Posted by Civilian Michael Conrad (Owner- Black Sparrow) in Elsewhere- A Universe of Possibilities

Posted by Civilian Akem (Independent Operator) in Elsewhere- A Universe of Possibilities

Posted by Civilian Lai Kitrian (Independent Operator) in Elsewhere- A Universe of Possibilities
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
An aqua scarf covered her head as they moved through the tiny way station. There wasn’t much here and few people, which made it hard to hide. This of course presented them with a large problem given that they had hoped to be inconspicuous here, but the need for supplies had driven them to take risks they normally would not have.

Lai resisted the urge to look back at Akem, though her special senses told her he was still behind her. For a moment was she crept forward, Lai soaked in that sensation knowing that it grounded her, kept her calm. She needed him and not just because they were beautifully bound to each other. It also was not because of his Deltan pheromones. She loved him: it was that simple. And in the tradition of both their peoples, they followed their hearts.

A chill flowed over her body, a familiar sensation where certain people were nearby. “They’re here, Akem. We need to get out of sight!”

~Lai Kitrian, Woman on the Run

Akem froze for the briefest of seconds as he too could sense the proximity of their enemies.Despite knowing full well how dangerous things were about to get, he still found peace with Lai. Their bond was unique. He loved her very much, and found that together they were stronger than apart.

And this was why they definitely needed to run! “They’re likely aware of my presence now. Those pheremone treatments I used were not very strong. I can feel eyes watching me now.”

Akem was indeed the center of a good many a person’s attention when his pheremones ran uninhibited. And it was usually the ladies who took a particularly keen interest at that.

He noticed one hallway which seemed to be mostly empty, even further down. “Let’s try this one and see if we can’t find a air duct or maintenance tunnel to sneak off into,” he said to her in such a low voice that most even at this range would need help hearing. Akem was used to supplying his words with images into Lai’s mind. Their connection ran so deep that he could simply project at will to her and she would see it.

-Akem, Man on the Run

Her heart was thudding so loudly it echoed in her ears. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his shoulder, her fingers seeking reassurance. “I’m right behind you,” she said, keeping her voice as soft as she could.

Lai was tired. Not just physically (which she was), but emotionally. They had spent so long fleeing from those that would do either of them (but especially Akem) harm. But these people they fled from now knew that she too had unique abilities and she’d rather die than become some test-case in a lab where no one would ever find her. But at least her family was safe. She had left Tyrellia to ensure that they would be protected. That trouble had found her soon after didn’t matter so long as her mother and grandparents were alive and well. It hurt to be so far from them, but as far as Lai knew, she’d never be returning to her homeworld and she would simply have to accept that reality.

As they moved, the quietness in the corridor made the sound in her ears deafening. A tremble moved across her body and Lai had to force herself to breath. “Hurry!” she whispered.

~Lai Kitrian, Woman on the Run

Akem reached his hand to meet hers, a firm reassuring touch to help calm her mind. They had been through so much together. Being hunted had a way of doing that to people. And even now, once more, he found themselves running. He longed for a day where it would just end, where the looming threat of what chased them would be quenched. He feared though, that it was simply a fantasy never to be made real.

A moment, a breath of peace. It was enough. His touch soothed that small frightened child within, and Lai inhaled a steady breath.

He then moved quietly down the corridor. There eventually was some noise coming from somewhere else. Voices and other non-vocal sounds. They neared a door at the end of the corridor. A dead end it seemed, besides that entry. “They told me shuttles were down this corridor for rent. This definitely does not seem…” he said trailing off as he heard voices back down the corridor they had come from.

“I think this is a trap,” he said unable to keep some of the pressure from being shown. He had to get her somewhere safe, even if it meant his own life. He turned to her. “You must keep going, I can distract them,” he pleaded as he led them through the only door there.

-Akem, Man on the Run

“I’m not leaving you!” Lai declared, her face set. “We go together or not at all.”

Defiance infused her body and determination soon followed. “Come on,” she said and moved closer to the door. It slid open and Lai stepped into not a shuttlebay as they had hoped it might be, but rather some sort of lab. Screens covered one wall and the centre held some sort of large chamber that glowed blue. Energy flowed through it and she could all be feel it vibrating in the room. It was connected to something deeper, elemental. It wasn’t something she couldn’t describe with any precision, but her intrinsic sense of the universe told her this contraption was beautifully dangerous.

“We need to get out of here!” she warned and headed back for the doorway but it was too late. The Hunters had arrived, well armed as they always were.

“It is over,” the leader said, their deep voice sending a chill through her bones.

“Screw you,” Lai said, whipping out a weapon and firing. It hit one of the Hunters and they went down. She trusted Akem to get out of the way and find his own cover. Halai ducked behind the central chamber, her heart racing. If it ended here, she was going to take as many of them down with her as possible. And maybe Akem could escape. There was a part of her that was so tired of running that she had contemplated on occasion whether she could keep going. But Akem tethered her to life in a way she had never expected and deeply appreciated. They needed each other: simple.

She ducked out enough to let off another shot just in time to avoid being hit. But this Hunter hadn’t used an energy weapon, no, they were known as the Amagray, or Death-Bringers. They sought blood. The shot ricocheted and Lai felt a searing pain through her abdomen. It made her double over, hands digging into her stomach to counter the pain and she slowly crouched to the ground. As her hand planted on the metal floor, bright red stared back at her. Looking up, her eyes met Akem’s and she forced a smile. “Take them down for me? Make them pay for turning me into one of them,” she said, her voice thick with disgust. They had one too many occasions forced her to ignore the basic tenet of her people to not inflict harm on others. She was tainted.

Sitting with her back against the base of the chamber, herhead felt heavy and for a moment she just needed to rest. The sounds of shots firing became dimmer but she could still feel the warm energy within the chamber.

Akem’s hand touched her, and that beautiful connection made her smile. Lai knew she was dying, but it was okay. She could be at peace now.

Energy ripped through the room as one of the energy weapons hit the chamber. The unknown experiment shattered and the energy imploded before exploding. There was a tangible ripple that washed over Lai and Akem, connected to the chamber still.

Then all was still. The room was the same, but the chamber was gone. So were the Hunters. They were alone and Lai was still barely alive. Her eyes slipped closed and she sank in his arms, merciful unconsciousness taking her even as blood seeped out of her.

~Lai Kitrian, A Dying Woman

OOC: I had to modify some details with my previous two posts as I missed some details I already wrote. :P Whoops!

This was bad, Akem knew. She was bleeding a lot and she needed medical attention asap. The room had felt as though it had exploded, but where there were hostile assailants, there were now none. What happened? How did we surivive? he thought. He shoved the thoughts aside, knowing that regardless, they needed to find a way off of the station. He quickly holstered the gun and lifted Lai into his arms. “Stay with me Lai!” he said, his arms encasing her in whatever calm he could give her.

He carried her as he strode into the corridor they just came from. The hall had changed though! Now on the opposite side of the room was docking port with a ship currently in dock. A Terran man stood there staring at him in disbelief. With the nagging feeling like something was seriously wrong, he decided to go against his gut and focus on getting Lai the help she needed.

-Akem, Man trying to save his woman

Up until this point, Michael Conrad and his klingon comrade Kanok were loading up some last minute cargo containers. They were told that this cargo specifically was not to be opened. While it was deemed hazardous, Conrad knew full well he was liable to open up or at the very least give it a thorough scan to make sure he knew what exactly he was transporting.

“You ever get tired of this Kanok?” he said as he hoisted the final container and set it through the door doors.

Kanok gave him a questioning look, his brows knit together as though what Conrad had stated was crazy talk. “Yeah,” said Conrad. “I know, its’s dumb to think that way. Long as the latinum is worth it, we’ll just keep doing this.” The truth was, Conrad had yet to have a stable crew. Time and time again, folks would come and then leave for some reason. Kanok had stuck around though. Never a truer friend that klingon, though Kanok would never admit to it.

Suddenly, across the hall was an explosion of some kind. Both he and Kanok jumped into the the Black Sparrow for cover just to be safe. “The hell was that!”

Kanok stood back up with a growl and his disruptor drawn.

“Will you just give it a moment? We don’t know what that was! Why does everything have to be a threat?” said Conrad with some hint of accusation towards him. He swore the klingon was always looking for a fight. Not to different from any other klingon he encountered, to be fair. He put his hands up. “Just wait here a moment and let me check first.”

Michael moved back out into the corridor with some speed. He was typically ready to jump headlong into a situation and let his adrenaline help him think. A door to an old lab opened up. A bald, rather handsome looking man stepped out carrying a woman who seemed badly injured. He recognized him though. He was stunned, unsure why Akem would be stepping out of an old lab after a strange explosion. “What are you doing here old friend?” he asked cautiously, unsure as to whether he should believe his eyes or not.

-Michael Conrad, Black Sparrow CO

Old friend? This man was no friend of his that he was aware of. Friends for him were few and far between and he was certain he had never met this man in his life. But Lai’s life hung in the balance.

“Please, she needs help,” he pleaded, hoping that the sense of urgency would override the little fake reunion about to occur. Blood now had started soaking his clothes. The Terran moved towards him with a sense of concern.

“She’s bleeding out! The nearest medical facility is a bit of a travel from here. I’ve got a medical wing, but as you well know I’m fresh out of doctors. You can stick her up in there doc, let’s hurry.” After speaking, the man had a look of recognition appear across his features, which then turned into utter bewilderment and confusion. “Akem, are you still a doctor?”

It was Akem’s turn to give a look of confusion. “No! That’s why she needs to get to a major medical facility!”

The man shook his head in disbelief, but eventually just accepted his fate. He threw his hands up in the air and gestured to the port. “Get in. Oed V is going to be a bit of travel. Best I can do is see that she gets into cryo stasis. We still have 3 working pods at the moment. Come on!” The man then darted through the entry way and onto a ship Akem had never been on in his life.

-Akem, Saving Lai