seeing her weak.

TBC