The Masquerade Shattered

Posted on 15 Dec 2022 @ 7:41am by Lieutenant Cassandra Higgins-Stevens & Captain Jonathan Reynolds & Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari & Lieutenant C'Tora Kuroka

Mission: Through the looking glass
Location: Sempok Nor
1325 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Cassie could see that this Osil was starting to put the pieces together bit by bit and his deep obsidian eyes had lingered far too long on her... she had given them away and she knew he had figured it out. The room fell silent, C'Tora noticing the change, or more precisely, his feline senses alerting him to what was about to happen.

Sensing the change in the woman, Osil tensed automatically, fingers tightening around the handle of his weapon.

Cassie lunged forward, tackling Osil to the ground and immediately striking him across the cheek as they went down, her free hand darting into the pocket which had the hypospray, the two now locked into a battle which she had no way to win unless she could press the hypospray to his neck. He was lean, muscular and in prime condition. She, simply put, was not!

As they fell, Osil was briefly dazed by the strike across his cheek but he quickly recovered, reaching up to grab her throat. "You shouldn't have done that," he hissed at her, as lean fingers started to prevent her from drawing breath.

Behind her she caught sight of C'Tora taking a blow from the Intendant but that was not her fight. She struggled with him, his hand reaching up to her throat and starting to squeeze. Pulling air into her lungs starting to become difficult. Thankfully he had not seen her free hand in her pocket. A gentle hiss rang out, his eyes going wide as the anaesthetic did its work within seconds. His body went limp, landing on her but she had nothing left to roll him away.

Natasha was surprised when things decided to go haywire, to her great consternation. "Wait, who are you really?!" staring at C'Tora "Are you not the bodyguard of her lady ship?" Natasha palming a blade from a hidden pocket. She was well prepared to fight for her life, then punched him, not ready to use her blade as of yet.

C'Tora being caught by the Intendants blow, pivoted on his heel and let out a primal roar as he counter punched and caught the intendant in the stomach with a savage punch knocking the wind out of her. He spun to face Natasha, His ears flat and his eyes burned with a savage fierceness and growled at her trying to take back control of the situation. " Of course I'm her bodyguard! And as you have witnessed, we were the victims of an unprovoked attack! This act of treason will not go unpunished!"

Natasha was working to catch her breath, this time her blade was turned towards C'Tora. She was well prepared to attack when the door opened up and her eyes widened.

Ron appeared dragging his still bound counterpart a weapon in his hand trained on his mirror. "No don't hurt her," the mirror Ron said seeing the Caitian towering above Natasha. "I will not aid you if you lay a finger on her."

There Ron gave him a fleeting look before adding, "Someone's triggered some communications inside the station and outside. Intendant know anything about that?" he said demanded.

"I don't know of any sort of communication you are referring to!" Natasha spat out. Her eyes went towards her beloved Ron, trussed up like a Christmas goose.

"I'm going to suggest we make an exit now," Ron said. "This ones coming with us. You need both of us to get us home."

"Bring Natasha," AU Ron pleaded again.

Ron looked at C'Tora and Cassie. He certainly did not think it a good idea but she could open the doors needed to get them back to their craft and off the station and he got the feeling things were going to get much more complicated.

"Lets go" Cassie said, correcting a few of the straps, which constituted the entirety of her disguise, that had shifted during the scuffle exposing more than she would have liked. "But we need to remain calm, as if we own this station. The Alliance values strength and power, we need to exhibit all of that... Unless you can get into their system and initiate a site to site transport Ron?"

"It would take me hours to crack that. We would need a password from a higher up person," he looked at Natasha. Then at the other Ron. "You want to ensure she's safe get her to cooperate."

"I need you to trust me. To trust this," Au Ron said after swallowing. "I love you. I never expected that to happen. I want to believe I was more than just a boy toy to pass the time and convince to create the things you needed for your schemes. I AM your Ron. They are the outsiders. They're not even from this universe. But they need to get back," he pleaded at the intendant. At his queen.

Natasha's mouth went dry, as the whole seriousness of the situation descended upon her. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears. "This can't be happening can this be true?"

"He is speaking the Truth," Ron said backing up the other man.

"But also consider this, of course I have made a file of all your horrific schemes you manipulated him into doing and it is set on a timer to send out to every contact in the station if you don't help us, first person our knocked out friend there," Ron said indicating the Betazoid, "and according to this one," he yanked his mirror, "Hes been trying to get the dirt to get you out of his hair for a long time. You have only stayed one step ahead of him because of this," he wiggled his hand with the weapon between the two of them. "He kept you safe."

A lump formed in her throat as Natasha considered all of the options, her heart going towards her Ron. "I don't quite know what to do." her eyes going towards the now unconcious Osil. It was true though, Ron did keep her safe, he showed her love, compassion inspite of the harshness she had showed him when under the eyes of hte populace.

This was of course his trump card. "So how's this. You let us have the password and get off this station and then I will let you have mine to stop that communication going out."

"All right! You can have the password, just don't hurt him!" tears trickling down Natasha's cheeks. Natasha had reached her breaking point and she didn't know how much longer she could hold out especially if Ron was no longer with her. She went swiftly to his side, her blade now having dropped to the floor. "Take me with you, please. If he is gone, I won't be living anymore." her voice broken with emotions. She truly loved him.

"What is it?" Cassie demanded, "What is the password?"
Adrenalin still pumping through her veins after the scuffle with her muscle, a soreness on her neck where she had no doubt bruising would be forming. She had no time to consider it though so she pushed the pain to one side and wheeled around on the intendant, the hypospray once again ready once she had the info they needed.

Looking longingly into her Ron's eyes, then kissing him deeply, Natasha answered. "Elbmub, the password is Elbmub." reaching out to caress his cheek.

Once the password had been uttered the Counsellor pressed the hypospray to the intendants neck, two seconds later the women hit the deck unconscious.

"We need to move!"

" Agreed. " Said C'Tora. " Bring them both. " He said indicating both Ron and Natasha. " And let's move quickly before things become most unpleasant around here. " Stated the large Caitian.

OFF:

Ron Bumble
Science Officer, USS Andromeda

MU Natasha Blackthorn
Intendant
Sempok Nor

Lieutenant Cassandra Higgins
Ships Counsellor
USS Andromeda

MU Osil Haistro
Bodyguard?
Sempok Nor

Lieutenant C'Tora Kuroka
Chief Medical Officer
USS Andromeda