The Ties That Bind

Posted on Apr 24, 2015 @ 12:50pm by Selyara Chen

Mission: Limbo

“The Ties That Bind”
(Continued from “The Next Job”)


=/\=


Location: USS PHOENIX
SD: [2.15]0420.2100
Scene: Sickbay

Thanks to emergency site-to-site transport, the woman sometimes known as Selyara Chen hadn’t needed to be hoisted about the entire ship. It had been sketchy enough just getting her up the gangplank. Thanks to “high population density” a direct beam-out from LIMBO wasn’t possible. She and Lieutenant Dalziel materialized in Sickbay proper. Jake and Russ were already headed to duty stations as some sort of exodus of civilians was expected under Tella Yavin’s edict.

“You’re a sight,” Foster snapped like the perpetually annoyed curmudgeon that he was. He would never admit it was good to see her.

Eve grunted as she and the CMO gracelessly carried Selyara’s limp form to an empty biobed. “I missed you too.”

The scanners then came down as Cade followed his customary routine. Sometimes it was hard to remember that he was really a physician and not just a colossal smart ass. “A few bumps and bruises, but the main issue I see is that was given enough anesthezine to knock out a Vegan fire jaguar. That would explain the unconsciousness.” He glared at Eve.

She feigned innocence, and in this case it was actually true. “Not my handiwork… I would have just knocked her out the old fashioned way.”

“That wouldn’t have been the best idea. Her psionic abilities are off the scale. If she touches you and forms a link, she can turn your cerebellum into gelatin.”

“But not before wiping every bit of useful and classified information for her own use. A master manipulator.” Eve had no firsthand experience of the woman, but she had availed herself of the personnel file. It was by no means complete, but gave her an inkling of who they were dealing with.

“Exactly.” The snarky Doctor set up a series of restraints for their reluctant guest.

As Eve realized the woman was now in a position where she shouldn’t be able to hurt anyone, something within her allowed herself a small moment of release. But it was tempered with the knowledge that the crew hadn’t completely returned. “We’ll need to set up another bed.”

“For whom?”

“The Major was stabbed in the back during a fight. She was bleeding pretty bad from what I could see, but I couldn’t get that close.” The vision and sound of screaming patrons as they ran from disruptor fire flashed through her mind.

“Well, where the hell is she?” All grudges aside, Thytos’ injuries certainly took priority over the Vulcan-trained woman.

Eve hung her head. “I don’t know.”

“Is she the only one missing?”

“No.” Eve allowed herself to collapse in a chair across the room, exhausted. “Commander Jos and Thomas Varn are also unaccounted for. Thomas went after Kass... they only have an hour to get aboard.”

“Less,” Cade added.

“Always the optimist.”

“Correction, always a realist, Madam.”

The sensor array monitoring the woman’s condition gently changed beeps. “Holy fuck,” Cade said. “She’s coming out of it.”

“Already?” Eve replied, stunned. “I thought Kane put her out for hours.”

“Maybe her physiology and strong mental temperament is able to overcome the sedative. I don’t damn well know.” He double checked the fields keeping her immobile.

Eve looked down into her clasped hands as she listened to the sound of Cade breathing and the biobed warning them both of their captive’s awakening.


* * *

Selyara woke in a bad temper. Her plans torpedoed, head groggy, bright lights in her face, and as she quickly found out, her body immobilized from the neck down in some sort of stasis field. She tilted her head from side to side, scoping out her situation. Her lips curled in rage, a Starfleet sickbay.

That bastard Kane had drugged her and dragged her off the station, bringing her back to Section 31 no doubt. She bared her teeth at the ceiling and struggled against the field.

"Awake are we?" A male voice said from off to the side. She tilted her head and rolled her eyes back to look at the person belonging to the voice. A scruffy blue eyed man wearing a doctor's uniform walked over to stand over her. He shone an instrument into her eyes. "Vitals are all fine. Good. I told the Captain that you can't just inject whatever sedatives you want into any life form you want, but since when does he listen."

"Where am I?" Selyara worked the spittle into her dry mouth and put on her sweetest and most innocent voice, and opened her eyes wide and doe-like as though she were frightened. "Why am I in this field? Why don't you let me out, I would really like to sit up..."

"Nice try, but I've been pre-warned about you sweetheart, and as nice and full of promises as you sound, the whole 'I can kill you with my mind' bit is a turn off," the doctor said with a crooked smile. "Which is a real shame because there's a real shortage of bodies like yours on this ship."

"Spoken as a man who has never been to bed with a mind reader. Tell me Doctor, do you harass all your female patients or am I special?" Selyara quipped, her voice dropping into a throaty purr.

The wheels in her brain were turning. Her powers had never been very strong before JAROS. Raised as a Human with Human concepts of privacy, morality, and parents that couldn't even begin to understand what it was like to be a telepath she had effectively been hamstrung her entire life and never realized it until the fateful day when she met That Woman and realized what she could be once she stopped clinging to the illusion of humanity. She had never been Human to begin with.

Did they know exactly what she was capable of? Kane would remember her as the largely toothless good girl, empathic, weakly telepathic, completely pathetic. Maybe they didn't know the full extent of her abilities.

She wondered if there were a way for her to use her empathic abilities to influence the doctor, convince him of her fear and discomfort, maybe? She rejected that idea quickly, the doctor didn't seem to be one to be one particularly bothered by the damsel in distress routine.

"Only the ones who can't punch me in the face," the man said cheerfully. "Speaking of faces, I hope you aren't too attached to yours. As lovely a Romulan as you make, I think we would all prefer to see exactly who we are dealing with."

"Suit yourself, handsome, but I have had so many faces recently that I am not sure even I remember what the original looks like. You could just make me into whatever you'd like best," she trailed off suggestively.

"Keep that up and I *might* actually believe you, even though I know you're a duplicitous, manipulative, scheming bitch. Actually I probably won't, but I enjoy the flattery so feel free to carry on," the doctor opened drawers and pottered around setting tools on a tray "Whoever did your cosmetic surgery was nearly as good as me, but between looking at your genes and using old pictures I'll have you back to yourself in no time."

"You hurt me deeply doctor, a manipulative bitch?"

"Hey, it's her assessment, not mine," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"And that was a gross simplification of what I said, Doctor Foster," a woman's voice said from somewhere Selyara couldn't see. “And I didn’t even use the word ‘bitch’.”

“Consider that a gift from me,” the Doc said to both women.

“And you wonder why Kass broke your nose,” Eve retorted.

“Who are you?” The restrained woman said as she tried to turn in the direction of the voice.

Footsteps were followed by the appearance of a tall, pale woman wearing a tight fitting jumpsuit. She looked dirty and disheveled. “Lieutenant Eve Dalziel, ship’s Counsellor.”

Selyara resisted the urge to laugh, trying instead for helplessness. Her knowledge of both Counselling and the mind eclipsed anything this strange looking excuse for an officer would have likely seen before. She couldn’t be over 30. “I’m sure I could clear this up, if I could speak to… Captain Kane.”

Eve and Cade looked at each other. “All in due time, Miss Chen. Do you know why you’re here?”

**Do I fucking know why I'm here?** Selyara snorted inwardly. **Really? How many old cop procedurals have they watched? I damn well know there's only one reason Michael would bother to look for me after over a decade.**

“Well, my first hunch would be the rather large bounty on my head and the rather unenviable position of the Federation's most wanted, well, most wanted after all of you since you stole the fleet's flagship," the sarcasm slipped out unbidden. "But I suppose you are going to tell me it's all one big misunderstanding, and that you have abducted and detained me for my own good?"

“I’ll agree it’s a misunderstanding, but on your part. Welcome to the PHOENIX.”

Selyara strained against the invisible bonds, trying to sound civil.

“I would not call knocking me out and forcibly restraining me a tour de force of hospitality. Might I suggest next time you try a fruit basket and a greeting card?" Selyara was sizing up the counselor as she spoke. Counselor, intelligence agent, how best to win her over? Selyara decided to change tack, try making the woman feel as though she was building a rapport with her, drop a few nuggets of truth to make her seem more sympathetic to Eve Dalziel.

“The restraints are regrettable Miss Chen, but necessary. One does not simply have a touch telepath of your caliber aboard the ship with her hands free.”

"Stop with the Miss Chen, if you please. That is an irritating ploy, and is a pointless waste of time. No matter how deferentially you speak to me, I am still the one restrained like a madwoman, and you are still the one with all the power," Selyara said firmly as looked directly into Eve's eyes, holding them for a moment. “I’m asking for Kane.”

“Duly noted.” As much as the woman tried to sound apologetic and in distress, Eve sensed the desperation that lay very close to the surface. She and the CO had served together once. Even as Selyara had shed her appearance and transcended her original abilities, and performed acts of treason against the Federation, she wanted something familiar. And that something was Michael Kane. “I imagine he will be available once we depart.” Hell, she wasn’t even sure if he was back on the ship yet. The last she had seen of him was being shooed away so he and Drake could challenge Rawyvin Seth. If Selyara had a reputation for being a highly skilled telepath and sociopath, Seth’s rap sheet was far longer and far more twisted. On the other hand, Selyara had spent eight years in prison. It was frightening to wonder how far she would have made it if that hadn’t stood in her way.

There was a stilted silence as the gears turned in Eve’s gray eyes. Selyara tried to move again to no avail. Dalziel seemed as typical as they came, but she found herself still desiring to find out firsthand. She could suck her dry and snuff her out like a wet candle and still have the capacity to destroy dozens, no, hundreds more like her.

The reverie was interrupted. [[Eve?]] It was Crichton. His voice sounded a little tinny and strange to her. She wasn’t sure if it was because it was over the comm link or because of the stress of what they’d been through

“Jake.”

[[I just thought you would want to know, Kane is aboard.]]

Eve watched Selyara’s altered face for any sign of a reaction. There was none. “What about the others?”

[[No sign of them yet.]]

“What aren’t you telling me?” As reserved as the CEO usually was, his words were still lacking somehow.

[[Rawyvin Seth and Drake are dead.]] He blurted the words out. [[I’m headed to help with the evac. Crichton out.]]

Eve gulped, but her stare at Selyara did not waver.

"Sic semper tyrannis," Selyara said softly and then began to laugh, a giddy, breathless, joyless laugh, her lips curled into a triumphant smile. "I win, Rawyvin Seth, you sick sonofabitch."

"You planned the massacre at the Pits," Eve said, a bit of horror creeping into her voice. All that death orchestrated by this woman in order to kill one man.

"Planned? No. I misjudged Tella Yavin's penchant for overkill, I did not intend for her to open fire on the crowd," Selyara seemed a bit offended by the accusation. "She was supposed to kill Rawyvin Seth, thinking he was the Shadow Master."

Selyara thought it'd be best to leave out the bit where Tella Yavin was supposed to kill Kane and his crew, although it had been such a brilliant plan it was a shame no one would ever know about it.

"You know, I'm not a monster or anything, Eve," Selyara continued in a neutral tone. "I have never killed for the sake of killing. Only for self preservation. And my treasonous offense? Delivering my ship to the Orion Syndicate to strip of goods. No one was hurt. Ask Kane about the Calnarians, ask your Major Thytos about Barbossa, and then ask yourself if I deserved to be sent to the stockades, and they deserved to be free. Now, since Michael is on the ship, I wish to speak with him."

Selyara shut her eyes and sunk into a meditative trance.

Eve was tired of this shit. Selyara was no more the delicate flower of innocence than Dalziel was human. She kicked the base of the bed, hard, causing Selyara’s eyes to fly open. The Counsellor leaned over her, face to face, her breath hot between them. “You know what? Fine. You may have been unfairly imprisoned. But you certainly wasted no time in acting the part. It’s hard to pity someone who chose to be a teratistic horror after she was branded as such. A monster, indeed.” Eve turned to leave. This tea party was over.

“There’s blood on everyone’s hands,” Selyara said harshly.”Don’t you see it, my idealistic little friend?”

Eve huffed and faced the captive, eyes were alight with frustration. She wasn’t ‘little’. “Is that supposed to shock me? You think I haven’t killed people?” Her composure had cracked, but she somehow heeded the smallest impulse she had left to pull it in. “I don’t owe you an explanation. Just remember one thing.”

“What?”

“You’re getting a chance to fight for the right side for once. Don’t blow it.”

=/\=

A Joint Post by

Alix Fowler as:

Selyara Chen


And

Susan Ledbetter

Lieutenant Eve Dalziel
Cns
USS PHOENIX