A New Regime

by Baby_yaga

Summary:

The Discovery is pulled into the Mirror universe. Lorca executes his coup, but Michael isn't able to escape with the rest of her crew. While there, she is held prisoner in a gilded cage and Lorca tries to re-educate her in the ways of the Mirror Universe.

Everything falls apart and they find themselves fighting for survival after crash landing on a planet whose population they just obliterated from orbit. They'll have to rely on each other to make it.

LOTS of plot with eventual smut. (Explicit chapters: 8, 19 & 32)

Chapter 1: Finding Footing

As soon as Michael heard the door to her quarters on the Charon close behind them she collapsed into Ash’s chest. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head and whispered “It’s going to be ok. We’ll find a way to make it through this.”

“But what if we can’t.” Michael said, looking up at him with fresh tears running down her face.

Ash lifted a hand to brush the tears away gently, “We will. You’ll use that big brain of yours and I’ll keep us both safe. And we’ll figure it out together. Not to mention Saru and the others.” He leaned down to kiss her, trying to convey his reassurance through touch.

He pulled away after a moment and said “I’ll always make sure you’re safe.”

They had to play nice for several days before Michael had learned the layout of the ship and worked up the nerve to venture down to the agonizers. She decided to go on her own. Ash would stay in her quarters and handle anyone who came looking for her, either with one of her pre recorded messages or with force. She really hoped he wouldn’t have to use force, but he assured her that he could if necessary. That was what worried her. 

She knew the plans of the ship almost entirely. She located it easily. She needed Mirror Michael’s confidence if she was going to successfully pull this off. Michael straightened up and strolled in. The room opened up in front of her as she passed the threshold. It was filled to bursting with flashing red agonizers, nearly all of them in use. Without slowing down she scanned them for Lorca. Luckily he was on the outside near the right wall of the room. “Captain Burnham.” she heard a voice call out.

She turned to see an empire officer saluting her. “I have not received orders to release any of the prisoners, captain.”

Burnham closed the distance between herself and Lorca in three long strides, the confused guard trotting behind her.

“He is my prisoner. Is he not?”

“Yes captain you brought hi-”

“And if a captain wishes to interrogate her prisoner she will not be questioned. Is that right?” She said cooly with as much disdain as she could manage. 

Before the guard could answer, she disengaged the agonizer and Lorca fell to the ground. She turned to see if the guard was watching, surprisingly he was not standing where he had been a moment ago. She looked around, but did not see him. She quickly bent down to Lorca. She sat him up and tried to wake him by gently slapping his face. “Captain, Captain, I need you to wake up. We don’t have much time.” 

She shook him lightly and his eyelids began to flutter. He groaned and brought a hand to his head. “Come on captain, I need you to get up.”

Michael had Lorca on his knees and was about to help him up when she heard footsteps approaching. She shot up to her feet and stood behind Lorca putting a foot on his shoulder blades. The guard came back into the room from a side door. “I have prepared Interrogation Room One for you, captain” the guard said and then gestured towards the direction from which he had just come. 

“On your feet, you worthless excuse for a traitor. The only reason you still draw breath is because I allow it. Now I’m going to make the last few moments of yours the most useful you’ve ever been to the Empire.” Michael growled, She kicked him squarely in the back and sent him sprawling.

Lorca gathered himself up again and stood, He avoided eye contact with Michael, choosing instead to keep his eyes trained on the floor. Michael could feel knots twisting up her stomach. This is not how she was taught to treat a fellow star fleet officer, let alone her captain.. But she shook her head, clearing away all her doubts. If she was going to survive she needed to become harder.

She led Lorca to the interrogation room at gun point. Once inside she made a gesture to Lorca to keep quiet and not move. It took her several attempts, but she disabled the view screens and microphones.

“Scream” Michael hissed.

“What?”

“Scream and make it believable.”

Michael picked up one of the chairs in the sparsely furnished room and threw it at the wall creating a loud crashing noise. 

Lorca let out a hoarse scream while making eye contact with Micheal. 

“Was it worth it? Did all your plans come to fruition?” Michael yelled and slammed a hand on the table.

Lorca howled in pain fairly believably. Michael put a finger to her lips and pressed an ear to the door. She could faintly hear the receding footsteps of the guard who led her here. After several moments she opened the door and peered out into the hallway to make sure he was gone. Kneeling down she placed a sensor on the wall just outside the entryway near the floor. Back inside the room she pulled out her tricorder and began typing.

“I’ve calibrated the sensor to alert us if any life signs enter a 100 foot radius. We are alone, but I don’t know how much time we’ll have.” Michael said while righting the chair she threw earlier and taking a seat across the table from Lorca.

“You do this ‘Empire Michael’ persona a little too convincingly.” Lorca said with a wince while straightening his back.

He raised his hands gesturing to the restraints still on his wrists. Michael moved over to his side of the table and knelt down to deactivate the cuffs. They fell to the floor and Michael looked up into her captain’s eyes. She couldn’t remember ever being this close to him before. She could see the clear blue of his irises reflecting the fluorescent lights. Could feel the heat radiating off of his body and hear a hitch in his breath as she reached up to touch the barely healed cut on his face. She caught herself before actually touching him. Her Vulcan training slipped away, but only for a split second. She pulled her hand back and stood, gaining her composure once again. “Sir, I’ve taken scans of most of the ship. Here’s what I’ve found out.” Michael said and showed Lorca her partial map on the PADD. 

“I have Ash working on additional recon, so we should have a more complete layout in a day or two. I haven’t come up with anything concrete on how to get the data to the Discovery. I’m also working on a plan to get you out of the agonizer booth and into a standard cell.” The words were spilling out of her in a jumble.

This was the first time she was able to let her guard down around anyone besides Ash. It felt good, but she couldn’t let herself give in. One second of weakness at the wrong time could cost her her life. 

“That all looks like it’s coming along as it should. But how are you holding up Michael? You look rattled.” Lorca was looking in her eyes again. 

She could feel her hardened exterior dissolving. Tears were welling up in her eyes and her bottom lip was near quivering. A tightness in her throat was threatening to choke her. Before her emotions could betray her completely, the proximity alert went off. Michael held up the tricorder which flashed 7 life signs approaching in diamond formation. Lorca slammed his head on the table causing the cut on his face to open up again.

“The cuffs” he whispered urgently, looking around on the floor. 

He reached down to get them leaning over out of his chair. The life signs on the tricorder were already at the door. As the doors began sliding open, Michael kicked Lorca in the ribs, sending him and his chair, and hopefully the cuffs, flying towards the back wall. Michael turned around to see who was bold enough to interrupt her private interrogation only to come face to face with the emperor. “Hello Michael.”

“Greetings Mother”

Chapter 2: Torture with an Audience

Summary:

Georgiou catches Michael and Lorca in the interrogation room. Michael has to make it look believable.

Georgiou stepped into the interrogation room with two of her personal guards. “I see the time away has not dulled your cruelty, daughter. I had a very similar plan for this traitor, but it’s been ages since I’ve been able to see you work.” 

“I was just finishing up actually.” Michael stated flatly.

“No need to stop on my account. I was rather looking forward to the show.” Georgiou and her guards strode to the back corner where a low metal bench was located, usually used to hold torture implements.

They all sat. Georgiou held up a hand and gestured for her to continue the interrogation. Michael started to panic. She hadn’t had enough time to research the pursuits of Lorca and Georgiou before Mirror Michael’s disappearance. Lorca would just have to go with her on this and hopefully forgive her for what she was about to do. Michael walked over to where Lorca had landed after being kicked across the room. He managed to get the cuffs back on. Good. One less thing she had to worry about. Lorca rolled over partially and looked at her with a blank expression. She could see the understanding in his eyes, he held her gaze for a short moment before rolling back over on his front. “Do not turn your back to me!” Michael kicked him in the side again.

“We are not finished yet. The emperor has graced us with her presence. Show a little respect!” Michael barked while grabbing the front of Lorca’s hairline and pulling him up into a kneeling position facing Georgiou. 

“Emperor, what a pleasant surprise.” Lorca spat blood on the ground at Georgiou’s feet, “Please make yourself at home.” Lorca continued sarcastically gesturing to the bench she was on.

“That’s enough, scum.” Micheal finished pulling him the rest of the way up to his feet.

She grabbed the cuffs and dragged him forward to the table where the cuffs automatically linked Lorca to the table. Before he could turn around to face her, she pulled her baton out of her thigh holster and brought it straight down on his outstretched arms. As the baton made contact with the inside of his elbow joint, she heard a crack. He released a horrible scream. She screamed back in his face. Something inside her was slipping. The manic screaming came to an end. Her wild moment of bloodlust subsiding. Georgiou crossed her legs and sighed contentedly as her smile broadened. 

“You were about to tell me the whereabouts of your co-conspirators.” Micheal said slowly and deliberately as she circled around the table. 

“You were about to tell me or you were about to lose the use of your hands.” Michael said, lowering the baton over cuffed hands.

“Well as you can see, I’m not using them much at the moment-”

Before he could finish his quip Michael stuck him again with the baton. This time across his wrists. Lorca didn’t scream as loud the second time. Michael hoped that she was convincing enough for Georgiou. If she could tell that Michael was pulling her punches, Michael would find herself in the agonizer booth right alongside him. Michael took a step closer and sat on the edge of the table. Her left thigh almost touching Lorca’s bruised arm. She drew her Terran empire dagger from her belt and held it to Lorca’s face, lazily dragging the tip down the side of his jaw.

“If only you didn’t need that traitorous tongue. I’d have it out of you in an instant.” 

She traced the edge of his jaw with the knife and brought it down to his throat. “Then again, what use is a prisoner who won’t talk. Should I stop wasting all of our time and put an end to this here and now?”

She pressed the knife harder against this throat. She could see sweat beading on his forehead and his Adam's apple moving up and down against the blade. Her own breathing was picking up. She hadn’t anticipated how she was going to end their little fake interrogation. Michael couldn’t look away. Something about the way he stared up at her told her all she needed to know. He would let her go through with it. He trusted her implicitly. He trusted her with his life and he would let her take it no questions asked. 

“If that will be all,” Georgiou had closed the distance between them while Michael was lost looking in his eyes. 

Georgiou’s hand closed around Michael’s. She slowly removed the dagger from her hand and replaced it in her sheath. “Just because he is being belligerent with you doesn’t mean that I won’t be able to break him.” Georgiou leaned down and cupped Lorca’s chin, “He still has some use left even if just for our own amusement.”

Georgiou straightened and addressed her guards. “Return this vermin to his agonizer booth. Make sure it is at its highest setting.”

She turned back around to face Michael. “I always enjoy watching you revel in the thrill of killing, but right now I would like you to channel that rage at a different enemy. We can kill Lorca anytime we want”

Georgiou took Michael’s arm and walked with her out of the room. “There is a rebel encampment nearby that I would like you to stomp out.” 

Michael took one glance back to see the guards hauling Lorca away. The knot in her stomach tightened again. She didn’t know if she could handle the guilt of being a Terran. How many people would she have to hurt? 

Georgiou continued talking about the mission she was planning for Michael. Michael had a hard time paying attention. She didn’t know everything Georgiou was talking about, but would do some research once she got back to her room. She responded intermittently with “of course” and “it would be my pleasure.” She figured mirror Michael was a woman of few words. Georgiou didn’t seem to question her. 

“Meet with me in the royal dining hall tomorrow at 18:00 hours. I do not have time to talk socially now, but I would have you for company so we can reacquaint ourselves.” she said with a knowing smile. “It’s been far too long.”

That did strike Michael as a little suspicious. Maybe Georgiou was onto her. She couldn’t show any doubt now. It would only incriminate her. She nodded her head, “until then. Long live the Empire.” Micheal finished with a salute.

She’ll just have to figure out what to do before tomorrow night. Her head was rushing with all the horrible outcomes that awaited her and her crew should she mess up. At her brisk walking pace she was down the hall and at the turbolift in no time at all. 

The next thing she knew she was at the door to her quarters. She walked in and immediately collapsed on the bed. Ash came out of the bathroom wearing a towel and drying his hair. “Hey, did you get a chance to talk to the captain?”

“Not really.” Michael sighed.

“It’s ok. We will try again. I got some more scans of the ship. Some of the sectors are unmarked on the general map of the ship. They require higher level clearance than I have. I’m going to clone another security officer's badge and check it out tomorrow.”

Michael sat up and looked at Ash. He saw the miserable look on her face and bent down to embrace her. “Hey, I’m here. I’ll protect you. No matter what this place makes you do, I’ll always protect you.”

The tears were spilling over now. Michael buried her face in Ash’s shoulder and let out a sob. Her whole body wracked with guilt as she let out one anguished sob after another. Ash held her tight, rubbing her back gently with his palm.

When Micheal felt as though every drop of emotion had been wrung out of her she sat up and moved away from him. “Georgiou has a special mission for us. We are going to be ordered to destroy a rebel encampment.”

“Is there any way we can let them know to evacuate beforehand?” Ash asked.

“I’m not sure. I was planning on doing some research on them tonight. Their leader calls himself the Fire Wolf.” Micheal replied.

Ash pulled out his PADD and started scrolling. Michael did the same. There wasn’t much known about the individual rebel members. Most of the Empire’s files just included the body counts of different attacks against the rebels and strategic weak points to strike at them with.

Ash dropped his PADD into his lap. “I’m not getting anywhere with this. I’ll do some more work on decrypting the data we recovered from the Defiant.” 

Michael nodded to him. Hearing him talk about the data from the Defiant reminded her of her crewmates on the Discovery and she felt a new pain in her chest thinking about how they were faring without Lt. Stamets being able to use the spore drive. She walked into the adjoining room and took out her secure communicator. Soon a holo of Saru popped up.

“Michael, it is good to see you. What news have you learned of our predicament?” Saru asked.

Just hearing his voice raised her spirits. She felt a little hope starting to grow knowing that her crew were in the capable hands of Saru. “We haven’t learned much. Georgiou is going to have me destroy a rebel camp on Harlak tomorrow. I need you to see if there is any information on the planet from our universe. Also any information on an individual named the Fire Wolf.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Michael.” Saru said.

“Thank you so much Saru.”

“One more thing Michael.” Michael looked up at him one more time, “Please take care of yourself. You may be presenting as a Terran, but you are still one of us. You still have people that love you and count on you.”

She had to fight the tears again. “Thank you Mr. Saru.”

He nodded and the transmission ended.

Chapter 3: Complete Trust

Summary:

Michael finds a way to break Lorca out of his torture chamber.

Michael had another fitful night of sleep. She woke up in a cold sweat more than once. After trying and failing to go back to sleep, she got up and went to the armchair where she resumed her research. She didn’t have much more luck than Ash. So she switched gears and started formulating a plan to get Lorca out of the agonizer booth. She did a little bit of coding on the PADD to allow her to bypass the Terran firewalls undetected. As long as she didn’t alter anything, no one would know what she was searching for. According to classified engineering reports, the main conduit feeding power into the torture cells came from the ships spore fueled reactor and had an access panel in a jefferies tube on the same level as her quarters. It wasn’t even that far of a walk. She put her uniform back on and walked to one of the crew’s dining halls. She knew a shift change was coming so all she had to do was wait until some Ensign from engineering walked by and she could swipe their badge. The newer the recruit the better. She didn’t need to be recognized and create a scene. Luckily none of the rooms were very well lit. Another Terran custom she was glad to exploit.

Stealing a badge and disabling the surveillance cameras was the easy part. Now she just needed to get in, reroute power, and get out before the next patrol came through.

She had to climb 20 feet up before finding the panel. After prying it open she saw that the Charon was not so different from the ships she’d worked on in her own universe. She worked on rerouting the power being sent to Lorca’s specific agonizer booth. The work was difficult. She didn’t want to redirect all power or the guards would be sure to notice when every single agonizer powered down. She remembered the look on Lorca’s face when she held her dagger to his throat. He was willing to die for her. He would’ve let her kill him to keep their cover. She was determined that she would not let it come to that. She finished her work and then snuck out before anyone saw. 

The cameras would be disabled for another 30 minutes or so.  If anyone saw his booth power down, there would be little she could do to stop it. When she finally made it to the hall housing the torture booths, she saw that someone had already noticed her interference. She cursed under her breath. As she got closer she could hear arguing. Lorca stepped out as the guard for this section was rushing over, phaser drawn.

Michael drew her own phaser without even thinking and shot the man in the back. He crumpled to the floor at Lorca’s feet. He took the man’s weapon and looked up at Michael with an appreciative glance.

“Burnham, good work.” Lorca said nonchalantly.

Michael approached him. “Captain, I wanted to apologize for earlier-”

“No need to. You did what you had to to keep your cover. Sometimes the ends justify the terrible means.” 

He looked down at her and put a hand on her shoulder. His hand lingered for a second before reaching up towards her face. She caught his hand in hers and looked into his eyes. “Sir, are you feeling ok? I have a hypospray and some medical equipment stashed in my quarters.” she asked.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” he shook his head and dropped his hand. 

Lorca took a step away from Michael then bent down to inspect the fallen guard. “Is he dead?”

“No, my phaser was set to stun.” Michael replied.

“Good.”

Lorca began undressing the guard. “Sir?”

“What’s more suspicious than a powered down cell? An empty cell.” Lorca explained while pulling off his jacket.

“I don’t think this will fool the emperor.” Michael said while trying to look anywhere, but at her captain.

“It doesn’t have to fool the emperor. It just has to fool the next patrol.” Lorca turned to the guard who was now without uniform. 

“You have a point though. His hair is too long. Give me your knife.” He said, reaching out a hand towards her.

“I’ll take care of it. We don’t have much time.” Michael said.

Michael approached the guard and knelt down beside him. She was much closer to Lorca now, who was removing his shirt at that moment. Michael thanked her stars that the combination of the dim lighting and her own dark complexion made it impossible to see her entire face flush while Lorca changed 2 feet in front of her. She set to work cutting the unconscious man’s hair. She glanced up once to ask Lorca how often patrols came through the area. She saw her captain bare chested with his hands undoing the buckle of his belt. The words caught in her throat for a moment. She met his eyes and something in his face softened.

“How often do patrols come through here?” she said while quickly looking back down.

“We should have another 10 minutes, maybe less.” he said, turning to face the booth. 

While his back was to her, she glanced up again. She could see the outline of a boot bruised onto his back. The side of his ribcage that she kicked was a dark purple. Her stomach clenched and she could feel bile rising in her throat. She hated herself for what she had done to him. She could see the bruising coloring his bare arms purple and blue. He dropped the pants and she looked away before she saw anything that would complicate her feelings even further. He picked up the clothes he had taken from the guard and Michael started dressing him in Lorca’s clothes. The clothes were still warm. Michael concentrated on clearing her head of any intrusive thoughts that might be arising. She was in the middle of a mission. She knew better than to think like this. She needed to be sharp and focussed if they were going to make it out of here alive.

“I can hide you in my quarters for tonight, but we will have to find a more permanent hiding spot eventually.” Michael told him as she finished buttoning up Lorca’s coat on the unfortunate guard. 

“We’ll go over the details once we get to a safer location. Our ten minutes are almost up.” 

Lorca and Michael bent over the guard and hauled him up into a standing position before pushing him into the agonizer booth. “Turn it back on.” Lorca told her.

“What?”

“We need to turn it back on before anyone notices.”

“I didn’t plan on freeing you just to torture someone else in your place.” Michael said taken aback.

Lorca grabbed her by the shoulders. “I know. Michael I know that you have a strong moral code. And that’s one of the best things about you, but if this booth is found turned off, empty or not, I will immediately be hunted down and killed.” 

Lorca let her go and walked over to the nearest control panel. Michael followed him. “I’ve redirected the power to this booth to be fed back into other systems. I could divert a small stream of power back to its originally intended source. I won’t return it to the maximum setting.”

Michael concentrated on the control panel, but she could feel her captain’s eyes studying her. She felt self conscious and a little vulnerable when it was just the two of them. She thought she knew him, but something about being in this universe made him act differently. It made her feel like he was hiding something. He trusted her with his life, so she would just have to have some faith in her captain.

The booth’s power came back online and Lorca let out a sigh of relief. Seconds afterwards, two patrol guards entered the torture deck. Lorca grabbed Michael and pulled her into a circuit room. They could hear the guards footsteps approaching the main terminal. Michael’s face was pressed against Lorca’s chest. She glanced up and he put a finger to his lips. He swiveled his head and pressed an ear to the closet door. With his neck stretched out in front of her she could see the cut she made across his throat very clearly. He noticed her staring, but didn’t meet her eyes. He kept listening. Michael couldn’t make out what the guards were saying. She assumed they were calling the missing guard or trying to find a replacement. She could only hear the pounding of her own heart in her ears.

He looked back down at her. “It sounds like they’ve gone,” he whispered.

She didn’t move a muscle. She waited for him to pull away from her first. Except he didn’t move either. He stood there holding her for several moments. She felt his hand on her lower back tighten and bring her a little closer in. Slowly she tipped her face up again. He was staring down at her too. She felt secure in his arms. The most secure she’d felt since coming to this universe.

“Captain” she said, barely parting her lips.

He closed his eyes and turned toward the door. Lorca dropped his arms and opened it. “We need to move, Burnham.”

He stepped out before her and rounded the corner without looking back. Together they made it back to Michael’s quarters without being detected. It was going to be a long night.

Chapter 4: Making a Plan

Michael entered her quarters first. Ash was still asleep in bed. Michael looked back at Lorca and tilted her head in the direction of the adjoining room. The doors closed behind them and Michael sunk into the couch. Lorca took the armchair across from her. Michael rubbed her face nervously before looking over at him. “Captain I was out of line questioning you back in the brig. I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

Lorca sighed, “I don’t need another mindless drone. I picked you because you can think for yourself. You’re not afraid to take chances if the risk demands it.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Now to the task at hand. Keeping a low profile and finding a way off this ship. I noticed an area in the plans that looked like a possible hiding spot.”

He picked her PADD up off the coffee table and began searching through the files. “Here.”

He turned it around and pointed out a spot to her. “It’s a maintenance shaft above deck 8 which used to be the holo deck before Georgiou renewed her war efforts and converted it into munitions storage. The area hasn’t been functional in months according to the ship’s directory, meaning the maintenance shaft should be completely isolated.”

Michael looked at the PADD, “ how can you tell it hasn’t been in use?”

“The coding for the change in the ship’s data banks lists the date as 2255.263. That’s four months ago.” Lorca pointed out.

Michael was suspicious of how knowledgeable he was for not having time to study it, but brushed off the feeling as just nerves. 

“I’ll wait there until 08:00 hours. Then I’ll use this catwalk to access the security override for the brig. I can trigger the emergency sirens. While the guards are trying to figure out the source of the alarm you need to release the prisoner in booth number 108.” He pointed again at the PADD. “You shouldn’t have any problems with your level of security, but the noise will give you cover if you need to improvise.”

Michael nodded, handing the PADD back to him. “The prisoner in 108 is a talosian. Let me see… ah I knew it. I recognized his species as soon as I saw him. Right here.” Lorca finished scrolling and started reading aloud. 

“Captured when the empire gassed a refugee camp in the Rigelian system- They listed his species as ‘unknown.’ He hasn’t even been released for questioning.” Lorca looked up at her.

“Talosians  can influence other species' perceptions of reality. They are an entire species of very powerful telepaths. If we can get him out of that booth, we could persuade him to help with our escape plan.” Lorca continued.

“What if he isn’t cooperative? What if he isn’t strong enough for what we have planned?” Michael asked, worried about what she might hear.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But if it does, we won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Michael inclined her head in his direction. “Sir, I understand the severity of the situation. But, his health and telepathic abilities could be affected by the prolonged exposure to the agony booths. We can’t rely on him being able to perform-“

“But you can rely on me can’t you, Michael.”

Her breath caught in her chest. He had never addressed her so informally. She was reminded that without the structure and regulations of starfleet confining them to their assigned roles, they were just two lost and hurt individuals trying to make it back home. The plan would work. It would have to work. She felt the apprehension dissolve from her shoulders and she let out a quiet sigh. “I trust you captain.”

She followed up with, “what about Tyler? What’s his role in this?”

“I need someone in security monitoring comms and keeping the patrol distracted.”

With that he stood up and straightened his stolen jacket. Michael stood too without realizing “You’re leaving already?”

Realizing her error, she composed her face into a serious, but disinterested facade. “Wherever the plan demands your presence, sir.”

“08:00 hours, Burnham. I’m counting on you.” He took a step towards her.

She stood still, feeling panic at his closeness as well as a sense of security while being in his presence. Ash didn’t make her feel like this. Why was it always Lorca that made her flush and her throat tighten. The mirror universe was making her consider him in a new light. He wasn’t just her captain anymore. They were co-conspirators. They endured the same trauma of being uprooted and displaced from their home. Lorca took another step towards her. His hand found the collar of her uniform. His thumb brushed over the small metal bars lightly. “I seem to have dirtied your pips captain.”

He pulled his hand away showing her the dried blood that had spattered her uniform in the interrogation room. “I suppose it’s a sign of power in this universe though. Wearing the blood of your enemies alongside your rank.” 

He returned his hand to the hollow of her throat. His thumb grazing her skin almost imperceptibly. The hair on her neck stood on end. “You’re not my enemy.” She said in barely a whisper.

“I’m sorry I hurt you. You know I never would have excep-“ she was cut off when he raised a finger in front of her lips. 

“No need. I wouldn’t expect any other course of action when presented with the situations you were put through today.”

“Let me at least get the medical equipment we gathered for you.” 

Michael walked over to the corner and pulled the false bottom off of an ottoman, revealing a cache of medicines and hypo sprays.

Lorca sat back down on the couch and removed his jacket. Michael sat next to him. She loaded the first hypo and pressed it to his neck. “This one is for the pain.”

She pushed the injector and loaded another vial in. “This is to prevent infection.”

Next she pulled out a small cylindrical container. “This is to promote cell regeneration.”

She opened the container to reveal translucent shimmering gel. “It’s a topical solution.”

Dipping two fingers in and scooping out some gel, she moved to apply the ointment on his arms and wrists where the most damage was done. She started massaging the medicine into the dark purple skin on his inner wrist. He stopped her with his free hand. “This is one I could apply myself.”

“I know.” She said without looking up.

She worked her fingers in small circles over his rough scarred skin. “It looks like it might be broken.” She mumbled in an apologetic tone.

Her fingers traveled up his arm to the inner curve of his elbow. There was a scar running the length of his bicep that caught her attention. She massaged more gel in and absently followed the scar to where it met his collar bone. “Will this, what I did to you today… will it leave a scar?” She asked.

“If it does, it’ll be the only scars I won’t regret receiving.” He paused. 

Lorca lifted his free hand to her chin and tipped her face up to meet his. “And you shouldn’t regret giving.” 

Michael looked away. Startled by the sudden intimacy in his voice and the tenderness in his touch.

She turned back towards him ready to respond, but was interrupted by an incoming transmission from her secure channel. The Discovery was calling. She reached for the comm and soon Saru’s image appeared to them on the holo. “Michael, we’ve intercepted some transmissions to and from Harlak that I think will shed some light on the rebel activities. Captain, I was unaware you had already been released from captivity. It is good to see you alive and well.”

“You have Michael here to thank for that.” Lorca said.

The doors to the bedroom opened and Ash entered looking somewhat lost. “Ash, we need to catch you up on the plan.” Michael moved over to him, taking his arm and leading him to the couch. 

Chapter 5: Change of Plans

They quickly filled Ash in on the plans they were making. Saru cleared his throat after silently listening to them relay the information.

“Captain it is of vital importance that I play for you the transmission we intercepted from the planet. It could provide just the insight we need to find common ground with the rebels.” Saru finished then tapped his control panel.

The transmission was not extremely clear, but after some static they were able to make out “qeylIS, jIleghmeH yIwovmoH. reH.”

Static resumed for several seconds, but there was a notable change in Ash. His posture was rigid and his face was turned down. His hair fell in front of his eyes, but as he slowly looked up at Micheal, and his bangs fell away, Michael saw a wild look in his face that she didn’t recognize. 

“tlhIngan maH! taHjaj!” Ash screamed and lunged at Michael. 

He toppled her over the back of the couch and onto the floor. The communicator projecting Saru was knocked aside and the connection severed. The room was plunged into darkness. Michael couldn’t see. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Ash was straddling her chest, pinning her arms to her sides, and crushing her windpipe with his hands. Then suddenly the weight  lifted. She still couldn’t see, but she could hear grunting and blows landing. Then the lights came on. Lorca was standing over Ash’s crumpled form. He stepped over him and held out a hand to Michael. “Are you hurt?” he asked while helping her to her feet. 

Michael tried to respond, but her throat stung. She raised a hand to touch her bruised neck. “Don’t,” Lorca stopped her from trying to speak again.

He sat her down then made his way over to the control panel in the entryway to summon guards. “You’ll have to take care of this for now. Remember 08:00 hours Michael. We will get out of here.” he said before disappearing around the corner. 

Michael couldn’t do anything, but sit on the couch and sob. She composed a quick letter to Saru on her PADD, then stuffed it in Ash’s pocket along with the data they decrypted from the Defiant. When the guards arrived she put on a brave face and explained that he made an attempt on her life. “We will take him straight to the transported pads, Captain.” one said, addressing her.

“Be sure that you do.” she muttered without looking over at them.

She stared out her window and wondered how she ended up in a different universe surrounded by enemies wearing the faces of her friends. She pulled out her secure communicator and called Saru back.

“They’ll be transporting Ash into open space. Pick him up.”

“Burnham, we will do what we can, but without the use of the warpcore there is very little chance that we will be able to reach him in time.”

“Whatever you’re capable of. That’s all I ask.” she said and ended the transmission.

Michael marched down the hallway to the brig. She hated every second of being in this place. She hated the way the ship was laid out with all importance being put on the brig and weapons. She hated the way people talked to each other and treated each other like threats instead of trusting each other. She hated that she had to make herself one of the very tyrants she most despised. She let that revulsion propel her forward to her mission. If the Talosian was able to help them escape then she wouldn’t have to worry about living in this wretched universe anymore.

When she got there the alarm wasn’t going off.  She scoped out the area. One guard at the main terminal and two along the perimeter. She counted the rows of booths and figured that 108 was in the first column. While the guard at the terminal had his back turned she darted behind a nearby booth. Before the perimeter patrol came within view she located 108. The individual inside looked human though. She reached the control panel for the agonizer. The digital clock read 08:10. Lorca should have tripped the alarm by now. She didn’t know whether she could let the prisoner out without alerting the guards. 

Before she could even enter her identification number, the booth powered down and the door swung open. The power to the entire room shut off and the emergency power system kicked on. In the dim light she could see the doors to all of the other agonizers swinging open in unison. The officers on patrol were quickly taken out by the emerging prisoners. The man at the terminal tried to call for backup, but was swiftly silenced. The next thing she heard was Lorca’s voice over the intercom. 

“I've watched for years; you let alien races spill over the borders, flourish in our backyard, then have the gall to incite rebellion. The Terrans need a leader who will preserve our way of life, our race. Try as you might, it's clearly not you. Even Michael knew that. It was her great shame. Well, it's indecorous of me to share pillow talk. To the rest, many of you know me. Some of you served with me. To all, I make this offer: renounce Georgiou. The Empire is dying in her hands. But you don't have to... Not today. Michael Burnham is not to be touched. She is integral to our future plans, a future where we together will make the Empire glorious again.”

A cheer went up around the room. Michael began to panic. She sidestepped the prisoners amassing around her. One tried to step in front of her and stop her from leaving, but she ducked and swept his legs out from underneath him. Without losing speed, she came tearing around the first line of booths. More people had been filtering in. Some holding weapons and passing them out to the prisoners. One of the individuals entering the room was Lorca himself. He dismissed the woman he was talking to and headed straight for Michael. 

“It’s finally happening Michael. All of our plans are coming to fruition.”

“Our plans?” Michael asked in confusion and panic coloring her words.

“I don’t even know you.” she continued, the tightness in her throat making the words come out high pitched and distorted. 

“It’s me, Michael. Nothing’s changed.”

“Everything has changed! This isn’t what I wanted! I don’t want anything to do with your coup or your universe! The only thing I want is to escape it.” Michael screamed.

“Well I’m sorry you feel that way.” Lorca touched a button on his wrist PADD. 

“I hope someday you’ll come around.”

The edges of Michael’s vision started to blur and blacken. “What did you-” 

Lorca cut her off, “All in good time Michael.”

She felt her knees buckle, but Lorca caught her under the arms. “Ready the bioweapon, Stamets.” she heard Lorca barking more orders, but her vision faded completely and then she was out.

Chapter 6: Trying to Remember

Michael woke up to the sound of ka'athyra music sounding softly from a room nearby. She opened her eyes to see an ornate pressed metal ceiling with the empire’s insignia repeated throughout the intricate patterns. She sighed and sat up on her elbows trying to piece together the last things she could remember. It was all so fuzzy. The longer she tried to make herself remember, the more her head hurt. Something didn’t sit right in her stomach.

Looking around she found a set of clothes and some fresh fruit laid out for her. She couldn’t remember how she got here, but something was definitely off. She got up and started inspecting the room for clues. Something to trigger a memory. Nothing on the bookshelves was any use. All tactical manuals. She bent down to check behind the shelf and under the sofa. The place was immaculate. A chime sounded at the door and she straightened up.

“It’s good to see you awake.” Dr Culber greeted her cheerily as he entered the room. 

“How are you feeling? You’ve been sleeping for the last 36 hours. I was starting to get worried.”

Michael eyed him warily. Trying to read his expression. “Were you this congenial with your Michael?” She asked, barely masking the malice and distrust in her voice.

“I like to think I extended her the same bedside manner I do with all my patients. Whether or not she acknowledged me in a friendly way was irrelevant. We were not placed in the positions we are in to make friends.” He said with an air of nonchalance while checking vials and loading a hypo spray. 

He began entering data onto his PADD. She discreetly turned her head in his direction. Craning her neck, she caught a peek at the corner of his screen. She saw a chemical formula that she recognized, melorazine. A sedative? “Why is there a sedative listed in my medical file?” She demanded.

“Just as nosy as the other Michael. Sometimes it’s better to not ask questions.” Culber sighed.

Before Michael could demand answers of him again, there was a soft whoosh of the door opening. Lorca walked in with a self satisfied look on his face.

“How is our priority patient doing doctor?” He asked in a light, but commanding way.

“Better every day, emperor.” Culber said with a curt bow.

“Emperor? But Phillipa-“

“Has been replaced. Ooh it pains me every time I have to tell you.” Lorca stared at her and raised a hand to stroke the side of her face.

Michael pulled away. “So sedatives aren’t all that you’ve been giving me. Some memory altering agents in the mix as well.”

She turned away from them both and sat on her bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest. How many days had she been here? Weeks? Months? She tried searching through her memories for any clues or indication of what they had been doing to her.

“I’ll leave you two to catch up.” Culber tucked his PADD under his arm, saluted Lorca, and exited the room briskly.

Michael turned, keeping Lorca in her line of sight.

“Michael, don’t look at me like that. Honestly whatever villainous deeds you’re imagining happening in this room, I assure you, are far more grotesque than the truth of the matter.”

Michael continued staring. 

Lorca stared back. She saw some flicker of doubt in his expression. “I don’t know what I hoped would happen. How could I think anything would be different this time around?” He said more to himself than to her.

Lorca paused. He took two steps over to the wall and pressed a button on the comm panel. “Culber prep anoth-“

“WAIT!” Michael interrupted.

She was horrified of existing like this. Waking with no memories of when or where she was. She got to her feet and walked up to Lorca.

 “Emperor?” Culber’s voice chirped through the speaker. 

“Belay that order.” He responded without taking his eyes off of Micheal.

She felt his eyes bore into her. She met his gaze. His intense, hungry expression reminded her of a hawk eyeing a mouse. She would not be so easy to ensnare. She took a step closer. Now inches from him. Turning, she pulled a chair out from the small table pressed up against the wall. Michael sat slowly and deliberately and activated the holo game program built into the table.

A multi leveled chess board materialized in front of her. “I assume chess has the same rules in this universe.”

Lorca let out a slow controlled breath and joined her at the table.

Chapter 7: Playing Her Game

Gabriel could feel his pulse beating in his ears. A light sheen of perspiration accumulated on his upper lip. Now was not the time to let his guard down. Chess wasn’t the only game Michael was playing with him. He knew her too well to believe she would heel to his command without a fight.

He was curious where this interaction would lead. “How did you and the other Michael spend your time?”

“Believe it or not we never played chess. She was more hands on. Preferring to spar and engage in… other physical activities.” He said carefully, shooting her a mischievous glance.

Her expression was stiff and unchanging. That Vulcan upbringing was novel, but aggravated him endlessly. His Michael was furious and powerful. She jumped headlong into action. Preferring to solve her problems with violence rather than strategy. 

This Michael was tantalizing and remote. She was ever the same, but a different person entirely. It was a contradiction that was frustrating, but also exciting. He could feel a tightening of his trousers. Gabriel willed himself to focus on the task in front of him and not linger on the delicious memory of her lips.

He placed his rook on the second level, taking her bishop. She countered, exploiting the gap in his defense and taking his knight on the lowest level. 

“Did you think of her as your equal?”

With her head bent she looked up at him through her full lashes. It was getting harder and harder to keep himself from making his arousal obvious. “Would it surprise you to find out that I did?”

She stared at him with that blank Vulcan expression. He wanted to wrap his fingers around her delicate throat and bring her face to his. He wanted to see her facade break beneath his hands.

“We had an intellectual relationship. She was not a mere conquest. If that’s what you’re getting at. She was a partner. I expected to rule with her one day. Never had I met someone with such fierce ambition and violent precision.”

Speaking of his own Michael brought forth a pang of remorse in his chest. His composure wavered for a millisecond, but that was all she needed. Her posture straightened and the corner of her mouth quirked up almost imperceptibly. His Michael reveled in others' pain too. It was almost comforting seeing her like this. 

He positioned his queen in the corner, hoping she would take the bait. She fingered the rounded tip of her bishop absently. “What did she call you?”

She was toying with him. “Emperor?”

Her queen took his own.

He countered, taking her queen with his bishop.

“Captain?” She said in a low voice.

She moved a pawn from the highest platform to the middle.

He took her remaining bishop. She moved her pawn again.

“Sir?” 

He positioned his rook within range of her king. “Check.” He said.

Her pawn moved into the line of attack, negating his check.

“Gabriel?” Her voice dropped almost to a whisper.

A hard knot formed in his throat. He looked at her then. She put her hand flat on the table slowly rising and leaning towards him. She came so close. Her face parallel to his own. Her lips a hairsbreadth from his ear. 

“Gabriel” she breathed.

She inhaled slowly. “I have you.”

His whole body stiffened. 

“Check” her free hand moved underneath her scooping up a piece.

“Mate” she placed the rook directly in front of him and his king.

That subdued smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. 

He stared blankly at the board. She played him as deftly as she played the game. Michael broke his gaze and stood all the way up. She moved over to the counter lined with glass decanters of varying sizes, leaving him alone at the table.

“Are you so sure that I am her equal?” She asked without looking up from the bottles.

Micheal poured a glass of Terran whiskey then another. She brought them over to him, one in each hand. As she extended one to him he stood up.

“Sir” he paused, “or Lorca when in public. That is what you may call me.”

Gabriel walked past her to the door. “Tomorrow, Burnham” he said stiffly, then walked out into the hallway.

Chapter 8: Alone With His Thoughts

Gabriel felt all of the air rush out of him as he stepped into the hallway. She was good. He couldn’t underestimate her again.

He walked briskly down the hall to his quarters, passing a handful of guards on patrol. They stopped to salute as he walked past. But he didn’t even acknowledge them. His thoughts were swirling out of control. 

He sat on the edge of his bed and pulled out his PADD. He accessed the surveillance system and brought up the feed to her room. 

In the  time it took him to walk to his quarters, Michael had moved her bed and the game table  into the corner of the room. In the open space that she’d created she was doing jumping jacks. Then after several sets, she dropped to the floor and switched to push ups. Then back up again.

His erection pushed hard against the front of his uniform. He removed his jacket without taking his eyes off of the screen. “What are you up to?”

He removed his trousers. His cock springing out as the constricting fabric fell away. Regardless of which universe she came from, Michael always knew how to make him hard.

He held the PADD in one hand and started slowly stroking himself with the other. He matched his rhythm to the pace she was doing push ups. She bounced up to do jumping jacks and he quickened his pace. 

A bead of moisture squeezed out the tip of his cock and rolled down his shaft. He could feel his arousal slowly building. She was stoking it like a fire. But then she stopped her jumping jacks. Michael turned away from the camera and slowly lowered herself to the floor. She was starting her cool down stretches.

With her head resting in her arms on the ground and her legs raising her perfect ass into the air. His hand was feverishly moving up and down, slick now with pre cum. She switched positions so one leg was stretched out to the side while the other supported her weight. Her splayed legs offered him an exquisite view. She bounced and then switched legs. He quickened his pace. His breath caught in his throat. She switched legs and bounced again. Now leaning down and arching her back. 

She glanced backwards and bounced one, two, three more times. Her gaze seemed to settle on the camera. He thought of her watching him.

It was enough to push him over the edge. He came suddenly, shooting his load in warm spurts across his legs. He imagined it landing across her face. A second wave of pleasure rolled over him and he felt himself stiffen once more. His cock quivering in his hand. The image of her beautiful face covered in his cum lingering in his mind. 

He looked down at the screen, but she was no longer stretching. He could see the light was on in her bathroom. He considered checking to see if there was surveillance feed for that room as well, but decided against it. He would have her in time, but for tonight, he was utterly spent.

Chapter 9: Watched

Michael was already awake, lost in her anxieties, in the early hours of the morning when she heard a chirp at the door. Saru entered carrying a tray of oils and tonics for her. She thought that a familiar face might bring her some kind of happiness or satisfaction. But it just hurt more to be reminded that he was a slave to the empire when he flinched at her every movement. She had to steel herself against the pain. If she gave into sentiment, she would not survive. 

She thought of the hungry look in Lorca’s eyes. The outline of his erection bulging through his uniform still fresh in her memory from the previous night. Micheal knew that her playful vixen act would only get her so far. And sooner or later her luck would run out and she’d have to do more than beat him at a game of chess. Her body involuntarily shuddered at the thought.

She pushed Lorca from her mind as she lowered herself into the bath. Saru rubbed scented oils into her hair and she let herself relax for a moment.

Lorca hadn’t come to see her 3 in days. She would be more relieved if she wasn’t so unnerved. He wasn’t present in her waking world, but he was everywhere as soon as she closed her eyes. She was still trying to understand how this could be the man who scooped her up out of that prison transport and gave her a home. 

She needed something to keep her mind busy. The isolation was making her thoughts spiral out of control. If only she could access some tech. Something she could pick apart and examine. It would give her a better understanding of this universe. She might even be able to program some kind of communicator or build a weapon. Hell, she would settle for being able to turn on and off the light at will. 

___________________________________________________________________

Micheal ran her hands along the books as she had done every time she paced through the rooms. She recognized the titles, but she had never taken the chance to read them. She pulled some books off of the middle shelf. Then the top. She skimmed some and read others more closely. She lost track of the time, but was reminded abruptly when the lights began to dim. This was how her captors kept her circadian rhythm in sync with the rest of the ship. Another part of her they could control. She began picking the books up off the floor and shelving them again. 

She reached up to put two books on the top shelf. Her eyes were drawn to a faint flickering reflection. Something wedged in the upper corner of the book shelf was reflecting the soft lights of the stars outside her window. She realized quickly that it was a camera. She was being watched. Michael tried to control her reaction and finish shelving the books. 

Unsure of what to do she curled up in her bed and pulled the covers over her head. How many cameras were there? Were there any blind spots? Is there someone watching this very second?

The questions pushed against her years of training in logical thinking. She fought against the panic setting in. 

She took stock of her situation. At least one camera had been found. Surely given time she could discover any others. She could calculate the degree of her surveillance based on the reactions to any changes in the feed.

Was this standard procedure? Or something Lorca installed especially for her? 

Chapter 10: The Andorian Technique

Michael whiled away the time alone in her quarters by doing exercises and rearranging the furniture. This gave her an excuse to search out more cameras. She didn’t want to be caught doing anything suspicious by any remaining cameras. So she played the perfect pet.

She saw Culber for an hour or so every day. The socialization was nice even if he wasn’t the Culber she’d become friends with. Mostly he just grilled her about her experience between universes, scanned her, or took her vitals for the 100th time.

That morning he came in while she was doing the cool down phase of her work out. “Don’t mind me. You don’t need to stop on my behalf.”

“I was finishing up anyways.” Micheal said and offered her arm to him for the blood pressure check she knew him to always start with.

“That won’t be necessary. I’m here for a different reason today. The emperor wants me to educate you on this universe’s history and culture.”

Micheal had to stop herself from scoffing audibly. This may be an attempt to groom her into an even more twisted little pet, but she would use this information to get a leg up any way she could.

“The emperor wishes this? Why did Lorca send you then?”

“He is very busy at the moment and knows that you and I have a much less strained relationship. We have a certain rapport built between us.”

Again she had to keep herself composed. Her Vulcan upbringing was becoming more and more useful the longer she had to keep this polished veneer of compliance in place. How could she have any rapport with Culber or any other staff of the Charon for that matter? She was a prisoner. And even though he wore the face of a dear friend, Culber was still one of her captors.

“I would also like to learn more about the universe you came from. It will be useful to know when and where our histories converge and diverge.”

“I’ll do my best. As a xenoanthropologist I feel as though I have a broad enough knowledge base to answer any questions that you have even though my specialty was not in alpha quadrant history. Any other quadrants I will not be able to provide suitable information for.” Michael said matter-of-factly, but tacked a slight smile to the very last sentence.

Culber seemed hesitant to reciprocate the smile, but pulled out a PADD and started the lesson nonetheless.

Michael needed her own PADD to keep track of all of the inconsistencies between the histories. Despite herself she was enjoying the lesson. About 90 minutes after he had begun his badge chirped and he was called back to med bay.

“I’ll be back tomorrow to pick up where we left off. Most likely at around 10:00 hours.” He said while packing up his things.

Micheal could almost imagine him as her own Dr Culber. She desperately needed a friend in this universe, but to trust him would be a grave mistake. She accepted that this farce of a friendship would have to do and waved to him as he left with her own ghost of a smile playing at her lips.

At 09:30 she heard a chirp sound from the door. Culber was half an hour earlier than he said he would be. Micheal was still in the middle of her morning work out when the door slid open and Lorca stepped through.

“I seem to have caught you at a bad time”

Micheal stopped what she was doing and stepped into her bathroom. Several seconds in the sonic shower was enough to clean her and she was back in her issued uniform.

When she returned to the main room, Lorca was sitting at the table where Culber always sat.

“Will you be joining Dr Culber and me for our cultural lesson today?” Micheal asked, trying to keep the sharp edge out of her tone.

She knew she would get more information and possibly privileges by playing the obedient student.

“I thought I would begin our lesson today.”

Micheal started sweating again, but this was much different than how she felt during her exercises. Cold sweat trickled down her spine and knots twisted in her belly.

“Where did you leave off with our good doctor?” Lorca lazily took out a PADD and slapped it on the table between them.

Micheal pulled out her own PADD and opened the document that Culber had sent her. “Yesterday we wrapped up the fall of Q’onos. I believe we were to start the chapter on Andorian battle tactics this morning.” Micheal’s clipped tones were obvious even through the effort she was making to be amenable.

“Shame. I would’ve loved to revisit my accomplishments from the clash with Q’onos.” He drawled with a coy smirk.

But she caught something else in his expression. A hint of doubt or perhaps self consciousness hiding behind his eyes. This meant she had leverage over him. She could manipulate him because he still saw the other Micheal. He still cared what she thought of him.

“And skip your heroics in skirmishes with the Andorians? I think not.” She said with her own playful flair.

“What makes you think I’m the hero in these stories?” Lorca cocked an eyebrow as he gazed at her.

“Regardless. Every story needs a good villain.” Michael inched closer to him.

She had to fight to keep the revulsion out of her words. But something else was at play. She never talked like this with Lorca before. Playing the part of the other Micheal was opening a door inside her and she wasn’t sure if she could stop the emotions that were coming through. 

“Andorians started off as sworn enemies to the Vulcans. They are a very emotional and paranoid species of vermin. And the ideal counterparts to their logical neighbors in that part of the quadrant.” Lorca continued without looking down at his PADD.

“Though they are rash at times, their aggressive tactics awarded them many victories. One of the most notable being the seizure of the Vulcan surveillance base underneath the temple at P’Jemm.”

Micheal knew most of this already, but the Andorian involvement at P’Jemm ended peacefully in her universe. Captain Archer used the interaction to start treaty negotiations between the two people. 

“Andorians are known for always taking prisoners and always torturing information out of them.”

Another difference she noticed. But kept dutifully taking notes. Only occasionally looking up and keeping a placid smile on her face. She did, after all, enjoy learning about new cultures.

“One well known technique was adapted from the Vulcan mind meld. I’ve seen it performed a few times. If Terrans had more psychic abilities, we would no doubt have employed our own version by now. First they would restrain their prisoners.”

Lorca stood and closed the distance between them. She watched him, but didn’t move a muscle. “Then they would make contact with a similar gesture to what the Vulcans use. With one exception.”

He reached down with one hand. His fingers rested on her temple as they would with a mind meld. But rather than resting along her jawline, his thumb wrapped around her throat under her chin. 

She subdued a shudder and tilted her head up to meet his eyes.

“And then it’s a simple matter of pushing my will into your psyche.” He said, tightening his grip.

Micheal pushed into his hand in response. A wildfire of emotion erupted from behind his eyes.

Chapter 11: Sparring

Gabriel moved so that his left knee rested on the arm of her chair with his other foot supporting his weight. His right hand still tightening on her neck. 

He bent down and used his right forearm to press her into the chair. Michael closed her eyes and let out a strained gasp.

The change in her composure was intoxicating. It drove him wild. He imagined what it would be like to really choke her. Really have her submissive and mewling at his feet. He could feel a heat building in his core. And a tightening of his slacks. 

But before he gave in and allowed his ferocious appetite to take control. His thoughts cleared. He looked down at her pathetic expression and her averted gaze. This wasn’t his Michael. This wasn’t even his Vulcan Michael. This was an act.

His hand tensed and he un-gently threw her face to the side while backing away.

“What are you playing at, Burnham?”

She looked up from under her perfect lashes. “You think you can pretend to be her just because you have the same face? You didn’t even know her!!”

“Isn’t that what this is all about?? I’m the less than satisfactory replacement for your perfect Michael!” Michael screamed back at him knocking the table over as she stood up to meet him.

Their faces were inches apart. His erection was almost unbearable. The expression on her face was terrifying. Given the chance, she would kill him in a heartbeat. His face softened “there she is.” He whispered.

She blinked and took a step back. “I knew the Michael I plucked from that prison transport, the Michael that started the Klingon war, was still in there.”

Michael just stared at him. A blank mask giving him no inclination of what she was thinking. He didn’t need to know. She’d already given him what he needed.

“I think we’ll end here today. We’ve both learned more than enough.” 

He straightened his jacket and walked towards the door. He was dying to get one last glance. But he couldn’t risk her noticing the ever growing bulge pressing on the fabric of his slacks. 

So without ceremony or farewell, he walked out and into the hallway.

——————————————-

At 1300 hours she was summoned and escorted to a training room. There were mats on the floor in places and dozens of different types of weapons lined up against the walls. Some were blunted, others gleamed with sharp metal edges spattered with blood. 

“As much as I’d love to see you wield a bat'leth, I don’t think you’d spar very fairly.”

Lorca had entered the room without her hearing him. He was right to be worried about her getting hold of one of those weapons. She had thought at long length about what she would do to him given the chance. 

“Computer, disengage all weapons except for wooden sparring staves.” He barked.

She watched the bloody weapons and wicked blades dematerialize. So this was a hologram?

She had limited experience with holo decks in her own universe and wondered what they were capable of in this one. 

“Oddly silent this afternoon. I hope I haven’t bored you too much.”

She considered her response. Lorca motioned for the armed guards that had escorted her here to leave. 

“I have had much to consider while learning about your universe. I am beginning to understand the fundamental differences between us.” Michael said flatly.

Lorca threw her a staff. “The similarities are equally as perplexing," he said while squaring up.

They began circling each other. Michael was quick on her feet, but Lorca was much stronger. He blocked her sweep at his legs and he shoved her back, slamming his shoulder into her jaw. 

“For instance, your fighting styles.” Lorca continued.

Michael rammed her elbow into the pressure point under his pectoral muscle. Then grabbed the back of his head and slammed it down into her upraised knee. 

Lorca braced himself with one knee and one hand on the ground. “You’re Michael never learned Vulcan Martial Arts.” Michael said smugly, picking up her staff once more and returning to their starting positions.

“Another wonderful surprise.” Lorca said with a dry laugh.

He recovered quicker than she expected and they were soon circling each other again. This time he swung first. Michael raised her staff to block, but the power behind it made her stumble and back up a few steps. She was being backed into a corner. She didn’t know what Terran Michael was trained in so she had to do things a little unexpectedly to keep him off guard. 

Michael launched her staff at his legs like a spear. He blocked it easily, but he didn’t realize that in the time he took to sweep aside the staff Michael had charged up and pounced. Her hands dug into the fabric of his shirt. Her knees made contact with his chest. They toppled over into a tangle of limbs.

Michael was on top of him. Straddling his midsection and pinning him with one hand on his throat. 

“Shall I show you how a Vulcan would interrogate a prisoner?” Michael growled.

“In some ways…” he choked, “You’re even better than her.” Lorca managed to get out through straining breaths.

Michael couldn’t help enjoying this new power she was wielding over him. She brought her other hand up to add pressure on his neck.

She could feel how aroused he was, and would feel disgusted if she hadn’t also felt herself become slick with anticipation.

His hands found her hips and pressed her down more firmly into him. She shifted her hips forward ever so slightly and felt a shudder pass through him. His face was turning red. If she didn’t let go he would pass out soon. He wasn’t fighting it though. He wasn’t much of a challenge.

“Grooming me the way you groomed her, will not make me want you the way she did.” Michael was inches away from his face. 

Then she loosened her grip and stood. She turned leaving him there gasping and staring up at her. Before she got to the door she felt a staff slam into the backs of her knees. She fell onto all fours.

From behind her the staff came again. He caught it under her jaw and held her there with the back of her head pinned to his chest. He had locked her in with both his arms keeping the wood in place crushing her windpipe. She could feel he was kneeling behind her. 

His hot breath was burning the skin on her shoulder and neck. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “What if I don’t need you to want me?”

Panic bubbled over. She started struggling against him more. “Enough!” He snarled.

“Enough with the games. We’ve played our parts long enough.” 

Lorca bent his head down and kissed the soft skin of her shoulder. He moved up to her neck, where he traced his tongue up to her ear.

Michael was horrified, but also extremely turned on. She tried to struggle again. Lorca sucked on her earlobe and gave it a gentle bite. Fighting him was getting harder and harder and her air supply was being cut off more and more. The edges of her vision were fading to black.

“I don’t need to train you to want me, because I know you already do.”

Chapter 12: Rebels On Board

Michael woke up and peeled her face off of the mat in the sparring room. Lorca just left her there. It was not the most dignified position that she’d been in, but she was grateful that he didn’t try to prove any points while she was blacked out.

The two security personnel that escorted her to the holodeck were waiting outside the sliding doors and immediately put her back in the cuffs she wore during transports. The whole routine was getting kind of tired. 

On the right was one of the cafeterias and on the left was one of the weapons development labs. She knew the layout of the entire ship by heart. It was one of the things that gave her an edge. And it was one of the things that kept her sane. As long as she could hold onto this shred of forbidden knowledge she could hold onto the hope of escape one day. She just had to bide her time. 

They passed by a row of windows that lined the hallway across from the brig. Michael didn’t really care for these stars, just pale comparisons to her own world’s. It just reminded her how far away from home she really was. But something caught her eye as she glanced out the window at the neighboring system.

Three almost imperceptibly small dots of light were zipping towards the Charon. It almost looked like a trick of the light, but Michael knew something was up. The male guard also halted as he passed, but before he could react, the ship listed sharply to the starboard side away from the windows they were just looking out of. 

All three of them went flying. Michael was able to roll and absorb the impact of her collision with the wall, but the male guard hit the corner of the entryway into the brig and Michael heard a crack. He didn’t get back up. The other guard locked eyes with Michael as they both rose to their feet. Michael knew that both guards held keys to her cuffs. She shifted and dove for the downed guard just as the other woman lunged at her. 

The artificial gravity gave out before either could hit their target. Michael slowly drifted up and away from the male guard, and closer to the female guard who had turned and clung to the upper corner of the hallway. She unholstered her phaser and fired. Michael kicked her legs off from the wall, taking a hard left. She collided into the wall and ricocheted towards the other woman.  Michael pinned her to the ceiling with an elbow to the jaw, knocking the phaser out of her hand. 

The smaller woman was surprisingly agile and hooked a leg around Michael’s calf, pulled sharply and sent Michael flying away ass over teakettle. Michael crashed into the floor and after taking a second to re orient herself looked up to see the guard shooting through the air straight at her. Michael put all of her strength into kicking away at that moment, even before her senses had really returned to normal. The guard realized that Michael would feint the hit.  She turned, conserved some of her momentum, and punched Michael square in the nose. Without the use of gravity to engage all of her muscles, the hit was nowhere near full force. Michael stabilized herself on the support beam on the ceiling. She clenched her biceps and triceps, tightening her core and putting every ounce of muscle she had into a two foot kick to the chest. Her opponent went flying. The back of her head made contact with the window and a small crack began to spread. The guard’s body went limp and floated gently upward. 

The artificial gravity came back on shortly after. The female guard’s body dropped suddenly to the floor with a soft crunching. Michael swung down to the ground and scooped up the dropped phaser. Alarms started blaring all over the ship. At the junction in the hallway ahead of her, Michael could see dozens of personnel running from the port side into inner compartments of the ship. 

Jogging down the hall towards the commotion, Michael could see a huge chunk of the outer hull missing. Several officers flew out of the breach along with some equipment seconds before the shield closed over and atmosphere returned. Amidst the chaos, a stationary figure drew her attention. Someone wearing an EV suit of Vulcan design was standing still in the middle of the stampede. They turned and started walking away from Michael down the hallway. 

Michael stumbled back, jostled violently by the oncoming crowd. More pieces of the hull were being ripped off in this section and the panic was reaching a fever pitch. She kept the suited person in her line of sight through all of the scrambling and quickly closed the distance between them to just several feet. With her phaser trained on them the person turned and to Michael’s horror she saw that the EV suit had been modified to house an enormous explosive device on the chest piece. 

The figure noticed her staring and bolted down the hall away from Michael and around a corner to the left. Michael was in shock and didn’t react in time. The person was heading straight for the life support controls. Michael was quickly succumbing to the panic overtaking the rest of the crew. But she wasn’t about to let everything fall apart without even trying to do anything. Those precious few seconds gave them the time they needed to head to the control center. 

From the intersection at the end of the hallway, Michael watched them self detonate. Everything was impossibly loud and then completely silent. Michael was blinded and thrown back. She hit the wall behind her so hard she almost lost consciousness. She felt the ship shuddering, the metal body being pulled apart and broken from the inside. The ship was tilting sharply down in the prow. When she opened her eyes there was too much light. Alarms had stopped blaring and she could see through the floor out the bottom of the ship. Harlak was below them and approaching very fast. The air being pushed through the breaches in the outer walls was throwing all the small debris flying in all directions. Michael felt a piece of glass cut her ear and dodged out of the way as some metal shreds were sent hurtling at her face by the swirling air.

She climbed over broken machinery and twisted corpses clutching her ribs were almost certainly all broken. Med Bay 3 was only 300 feet away. She knew that it was her best bet for survival if she couldn’t get off the ship in a shuttle. The stasis pods could help provide additional support and shock absorption. At this point getting as far away from the point of impact would increase her chances. The perforated metal supports of the outer layer of the ship would crunch like a tin can as the Charon hit the planet. The trick was to stay out of the crunched areas. The Charon was tipping down more and more and the ship was now in freefall. 

Michael grabbed onto the door frame of med bay 3 and pulled herself in. If there ship design was anything like Starfleet’s then Michael reasoned that all medical bays would have their own backup power generators in cases of emergency. She maneuvered through the air to the panel on the wall to the left of the entrance. As soon as she engaged the generator, the artificial gravity came back on and the doors began to close. A hand shot through the crack in the door at the last second and pushed the doors back open.

Another person in an EV suit stepped through and let the doors close behind them. “We are already going down! You don’t need to throw your life away when there still might be a chance of walking away from this!” Michael shouted at them in Vulcan.

“Fascinating to meet a Terran versed in Vulcan. No matter, a Terran nonetheless.” he responded in Vulcan and moved to draw his phaser. 

Michael was faster and shot him before he had the chance to fire. Hers was set to stun and didn’t make much impact though the suit, so she fired again and again in rapid succession. He managed a couple of shots back and missed both times. Once he was down, Michael knelt down, a growing feeling of dread climbing up her throat. She knew that voice. Michael ripped the helmet off and looked down to see her brother lying unconscious at her feet. 

“Spock?” she choked out.

Chapter 13: Crash Landing

She quickly dragged him to one of the stasis pods and strapped him in. This version of Spock had more muscle mass than her own. It took considerably more effort to lug him around than she was expecting. She strapped herself into the pod next to him and closed her eyes bracing for impact. It happened several seconds later. She could feel the straps straining to keep her in place. The crumpling metal framework groaned around her as she felt the bottom of the ship give way. Surprisingly the medical bay was left mostly intact. The power stayed on as well. That is, until the top half of the ship fractured and then broke free from the crumpled section completely. 

Michael wasn’t expecting the second drop. She had started to unstrap herself when the room pitched downward in the opposite direction than the one they had fallen. Her upper body was free and the sudden change in orientation threw her head and left shoulder against the plex casing of the stasis pod. And everything went black.

______________________________________________________________

 

When she came to, blood was obscuring her vision. She was hanging forward out of the straps and couldn’t see through the bloody mess on the plex. Michael groaned while unstrapping herself the rest of the way. She slumped forward onto the front panel of the pod. When she forced the panel open she fell several feet to the floor unable to catch herself gracefully in her weakened state. She groaned again and rolled over onto her back. 

“Suddenly, thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over. Well!' thought Alice to herself, `after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs!” Michael recited to herself with a weary half smile.

She had survived. As she moved around the room, she noticed that some of the lights were still on, but flickering. Machinery was throwing sparks and arcing live electrical currents. She was second guessing whether the power staying on was such a good thing. She carefully pried open the stasis pod next to her own. It popped with a burst of electricity and the front panel fell away. Michael was horrified to see Spock still unconscious and covered in electrical burns. “No no no! Come on Spock, stay with me!”

She tore the straps off him and heaved him out of the pod which was still spitting sparks. He still had a pulse. It was thready and weak, but she could feel it nonetheless. She placed him on the discarded panel and lashed some disconnected electric cording to drag him easier. The medical bay was towards the middle of the ship, but she was able to get outside fairly easily as the stress fracture down the center of the ship created a crack only 50 feet away from the entrance. 

It appeared that they had crashed on the southern hemisphere of Harlak. From what she knew of the planet through her xenoanthropology studies, the northern hemisphere, where the rebel base was located, consisted mostly of rocky deserts, grasslands, and temperate forests. The southern hemisphere contained more tropical biomes closer to the planet’s equator. This specific location appeared to be rain heavy and vegetation rich.

The steamy air filled Michael’s lungs and soaked into her skin. Hauling her brother’s dead weight around was working up a sweat and the humidity of the forest was not making things any easier. She peeled off her sweat and blood soaked jacket and threw it on top of Spock. Michael took a moment to study the landscape around her. The most important thing to find first would be fresh water. That shouldn’t be hard. Foliage of this quantity only thrives in areas with heavy rainfall. If she wanted to conserve energy, she could just set out containers and wait. 

Michael scavenged some concave scraps of metal and debris and then pulled herself and Spock under a tree perched on a rocky outcropping. The roots curled around the edge of the rocks jutting out of the earth and mossy undergrowth carpeted the floor of the shallow cave like area. It was somewhat cooler here. Michael let out a long slow sigh and leaned her head against the packed dirt behind her. She pulled Spock close and gave his shoulders a quick squeeze. He may not really be “her” brother, but it was a small comfort to look at a familiar face. Even if he was just trying to kill her. 

Blisters were beginning to form along his brow line and down the side of his face. Parts of his EV suit had charred and melted from the electrical currents. Michael slowly pulled the pieces off of him as gently as she could. The burns and blisters continued down his torso. She could see the exact points that the current entered and exited his body. She flinched when she saw the blacked tips of his fingers as the gloves fell away. “Don’t worry Spock. I’ll take care of you.”

She could feel tears welling in her eyes and as they fell the salt water stung each cut as it traveled down her face. Their wounds would need to be treated soon. But she could barely keep her head up or her eyes open. The toll of the day was falling heavy on her exhausted body. With Spock’s head resting on her shoulder, she slumped backwards against the dirt and roots and drifted off.

_____________________________________________________________

 

Michael woke in the night to the sound of rain and soft splashes of water tickling her face. Raindrops were trickling down through the roots and pattering the two of them here and there. Michael shifted Spock slightly and crawled out of their hiding spot. The makeshift bowls were starting to fill. She picked up the one that had gathered the most so far and took several huge gulps. The chemical residue on the metal probably wasn’t good to ingest, but Michael didn’t care. She hadn’t been able to get in a good drink like that since yesterday before she sparred with Lorca. It was hard to imagine that that happened just yesterday. Imagining the fight made her stomach flutter and her cheeks flush. She shook her head to refocus and scatter the memories, but the image of Lorca pinning her against him and the feeling of his tongue on her neck refused to leave her. 

“I hope I find his body shredded in the wreckage somewhere.” she said bitterly.

She tried to convince herself that her body’s reaction was just biology at work. She tried to convince herself that she truly wanted him dead. But if that were the case, why hadn’t she been able to kill him before? She’d had lots of chances, but something always stopped her from making the final strike. 

Getting back inside the Charon was easy enough. The sight of the rent metal and pieces of ship sticking out of the ground at odd angles still gave her pause. She’d spent so much of her life on ships not dissimilar to this one. To see it in this state felt… wrong. 

“His shuttle could’ve blown up before even making it out of the docking bay.” she muttered to herself, not really believing her own words, but repeating the sentiment in hopes that it would stick.

Michael gathered some medical supplies and found the cafeteria nearby. Since most of the food on the ship came from the replicators, the best she could find were some emergency MREs stashed away with first aid kit supplies. At least it was something. She fit all of her scavenged goods into a pack and began her journey back through the debris. As she was navigating her way through the wreckage she spotted what looked like a mostly intact shuttle. She made a mental note of where it landed so she could come back later and investigate. 

When she made it back to her shelter she found Spock exactly where she left him. Michael let out a sigh of relief and bent down to check his vitals. He was still hanging in there. Micheal reached into her pack and pulled out a hypospray. She conceded that she did not have very extensive medical training, but the body was just a different kind of machine and she’d had experience patching up her brother before when they were children. Once she was confident in Spock’s stability, she set to work making a more structured campsite. 

She slept better knowing that Spock’s life was no longer in imminent danger. The energy expended by moving heavy metal paired with the toll of her body trying to repair all of the damage from the wreck ensured her a deep and dreamless sleep. 

She woke with first light and set out again towards the wreckage and the shuttlecraft. While trekking through the forest she occasionally heard faith rustling, but when she stopped to try and pinpoint the location the sounds were originating from, they abruptly stopped. Something was out there. And it was very close. The shuttle came into view ahead and she emerged from the treeline into a clearing. She approached cautiously. The rustling began again, but when she looked though she couldn’t detect any movement. She held still for a moment listening, but the area remained silent. Not wanting to find out what wildlife this planet supported by becoming a meal for some such creature, she scurried down the chunk of outer hull that she’d been perched on and jumped down to where the craft had landed. 

Michael approached the back of the shuttle and the control panel lit up at her touch. She was amazed it still had power. “Why would someone land a shuttle in the middle of this disaster rather than getting away?” she mumbled to herself while inspecting the outside of the craft. 

Before she was able to fully circle the shuttle, she heard  tell tale sounds of something moving through the underbrush. When she turned toward the treeline again, she saw an animal with a similar build to a sehlat, but with reptilian features emerge and look straight at her. She scrambled back to the door as it began to charge at her. As it got closer she got a better look at its wicked claws and horns. This was one species she was not immediately eager to learn more about firsthand. The doors parted and she dove in. They closed behind her moments before it would have overtaken her. 

Michael turned away from the door and was startled to see that someone else was in the shuttle. The figure in the chair stood up and turned toward her. Lorca was standing in front of her looking almost as stunned as she was. Before either could say anything, the creature rammed into the side of the shuttle and threw them both off balance. Michael glared at Lorca when he looked up from where he was crouched near the wall. “Why do I have the feeling that you blame me for this.” he whispered.

“I’m sure your impeccable leadership abilities had nothing to do with the retaliation by rebels and destruction of your flagship… Supreme Emperor.” she retorted sarcastically. 

The creature moved around the shuttle and was now slamming into the doors. Michael was able to hang on to a support near the door and seal them so that they wouldn’t be accidentally activated. With one hand still on the panel she lost her grip when the next slam came. The creature had wedged its horn under the bottom of the shuttle and was attempting to flip it over. Michael flew backwards towards the front of the craft. She would have hit the windshield except Lorca had moved to catch her. 

Michael shoved off from him, “I can take care of myself” she snapped.

The creature rolled the shuttle and both Michael and Lorca fell onto the wall which was now underneath them. Lorca was underneath Michael as well. She pushed up onto her hands and looked down at him incredulously. Lorca, obviously enjoying the positions this encounter was putting Michael in, just smirked up at her.

“This must be hilarious to you.” Michael huffed, but didn’t get up.

“Oh no, I would never find humor in a life and death situation.” Lorca whispered sarcastically.

“Why are you whispering?”

He craned his neck up to whisper breathlessly in her ear. “I ran into this big guy last night. It’s got a real keen set of ears, but if we keep quiet it should go away.”

He lowered his head back to the ground. Michael opened her mouth to snap back at him, but Lorca raised a finger to his lips. How long would they have to wait like this for the beast to get tired and leave?

Chapter 14: Keeping Quiet

Gabriel stared up at Michael barely daring to breathe. It had only been a day since he’d seen her last, but with all of the death and destruction in the last 48 hours he had resigned himself to losing her again. But now here she was. Maybe the universe really did have bigger plans for them. Not only did he not want to make a sound because it would alert the creature outside, but he was also afraid that even the tiniest noise would break the spell. 

Michael shifted her weight so that she could leverage herself out from under the metal support beams and shelves that they had rolled under. Normally it would be in the top corner of the shuttle, but with all of the rolling they got caught by it and wedged underneath. Michael’s eyes found his and she scoffed at him. She shimmied herself a little to the left, but in doing so knocked a can of compressed air, meant for the EV suits, loose and it rolled down into the cockpit with loud metal clanging. Michael winced at the sound. Gabriel did everything he could not to smirk.

The beast roared again and rammed the shuttlecraft. Gabriel could feel the whole structure moving forward several feet with each slam. Michael was now holding herself very still over top of him. All of her muscles were taught and she was putting no weight on him. It looked exhausting. After several minutes of the shuttle staying put and the absence of roaring, Gabriel told her in a hushed voice “you’re going to tire yourself out hovering like that. I don’t mind if you relax.”

“You don’t mind? No I don’t suppose you would. You’d love for me to lean on you. For you to be some kind of support. Not to mention what your sick imagination would conjure up with us being in such close proximity.” she snarled at him breathlessly.

“Really? You think that even now, after the fall of the Charon, the decimation of my troops, and the fact that we are both stranded on the same rock; that I am still trying to hold power over you? I’ve always thought of us as equals. I just want you to let me help.” Gabriel whispered in pleading tones.

“Hilarious that you think I’d ever trust you after what you’ve put me through.” Michael bit back.

Gabriel looked away. He knew she was right. He had lied to her and held her captive. There was nothing he could say that would change those facts. They remained silent for a while. At one point he thought they were in the clear, but soon after heard snuffling and snorting outside. He thought: It must either be waiting for us to come out or it laid down to rest, but It definitely hadn’t left yet.

Gabriel felt a slight tremor and looked down to see Michael’s leg shaking. He slid his own leg up and bent it to add support to her hip. Before she could get out another scowl, he whispered  “My leg was starting to cramp. Had to move it to a new position.”

She seemed to accept this and slowly over the next couple of minutes she relaxed her legs and lower body so that she was partially laying on top of him. After a bit longer she lowered her chest onto his torso and her head onto his chest. “Don’t read into this. I’m just tired of looking at you.” she breathed into the fabric of his uniform.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” he whispered into the curls tickling the bottom of his chin.

“I really don’t want to know what you dream about.”

“What do you dream about?”

Michael was silent for a minute. He thought that she wasn’t going to answer him, just let his question hang in the air. “Home” she said, imperceptibly quiet.

“Vulcan?” he ventured, not sure that she would continue with this conversation.

“Sometimes”

“I never got to visit while I was in your universe. What is it like?”

“Shi’Kahr is beautiful. But at the same time unbearably hot. It took some time getting used to the sweltering temperatures when Sarek and Amanda first took me in. It makes this planet feel almost temperate. It hurts to think about. Each day it feels more and more like I’ll never get to see it again.”

Gabriel placed one of his hands on her upper back and gave her a slight comforting squeeze. “Don’t worry Michael. We’ll get out of here. You’ll be getting a Vulcan sunburn in no time.”

To his surprise she didn’t pull away. She actually pressed the side of her face gently into his chest. Gabriel didn’t want to ruin the moment, so he kept silent. They stayed like that for some time. Gabriel noticed the rate of her breathing slow to a steady rhythm. He wrapped both arms around her and just held her. As Gabriel was about to fall asleep himself, he was startled a bit to feel her arms wrap around his waist. He knew it was an unconscious reaction, but he hadn’t felt so close to someone since before his own Michael died. If he closed his eyes and ignored the awkward metal supports poking into his back, he could almost imagine himself happy again and with the woman he loved. Something inside him broke at the thought. He’d been fighting for so long to get here, but he knew that wherever “here” was, it surely wasn’t permanent. As soon as she opened her eyes she’d be disgusted with herself and push off of him and out of his life again. He’d have to watch her leave a second time. 

He never really considered himself a sentimental man, but he would do anything to keep Michael at his side. He would kill anyone who got between them. He would burn down entire cities. He would sacrifice his own life for hers. But none of that would mean anything to her. She wasn’t built the same way. She prioritized the needs of the many over the needs of the few. She wouldn’t find unnecessary death and destruction a persuasive argument for the two of them to stay together. Most likely she’d see it as another mess of his that she’d have to clean up.

Michael is a fixer, that’s for sure. He’d spent too much time already trying to find ways to connect with her in ways he would with the old Michael. Without the empire to run or rebels to combat it made a little more sense to try to play by her rules. He could be a star fleet boy scout for her. He pretended to do it for years, how hard could it be?

Chapter 15: Common Ground

Gabriel woke up when Michael shimmied out from under the metal shelving and popped up to her feet. He looked up at her and almost spoke, but saw her glaring at him with a finger to her lips. She must think that the creature is still out there. He strained his ears to see if he could determine whether the animal was still around. He heard nothing. Most likely Michael was shushing him because she’d prefer he shut up.

He could work with that. He rolled out and got to his feet as well. He still had his phaser at his hip, but saw that Michael had lost hers. Gabriel let out a short hiss to get her attention. Her head whipped around; she had a frustrated, violent look in her eyes. He just looked down to the phaser in his hands and then tossed it to her. She caught it and looked back confused. Gabriel just shrugged and gestured for her to go scout ahead. 

Following her lead may take some getting used to, but he could at least enjoy the view from trailing behind her. The empire sure knew how to make a flattering uniform.

Michael stepped into the clearing looking left and right. She crept forward in a low stance and started to circle around. Gabriel leisurely strolled out, confident that the beast had left. When Michael reached the same conclusion, she holstered the phaser. Without looking back, she continued for the treeline. Gabriel jogged to catch up with her. 

Michael stopped at the ledge of a rocky overhang. She sighed and turned around to meet his gaze. “Why are you following me?”

“Our chances of survival are significantly higher if we work together. Of course you’ve already run the numbers. It’s just the fact of the matter.”

“The increase is negligible. My tolerance for you; however, has decreased significantly. I’ll continue from here on my own.” she stated flatly while hopping down to a lower ledge.

“What if I told you that I knew of a fresh water source nearby.”

Michael stopped. He could see her weighing her options in the set of her shoulders. The fact that she hadn’t shut him down immediately meant that he’d already won.

“You can show me the water source, but that is where our paths diverge.”

“Of course.” he replied with a smirk.

Gabriel took the lead and they hiked together for about a mile. He offered his hand for support when scaling down particularly steep stretches of terrain, but Michael refused his help every time. When they got several hundred feet away he heard the crashing noises of the falls start to drown out the sounds of the forest. Michael heard the rushing water as well and ran ahead. He broke through the foliage after her and laid eyes on the waterfall again. It was just as arresting as the first time he saw it after crash landing. But what was more arresting was the look of hope on Michael’s face. “It’s no Niagara,” he sighed, and glanced down at Michael. “But I find it… breathtaking.”

Michael turned to see that he’d been looking at her while he said it. She rolled her eyes and squatted down at the water's edge. She filled her bottle then began washing the grime from her face and limbs.

He gave her a moment of privacy and went to check on the traps that he’d set the day before. All were empty except one. He returned to Michael carrying a small mammalian creature that resembled some kind of rodent or lagomorph you’d find on Earth. “How’d you like a warm meal tonight?”

Michael scrutinized him for a moment, “I’m perfectly capable of making my own meals”

“Oh I’m sure. I’d just provide the protein.” he said while tossing the animal to her.

“We agreed to part ways after you showed me the water source.”

“We did.”

“I can’t accept this.” she said, reaching out to give the animal back.

“It’s a gift.”

“What kind of game are you playing Lorca?” Michael asked; letting the animal fall from her hands.

“No games. I said I wanted to help. I could help more if you wanted it, but I’m perfectly content to leave you to your own devices if that is what you’d prefer.”

Michael looked down at the fluffy creature on the ground. She considered it a moment. “How did you catch this?”

“I learned how to make traps while stationed on Capella IV. The humanoids there are exceptional hunters and taught me some of their techniques. I could show you.” 

“You never give up do you?”

“I don’t follow,” Gabriel said, confused.

“Always the captain, the leader, the teacher.” 

“I believe you were the one to ask. Forgive me for assuming that you’d like to learn a useful skill.”

Michael huffed; turning her shoulders away for a second to stare over the rippling surface of the water. “Enjoying imparting wisdom and enjoying wielding power over someone are two different things.” 

“I didn’t know I needed someone to assign my motives to me. I’ll just go wield my catch over a fire and derive some enjoyment from that.” Gabriel huffed, picking up the animal and shaking it once for effect, before walking back through the brush.

Gabriel walked alone for several moments before hearing the sound of footsteps behind him crunching through the brush. “One step at a time,” he murmured to himself as a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Michael caught up to him and came up on his left side. They walked in silence for a while, before Michael spoke. “Camp is this way.”

____________________________________________________

Gabriel was impressed. He knew Michael was capable, but the sheer amount of engineering skill and manual labor required to bring all of the salvaged tech together in one spot and rig it into anything resembling a function system was staggering. She truly was the superior Michael. 

The camp was tucked into a natural rock formation on the north side and a semi circle of rent metal panels from the Charon curving around to the southwest. Inside the ring of wreckage, she’d dragged several pieces of medical equipment, which she’d somehow made operational. The machinery was arrayed next to a prone figure nestled under an outcropping of rocks and roots. A control panel ripped from its wall mount ran exposed wires between the different pieces of medical equipment. A flat piece of hull paneling was raised to about knee level forming a low table. On it was a scattering of disassembled tricorder parts and pilfered tools. 

“Not a bad setup you have here, Burnham. Who’s our guest in the corner?” he took a step towards the prone figure. “I didn’t know you had any friends still living in this universe.”

Gabriel felt a sharp edge push into his back. “Not an inch closer.” Michael growled from right behind him.

He turned around sharply and clapped his hands over Michael’s where she was holding the knife against him. She tried to jerk her hands away, but his grip was stronger. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. “Have we really fallen back on threats of violence? I thought we’d been making progress.”

Gabriel ripped the blade away and threw it to the side. Michael glared up at him, her expression exuding pure hatred. “Is that it? Come on Michael, talk to me! We can’t stay at each other’s throats constantly.” he let out a low sigh, ”Who’s over there?”

Michael broke eye contact with him and looked at the ground. “He’s my brother…” she paused for a breath. “The Spock from this universe.”

“How did he make it into the wreckage?”

“He was one of the boarding party that planted the explosives. He’s the one responsible for the wreck.”

Gabriel took a step back working his jaw and clenching his fists. He turned around for a second, running his hands over his face. He turned back to Michael, “So this… rebel suicide bomber that just so happens to have the same face as your brother… brought the ship down, killing the majority of people on board… and your first thought it to nurse him back to health??”

He cocked his head and gave her a contemptuous, questioning look. Michael sighed and met his gaze. “He’s all I have left.”

Gabriel unclenched his fists and let out a slow measured breath. “If it’s important to you that he not die, I’ll do what I can to keep that from happening.”

Michael held his eyes and gave a single nod of acknowledgement. A gleam of appreciation colored the features of her face. Something relaxed slightly in her. And that small infinitesimal change was enough to make it all worth it.

Chapter 16: One Step Closer

Michael was hesitant to trust Lorca again. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was up to something, but everything he was doing to help only showed his willingness to cooperate and desire for their mutual wellbeing. She hated it. Michael wanted a reason to be angry with him. She felt more comfortable when they were at odds. Getting close to him again sent an alarm off in her brain warning her that she was going to be betrayed. She wouldn’t be made a fool of again, so she continued to keep him at arm’s length.

Michael lost her sense of ease sleeping in the camp. She found it amusing that she ever felt secure in the wilderness of a hostile alien planet, but that just goes to show how low her standards had gotten since she jumped to this universe. She eventually found rest, but it was fitful and fleeting. She woke in the morning to the smell of smoke and the sounds of a crackling fire nearby. She bolted upright and whipped her head around to take in her surroundings. No wildfires were raging through the forest. It was just Lorca squatting near a campfire turning fish on a skewer. 

He must have heard the rustling of fabric as she sat up because he turned to look back at her. “Good Morning Michael. Care for some breakfast?” He placed one of the fish on a makeshift plate and moved towards her.

 “First thing I’ve encountered here that didn’t try to kill me on sight. And that’s including you.” he said with a slight chuckle, handing her the fish.

Michael took the proffered food tentatively. She knew she ought to thank him, but she couldn’t wrap her head around acting friendly towards him just yet, so she remained silent. She gave him an appreciative nod and began peeling the scales from the fish.

“What’s this you’ve been working on?” Lorca asked, gesturing towards her half assembled tricorder.

“I’m attempting to piece together a functioning tricorder from the two broken ones I found in the Charon’s wreckage.” Michael explained. “If I had accurate scans I’d be able to locate more functional machinery without having to open access panels and risk electrocution.”

“You’ve got a knack for putting things back together. I have high hopes for Spock in that matter. What are your plans for when he regains consciousness? What will you do if he tries to kill you? Michael from this universe was well known among the rebels. He’d most likely hold a grudge.”

“I haven’t planned that far ahead. I was thinking I’d try appealing to his logical nature. Convince him that it would be mutually beneficial for us to work together.”

“Sounds like a solid argument.” Lorca said with a flare of sarcasm; hiding a smile with his hand as he took a bite of the fish.

Michael finished her fish, stood up, and threw the scraps into the fire. “I’m going back to the shuttle pod.”

She walked past him, not even deigning to look in his direction. He followed, which didn’t surprise her, but still irked her. She wanted to be able to do everything alone, but she couldn’t deny that another set of hands would be useful.

___________________________

 

The shuttle was in much worse condition. The hull suffered serious damage from the ramming and the door sparked and sputtered when she tried to close it.  Not to mention that it was laying at an odd angle that made the inspection even harder.

“I need to get to the primary field coils on the starboard side” Michael stated matter-of-factly. “They’re currently underneath the pod.”

Lorca brightened a little “Seems like a two man job.”

“So it would seem.”

“Do you think lifting one end would give you enough room? Or do we need to roll the whole thing over?”

Michael considered it a moment before answering, “I don’t think a single person is capable of lifting one end. I don’t know if two people could either, but that’s all the manpower we have. We’ll have to roll it.”

“C’mon Michael, have a little faith. You dragged all that scrap to the campsite. What’s one more hunk of metal eh?” Lorca shrugged and looked over at her.

Michael did one more inspection of the corner they would need to be lifting. There were a couple options of places they could use for hand holds. She instructed Lorca where to lift and they both got into position. “Start low, use your legs, and when you have enough room to pull your knees forward start walking.”

Lorca gave her a quick nod and got down onto his haunches. Michael did the same. “On my count.” 

She could feel her hands start to sweat. She really didn’t want this to roll back on top of her. At least if it did roll back, it would crush Lorca as well. That made her feel a little better. She looked over to see if Lorca was ready. Her eyes followed the lines of his uniform and took in the shapes of his flexed calves and thighs. The silhouette of his ass in a squat burned itself into her brain before she could avert her gaze. She snapped her head back forward, thankful that he hadn’t noticed. Before he could see her face turning a bright red she yelled a little too forcefully “Three, Two, One, Lift!”

The shuttle didn’t budge at first. She shifted herself so that her shoulder was underneath and pushed her legs back. She put every ounce of muscle she had into it. Lorca flipped around and pushed with his upper back. She felt it shift an inch. One leg slipped in the wet earth and her knee came down hard.

“Michael!” Lorca gasped through the strain.

“Keep pushing! I’m fine.” She bit out.

She pushed the pain to the back of her mind. If they got this righted, they’d be one step closer to getting off this planet. And then what?

She didn’t want to think of it, so she focused solely on the task at hand. The shuttle rolled forward inch by inch. Lorca shifted back around to face it and they both were able to stand up a bit straighter as they went. It cleared the rounded edge of the propulsion housing and slammed down flat on the ground.

They did it. Michael felt a huge wave of relief followed by the shock of pain. When the adrenaline subsided, the pain in her knee became more acute and unignorable. She stumbled and caught herself against the hull.

“You’re hurt.” Lorca took a step towards her; a worried expression twisting the features of his face.

“I told you I’m fine.” She lied.

“I’ll go back to camp and bring back some medical supplies.” Lorca turned and rushed back into the forest towards camp.

Michael sat down and leaned her head back against the shuttle. She felt so tired. Like if she could sleep for a year she would still wake up and feel bone sore and wearied. Where would she be in a year? A month? A week? Would she need to make a place for herself here in the Terran Universe? Or would she find a way back to her own? How long would she have to spend with Lorca? Surely he wouldn’t follow her back.

“One thing at a time” she mumbled, shaking her head.

Lorca broke through the foliage moments later with the pack of scavenged medical supplies. He dropped down next to her. He loaded a hypospray and dosed her in one swift movement. Her protests died on her lips as the pain immediately ebbed away. “Thank you. I can take it fr-“

Lorca cut her off. “As much as I know you love fighting me on things, just let me do this.”

Maybe it was the rush of accomplishment or the dizzying effect of the painkiller, but she didn’t stop him. He began wrapping her knee in pressure bandages. She stared down at him. At his hands holding her leg. The gentle rhythm of movement as he wound the bandages around her knee. She felt a bloom of warmth in her stomach, but she was too entranced to dismiss it or deny it. “What was in that hypospray?” She asked a little groggily.

“Triptacederine.” He paused to look up at her as he answered.

“Hmm. Never had it. Feels nice”

“I don’t think we should use this hypospray again.” He said while inspecting it, then dropped it in the front pocket of the pack, “I think the dosage needs to be recalibrated. Are you alright?”

“This is the best I’ve felt in days.” Michael replied with a lopsided smile.

“If you feel any negative side effects let me know immediately. I can’t lose you out here Michael.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Michael slumped down a bit, sliding more of her leg into his lap. “Keep wrapping.”

Chapter 17: New Arrivals

Notes:

I couldn’t find Leland’s first name. I just don’t care enough to scour the internet for it. I don’t think the writers cared enough to give him one. So for all intents and purposes his name is John. Unless someone out there knows it and messages me to let me know (then I’ll go ahead and change it).

Gabriel slowly continued wrapping the bandages around Michael’s leg. Her facial features relaxed and she settled into an easy smile. When he stopped she opened her eyes and stared expectantly at him, so he kept wrapping even though there was more than enough wound around her already. When the roll ran out he looked up and saw that she had fallen asleep. Gabriel stared at her for a moment, taking in her peaceful countenance. 

He heard the sound of something moving through the underbrush. He went completely still and listened. It didn’t sound like the creature from the other day. The footfalls were too light and there were too many. Then he caught what sounded like voices. He couldn’t make out what they were saying or even what language they were speaking. Of course there would be other survivors, but which side? Those loyal to him? Rebels come to wipe out whatever Terrans made it to the surface alive? Or other Terrans who would have no problems disposing of a failed emperor.

He scooped up Michael into his arms eliciting a weak moan from her. She shifted and brought her inner arm around his neck to hold on better. As quietly as he could, he started to pick his way back to camp. Michael glanced around and then looked up at him. “Captain, what’s happening?”

“I need you to be very quiet right now, Burnham” 

He didn’t realize how much he’d missed hearing her call him that. It’d only been two weeks since the last time she’d said it, but it felt like an eternity. 

“I can walk.” Michael tried to lean away and swing her legs beneath her and almost pitched them both forward into a gully.

“No you can’t. You’re injured and we need to move. Don’t worry I’ve got you.”

“Ok” Michael nodded then nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

He shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as he was. If she ever found out, she’d probably try to kill him again, just to save face. 

They made it back to camp. Gabriel laid Michael down next to Spock then posted up by the entrance. The forest was quiet. Only the sounds of nocturnal animals and the wind in the leaves came through. Then a dragging sound from right behind him.

He turned to see Michael half crawling half pulling herself along in the dirt. “What are you doing?”

“I wanted to help keep watch.” She said as if it were obvious.

“You need to lie still and give the dermal regenerators time to work.”

“I can sit still and keep watch.”

“Fine as long as you stop moving around! I don’t think you’ll be able to stay awake very long with that analgesic still in your system, but you’re welcome to try.” Gabriel let out a long sigh.

They sat in silence, Gabriel on high alert and Michael looking up at the sky. “I don’t like these stars. They look sick.” Michael leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to like them. They’ll keep on burning for thousands of years after all the rest of us have died.”

“Are we going to die here?” She asked.

“Maybe.”

“I always imagined I’d die alone.”

“‘I’d be honored to die alongside you, Michael. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Have you ever been stabbed?”

“Yes, Michael, many times.”

“I think about stabbing you in your sleep. Do you ever think about stabbing me?”

“What a way you have with words. No, I would never let harm come to you.”

“Good” Michael let out a wistful sigh then rolled off of his shoulder and into his lap.

“By all means, make yourself comfortable.” Gabriel said somewhat annoyed, but with some humor.

“I will.” 

She didn’t say anything after that and when he looked down she’d fallen back asleep. He stayed up the rest of the night listening for the other survivors of the crash. He gently ran a hand down her shoulder and upper arm. His Michael was getting harder and harder to conjure in his mind. It was as if he was always meant to be with this Michael. As if fate really had brought them together. No matter what they went through they’d always end up back in each other’s orbit.

He stayed up all night just to make sure that they weren’t followed. And eventually fell asleep just before first light.

When he woke Michael was nowhere to be found. He looked around and noted that the improvised fishing pole was missing and figured she’d gone to rustle up some food. Spock was looking much better. His color was improving and most of the burn marks were healed. His vitals were fairly steady, but it didn’t look like there was much left to fuel the makeshift biobed. Michael had hooked up the equipment to run on some phaser bank batteries she’d found in the Charon wreckage. If they didn’t find more they’d have to use the ones currently in their phasers. Gabriel didn’t like the idea of Michael clambering around in the Charon debris on a bad knee, but he liked the idea of being defenseless even less. 

Gabriel took up the tools and set to work getting the tricorder working again. It wasn’t difficult work, but it was tedious. Staring at the tiny components put a strain on his eyes for which he took intermittent breaks. He got up to stretch and walk the perimeter when he heard it. The sound of people talking and moving through the forest. They were moving in his direction. Gabriel ducked back inside the ring of camp and dragged Spock further back under the overhang, then moved some of the hull fragments in front of where Spock was stashed so that his hiding spot was completely occluded.

As the voices got closer he recognized that they were speaking Terran. They must be other survivors from the crash. Not an ideal situation, but there was still hope that they were loyal members of his party. Gabriel found a tree with low enough branches and attempted to get a better vantage point to observe the newcomers. He put his weight on the first branch to lift himself up and it split with a loud crack. He held perfectly still. The voices went silent. After a moment he tried again, but as soon as he moved he was inundated with phaser fire. He dropped to the ground and rolled behind the outer wall Michael had constructed around the camp. The phaser fire continued for a few more seconds then let up. 

“We know you’re out there… Emperor.” A male voice rang out putting a sarcastic emphasis on the honorific.

Gabriel knew the voice, but couldn’t place it immediately. He inches closer to the edge of the wall to try to get a better look. Careful not to expose his hiding place, he peeked out and counted three of them. So the odds weren’t that bad. Two women and a man. The man was looking Northward and a large frond was obscuring part of his face. He had a bald head and a thick build. A twig snapped deeper in the woods drawing his attention. His head swiveled and he jerked a thumb in the direction of the noise dismissing one of the women. Gabriel could clearly make out the man as Commander John Leland.

The man was a bloodhound. Gabriel wouldn’t be able to slip away from him. This would be one dog he’d have to put down. While the female officer was scouting further into the woods, Gabriel used the sound of her footfalls to disguise his own. From his closer hiding spot he leaned out and fired twice in quick succession. Missing Leland by mere centimeters and dropping the other woman. Leland fired back immediately and closed the distance between them. Gabriel anticipated this and used the obstructing foliage to cover his swift relocation. He kicked the phaser out of Leland’s hand. Before he could level his own phaser, Leland rammed into his gut with a shoulder, sending the weapon flying into the distance. 

They grappled each other, Leland scratching deep grooves into Gabriel’s face temporarily blinding him. Gabriel roared in frustration blinking through the blood. He gained the upper hand and pinned Leland under him with a knee on his chest, landing blow after blow on his face. Leland coughed and spluttered, but Gabriel didn’t let up. Not until he heard the sound of someone else coming through the woods. It wasn’t Michael. The gait was too fast and even. She wouldn’t have healed all the way from her injury yesterday. 

The other woman emerged from some underbrush to his left. Gabriel dropped down flat onto Leland, gripped him tight and rolled. The woman opened fire a second before Gabriel was fully covered. She hit him in the shoulder. Her phaser wasn’t on the highest setting so he’d make it. Only if he could get out from under this heavy idiot. If Leland wasn’t dead before, he certainly was now. That’s the kind of loyalty crashing in the wilderness breeds. 

Then the firing stopped. He looked up to see the woman drop to the ground. Michael was brandishing her own phaser several feet behind where the other woman had been. She had a wild look in her eye. Gabriel heaved Leland off and made to get up. Michael was above him instantly, but instead of offering to help him up she was pointing the phaser at him now.

“Where’s Spock?!”

Chapter 18: Fireside Conversations

Michael woke up to find that she was sprawled out on the ground by the entrance to their campsite with her head nestled in Lorca’s lap. A general fog of confusion still clung to her memories of the previous night, but she was more than aware enough to be furious. As she stood up her knee buckled and she almost toppled over onto him. He would have deserved it. 

Slowly, she limped to the corner where Spock was laid out. The control panel that kept his fluids pumping and his medicine rationed blinked on at her touch. His vitals were improving at a steady rate, but they’d be out of power soon.

A trip back to the wreckage could turn up some more supplies she could rig up, but she didn’t expect that she’d be able to make it up over the incline of the broken hull with her knee this damaged. She might have more luck double checking the shuttle pod.

She left camp as quietly as she could, not wanting any company or shit eating grins paired with veiled comments about the night before. She’d rather not know. 

The shuttle pod had standard issue first aid, rations, and external backup generators. She also found a bottle of Saurian Brandy stashed under one of the seats. She felt satisfied that she’d removed anything useful from the pod, and after a once over assessing the damage, headed towards the waterfall hoping to be able to catch some fish. She didn’t want to be reliant on Lorca for every meal. It annoyed her that he’d been so helpful already. She had to prove, to herself at least, that she was capable of managing her own survival. Plus catching fish required a lot less time on foot than stalking and hunting prey animals.

Michael enjoyed the time to herself. Fishing worked pretty much the same way on every world she’d been too. She could almost imagine herself somewhere familiar if she tried hard enough. She spent an hour or so on the shore. After bagging three fish she decided that was enough, wrapped them up, threw them in her pack, and headed back towards camp.

She got back and Spock was gone. She dropped her haul and tried not to panic. Before she could take stock of everything she heard phaser fire and Lorca’s shouting coming from nearby. She hobbled as fast as she could in the direction of the altercation. Another woman came in from her right moving fast in the same direction. She didn’t see Michael; she was so focused on reaching whoever was fighting with Lorca. Michael followed her. The other woman stopped directly ahead and opened fire. She heard Lorca grunt in pain. Michael immediately fired her own phaser and dropped the other woman. Lorca was about 20 feet in front of her on the ground under the corpse of another man. Michael didn’t lower her phaser.

“Where’s Spock?!” She asked, unable to keep a frantic note from creeping into her voice. 

“Exactly where he’s been the whole time. Easy now, Michael. Go back and take a look. I tucked him away when I heard people approaching.”

“You… protected him?” Michael asked lowering the phaser a fraction, not quite believing him.

“Go see for yourself.”

 Lorca was sitting holding his shoulder. He nodded in the direction of camp. “Unless you’d rather keep me here on the ground bleeding out.”

Michael holstered the phaser and limped back to camp leaving Lorca in the dirt. There was a piece of hull paneling that had been moved. She pulled it aside and saw that Spock was still there. He’d been jostled a bit, but he was whole and unharmed. Michael let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She felt her shoulders relax and a twinge of guilt develop in her stomach for the way she’d treated Lorca. He walked into camp moments later.

“Why?” Michael couldn’t keep the question from escaping even though she knew the answer.

She couldn’t even turn around to face him. She heard him walk up behind her and he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. For once she didn’t flinch or shrug him off. “Because he’s important to you.” Lorca said softly then moved away towards the pack of supplies.

He ripped the remaining shreds of his sleeve off and poured some water on the phaser wound. Michael offered some bandages. “No need.” Lorca said through gritted teeth as he used the dermal regenerator.

“Just a surface wound.”

“Where do you think the others came from?” Michael asked, trying to change the subject.

She needed something to distract her from staring at his bicep as he massaged the damaged skin. How unfair that she allowed him to wrap her injury, but he didn’t let her return the favor. Not that she wanted to. Just that she… you know, believed in equality. 

“They were other crash survivors. They can’t have landed far. I think if we scouted out in that direction we’d find where they made camp. That’s my best guess” Lorca filled her in.

“You stay here. I’ll follow their tracks and see where they came from. I’ll be quick and stay hidden. Just see if there are any more and then come back.”

“Not on that leg. And good luck following the trail in the dying light. We’ll go in the morning. As long as it doesn’t rain, the trail isn’t going anywhere.”

Michael let out a quiet huff. She hated that he was right. She wanted her leg to be better already, but without treatment from a proper med bay the best she could do was give it a little more time. Rather than acknowledge his point she changed the subject. “I found this in the shuttle pod. It should keep Spock’s equipment running a bit longer.”

She tossed the pack at Lorca who caught it with a heavy thud. He pawed through the contents and pulled out the Saurian Brandy. “I hope you weren’t saving this for Spock as well.” Lorca said enthusiastically.

“It was under one of the seats. I figured we could use it as a disinfectant if all else fails.” Michael lied.

She’d forgotten that it was in there. She didn’t want to drink around Lorca, but letting loose a little didn’t sound too terrible everything considered. It’d been one hell of a week.

Lorca glanced at the label and raised an eyebrow with an air of disbelief, but didn’t say anything. He sat it down with the rest of the supplies and started building up the fire. Michael picked up the fish and took them to the makeshift table, where she skinned and deboned them. When she finished she plopped down next to him rather ungracefully. Her leg was not making it easy to keep the air of dignity she liked to hold onto, but out here, what did it matter?

He didn’t comment. She skewered the fish and passed it over. He took the first and positioned it across the flames. As he took the second, his fingers briefly brushed against the backs of her knuckles. She busied herself with preparing the next fish, but couldn’t help glancing up at him. He set it by the other to cook and then turned back. His angular face, cast partially in shadow, uplifted to meet her gaze. His blue eyes, normally so intense, struck her as almost gentle. It caught her completely off guard. He reached out a hand toward her, beckoning her. She was so tired and confused and she didn’t understand him anymore. She could feel something deep inside her fracturing. Some inner wall was beginning to crumble as she saw him in this new tender light. “Is the last fish ready?” He asked.

Burning shame colored her features. She slapped the fish into his outstretched hand, immediately stood, and went to go check on Spock. She grabbed one of the external generators on her way and set herself to work, feverishly rewiring it so it was compatible with her set up. She felt like she was only over there for seconds before she heard him call. “Food’s done.”

She got that way sometimes when she threw herself into her work. When she came back to the fire, there were two servings of fish set out on the hull scraps they’d been using as plates and two small mismatched containers that used to hold topical medicines. He’d poured generous portions of brandy in the containers. “I figured we could indulge a bit while we still had a surplus of other disinfectants.” He said, inflecting his slight southern drawl and gesturing for her to take a seat.

This was a dangerous path to go down. She knew better, but she picked up the cup anyway. Lorca lifted his own in the shallow pantomime of a toast. “To forging new alliances?” 

He didn’t wait for a response before tipping his head back and swallowing all the brandy in the container. Michael watched his throat bob and the light of the fire sparkle across the sheen of sweat gathering along his collarbone. She sipped at her own brandy. It was surprisingly very smooth.

“You’re awfully quiet. Something on your mind?” Lorca asked.

As his face turned from the flames it was cast in shadow and the darkness in his eye belayed a hunger. But she was probably just reading into things. Or projecting. “I’m contemplating our position on Harlak. How many others survived the crash? How long before Spock wakes? What timelines we’re working with. It’s been a fight for survival since the moment Charon crashed, but we’re not the only players on the board anymore. We need to start thinking strategically.”

“You always think strategically.” He replied with a chuckle and refilled his container.

Michael wished she could have that faith in herself, especially now. Especially around him. “We’ll have a better understanding of what we’re up against tomorrow when we find Leland’s camp.” He reassured her.

He scooted a little closer and offered to top off her container. It was still half full, but she allowed him to fill it up again anyway. “Did you find anything more out when you went to the shuttle pod?” He asked.

“The creature did significant damage to the hull and door. The primary field coils are still usable and interior systems are undamaged. Repairs should only take a day or two depending on us being able to find necessary replacement parts in the wreckage.”

“And once we get off Harlak?”

Michael knew the question would eventually come up. She didn’t have an answer ready to give. Focusing on survival was easy enough to occupy her thoughts when she needed it to. A plan for the future would need a lot more prep time and information about this universe that she just didn’t have. She threw back the brandy and held out the container for more. “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.”

He dutifully filled it for her. “So I’m guessing you don’t have a plan for what to do with Spock when he wakes up either.”

“I know how to get him to help us. But after that….” She let the sentence trail off and took another drink.

“You might need to point that strategic thinking in a different direction, Michael Burnham. Random crash survivors and shuttle pod repairs shouldn’t be at the top of your list.” He said with mock admonishment.

“What do you plan to do once we get off Harlak, Supreme Emperor?” Michael sneered back at him.

“Well I guess that depends on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“It wouldn’t be as empress, but there is still a place for you at my side; should you choose to stay in this universe. I have connections here and more loyal followers than you give me credit for.”

“That’s never going to happen. Terran ruling ideals spit in the face of Star Fleet core values. You built an empire on racial superiority.  Our fundamental cornerstone of belief is that all beings are equal. Star Fleet is everything you fear. I represent everything you hate.”

“So we don’t stay in the Terran Universe. My contacts can find us people who know how to manipulate the network and bring us back to your universe. I’ve jumped twice already. What’s one more time?”

“Discovery already went back. They’ve reported everything to Star Fleet. You’d be sent to a penal colony or imprisoned. You can’t be serious.” Michael searched his expression for the sarcasm or duplicitous smirk hiding somewhere, but found only sincere and total trust.

“I pulled you off a prison transport once upon a time. A lot can happen before a sentence is served. Think about it.”

“You sacrificed everything to come back here. You pretended to be someone else for years to maneuver yourself into a position where you could return to the life you left behind. Why would you go back when you know you’ll almost certainly be locked in a cell?”

“I’ve learned some things are more important.”

He paused, his eyes drifting up towards hers from the fire. Michael swallowed hard. The tightness in her throat didn’t go away. She took another drink. She looked down at her fish that had long since gone cold, at the small smoldering ends of sticks falling away from the fire, at the tall shivering grass by the tree line through the entryway. Anywhere but at him. 

But something about the grass moving like that was odd. Michael only had a second to react before something darted out of the grass and towards the fire. She hurled herself sideways away from it, drew her phaser, and fired; missing wildly. Lorca also fired and missed, but by a much smaller margin. Without ever getting a proper look, it skittered away.

She had thrown herself in his direction and now sat on the blanket with him by the fire. Michael looked up and, without being able to stop herself, broke out into uncontrollable laughter. Lorca laughed with her. The wear and tear of the day had worn her nerves thin and it was driving her to hysterics. “Two decorated officers and neither of us could hit a rabbit.” He said between gasps, wiping his eyes.

“You thought that was a rabbit??” Michael turned to him and stopped short when she realized just how close they were.

Chapter 19: Breaking Point

 He had jumped slightly in her direction when the creature scuttled out and one of his arms was still stuck halfway out in a frozen attempt to shield her or pull her closer. He held her attention with his cool expression and settled his arm around her. Michael felt her breathing start to come in heavier despite her attempts at control. 

His pupils were blown wide. The affects of the alcohol and dim light no doubt. And possibly one other thing. Her eyes took in every detail of him. Every piece she’d been denying herself. She knew she should feel lots of things towards her former captain turned captor, but this was not one of them. She looked at his lips and her attempts at control faltered monumentally. He’d been saying something, but she wasn’t listening. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his and cradled his jaw with her hand.

It startled him for a moment. But when he realized what was happening he returned the kiss with so much passion. It took her breath away. He placed a hand on the small of her back and one on the blanket behind her. She could feel her years of restraint melting away like ice in the spring. She pulled away briefly, glancing up into his eyes. She took his hand in hers and kissed the inside of his wrist where she had broken it in the interrogation room. She moved up to the crook of his arm then planted a kiss on his shoulder where the phaser burn was healing. She hovered her lips over his neck, bringing a finger up to trace the delicate lines in his skin. She remembered all the times they fought and she had wrapped her hands around this same neck. It looked different in this light. She kissed his neck and he let out a low hungry moan. She let her tongue trail along his throat up to his ear where she gave him a playful bite. Just as he had done to her in the training room. She felt him go rigid. 

When she leaned back and stared up at him through her thick lashes she saw a dark look imposed over his features. His hands at his throat worked at unfastening his uniform jacket. Michael reached up to do the same. He was out of his much quicker and leaned forward to snatch hers off her shoulders. She lowered herself and he leaned further over her, until she was flat on her back. Gabriel held himself above her. They’d had so many chances to give in. She couldn’t remember why she’d been holding back.

Gabriel snaked an arm underneath her and around her waist. She arched her back as he pulled her close, placing his lips on hers with a possessive need. Michael pressed close and slid down ever so slightly so his bent knee was pressed between her legs. His tongue was pressing inside her mouth and she imagined what else he might do with it. Applying pressure to his knee, she felt her own arousal building. Rocking her hips and moaning into their kiss. She felt a low growl rumble in his throat as a response. He bit her lip and slid his knee forward. Michael continued her rhythmic movements as Gabriel’s lips trailed down her neck to her collarbone. One of her hands found his belt buckle and worked at unfastening it. He pulled her hand away as he lifted both her arms to remove her undershirt and bra. He bent his head down and his mouth closed around her soft breast. Kissing one then the other. His lips encircled her sensitive nipples. The dark buds becoming firm under his attention. His tongue traced delicate shapes across her tender skin. The feeling was incredible as well as distracting. She fumbled with his buckle, unable to unclasp it. He chuckled against her skin and reached down to undo it for her.

At that she snapped her arm back gaining his attention and glared at him. “What? I’m helping.” He said with a playful air.

“I don’t need your help.” Michael grunted.

She knocked his arm out from underneath him, hooked her foot around his leg, and flipped the two of them around so she was on top. She continued kissing him sloppily and slipped one hand down past his waistband. He gave a small shudder as she ran her hand along his length. He was already rock hard. She gave him a few strokes savoring the anxious twitches his body made in anticipation. Then she slid his pants and her mouth down to a more serviceable position. Her tongue moved in long fluid motions slicking every inch of him. She placed her lips around him and traced circles around his tip until he was panting and red in the face. She liked seeing him so undone. Completely at her mercy. She was pretty sure she could undo him even more. Michael opened her mouth wide and took in his entire length. The end of his cock pushing down her throat. She brought one hand up to steady the base as she bobbed her head up and down. “Fuck, Michael!” He said between gasps.

Spurred on by his outburst she started moving faster. The slick feeling of his cock moving in and out of her mouth was turning her on more than she thought it would.  She started using her hand to stroke in gentle twisting motions when she pulled her head back. The noises he made were getting her unbelievably wet. He was moaning and grasping handfuls of the blanket as she worked him over and over. She knew he wouldn’t last much longer if she continued like this so she lifted her head and continued more slowly with just her hands. His head dropped back to the ground with a thud, his breathing coming in a little more normally. “I’m not done with you yet.” She breathed.

Michael shrugged off her pants. She moved around so that she was kneeling on the blanket behind where his head was. She bent down to kiss him and held his jaw in both her hands. Then she crawled forward and took him into her mouth once more. She felt him place his hands on her thighs, which were now on either side of his face. She took him deeper into her throat and his grip tightened on her legs. She pulled up when she thought he was really enjoying it. Cutting him off was kinda making her wet. She looked down to see his pleading expression. She nodded once then lowered herself and spread her thighs further apart. He tilted his head up slightly and took a moment to kiss the soft skin of her inner thighs. It didn't take long though before he buried his face in her dark curls. He hungrily lapped up her arousal. His tongue running over her clit back and forth then switching to a circular motion. 

She was having a hard time focusing on keeping a steady pace with her mouth. The way his mouth moved against her cunt, made her clench her thighs around him. She had to stop and take a breath. He sensed her getting close. He flattened his tongue to press wide firm licks against her, using his neck to move his whole head for the motion. She felt his tongue dip lower and slip inside. She was already dripping wet. The slippery sensation was felt so unbelievably dirty. It made her shake. 

She came while his tongue was still inside her. It ripped through her and she bucked her hips against him. He pressed further, moved quicker. She rode each wave and came all over his face. She let out an undignified moan as her body spasmed with pleasure.

“Gabriel.” she gasped.

She moved forward and then turned around as he sat up. He captured his name just as it left her mouth. Wrapping an arm around her and bringing her closer. Smothering her in fevered kisses. With his hands now on her hips, he guided her down on top of him. The tip of his cock pushing against her. She reached down to line them up and let him do the rest. A moment of resistance before he was filling her completely. She gasped as she felt herself stretch to make room for him. Once inside, he laid back down. His grip got gradually tighter and he thrust into her harder. She rocked her hips with the pace he was setting. She braced her hands on his chest and looked into his eyes. The sight of him, eyes closed and brows drawn together in concentration, while she felt his cock pumping in and out of her, it was almost too much. leaned forward and whispered, “How long have you wanted this?”

“Always,” he panted.

Now Gabriel was setting the pace entirely. He hands on her hips were moving her up and then slamming her back down as he thrusted himself deeper into her. Each time she felt herself tightened a little more. He was at the exact angle to send shockwaves of pleasure reverberating through her entire body. She was going to come again and soon.

“How long have you fantasized about having me? Not the other one, but me?”

He looked up at her. “Since the first day I met you.”

“Did it turn you on when I tortured you?” 

Gabriel held back answering for a moment. He returned his focus to keeping rhythm. Michael got his attention when she gripped his throat with one hand. “I asked you a question. Did it make you hard when I choked you?”

His pace quickened. She felt his erection grow even harder. She used what leverage she had to drive him as deep inside her as she could and braced herself against his chest. She was so close to coming again. She squeezed her hand tighter around his throat. “Yes.” He panted. “Yes, Michael!”

His eyes were shut tight, but then he opened them to look at her. She liked how his face looked at that moment. Like he was begging. Eyebrows drawn together, mouth moving between his moans, like a silent prayer. And she was his goddess. His thrusts were reaching a fever pitch. Moving in a frenzied haze as he slid in and out. She could see the precise moment that he broke.

He let out one last groan and slammed himself all the way in. She watched his face tense up as he came inside her and felt a warm wet sensation between her legs. It was enough to push her over the edge. Her tight cunt squeezing his still hard cock as her hand kept squeezing his neck. 

 She let go of his throat and laid down on top of him as her body wracked itself with another round of orgasms. He held her. For a moment she just closed her eyes and pressed her face to his chest and breathed him in. She curled up next to him and let the warm lulling embrace of the night’s alcohol pull her into a deep dreamless sleep.

Chapter 20: Reparations

Michael woke up first. The morning brought a sharp breeze that ripped her out of the comfort of her dreams and made her face the reality of the choices she’d made the night before. Ever so slowly she shifted out from under Gabriel’s arm and slid away. She grabbed her underwear and tank top, sliding them on quickly and quietly before standing. She took one step before she heard the rustling behind her followed by a low moan. He sounded in pain. She whipped her head back around and stared down at him. He hadn’t woken up or even moved from the spot she’d left him in.

More rustling and a hoarse cough came from the back of camp. Her chest tightened and for a second her breathing stopped. Spock was waking up. 

She threw on her pants and hopped over the makeshift table to where he was hooked up to the medical equipment. Michael stared as Spock pulled out IV tubes and brushed off sensors. She approached slowly with her hands up to show she was unarmed. “Hey there, good to see you’re finally awake?”

Spock squinted up in her direction and then glanced around at his surroundings. “The Charon went down. The explosives ripped the hull apart and damaged a lot of major systems. She crashed into Harlak. Not a lot of people made it. I pulled you out.” Michael explained.

Michael took a step closer and bent down to get on his level. “You’ve been out for about 5 days.”

Spock looked back at her, opening his eyes more fully. She saw confusion followed by recognition dawn on him. For a split second she thought maybe their connection had transcended universes and he recognized her as his sister, but very quickly she remembered that the Michael from this universe was overwhelmingly hated by those in the resistance. 

Spock launched himself at her with amazing speed and strength for someone who had blown himself up then lay unconscious for the better part of a week. She would have found the irony of nursing someone back to health only for them to try to kill you more amusing if he hadn’t been trying to choke the life out of her at that moment.

Then he was kicked off of her and sent sprawling in the dirt. Gabriel was standing over them in boxers and a T-shirt looking wild eyed and brandishing a phaser. “What the hell is going on here?”

“I would like to know the same thing.” Spock replied, propping himself up on his elbows and looking between the two of them. “Why have you been treating my wounds? Am I being held captive by the Terran Empire?”

Michael sat up and clutched her throat. She could already feel a bruise starting to form. “No, you are not being held captive. I’m not the Michael Burnham from this universe. I came here from a different, but parallel universe and I’ve been trying to find my way back. In my universe I’m part of a federation of planets that prioritizes equality for all. In my universe, you and I grew up together as siblings. That’s why I saved you.” Michael replied once she was able to breathe again.

“Is this some kind of Terran psychological manipulation tactic? I must say I’m not impressed with the efficacy.” Spock winced while straightening up into a sitting position and held a hand to his ribs where Gabriel kicked him.

“I’m telling the truth. Our parents are Sarek and Amanda. You have an older half brother named Sybok.” Michael continued in almost a whisper. “You’ll know I’m telling the truth if you mind meld with me.”

Spock seemed shaken, but considered her proposal. “Look if we wanted to kill you, you would’ve been dead days ago. Michael pulled your broken body out, salvaged every piece of medical equipment she could find, cobbled together this assemblage of machinery to keep you alive, monitored you, kept it running, and protected you from scavengers. Hell, she convinced me to help too, against my better judgment. Don’t make me regret letting you wake up.” Gabriel said keeping the phaser trained on Spock.

Michael gestured for him to lower the weapon, but he just shook his head. She turned back to Spock and held up her hand to his face in the standard mind meld stance. Spock held perfectly still. “I see no logic in keeping me alive if you are the Michael Burnham from this universe. I will entertain the notion you are who you say you are.”

Spock slowly lifted his hand to her face. “My mind to your mind.” Michael started.

“My thoughts to your thoughts.” Spock finished.

Michael relived the past 3 weeks in an instant. Memories flashing in front of her eyes at warp speeds. They trailed back even further. She was a cadet. She was being denied admittance to the Vulcan Science academy. She was arguing with Spock when they were kids.

She felt tears brimming behind her eyelids. Then she saw new images, memories that didn’t belong to her. Sarek being taken away to live in a penal colony. Spock breaking him out. The two of them and Amanda moving off the grid and joining up with resistance forces. Amanda’s last transmission before the Charon started bombing Harlak. Spock volunteering for the mission to destroy the Charon from the inside. A raw anger and overpowering grief clouding all of his memories made her throat close up and the tears spill down her cheeks. 

She opened her eyes and pulled her hand away. Spock was looking back at her. He then turned towards Gabriel, taking in his state of undress. He looked back to Michael and raised an eyebrow. “I see.”

Michael felt her face get hot. She tried to come up with some sort of explanation, but everything there was to know, he had already learned from the mind meld. No additional truths or obvious lies would alleviate the burning shame consuming her. 

“So you and–”

“I’m going to see what we’re dealing with at the other survivors’ base. I’ll let you deal with this one.” Gabriel cut him off.

He grabbed his pants and tossed Michael the phaser before strolling out of camp and away from this awkward situation. Michael stared at his back as he gave her a two fingered salute before disappearing into the foliage outside the wreckage barrier.

Michael gathered herself, she grew up on Vulcan, sex was just another biological aspect of life, nothing to be ashamed of.

“Fascinating that the two of you found it imperative to express your lust in such dire circumstances while so close to a comatose prisoner of war.”

“ALLLLL RIGHT!! Let’s move to a more productive line of questioning.” Michael ran her finger through her hair and took a deep breath, forging ahead and not letting her instincts to throttle her little brother get the better of her. “How proficient are you in spacecraft repair?”

_______________________________________________________

 

Two hours later, Gabriel returned. Michael and Spock were hunched over the makeshift table muttering something he couldn’t make out right away. He approached and saw that Spock was holding the tri-corder. It was whole and functioning. He was impressed. “You two were busy.”

“I was merely demonstrating my understanding of and proficiency in repairing Terran technology. Your machinery is not complex compared to Vulcan designs.” Spock did not look at Gabriel as he spoke.

Michael walked towards him. She folded her arms to her chest and spoke in a hush, “How many did you see at the other camp?”

“About ten. They know we’re out here. I heard them organizing search parties. We have to move. Since our little prodigy here is awake now, we don’t have to stay at camp. I say we move to the shuttle and work round the clock to get it off the ground.”

“I concur.” Spock had gotten up and stood about 6 feet away clasping his hands behind his back. 

Gabriel threw him an irritated glance and then looked back to Michael. She nodded then started packing essentials.

The work progressed much quicker with Spock’s help. Not only was he incredibly intelligent and an amazing engineer, his immense strength came in handy on more than one occasion when a fused panel needed to be pried loose. Michael had the second most experience with engineering and so Gabriel was stuck running back and forth from the shuttle to the Charon to scavenge supplies. The newly repaired tricorder made it easy to locate at least. It already had a map of the Charon programmed into it, so all they had to do when they needed a new navigational drive was pull up a directory of the ship’s systems that utilized compatible hardware. Matching the neat two dimensional map to the colossal jagged, crumbling carcass of the flagship was the real challenge.

On the third trip they sent him for fresh plasma coils. He found them without too much trouble, but the metal housing was bent inward and he couldn’t shake them loose. Gabriel searched around for something that could give him leverage. Some pipes were sticking through a rent in the ceiling. He pulled on one which eventually gave way. He firmly wedged it under the coil and threw his entire body weight on it. The pipe snapped immediately and he landed hard on his injured shoulder. “Fuuuuuck” Gabriel wheezed. 

Gabriel conceded that this wouldn’t be something he could get on his own. And even though he felt like a kid asking his dad to help open a jar, he went and asked Spock to remove the coil for him anyway. 

Spock left with a curt nod and though he couldn’t see it on his face, Gabriel could sense the superiority and condescension in the way Spock held himself. Vulcans drove him crazy. He was alone with Michael now. They worked in silence for a moment. He tinkered with the hydraulics for the doors while Michael was programming information into the computer systems. He set down his tools and came to stand next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, “How you holding up? You looked pretty shaken by the mind meld.”

Michael turned towards him with a movement that subtly shifted her shoulder out from underneath his hand. “It’s unsettling to be around him. I thought he would be more like my Spock. But the more I speak to him, the more I realize he’s just a stranger with my brother’s face.” she admitted.

Gabriel withdrew his hand. He felt Michael drifting away from him. Self consciousness and shame written plain on her face. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “You knew he wouldn’t be your brother. No one here has been yours.”

“But they at least knew me. He only knows about me through reputation and he hates me. He looks at me and sees the Terran Captain. He blames us for killing Amanda.”

“He knows it wasn’t you. If he blames you in spite of that fact he’s going against logic.”

Michael smirked a bit at that. “I think the shuttle will be flight ready in a day or so.”

“That’s great news.” Gabriel tried to act excited, but he felt the conversation taking a turn.

“We’ll have to make a stop first before meeting up with your contacts.” Michael paused for a beat. “I promised Spock that we’d take him to a nearby rebel outpost in exchange for his help.”

Gabriel took a moment to process that. “I can’t go to a rebel outpost. They’ll kill me on sight.”

“It’s the only way I could get him to agree to help us.”

“So we leave him here.” Gabriel said it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“He’ll be killed by the Charon survivors.” Michael scoffed, frustration building in her voice.

“So now his life means more than mine?”

“I’m not going back on my word. It’s one of the few things I have left in this universe. I guess I just don’t resort to betrayal so easily.”

“He literally tried to kill you this morning!”

“I’m going to take him to the outpost. You can come with us or you can stay here. It’s your choice.” she said, digging her heels in.

“Do you not care about what happens to me at all? You seemed worried about me going to prison last night.” Gabriel was almost shouting now.

“Why are you doing any of this? Why come back?  Why become emperor? Keep me prisoner? Why go through all of that just to go back again? ‘ Some things are important ’??” Michael spat the words back at him with so much derision it felt like a knife to the heart. “You’re such a hypocrite.” She was standing now and staring him down with unbridled hatred in her eyes.

“I came back because the Terran imperial palace was the only place you and I were truly… happy” he forced the word past the hard lump of emotion threatening to close his throat. 

He felt the anger slip away and the words spill out of him like he was a dying man giving his final confession. “It was our dream to rule together. I thought I had a chance at that again. But it was just a dream. I couldn’t lose you again so I locked you away. It was wrong, but it was the only way I could think to keep you separate and safe. I don’t know what would have happened if someone on the Charon found out who you really were. It wasn’t fair to you, and I can’t say I did it for entirely unselfish reasons. I thought maybe, given some time, you’d come around. It doesn’t matter now. I’m a wanted man in both universes so what difference would it make if i ended up there or here.  So long as there is a sliver of a chance that I might spend some of my time with you.”

Michael looked away. Her arms folded across her chest and her fingers tapped away on her bicep. She turned back to him and parted her lips, but the words died in her mouth. A shadow passed across the doorway. Gabriel followed Michael's gaze to see Spock standing at the entrance holding the coils. “If I am interrupting an emotional exchange I will continue with work on the hull and return when you have concluded.”

“We’ve concluded.” Michael stomped past Gabriel and slammed the tricorder into his chest as she went, “EPS relays. Go.”

She stalked out of the shuttle. Spock glanced at Gabriel out of the side of his eye and raised a single eyebrow. “Don't even start.” Gabriel grumbled.

Chapter 21: Last Supper

Notes:

I am scatterbrained and forgetful, but entirely motivated by praise. Those of you leaving comments have made my motivation skyrocket 1000%. If not for you guys this work would most likely have died a while ago.

Work on the shuttlepod continued in almost total silence. Spock spoke more than either Michael or Gabriel. They slipped into an almost robotic rhythm that was not quite comfortable, but at least bearable when they could lose themselves in their individual tasks. 

Spock was the one to eventually break the spell when he let out a startled yell and fell backwards into the cargo netting. A plume of gas shooting directly at his face and chest. Michael was at his side in a second with the tricorder. Spock kept one arm up and bent to cover his lower face and wasted no time getting back to repairs. He quickly reached in with his free hand to twist a valve shut, ceasing the flow of gas. “What was that?” Michael asked brows drawing together as she took in the concerning tricorder readings.

“There seems to be damage to the magnetic interlocks which is causing a coolant leak.  The coolant lines will need additional reinforcement or else be replaced entirely.” 

Spock ducked back into the shallow opening provided where the access panel had been removed. His head and entire right arm disappearing inside the wall. A moment later he pulled back out and noticed that Michael was still standing there. If she had not known his counterpart she might have missed the slightly frustrated expression that flashed across his features. “I am not in need of supervision. I am in need of new coolant lines. It would be illogical for me to extricate myself from the task in which I am currently engaged. You can help by asking Lorca to get the lines or get them yourself if you are still emotionally compromised from this morning’s interaction.”

Annoyance twitched her facial muscles, but she kept her emotions in check. She bit back the comment she would have given her brother had he actually been her brother and strode out of the shuttle to find Gabriel crouching down inspecting thruster parts. He didn’t look up as she approached. “We need new coolant lines.”

He simply nodded. She wasn’t done fighting with him. Something in her was rioting against the temporary peace of the day. As she watched him get up and walk towards the Charon for the dozenth time she wanted to scream; wanted to tear his throat out. The thought made her involuntarily remember the feel of her mouth on his throat. She was mad, but her anger was quickly losing the fight to her body’s baser instincts. Her Vulcan upbringing was failing her spectacularly. Not only was she equal parts angry and aroused around him, but also overwhelmingly ashamed and confused with each new development between them. She couldn’t even decide if she truly believed that he deserved all of her vitriol and malice. She just didn’t have anyone else to aim it at. It certainly wasn’t logical. She knew that for sure. But she couldn’t quell the tide of emotions and the only acceptable release she could permit at the moment seemed to be hatred. It was familiar and blinding to the more complicated emotions that lie tangled underneath. Emotions she wasn’t yet willing to explore.

Back inside Spock was wrapping his hand. “I’ve isolated the problem and should have the systems functioning optimally once Lorca returns with replacements. I believe repairs to the interior are almost complete. What is the state of your food stores?” 

Spock’s eyes had that same intensity when he spoke that her own Spock mirrored. She ached for the familiarity, but understood that if she overstepped the boundaries between them it could cost them their ticket home. “No food on site, but Lorca set up traps in the area. I can go check.” she replied.

Michael cringed inwardly when she used his surname. Speaking to Spock, “Lorca” seemed the better option at the moment; less familiar. She could feel the gulf between them widening. He was “Gabriel” only yesterday.

Two traps held the small rabbit-like creatures that they’d eaten previously. If all went well this would be the last meal they had on this planet. Even through the tension and dread, she felt lighter and almost excited at the prospect of getting off world. She’d be one step closer to getting home.

Gabriel was still out when she got back. Spock had already started a fire and was building it up. “I see your trip was a successful one.” he said as she got closer.

“We got lucky with the traps. Hopefully we’ll get lucky with the shuttle as well.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it, Michael. The shuttle will function as a result of hard work and skill.” Spock took a creature from her and started skinning it.

She was amazed at how fast and clean he was able to strip the animal without a knife. She handed the second one over as soon as he was done with the first. He finished what took her minutes to do in mere seconds. He spitted them and stuck the sticks into the ground at an angle so they hung slightly over the fire. 

The two of them just sat there staring into the flames. Michael occasionally twisted the spits to help the meat cook evenly. When they stayed quiet she could almost pretend she was back home. She’d never gone camping with Spock, but it was something she’d considered before. She didn’t know how he would do separated from structure and technology. He seems like the type of person to take rocket boots along for the trip under the impression that they might come in handy if circumstances became dire. 

Gabriel stumbled out of the treeline looking ragged. His uniform was torn along the collar and one of the pant legs. He was covered in grease and bleeding slightly from a new cut by his temple. She was on her feet and across the clearing before she could think better of it. “Gabriel, are you-”

“I’m fine,” he cut her off holding up a hand. “The ship’s collapsing. Parts of it aren’t structurally sound anymore. I’m not making any more trips unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“It won’t be necessary.” Spock replied returning his hands to his pockets. “These are the only remaining pieces required before we should be able to engage all systems fully.” 

Michael felt her face grow hot as she turned away. She’d jumped to help before she remembered her anger from earlier. She didn’t know how long she could keep this up. They crossed the clearing together and sat on opposite sides of Spock. Spock, ever the diplomat, chose that moment to take the lines back to the shuttle. After a moment of strained silence Michael handed one of the spits to Gabriel. “Thanks.” he said gruffly, took it, and began eating.

It was getting harder to stay mad at him. Knowing he was crawling around in that death trap all day looking for parts each time she sent him out. Several of the trips she sent him on were just to get him to leave and the part of her that used to be her conscience was twisting her gut with guilt at putting him in danger over something so petty.

She didn’t have much of an appetite. She decided she’d let Spock try to eat first once he got back. Seeing Gabriel sitting on the ground filthy and covered in scrapes and cuts was too much. She got up and grabbed the bag of medical supplies and sat down next to Gabriel. Michael loaded the hypospray with a pain killer and dosed him. “Michael you really don’t have-”

“Shut up.” Michael cut him off. “We haven’t had a great track record with conversation today so just be quiet and let me do this.”

Gabriel let out a long sign and set down the spit. He let her hold his face as she cleaned and disinfected the cuts. She moved down to where a shallow gash ran along his collarbone down to his sternum. She pulled his torn jacket collar aside and when her hand touched his neck he winced. This was getting too close for her. She didn’t know what she would do if she kept down this path. “How about you handle that and I’ll…” she trailed off.

She tried to hand him the disinfectant, but he missed taking it from her hand. He was leaning into her like he couldn’t sit up straight. “Gabriel?” She took his shoulders in her hands and tried to turn him to get a better look at his face, but she didn’t anticipate him going completely limp and ended up knocking him flat on his back. “GABRIEL?!?”

She checked his pupils, pulse, and breathing. He was out of focus with a rapid fluttery heartbeat. Something was very wrong. He was still awake though and trying to talk to her. His mouth was moving, but almost no sound was coming out. She moved closer. He was struggling to breathe now, but she could make out two words between his gasping. “Spock” and “food.”

Spock helped make the food. The food she hadn’t eaten yet, but gave to Gabriel without a second thought. “Hold on, Gabriel!”

She frantically tore through the medical bag looking for anything that could help. It was something that he ingested. What substances could Spock possibly have gotten ahold of that weren’t already in the medical bag? 

She categorically examined each event of the day trying to think of what Spock could have used as poison as she threw bottles and vials all over the ground. She suddenly stopped, the coolant .

She just saw a vial of ethanol a second ago. Michael scrabbled across the ground looking for it urged on by the increasingly ragged breathing of Gabriel. He lifted a hand to bat a bottle over towards her. It wasn’t the correct one, but she was at least glad to see that he was still able to move around some. She loaded the vial and shot him with the hypospray. He looked up blinking rapidly for a moment before slumping back down, eyes closed completely inert. “No! Come on, come on.”

Michael slapped his face gently with no success. Another bottle somewhere nearby contained a stimulant. She had never used cordrazine before, but had heard how immediate the results could be. She gave him a small dose and his eyes immediately fluttered open. “Spock…”

“You said. Spock did something to the food.” Michael finished for him.

His face contorted like he was in pain, he winced and then his eyes snapped open. He shook his head violently and waved a hand through the air like a drunk warding off a friend suggesting he go to bed. His hand came up and slapped down on her shoulder. She tried to shrug him off, but noticed from the corner of her eye, another arm reaching down. 

Gabriel’s hand landed where her shoulder met her neck and only milliseconds before Spock own hand met his in the distinct nerve pinch position. His hand was still gripping Gabriel’s by the knuckles when she fully registered what was happening and jumped to her feet.

Spock swung at her, connecting a punch to her solar plexus. He knocked all the air out of her and she stumbled backward almost stepping into the fire. She regained her footing and dodged his next jab aimed at her gut. She skirted around the fire and in doing so found momentary relief as Spock stopped the attacks. The fire crackled up between them. “Michael, I do not wish to kill you. Lorca is the only guilty party here. I recognize that you are not responsible for the bombing of this planet and therefore I only sought to incapacitate you so you would not try to revive him.”

“He wasn’t even the one to give the order. Georgiou was responsible for Amanda’s death. Not him.” Michael tried to appeal to his logical side.

“Even so, as the Emperor of the Terran Empire he took on responsibility for the crimes of his government. He continued and escalated aggressive destruction and subjugation efforts in multiple star systems. If he did not kill my mother, rest assured he killed thousands of mothers on other worlds.”

“Which star systems?” Michael asked.

Before Spock could utter another word she heard a phaser discharge and he crumpled to the ground. Behind her, propped up on one hand and barely conscious, Gabriel dropped the phaser and slumped back over in a heap.

Chapter 22: Escape

Gabriel’s eyes snapped open to see Michael crouched over him. The hiss of the hypospray drowned out by his hammering heartbeat. He couldn’t hear what she was saying. He couldn’t focus. He felt like he was having a panic attack. He looked around for attackers, convinced that they would leap out from behind a tree or rock at any moment. Michael was still talking, but she felt so far away. He needed to get up and get away, but his body felt like it had been chewed up and spit out. Michael grabbed his face and made him look at her “Gabriel, I need you to focus! I gave you a shot of cordrazine. Your body was shutting down from the poisoning and I needed you conscious. Take some deep breaths.”

She took some deep breaths herself. He followed suit and when she was satisfied he wasn’t about to bolt she let go of him. “Where’s Spock?” Gabriel asked nervously looking around.

“Right where you dropped him.” Michael gestured behind her.

Sure enough Spock’s inert form lay in the dust several paces back. “He’s not going to hurt you, but I might.”

Gabriel whipped his head back to face her looking bewildered. “He said you ordered the subjugation and destruction of multiple star systems while you were briefly in power. Is that what you were doing while Culber was teaching me history lessons?” Michael asked incredulously.

Gabriel’s head hadn’t stopped spinning. “I-I… what? I didn’t order the destruction of any star systems.”

“Did any star systems happen to be destroyed for not falling in line while you were emperor? Some sorry byproduct of your new regime?” Michael was fuming.

“I didn’t order it, I swear. There were task units in the outer reaches shutting down rebel forces when I took power, but none of my comuniques had gotten any responses by the time the Charon went down.”

“What did the comuniques say?" Michael spat.

Gabriel looked confused. He was desperately trying to keep his thoughts in one place. He was sweating bullets and felt like he was going to throw up.

Michael grabbed his collar “Did any of them say ‘Cease fire and return to base’?” she growled.

He winced. His heart was beating so hard he felt it was going to burst out of his chest. He wished he could say the words she wanted to hear. She wouldn’t believe it though. “Michael I couldn’t-”

She shoved him backwards laying him flat out on the ground. All the air knocked out of him and his head cracked against a stone. “You couldn’t what? You were the supreme emperor! You could do whatever you wanted! You literally had absolute power!”

“If I had shown any weakness, changed any of our traditional conquest methods, I would have been killed.”

“Maybe you should have been.” Michael looked down at him, disgust written plainly across her features. He half expected her to spit on him.

Something caught Michael’s attention and she looked over at Spock. The revulsion turned to confusion. Gabriel was about to ask what she heard, but then he noticed it too. There was a rustling nearby. 

“Get up!” Michael hissed. 

Gabriel hauled himself into a semi upright position, but then promptly fell forward. He caught himself and kept from falling face first into the dirt at the cost of scraping the majority of the skin from his palms on the rocky earth in front of him. He was determined to stand up on his own. The sweat was pouring off of him and dripping onto the ground. He tried mustering all of his strength, but before he could do anything, Michael bent down, wrapped an arm around his back, and lifted him under one arm with her shoulder. “Come ON old man!”

No sooner had she started hauling him towards the shuttle than the phaser fire erupted from the treeline. Michael unceremoniously dumped him on the metal flooring. She drew the hypospray out her pocket again. “How much cordrazine do you think the human body can take?” Michael asked, a mischievous glint sparkling behind her otherwise fraught expression.

“I’d rather not find out the limits firstha-” Michael cut him off with another dose.

She threw the phaser at him. “Cover me.”

“What are you doing?!” Gabriel stared in horror as Michael hunched down and ran back out into the clearing. 

She scooped up one of the damaged panels they ended up needing to replace on the shuttle and made her way over towards Spock using the panel like a shield. His blood was running through his veins like a river after torrential rainfall. He felt like he could lift the shuttle up single handedly and throw it at their encroaching attackers. He couldn’t understand what was making her act like she was indestructible though. Or why she felt the need to save the worthless traitor who just poisoned them earlier that evening.  “Michael, he tried to kill us an hour ago! Let’s get out of here!”

Several crash survivors were charging towards her and she was struggling to get a good grip on Spock while also holding the panel upright. Gabriel swore then, using all the focus he could scrounge up in his quasi-delirious state, opened fire. At least the other survivors were far enough away for the moment that he didn’t immediately worry he would hit Michael. The more he missed though, the closer they got. He was firing rapidly, but not necessarily with any degree of his usual precision. He dropped three, but more were closing in. A woman in a tattered Empire uniform reached Michael before he could take her out. She was on the opposite side and he didn’t have a clear shot. He focused his attention on the others. Michael could handle herself, he hoped.

The woman ripped the panel out of Michael’s hands and swung it savagely into Michael’s torso. Michael had to drop Spock and step out of the way, but couldn’t move very far without risk of stepping on top of him. She took the brunt of the blow. Michael leaned in the direction of the swing and brought her outer leg around and up, twisting to kick the other woman’s elbow. Gabriel could hear the crack followed by the woman’s cry of pain. He couldn’t help the slight smile tugging on his lips. He may be in the heat of battle and clinging onto a shred of his senses, but he would always be proud of his Michael’s ability to hold her own.

The woman dropped the panel. Michael aimed another blow at her injured elbow and then at her shoulder. Gabriel wanted to see the fight play out. The cordrazine created a bloodlust rampaging through him that whipped his nerves into a frenzy. The violence was intoxicating. He had to tear his eyes away. It had been a while since he’d seen Michael fight anyone besides him, but he had to keep the others from reaching her, as exciting as that may sound to him. 

At first he thinks it’s just the pounding of his pulse in his ears, but it’s not the rhythm of his heart. It’s too much like thunderous footfalls. He felt his blood turn to ice. They were making too much noise in the clearing. He slammed the auto engage controls and shot out of the shuttle like a rocket. The second round of cordrazine kept him upright and running. He dodged someone’s phaser fire without falling, but was unsure he’d be able to do so again. A roar ripped through the air stilling the enemy empire officers for a moment. He reached Michael and grabbed one of Spock’s arms. Michael looked at him confused. “We need to go NOW! We have more company.”

The Terrans closest to them recovered from the shock of the strange noise coming from the woods and took aim again. One charged towards them as she fired. Before she got within 15 feet of them she was trampled by the enormous horned reptilian beast that had wrecked the shuttle several days ago. Gabriel deliberately stared forward as he heard her screams come to an abrupt end. The sickening sounds of crunching bones and squelching continued as the beast gored another officer. The nausea from earlier returned in full force, but he powered through. At least the beast was drawing their fire. 

They reached the shuttle and Gabriel immediately headed towards the controls at the front of the ship. He locked the door and set in a course to take them to orbit as fast as they could without burning an inordinate amount of fuel. The shuttle was already off the ground because he’d primed the thrusters before running after Michael. He turned to warn her that the ascent would be rough and she should strap in somewhere. She was already securing Spock in the cargo netting. If he had not just saved their lives he could have murdered them on the spot. Before he could say anything, helpful or murderous, a loud bang sounded from the read and the shuttle lurched forward.

The beast must have tried one last time to ram the ship. It sent Michael crashing into him. The thrusters reached full power and they fell back in a heap into one of the chairs. Michael bouncing her head off the nearest control panel on the way. She clutched it and groaned. Gabriel felt like a pinball being ricocheted off every surface in the shuttle, but he was at least glad they were off the ground and heading into orbit. They were finally getting off that godforsaken planet. Michael shoved Gabriel onto the floor. She stood, wincing and still cradling her head. She snatched up the medical kit and rifled through it until she found something helpful.

Gabriel wasn’t sure if the effects of the cordrazine were wearing off or the adrenaline from the fight was. He felt slightly more coherent. He looked over and saw Spock hanging limp in the netting. An entirely different reason made his blood boil anew. 

Chapter 23: Losing Trust

He kept his tone low and even “Was it worth it?”

Michael’s head was throbbing. The pain meds hadn’t quite kicked in yet. She was nowhere near drugged enough to start dealing with Lorca’s mouth right now. She continued pawing through the bag trying to find something a little stronger. Lorca’s hand darted out from the corner of her vision and snatched the bag out of her lap. “Goddamnit Michael! He tried to kill us and will probably try again. Why the hell did we have to bring him on board?!”

Michael stood up and pushed past him towards the controls at the front of the shuttle. He followed her, “No matter what he may look like, he’s not your brother! You know that. He’s never met you before this week. Dragging him around with us is a liability.” Lorca fumed, shaking the bag for emphasis. 

“Do you think it would be any easier knowing that while watching his body get mangled by the claws of that beast? Would it put my mind at ease watching the one person I was able to save in this universe get shot over and over by your former officers because he was a stranger with a familiar face? I know he’s not my brother! I know he tried to kill you! But if that is a crime punishable by abandonment to get trampled and shot then maybe you should have left me down there! God knows I’ve tried! And I may try again!” Michael looked up from her controls, pure hatred seething behind her eyes.

Lorca looked taken aback. With much less certainty than he’d had starting this argument he continued, “What are you going to do with him?”

“Take him back to his base. Just like we promised.” Michael stared blankly ahead.

“We’re still helping him?” Lorca asked, confusion and anger coloring his tone.

“What kind of person do you think I’d be in your universe had I not been forced into the role of your Michael? Someone who thinks and feels the way I do. Do I seem like the type of person to support your empire? Do I seem like the type of person to quell resistances against fascist governments? Or am I someone who stands up to tyranny and fights for the oppressed? What’s not clear to you? Of course I’m taking him back! He’s honestly the one thing anchoring me to who I thought I was before all of this. Before I came here. Hell, before I gave up on ever seeing my friends and family again. I might just go to the base with him.” Michael stood and turned to face him. 

“And you? You’re not worth the oxygen you’re wasting to lie to me. I hate myself for ever letting you follow me back to camp. Damn the ‘higher chance of survival’! All you’ve ever done is lie to me and use me! And now I’ve helped you off this hellscape planet so you can destroy some other star system, kill someone else’s parents, imprison and drug someone else for your amusement. I can’t BELIEVE I slept with you.”

She was furious. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d ever been this angry. She could almost see the hate rolling off her in waves. She wanted to drown him in it. 

Lorca shifted away from her. His shoulders slumped, a chastened look flattening his features. “I’m sorry you feel that way.” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have been helping  administer medical care, repairing the shuttle, or protecting the two of you from attackers. It must’ve been part of my villainous plan all along.” Lorca replied with a slight sarcastic edge.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes.“Michael, we’ve been through a lot these last few days. We made progress trusting each other and we lost it somewhere along the way. I’ve never stopped trusting you though. I may not ever get your trust back, but I will continue to try to get you back to your universe regardless. You’re more than welcome to try to kill me at any point along the way. But for now, I think the cordrazine is leaving my system and I’m going to need to be unconscious for a while.” 

He got up and crossed to the back of the shuttle. She watched him pull out an emergency thermal blanket and wad it up through her narrowed eyes. He laid down using the blanket as a pillow and folding his hands neatly on his abdomen. He closed his eyes, “Not sure if you want your fake brother to hear our little spats. He seems to be waking up. Might want to dose him. You seem to like him better when he’s comatose.”

____________________________________________________________

 

Michael had just tried sending out another long range encrypted message when she heard him start moving. A wry smile threatened to break her composure. “Michael!” Lorca barked.

She looked over to her copilot. “You got this?”

“Affirmative.” Spock replied.

Michael stood and walked back to the cargo netting at the back of the shuttle where Lorca was strapped to the wall in makeshift restraints. “Yes, Gabriel?” she said with a sugary veneer doing little to hide the acidity creeping into her voice.

“Why am I the one tied? And he’s the one at the controls? Need I remind you who was trying to kill who earlier today?”

“Yesterday,” she corrected him, “And also we came to an agreement while you were asleep. He won’t try to kill you while you’re restrained and you won’t try to kill… well anyone.” she plucked one of the straps as she spoke.

Lorca winced as her hand got close. “You really think you can trust him? Vulcans very much CAN lie despite the saying.”

“Don’t tell me about Vulcans.” she said, some of the anger from earlier returning. “And don’t warn me about who’s going to lie to me.”

“Michael I-”

She interrupted him “Your being conscious is entirely up to my discretion. If I find it in the slightest bit irritating, I’ll give you another dose of this.” Michael held the hypospray up. “I like you better when you’re comatose anyway.”

“Is this really necessary?” Lorca asked, starting to sound a bit pathetic.

Michael began walking back to her chair at the controls. She called over her shoulder, “It’s your throne emperor. Think of it like all of the traditions and expectations holding you in place and keeping you from changing.”

She sat down next to Spock. He glanced at her out of the side of his eye, but quickly refocused on the viewscreen when she noticed. “What?” she said irritatedly.

“I will never understand humans.” Spock replied.

It sounded so much like something her Spock would say and it took her by surprise. She actually let out a laugh. “I was not making an attempt at humor.”

“No, I know,” she sighed. “It’s a human thing. I’m tired and you just reminded me of someone.”

“Your brother.”

“Let’s not talk about him right now.” Michael said in a quiet voice. “Tell me more about the base we’re headed to.”

He stared at her for a moment as if weighing his options. “It will be in this sector of the Alpha quadrant for approximately 3 more days.” He pointed at an area on their star charts. “We have until then to reach it. Afterwhich its location will be beyond the capacity of our shuttle’s fuel reserves.”

“It’s going to move?” Michael asked. She’d never heard of starbase that functioned like that.

“We have also been experimenting with using mycelial spores for travel. Our methods are not as refined, but we have had limited success. Moving the base requires a significant amount of power and can at times render sections of our mycelia inert. We move to avoid detection by the Empire, but can only do so at intervals of several months. That time is used to build the required power and regrow any prototaxites stellaviatori that did not survive the previous jump. Our base will be ready to make its next jump soon if my calculations are correct.”

Michael took a moment to process the implications of what he’d just said. “The systems show that the course you’ve plotted will take us 2 days and 18 hours to reach our destination.”

“I suggest we not dawdle.”

Chapter 24: Tied Up

The laughter was the worst part. He was obviously furious with being the one restrained instead of the literal suicide bomber on board, but something about hearing Michael laugh around that terrorist set his teeth on edge. They continued talking about all the great things the resistance had accomplished in the last couple of years. Gabriel rolled his eyes and tried to focus on anything else. He tried formulating a plan for getting out. He would kill Spock. He reconsidered. As much as he wanted Spock dead he reasoned that his helping save Spock’s life was the one thing that kept Michael from killing him. So Spock wouldn’t die… right away. But if something were to tragically separate him… from his head…. 

He had to stop thinking like that. What could he do right now? The straps were fairly sturdy, but they weren’t built to hold a person. The amount of friction caused by a wriggling individual would probably be greater than the average amount of sway the cargo straps were designed to weather. It wasn’t a lot to go on, but it was something. If only he had something sharp. He glanced around hoping they’d overlooked a broken piece of paneling or a loose screw, anything. He abruptly stopped when he noticed Spock approach.

He gave Gabriel a cool appraising look then removed the emergency EV suit from its small housing mounted on the wall nearby. Spock began to put it on. “So am I just going to be another wall fixture? Is that how this is supposed to work from now on?”

“I believe Burnham requested a quiet wall fixture.” Spock said without looking up from fastening the boots. 

“You’re adorable. Try not to float away out there. Wouldn’t want her to have to tie you down.”

Spock’s facial expression remained unchanged as if he hadn’t even registered another person nearby. He pulled the ladder down from the ceiling and climbed up into the airlock. Gabriel heard the hiss overhead and then Spock was gone. “Why is your fake brother going for a float in space?” He called up to Michael.

“Was my threat to tranquilize you for being a nuisance not harsh enough?” She turned to yell back at him.

“You don’t have enough sedatives to keep me out cold for three whole days. I figured you’d have to stop ignoring me at some point. Whether you actually use them is up to you.” 

“I really don’t need that much convincing,” She got up and pulled the hypospray out of her pocket.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“And I don’t need to, but because I’m feeling nice and I’d like you to shut up, I’ll tell you. He’s making sure the docking port isn’t too damaged for us to use once we make it to his base.” She said irritably while calibrating the dosage.

“I’m gonna start building up a tolerance soon. Better give me a double.”

Michael stepped up with the hypospray, at the same time Gabriel pulled the restraints taught and lifted himself as high on the wall as he could. She brought the device closer, but before it made contact he relaxed his muscles and used the movement from creating the slack to bring his head down directly on the hypospray. He couldn’t get very much momentum. His neck really didn’t have far to travel, but he suspected the surprise had more to do with her dropping it. 

“This is pathetic.” She said.

“Personally I thought bowing my head and taking it would’ve been more pathetic.”

“Always something to say.”

“I can’t do anything else.”

“Once we run out of sedatives maybe I should just gag you.”

Lorca just cocked an eyebrow at her and made a somewhat amused expression.

“You would be into that wouldn’t you.” Michael rolled her eyes and bent down to get the hypospray.

“You’re the one who tied me up and suggested gagging me. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were starting to sound like my-“

She chose that moment to cut him off with a dose in the thigh. “You may want to just allow the medicine to work instead of continuing to say things you know will piss me off.” She gave his face a gentle patronizing pat.

“Sleep tight.” She said mockingly and turned back towards the cockpit.

“What about when you’re asleep?” He asked with a slight slurred drawl.

She stopped but didn’t turn around. “Do you really trust that stranger to not sabotage us again? You encountered him on the ship before the planet didn’t you? And would it not be fair to say that in his few waking moments he’s actively tried to kill one or both of us three times?”

Michael seemed to pause and listen, but something in her refused to give. She continued to her chair.

________________________________________________

 

Gabriel woke up some indeterminate time later to someone’s breath tickling his face. Someone’s hands were around his left wrist. He slowly opened his eyes. Michael was standing an inch in front of him. She was focussed on the binding around his wrist. A second passed and his arm fell away from the wall. She was about to move on to his ankle, but her eyes caught him staring. He remained silent. She bent down and untied his legs. When she stood up again she was very close. Without breaking eye contact she tightened his right hand’s binding. “Don’t read into this.” she whispered.

Michael leaned in pressing up against him and reached into the netting behind. His breathing hitched. He didn’t know where she was going with this, but he’d be damned if he ruined it by talking. She pulled on a line which, he realized with a tug, was attached to his wrist. She tied off the slack. “I just don’t feel like feeding you and cleaning up after you.” 

Gabriel stood perfectly still. He looked around. Spock was back inside and plugging data into a control panel up front. “He doesn’t sleep much.” Gabriel whispered and gave her a questioning glance.

“Vulcans can go for more than a week without sleep.” she said, confirming his fears. “Here.”

She handed him a small cloth pouch. It looked as if it had been repurposed uniform material. He opened it to reveal some of the berries, roots, and other organic alien foodstuffs they’d been subsisting on for the last week. He gave her a nod. Michael sat down on the bench across the shuttle. She scrubbed her hands over her face and let out a very small almost imperceptible sigh. She briefly looked at Gabriel before grabbing the emergency blanket and stretching out to lie down on the bench. She turned away from him to face the wall. 

He was still a little foggy from the sedatives, but he realized she was untying him because she believed him, at least in part. She didn’t trust Spock fully. There was a part of her that needed someone to watch over her while she slept. Through everything, and after all that she’s said the previous day to the contrary, some part of her still trusted him. He wasn’t even that mad that she’d tied him up. Afterall, hadn’t he held her captive the previous week? 

She’d realize soon enough that her black and white view on morality would get them killed in this universe. And she’d need to divorce herself from any hope of friendly face being attached to friendly individuals. She’d been insulated in Starfleet for so long, but she was beginning to understand what it takes to survive here. At least he hoped. Spock would need to be the last vestige of her old life she showed any weakness for. He may have to get creative with his solutions in the future. If Michael wasn’t willing to take out a threat, then he’d just have to protect her from them. By taking them out for her, quickly and quietly. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.

Chapter 25: Rebel Base

Michael saw the enormous ship pop up on the long range scanners hours before they would arrive. It was a small comfort to know that Spock’s calculations were accurate enough and that the base hadn’t left before they’d get there. Spock sent out a communique as soon as they were in range and received a response almost immediately. It was a single word. “What does that mean?” she asked.

“We have to encode our messages for obvious reasons. I sent out a message claiming to be one of their ranks returning in an enemy ship. They sent back the standard response. My forthcoming message will be similarly brief. Anything additional can be exchanged in person.”

“Are you at least telling them about the two Terran officers you have on board? That might be important to include.”

“They have been made aware of all necessary information.”

Michael didn’t like how vague he was being. This smelled like a set up. As the minutes ticked by and the distance between the shuttle and base closed, she ran countless contingency plans in her head. She wanted to trust Spock so badly. She wanted the resistance to be full of good hearted individuals incapable of betraying those who shared their beliefs. But this wasn’t her universe and they weren’t Starfleet. She wished that literally anyone else had found her on that planet. Spending time with Lorca made her feel like she was betraying who she was. She felt that old Michael slipping away each day. The pain of it was getting easier to bear and she wasn’t sure if that relieved her or scared her more. How many Terrans died because of her involvement in Lorca’s coup? How many survivors of the crash did she gun down without a second thought? And now here she was holding Lorca captive not days after berating him for doing the same to her. This place really was making her into his Michael. Day by day she was evolving. Changing into someone she barely knew. What would she do if she did make it home one day? Would there even be a place for her anymore? 

She was pulled away from her spiraling thoughts as a shrill chirp sounded from the control panel in front of them. The base was so close. She could see it gradually getting bigger through the viewscreen as they drifted nearer. It looked like an enormous gyroscope with six equidistant protruding arms. Spock received a message at his station. The line of text scrolled the top of his screen throwing a red bar of light across his eyes. He didn’t feel the need to inform Michael of the message’s contents before sending a response. Michael felt her sense of unease growing. She didn’t like how one sided everything was progressing. Like it had all been decided in advance.

“They’re ready to receive us?” She asked, forcing as much assuredness into her voice as she could. 

“Correct. We are to dock at bay 4.”

“I’ll ready the clamps on the docking port.” Michael got up and made her way to the back of the shuttle.

As she passed Lorca she cut his tether where it attached to the wall. She did it quickly and tried to make it look more like she was testing the strength of the hold. She dared a brief glance back at Spock. He was bent over the sensor seemingly engrossed in his task. Lorca was staring right at her. She shook her head slightly and started engaging the systems on the back control panel. She noticed something off immediately. “I’m not able to engage the clamps.” she called over she shoulder.

The pod was slowing down. They’d drifted right up to one of the long arms. A bay door marked “4” shifted from view as the shuttle pivoted. The front viewscreen was now pointed towards open space with the entire base behind them. 

“Shuttle to Docking Bay 4, we are unable to engage our docking mechanisms fully. Assistance may be required.” Spock relayed over the comms.

“Shuttlepod, we are attempting to get our gear to lock on from the outside. Hold tight.” a woman’s voice crackled through the damaged speakers.

Something struck the pod and Michael slammed into the wall. Lorca was already sitting on the floor and so he just slid around a little. Spock was clutching the arm rests of the pilot’s seat with a death grip and looking at Michael with a strange intense expression. Several softer thumps rocked the shuttle following the first. 

“Bay 4 to shuttlepod, we’re unable to get a lock either. We’ll have to beam you in.” the crackly voice came through again.

“Understood. Standby for 2 to beam in.” Spock replied.

“Acknowledged.”

Michael stood up fully. “What about Lorca?”

“Rest assured, he will be taken care of.” Spock said cooly, while picking up the med bag and swinging it over his shoulder.

“What does that mean?” Michael asked.

“What do you think it means?”

Michael stepped close. “He helped save your life and you’re going to kill him? That’s not what we agreed on.”

“Michael, we are not in your universe. You have no understanding of what’s a necessary risk and what isn’t here. If you’ll recall, we made no formal agreement on Lorca’s fate after reaching the base. Your oscillating loyalties are not logical and certainly not something the resistance would benefit from. Though I suppose it is to be expected. You, after all, were only raised by Vulcans. You’re simply too human.” Spock looked down at her patronizingly.

“I won’t let you.”

“I assumed as much. I thank you for your efforts in getting me off Harlak and back to my base. Though your assistance to our cause was never necessary. Your story about traversing universes would most likely not have convinced my associates. And this way my position amongst the council will not be negatively affected by bringing two Empire royals to the base.”

Spock squared his feet and readjusted his grip on the bag. “One to beam in.”

Before Michael could react he was off the shuttle. Lorca bolted to the controls “They’re charging weapons!” he yelled.

The shuttle was drifting away from the dock. “Michael, he disengaged the shields!” 

Lorca threw the navigational controls into gear and the pod listed to starboard. The alarms started blaring and the reality of the situation hit Michael like a punch to the gut. She joined Lorca at the front. The shuttle was moving away, but nowhere near fast enough. They might as well have been crawling away. It was a direct hit. The phaser obliterated their thrusters and sent sparks flying from the rear access panels. More alarms were blaring. There was a bright blue flash and then the base disappeared from the sensors. A new warning message appeared on the middle screen. The air supply tanks had been ruptured by the blast and were quickly depleting. 

Michael scrambled to put on the EV suit and rushed out the airlock with the toolkit. The first thing she noticed was the empty expanse surrounding them on all sides. The base jumped to its next coordinates and they were good and truly alone. The damaged air tank was emitting a vaporous jet of oxygen that was slowly propelling the shuttle forward. She climbed down to it and got to work. Most of the damage was to the propulsion systems so the patch on the tank didn’t need to be very big. In total it took her less than 20 minutes.

She climbed back into the shuttle. Lorca was in the pilot’s chair slumped back. He wearily looked over at her. “I fixed the leak. How much oxygen do we have left?” She asked.

“Less than 2 days.”

“We should be able to get engines online in that time.”

“We should. But remember when Spock said if we didn’t make it to the base before the jump we wouldn’t make it to the new location with the fuel we have left?” He ran a hand over his face. “We won’t be able to make it anywhere with the fuel we have left. There’s nothing nearby for light years.”

Chapter 26: Dark Thoughts

The computer’s countdown til the oxygen tanks ran out ticked forward. It dwindled away second by second in front of his eyes. He supposed if he had to pick a way to die, spending his last moments with Michael wasn’t the most terrible thing he could think of. He always assumed that he would’ve done more to secure a position for himself. Though upward mobility in this universe was always going to come with a target on your back.

Michael came back in from her second trip to do repairs on the outside of the shuttle. She hopped off the ladder and removed the helmet. Her facial expression didn’t inspire much hope. “I’ve done all I can from out there. We still have some more work to do, but we’ll have to try to get to the affected areas from inside.” she huffed and plopped down on the bench running along the wall.

Gabriel simply crossed his arms and nodded. He didn’t quite see the point, but who was he to keep her from trying. She peeled the rest of the suit off, hung it back up, and pulled the toolkit off the shelf. She threw it down and retrieved a prying tool. With maybe more gusto than necessary, she tried jamming it in between two floor panels. Gabriel looked on with some amusement as the tool slid over the crack each attempt and skittered back and forth. Michael glared up at him, “Are you just going to watch?” she asked.

“I’m not sure what you are expecting from me. Are we on the same side today? What impossible odds will our teamwork miraculously overcome? We’re dead in space.”

“Sorry if I’m not resigned to curl up and die just yet.” she resumed slamming the bar onto the ground. She started getting more violent with it.

Gabriel knew he couldn’t save their lives, but he could use some of their time left to help fix what was broken between them. They didn’t need to die angry and scared. He squatted down next to her and held out a hand beckoning her to pass him the tool. She paused. A faint look of relief softened some of her hard edges. He held the tool with the end pressed to the seam at a slight angle. “Give us a good kick,” he instructed.

Michael stood up. She gave him a wary look, but then delivered a sharp kick to the end of the tool. The edge of the panel buckled inward somewhat. Gabriel shifted the bar then leveraged it up with his own weight and popped the panel out. 

They spent the next couple hours with Michael scrambling around half inside half outside the floor making repairs as he watched and helped. She’d call up for something and he’d pass it down to her. She needed him to turn off the circuits then turn them on one by one to see which were ruined. She burnt herself on one of the coils. Gabriel went to fetch the medical bag, but couldn’t find it. He remembered before Spock beamed out he picked it up. The bastard. He came back to her empty handed. “Spock took the medical bag with him before he left. Just a bit of extra salt in the wound.”

“The last of the foraged food and MREs were in there too.” Michael said, a vacant expression stealing across her face.

“Yeah…” Gabriel said then sat next to her on the ground. 

He ripped a strip of fabric from the emergency blanket. He looked at her. All emotion, any trace of that hopefulness that had been there earlier that day, had completely left her. She was starting to draw in on herself. She clutched her burnt hand close to her chest and stared out the viewscreen far off into empty space.  He placed a hand on her elbow, but she barely reacted. He pulled her arm over and wrapped the fabric around the burn. She finally looked at him as he tied it off. “Stay with me,” he said gently. “I need you to be on your game if we’re going to make it out of this one.”

Her eyes betrayed her. The tears never spilled over, she wouldn’t let him see her break. But the cracks were already there. Doubt creased a line between her brows and tugged at the corners of her mouth. She looked down at her hand and absently tugged on loose threads of the fabric. “I… I don’t know if we are going to make it out of this one.”

Gabriel placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. “Hey, we're not dead yet. Have a little faith. You’re the most capable person I know. You’ll figure something out. You always do.”

She gave a half-hearted smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “How about you get some rest now though. You’ve been at it for hours and if you keep going you’ll just get sloppy and hurt yourself again.” he continued.

Michael’s small nod was the only response he got. He handed her the blanket and she curled up with it against the wall. He moved to one of the chairs and kept watch on the sensor readings. Nothing had changed since earlier in the day. He didn’t think they were going to make it out either. Michael knew that too. It was all a slow game of relinquishing hope and succumbing to the cold embrace of death. He didn’t know how many more fake words of encouragement he could give her or how many she would tolerate before she told him to cut the bullshit.

___________________________________________________________________________

 

The bulk of the work on the engines was done. The remaining repairs only took a couple hours. They pried another panel off the floor and with both of them lodged amongst the machinery the broken systems were fixed in half the time. Michael was in a better mood. She seemed more focused. As long as she had a task she seemed to not get too bogged down with the impossibility of their situation. 

Gabriel was fitting the panels back into their frames while Michael was scrolling through the shuttles systems at the main terminal. “Engines online. Care to plot in a course? Where are these contacts who can get us back to the other side?” Michael asked.

Her tone was light, but there was a bitter edge to her words. Part of her didn’t believe they’d ever reach these “contacts.” He came up to the console. Exhausted, he propped himself up with one hand and punched in coordinates with the other. The computer threw up a projected flight pattern. He checked the fuel consumption estimate and the rundown time on the life support systems. He knew they weren’t making it there either. But he engaged the navigation systems anyway. He sat down across from her in the other pilot’s seat. His hand was still resting on the center console. Michael took it. He was a bit startled by the endearing gesture, but tried to keep his face neutral. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and looked up to meet his eyes. It seemed she was coming to terms with the inevitability of their situation. The look of quiet desperation on her face twisted his gut. She knew it was coming, she’d come to that realization in all its finality as well, but she wasn’t ready. She was scared. It was written plain on her face. He squeezed her hand back. 

She let go abruptly. Reeling her hand in and letting her mask fall back into place. It wasn’t convincing him of anything, but if it helped her through this to feel brave he wouldn’t begrudge her that. She turned once more to her screen. Something had caught her eye. He watched as she ran calculations. Something sparked in her when she got hold of a new puzzle, a new equation to solve. Though the weariness didn’t fully retreat, she did have a shred more hopefulness than a minute ago. She worked quietly at her station for a while. He watched and couldn’t help but admire her spirit.Though the admiration bordered on pity. She kept working because she didn’t know she was already dead. 

“I’ve figured out how to divert power from the heaters to make the atmosphere recyclers last longer. If you’re ok roughing it, we can lower the temperature and get at least half a day more out of our air supply.” she said without looking up from what she was doing.

Gabriel fought the urge to let out a sardonic laugh. What was half a day going to do for them? But he kept quiet and gave her a nod when she glanced up. She nodded back. She finished typing and straightened up. The temperature began to drop slowly. Gabriel let out a long breath and rubbed at his face. “I’m going to go to sleep while it’s still relatively safe. Who knows though. Might just not even wake back up. Give you a little extra oxygen to work with.” he said dryly. 

Michael had a pained look on her face. Like she wanted to scold him for joking about something so grim, but wouldn’t admit that she’d prefer his company to a couple more hours of oxygen. It would all end the same way regardless. Two frozen corpses floating endlessly in the yawning expanse of space, lightyears from any habitable planet. He wasn’t even going to entertain the idea of a rescue. He wasn’t that naive. He curled up with the blanket and stared at the wall. The exhaustion that had been gnawing at him all day washed over him. He was joking, but if he could choose to not wake back up, he might just make that choice. He wouldn’t mind letting go of his stiff aching limbs, the growing hunger raking his stomach, and the deep dread encompassing it all. He thought about this. Let these sweet dark thoughts lull him to sleep. Just as he was about to fade out, he heard footsteps approach and the sound of someone settling on the ground next to him.

Chapter 27: Deathbed Confessions

She wanted to think that she was above this. That she was only doing this because she was about to die and she didn’t want to be alone. But she knew that part of her had always been drawn to him. She didn’t feel the need to cling to her justifications and insecurities right now. Because she was about to die AND she wanted to be with him. Why continue to let her pride guide her every action when she had no one to convince but herself. 

Michael sat down on the floor next to him. He didn’t roll over to face her. “Gabriel?” she tried to keep her voice steady.

He let out a sight, but otherwise didn’t move. “I…. I’ve been unfair. I don’t think I would have survived out here without your help.” she paused, “Without you. You’ve been here the whole time and you are the one person who hasn’t tried to kill me. What I’m trying to say is thank you….. And I’m sorry” her voice broke and the last of her words came out shaky.

He turned around. His face was so worn. He looked exhausted and wrung out, but as he glanced up to look at her something in his eyes shone with a little extra light. He shifted and propped himself up into a half sitting position. “It’s not the time for deathbed confessions now.” he said softly and took her hand.

His smile wasn’t convincing enough and his words sounded too sure.. She kept hold of his hand and laid down next to him. He shifted back to lay down and face her. “We just got another 12 hours. Who’s to  say what could happen in that time?” he continued.

His thumb was rubbing gentle circles over her knuckles. He didn’t have to be this nice. She sure hadn’t been nice. But he had; the entire time. And she’d hated him for it. She was getting very tired of hating him. She moved closer. “Michael, you don’t have to do any of this.” he leaned away.

“I don’t want to be alone.” she said it and some of the light left his expression. 

He let go of her hand. “Wanting to be with me and not wanting to be alone are not the same thing. I don’t want you to feel you’ve made another… mistake.”

She felt the weight of her words from the other day settle on her. She had meant to hurt him when she said them, but now she was just ashamed at her cruelty.  “I don’t think being with you is a mistake.” she whispered.

“Why are you doing this?” he looked in pain now.

“I don’t understand why I feel the way I do. I just know that I need to be with you right now. Here at the end.”

“That’s your Vulcan mind trying to find logic in a place where none has ever existed” 

“What are you talking about?” Michael asked, but he just continued to hold her gaze. His look turning meaningful then sad. 

She reached over and ran her hand down his face. Softly grazing his cheek with the backs of her fingers. He flinched away from her touch. She placed her fingers under his chin and turned his face back to her. Some tears were beginning to brim on her eyelashes. “Just… tell me it’s going to be ok.” she whispered.

“Michael…”

“Just say it…. Please”

“It’s all going to be ok.” he said, some tears welling in his own eyes. 

He reached over to catch a tear escaping and running down her cheek. He brushed it away. “We’ll make it out of this, just wait and see.” he continued.

She moved towards him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her face to his chest. He held still for a moment then brought his arm around with the blanket and held her. She was shaking. He tightened his arms around her. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling now and let her control slip. The sobs she’d been choking down since they’d been left for dead by Spock racked her body. “I’m sorry.” she mumbled into the front of his ragged uniform jacket.

He rubbed his hands up and down her back, soothing her. She leaned back slightly to look at him. “I shouldn’t have trusted him. You were right to question my judgement and I-”

He placed a finger to her lips. “Shhh… I meant what I said. No deathbed confessions. We’re making it out of this…together.” he pulled her back to him and held her close. 

“Though, next time let’s not take the guy actively trying to murder us along for the ride.” he said lightly.

“Next time…” Michael mumbled against the fabric.

He held her as she continued to cry silently. And then held her when the tears wouldn’t come anymore. His arms pressing her close were the last things she felt as she drifted off. She felt paradoxically safe with him. Like as long as he was there she knew she didn’t have to be afraid. 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

The temperature continued to plummet. The hours dwindled as they passed through more uninhabited space. They spent more and more time trying to stay warm under the blanket. The days without food were making time move in strange ways. Some moments were drawn out and thin while other times she’d blink and notice several hours had snuck by. 

She’d been dozing. Her head lifted up away from Gabriel’s shoulder where it’d been resting. She looked up and saw that he had been sleeping as well. Her movement tickled his face when her hair brushed past him. He looked a little startled as he blinked awake. “Sorry.” she whispered.

He shifted a bit to stretch his legs. They’d fallen asleep sitting up. Gabriel cross-legged on the floor against the wall and Michael sitting in his lap wrapped around him. The blanket was able to cover them more fully that way and the compactness of their bodies generated more heat. Michael noticed little ice crystals forming on his eyelashes. Hers must look very similar. It was odd to see it though. She knew they were slowly freezing and starving to death, but that one visible sign was almost more than she could take. It was horrible, but also somewhat silly. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to let all of the confusing emotions bleed out of her, but she’d wept all the tears she had left and to laugh in his face seemed a cruel waste of energy.  “How much more air do you think we have?” she asked.

“Plenty.” he said.

“Should I go check?” 

“Will it help?” he looked down at her and quirked an eyebrow up.

She shrugged. “I guess it’s probably better not knowing.” she paused. “Where will we go once we cross back over?” her voice took on a dreamy quality.

He pulled her closer to him and rubbed her back under the blanket. She felt like falling asleep again, but didn’t want to lose any more of the time she had left. She knew it was getting close. She was much less afraid than she thought she’d be. “To Vulcan. You’re going to show me around Shi’Kahr when we get there.” he said with his face pressed into her curls.

“Oh am I?” she asked with a playful air to her whispered words.

“Of course. You’re going to take me to all of the touristy spots and we’ll spend all of our money on worthless knick knacks.”

“All of the touristy spots… on Vulcan?” she almost laughed.

“C’mon you guys can’t be all libraries and meditation gardens all the time. I know there’s got to be at least one Vulcan out there brazen enough to have fun.” 

Michael let out a weak chuckle. “And then where?”

“Then we might go to that one planet in the Omicron Delta Region that I hear so much about. Whatever you think of will suddenly appear. Anything your heart desires.”

“That sounds nice. I think I’d like a big mug of hot tea and a fire to curl up by.” she snuggled against him and closed her eyes.

“I’d have it conjure a couple books. Maybe read one to you while we dozed by the fire. What was that book you had? Alice something?”

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” 

“Yeah. I’d read that to you. What’s your favorite kind of tea?”

She sighed and grumbled something into his chest. “Stay with me Michael. C’mon now. We’re making some big decisions.”

She brought her face away from his warm chest and looked up at him, blinking her eyes several times. She could feel the frost melting a bit on her own lashes and wetting her cheekbones. “Is it time for our deathbed confessions yet?” she asked.

“Not yet.” he pulled her back to him. “We still have plenty of time.”

“Then I’d like to say something just for my own sake.” she paused thinking he’d tell her again it wasn’t the time. He stayed quiet. “I’m glad you pulled me off that prison transport. And I’m glad we ran into each other on Harlak. And I’m glad that I’m here with you now at the end. If destiny really did have a hand in things, I’m glad it kept bringing me back to you.”

She felt him swallow heavily. “I’m glad we’re together too.” she heard a catch in his voice as he said it. “But you can’t be saying things like that. Like I said, no confessions now, it’s not the end. You’re going to get that Vulcan sunburn we talked about. I’m going to read to you and we’re going to drink tea together in front of a fire.”

“Mmmm… I can already taste it.” she said and nuzzled her face against his chest. 

He kept rubbing her back. They fell into a prolonged silence and she drifted off again with the gentle motion of his hand. She thought that was it. She was floating in the darkness. Frozen solid and feeling the last little bit of warm trickling away into the cold black night. She couldn’t feel the ache of hunger clawing at her anymore. The emptiness swallowed her and she let go. 

A bright light shone. It was searing. She felt rattled and shaken about. A shadow passed in front of the light and she heard voices. They were speaking a language she might have recognized, but she didn’t care to listen and parse out what they were saying. She slipped back under. She wasn’t sure if this was how the afterlife was supposed to be or if she were dreaming and still on her way out. It seemed almost a gift to be able to die in her sleep. She dreamed she was carried away and placed somewhere warm. The light returned and she saw a face above her. It wasn’t like any face she’d ever seen before. She thought it was odd in a detached sort of way. She remembered reading somewhere that you only ever dream of faces you’d seen in the waking world. But this one was new. Long and a gray-blue color with ridges up the forehead. A white beard and sharp protruding teeth. She thought it kind of humorous. She never believed in Heaven, but he looked like he might be a demon sent to collect her and bring her to Hell. 

And she wasn’t  too far off.

Chapter 28: A Friendly Face in Hell

Gabriel woke up to the sound of Michael screaming. Adrenaline coursed through him and his heart rate spiked. He looked around trying to find her. None of his surroundings were familiar. He wasn’t on the shuttle anymore. Instead he found himself in a room that could only be described as a hodge podge of different culture’s tech welded together in the vague shape of a med bay. He was strapped to a table by his arms and legs, but he could move his head freely and look around. Michael’s screaming died down and now she was silent. He heard another voice close by. It was low and guttural and he couldn’t place the language immediately, but he knew he’d heard it before. 

The other person was approaching him from behind. He could hear their footsteps getting closer and closer. He assumed Michael was somewhere behind him and whoever was closing in on him was about to do whatever they’d done to Michael to him next. Finally they neared enough for him to get a look at them. He didn’t like what he saw. A tall grayish figure with menacing teeth holding what looked like a metal bar. Drookmani. He remembered running into one of their cobbled ships years ago. It’d come picking through the scraps after a particularly brutal attack on a rebel outpost. He’d given the order to fire on it, even though it wasn’t involved in any way. He just didn’t like the idea of rebel tech and/or weapons falling into the hands of an independent non-Terran party. If this wasn’t karma he didn’t know what else to call it. 

The Drookmani man stepped closer and said something in a vicious tone then stepped back behind Gabriel. He heard a distinct hiss. His captor came back into view a moment later. Gabriel saw that the length of metal was not just a bar; it was a brand and it was glowing red hot now. The Drookmani man inched closer with it, rasping indecipherable threats. Gabriel saw the tip more clearly now. It was roughly the shape of the Terran empire’s insignia, a hilt above a circle with the bottom tapering into a knife point. He was sweating. He wished he really had died back on the shuttle. What fresh hell was awaiting him now on this scavenger’s ship? “Wait!” he yelled as the metal brand hovered inches above his neck. 

To his surprise the alien man actually stopped. “I can give you information. I know weak points in the Empire’s defenses.” 

The Drookmani looked on uncomprehendingly. “Just put down the brand and I’ll tell you-”

He stuck the metal directly into the tender flesh connecting Gabriel’s neck and shoulder. He howled in pain. He heard the sizzle of his own skin and smelled the grotesque aroma of cooking meat. The brand pulled away and tore some of his skin free as it went. Another scream escaped as his burnt flesh was rent open. The Drookmani man struck him across the face with the back of his hand, causing a loud crack to ring through Gabriel’s skull. The sudden impact, and the additional weight of the heavy gauntlet the Drookmani wore, stunned him into silence. He desperately hoped the crack was not his jaw breaking. The other man looked down on Gabriel in disgust, specifically the botched brand that was bleeding freely and creating a pool of blood on the floor. He spit on him and uttered what Gabriel could only assume were several curses. Then he straightened up and called to someone out of Gabriel’s range of vision before stalking out of the room.

Gabriel tried to focus on his breathing. Panicking wasn’t going to help anything. Michael was being very quiet. He tested his jaw. It hurt, but was most likely not broken. “Michael” he called out hoarsely. 

He got no response. “Michael!” he called again, this time with a little more volume. 

His jaw radiated pain downward adding to the excruciating agony that tore through his neck. “Michael, can you hear me?” he tried again.

“I’m afraid she’s in no condition to talk at the moment.” a bizarrely friendly voice chimed in.

A very old alien man walked up to his cot carrying various instruments on a tray. He couldn’t place his origin, but he knew he’d met others from his planet before. The elusive details frustrated him. He set the tray down on a table with a bit of a clang and Gabriel involuntarily flinched at the noise. “Apologies. I’m still getting used to working in this environment. Rest assured I will cause you no further harm. I’m a doctor.” he continued.

The doctor dabbed some at Gabriel’s wound with gauze. Gabriel lay back in the cot. The adrenaline hadn’t quite left his system, but he calmed a certain amount in the other man’s presence. “Where are we?” Gabriel asked.

“Your ship was claimed as salvage by the Drookmani. You and your friend are on your way to being sold at auction.” the doctor said as he pulled out a dermal regenerator.

“At auction? Where?”

“11 Leonis Minoris, if my grasp on the Drookmani language isn’t too far gone. It’s not my strongest.” he admitted with a sheepish smile and a shrug. 

The alien doctor’s face was kind. He had ridges running up the left and right sides of his pale face and darker coloration near his hairline. His electric blue eyes were unsettling though, with their spiky pupils.

The doctor ran the dermal regenerator over the portion of Gabriel’s neck that had been mangled by his Drookmani captor. Gabriel noticed a bit of relief from the gruesome pain, but most of it remained. He glanced down at the tool in the doctor’s hand and saw that it was on the lowest setting. “Wouldn’t want you to lose this now would we? That’s what’ll make you sell for more.” he said, gesturing to Gabriel’s branded skin.

“How did you come to be employed by these animals? You barely speak their language.” Gabriel asked.

“Employed? Goodness no.” he laughed. “I’m to be sold at auction as well. They’re simply taking advantage of the fact that they have a doctor on board for the moment.”

Gabriel let out a long exhale and let his head fall back against the cot. “Apologies if I have foiled some escape plan in the making. I’ve tried my hand at being a revolutionary and didn’t find it to my liking. Helping Terrans never got me anywhere either.” the doctor continued as he started packing his medical supplies.

“You got anything for the pain?” Gabriel asked when he saw the doctor gearing up to leave.

“They don’t give slaves pain medication.” he replied with an air of amusement. “They think the pain will motivate us to stay in line and keep us from getting our full strength back.”

“How far are we from Leonis Minoris?” Gabriel asked.

“I couldn’t say. I’m not allowed on the bridge and I don’t overhear much. The fact that I could guess their destination at all would distress them greatly should they find out. Now I really must go. Try not to move around too much for a while. The skin on your neck has barely begun to regrow and will tear very easily.”

“I’ll try my best.” Gabriel said drily, jerking his hands against the restraints.

“Oh, of course.” he chuckled before turning to go.

The door whooshed shut behind him, leaving Gabriel and Michael alone in the dilapidated med bay. Gabriel tried to twist to get a look behind him again, but the skin on his neck was set alight with fresh pain as he did so. He cursed the doctor. He knew the other man wasn’t really to blame, but his infuriatingly positive attitude aggravated Gabriel to no end. He tried calling her name several times to no avail. So he lay still for a time turning over the details of their situation in his head. 

They were to be sold as slaves at 11 Leonis Minoris in the next several days? Weeks? Probably days. The ship may look and smell like reclaimed garbage, but he knew what a functioning warp core felt like when a ship hummed along through space. How big was the ship? What kind of weapons were the Drookmani carrying? Would they be moved from sick bay before they reached their destination? Were there others besides the doctor that would be sold at Leonis? He needed more answers. He’d make sure to get more information from the doctor the next time he saw him. If he saw him.

His thoughts were in no way calming, but the extreme duress his body’d endured that day drug him down into a fretful and dreamless doze. He was only half asleep when he jerked awake at the sound of rustling nearby. He was on high alert immediately. But no one was in the room. He twisted around causing more pain to bloom in his neck, but didn’t see the doctor or any Drookmani nearby. He lay still and listened again. A soft rustle and a groggy moan drifted over from somewhere behind him. “Micheal??” he called once more.

“Gabriel?” her voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

“Michael! You’re alive.” he almost wept when he heard her voice. 

“I am?” she asked with genuine concern. “I thought we…”

“A Drookmani salvage ship picked us up before the air ran out.”

“Why does my neck hurt? I remember…burning?” she was struggling to put her thoughts together.

“They branded us. Apparently we are going to be sold and Terran slaves fetch a higher price.” Gabriel filled her in.

Michael let out a huff. She remained quiet for a while. Gabriel worried she might have fallen back asleep. Then from the silence a soft “Why couldn’t they have just let us die?” 

He agreed with her, but his heart broke a little when he heard the raw despair lacing her words. She was ready to die cradled in his arms. And now they were ripped back into the universe she despised so much. He wished he could give her back a shred of the peace she must have felt when she was finally about to leave this place forever. But he wished he’d died back on the shuttle with her as well.

“We might still die here so don’t discount the idea just yet. But there’s a doctor on board who might be able to help us.” he said.

“A Terran doctor?” she asked.

He thought a moment, trying hard to remember. Where had he seen those markings before? Then he got it. “No, he’s a Denobulan.”

Chapter 29: To Market

Michael fades in and out of consciousness for what felt like days. Her only memories; snippets of Drookmani and occasionally Gabriel’s worried voice piercing through the fog. She remembered the burning pain on her neck. She remembered that she wasn’t dead. That was somehow the worst of her recollections. 

When she finally felt good and truly awake she found herself somewhere new. She wasn’t strapped to a table anymore, but instead she was enclosed in a narrow glass box of some kind. She and Gabriel were unceremoniously dropped inside. The impact of hitting the ground jolted her awake. Gabriel was coming to as well and taking stock of their surroundings. The vestibule was about as big as a turbolift compartment and the walls were a frosted glass. Michael got close to try to get an idea of what was on the other side. She couldn’t make out much, but she could hear a voice faintly coming through. Several voices in fact. Above the door was a small screen that seemed to be counting down. “Where are we?” Michael asked, not really expecting Gabriel to know, but needing some kind of reassurance that she was in fact alive and this wasn’t hell.

“My guess: the slave market.” he said while tapping on the glass. 

An aggressive heavy bang and a snarl sounded from the other side in response. It made him scoot back away from the wall and subsequently closer to Michael. “And these must be the other pigs for sale.” he mused dryly.

Michael tried not to shut down again. They didn’t die. She was ready to. She made her peace with that finally. But somehow surviving was turning out to be much worse. If only she could have a moment without coming face to face with some new traumatic turn of events, she thought she might be able to get a handle on her thoughts. As it was, she could barely keep her breathing even and her mind wanted to be anywhere, but in the present physical world. She felt herself pull away. Maybe things would be easier at a distance. Gabriel grabbed her by the shoulders. “Hey, hey, stay with me alright.”

His voice pulled her back, grounded her. She looked into his eyes and tried to find a reason all this was happening to them. She didn’t find the answer she was looking for, but she found an answer nonetheless. She needed to stay because he needed her. And she needed him. It wasn’t over yet, no matter how much she wanted it to be. “I’m not going anywhere. You still have to take me to the Omicron Delta region.” she said, making a play at humor, though her voice remained emotionless and flat.

“And you still owe me that tour of Vulcan.” he said smiling at her.

It brought a smile to her own lips. The screen above the door started to beep. “The doctor tell you anything about what to expect here? What that beeping is maybe?” she asked.

“No. Just that he’s another piece of merchandise like the rest of us. My guess is it’s almost,” he paused a moment as the clock ticked down to the final number and the glass turned from frosted to clear, “Showtime.”

Michael skittered toward the middle of the chamber as she noticed the faces pressing in at all sides to get a look at her. With the glass clear, she could see that they were in a row of similarly shaped chambers with the fronts and backs of the cells open for prospective buyers to peer in and check the quality of the goods. A Tellarite with excessive facial piercings stood no more than three feet away. He leered at her. A vile expression tugging at his lips and revealing brown rotted teeth. He brought another Tellarite over. They pulled their heads close, whispered, and made obscene hand gestures while pointing at her. Michael turned away, bile rising in the back of her throat. 

“Just look at me.” Gabriel whispered. “It’s just the two of us. Whoever out there takes a shine to owning a couple beat down Terrans that they can boss around is going to get the surprise of their life when they realize they’ve tried to cage THE Michael Burnham.”

A lump of emotion lodged in her throat, constricting it. She wasn’t anyone anymore. Being reminded only hurt. “Stop.” she choked out. “I’m not-”

“You are. You may not believe it right now, but you are every bit of the capable first officer, science specialist, and starship captain that you’ve always been. Regardless of which universe you’re in or what world you’re on. This is just another mission and you need to take point. What are my orders? How are we getting out of this?”

In situations like this in the past she’d felt the need to rebuff his words of encouragement and stubbornly try to push through all obstacles on her own, but not today. She let his words reorient her and bring her back into herself. She felt a familiar sense of purpose settle on her and the tiniest seed of hope take root. 

“We’ll have the best chance of escape during the transfer.” she examined the ceiling of the chamber. “Scratch that. Those vents look like they are designed to pump something in rather than control air quality. I haven’t heard or felt any air come through them while we’ve been in here. They’re most likely for gassing the occupants before opening the door. We’ll have to wait until we’ve been purchased to make a plan for escape.”

“There she is.” Gabriel said. He looked over to her, admiration and pride shining through brighter than the lights overhead.

Michael looked away on instinct. She wasn’t ready to acknowledge those emotions yet. Though her rationale had always been: I’ll deal with it once we’re through with this. But the idea of this kept growing to encompass more and more of her time in this world. She’d either have to stop turning away or come up with a new rationale. 

“If we strategically act weak or sick while potential buyers pass, we may be able to manipulate which buyers actually bid.” Michael said. She turned her head back in his direction, but didn’t meet his gaze. 

“Who do you suppose would make an ideal buyer?” he asked, pretending not to notice the distance she started putting between them.

“It has to be someone already buying multiple slaves. We don’t want to be sep-” she cut herself off. 

She knew instinctively that she didn’t want to be separated from him, but she’d not quite stated it so plainly yet. Heat started to rise in her cheeks. She wasn’t so much embarrassed as she was startled and annoyed with herself. Somehow coming to terms with her imminent death was easier than coming to terms with her feelings. “We should probably steer clear of societies that have a vendetta with the empire. You’d know more about that than I would.” she continued stoically.

Gabriel didn’t quite smother the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He refocused on the task at hand though, wasting only a few seconds on relishing this new detail she let slip. “We’ll be hard pressed to find any buyers that fit that criteria. The empire didn’t get to be the predominant power in this quadrant without making enemies.”

“No alliances at all?”

“Not something it was known for.” he shrugged.

A group of Andorians stopped in front of their cell. Michael recalled Gabriel’s demonstration of the Andorian adapted mind meld. If made her face flush for an entirely different reason. She faked a cough and clutched her stomach. Apparently it was convincing enough. Gabriel swept her up in his arms. After the group had passed she turned her head upwards, gave him a flat unimpressed look, then darted her eyes in the direction of the retreating Andorians. He returned it with a look of recognition followed by a conspiratorial expression. 

The alternated sickly positions. Sometimes laying in a heap on the floor, sometimes staring uncomprehendingly at the ground. They coughed consistently and made a show of being in pain anytime someone approached. It was Gabriel’s turn to feign unconsciousness when Michael saw her approach. She was a tall, muscular Orion woman. Her skin was almost glittering under the hooded cloak. That’s what caught her eye in the first place. As the light of the nearby star broke through the smog, a ray reflected off her chrome tinted body jewelry. She looked passively at the occupants of the neighboring cells. When she saw Michael, she changed direction and beckoned her attendants to come their way. “Orions.” Michael said, barely moving her lips. “How badly has the empire ruined their lives?”

Gabriel rolled over. “Not much. They don’t have a centralized government. There wasn’t anything for the empire to crush. When we encroached on their raiding territories, they scattered like cockroaches.”

“So, a wealthy looking Orion, who just bought the Denobulan…”

Gabriel sat up slowly, not wanting to draw any undue attention or reveal his ailments to be fake prematurely. He subtly glanced at the Orion woman without turning his head. “She’s dangerous, Michael. Orion women-”

“I know about Orion women! I’m a xenobiologist!” she hissed. “I also know the percentage of those that CAN produce pheromones compared to those who CAN’T. She’s the best option I’ve seen all day. Would you rather the Tellarites? The Klingons? The Andorians?” she continued under her breath.

Gabriel stiffened suddenly. The woman was approaching the glass now. She said something to her attendants in Orion. Michael can almost make out the words, but she spoke too softly. The attendant scurried away into the crowd. “What are a couple of lost Terrans doing so far away from home?”

“Far away indeed.” Michael scoffed.

“Most Terrans don’t make it to the market. Too many out there looking to exact that pound of flesh.”

Michael felt the other woman’s eyes roving up and down her body. “Looks like you made it out with all your appendages intact.” her gaze flits over to Gabriel. “You’ll need them.”

Michael shivers at this, but isn’t dissuaded. She barrels ahead with her pitch, not acknowledging the other woman’s insinuations. “We’re both trained engineers and science officers.” she fibbed. “Any problems arising within your ship, we can handle all the repairs.” 

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind.” her hooded eyes locked on Michael like a predator circling its prey. “Stand up will you? I’d like a better look.”

It took every ounce of her control to bite back a mouthy retort. She slowly, begrudgingly got to her feet. The Orion nodded approvingly and a sultry smile played across her face. “You too.” she gestured to Gabriel.

He shot Michael one last pleading look. She nodded minutely. Grim resignation tightened his features. He let out a long breath and rose to his full height. “Look at the two of you. Already so good at following orders. I might not even have to break you.” A slight laugh escapes as she says this, coloring her words with a cruel playfulness. 

Her attendant returned and handed her a PADD. She scribbled something on it and handed it back. “I think I’ve found my new pets.” she said while clapping her hands together. “Now let’s get the two of you fitted for your collars.”

Before either of them can form a response, the vents pump gas into the vestibule. The last thing Michael sees before the darkness closes in is her vicious smile.

Chapter 30: Sar House

Gabriel was getting really tired of being knocked out and waking up in strange places. The latest in his ever growing list was arguably the nicest though. The room stretched ahead and behind him. Polished marble floors, columns, archways, an open air courtyard with a fountain to his left. This was lightyears from the Drookmani ship. 

He was sprawled on a low bench. Others who were bought alongside him were waking up too. There were so many. He might not have worried so much about influencing the Orion to buy him. She seemed to have bought most of the others for sale. He groggily rubbed a hand along the side of his face and down the back of his neck. He stopped abruptly when his hand hit the thick metal torque. Startled, but not necessarily surprised, he felt around the ring circling his neck. It was simple, unadorned except for two strange hexagonal protrusions on the left and right. He took another look around at his fellow slaves. They all wore the same collar and it looked like the hexagons were all green. He kept looking. Michael wasn’t anywhere. It did seem like the room was male only though he couldn’t be sure. 

“Ahh you’re awake!” the Denobulan doctor came up behind him and clapped him on the back.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Doctor…?” 

“Phlox.” the doctor offered a hand.

“Gabriel.” he took the hand and shook it.

He’d have to be careful not to let his full name become known. Who knows what knowledge of Terran hierarchy had seeped into this corner of the galaxy. One person with a grudge finds out and he wakes up with hands around his throat. He thought of Michael again.

“Do you know if the slaves are being segregated by gender?” Gabriel asked.

Phlox looked around a moment and shrugged. “I suppose that’s possible, though binary gender is not something all species adhere to. It would be quite an accomplishment to segregate each gender to individual buildings. Andorians have four and Species 8472 has at least fi-”

“Ok thank you. Do you know where they would be keeping the other slaves?” Gabriel interrupted.

Phlox shrugged again. “I’ve only been awake for several hours. I think I’m meant to monitor the progress of the slaves gaining consciousness in this room. I haven’t been assigned any tasks yet though so it’s hard to say for certain. Could just be my instinct as a healer kicking in.”

As Phlox was prattling on, a woman with voluminous green hair and orange tinted skin walked into the room.  She tapped the identical silver bracelets she wore on each wrist together and it made a loud ringing noise. Everyone quieted down and looked at her. She tapped her wrists again and the ringing stopped. “Hello new slaves. My name is Shahna. I oversee Sar house operations and will give you your daily assignments. I conduct all necessary training. Any questions about how things are done in Sar house are to be directed to me. Now proceed through this archway to receive your uniforms.”

Gabriel and Phlox followed the crowd. As soon as everyone was in line, the divans dematerialized. He hadn’t realized that they were holograms. It made him wonder what else in the house was a hologram. The uniforms for the house slaves were revealing. Some sort of soft black hide material made up the pants. The top was a sleeveless black midriff and it irritated Gabriel constantly. It was impractical and the breeze along his abdomen was distracting. Phlox’s uniform was basically a set of scrubs. He gritted his teeth when he saw this. Of course Phlox was assigned to the medical wing and Gabriel was assigned to field and house. He assumed this meant that he would be working in some kind of agricultural role. Each of them were given silver bracelets similar to Shahna’s. Along the band words ran in a ticker. He was surprised to see that the words were in English. They only read out the daily assignments that he had just been told verbally. 

Phlox and the majority of the slaves assigned to other areas left to their respective wings. Gabriel followed a line of five others into a training room. The room was filled with weapons, some practice, others real and blood soaked. They passed through the training room and onto the field. It was not agricultural work he would be doing. On the field were pairs of other slaves sparring gladiatorial style. 

“You’re here because you were the strongest of the bunch, or the meanest, or you simply lacked any other discernible skills at purchase.” Shahna emerged from the training room behind them, her voice carrying over the bowl shaped arena. 

“You will most likely die on this field. But on the off chance that you prove fierce and distinguish yourself from the other new bloods, you will be granted certain privileges.” she continued.

Gabriel noticed some of the fighters stop to stare at them. Some were chuckling and nodding in their direction. There were two slaves not engaged in combat who began walking closer to them. They were bereft of any weapons and waltzed right up to stand behind Shahna. 

“These will be your fighting instructors. Follow their guidance and you might survive.” with that Shahna nodded to the two instructors and walked off the field and back into the manor through the training room.

The instructors introduced themselves as Mirat, a male Bajoran, and Ch’Tahn, a female Klingon. The new recruits were kept to their own training field to assess their skills. After proving that he was competent in hand-to-hand as well as with melee weapons, Gabriel ranked high enough and was allowed to advance to the regular training field without any additional drills. 

The scrutiny from the instructors was maddening. He didn't have time for this he needed to find Michael. He knew she was more than capable of handling herself, but he also just needed to know that she was alright. If he could just slip away at some point. He resolved to focus on when the instructors made their circuit around the field. What the frequency was. If there were any additional guards in the wings. He saw that on a second level balcony there was a dais adorned with gilt furniture and an obscene amount of pillows. It was unoccupied at the moment, but if the lady of the house were ever to come watch the fighting, that would most likely be her place and that would be one more pair of eyes he'd have to account for.

After the field; a meal in the company of the other fighters, followed by a check up, and a bath. Phlox performed the check ups. He was just as jovial as ever. Not upset in the slightest about being bought and sold the previous day. "Ah Gabriel! I had a feeling you'd be crossing my path. How goes the duty assignments?"

Phlox talked as he scanned Gabriel and entered the recordings into his PADD. "I'm no worse for wear. Have you seen Michael?"

"The young woman you were with on the Drookmani scavenger ship, yes she was in here earlier today for her baseline physical. She was cleared for all technical and house duties. My, my she had so many questions. I had to remind her that we were bought at the same time. She asked if there was anyone in the medbay who might know more. I told her the doctor before me was taken off duty recently for refusing an assignment and the punishment was quite unfortunate. I showed her to where he was recovering. She was happy to meet him nonetheless. I believe he is a colleague of yours." Phlox continued as he shined a light in Gabriel's ears and mouth inspecting for any parasites.

"You have a Terran Doctor here? Who?" Gabriel asked as soon as Phlox removed the light from his mouth.

Phlox hesitated. "I don't know. The nature of his injury….You're cleared for all field and house work. I'll take you back to him now."

Phlox led him to the rear of the clinic and around a corner. He pulled aside a curtain to reveal Dr. Culber lying on a gurney. Hugh's eyes widened a bit when he saw Gabriel, but he didn't seem very surprised. He had red tinged gauze wrapped thickly around his neck and a defeated look about him. "I'll leave you two to get reacquainted. I'll be back after physicals to change that wrapping. Best of luck!" Phlox said with a sympathetic smile before leaving the two of them alone.

"What happened to you? How did you get here?" Gabriel asked before he thought better of peppering the injured man with questions.

Then he noticed the small writing pad and pen in Hugh's lap. Hugh picked them up and scribbled something then turned the pad around. "Hello to you too." it said.

"I'm glad you're not dead." Gabriel said trying to convey that he really meant it.

Hugh sighed and wrote again. "That makes one of us."

"Did someone here do this to you? I heard them say you were punished for refusing an order." Gabriel tried again in a less abrasive tone, though gentility wasn't his strong suit.

Hugh beckoned Gabriel to come closer so he could watch as he wrote and he wouldn't have to keep flipping the pad around "Yes. This is your first day?"

Gabriel nodded "I was assigned field and house."

Hugh signed again then started writing, "Something they don't tell you about double assignments. Medical and house, Field and house, Technical and house. The second assignment is always house. Not everyone gets two." he paused and massaged his hand a bit then picked the pen up again. "The first is your day work and the other is your night work."

The realization dawned on Gabriel "Ohh."

"The lady picks who from the new batch gets the house assignment. If they pass their physical then they are put in the rotation for her nightly service. If she takes a shine to you, you get assigned more frequently."

"How many people are in the rotation? Is the assignment frequent?" Gabriel was starting to get a better idea of how the house was run and with each new bit of information he was dreading the implications.

Hugh shrugged. "I refused the first time I was assigned night service. I don't think she's used to people being able to do that. My preferences and some work with pheromone inoculation I did some years back made it difficult for me, but possible. If you talk back, she'll make sure you won't ever talk again."

"Phlox said Michael was cleared for house work."

Hugh gave a resigned nod. "She prefers the services of multiple people at a time and doesn't discriminate. She also loans the house slaves to guests when she hosts."

"Are you still assigned to house?" Gabriel asked.

Hugh shook his head. "I'm not assigned to medical either. She's put me in field. I assume to be killed for her enjoyment, or something along those lines."

"How long have you been here?" Gabriel asked. 

"Two weeks."

"And the doctor that worked here before you?"

"To her, we're all replaceable. We step out of line, she buys a new one. I never met the previous doctor. Most of the slaves haven't been here long though. I don't know exactly what happens, reassignments to field most likely, but give it another two weeks and there will be an entirely new staff."

Phlox came through the curtain then. "I'm afraid the physicals are all concluded now, Gabriel. I'll need to attend to our friend here."

"Hugh." Gabriel supplied. "Dr. Hugh Culber."

"Right. I'll attend to Dr. Culber's bandages. You'll be escorted with the rest of your cohort to the sonic showers if I heard Shahna correctly."

Gabriel turned back to Hugh one more time. "I guess we'll just have to be out before the next two weeks are up." he gave him a conspiratorial wink and left.

Chapter 31: Orientation

Michael's first day at Sar House happened fast, one thing after another after another. She woke up in the women's barracks. Or she assumed it was the women's barracks directed to get her duty assignments by the chief of staff, a strange looking orange woman with green hair named Shahna. She had a sad detached look about her. Michael saw it come to the surface after she finished speaking and the slaves started moving away. Michael approached her hoping to glean some additional information or possibly build some rapport.

"Hello, I'm Michael. I was hoping you could tell me more about these collars we're wearing."

"I know who you are." she said with an almost bored tone. "They are obedience collars. Your Master, Lady Sar, and I can access them remotely and activate a charge that will send your nervous system into overdrive. Should you step out of line or disobey an order, this will be the punishment you'll face. If you prove more trouble than you're worth, you will be replaced." she finished her explanation with a hollow, haunted look.

She wasn't looking at Michael anymore. Her eyes were lost somewhere in the middle distance. "Do replacements happen frequently." Michael ventured.

Shahna's face remained blank, but conveyed the message "what do you think?"

"How long have you been here?" Michael tried again.

"Don't be impertinent." Shahna didn't quite snap at her because the feeling just wasn't there.

"My apologies. I was just trying to understand Sar house better and I thought understanding the chief of staff may be a good place to start."

"We are not one and the same." Shahna paused then steeled her expression. "Go join the rest of the slaves and get your duty assignment. You'll come to a better understanding of the house by serving the house." then she turned on her heel strode away through the arches of the open air walkway.

Michael could tell Shahna had suffered at the hands of Sar house and was putting in a great deal of effort to maintain her facade of composure. It was most likely the only thing keeping her alive. Michael got the impression slaves were disposable objects here. Why else would someone buy out almost the entire stock at the slave market. The slaves handing out uniforms were not acting in any way as if this was an unusual occurrence. If Michael was going to make it out of here she would need to keep a low profile and act fast.

She was assigned to technical and house work. Her uniform was a set of black coveralls. She followed the crowd to the medical bay for a baseline physical and was cleared for all duties. She recognized the doctor as a Denobulan. He must have been the doctor that helped them on the Drookmani ship. She asked him about when he was purchased and how much he knew about Sar house. He didn't have any more information about what was happening than she did, but he did direct her to his predecessor in the rear section of the medbay.

She almost choked when she saw him. Hugh was lying in a semi-conscious state, his neck covered in bloody bandages. "What did they do to you?" she managed to say through her constricting throat.

He may not have been her Hugh, but he had always been kind. He was the kindest person in the whole universe and it broke her heart to see him like this. He groggily picked up a pen and wrote on a small pad of paper. "Disobeyed." in a messy scrawl.

"I apologize if your friend is not quite up to conversation at the moment. He recently received his dose of painkillers." the Denobulan doctor said placing a hand on Michael's shoulder.

"Thank you for bringing me to him, Doctor…"

"Phlox, I've attended you before, but I don't believe you were ever conscious enough to hold a conversation with me. Your partner on the other hand."

"Gabriel. Have you seen him?"

"He was in the orientation room with me, but I have not seen him since we received our assignments. Though I do suppose he will be by later today for his physical."

"When?" Michael appreciated his congeniality, but his superfluous phrasing made her want to pry the information she needed from his lips.

"Oh let me see…It is 0900 hours at the moment. He is most likely going through his own orientation. I think they said they will be staggering them throughout the day. I know he said he was assigned to field and house, but I'm not sure when field will be-"

"He's also assigned to house?" Michael interrupted him.

"I believe so."

Michael had her technical orientation first then house work later that night. She figured she could run into him there, if she didn't see him sooner. She felt a cold touch glance across her wrist.

Hugh was trying to grab her hand to get her attention. He pushed his pad across his lap in her direction. "Not what you think."

"What's not?" Michael asked.

He wrote again, "House."

His hand slipped off the page and his eyelids drooped more heavily. "I'm afraid the medicine is taking effect. You can visit him when you are free from duties. I believe the rest of your cohort is just about finished up with physicals now though. I'll let Gabriel know you came through when I see him." Phlox said politely and ushered Michael away from Hugh and towards the Medbay entrance.

"Thank you again." Michael said with a parting wave before leaving.

Phlox had a broad smile that spread across his face unsettlingly far as he waved back. She didn't understand the Denobulan. His positivity seemed unshakeable.

Her orientation for technical work was about what she expected. She'd hoped for higher level programming or mechanics, but when she was told that they would be fixing lamps and troubleshooting Holo projector problems she wasn't surprised. What did surprise her though was the number of Holo projectors in the house, or rather manor. It was a sprawling estate and there was at least one projector in every room, except service rooms like the kitchen and supply rooms. The power required to run this place must be immense.

Her first assignment was to run some diagnostic tests on the replicators in the kitchen. They showed her on a floor plan of the manor where she needed to go and where the replicators connected to the system. She caught a glimpse of something off site that was running on even more power than the manor house. When she tried to get a closer look at that section of the floor plan, the slave handing out assignments minimized the window and ushered her away with a glare and a shooing motion.

She wasn't sure, but it looked a little like a landing platform or a hangar of some kind. Definitely something big enough to house a ship. And that was all she needed to start formulating her plan.

She tried to take stock of her surroundings as she made her way to the kitchen. How many guards there seemed to be. If there were any surveillance systems visible. She really hoped she'd be able to reconnect with Gabriel later. Maybe if they combined the information they gathered they'd have a better picture of the manor as a whole.

The kitchens were immaculate. Several figures were working at the counters. One was Andorian and the other was Talaxian. They seemed to have that same hollowed out expression as Shahna. Just mindlessly going through the motions based on rote muscle memory. She wondered if that was a drug induced reaction or if this place would just turn you into a husk of your former self if you stayed long enough.

She found the replicator with ease. The station she was servicing was at the very front of the kitchen, almost tucked underneath the window used to pass trays of food into the dining area. Her equipment was a bit rudimentary, but she knew how to get the job done. Once the diagnostic started running, she sat back and took another look around. An Orion woman was leaning in through the window. The same woman who she saw at the market, she was unaccompanied this time though. This must be someone in Lady Sar's inner circle, she thought.

"Hello there. Settling in all right?" the Orion woman asked.

"As much as one can." Michael tried to keep an even tone.

"Oh, you can't begrudge being a slave here when you begged to be bought. Can't have it both ways now can we? What's your name, creature?" she said it endearingly, but also as if Michael were a pet.

"Michael. And you?" Michael said, standing up.

"Shava." she replied draping her delicate hand across her collarbone. She moved her hand to rest on Michael's upper arm as she reached through the window. "Michael dear. Could you hand me a moba?" she inclined her head to a crate near the pantry door.

Michael pried it open to find it full to the brim with the fruit. The shipment must have just come in. She picked one out, walked back to the window, and handed it over. Shava took it and let her touch linger a little longer than was necessary on Michael's hand.

"Why do you ship them in when you have all these replicators?" Michael asked, hoping to steer the conversation towards the shipping schedule of the manor.

"Because some things" she paused and ran her thumb along Michael's jawline, "taste better fresh." she took a bite of the moba and let the juice run down her chin.

A shiver passed down Michael's spine. Shava gave her a wink and walked back towards the dining hall entrance. She called over her shoulder as she retreated "See you later tonight, my little moba."

She was joined by two guards that were waiting for her just outside the archway. So that was Lady Sar, Michael thought. She was also getting a better idea of what nightly duties in the house might entail.

Chapter 32: House Work

Notes:

I went to a con this past Sunday and actually got to meet Jason Isaacs. He was so funny and nice and his hands were so soft. I feel a little bad putting Lorca through all this. Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ not that bad though.

Gabriel thought that the uniform he was given earlier in the day was obnoxious, but that was nothing compared to what was presented to him that evening. He didn't even register it as clothing at first.

The leather straps of the harness converged on a metal ring that sat in the middle of his chest and traced over his shoulders, under his arms, and downwards to the belt. It constricted his chest slightly making breathing ever so slightly more difficult. And the shorts, if he could even call them shorts, were so small and tight he almost couldn't get the button to stay closed.

Gabriel and another fighter were led down some inner hallways towards the center of the house. This area didn't have the signature open air courtyards and archways he'd gotten used to seeing during his trips around the manor. The darkness was only broken up occasionally by stone pillars with cylindrical lights affixed to the top. The stark change in architectural style was foreboding to say the least. His fellow fighter was breathing quickly and sweating profusely. He didn't have high hopes for him out on the field if this was making his knees shake.

When the slave guiding them stopped in front of a large set of wooden double doors and gestured for them to enter, Gabriel pushed ahead to meet whatever fate had in store for him. He'd never gotten anywhere by being evasive. Inside, there was what seemed to be a waiting room with another set of large wooden doors on the opposite wall. There were chaise lounges arrayed in rows and a handful of other slaves scattered about chatting quietly or squirming nervously and trying to hide it.

He scanned the faces until he found her. Their eyes met from across the room. He felt his heart stutter before it resumed beating again. He was simultaneously crushed that she was being subjected to this, but also immensely relieved to finally see her again. He rushed over to her and restrained himself from scooping her up into a suffocating embrace. He settled for placing a hand on her arm and giving her a knowing squeeze. She mirrored him, gripping his arm with much more force than he expected. She was the one to usually reign in her emotions after all. Her face was a perfectly blank mask, but he could tell all was not calm underneath. He dipped his head and she leaned in as well. He meant to whisper to her about what he'd learned, but as her head pressed against his all thoughts left and he could only say her name.

"Michael." he had to use every bit of resolve he had left to keep his voice from cracking.

"We're together. We'll be okay." She said like a mantra, like a prayer.

"Mhmm. We'll figure it out. Nothing's stumped us yet." he reassured her.

She pulled away slightly and looked up at him with a sad, almost pitiful smirk. The weight of the last few days was showing on her face, dragging at the corners of her eyes. She looked so tired. "I need to talk to you later. Keep this on you and follow the instructions." She said and slipped a small piece of fabric into his waistband.

He nodded, not looking down at her hands. The doors on the wall across from where he entered started to slowly swing open. In an instant the room was flooded with a sweet musky smell. A sinking sensation started in his stomach, but was overpowered in a moment by a warm sensuous feeling.

Michael went rigid next to him, but for some reason she felt so far away. A figure appeared in the open door. An Orion woman and the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She wore an elaborate set of fine silver chains draped around her neck and chest. Small silver diamonds covered her breasts and a gauzy black length of fabric wrapped around her hips. He needed to be near her, to touch her almost as much as he needed to breathe.

"Against the wall." She commanded.

He dutifully obeyed. Anything she said, he would do. She walked to the front of the line and inspected the first slave. He ached to be that slave, if only so her eyes would fall on him. He clenched his first and waited his turn. She progressed slowly, painstakingly so, until she was there, right in front of him and Michael.

"Hello again, my little moba fruit. And of course… your friend from the market. Won't this just be delicious." She said tugging lightly on Michael's collar, then letting go and stepping back.

She tapped a sequence into the silver bracelet she wore and a message appeared on each of theirs. "If your bracelet says 'return to quarters,' your duties for the day are over and you may leave now. If yours reads 'await further instruction,' remain here with me."

All the slaves left except Gabriel and Michael.

"Follow me," she started walking towards the open doorway, her hips swaying hypnotically, then stopped and looked over her shoulder , "and don't speak."

_______________________________________

Michael was struggling to remain focused. She knew the pheromones were taking effect, but knowing it and stopping it were wildly different things. She followed Shava into the room and saw a large round bed on a dais shrouded in shimmering translucent drapery. Near the step up onto the platform were some cushions and plush ottomans and what Michael guessed was some kind of hookah.

Shava was walking backwards now, slowly beckoning them. She reached the bed and delicately perched on the edge. Michael's sense of self preservation was screaming, but another part of her, the part that wanted Shava, was screaming so much louder. She reached Shava before Gabriel, but stumbled as she tried to step onto the dais. She caught herself, but as she was somewhat bent forward, Shava was in the perfect position to place one lacquered nail under Michael's chin "Stay." she ordered.

Michael froze. Shava lifted her up with the one finger until she was standing upright again. "Good girl." Shava purred.

She circled Michael and tutted in mock disapproval. "You're wearing far too much clothes, my dear. Gabriel, undress her." Shava said slowly, savoring her ability to command them.

Gabriel walked up to Michael, a riot of emotion clouding his eyes. Michael's leather midriff was laced up the front and her skirt was laced up the sides. Gabriel lifted the cord from Michael's chest and with trembling fingers began to untie. Her breasts were peeking out through the interwoven cords. Gabriel's finger brushed against her and she felt fire bloom across her skin. Somehow her need for Gabriel and her need for Shava did not cancel each other out, but rather compounded each other. She was a glowing ember of want and need. She felt the leisurely pace of the evening grating on her nerves, but knew her patience would pay off if she could just get her hands on one of them. Gabriel finished unlacing the cord and the panels of her top fell open exposing her completely. Her breasts fell out after the constraints were removed. Dark reddish marks colored her soft skin where the fabric and lacing had pinched her. Gabriel set to work unlacing the skirt next. It fell away in seconds. He paused a moment, his hand lingering on her thigh.

"Uh-uh" Shava scolded, "It's not your turn. Michael, come here and have a seat." her voice barely above a whisper yet Michael felt it ringing through her.

Shava turned Michael around so her back was to the bed and then forced her onto the floor.

"Gabriel, bind her hands with those cords." Shava said, pulling Michael's arms up, bending them gently, and pinning them down to the mattress behind her head.

Gabriel sat on the bed and tied Michael's wrists. She felt the soft touch of the cord get tighter and tighter as he tugged the knots. Shava leaned in front of Michael, hovering her body inches away. The heat of her breath inflamed the fire roiling under Michael's skin and building deep in her core. Shava's thumbnail traced lightly over Michael's lips. She parted them and slipped her finger inside Michael's mouth. Michael looked up at her as she closed her lips around Shava's thumb and let her tongue follow its curves. "So well behaved." Shava praised her.

Shava's right hand found Michael's knee and dragged nails up her soft unblemished skin. She didn't use enough pressure to hurt, but three nails left delicious hot stings in the wake of her ascending fingers. The other two fingers found her next. Shava leaned in and kissed Michael. The pads of her fingers were running over the heat between Michael's legs, while her other hand wrapped around the back of Michael's neck and pulled her closer. Michael's breath hitched and she could feel Shava's mouth smile against hers as they kissed. "I knew you'd be dripping sweetness just like my moba fruit."

She raised her right hand, holding up the two fingers without long nails. Her pointer and index fingers glistened in the low light. She licked them, easing them into her mouth while maintaining eye contact with Michael. Michael shuddered with anticipation. She could feel herself growing wetter by the minute. She wanted nothing more than to feel the other woman inside her, on top of her, beneath her, anything. She returned her fingers to the delicate folds of skin and pushed inside.

Michael was so wet that her fingers slid right in. The suddenness of the movement pushing an involuntary moan out of her mouth. Shava continued sliding her fingers in and out of Michael, gradually increasing in speed. Her mouth found Michael's breasts and she planted light kisses interspersed with gentle bites along her chest and collarbones. She rolled her tongue over Michael's nipple then took it into her mouth and sucked. She pulled her head back and released her with a satisfying pop. Michael's breast bouncing as she did so.

Shava switched the position of her hand so that her thumb was tracing circles over Michael's clit. She let Michael savor that a moment then she lowered herself onto the ground and brought her hand away so she could part Michael's legs. Her tongue took the place of her hand and Michael's head rolled back onto the bed. She teased Michael at first, only barely brushing across her with the tip of her tongue. She seemed to enjoy watching her squirm, but then she buried her face in Michael's short black curls and continued in earnest.

Shava pressed her tongue flat against Michael, lapping against her slowly, deliberately; and relishing the heat rolling off of her. Michael rocked her hips back and forth, grinding herself against Shava's face. Shava gripped Michael's hips and drove her tongue deeper inside. Michael was close to coming. She felt the pressure building inside her about to break. Shava let out a deep moan that vibrated through Michael as she stroked her with her tongue with more and more pressure. She slipped her fingers inside once again and curled them upwards as she moved. It was too much.

Michael gasped and tightened as the dam broke and the waves of ecstasy started overwhelming her. She whimpered as Shava continued eating her out relentlessly. She tried to move, but Gabriel was still pinning her hands in place and Shava wasn't letting her hips go anywhere. She came over and over against with Shava’s mouth on her cunt. The noises she made getting more and more obscene. She heard Gabriel moan behind her as well. Shava mercifully slowed and pulled away. Her face dripping wet from where Michael had just been. She looked up and behind Michael.

"This isn't for you." she scolded. "Come over here, Gabriel."

____________________________________________________________________

He let go and Michael's hands dropped limply into her lap as her body continued to minutely spasm on its way back down from euphoria to a functional state. He stepped around them and off the dais. Shava raised herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. She looked down and tapped the bracelet. The holo-emitter caused something to shimmer into existence on the bed behind her, but he couldn't make it out. She raised her leg and placed her foot flat against his chest. He wanted to caress it, but feared he'd be reprimanded again.

"You can watch." she said sweetly, then kicked him backwards onto one of the plush ottomans, "But you can't come." she grabbed the item and stood, taking several steps closer. She raised a riding crop up to his face and ran it down his cheek. "Not until I say so." then she brought it down sharply against the top of his thigh.

The sting of it was sharp, but not entirely unpleasant. She brought her leg over and straddled him. Then leaned her head in close, her lips brushing his ear, "You want her. Almost as much as you want me." she leaned back and looked at him derisively.

He tried not to let the panic show. "But I don't like competition." she said almost as if it were an afterthought.

She brought his hands to her hips then moved them up her waist and over her breasts. He knew she could feel how hard he was. She moved his hands back down to rest on her thighs, then put her arms around his neck, and rolled her hips. His breathing was quickening again. He felt the tap of the crop against his back as it hung loose in her hands. "I'll let you play too if you're good. Here I'll even let you have a little taste."

She put her two still-wet fingers up to his lips. He was sweating. He wanted this, but he didn't know what kind of game this was. "Don't be shy."

She brushed them along his lips and his tongue darted out against his will. "There you go."

She pushed her fingers into his mouth and he sucked on them greedily. He closed his eyes and inhaled Michael's scent. Then he felt the crack of the crop ring out across the side of his thigh. She was harder this time. He winced slightly and opened his eyes.

"Remember who is your favorite." she smiled savagely.

She grabbed his jaw while her fingers were still inside his mouth and roughly threw his face to the side, before getting off him and returning to Michael. He sat dazed for a moment. The sting of the crop, the whiplash from her hand grabbing his face, and the overwhelming arousal thundering through him all sent conflicting signals to his brain.

Michael was sitting up and looking expectantly at Shava as she approached. Shava beckoned her over to where she was standing next to the bed. She scooped Michael up and kissed her ferociously. Before breaking their embrace she locked eyes with Gabriel over Michael's shoulder and quirked an eyebrow. He gritted his teeth, this was the reaction she wanted from him though, wasn't it? Best to give her what she wants. Maybe she'll give something in return. It was only building his arousal anyway.

She tapped her bracelet again and two more items appeared on the bed. She guided Michael and spread her across the sheets. Then she picked up the cord and her two new toys. She shed her gauzy skirt and buckled herself into a well tailored leather harness. Then she sauntered over to Gabriel and held up the other item in front of his face. It was a smooth green-tinted glass phallus with a gentle curve to it. "You want it to be nice and slick for her don't you?" Shava asked patronizingly.

Gabriel took it and licked it as she watched, her smile turning wicked. "Good boy. Now I want you to touch yourself while I fuck her." She reached down and popped the buttons on the leather shorts he was wearing.

"Oh and one more thing."

She took the phallus away and locked it into place on her harness, then she took the cord and tied it to the front of Gabriel's collar. The other end of the cord she tied to the back of her harness. She walked to Michael and tested the length, tugging it a couple times. Gabriel's neck was jolted forward slightly with each pull. "Now I want you to remember that I'm the one fucking her. Not you."

With that she turned towards Michael. Gabriel couldn't see what her fingers were doing to Michael, but he could hear her soft moans. He felt conflicted, but unbearably aroused. He pulled his cock out and began stroking himself as he listened. A heat was building in the pit of his stomach.

Shava slowly moved forward, tugging Gabriel's neck a bit. He imagined himself pushing inside Michael, inside Shava. At this point he was so hard he didn't care. Shava picked up speed, the cord jerking him back and forth faster and faster. He matched her rhythm with his hand. Michael let out a moan and his mind drifted back to the time they'd been together on Harlak. His breath stuttered as he took in a ragged inhale. He was so close to coming.

Shava heard him. She pulled out then whipped around and yanked the cord hard. He fell forward onto his hands and knees. "Not until I say so!" she slapped the crop across his ass. "Understand?"

He nodded. The sting of the crop may have had the opposite effect than she intended. "I am the one in control. You are the dog at my feet. You will do as you are told."

He nodded once more. She slapped him again in the same spot, his cock twitched and he groaned. "Good."

She untied the cord from the harness and pulled it like a leash leading him to the bed. "Now which of us would you like to fuck?" She paused looking at him expectantly. "You may speak."

He knew his choice, but he also knew what she wanted to hear. He thought of what happened to Hugh and said "You." his voice coming out hoarse.

"Correct answer. You learn so quickly. And for being such a good boy I let you lick her cunt while I ride you." Shava said, then removed his cord and her harness.

He was pushed onto the bed and Shava moved her tongue along his cock. His heart was pounding about to burst through his chest. At her touch he almost came immediately. He had to pull himself together, but couldn't suppress a groan from escaping his lips. She chuckled. She repositioned her head and took him into her mouth, bobbing up and down several times.

She was making it very hard for him to follow her rules. Her tongue was soft and wet and felt amazing against him. When she was satisfied with how slick she'd made him she placed a knee on either side of his hips and eased his cock inside her. He felt as he pushed against her tight inner walls. She hummed in pleasure then called Michael over. Michael looked down at Gabriel briefly, a flash of doubt or worry crossing her face before she was enraptured by Shava's charms once again. Shava guided her into place over him. He didn't need to be told what to do next. He grabbed her hips and brought her down to meet his hungry mouth.

He ran his tongue up and down and circled her clit. He was slipping ever closer to the edge. She tasted so good and she was so wet. He pressed broad flat strokes against her alternating with quick swipes. He grew more eager as he felt her start to shudder. His tongue dipped inside and he felt her muscles go taught. Shava's rhythm was making it hard to focus though. He needed to satisfy Michael, but at any second he felt he would break. Shava was panting and pulled Michael in for a messy kiss. The two women matched pace as they both rode him in tandem. He followed their lead and matched the strokes of his tongue against Michael's clit to their movements. He felt himself getting harder and harder and let his mouth move sloppier and hungrier. Then he felt Michael seize up again.

Shava broke away and he could hear her breathing fast and ragged. Michael braced herself, placing her hands on his chest and digging her nails in. She moved in short jerky spasms rather than the languid motion she'd been maintaining. She ground her hips down hard. He was finding it difficult to breathe, but he didn't mind. If he suffocated underneath her, so be it. One of her hands reached behind her and grasped a handful of his hair as she arched her back and cried out. Her thighs locked tight against his head and she shook all over.

"Yes, come all over his face. Mmm good girl. Good g-"

Shava dipped her head and grabbed onto Gabriel's hips. He wasn't going to make it. She growled and moved faster, holding her body aloft and only moving her hips, pushing him deeper and deeper inside her. He wasn't going to make it. She groaned again, though it came out almost sounding like a growl. "You can come now."

As soon as she said it, he felt himself lose all control. He let go and came inside her, an undignified cry escaping his lips. His body wracked with aftershocks of pleasure as she continued to move on top of him. She slowed then leaned back, small tremors carrying up through her body. Each twitch reverberated through him and sent him into another fit. Michael had slumped down onto the bed beside him. When Shava stood, he could see his come dripping out of her and it made him hard all over again.

Shava said something about "next time" but he wasn't listening. He couldn't make one brain cell function. Later a slave guided him back to his bunk and he was amazed that he could even walk. When he changed out of his clothes the small cloth note from Michael fluttered to the ground. He'd forgotten about the escape plan entirely. A cold chill overtook him and he didn't sleep at all that night. He wondered what was going through Michael's head.

Chapter 33: Off Duty

Michael felt so far away from her body. Her thoughts were sluggish and disorganized, but slowly coming into focus. The longer she was away from Shava, the clearer she could think. She slept for an indeterminate amount of time. When she woke up and checked her bracelet for her day's assignments, it was blank. Also strangely, she was the only one in the shared room. When she left she caught someone passing in the hall. She asked if there was a problem with her band and if she needed to get it fixed. The slave took one look at her disheveled appearance and glazed over eyes and pursed their lips.

"You were assigned house duties last night?" they put an undue amount of emphasis on the word “duties” which Michael thought was fairly judgemental.

"Yes." Michael replied curtly.

"Then you have a day of recuperation before you receive more assignments. The lady doesn't like to wear her slaves out." they said with a haughty sniff before continuing down the hall.

Michael fought the urge to be offended. She went and grabbed some food from the kitchen. On her way back, she ran into Shahna. "Michael, you are off duty today, correct? If you have not been made aware yet, slaves in recuperation are granted permission to use the bath and spa facilities."

"I was not made aware. And I also do not know where the facilities are." Michael replied.

Shahna pulled out a handheld screen with a depiction of the grounds, similar to the map she saw the previous day. It wasn't big enough for her to see the outbuilding she was interested in, but she saw lots of little pinpoints moving throughout. She realized that those must represent the slaves. Shahna was able to see where they were at all times. Most likely that meant that Shava was able to as well. Shahna pointed to a place on the screen "It is located here, but I will escort you as it is the same direction that I am going."

They walked in silence down a couple hallways before Michael tried again at forming some sort of rapport with the other woman. " So how many slaves do you oversee?"

"I oversee all of the slaves. Currently the lady has 134 in her employ." Shahna's voice was very dispassionate and monotone as she answered.

She was walking straight backed and brisk, but her eyes couldn't hide the weariness weighing on her. The shadows under her eyes were just a shade darker than they were the previous day.

"Do you ever get a day free of duties? Does anyone ever help you run things?" Michael probed.

"No, I am not assigned house duties and I do not relinquish my responsibility to others. There are slaves that oversee their departments, but none are second to me." she continued staring straight ahead and walking as if she was an ungreased automaton.

"What would you do if you had a day off?" Michael tried to keep her tone light.

Shahna stopped walking abruptly. Her face twisted up in a scowl as if Michael had insulted her. She took a moment and then schooled her expression. "I do not think of such things. They are not conducive to running the estate effectively."

"What do you like to do? Did you ever do anything before you ran the house?" She wasn't sure if Shahna would answer her again. She seemed to have struck a nerve.

After what felt like uncomfortable years stretching on in tense silence, Michael had given up on a response. Then to her surprise Shahna said barely above a whisper. "I used to fight in the field."

"I'm guessing that you were good." Michael ventured tentatively.

"I was the best. The lady could not afford to lose so many other fighters and there was no sport in placing bets when all the spectators knew the outcome as soon as I stepped on the field." Shahna's voice increased in volume and took on a new color of pride.

A spark of emotion flickered behind her eyes. She almost looked alive when she talked about her time in the field. "You’ve retained your physique even though you no longer fight. Do you still train?" Michael asked.

"I am allowed some time in my schedule to maintain my physical health."

"Would you like to spar?"

Shahna stopped again though this time it appeared that they had reached their destination. She looked down at Michael with that same spark behind her eyes and one brow raised. Michael thought she almost looked amused.

"You are interesting, Michael. I do not think entering the field with me would go well for you."

"There's only one way to find out."

The corner of her mouth tipped upward ever so slightly. A smile threatened to break through. "Perhaps. For now though." She gestured to the door in front of them. "You may use your band to open the door and use any of the amenities inside."

"Thank you, Shahna." Michael reached out and touched her lightly on the arm.

Shahna looked at her, really looked at her. She was searching for something. She wanted to figure Michael out, she knew she must have some kind of angle. She must have never been shown any kind of affection without some hidden agenda. Her expression returned to its blank mask and her body language was more guarded than before. She turned on her heel and walked away, with that same stiff formal gate her figure receded down the hall and out of sight. Leaving Michael to ruminate on their conversation.

Inside the door was a wide hallway that had many doors and archways, and the occasional alcove. The tiled floor was wet with the steam seeping out from under some of the doors. She poked her head in some to see various saunas, massage rooms, and clawfoot baths in rooms whose walls were lined with salt and herb filled shelves. There was the occasional attendant, but otherwise the area was deserted. There were no holo emitters in any of the rooms. Shava must like actual hot water and actual steam. The area might be a weak spot on the grid. She'd have to dig a little deeper into what kind of surveillance was used aside from the trackers in the bracelets.

The bracelet opened all the doors except one. The mystery piqued her interest, but an attendant walked by and offered her a towel as she was about to attempt opening it in a more creative way. All of the rooms she glanced in were empty, save the towel bearing attendant and a weary looking masseuse.

She opened the large door at the very end of the hall and a wall of steam rolled over her. This room was stone wrought and cavernous. While the other rooms were about the size to be expected, this one was immense and reminded her of the lofty ceilings supporting the domes of cathedrals. It was easily three times as tall as the other rooms she’d passed. The ribs of the vaulted ceiling tapered into pillars that went straight down into an enormous pool. The water had a pale green blue tint and smelled of fresh herbs. Instead of one long corridor like she’d seen in structures like this before, this pool and stone work branched in different directions with secluded nooks here and there tucked into the pillars or snuggled up against the edge.

She shrugged her coveralls off and slipped into the water. She hadn't felt anything so good in years. The heat enveloped her and instantly started dissipating the tightness in her clenched muscles. Her ever present bone sore weariness felt just a bit lighter. She closed her eyes and floated up on her back. She tried to imagine herself back in her own universe. It was getting more difficult each time. 

When would she finally realize that she was being delusional about getting back? When would she accept the fact that she’d most likely die in this universe? She felt like she was clutching onto the frayed threadbare ends of a rope that was actively unraveling in her hands.

Through the warm darkness cradling her came a word that ripped her from her drifting thoughts.

"Michael."

Her eyes snapped open and she jerked forward. The displaced water splashed in her face, but she was still able to discern the outline of a person she hadn't noticed when she first entered. Her heart was hammering, but as she focused she realized who it was and she was able to reign in her emotions somewhat. Adrenaline was going to do what it was going to do. Gabriel was sitting on the top step of some stone stairs that descended into the pool from the opposite side that she entered. He was leaning against the stone intersection of where the lip of the pool and a pillar met, facing away from the door. Michael understood why she didn't see him when she came in.

She was relieved it was him and glad to have a moment to speak privately. She didn't know when they'd get another opportunity. She'd just have to roll with the fact that they were both naked and try not to be too distracted. It shouldn't be a hang up. But she'd never been with him like this: vulnerable in the light; happy to see him and talking with him in confidence. It somehow felt more intimate. More familiar. She swam over to sit next to him on the step. It seemed like it might be easier to have a normal conversation if she could just stare ahead from right beside him than to have to look at him and try to feel nothing.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you." his low voice reverberated off the stone, soft and gravelly.

"I didn't think anyone was in here." she whispered back.

"I think we are the only ones, but I can't be certain that there aren't any cameras or other types of surveillance." he shifted in her direction and turned to look at her, bending his neck conspiratorially.

"I saw the power grid for the manor yesterday and I'm fairly certain this is a dead zone. We should keep our voices low just in case though." she refused to look, but leaned in as well.

She tried to convince herself that the reason her face felt hot was because the water was steamy and the reason her heart was beating so fast was because it had yet to slow down from the adrenaline rush.

"Did you have a chance to go over the map I drew for you?" she continued.

"I did. I saw the area that you drew off to the side while I was running up and down the stairs during training in the arena. There isn't any structure there. It's a lake." he seemed hesitant to deliver this news.

This was certainly interesting. "You're sure?"

"You included the arena in your sketch. It was in the exact same place relative to the far side of the complex."

She had several theories and plans forming. "Ok, we are going to need to get more information. Tomorrow morning you need to get injured. Minorly." she added emphatically. "While you're in the med bay, steal a microtape and purge it."

She hazarded a glance at him and the look in his eyes took her back to the shuttle. Curled up together and waiting for death. The vulnerability rushed back and made her a little dizzy. She couldn't go back to a time before they almost froze in each other's arms, and she didn't want to, but all the Vulcan training beat into her head was screaming at her to stop feeling all this. She didn't know what to do. She felt so out of control. He was the only one she could lean on and she felt like if she let herself loosen her grip, even a little, she would break in some irreparable way. But really who was she kidding? If he could still talk to her and look at her like she was the only thing keeping him going, after what they did the night before, she may be limiting her understanding of both their emotional capabilities. She was just so damn tired. 

"I don't know exactly when Shahna trains, but I am going to try to meet her on the field to spar. I'll change into some clothes more appropriate for sparring once I get there and you need to discreetly put the tape in my coveralls."

He held her gaze and nodded. "I'll download the plans for the power grid and as much information as I can get my hands on. I have a hunch that the hangar is under the lake. If we can determine the layout and the method of entry, then it's just a matter of biding our time and setting up conditions for escape." she said and then turned to stare ahead again.

"Don't worry, I'll come through."

They sat letting the details of their plan settle over them. The vibrations of their voices still skimming across the water. Then she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. He went rigid initially, but then relaxed into the posture. Slowly he brought an arm around her and rested it on her bicep. He inhaled as if he was about to say something else. "Could we… just sit here and not talk for a moment?" she didn't ask it with an edge, more like someone about to come apart who just needed some time to put themselves back together. She felt him nod again and squeeze her a little tighter. She was glad they weren’t facing each other. She could pretend he didn’t notice the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Chapter 34: Unwilling Allies

It was actually difficult to get injured in a believable way. Most of the other fighters were nowhere near as skilled as Gabriel and his years of training made it almost impossible to ignore his reflexes. In the end he asked Ch'Tahn to spar with him because at least he could see her landing a blow on him in a real fight. She was so fast and brutal with the blunted training lirpas. It may have been a better idea to ask Mirat to spar, but he was engaged with running drills on the other end of the field and Gabriel didn't want to be so incredibly conspicuous.

Ch'Tahn knocked him on his ass immediately, but it wasn't something that would warrant a trip to the med bay. The weapons weren't likely to break skin either. He'd have to fall badly or crash into something. He was definitely going to make himself look like an idiot, but if that's what it took, then that's what it took. During their second bout he actually disarmed her. He wished he could turn it off for a minute, whatever was making him such an adept fighter. The third bout he purposefully did not get into a useful fighting stance. He tried to mimic some atrocious moves he was seeing another fighter do on the other end of the field. It made him hurt on the inside more than the blow to the chest hurt on the outside.

Ch'Tahn laughed uproariously. "You are not the warrior I saw the other day. Tell me the lady did not break you overnight."

That flipped a switch in his brain and he unconsciously whipped the butt of the lirpa across her jaw. Her head snapped back with a sharp wet crack. When she regained her composure, she locked eyes with him as she wiped the blood away that was trickling out her nose. "Did I strike a nerve?" she taunted.

A vicious smile revealed red tinged pointed teeth. They dropped back into sparring stance and started circling each other again. He didn't even try to throw the fight this time. Ch'Tahn lunged first. She flung the bladed end towards his knees and probably would have sent him to the med bay, even with the blunted blades, if the hit had connected. But he jumped out of the way barely clearing the wide arch of the lirpa. He thrust the staff into the ground and used the momentum of the dodge to swing around the pole and deliver an airborne kick to her head. She lost her balance and she dropped to her knees. Her head jerked back up and she attempted to jump back to her feet, but he swung the lirpa to crack her across the skull with the weighted end. She lay there sprawled in the dirt.

He cursed himself. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. His pride and his temper got in the way again. He’d just have to make it work. He set the weapon down, grabbed her under the arms, and pulled her to the bench. He laid her across it and when he saw everyone else on the field otherwise engaged, he slipped out through the equipment room. Inside, he bashed his head against a shield and gave himself a fairly convincing shiner and bloody eyebrow. It was a pathetic excuse to go to the med bay, but his trainer wouldn’t be aware of it, and Phlox wouldn’t care. Hell, he’d relish the chance to talk Gabriel’s ear off.

Gabriel remembered his previous dealings with the doctor and steeled himself for the onslaught of talking he was about to encounter. He wasn’t too far off with his expectations. Phlox greeted him enthusiastically and then began recounting everything that had happened in med bay minute by minute since he’d last seen him. It was exhausting. He wished Ch’Tahn was here and he was unconscious on a bench somewhere. Another slave came in with a deep cut on one of his fingers. He looked to be kitchen staff. Phlox’s face turned serious and he excused himself. 

Gabriel made use of Phlox’s distractedness to slink over to the central computer terminal and snatch a microtape. He swiveled towards the door while transferring the tape to his pocket, but stuttered to a halt when he saw Hugh standing directly behind him. He had his arms folded across his chest, lips pursed, and eyebrows drawn together to form the perfect scowl. He looked simultaneously disappointed and expectant. Gabriel put a finger up to his lips, but then caught sight of the scarred tissue on the other man’s neck. He winced at his mistake. Hugh looked indignant and on the verge of getting a guard. As Hugh was taking a step away Gabriel pulled him aside. “Remember our last conversation. We’re not going to stay here long enough to find out why the turnover rate is so high firsthand. When Michael and I break out of here you come with us.” Gabriel held up the tape, “This is just the first step to freedom.”

Hugh looked skeptical and unimpressed. “Hey, we either succeed and you get out of here, or we fail and they put us to death. I’m fairly certain that death is the retirement package here anyways, so why not?”

Hugh seemed to consider this, then rolled his eyes and dropped his arms. He nodded with his head towards the door. Gabriel patted him on the shoulder and Hugh brushed his hand off while screwing up his face in disgust. His time to leave was well past due. He crept over to the entryway and was about to slip through the doors as they whooshed open. “Gabriel!”

He halted mid stride and turned his head without turning all the way around. His heart was pounding. He couldn’t fuck this up. Deep breaths. This was nothing. Michael was counting on him. Phlox walked around the cot he’d been examining his new patient on. “Your friend is being discharged today. He’s to start training in the field. Would you mind taking him back with you? I’d prefer someone with him who can answer questions on the spot should the guards posted over there have any. And at least this way he won’t have to consult a map either. A win win hmm? And some time with your friend!”

Gabriel let out his breath, but otherwise gave no other indication that his heart almost stopped beating. Relief coursed through him. He just gave Phlox a nod and then looked back at Hugh. He’d put together a bag and was walking over to join Gabriel.  Hugh gave him a pointed stare that he wished Phlox wouldn’t read into overmuch. “Thanks, Doc.” Gabriel said as they exited without further incident. 

Gabriel dropped the tension from his shoulders when the door wooshed close behind them. He looked over and saw Hugh scribbling on his little notepad. “Oh shut it.” he said before Hugh even turned the pad around.

Hugh glared at him then showed him what he’d written. “You’re playing a dangerous game. Do you know what they’ll do if you get caught? It’ll be much worse than this.” he pointed at the scar tissue on his neck.

“We can get you talking again with an electrolarynx implant. Though I might like this new quieter you.” Gabriel caught another glare from Hugh. “I’m kidding.”

More scribbles. “You’re deflecting.”

“You’re dooming the plan before you even know what it is.” Gabriel huffed.

“So tell me.”

“Later. It’s Michael’s plan anyway. She hasn’t told me all the particulars yet. I haven’t even seen the master console in the technician’s department. Apparently it’s impressive. Suffice it to say, we are still in the early information gathering stage.”

“I don’t want to be part of this.”

“You already are. You’re Terran, scooped up from the same crash we were, and you were seen talking to both of us on our first day here. Whether you like it or not, you’ve been implicated.”

Hugh’s screwed up features suddenly went slack. He looked exhausted, like Sisyphus watching the stone roll down the hill yet another time. He wrote for a couple seconds. “I guess dying doesn’t sound so bad right about now.”

“That’s the spir-... well, not quite. At least… Welcome aboard.” Gabriel stumbled over his enthusiasm in the face of Hugh’s bleak outlook for their group.

He clapped him on the back and Hugh swung at him. Gabriel was a second late in dodging and took a good portion of the hit on his jaw. He shook himself and stared back bewildered. Hugh got up close in his face and clearly mouthed the words: DON’T. TOUCH. ME.

“Noted.” Gabriel muttered.

The rest of their trip carried on in silence with Hugh several steps ahead so he wouldn’t have to look at Gabriel.

Chapter 35: Piecing Together

Notes:

Sorry it's been a minute. I'm in the middle of buying a house and the place I'm at right now doesn't have wifi. Hope you're ready for ANOTHER fight scene!

Michael spent the day periodically checking the video feeds when she got the chance. She needed to figure out when Shahna exercised in the arena. She came to the tech center extra early just so she wouldn’t miss it. She knew no one would care. As long as she logged her hours and she finished her assignments. There was also talk amongst the slaves that she was going to be a new favorite. Apparently this was what turned the rumor mill around here, and because of it people were giving her a wide berth. Slaves that mistreated Shava’s favorite pets faced her wrath. 

 

So when Shahna finally popped up on the viewscreen, and Michael stated that she was going to take her break, no one even batted an eye. She grabbed the bag of extra clothes that she’d brought along just for this and rushed down to the arena. Shahna was still warming up with some stretches. Michael changed fast and deliberately left her clothes in a pile on the equipment room floor. She knew what the field looked like from the maps and the video feeds, but stepping into the arena for the first time was a truly humbling experience. It was massive. She couldn’t believe this was where Gabriel reported to every day. She looked for him among the scattered fighters, then caught herself. She had a job to do and couldn’t compromise their plan when it was still in such an early stage. 

 

She trotted over to Shahna and began stretching alongside her. Shahna noticed her and allowed a slight smirk to color her expression. “You are a strange one Michael. I have not met a slave before who yearned for the field when offered another job.”

 

“Well, we may have more alike than you initially thought.” Michael quipped.

 

Shahna concluded her stretching and went to a rack near the retaining wall that separated the fighting area from the seats. She pulled two kar’takins out and tossed one to Michael. She slowly closed the distance between them, casually spinning the weapon. “I must warn you, Michael, I have never lost a duel.” she said, completing the arc of the blade to bring the blunt side to rest in her other hand before looking up at Michael, “And I don’t intend to today.”

 

“I’ll give it my best if you do.” Michael replied.

 

“I couldn’t give anything less.” Shahna launched at her before the final word had even finished leaving her mouth. 

 

Michael threw up a quick block. Shahna braced her Kar’takin against Michael’s for a moment, then pulled back and returned to more of an assessing posture. She did not drop her guard though. “You have good reflexes and strength. I admit, I did not have much faith in someone assigned tech duties.”

Before Shahna could finish her sentence, Michael rushed her with an upward diagonal slash. Shahna looked like she was going to block the same as Michael had, but instead hooked the end of her blade on Michael’s shaft and knocked it away. Michael was swinging away with the weapon. She switched her grip to be solely in her right hand and spun on her right foot. She swung her left foot around so that she was in front of her opponent and facing away. Then she drove her left elbow backwards up into the other woman’s face before sidestepping and turning back around to face her at a less dangerous distance.

 

Shahna had briefly brought her hand up to her nose, then lowered it and looked up at Michael with the first real genuine smile she’d ever seen on the woman. “You are wasted in the tech department.” Shahna panted while grinning ear to ear.

 

She came at Michael again blade first. Michael was set to deflect, but last second, Shahna planted the kar’takin and used it like a pole vault to kick Michael in the chest with both feet. Michael shifted so she didn’t take the full force of the hit, but it still knocked the air out of her. She wasn’t down though. Michael got on top of Shahna and held the Kar’takin to her throat. 

“You’re wasted on management.”

 

Shahna couldn’t stop smiling. She looked like she was having the time of her life. She grabbed hold of Michael’s wrists with both hands and then threw her hips into the air launching Michael forward. Without the use of her hands to catch herself, Michael went face first into the ground. She didn’t let go of the weapon and Shahna didn’t let go of her. She rolled and Shahna rolled with her. 

 

Michael broke Shahna’s grip, but had to release the weapon. While Shahna was picking it up and getting to her feet, Michael scrambled to grab the fallen one. Shahna came at her from behind and Michael turned to point the blade upwards at her from her crouched position. Shahna kicked out Michael’s supporting leg causing her to tip forward and lower the kar’takin. Shahna’s kar’takin came rushing up to meet her face, but before the blade went right between her eyes, Shahna caught Michael’s shoulder. The blade was still there a hairsbreadth from sinking into her skull, but Shahna held her back from the finishing blow.

 

“I wouldn’t dream of dispatching such a talented sparring partner. Especially with no audience.” Shahna chuckled and removed her blade from Michael’s face.

 

She stepped back and offered Michael a hand to help her up. Michael took it and let out a long exhale. “I can see why you were the best.” 

 

Shahna was practically beaming. “That was truly invigorating, Michael. I hope that if you find yourself down in the arena again we may have another chance to spar.”

 

“I’ll need to log some more training hours before then if you want it to be any where near a matched fight.”

 

Shahna laughed again, “You do not give yourself enough credit. You fought very well. You may need to go to the medical wing though.”

 

Michael surveyed herself, “It’s nothing too bad. I’ve managed with worse.”

 

Shahna’s levity fled her features. She looked like she was avoiding saying something. “You may have more work to do later.”

 

Michael understood. Shahna was warning her that she was going to be in the rotation for house duties again tonight. “Thanks for the tip.”

 

Shahna gave her a nod. “Until next time.” she said then reracked her weapon and walked off the field.

 

Michael’s gaze drifted across the field in the absence of a partner to focus her attention on. She found Gabriel engaged with two other fighters. It was two on one and he was beating them handily. He almost looked bored. She pretended to do cool down stretches until he finished his match then tried to catch his eye. When he finally looked over, he gave a subtle nod before heading to his next match up.

 

She felt a little hope start to bud in her chest. She quickly tamped it down. It wouldn’t do to let something as useless as hope get in the way of her focus. She needed all available brain power devoted to the task at hand. She went back to the equipment room and changed into her coveralls. There were a couple fighters in there, who were sharpening and cleaning, that gave her a weird look, but otherwise left her alone. Shahna wasn’t kidding. No one here sparred unless forced to. She hoped she wasn’t being too conspicuous. If anyone asked she could just blame it on her Terran bloodlust. Maybe it would just be a non-issue. People seemed to be letting a lot of things slide now that she has been singled out as a favorite of Shava’s. The thought of having to return to that room later made her stomach sink. She reached into her pocket and felt the microtape nestled inside. She allowed herself a little bit of hope tonight. She’d need it.

 

______________________________________________________

 

Michael sat against one of the pillars in the cathedral-like bath. She had all of her pilfered tools and parts that she’d been collecting over the last few days splayed out in front of her. She’d verified that this room was one of the few with no cameras in it before toting all of her stuff in. It was tricky to keep it non-chalant, but a plush towel can conceal a lot of small machinery. 

 

She was the only one in here today because she was the only one “on duty” last night. The privacy it afforded her almost made it worth it. Michael tinkered with the wires. Her makeshift soldering iron was throwing sparks and singing her robe in places. She needed to be more careful. She let out a huff and rubbed her eyes. You’d think she’d be a bit better at making a tricorder from scratch after having already done it on Harlak. But somehow she was working with even less usable material. 

 

Hugh suggested that they just steal a tricorder from the medical wing when she went by the previous day to get patched up after sparring. He was in for his daily meds and they stole a few minutes to exchange information when Phlox was attending to other patients. He also suggested that they could just ask for Phlox’s help outright. Michael dismissed the idea as too risky then told him to burn his note paper before anyone saw. He gave her an “I know, I know” gesture.

 

It would’ve been a lot easier not to have to build one from scratch though. She’d give him that. But if Phlox wasn’t amenable to their cause or he was scrupulous with his inventory and surveillance feeds, they’d be as good as dead. So she went on tinkering with her worthless tools and thinking about her meeting with Hugh and Gabriel later that evening.

 

______________________________________________

 

Michael was in the equipment room once again changing back into her coveralls after having her ass handed to her by Shahna. Her second sparring match went a little better, but it was still brutal. She couldn’t remember a time she wasn’t sore, but this was going to take it to a new level.

 

She took her time with the closure in the front, but if she dawdled any longer then it would be obvious. She hoped Hugh and Gabriel would hurry up. The same fighters were in there from the day before. They looked less surprised to see her, but still skeptical. Gabriel strolled in first and told them that their drill instructor needed them to service the weapons racks on the field. They looked a little frightened, but nodded and left without a word. He must have been matched with them before. They knew what it was to feel pain at his hands.

 

Hugh came in next, his perpetual annoyance broadcast clearly on his face. He pulled out his pad of paper and came to sit on the bench next to Michael. “We’ll probably have less than ten minutes in here before someone else comes through. We shouldn’t push it longer than that anyways with how much they monitor our locations.” Gabriel said low and gruff.

 

Michael and Hugh nodded. “So Michael, any progress on the tricorder?” he continued.

 

“Some, but not near as much as I would like. It’s like their own tech isn’t compatible with itself. I wish I had better tools.” Michael sighed.

 

“Steal one?” Hugh wrote and lifted up the pad.

 

Gabriel blew out and rolled his eyes as he pushed the pad away in a dismissive gesture. Hugh glared at him and stabbed his hand with the pen. “Damn!”

 

“Keep it down!” Michael whispered with an urgent tone. “What is with you two?”

 

“He hates me.” Gabriel said blandly shortly followed by Hugh lifting his notebook which stated 

“I hate him.” to which they both kind of shrugged and then looked at Michael.

 

“Well as long as we can all still work together.” she was wary of bringing him in, but it would have been unthinkable to leave him here. “I’ve been working on the tricorder when I can get some alone time, but also sneaking in time between tech assignments to code a virus that purges surveillance data rather than saving it. Guards would have to be watching their pads to see us. There wouldn’t be any record of what we do after the fact. We’d just have to avoid being seen during the act. We’ll have to pick a night to rig the surveillance systems and distract Shava and Shahna. It’ll have to be a night one of us is assigned house duties. So we know for sure that Shava is not monitoring feeds. One of us will have to engage Shahna in sparring to keep her distracted as well. This will most likely work best if it is a night that Gabriel is on duty so that I can spar with Shava and it won’t arouse any suspicion. Hugh will then do some recon around the hangar and find the entrance. If he can get in and scope the place out, even better. Once we know how to get in and what kind of ship is down there, we can start with the escape portion of the plan.”

 

Michael finished explaining and looked expectantly at the two of them. “Got it?”

 

They both nodded and their looks of determination did quell some of the anxiety bubbling up inside her. They might actually be able to pull this off.

Chapter 36: Conspirators

Notes:

This one is kinda info heavy because the next one is gonna be buck fucken wild. Also thanks again to the peeps who are still giving me kudos and comments. Never would have kept going without you.

Five days passed since their meeting in the equipment room. Five days without a word from Michael. Some news had been trickling through the slaves’ ranks. There was going to be a visitor from off world, and an important one at that. Because they were coming from off world, all slaves were scheduled for immunizations which were going to be done in batches by species. 

 

He had no news to give to Michael. Last night he'd been called in, but not selected… again. Michael was selected every other night. And every time she was selected, she was brought in alone. Last night was a night off for her and he’d hoped that if he was selected, they could move forward with their plans. But he let them down again. It was looking more and more likely that he’d have to be the one to distract Shahna while Michael distracted Shava. But he hadn’t gotten anywhere with trying to strike up a conversation with her in the last five days. And as for Hugh taking on that task, well they were all pretty sure that she wouldn’t be able to read anything he wrote down. The collars translated spoken word and helped navigate the user interfaces when in proximity, but that did nothing for written words.

 

He was anxious, but had been aching to see her. He couldn’t stop thinking about it during training all morning. At the end of training, Shahna came out onto the field to give an announcement. She strolled out with her PADD and all the enthusiasm of someone running tedious errands. Her monotone voice echoed throughout the cavernous arena as she spoke. “The lady will be having an important guest from off world arrive in 3 days. Many others will arrive from the lady’s inner circle as well as those in the esteemed guest’s entourage. Fighters will be part of the entertainment planned for this visit. He will be bringing a small retinue of his own fighters, so preliminaries will be non-lethal Sar fighters against Sar fighters building up to mixed matches from both houses that will be to the death. The final fight will be the best from each house and the winner will receive a week of bath house access and other special privileges. Match lineups will be posted the day before he arrives. Any other questions you may direct to your trainers.”

 

And without even a nod in the way of farewell or any indication by pitch or tone that she was done speaking, she turned and left to what Gabriel assumed was the next announcement she had to give on her list. It confirmed the rumors that had been circling and answered a few questions he’d had since first arriving in Sar house. Mainly: What were they training for? And What did their competitions look like?

 

When they all met later in the medical wing Michael had even more information to give on the visit. “His name is Shavo. I think he’s part of Sar house, but he’s not related to her by blood. They go way back. I don’t think Sar house was always so prominent. It has always been a family line, but I think the business side of things is a more recent development. I don’t think their names were always Shava and Shavo either, but that’s neither here nor there.” Michael was rattling off information as fast and as quiet as she could while Phlox was retrieving their next round of hyposprays.

 

“How did you find all of this out? They can’t be keeping details like that in their databases.” Gabriel asked.

 

Michael took a breath and looked away for a moment. “She likes to talk… when it’s just the two of us.”

 

Hugh gave Gabriel a reproachful look. “I’m sorry. Continue with the rest of the information you’ve gathered.” Gabriel said without looking up from his clenched hands.

 

“I’ve only been able to gather bits and pieces and retaining it with the foggy effects on my memory caused by the pheromones has been tricky. She wants me to entertain both of them at least one night while he’s visiting. Besides that, I’ve been doing a lot of work on my downtime in the baths. The tricorder I’m working on is progressing slower than I’d like, but I think I’ve found a lead in another area. I found a locked room, traditional locks, not the autodoors and security clearance locks like around the rest of the estate. I was able to pick it the other day, and I found a young Orion girl inside. She was unconscious and seemed to be under some kind of sedation. I couldn’t wake her up before the attendants came by and I had to clear out. But I think she has to have some sort of information on Shava or she might be some other kind of key player in their inter-house familial drama.” Michael stopped abruptly as Phlox came back into their corner with a tray of vials and a hypo spray.

 

“Lots to catch up on hmm?” Phlox asked as he began loading one of the vials.

 

No one answered him. “Everyone is so excited about the new visitor. Lots of work to do around the estate. No where is exempt. Least of all the medical wing!” he chuckled to himself. “I’ll try to have you all taken care of and out of here as fast as I can so you can get back to your preparations.” he added with a wink.

 

Gabriel and Michael went completely still. When he finished with their immunizations and walked away, Michael leaned back in, “What was that about? Do you think he knows?”

 

Hugh started writing on his notepad. “You haven’t gotten far with the tricorder, right?”

 

“No. I’ve not had adequate tools, but I haven’t given up.” Michael responded slightly confused.

 

“I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve got one under my bunk.” Hugh wrote.

 

Gabriel and Michael both stared at him in utter bewilderment. “Dare I ask where you got this tricorder?” Gabriel asked in an irritated hiss. Why had Hugh kept that to himself? They saw each other every day. How long had he had it?

 

“I asked Phlox for help with the plan and he said ‘yes.’ Gave me a medical tricorder yesterday.” Hugh scribbled in response then held out the pad.

 

They were both floored. Gabriel looked at the pad then back up at Hugh, then back down at the pad. Hugh rolled his eyes and added, “If you were ever nice even once in your lives you’d know that sometimes asking politely can actually get you things. Manipulation isn’t most people’s go-to.”

 

“What if he turned you in?” Michael asked, breathless.

 

“Then I guess I’d die. Which wouldn’t be too bad.” Hugh wrote.

 

“We’d also die.” Gabriel pointed out, with no small amount of irritation.

 

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I don’t like you guys very much.” Hugh responded.

 

They continued to look at him in shock. Hugh sighed in exasperation and threw the pad down on the cot next to them. He straightened up, got Phlox’s attention, and waved him over. Michael and Gabriel didn’t have enough time to react in their stunned confusion to dissuade him from doing this. Their stuttered attempts died on their lips as Phlox walked over with the same placid smile he wore with everything.

 

“Yes? Is there something else you needed?” he asked.

Hugh picked up the pad and just wrote “plan” and then gestured to Michael and Gabriel with a nod of his head. “Oh! So we’re all caught up are we?” Phlox said in a dramatic conspiratorial whisper.

 

“You’re going to help us escape?” Michael asked, her voice still a breathy whisper.

 

“That is what Hugh and I discussed.”

 

“And you want to come with us when we take one of the ships and leave the estate?” she continued.

 

“Well now, I didn’t say all that. I will help and I wont turn you in, but I also won’t be surprised when this gets you all killed. I am helping because it’s better to try for freedom than resign to a life in chains. I think my time to be a revolutionary has come and gone. The best I can hope for at this point is aiding and abetting.” he ended with a wink and a nudge toward Michael.

 

“If you change your mind, know that there will be a place for you.” she offered.

 

“I appreciate that. And if you get that far, without being killed, I may just take you up on it.” Phlox said and picked up his tray of vials. “Also, if you ever need a place or excuse to meet, let me know and I’ll concoct a reason to give you all appointments. That Terran flu is vicious this time of year.” he chuckled again and left with his equipment and an uncanny pep in his step.

 

It always confused and irritated Gabriel to no end that he could be so happy for no reason. No matter the situation, he was always smiling and being polite. He had no idea how he did it. Michael refocused everyone, “We need to move forward with the plan tonight. There’s a good chance that I’ll be with Shava again. Gabriel do you think that you can spar with Shahna?”

 

“I have thought of a way to keep her distracted.” Gabriel stated with more confidence than he felt.

 

Michael could tell he was holding something back, but let it slide. “Hugh are you ready to scout out the hangar? We need as much information as you can get.”

 

Hugh nodded. “Ok, if we can pull this off, I think we may have a chance at putting the second phase of the plan into place once Shavo arrives. There will be lots of changes to schedules and even though security will likely be increased, they won’t know who is supposed to be where. There will be a lot of new faces around and we can use that to our advantage.” Michael finished and then looked to each of them for any additions.

 

Hugh just nodded again. She looked to Gabriel and he held her stare. Hugh puffed out a breath in annoyance and then walked towards the doors. “We’ll set an appointment. I’ll let him know when it is when I see him tomorrow.” Gabriel reassured her when Michael looked worried that he was going to miss the rest of their planning.

“I…it’s…it’s good that we were able to meet today.” Michael’s stoicism from her Vulcan upbringing came through when she was struggling with trying not to show emotions.

 

“I agree.” Gabriel took her hand.

 

She looked down at their hands like he had just insulted her. But he knew she needed it. This comfort, as small as it was, would help keep her from breaking. He could see the cracks starting to form in her facade. Her face softened and she gripped his hand back. She was putting on a good face and hiding behind her plans, but she hadn’t been the same since the shuttlepod. He was so damn proud of her for not giving up though. And he wanted her to know that. He tipped her chin up to face him with his other hand.

 

“You got this. You made a good plan and it’s going to work.” he said with as much warmth and conviction as he could fit into two short sentences. 

 

She was so broken, but she was reforging herself. He saw her vulnerability, but he also saw her strength. He let go before the moment stretched on too long. He still didn’t know the new bounds of their relationship and didn’t think now was a good time to test them to find out. 

 

“Thank you.” her voice caught in her throat and it wasn’t even a whisper that escaped, but the sound tore him apart.

Chapter 37: The Plan Evolves

Notes:

Happy Star Trek Day!

I'd thought that I'd include a little more in this chapter, but it just got soooo long. I wanted their recon mission to be all in one, but I'm going to have to break it in two. I needed to publish on Star Trek Day and if I tried to write it all out it'd be twice as long as the other chapters and also it would be after midnight when I published it. Hope you all are having a good one. Live Long and Prosper!

The next hours passed in the blink of an eye. Michael uploaded the virus and went back to her room to wait for the summons on her bracelet. But it never came. A sliver of panic crept up her throat. She slipped out of the sleeping quarters and back towards her work station at the main terminal. It was getting late and there were very few people out in the hallways. Fewer still in the tech room.

 

She’d been working odd hours lately. So maybe whoever was around wouldn’t question it. It would probably be best if she wasn’t seen at all though. She waited for the other technicians to leave the room before sneaking in. They had there heads craned over a PADD and were arguing over some of the data that was scrolling across the screen as they stepped through the autodoor into the server room. She ran her backdoor program on the station so that no recording software could document what she was doing, then accessed the estate map that showed each slaves location through the trackers in their collars. She’d found it shortly after she saw Shahna using it, but hadn’t had many opportunities to use it.

 

She scanned the layout and found the adjoining rooms that Shava set aside for the “house work.” No one was inside them. The map didn’t show where Shava was, but it did show Shahna in the hallway between the medical wing and the cafeteria. And it showed Gabriel right behind her. The panic was steadily rising. She needed to reign it in and trust that Gabriel could complete his part of the plan even if she could not.

 

She switched her screen over to look at the feeds available on all of the supervisor screens across the complex. There were only a handful active. A couple were watching the cameras, but most were focused on area specific functions. The feeds weren’t labeled, but she could infer whose was whose based on the sequential order of them paired with the content they were watching. She eliminated the supervisors who were watching their sections complete overnight maintenance. She closed out the screens that were going over inventory for the kitchen as well as a couple that were answering correspondence. When she finished she was down to three feeds. She assumed two were security and one was Shava. All of them could have been security, but she didn’t like the fact that no one was distracting Shava tonight and she had to count on the fact that whatever they were doing was being watched. The flipped through each camera view after only a minute or two, but it was significant enough that she wasn’t sure their actions would go by undetected.

 

Michael decided that the only route to go would be to create a power surge and try to short the entire system. It would power down all of the surveillance for a couple minutes at least and then they would have a bit of time before the back up generators kicked on and rebooted everything. She flipped back to the feed that showed the slaves as little dots on a map. Gabriel was in the cafeteria now and Shahna was just outside talking with a night supervisor. She prayed that he would be able to adapt with this change of plans. She had no idea what he was planning because he stayed intentionally vague when they met earlier. Hugh was still right around the medical wing, she didn’t know what he was up to, but hoped that this black out might give him a little cover. 

 

She switched off her work station and went over to the main terminal. She began entering in commands, but heard the autodoor from the server room swish back open. She dropped to the ground and was grateful that their arguing hadn’t let up as it covered the sound of her movements. She got up onto her knees and peeked over the edge of the station. They were turned away from her. Her fingers scrambled across the screen in a quiet tumble of codes. She ducked again when one turned to look at the monitor over his shoulder, but she heard the change in the volume of his voice as he turned back away. She had one more sequence left. She hit the last key and initialized the command to override the system. As soon as she did the lights flickered off for a moment and then she heard a distant explosive boom echo through the halls. The two technicians on the other side of the terminal whipped around and began going through data on the screen she had just been using. She rolled to the side and curled herself under a desk behind a chair. She could see their expressions grow more concerned by the second through the legs of the chair.

 

“Back up power hasn’t been restored to 90% of the estate. Just here and the lady’s apartments have power at the moment.” one said in a quick worried string of words.

 

The other gave him a quick look then focused back on the screen, “It looks like there was a power surge that overloaded one of the replicators in the cafeteria causing an explosion. Several slaves were nearby and are showing distressed life signs. We need to get a tech team down there immediately and alert medical.”  the second replied.

“I’ll round up some techs and you run down to the medical wing. I don’t think that comms will be up very soon and from the looks of it we need people down there immediately.” the first offered before they both nodded and left out the autodoors.

 

Michael burst out from under the desk and looked at the screen. The panic was up her throat and near to bursting out her mouth in the form of an unbridled scream. She saw Gabriel’s blip on the screen in the middle of all of the chaos. Everyone else converging on his location.

 

What have I done? She thought.

____________________________________________________________________

 

Gabriel watched Michael walk out of the medical wing, his heart a little more broken than it was earlier in the day. He steeled his resolve. He wouldn’t let her down tonight. When it was just him and Phlox in the mad bay he went over to the doctor and asked in a whisper, “Is Shahna scheduled for their inoculations today?”

 

“No she is set to get them tomorrow though.” Phlox said without looking up from his pipetting. 

 

Gabriel gave him an impatient look, Phlox finished what he was doing and then met his stare. “Oh, “ he gave him a wink, “I mean I think he appointment just got moved up because I had a last minute cancellation.” he said adding a few more winks.

 

Gabriel signed and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Doc, you gotta stop with the winks and the over the top glances. Does the word ‘subtlety’ mean nothing to you?”

 

“On the contrary! I know the definition well, but I find that you Terran prefer a more direct form of communication.” Phlox was moving through the med bay with his tray now and yelling over his shoulder.

 

“Ok, let’s forget the thickheaded Terrans of the past and focus on the Terrans you know right now that would very much like to not be killed.” Gabriel followed him and continued talking.

 

Phlox turned around and gave him an amused look, “I think you’re actions would speak differently.”

 

“That’s the point I’m trying to make! We are walking the razor’s edge. And if one person sees your silly winking fits or a dramatic eyebrow waggle it could mean the death penalty for all of us.” Gabriel said nearing exasperation.

 

Phlox just continued smiling at him. “I shall try to communicate in a less direct way, per your request.”

 

Gabriel knew that could spell trouble down the road if Phlox’s idea of less direct involved more theatrics, but in the opposite direction. He could see notes written in code on tiny slips of paper stuffed into pill capsules. He’d just have to deal with that when it became a problem. For the time being, Phlox agreeing to stop with the theater whispers and epileptic winking was a win.

 

“So when are you going to see Shahna?” Gabriel tried to steer the conversation back on track.

 

Phlox had his PADD out and was punching in some data. “Hmmm how about in an hour?”

 

“That’ll work. Thanks Doc. And also can you get in the three of us for some ‘booster shots’ tomorrow? I have a feeling these might not be strong enough.”

 

He could see Phlox’s initial urge to smile at him dissolve. His expression went blank and he looked back down to the PADD. “Of course. I hope your health doesn’t deteriorate in the meantime.” 

 

Gabriel was a little unnerved by stone-face Phlox. It was eerie and seemed wrong somehow. But this was what he asked for. It was almost more obvious that something was up without his usual chipper demeanor coloring his half of the conversation. Gabriel kept himself from sighing again. He’d have to keep working with Phlox and he knew no one did well with a micro manager. He just gave the doctor a nod and then walked out the door.

 

He didn’t stray far from the medical wing, so when Shahna came by for her appointment, he was nearby. It took less than ten minutes and then she was out in the hall again. He followed her to the cafeteria, but she stopped just outside to talk with another supervisor. That was fine by him. He went in and got to work.

 

He’d never been the most skilled at technical repairs, but most things break along the same lines. Something like the fancy food replicator that was only ever used by the lady and her honored guests would break fantastically. Here’s where he was hoping no one was watching the camera feeds. The cafeteria itself was practically dead. A smattering of listless vacant expressions dotted the long tables. No one had enough energy to so much as look up from their food.

 

He strolled up to the replicator behind the counter and squatted down to pull off the access panel. Beautiful delicate wires greeted him. He didn’t want to render it useless or make the sabotage completely obvious, but he did need her to spend a bit of time trying to find the problem to fix it. And she would definitely feel the pressure to fix it. What with the off world guests coming in two days.

 

He pulled out his pliers and started loosening the connections that seemed the most important. He didn’t stop until a couple sparks started spitting out of the main apparatus. Satisfied, he screwed the panel back in place and went to go “alert” Shahna of the problem.

 

When Gabriel was about 10 feet from the door Shahna walked through. He made eye contact with her and opened his mouth to speak. She was normally so stoic, but she looked so tired. She let out a long breath that almost sounded like a sigh. “There is something that needs my attention?” She asked.

 

Gabriel nodded, “The replicator started sparking. I think it’s malfunctioning.”

 

“Very well.” She tapped a button on her bracelet, he assumed to alert the technical department, then walked over to the replicator.

 

He grabbed a tray and started putting some food on it from the counter, keeping her in the corner of his eye. She’d barely stuck her head in a moment when the sparks, which were intermittent pops at most, started shooting out like fireworks. She took a half step back, but not in time to avoid the explosion that blew the replicator apart and threw the entire cafeteria into darkness. The last thing he saw was Shahna being thrown backward and a huge burst of electricity blasting the entire front of her body before dispersing into the floor, ceiling, and counter. 

 

In the dark a stray tendril of electricity crept along the counter towards him. He dropped the tray and jerked backward, almost tripping over his own feet. The bolt struck the metal tray and sizzled the pieces of food he’d gathered. After the last bit of energy winked out of sight, the only source of light Gabriel could see was coming from behind the counter. He crept around to see Shahna laying on the ground. What was left of her clothes was lightly smoldering and her skin was steaming. He pushed himself out of his stupor and got down next to her, tamping out the embers on her hair and clothes. 

 

His heart was racing. He hadn’t meant for this to happen. He had no idea that the replicator used so much power. Guilt was twisting his insides into unrecognizable shapes. He slowly lifted a hand to her mouth and felt a slight shuddering breath escape her lips. A modicum of tension left his shoulders, but he still felt wholly responsible. 

 

A bright light illuminated the scene suddenly and he looked towards where it was coming through the door. The stark contrast seared his eyes and he had to close his eyes. He was temporarily blinded for a moment. He turned away and rubbed at his eyes to help relieve some of the pain and block out the approaching light. Someone was walking over, they stopped next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He batted the hand away. The hand came swinging back and slapped him hard across the back of the head. It must be Hugh. 

 

Gabriel blinked until he had some partial visibility again. He looked over at Hugh who was holding a flashlight. Hugh mouthed the words “What happened?”

 

“I just messed with the wires. I didn’t think the whole thing would explode.” Gabriel said in a gruff whisper.

 

Hugh pointed up and brought his hand around in a circle. He mouthed “Whole place.” Then slashed a line across his neck with a flat hand, “Out.”

 

“So it wasn’t me?” Gabriel asked.

Hugh looked at him and shrugged then nodded down towards Shahna with an upraised eyebrow. 

 

“She’s alive, but I think she’s badly hurt. We need to get her to-”

 

Hugh cut him off with an indignant look and a gesture to himself. He got on the ground next to Shahna and started unpacking medical supplies from a bag. Gabriel considered asking where he got all of it and what he was doing near the cafeteria when he was supposed to be out by the lake. But he knew distracting him now would mean taking unnecessary risks with Shahna’s life. He looked on a moment longer while Hugh loaded a hypospray. Hugh glanced up looking impatient. He jerked his head towards the door and mouthed the word “GO!”

 

Gabriel didn’t need to be told twice. The plan was evolving fast and he needed to keep up with it if they were going to stand a chance of getting out of here. He hustled out the door of the cafeteria as more people were rushing in. People from the medical wing and technical department flooded the scene as he escaped into the dark hallway beyond. 

 

Getting to the arena was easy enough in the dark, but as soon as he was outside the backup power engaged and lighted flickered on. People were running towards the house, but no one was running out. He stuck to the shadowed areas as best as he could and waited to make his moves through the open ground until he was sure no one was nearby. It wasn’t far, but his heart was hammering by the time he made it to the shore. It hadn’t slowed since the explosion and he wasn’t sure how long the adrenaline would carry him. He could feel his nerves starting to fray and his movements getting jittery. He threw himself behind a large boulder to catch his breath. 

 

While he was trying to remember if they ever went over the hangar map and it’s entry point together in a meeting, he heard a whoosh-shunk-whoosh-shunk coming from around the boulder to his right. He peered around and saw nothing. The ground around the lake looked normal. But as he was staring a section of the earth split open like two sides of a autodoor set into the ground. The door whooshed open and then shunked closed two more times. A malfunction? Named Michael? He didn’t question it too hard. He crept over to the door and it opened. It stayed open and he knew Michael was somewhere throwing him a rope.

 

The door opened to a set of stairs. The darkness beyond was only faintly illuminated red by the emergency backup lights. The air pressure and temperature changed as he descended the stairs. He felt like he was slipping down into the gaping maw of an enormous beast. But he’d already been chewed up and spit back out. He was already in hell. But when you’re going through hell, you just have to keep going.