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Nov. 12th, 2004 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmic_llinAfter a very helpful Beta from Cass, my Deanna fic is finally done!
‘So what was your favourite part, Counselor?’ Commander Will Riker asked.
He, Counselor Deanna Troi, Lieutenant Geordi La Forge and Lieutenant Worf sat around the small table of the shuttlecraft recreation area, returning from a security conference. Deanna thought for a moment.
‘The refreshments,’ she said decisively.
Geordi snorted and Worf looked disapproving.
‘I’m sorry!’ she laughed. ‘Security just isn’t one of my passions, I suppose. Although a ship’s counselor has a role to play in security matters, it’s not exactly my favourite part of the job. Most of the lectures weren’t really relevant to me.’
‘That’s understandable,’ said Will. ‘And the refreshments were fantastic.’
‘That cream puff thing!’ said Geordi. ‘I’m going to have to contact their caterers and ask for the replicator pattern.’
‘The food was inferior,’ said Worf. ‘It did not even move on the plate!’ He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, indicating that this was a joke. The others grinned.
There was an urgent klaxon from the business end of the shuttle, and they all rose from their seats and took their positions in the cockpit.
‘We’re being scanned,’ said Will. ‘By an unidentified vessel.’
‘We are caught in some kind of energy beam, unable to move away from it,’ Worf reported.
‘I’m not sensing anything from the vessel,’ Deanna added.
The dark green beam weaving about the shuttle suddenly intensified. Will felt an ache begin at the back of his head, and looked around to see if he had walked into something. He barely had time to realise that it was probably the green beam that was causing it when the pain grew excruciating and he was curling up on the floor to make it stop. Vaguely he noticed that the same thing was happening to the others – Geordi had his arms wrapped around his head and was kneeling on the floor. Deanna and Worf were still standing, but Worf was snarling with the effort of denying the pain and Deanna was holding onto a console to steady herself. Will thought he saw her lose her grip and fall towards the ground, but he wasn’t sure, because by then he was already slipping into blessed unconsciousness.
* * * * *
Deanna opened her eyes with the curious feeling that she had been awake for a while without realising it. She wasn’t sure where she was – the grey metal ceiling was certainly not the same as the one in her quarters. She looked around at the walls – why did her head hurt so when she turned it? – and saw only large, grey tiles. Sitting up, she saw Will, Geordi and Worf in various stages of the same confused awakening. She crawled over to Will, not feeling quite equal to standing just yet, and helped him to sit against the wall.
‘What happened?’ he asked, wincing as he touched his head.
‘Not sure,’ she said, her own voice sounding strange to her. ‘I remember we were on the shuttle…’
‘Yeah, that’s right,’ Geordi volunteered. ‘Something about cream puffs.’
‘There was an emergency,’ Worf said.
‘An energy beam. It was dark green,’ Will said.
‘It hurt,’ said Deanna.
‘It really hurt,’ agreed Geordi, rubbing his fingers on his temples.
‘And we all passed out,’ Will finished. ‘And then we all ended up here. Great, just great. Anyone have any inkling of where here is?’
They looked around the plain box of a room. The pattern of tiles was unbroken, on the floor and ceiling as well as the walls. The only other features were a single lighted panel in the ceiling and a narrow metal bench attached firmly to the floor.
‘A holding cell,’ Worf said.
‘But whose? And why?’ Will said. ‘Are you getting any impressions, Deanna?’
‘Nothing.,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t sense anything in the shuttle, either.’
‘And I’d never seen that vessel configuration before, although I have to admit I didn’t really get a good look at it,’ Geordi said.
There was a loud grunting noise. They all turned to look at Worf. He was searching the pockets of his uniform, the sides and soles of his boots, his hair, everywhere.
‘They have taken every single one of my concealed weapons!’ Worf growled.
‘That’s bad luck,’ said Will. ‘Of course they confiscated all of our weapons, and our commbadges.’
‘But I am a Klingon!’ Worf said. ‘It is a matter of pride to have at least one concealed weapon that nobody finds!’
‘They probably did a deep scan as well as a physical search,’ Deanna said consolingly. ‘They’d never have found them all otherwise.’
Whatever Worf had been about to say was cut off when several of the wall tiles protruded from the wall and became a door that slid open. Behind the door stood three small, fierce-looking humanoids with big phasers.
‘Dopterians,’ snarled Worf.
The Dopterians were a race closely related to the Ferengi, and like the Ferengi were known for their criminal activities.
‘I see you have woken up,’ smirked the Dopterian in the centre. ‘Welcome, Starfleets, to our humble vessel.’
‘Why have you taken us prisoner?’ demanded Will, getting to his feet.
‘The opportunity arose,’ said the Dopterian. ‘Wandering Starfleets is very good, especially from the Enterprise. We will use you for tactical and navigational information and bargaining with the Federation.’
‘You won’t get any information from us,’ Geordi said.
‘I think you will not say that when you have no feet left.’ The Dopterian grinned. ‘Rules are – no trying to escape. A meal will be brought tomorrow. We will take you for interrogation at random times. Goodbye for now, Starfleets.’
The Dopterians withdrew. By now all four of the prisoners were standing. They looked at one another.
‘At least we know who has taken us prisoner now,’ Geordi sighed.
‘And it explains why I didn’t sense anything,’ Deanna said. ‘Dopterian brains are unreadable to Betazoids.’
‘So your abilities are no help at all,’ Said Worf tersely.
‘There’s no need to be insulting,’ Deanna said calmly. ‘Especially since, as it happens, I know a little about the Dopterians. Just because I’m unable to sense them empathically doesn’t mean they don’t have a psychology, and I am a psychologist.’ This was said pointedly in Worf’s direction.
‘So, what exactly do you know about Dopterians?’ Will asked.
‘As a race they are aggressive, cruel and acquisitive,’ Deanna explained, circling the room as though she was giving a briefing. ‘They are very self-preserving, and care little for family ties. However, they do have a respect for authority, which is bestowed on those who have the best weapons or largest fighting forces. Actually, this respect is more likely based on fear, since not respecting someone with power is liable to get you killed. A warlord with a good reputation could travel safely alone – no-one would dare touch him for fear of repercussions from his forces. Dopterians will happily take risks if there is a chance of considerable gain, and they are more interested in weaponry and power than profit.’
‘So how can we turn all of that to our advantage?’ Geordi asked.
‘We can’t, while we’re cooped up in this cell,’ Will said.
‘So our immediate need is a way out of this cell,’ said Worf.
‘The door was over there.’ Geordi pointed. ‘But there isn’t a mechanism on the inside, and it’s likely to be reinforced anyway. We might have better luck looking for an access hatch in the walls somewhere.’
‘Do you think they’re watching us?’ Deanna asked.
‘They did not know we had woken up prior to their entry,’ said Worf. ‘It is reasonable to assume that we are not under surveillance.’
‘Either way, we have to try,’ said Will. ‘Alright, take one wall each.’
They spread out and began to tap the tiles to see if they sounded hollow and try to move them about. It was monotonous work and they were all thoroughly irritated by the time Geordi said:
‘I think I have something.’
‘Let’s hear it, Geordi,’ Will said, moving over to Geordi’s wall.
‘This tile sounds hollow,’ Geordi said, indicating a tile at about waist level. ‘And it moves a little when I push the edge, but only a fraction. I’m trying to pry it from the wall, but I can’t get a good enough grip. If only I had something long and thin to pry it away, there might be something useful behind it, possible even an access hatch.’
‘If I still had my d’k tahg knife, we could have used that,’ said Worf bitterly.
‘Oh, here, let me,’ said Deanna briskly.
She moved over and dug her long nails underneath the offending tile, then wiggled them. For several moments it seemed as if nothing was happening, except that the sound of Deanna’s nails scraping the wall was setting everyone’s teeth on edge.
‘It’s coming loose,’ Deanna said eventually.
Will moved beside her to catch the tile when it fell away. Deanna gritted her teeth and pulled hard. The tile dropped from the wall and into Will’s hands. Deanna smiled. Will put the tile down and stuck his head into the hole in the wall.
‘It’s an access hatch alright,’ he said, from inside. ‘Looks like it goes quite a long way, probably comes out in some corridor or other.’ He pushed further in, but stuck. ‘I can’t get in any further than my shoulders; it’s too narrow.’
‘The Dopterians are a small species,’ Geordi said. ‘Their access hatches don’t need to be as big as ours.’
‘If the Commander is unable to fit, then I certainly will not be able to,’ said Worf.
‘I could give it a try, but…’ Geordi said.
‘It’s alright,’ Deanna said. ‘I know it has to be me. I’m the only one who has a hope of fitting.’
‘But Deanna, it’s dangerous,’ Will said with alarm.
‘Counselor, you’re not really trained for this sort of thing,’ Geordi agreed.
Worf didn’t say anything. Deanna sensed he was still annoyed that he was unable to do anything useful. She would have said something nice to him, but she was still irritated at his comments about her empathic abilities.
‘Maybe I’m not trained for it,’ Deanna said, ‘but just because I’m just a counselor, it doesn’t mean I’m not a Starfleet officer. I can’t stand around and wait to be rescued when there’s something I can do to escape. None of you would do it and you shouldn’t expect me to, either!’
There was a surprised silence. Deanna almost never raised her voice like that.
‘I see your point,’ Will said, finally.
She smiled reassuringly at him – they had served together for five years now, but sometimes it was still difficult for him to think of her as his colleague, a trained professional, instead of his Imzadi whom he wanted to protect from harm. It was very sweet, really.
‘But before we rush into anything, we’re still going to need a plan,’ Geordi said.
‘I agree,’ Deanna nodded. ‘It isn’t as if I can just crawl out of the access hatch and take over the ship.’
‘But you could find a communications panel,’ said Will. ‘And send a distress call to the Enterprise. They might be in range, if we’re not too far away from the rendezvous point.’
‘In fact, there should be several Federation ships in this sector,’ said Worf. ‘One of them will surely pick up our signal.’
* * * * *
‘Now remember,’ said Will, ‘once you’ve sent the distress call, just lay low somewhere until we’re rescued. No point in heroics.’
‘Aye, sir,’ Deanna said.
‘Good luck,’ said Geordi.
‘Qapla,’ added Worf.
‘And please be careful,’ Will said.
She knew he was feeling worried but didn’t want to show it in front of the others, so she made the first move and hugged him tightly for a moment, before crawling into the access hatch. Even for her it was a tight fit and she bumped her head a few times before she got into a steady rhythm, the sounds of the others talking falling further and further behind her. She heard the grating noise as they replaced the tile. She really was on her own now.
She took a deep breath and carried on along the tunnel. There wasn’t any sign of an exit hatch so far. What if all of their hatches were disguised, like the one in the cell? That was a possibility they hadn’t considered. But that was ridiculous – no crew could function like that. She was bound to find an exit sooner or later.
It was several more minutes before Deanna found the hatch. It wasn’t marked, but it was clearly an exit, thank goodness. She paused, listening for anyone outside it. There was a shuffling of feet and muted conversation, that slowly faded away. Deanna listened again. There was no sound outside the hatch. Slowly, she undid the primitive metal bolt and swung the hatch open. It opened onto an empty corridor, and she could see both ways for several metres. She climbed out, took a moment to stretch away the cramps from the tiny tunnel, closed the hatch behind her and headed quietly down the corridor.
* * * * *
Deanna stopped. She had been searching for a commpanel for almost an hour now without success. There were none in the crew quarters – she had broken into one of the crew rooms, heart pounding with panic, only to find that there was no-one there, and no commpanel either. She had similar success in a cargo bay: also empty, also no obvious communications equipment. The problem was that the Dopterians had no signposts and no means of identifying which technology did what. She didn’t think there had been a commpanel, but she wasn’t certain because none of it was marked. And to crown it all, she was pretty sure she’d been in this corridor before. How humiliating to actually escape the holding cell, walk the corridors of the enemy vessel without being apprehended, but be unable to fulfil her mission because she was lost. Lost. She could imagine the jokes Will would crack about women having no sense of direction.
Deanna half wished she hadn’t volunteered for this. Worf’s comments had annoyed her and she had wanted to prove that she was as good as any of them – she couldn’t fail in her mission now. Of course she wanted for them to be rescued, but now it was a matter of pride.
She took a deep breath. She was an intelligent, resourceful Starfleet officer. There was bound to be something else she could do to find a communication panel.
Suddenly, she realised there was something else she could do. It was simple. She would just have to take a Dopterian hostage and make them show her the way. Nothing to it.
* * * * *
Since it was so quiet on that deck, Deanna had moved a few decks up in hope of finding someone to take hostage, but as she hid in a maintenance alcove, listening to the approaching steps of one of the Dopterians, she was beginning to question the wisdom of her plan. Surely she would have found the commpanel eventually?
But it was too late for that now. The Dopterian walked past. At least he was alone, and there was a phaser swinging loosely from his holster. All the better. Deanna crept out of her hiding place and walked behind the Dopterian, matching his steps to avoid being heard.
He stopped. In one swift motion, Deanna grabbed the phaser with one hand and the Dopterian with the other, reaching around to pin his arms to his sides and hold the phaser to his head.
‘Call out and you’ll regret it,’ Deanna said fiercely.
The Dopterian held himself rigidly under her arm and she could feel his pulse hammering. He was frightened, although probably not much more than she was.
‘What do you want?’ he asked, trying to keep his voice quiet.
‘I want you to show me to a communications panel,’ Deanna said.
‘Alright,’ The Dopterian swallowed, and started to move off.
Deanna kept a firm hold on him as they advanced slowly down the corridor. Lucky the Dopterians were so unscrupulous, really, or else he might have refused to betray the ship, and she would have had to shoot him.
They advanced along the corridor for a few minutes, and Deanna was relieved that there was a communications centre quite nearby. When they entered, one Dopterian was manning the main console and began to press buttons urgently. Deanna thumbed the phaser control onto what she fervently hoped was the stun setting and shot him. He fell instantly, but she could still hear his breathing, so she moved over to the console.
‘Show me how to work this thing.’ She said to her hostage.
Not that she couldn’t figure it out herself, of course, but this way would be much quicker. She watched carefully as the Dopterian entered some commands, and began to explain it to her.
* * * * *
‘She’s been gone for ages,’ Will said, pacing the cell.
‘Sir, you did tell her to hide until reinforcements arrived,’ Geordi pointed out. ‘She’s supposed to be gone ages. Probably the Enterprise is on her way right now.’
‘And she accepted her mission willingly,’ Worf said. ‘Hers would be an honourable death.’
‘She’s not dead, I’d know.’ Will said, sitting on the bench, then standing up again almost right away and pacing again.
‘If they’d caught her, most likely they’d just put her back in here,’ Geordi said. ‘I’m sure she’s fine, Sir.’
‘I should never have let her go,’ Will said. ‘I feel so helpless, stuck in here, while Deanna’s out there risking her life. Isn’t there anything else we can do to help?’
* * * * *
Deanna monitored the console carefully as she transmitted her distress call on all frequencies, phaser still trained on the Dopterian. All the ships in the sector should receive it, and help should arrive very soon. Her mission was complete.
But that left the question, what was she going to do with this hostage?
‘You’ve given yourself away now,’ he smirked. ‘The crew will detect your transmission and send a Security team here. They will kill you.’
‘Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, the damage is done. Starfleet ships will be arriving to rescue us very soon.’ Deanna’s voice rang with confidence; she had Beverly’s acting classes to thank for that. Her legs felt like jelly.
Her work done, she resumed her tight grip on the Dopterian and showed him that she was moving the indicator on the phaser back up to kill. He grinned nervously. Deanna put the phaser to his head and discreetly thumbed it back down to stun again.
The doors opened and a security team of around twelve Dopterians barrelled in, phaser rifles trained on Deanna.
‘Your Lordship!’ gasped one of the younger guards.
Deanna’s captive rolled his eyes.
‘Oh, he’s a Lordship, is he?’ she asked, with a smile. ‘And here I was thinking he was just an ordinary crewmember. I was almost planning on letting him go.’
The security guard winced as he realised his mistake and the others all glared at him.
‘Great job, Snarrk.’ Muttered one of them.
‘You could always shoot me,’ Deanna suggested, with a broad smile at the leader of the security team. ‘But there’s really no guarantee that I couldn’t vaporise him before you got me, or that you wouldn’t accidentally hit him, since we’re standing so very close. And were that to happen, you would be in a lot of trouble. I, on the other hand, would already be dead, so it wouldn’t make a great deal of difference to me.’
‘We could stun you, then torture you,’ snarled the leader.
‘You could,’ Deanna agreed. ‘But with all those Federation vessels on the way, it doesn’t leave a lot of time. And once you were locked up in a Starfleet brig, I might come back. And I would certainly not be happy.’
The Dopterian guard was silent.
‘In fact, I’m sure you realise that you are going to end up in a Starfleet brig whatever happens. It’s highly probable that it will be the Enterprise that picks us up, and you’re certainly not a match for them. If you co-operate with me, I might be able to talk Captain Picard into being lenient.’
‘You expect us to just give up?’ the Dopterian asked.
Deanna nudged the phaser into the hostage’s neck.
‘Do as she says!’ he said. ‘Or my associates will come after you! And believe me, they will make life extremely unpleasant, in the days before you die!’
The Dopterian guard struggled with his options for several moments, then spat disgustedly and said: ‘What do you want?’
‘I would like for your entire crew to assemble in your cargo bay, and wait.’ Deanna said. ‘I’m releasing you now to arrange that, but don’t forget, I have his Lordship right here with me, so if I hear of any funny business I might just have to hack off a limb.’
Deanna stared intently at the Dopterian guard and he looked suitably unnerved. She had never hacked off a limb and didn’t plan to, but she was rather getting into the role.
‘And throw over three phaser rifles,’ She added as an afterthought.
They obeyed, and she picked them up and hung them on her arm as she watched them leave. After a few moments she followed.
* * * * *
‘So we’re clear on the plan?’ Will asked.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Worf and Geordi.
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all they had, and they all stood anxiously by the door, trying to be extra quiet to hear any approaching Dopterians. After several minutes, they heard footsteps, and tensed ready to spring and bring down the Dopterians who entered. It was very risky.
The door opened and they leapt forward. Then stumbled with confusion.
‘You don’t seem pleased to see me,’ said Deanna, with a wicked smile. ‘Here, take these phaser rifles and guard the cargo bay. There’s a forcefield in place, but you can’t be too careful.’
Will struggled to put all the questions running through his mind into some kind of order.
‘Who is that?’ he decided on, for a start.
‘Oh, hostage,’ said Deanna dismissively. ‘I guess he can have this room, now you aren’t using it.’
She led the hostage into the room, followed the others out, and waved at the Dopterian before closing the door and sealing it.
‘Won’t he just get out the same way you did?’ Geordi asked.
‘Nope. I sealed it up.’ Deanna grinned. ‘Now, you three go guard the cargo bay, I’m off to the Bridge.’
She winked, delighted at the stunned expressions on their faces, and sauntered down the corridor towards the Bridge.
* * * * *
‘Estimated time until we reach the Dopterian vessel,’ Captain Picard demanded, resisting the urge to pace the Bridge.
After receiving the distress call, they had upped their speed to Warp Nine, but it still didn’t seem quick enough to the captain. However much he trusted Will to handle the situation, he couldn’t help being nervous for his missing crewmembers.
‘Approximately twenty-three minutes, sir,’ Data announced. ‘But sir, the Dopterian vessel now appears to be heading towards us, which will decrease the time.’
‘Heading towards us?’ Picard asked.
‘Perhaps they want to negotiate for the return of the shuttle crew?’ Dr Crusher suggested.
‘Are we within hailing range?’ asked the captain.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Data.
‘Then hail them, audio only.’ There was a pause while the channel was opened. ‘Dopterian vessel, this is the USS Enterprise. Why have you taken our crewmembers captive?’
‘Enterprise, this is the Dopterian vessel,’ Deanna’s voice said cheerfully. ‘Sir, the situation is under control, we will rendezvous with you shortly.’
‘Understood,’ said the Captain, a little surprised. ‘Counselor, are the others alright?’
‘Fine, sir,’ said Deanna. ‘You’ll have a full report by tomorrow morning.’
* * * * *
It was not many minutes later when they materialised in the Transporter Room of the Enterprise. Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher were there to greet them, and Beverly began to check for injuries immediately.
‘Good to have you all back.’ Picard smiled, clasping hands with them all and smiling.
‘It’s good to be back, sir,’ Will said.
‘Do we have a tractor beam on the Dopterian vessel?’ Deanna asked.
‘Yes, Counselor,’ Picard said.
She nodded, satisfied with her day’s work. All of them headed back towards the Bridge.
‘So how did you end up taking over an entire Dopterian ship?’ Beverly asked, putting away her tricorder.
She and Picard looked towards Will, and were surprised when Deanna answered.
‘Oh, it wasn’t that difficult, really,’ she said airily. ‘Once I crawled through all those tunnels, took a dignitary hostage and trapped the entire crew in the cargo bay.’
Captain Picard stopped and stared at her.
‘She was amazing,’ said Will, proudly.
Deanna allowed herself a smug smile. She was glad that she had gone to the security conference, after all.
‘So what was your favourite part, Counselor?’ Commander Will Riker asked.
He, Counselor Deanna Troi, Lieutenant Geordi La Forge and Lieutenant Worf sat around the small table of the shuttlecraft recreation area, returning from a security conference. Deanna thought for a moment.
‘The refreshments,’ she said decisively.
Geordi snorted and Worf looked disapproving.
‘I’m sorry!’ she laughed. ‘Security just isn’t one of my passions, I suppose. Although a ship’s counselor has a role to play in security matters, it’s not exactly my favourite part of the job. Most of the lectures weren’t really relevant to me.’
‘That’s understandable,’ said Will. ‘And the refreshments were fantastic.’
‘That cream puff thing!’ said Geordi. ‘I’m going to have to contact their caterers and ask for the replicator pattern.’
‘The food was inferior,’ said Worf. ‘It did not even move on the plate!’ He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, indicating that this was a joke. The others grinned.
There was an urgent klaxon from the business end of the shuttle, and they all rose from their seats and took their positions in the cockpit.
‘We’re being scanned,’ said Will. ‘By an unidentified vessel.’
‘We are caught in some kind of energy beam, unable to move away from it,’ Worf reported.
‘I’m not sensing anything from the vessel,’ Deanna added.
The dark green beam weaving about the shuttle suddenly intensified. Will felt an ache begin at the back of his head, and looked around to see if he had walked into something. He barely had time to realise that it was probably the green beam that was causing it when the pain grew excruciating and he was curling up on the floor to make it stop. Vaguely he noticed that the same thing was happening to the others – Geordi had his arms wrapped around his head and was kneeling on the floor. Deanna and Worf were still standing, but Worf was snarling with the effort of denying the pain and Deanna was holding onto a console to steady herself. Will thought he saw her lose her grip and fall towards the ground, but he wasn’t sure, because by then he was already slipping into blessed unconsciousness.
* * * * *
Deanna opened her eyes with the curious feeling that she had been awake for a while without realising it. She wasn’t sure where she was – the grey metal ceiling was certainly not the same as the one in her quarters. She looked around at the walls – why did her head hurt so when she turned it? – and saw only large, grey tiles. Sitting up, she saw Will, Geordi and Worf in various stages of the same confused awakening. She crawled over to Will, not feeling quite equal to standing just yet, and helped him to sit against the wall.
‘What happened?’ he asked, wincing as he touched his head.
‘Not sure,’ she said, her own voice sounding strange to her. ‘I remember we were on the shuttle…’
‘Yeah, that’s right,’ Geordi volunteered. ‘Something about cream puffs.’
‘There was an emergency,’ Worf said.
‘An energy beam. It was dark green,’ Will said.
‘It hurt,’ said Deanna.
‘It really hurt,’ agreed Geordi, rubbing his fingers on his temples.
‘And we all passed out,’ Will finished. ‘And then we all ended up here. Great, just great. Anyone have any inkling of where here is?’
They looked around the plain box of a room. The pattern of tiles was unbroken, on the floor and ceiling as well as the walls. The only other features were a single lighted panel in the ceiling and a narrow metal bench attached firmly to the floor.
‘A holding cell,’ Worf said.
‘But whose? And why?’ Will said. ‘Are you getting any impressions, Deanna?’
‘Nothing.,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t sense anything in the shuttle, either.’
‘And I’d never seen that vessel configuration before, although I have to admit I didn’t really get a good look at it,’ Geordi said.
There was a loud grunting noise. They all turned to look at Worf. He was searching the pockets of his uniform, the sides and soles of his boots, his hair, everywhere.
‘They have taken every single one of my concealed weapons!’ Worf growled.
‘That’s bad luck,’ said Will. ‘Of course they confiscated all of our weapons, and our commbadges.’
‘But I am a Klingon!’ Worf said. ‘It is a matter of pride to have at least one concealed weapon that nobody finds!’
‘They probably did a deep scan as well as a physical search,’ Deanna said consolingly. ‘They’d never have found them all otherwise.’
Whatever Worf had been about to say was cut off when several of the wall tiles protruded from the wall and became a door that slid open. Behind the door stood three small, fierce-looking humanoids with big phasers.
‘Dopterians,’ snarled Worf.
The Dopterians were a race closely related to the Ferengi, and like the Ferengi were known for their criminal activities.
‘I see you have woken up,’ smirked the Dopterian in the centre. ‘Welcome, Starfleets, to our humble vessel.’
‘Why have you taken us prisoner?’ demanded Will, getting to his feet.
‘The opportunity arose,’ said the Dopterian. ‘Wandering Starfleets is very good, especially from the Enterprise. We will use you for tactical and navigational information and bargaining with the Federation.’
‘You won’t get any information from us,’ Geordi said.
‘I think you will not say that when you have no feet left.’ The Dopterian grinned. ‘Rules are – no trying to escape. A meal will be brought tomorrow. We will take you for interrogation at random times. Goodbye for now, Starfleets.’
The Dopterians withdrew. By now all four of the prisoners were standing. They looked at one another.
‘At least we know who has taken us prisoner now,’ Geordi sighed.
‘And it explains why I didn’t sense anything,’ Deanna said. ‘Dopterian brains are unreadable to Betazoids.’
‘So your abilities are no help at all,’ Said Worf tersely.
‘There’s no need to be insulting,’ Deanna said calmly. ‘Especially since, as it happens, I know a little about the Dopterians. Just because I’m unable to sense them empathically doesn’t mean they don’t have a psychology, and I am a psychologist.’ This was said pointedly in Worf’s direction.
‘So, what exactly do you know about Dopterians?’ Will asked.
‘As a race they are aggressive, cruel and acquisitive,’ Deanna explained, circling the room as though she was giving a briefing. ‘They are very self-preserving, and care little for family ties. However, they do have a respect for authority, which is bestowed on those who have the best weapons or largest fighting forces. Actually, this respect is more likely based on fear, since not respecting someone with power is liable to get you killed. A warlord with a good reputation could travel safely alone – no-one would dare touch him for fear of repercussions from his forces. Dopterians will happily take risks if there is a chance of considerable gain, and they are more interested in weaponry and power than profit.’
‘So how can we turn all of that to our advantage?’ Geordi asked.
‘We can’t, while we’re cooped up in this cell,’ Will said.
‘So our immediate need is a way out of this cell,’ said Worf.
‘The door was over there.’ Geordi pointed. ‘But there isn’t a mechanism on the inside, and it’s likely to be reinforced anyway. We might have better luck looking for an access hatch in the walls somewhere.’
‘Do you think they’re watching us?’ Deanna asked.
‘They did not know we had woken up prior to their entry,’ said Worf. ‘It is reasonable to assume that we are not under surveillance.’
‘Either way, we have to try,’ said Will. ‘Alright, take one wall each.’
They spread out and began to tap the tiles to see if they sounded hollow and try to move them about. It was monotonous work and they were all thoroughly irritated by the time Geordi said:
‘I think I have something.’
‘Let’s hear it, Geordi,’ Will said, moving over to Geordi’s wall.
‘This tile sounds hollow,’ Geordi said, indicating a tile at about waist level. ‘And it moves a little when I push the edge, but only a fraction. I’m trying to pry it from the wall, but I can’t get a good enough grip. If only I had something long and thin to pry it away, there might be something useful behind it, possible even an access hatch.’
‘If I still had my d’k tahg knife, we could have used that,’ said Worf bitterly.
‘Oh, here, let me,’ said Deanna briskly.
She moved over and dug her long nails underneath the offending tile, then wiggled them. For several moments it seemed as if nothing was happening, except that the sound of Deanna’s nails scraping the wall was setting everyone’s teeth on edge.
‘It’s coming loose,’ Deanna said eventually.
Will moved beside her to catch the tile when it fell away. Deanna gritted her teeth and pulled hard. The tile dropped from the wall and into Will’s hands. Deanna smiled. Will put the tile down and stuck his head into the hole in the wall.
‘It’s an access hatch alright,’ he said, from inside. ‘Looks like it goes quite a long way, probably comes out in some corridor or other.’ He pushed further in, but stuck. ‘I can’t get in any further than my shoulders; it’s too narrow.’
‘The Dopterians are a small species,’ Geordi said. ‘Their access hatches don’t need to be as big as ours.’
‘If the Commander is unable to fit, then I certainly will not be able to,’ said Worf.
‘I could give it a try, but…’ Geordi said.
‘It’s alright,’ Deanna said. ‘I know it has to be me. I’m the only one who has a hope of fitting.’
‘But Deanna, it’s dangerous,’ Will said with alarm.
‘Counselor, you’re not really trained for this sort of thing,’ Geordi agreed.
Worf didn’t say anything. Deanna sensed he was still annoyed that he was unable to do anything useful. She would have said something nice to him, but she was still irritated at his comments about her empathic abilities.
‘Maybe I’m not trained for it,’ Deanna said, ‘but just because I’m just a counselor, it doesn’t mean I’m not a Starfleet officer. I can’t stand around and wait to be rescued when there’s something I can do to escape. None of you would do it and you shouldn’t expect me to, either!’
There was a surprised silence. Deanna almost never raised her voice like that.
‘I see your point,’ Will said, finally.
She smiled reassuringly at him – they had served together for five years now, but sometimes it was still difficult for him to think of her as his colleague, a trained professional, instead of his Imzadi whom he wanted to protect from harm. It was very sweet, really.
‘But before we rush into anything, we’re still going to need a plan,’ Geordi said.
‘I agree,’ Deanna nodded. ‘It isn’t as if I can just crawl out of the access hatch and take over the ship.’
‘But you could find a communications panel,’ said Will. ‘And send a distress call to the Enterprise. They might be in range, if we’re not too far away from the rendezvous point.’
‘In fact, there should be several Federation ships in this sector,’ said Worf. ‘One of them will surely pick up our signal.’
* * * * *
‘Now remember,’ said Will, ‘once you’ve sent the distress call, just lay low somewhere until we’re rescued. No point in heroics.’
‘Aye, sir,’ Deanna said.
‘Good luck,’ said Geordi.
‘Qapla,’ added Worf.
‘And please be careful,’ Will said.
She knew he was feeling worried but didn’t want to show it in front of the others, so she made the first move and hugged him tightly for a moment, before crawling into the access hatch. Even for her it was a tight fit and she bumped her head a few times before she got into a steady rhythm, the sounds of the others talking falling further and further behind her. She heard the grating noise as they replaced the tile. She really was on her own now.
She took a deep breath and carried on along the tunnel. There wasn’t any sign of an exit hatch so far. What if all of their hatches were disguised, like the one in the cell? That was a possibility they hadn’t considered. But that was ridiculous – no crew could function like that. She was bound to find an exit sooner or later.
It was several more minutes before Deanna found the hatch. It wasn’t marked, but it was clearly an exit, thank goodness. She paused, listening for anyone outside it. There was a shuffling of feet and muted conversation, that slowly faded away. Deanna listened again. There was no sound outside the hatch. Slowly, she undid the primitive metal bolt and swung the hatch open. It opened onto an empty corridor, and she could see both ways for several metres. She climbed out, took a moment to stretch away the cramps from the tiny tunnel, closed the hatch behind her and headed quietly down the corridor.
* * * * *
Deanna stopped. She had been searching for a commpanel for almost an hour now without success. There were none in the crew quarters – she had broken into one of the crew rooms, heart pounding with panic, only to find that there was no-one there, and no commpanel either. She had similar success in a cargo bay: also empty, also no obvious communications equipment. The problem was that the Dopterians had no signposts and no means of identifying which technology did what. She didn’t think there had been a commpanel, but she wasn’t certain because none of it was marked. And to crown it all, she was pretty sure she’d been in this corridor before. How humiliating to actually escape the holding cell, walk the corridors of the enemy vessel without being apprehended, but be unable to fulfil her mission because she was lost. Lost. She could imagine the jokes Will would crack about women having no sense of direction.
Deanna half wished she hadn’t volunteered for this. Worf’s comments had annoyed her and she had wanted to prove that she was as good as any of them – she couldn’t fail in her mission now. Of course she wanted for them to be rescued, but now it was a matter of pride.
She took a deep breath. She was an intelligent, resourceful Starfleet officer. There was bound to be something else she could do to find a communication panel.
Suddenly, she realised there was something else she could do. It was simple. She would just have to take a Dopterian hostage and make them show her the way. Nothing to it.
* * * * *
Since it was so quiet on that deck, Deanna had moved a few decks up in hope of finding someone to take hostage, but as she hid in a maintenance alcove, listening to the approaching steps of one of the Dopterians, she was beginning to question the wisdom of her plan. Surely she would have found the commpanel eventually?
But it was too late for that now. The Dopterian walked past. At least he was alone, and there was a phaser swinging loosely from his holster. All the better. Deanna crept out of her hiding place and walked behind the Dopterian, matching his steps to avoid being heard.
He stopped. In one swift motion, Deanna grabbed the phaser with one hand and the Dopterian with the other, reaching around to pin his arms to his sides and hold the phaser to his head.
‘Call out and you’ll regret it,’ Deanna said fiercely.
The Dopterian held himself rigidly under her arm and she could feel his pulse hammering. He was frightened, although probably not much more than she was.
‘What do you want?’ he asked, trying to keep his voice quiet.
‘I want you to show me to a communications panel,’ Deanna said.
‘Alright,’ The Dopterian swallowed, and started to move off.
Deanna kept a firm hold on him as they advanced slowly down the corridor. Lucky the Dopterians were so unscrupulous, really, or else he might have refused to betray the ship, and she would have had to shoot him.
They advanced along the corridor for a few minutes, and Deanna was relieved that there was a communications centre quite nearby. When they entered, one Dopterian was manning the main console and began to press buttons urgently. Deanna thumbed the phaser control onto what she fervently hoped was the stun setting and shot him. He fell instantly, but she could still hear his breathing, so she moved over to the console.
‘Show me how to work this thing.’ She said to her hostage.
Not that she couldn’t figure it out herself, of course, but this way would be much quicker. She watched carefully as the Dopterian entered some commands, and began to explain it to her.
* * * * *
‘She’s been gone for ages,’ Will said, pacing the cell.
‘Sir, you did tell her to hide until reinforcements arrived,’ Geordi pointed out. ‘She’s supposed to be gone ages. Probably the Enterprise is on her way right now.’
‘And she accepted her mission willingly,’ Worf said. ‘Hers would be an honourable death.’
‘She’s not dead, I’d know.’ Will said, sitting on the bench, then standing up again almost right away and pacing again.
‘If they’d caught her, most likely they’d just put her back in here,’ Geordi said. ‘I’m sure she’s fine, Sir.’
‘I should never have let her go,’ Will said. ‘I feel so helpless, stuck in here, while Deanna’s out there risking her life. Isn’t there anything else we can do to help?’
* * * * *
Deanna monitored the console carefully as she transmitted her distress call on all frequencies, phaser still trained on the Dopterian. All the ships in the sector should receive it, and help should arrive very soon. Her mission was complete.
But that left the question, what was she going to do with this hostage?
‘You’ve given yourself away now,’ he smirked. ‘The crew will detect your transmission and send a Security team here. They will kill you.’
‘Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, the damage is done. Starfleet ships will be arriving to rescue us very soon.’ Deanna’s voice rang with confidence; she had Beverly’s acting classes to thank for that. Her legs felt like jelly.
Her work done, she resumed her tight grip on the Dopterian and showed him that she was moving the indicator on the phaser back up to kill. He grinned nervously. Deanna put the phaser to his head and discreetly thumbed it back down to stun again.
The doors opened and a security team of around twelve Dopterians barrelled in, phaser rifles trained on Deanna.
‘Your Lordship!’ gasped one of the younger guards.
Deanna’s captive rolled his eyes.
‘Oh, he’s a Lordship, is he?’ she asked, with a smile. ‘And here I was thinking he was just an ordinary crewmember. I was almost planning on letting him go.’
The security guard winced as he realised his mistake and the others all glared at him.
‘Great job, Snarrk.’ Muttered one of them.
‘You could always shoot me,’ Deanna suggested, with a broad smile at the leader of the security team. ‘But there’s really no guarantee that I couldn’t vaporise him before you got me, or that you wouldn’t accidentally hit him, since we’re standing so very close. And were that to happen, you would be in a lot of trouble. I, on the other hand, would already be dead, so it wouldn’t make a great deal of difference to me.’
‘We could stun you, then torture you,’ snarled the leader.
‘You could,’ Deanna agreed. ‘But with all those Federation vessels on the way, it doesn’t leave a lot of time. And once you were locked up in a Starfleet brig, I might come back. And I would certainly not be happy.’
The Dopterian guard was silent.
‘In fact, I’m sure you realise that you are going to end up in a Starfleet brig whatever happens. It’s highly probable that it will be the Enterprise that picks us up, and you’re certainly not a match for them. If you co-operate with me, I might be able to talk Captain Picard into being lenient.’
‘You expect us to just give up?’ the Dopterian asked.
Deanna nudged the phaser into the hostage’s neck.
‘Do as she says!’ he said. ‘Or my associates will come after you! And believe me, they will make life extremely unpleasant, in the days before you die!’
The Dopterian guard struggled with his options for several moments, then spat disgustedly and said: ‘What do you want?’
‘I would like for your entire crew to assemble in your cargo bay, and wait.’ Deanna said. ‘I’m releasing you now to arrange that, but don’t forget, I have his Lordship right here with me, so if I hear of any funny business I might just have to hack off a limb.’
Deanna stared intently at the Dopterian guard and he looked suitably unnerved. She had never hacked off a limb and didn’t plan to, but she was rather getting into the role.
‘And throw over three phaser rifles,’ She added as an afterthought.
They obeyed, and she picked them up and hung them on her arm as she watched them leave. After a few moments she followed.
* * * * *
‘So we’re clear on the plan?’ Will asked.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Worf and Geordi.
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all they had, and they all stood anxiously by the door, trying to be extra quiet to hear any approaching Dopterians. After several minutes, they heard footsteps, and tensed ready to spring and bring down the Dopterians who entered. It was very risky.
The door opened and they leapt forward. Then stumbled with confusion.
‘You don’t seem pleased to see me,’ said Deanna, with a wicked smile. ‘Here, take these phaser rifles and guard the cargo bay. There’s a forcefield in place, but you can’t be too careful.’
Will struggled to put all the questions running through his mind into some kind of order.
‘Who is that?’ he decided on, for a start.
‘Oh, hostage,’ said Deanna dismissively. ‘I guess he can have this room, now you aren’t using it.’
She led the hostage into the room, followed the others out, and waved at the Dopterian before closing the door and sealing it.
‘Won’t he just get out the same way you did?’ Geordi asked.
‘Nope. I sealed it up.’ Deanna grinned. ‘Now, you three go guard the cargo bay, I’m off to the Bridge.’
She winked, delighted at the stunned expressions on their faces, and sauntered down the corridor towards the Bridge.
* * * * *
‘Estimated time until we reach the Dopterian vessel,’ Captain Picard demanded, resisting the urge to pace the Bridge.
After receiving the distress call, they had upped their speed to Warp Nine, but it still didn’t seem quick enough to the captain. However much he trusted Will to handle the situation, he couldn’t help being nervous for his missing crewmembers.
‘Approximately twenty-three minutes, sir,’ Data announced. ‘But sir, the Dopterian vessel now appears to be heading towards us, which will decrease the time.’
‘Heading towards us?’ Picard asked.
‘Perhaps they want to negotiate for the return of the shuttle crew?’ Dr Crusher suggested.
‘Are we within hailing range?’ asked the captain.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Data.
‘Then hail them, audio only.’ There was a pause while the channel was opened. ‘Dopterian vessel, this is the USS Enterprise. Why have you taken our crewmembers captive?’
‘Enterprise, this is the Dopterian vessel,’ Deanna’s voice said cheerfully. ‘Sir, the situation is under control, we will rendezvous with you shortly.’
‘Understood,’ said the Captain, a little surprised. ‘Counselor, are the others alright?’
‘Fine, sir,’ said Deanna. ‘You’ll have a full report by tomorrow morning.’
* * * * *
It was not many minutes later when they materialised in the Transporter Room of the Enterprise. Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher were there to greet them, and Beverly began to check for injuries immediately.
‘Good to have you all back.’ Picard smiled, clasping hands with them all and smiling.
‘It’s good to be back, sir,’ Will said.
‘Do we have a tractor beam on the Dopterian vessel?’ Deanna asked.
‘Yes, Counselor,’ Picard said.
She nodded, satisfied with her day’s work. All of them headed back towards the Bridge.
‘So how did you end up taking over an entire Dopterian ship?’ Beverly asked, putting away her tricorder.
She and Picard looked towards Will, and were surprised when Deanna answered.
‘Oh, it wasn’t that difficult, really,’ she said airily. ‘Once I crawled through all those tunnels, took a dignitary hostage and trapped the entire crew in the cargo bay.’
Captain Picard stopped and stared at her.
‘She was amazing,’ said Will, proudly.
Deanna allowed herself a smug smile. She was glad that she had gone to the security conference, after all.
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Date: 2005-02-09 06:33 pm (UTC)I do love Worf, heh!