Piecing It All Together (part 2)

Posted on Mon Dec 24th, 2012 @ 3:44pm by Sergeant Amarylis Beckinsale & Commodore Samantha York

1,059 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Enemy Within: Lying in Wait
Location: Captain's Ready Room

[CONTINUED]

[OLD]

"Well the Shadowrunner was tasked with getting Vance and a small team onto Cardassia Prime to find the ones responsible for this plot and to eliminate them before an alliance was forged. Surprisingly everything was going smoothly, eventually her resourcefulness led us to the discovery of the cell's leader and the group engaged in the talks. We engaged the culprits in battle and had nearly eliminated all when the Cardassian security force arrived. The area we were in was so secretive and underground communications to the outside were impossible and the chances of an entire platoon of cardassians stumbling across it armed for a fight were slim at best. Alexandra felt she had been double-crossed, most likely by a Cardassian she had entrusted to lead her to the cell."

[NEW]

"The Cardassians were led to believe Alexandra was a Federation spy sent to crumble the hierarchy of the Cardassian Union for a Federation invasion. Alexandra denied any involvement with the federation and with her team killed in the crossfire, she was the only one left. The Federation in turn denied her mission and told the union she was a rogue officer acting upon her own accord. The Cardassians were not satisfied with this answer and felt the only way to know the truth, was to force it from Lieutenant Commander Vance."

"On the Shadowrunner we remained near the border of Cardassian space hearing reports that the diplomatic conferences had been interrupted. It appeared Alexandra had succeeded however the transport arranged to return her to us never picked her up, she simply never showed. Finally we got word from Intelligence that although the cell's plot had been foiled Lieutenant Commander Vance had become captured, our new mission was to retrieve her before the Cardassian's learned what she knew. Some of the Federation's darkest secrets lie entrusted with her, they could not be learned by others. For two weeks we scoured the planet in search of her, dug deep into the Cardassian underworld until finally we learned of her location. I was part of the team sent to extract Alexandra....but when we got there, what we found was not what we had lost."

A tear dropped down Amarylis' cheek when the image of the battered Vance played in her head once again.

"Please, continue," Sam said, her voice soft. She felt for the other woman, but at the same time she needed to know what it was Vance tried to tell her.

"Commander.....Commander Vance was disrobed...." Amarylis' words became harder to get out as her emotions overcame her. She began to sniffle as she bowed her head. "You know this job, a marine. We're supposed to just suck it up, we will not laugh, we will not cry. This is battle, this is our burden, but no amount of training prepares you for what I saw that day."

She paused to wipe her tears. "The Cardassians had beaten her so bad I had to get up close just to see if it was her. Her back was covered in whip marks, there had to be like twenty of them. Her face was swollen, ribs broken. I could barely put the blanket around her because she would scream in agony of the lightest touch. The worst part was, when the wounds did finally heal, I looked into her eyes and I you know what I saw? Nothing....just a cold empty stare."

"The Cardassians may not have got the information out of her, but they took something so much more, her soul."

Amarylis rose from the seat and began to pace. "And you know why? Because the good of the many over the good of the one! Now I get to watch it happen again, and I'm going on that Rhombus and I'll kill every single drone on that ship until I bring her back."

Amarylis leaned down on York's desk placing both her hands on it's top. "Alexandra's still in there behind all that scrap metal, you wanna get to her.....she will NEVER forget the Cardassians, just like I will never forget her."

Sam walked around the desk and put her hand on Amarylis' shoulder. "I've never had to go through what Alexandra did, but I understand." Sam had been beaten and raped, but she hadn't been alone. She'd been able to fight back and get out. So, on a lesser scale, she could understand how Vance felt.

"I have 350 of my crew on that ship and I want them back. All of them. That may not be possible, but I'm going to do everything in my power. Any advice you have will be welcome."

"Alexandra is not the ice queen you all take her for. Just like she does, you can hit her where it hurts. She's spent a lifetime learning how to control herself and remain calm even in the worst situations, but those damn Cardassians....they have a real way of bringing the fire in her out. You wanna throw her off her game, you bring them into it." Amarylis replied solemnly not believing she was helping to bring Alex down, even if it was for her own good.

"I haven't been around her long enough to have more than a cursory opinion of her," Sam assured the other woman. "But the only way we can get her back is to hit her where she least expects it. So, Cardassians bring out the fire in her? I think we can find a way to use that to our advantage." Too bad there weren't any Cardassian ships in the region. Even so, Sam was pretty sure that, with a little time and ingenuity, she could make Vance believe there were. "Anything else I need to know?"

"I'd like to know when we are going after the Borg vessel...." Amarylis stated simply.

"Shortly. I still have a thing or two to set up," Sam said. "But it won't be long, I'm sure they're looking for us."

"Very well ma'am, I will be ready if you need me, but before I go you promise me you'll bring her home......" Amarylis replied tearing up again.

"Thank you. See if you can help security. You might have some ideas that could be of benefit to Lieutenant Lynx."

Amarylis gave the Commodore a nod and left the room purposefully.

 

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