Caged Beast

Posted on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 @ 1:56am by Lieutenant JG Sarah Wilson & Chief Petty Officer Remal Kajun

Dr Sarah Wilson headed over to where she had spied Remal - looking seriously pissed as he surveyed the situation around him. She pushed through the throngs of people, the space barely big enough to hold them all until she approached the solid man with the furrowed brow.

“Hey” She said simply “You look like you need someone to talk to” She felt he would be feeling things most keenly, since his wife had just been shown on the large screen. It appeared soon the Game would begin.

Talking was furthest from his mind at the moment as escaping the confines they were in took predominance. His eyes were already scanning for chinks in the armor that was their prison and coming up empty. He acknowledged the doctor with a nod, "That's usually my line, doc."

"Yeah well you had that look in your eyes that meant you either needed to talk or you were going to start breaking things" she shrugged her shoulders and stood next to him, hoping to provide a calming presence. "No way out?"

“None that I have spotted yet, which is why I was considering breaking things.” He pointed at the wall. “Too high to climb, at least alone. That usually means too deep to dig as well. No obvious windows, bars or even cracks. Just that set of doors where I imagine they deliver food, and service the area. I doubt they’d be willing to open them for a potty break.” He clenched his jaws at the idea. “Just another planet, just another prison, just another madman playing games with the people I care about.”

Sarah listened patiently, realising Remal’s need to vent at yet another hopeless situation. The poor guy had been through the wringer on Bajor and had everything he had cherished thrown into question, now to have this life whisked away and his love thrown into the jungle. He needed a break.

“I’m sorry you’re in this situation, and I wish we could do something to help” She lamented, hoping an empathetic ear would help.

He looked at her, then to the gathered mass of Starfleet officers, then back to her and realization dawned. “We can. There are going to be a lot of frightened and disconcerted crewmen here who are just waiting on something bad to happen. Right now their lives are in the hands of someone else and we can help them with that.”

“ We can indeed, perpetuate a calm but ready mindset. Yes this could be a bad situation, but be ready to take advantage of an opportunity that may present itself” Sarah echoed, following Remal’s eyes around the large mass of people.

“I don’t have a plan, other than organizing these people by skill, and helping them cope. It’s what we do after all.” He smiled. “And it’s better than breaking down walls.”

“ Well the walls can be broken down, when we find a weakness. But if people start doing stupid things before then, we don’t know how these captors are going to react. They may do away with any problem people, or take it out of the rest of us. Play nicely, then act en masse” the young doctor smiled, thankful that Remal’s mindset had shifted somewhat over the course of their conversation.

“Right. So we mingle in the crowd. Bolster support and understanding. Help those who may be troubled to come to grips with the reality of the situation and do preemptive damage control. The Starfleet officers should maintain composure, but there are civies here that may attempt to take matters into their own hands. We should calm them first.”

“ Right, let’s get to it” Sarah followed his lead, wandering into the crowd to gauge the levels of anxiety and frustration. The majority of them were Starfleet and thus were more adept at controlling their feelings and frustrations. The civilians however had no such training or expertise.

Focusing on others allowed him to avoid focusing on the screen above which was televising for the crowd to watch. The screen flipped between parties their captors had sent into the jungle. Each time it landed on his wife, he watched closely to see that she was still okay and making progress. He wanted to watch all of the actors, but she managed to capture his attention without trying, and there was work to be done.

Together he and Sarah moved through the crowd, checking on the others. Minding their personalities and making sure each was comfortable and comprehensive of what was happening around them. Some were scared, others brave, many defiant in their own way. All of them seemed to be looking for leadership, orders or otherwise to help them get through this torture. When their regular leaders were being tested, they looked through the chain of command in order to make sense of the chaos. He wasn’t in that chain of command, but Sarah was.

“ I don’t know how much time that will buy us,” Sarah admitted as they finally made their way through the large mass of people. The emphasis was on holding tight, waiting for an opportunity and acting on it when it would arise. Ready and waiting so to speak. Sarah had no idea if any said opportunity would arise but it would occupy their minds looking for one and not causing any unnecessary problems.

The screen above them shifted to a view of the jungle, as though drones had been launched and were tracking members of the senior staff and the progress they either were making or not making. It was a horrible thing to watch, the teams being hunted and stalked by animals and hunters.

“Every little bit helps. You did good Doc., any idea who is the most senior officer here?” He scanned the crowd and recalled everyone they chatted with. Most were lower deck stock. He looked back at Sarah, in fact she may be the most senior of all of them all.

“Please oh please don't tell me I’m it” She screwed her face up as though the mere thought of it was distasteful “I can run a full medical crew in a crisis, but I haven’t trained for this kind of leadership, they won’t listen to me, and who says my ideas go anyway?” Sarah struggled with the concept of leading such a large group of people in a crisis.

“I didn’t see anyone else with a higher rank than you. Just think of them as your medical team.” He smiled a reassuring smile. “And if they won’t listen to you I suppose then they will have to answer to me. I do have a direct line to their boss afterall.” Swarmy as always he gave her a gentle shoulder touch. “I’m right here with you, so what did you have in mind?”

"Speaking of their boss" she turned her attention to the large screen which was currently showing the Captain and Savar dispatching one of the hunters before taking his weapon and food.

“See. She’s got that situation under control. Now,” He pointed at the crowd. “We need to make certain this situation stays under control.”

" She kicks ass" Sarah admitted before turning her attention back to Remal and the crowd. Most of them seemed to be watching the large screens. There wasn't much else they could do.

“She does that.” He was impressed to say the least. Then he looked back down at Sarah, “Just know, I may have tempered with age, but when the time comes to kick ass, I’ll be ready.” He pointed at the screen, “But if she gets injured or worse, there isn’t an army big enough that will temper my rage.” He clamped his jaw and leaned against the wall, returning to the overwatch he had set himself to task.

"Is it because she's out there without you? Or the fact she's generally the target?" Sarah asked softly, not wanting to upset Remal but offering him the opportunity to talk if he wanted to.

“Both. She is in a place where I can’t protect her if she needs me and because she is who she is, the bullseye is rather large upon her derriere, if you get my meaning.”

"Target on her ass, I got it" Sarah laughed a little as the images on the screen changed to show some of the other Liberty crew. The words were in a language she didn't recognise but the images showed enough to follow what was going on.

As he watched the events unfold upon the screen and the crowd below growing ever more uptight and restless, he couldn't help but notice similarities to the tests the Brotherhood had given him and Rhenora in the name of the Prophets. While one tests faith the other was meant to test something else. As he watched the take down of the animal and the soldier he couldn't help but comment.