The Dark Side
Posted on Thu Jan 23rd, 2025 @ 11:30am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Jennifer Baldric & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell
Mission:
Ramant
Location: Ramant ship
When the eyes don't see, the other senses compensate, or so the saying goes. Wherever they were, had the smell of a hospital, sterile, clean. She was constrained, both at the wrists and at the ankles and around the neck. But there was something else, something more. She could feel a tightness in her chest and a sensation she had never felt before. It wasn't hunger, but she was hungry, very hungry. Had a lot of time passed or, no, something else was different. There were voices nearby, their dialect was familiar but distinctly different. She took this time to listen.
There were two main groups that the Sunfire crew had been segregated into. Those that could potentially bear the Ramant young, and those that were to be studied to provide new genetic streams that may offset the sterility of the dwindling population. Either way there would be nothing either group could do about their supposed destiny.
Each patient was assigned a number that was boldly printed on their drab blue garments. Similar to hospital garb it would allow their captors easy access for medical experiments. No longer did they have names, only numbers.
There were not enough beds to keep them all permanently sedated unfortunately, thus approximately half of them were kept in a separate holding section. A series of cells segregated by forcefield, housing 4 patients each lined a long hallway with no view of the stars. There was nothing to do, nothing to see. They would spend all their energy either growing the young implanted within them, or recovering from the medical experiments they were subjected to. Meals were served at twelve hour intervals, and were bland but nutritionally adequate, for the Ramant they were designed for. How the various species abducted from the Sunfire would fare on these meals were anyone's guess.
Aurora found herself restrained to a poor excuse for a medical bed, it was uncomfortable and hard to her back. Her wrists and feet were held in place, as was her neck stopping her from lifting her head to see what was going on. She could see from side to side, seeing others either side of her in a similar predicament. She lay staring at the ceiling taking in what she could hear and what she could see, until they came to her bed. What she saw surprised her.
“You..” Aurora recognized a face, she’d only seen once before, prior to her surprise pregnancy with Sidak. Now she was slowly beginning to understand. As her bonds were released she was roughly moved to one of the cells, placed inside with others only to realise something was amiss with her pregnancy. Her already pronounced stomach was even more pronounced, what had they done!?”
Savar slowly came awake. He was lying on what amounted to be a cot, He was restrained at his wrists, ankles and neck. His last thought before waking wherever this was had been he was on the bridge and it was under attack, and he went to protect Aurora. Then a sting at his neck and darkness, He could see others in the same predicament as himself. He jerked his wrists in an attempt to break the restraints and while they groaned, they did not yield. More work was required. Where was Aurora? He thought. "Aurora?" He called out once before his restraints were released and he was grabbed and forcibly taken to a large cell. A cell he saw full of other members on the Sunfire crew. it was there he saw Aurora, clad like himself and the others in what appeared to be a skimpy hospital gown.
Bonnie was pressed un-ceremonially into a cell where she promptly slid and fell face first into a warm but firm body. She rolled off and began apologizing, "Sorry." Had she fallen into the lap of Savar? Her stomach then proceeded to cramp and growl. Had it expanded in the last few minutes?
Remal reached down to help Bonnie. "Are you okay?" The look on his face showed a deeper concern.
"I'm okay, just really hungry. And I feel... strange." She noticed the look on his face. "Where's Captain Kaylen? Commander Baldric? Oh no, who is taking care of Patina?" Bonnie asked, voicing Remal's internal worries. "Dean?"
"I haven't seen any of them yet. If they're here they are in a different cell, maybe. Try not to worry about Patina, I'm sure she will be taken care of." His words showed he wasn't sure of what he was saying like his hope was weak at best. All Bonnie could do was nod to show she understood what he was trying to convey.
Aurora’s eyes met those of Savar, her relief at seeing him alive and well was obvious as she slowly stood to greet him. “Savar!” She moved closer hugging him. “Look at me! What have they done!?”
"No need to apologize Bonnie. Are you unharmed." The cool voice of Savar replied. Then he saw Aurora. His relief spread across his face as he allowed his emotions to slip. "Aurora." He greeted his wife as she stood and moved closer to hug him. He returned her hug as his eyes drifted to her swollen abdomen. "Your pregnancy appears to have advanced my love."
Aurora nodded in agreement, she had so many questions and worries, but she knew Now wasn’t the time. “I know who these people are! I remember now, these are Sidak’s people! I remember the woman that I saw in the shop that day, she’s here.”
Savar took what Aurora said. "These are Sidak's people? Are you certain Aurora?" Yet he knew Aurora was right.
Jumping immediately to the conclusion she didn't want to make, she recalled how Aurora had been shopping on DS9 only to return to the ship pregnant. It had only taken about a week or so of rapid development before the baby was delivered. Then it grew at an alarming rate until finally stabilizing into a healthy year old baby. "You mean I'm pregnant?" Bonnie proclaimed. "No wonder I feel so hungry... and tired... and angry." She resolved as she began to suddenly cry.
It was wrong, immoral and highly unethical. To kidnap someone and force them to give birth to children that were genetically not their own without permission was clearly an act of malice or worse, desperation.
Two cells up Commander Baldric was stewing. She had yet to be 'taken' for whatever sadist medical experiments were going on here. Her mind worked overtime, cataloguing those she could see in the cells around her. Most of them were younger members of the crew, a few older ones, and all of child bearing age. From what she could discern a good portion were parents of their own children or were trying to conceive. Which meant they weren't on fertility blockers. She was, or thought she was...unless that wad the medical appointment she missed a few months back before... the reality hit her like a ton of bricks. If her blockers weren't up to date and she'd spent the night with Dean... her rational brain fought to keep up.
Back in their cell Aurora offered Bonnie the best smile she could offer. “Rest up as much as you can Bonnie, you’re going to need all of your energy.” Her attention was drawn back to the forcefield doorway as a child suddenly ran by, Seemingly being chased by one of the medics. The child’s head turned her way as he stopped and looked straight at her. “Mama?”
“Sidak?” Aurora stood up to get a closer look before the boy was led away from the cell door. “Savar...that was Sidak! At least I think it was...but he was older...” she moved to sit down again, her sped up final trimester of pregnancy was proving a big toll on her body.
Savar was at her side in an instant. "Sidak is here and older?" it made sense Aurora's entire pregnancy involving was sped up. So, if Sidak was here, his age could have well been sped up as well. "Rest Aurora. your body has endured much, and you need to save your strength as well as protect our baby.. I will look to see if I see Sidak and perhaps speak with him. Maybe he can give us some information."
“I don’t think they’ll let us near him” Aurora yawned, she was feeling pretty tired, not that their captors seemed to worry about anyone being comfortable. What beds there were, were just hard and flat slots in the walls.
As the fear backed down Commander Baldric took a moment to get her bearings. She was in a cell with Captain Kaylen, and a young female Ensign, and a male Lieutenant from Engineering. It appeared as though none of them had been taken yet, although those in the cell next to them had been and were still unconscious, their bodies bearing the red tinged marks of the medical experiments.
Turning her attention to the two in her cell she recognized the male as Lt Hoff, a middle-aged man with a young daughter and wife on board. The Ensign she didn't recognize.
'What's your name?" She asked gently, seeing the fear in her eyes.
"Pamela Andumun" the young woman replied gingerly. "I was in Sickbay for my medical when...well I don't remember exactly"
"You must have just come on board, I'm Jennifer, and we're gonna get out of here as soon as possible. You hear?"
Pamela nodded and tried to look hopeful. As Baldric was about to speak again the air within their cell took on a metallic tinge. Within moments they were unconscious.
The forcefield baring the entrance flickered off and masked orderlies moved in. Lifting each onto a long hover-gurney before rolling them down the hallway.
Remal tried hard to comfort and make comfortable those in the cell with him. Bonnie seemed to be taking the information hard and he was doing his best to reassure her. He understood pregnancy and the emotional changes a woman goes through, though admittedly he had never experienced such a rapid change before.
Many of the young women were now in their first trimester, their bodies producing chemicals at a rate that was not normal. It was only rational for them to feel overly emotional as well as uncomfortable as their bodies shifted to make room for the new creature they were growing inside.
Bonnie held a strange look on her face so he moved over to see what was the matter. As he rubbed her shoulders she suddenly smiled, then trew up all over his shoes. All he could do was grin back before calling a guard. "Hey, we've got a sick mess in here. Unless you want a dozen women throwing up...!" He left it open to interpretation.
The guard sauntered over and looked at the mess with disgust. "This was not anticipated" he said with a grimace. "I will inform the lead scientist." He seemed more interested in informing his superiors than cleaning up the mess. He returned a short time later with a localized matter transporter and beamed the mess away. He provided a bucket in each cell for future occurrences.
Meanwhile in the medical labs, the scientists were working their way through the plethora of subjects they had been provided with. So far the uptake was greater than 68 %, and far exceeded their initial expectations.
Young Pamela was processed and returned to their cell and Hoff had various medical experiments performed, samples taken and was the cell. Eyebrows were furrowed over Baldric and the state of her contraceptive regime. It was decided they had nothing to lose and processed her as they did the others. They paused over Rhenora, again pouring over the initial readings. "This one had recently borne young, her hormone profile is different from the others." They seemed unsure how to proceed.
It was several minutes later when a group of captors walked up to the cell Remal and the others were in. They were clad in a garb reminiscent of medical or lab scientists and they had a similar genetic make-up to Sidak. They conversed amongst themselves, the one in the center leading the conversation and the others nodding and taking notes. This was clearly a study group of some kind.
Remal stood, feeling defiant, and walked up to the energy field that separated himself from the scientists. His presence alone garnered their attention. "What you are doing to us is wrong. Let us go, before this gets any worse, for the sake of all of us."
"Take notice of this one. We have been watching him since he arrived and have noticed that despite his age he seems to be a care provider of some sort. We have high reason to believe he is of breeder stock, possibly mating with a multitude of the lesser sex." She shivered visibly. "The things we beleve we can learn from this specimen excites many of us."
She stepped closer to the forcefield and addressed Remal directly, "Hollo." She said louder than she needed, as though she were speaking to a lower life-form or someone deaf. "Are you in the Alpha? Is the little one your ma-t-e?" She asked, for some reason placing a strange emphasis on the T.
"Mate? No, no, nope." Remal dared to look back at Bonnie and then back to the scientist. "She is my companion, my friend."
"Hmm, I so want to see a demonstration of how they couple." The scientist pondered the shield before pressing the control panel. A gas was released through the air filter system and within a minute later they were all passed out on the floor. "Bring the big one and one of the non-fertilized smaller ones."
"The Progenitor will want to witness the act for himself." The aide boldly announced.
"Fine, we will record the act." The field was dropped and Remal's motionless body was hefted up onto a hover-sled with great effort. Followed by another woman who had yet to be fertilized. Together they were brought down the hall to a secluded room and deposited without any regard for decency.
In their cell Aurora was watching for any sign of Sidak, or the woman she’d seen earlier. Seeing her in the distance she got to her feet and moved to the cell doorway. “Hey...you...” She motioned to the woman hoping to get her attention. “Please...” at that moment she saw Sidak, once again his age had seemed to have altered again, he was more of a teen. “Sidak...” she sat on the floor by the cell door hoping he’d come to her. She was tired and feeling more tired as time progressed, until she eventually passed out in-front of the cell entrance.
Savar had heard Aurora say the name Sidak and saw her sitting on the floor near the cell entrance as he moved to her. As he knelt beside her, taking her in his arms his eyes were drawn to the boy on the other side of the forcefield. "Sidak" He stated. Looking at the boy who looked more a teenager. "It is you. What has been done to you? What is the purpose this? Why are we prisoners?"
TBC
