From: plp1@Ra.MsState.Edu (pat parker)
Subject: T'Selar Part 3 (REPOST)
Organization: Mississippi State University
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 03:40:48 GMT


Star Trek
The Next Generation

_T'Selar_

_Part_III_

By Patrick Parker, June 1992

* * * * *

      Selar tried to scream, but she couldn't.  She was too scared and
sickened at the thought of being raped.  She tried to sit up as the Romulan
hunched over her and unfastened her pants.  She tried to push him away, but he
punched her and she fell back.  She lay crying as he ripped the front of her
pants apart and grabbed her groin.  She smelled brassy sweat.  She smelled
foul breath.  She smelled burning flesh.  Burning flesh?
      The guard dropped his weight forward onto Selar and she screamed,
finally able to make her vocal cords work.  She thrashed about trying to get
him off of her, trying to get his hand off of her groin, trying to get her
pants pulled together.  She finally realized that he wasn't moving.
      She threw him off of her.  He rolled to lie face down beside her, and
she saw a smoking hole the size of her head in his back.  She looked up, saw
the Romulan Captain - phaser in hand, and fainted.
      During this struggle, Beverly Crusher had been slowly regaining
consciousness.  There were voices far away; screaming, but in the darkness she
couldn't see who was screaming.  She felt compelled to find the source of the
screams, to get to the voices, but she seemed to move so slowly.
      There was light now, and it hurt her eyes even through her swollen lids. 
She realized her whole face hurt.  The names of her broken facial bones
automatically came to her trained, medical mind;
Nasal...Maxilla...Zygomatic...
      She pulled herself up to an elbow and leaned against the wall trying to
bear the pain.  She couldn't breathe through her nose and she didn't want to
open her eyes.  Had the Enterprise been attacked?  She didn't remember how she
had been injured.
      The screaming had stopped now and it was quiet.  What the hell was going
on here?  I'm not on Enterprise.  Where am I?  Suddenly she remembered.  She
squeezed her puffy eyes open and lurched toward Selar.  The Vulcan wasn't
moving.  Neither was the Romulan.
      Falkl'or watched from the door to the cell as the human crawled toward
the Vulcan.  Damn, he thought.  Such lack of discipline.  He raised his phaser
and blasted a hole in the chest of the Romulan that Beverly had knocked out. 
He then turned and reactivated the detention field.  He walked away leaving
the injured doctors alone with the smoldering bodies.  

* * * * *

      The engineer lay in her quarters wearing only an over-sized shirt.  She
had been working in engineering for hours and now she was enjoying the quiet
solitude of her quarters.  She was thinking about Falkl'or's not being pleased
with her performance earlier that day and she wanted to make up for it somehow
- but not right now.  She just wanted to rest by herself for a moment while
she figured out how to please her Lord.
      R'annec did not get to rest long though.  The door opened and Falkl'or
walked in and paused by the bed.  He blew out an exasperated breath.  The
smell of charred meat still clung to his clothes.  R'annec wrinkled her nose
at the smell.
      "Two guards were assaulting the prisoners," he explained.  "I had to
kill them."
      R'annec sat up and tried to calm him down a bit.  "I'm sorry I didn't
please you this morning, my Lord.  I was inconsiderate of your desires." 
R'annec smiled and reached out for his hand.  "Let me make it up to you; come
lie with me."  She had ideas of a mutually pleasurable night with her lover. 
He had other ideas.
      He jerked her shirt off and pushed her down onto the bed.  She frowned
slightly as he shed his clothes and leapt on top of her.  She tried to adjust
herself to make it enjoyable for both of them, but he was in a frenzy and was
hurting her.  With each thrust he mumbled some incomprehensible obscenity.
      Finally his rage, if not his passion, was exhausted and he rolled away. 
Seeing that he was not satisfied, she climbed on top and tried to continue. 
He just knocked her off with a knee and sat up.  "I don't know what they saw
in the ugly Vulcan bitch, anyway."
      He had raped her.  The bastard had used her to vent his frustrations
against the Vulcan prisoner.  R'annec had no idea how the Vulcan was able to
change her man into such a monster.  She'd see, though.  She have to go see
just what it was about the Vulcan prisoner that drove Falkl'or into such a
frenzy.

* * * * *

      "Mr. Worf, raise the T'karin on subspace."  Picard was tired of running
his starship up and down the neutral zone while his two highest ranked medical
officers were missing.  He still couldn't leave the zone because there were no
ships close enough to take over the patrol, and the waiting was unbearable. 
He at least wanted to know how the search was going.
      Counselor Troi looked over at him from her chair.  She could tell what
was troubling him, and gave him a brief smile to reassure him.  He looked back
to the main viewer and smoothed out the front of his green sweater.  He had
just finished tugging the crimson jacket into place when the klingon announced
that the commander of the T'karin was on screen.
      "This is Captain Picard of the Enterprise.  Commander Slway, how is the
search going?"
      The Vulcan on the viewer had the appearance of a typical Vulcan Defence
Forces Commander.  There was an immovable composure etched into his thin face. 
His short, black hair framed his head in a model of control.
      "We have not located the missing doctors yet.  Our squadron has swept
the path that the shuttlecraft should have taken from its point-of-departure
to Vulcan.  We are now searching two star systems that lie near the shuttle's
supposed trajectory."
      "You have not located any energy residue or debris that could be
associated with the shuttlecraft, have you?"
      "No, Captain Picard.  However, before we left Vulcan we were
investigating a set of curious energy readings from near one of the Vulcan
moons.  The readings indicated neutrino and graviton emissions, but we located
no source."
      Data turned to the Picard from his position at the Operations station. 
"Captain, low-level neutrino and graviton emissions could indicate the
presence of a cloaked Romulan warship."  He turned back to his station.
      The Vulcan on the screen glanced at the android, then back at Picard. 
"Yes, we were unable to pinpoint the source of the emissions before they
ceased.  I would advise you to be alert for the presence of cloaked Warbirds
in Federation space.  We will transmit to you the sensor readings that we
obtained from the moon.  You may find them useful in locating any cloaked
ships."
      The android bent over his station and began interpreting the incoming
sensor data as the communication screen blanked.  

* * * * *

      There was pain and madness.  Swirling lights resolved into vague shapes
and strange sounds came through the flickering illumination.  A gust of frigid
air would hit her, followed by a blast from hell.  She was wracked with
convulsions.
      Beverly watched as the Vulcan slowly regained consciousness.  Dr.
Crusher was rarely unable to help a hurting patient and this was more than she
could stand.  Soon, she would be forced to watch as Selar died from mating
season sickness.  What a senseless death, she thought.
      Selar came awake suddenly and pulled herself up, groping for her torn
pants; trying to pull them up.  The pants were ruined and did nothing to serve
her modesty, so Beverly had taken her own oversized blue jacket and tied it
around the Vulcan's waist as an improvised skirt.
      The cool air blowing under the jacket and onto her exposed pelvis was
provoking her condition.  She pulled the jacket closer around her waist and
tucked it between her legs to cut down on the cold air.
      "Why did you kill them?"  Selar asked Bev.
      "I didn't kill them.  The Romulan Captain killed them.  They were trying
to rape us."
      "You shouldn't have killed them, Beverly.  They could've had me and I'd
have a beautiful baby and everyone would live and it would have been fine." 
The Vulcan lifted an eyebrow and glared at Beverly.  "Now I'm going to die
too.  You've killed them and me, Beverly.  And my baby that I could have had -
you killed the baby too.  Why did you want to kill us, Beverly?  You are most
illogical."  Selar's clinched fist was shaking.
      Dr. Crusher backed away a step, afraid.  "Selar, calm down - you aren't
thinking straight right now.  I didn't kill the Romulans, and besides, you
were fighting them yourself.  Do you remember?"
      "Of course I was fighting them.  The bastards were trying to rape me. 
If I could, I'd kill every one of the damned Romulans.  I'd strangle every one
of their little vermin offspring.  That would get them back for all they've
done to me and my baby.  That would get them back for all they've done to my
people."
      Before Beverly could say anything, Selar continued her ranting.  "My
people will not stand for this.  They will mass their warships and destroy
every pathetic planet in the so-called, Romulan Empire!"  She was shouting
now.  Suddenly she leapt off the bench, her improvised skirt falling behind
her, and leapt into the detaining field.  With a crackle and a flash, it
propelled her back against the opposite wall.  She slumped to the ground.
      Beverly ran over and lifted one of Selar's eyelids.  The other eyelid
popped open and Selar focussed on the Doctor through milky white eyes.  She
shook her head.
      "Doctor, that was illogical, wasn't it?"  Selar asked.
      "That was damned stupid, Selar."  Beverly was flushed with angry concern
for her patient.  Her face softened.  "But understandable in your condition."
      Selar bent one leg and pressed the warm thigh against her other leg to
keep the cold air away from her groin.  Beverly started to get the jacket-
skirt, but Selar pulled her closer.
      "Doctor.  If I were in a better condition, I could use my mental powers
to cause myself to die.  I can't do that now, because I cannot draw upon the
concentration necessary.  Don't you think that it's ironic?"
      Beverly frowned and started to say something, but Selar cut her off. 
"If I were in perfect health I could kill myself, but now that I am infirm, I
cannot."  She clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh.  in a moment
she looked back at the Doctor.  "You have to kill me since I can't kill
myself."
      "Hush this talk of killing and dying.  If you'll just hang on for a
moment, Jean-Luc will be here to get us."  She crossed her fingers.

* * * * *

      Picard paced back and forth on the upper deck of the bridge.  He was
unusually agitated and was unable to sit still in his command chair while
Beverly and Selar were lost.  As the Captain paced on the upper deck, Riker
paced around the lower level.  Deanna Troi watched the two with growing
irritation.  Finally she stood up and faced the Captain.
      "Captain, you and Commander Riker are agitated to the point that you
would both be close to useless in an emergency situation."  She turned to face
Riker.  "I know you have both been up for longer than twenty-four hours and I
suggest you both get some rest."
      They both knew from her looks that it was anything but a suggestion. 
Picard puffed out his chest in a simulation of perfect health.  "Nonsense,
Counselor.  I am fit."  He thumped his chest with his fist.  Riker nodded his
enthusiastic agreement.  They looked for all the world like a pair of children
trying to convince their mother that they didn't need to go to bed early.
      Deanna placed one hand on her hip.  "Neither of you are in perfect
fitness right now.  If you don't heed my request then I can have the acting
CMO make it a medical order."  Her other hand hovered over her communicator.
      The two officer surrendered simultaneously.  It looked like the air had
been let out of them.  Picard started to say something as he stepped toward
the turbolift and Riker started up the ramp, but Data called out from his
station.
      "Captain, I'm picking up energy signals similar to the ones the T'karin
broadcasted to us.  The readings are coming from just inside the neutral
zone."
      Counselor Troi glared at the android as Picard swung around the rail of
the upper deck and, with his Number-One, strode to the command chairs.  Troi
sank into her chair with her arms crossed, pouting.
      "Mr. Data, is it a cloaked Romulan vessel?"  Riker asked.
      "Given the specific types of radiation, I believe it to be..."
      "Captain!  On-Screen."  Worf shouted, interrupting Data.
      They all looked to the viewer and saw a massive Romulan ship materialize
in front of the Enterprise.  The ship's running lights cast an eerie green
brilliance onto the upper and lower wings of the Warbird.  The ship slowed and
rotated to face the Enterprise as it finished materializing.
      "Captain, sensors show that to be the Retribution.  She is the ship that
crippled the Dauntless."  Worf's hands were poised over the weapon controls
ready for the captain to call his warrior skills into action.  "Shields? 
Weapons, sir?"
      "Yellow alert,"  Picard agreed.  "And hail them."
      "Captain, they are hailing us,"  Worf said as he initiated the Yellow
Alert and raised the shields.
      "Onscreen."
      The view resolved to that of two Romulans.  One of them was smiling a
confident grin and the other was quietly avoiding looking directly at the
communication screens.  There was a moment of silent evaluation as the two
captains looked each other up and down.  Picard spoke first.
      "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise. 
You are currently in violation of the Neutral Zone Treaty.  You engaged the
USS Dauntless in battle four days ago.  This is also a violation of the
Neutral Zone Treaty as well as being a flagrant act of war." 
      Picard's tirade did not impress the Romulan captain.  "It seems that
your view of the facts is skewed, Piek'rd.  The Dauntless entered the neutral
zone and engaged us in battle.  We were forced to defend ourselves.  Had we
attacked the Dauntless in earnest, it would be dust right now."  His grin
faded and he leaned forward.  "Perhaps we should have destroyed the
Dauntless."
      Picard straightened his back.  "Just what do you mean by that,
captain..."
      "Falkl'or."  The Romulan leaned back in his seat.  "I mean that we have
uncovered your spies in the neutral zone, Piek'rd, and soon we shall know
exactly what your plans for them were."  He smiled triumphantly and his second
in command frowned silently, still not looking directly at Picard.
      "That is preposterous!"  Picard turned partially away from the screen.
      "Oh is it?"  Falkl'or looked down and pressed a control on a panel.  He
sneered as an inset window appeared on the screen.  The inset showed the
partially dismantled Enterprise shuttlecraft in the Romulan shuttlecraft bay. 
A horde of Romulan engineers and scientists were swarming over it taking it
apart.
      Worf slammed a fist into the top of his console and Riker jumped up from
his chair.  Deanna rose from her chair with a bit more reservation, but with
the same look of concern.  Picard was furious.
      "What have you done with the passengers of that shuttle?"
      "Oh, don't worry, your agents are still alive, though one was slightly
injured in an escape attempt."  Falkl'or was clearly pleased at the reaction
he was getting from the Enterprise crew, but his first officer shifted
nervously again.  Falkl'or pressed another control and an inset appeared
showing the two doctors huddled in their cell.
      Deanna gasped when she saw Beverly's face and Selar's ripped uniform.
      "Those two women are doctors, not spies, and they were light-years away
from the neutral zone.  You must have been in Federation space to be able to
intercept that shuttle."
      "We picked them up well inside the neutral zone."  Falkl'or lied.  "What
would a pair of doctors be doing in the neutral zone." 
      "That shuttle was headed to Vulcan on a medical mission of gravest
necessity.  You know they weren't inside the neutral zone.  You must release
them."
      "I do not have to do anything on your account, Piek'rd,"  Falkl'or
scowled.  "I must, however, be leaving now.  If you attempt to stop me, YOU
will be in violation of the Neutral Zone Treaty.  Retribution out!"
      The main picture on the screen faded to black, leaving the two insets
with the views of the shuttle and the prisoners.  Worf jabbed his finger at a
control to purge those two windows.
      "Captain,"  Data said, his fingers flying over the controls of his
station.  "The Romulans are getting ready to cloak.  I am attempting to use
the sensor readings from the T'karin to follow them..."  He worked for a few
more seconds.  "Captain.  A computer generated image of the Retribution is now
appearing on the tactical displays.
      "Good!  Helm, place us between the Retribution and the Romulan side of
the neutral zone.  Keep us directly in her path.  Engage."  He waited for a
moment as the tactical display showed the Enterprise moving to block the
Warbird.  "Mr. Worf.  If they attempt to jump to warp speed, target their
engines with phasers - just enough to stop them."

* * * * *

      On the Romulan ship, Falkl'or sat back in his command chair, pleased
with the taunting he had just given the Federation captain.  He chose to
ignore the funk that his second in command was displaying.  He was having too
much fun teasing Piek'rd to chastise his sub-commander right now.
      "Helm, engage cloaking device and take us out of here."  He glanced over
his shoulder at Engineer R'annec at her station.  She smiled confidently as
the ship became invisible.
      The helmsman looked up at his captain.  "Lord, the Federation vessel has
moved directly into our course.  She is remaining directly in our path."
      "What?  Try evasive maneuver three-three."  He pushed himself up out of
his chair and stepped forward to look over the helmsman's shoulder.
      "Lord, she moves to block us each time.  She can see us."
      Falkl'or turned and frowned at the Engineer who was busy running scans
of the cloaking system.  As the captain came up behind her, she turned to him
and shrugged.  He backfisted her across her cheek, knocking her into her
console.
      "Report to Engineering.  Get down there and fix your damned cloaking
device so that the Enterprise can't see us.  Don't leave there until you get
it corrected."
      She was fuming as she stormed off the bridge.  Her cheek was numb and
was beginning to swell, but the bruise was not so noticeable yet.  She was
already green with fury.  She stomped down the corridor and around the corner
toward Engineering.
      Halfway to Engineering she passed by the brig and slid to a halt, an
idea forming.  She had intended to go see just why this Vulcan prisoner was
changing Falkl'or so much.  R'annec clinched her fist and turned into the
brig.  She was prepared for the Vulcan's quiet control, but she pulled up
short in surprise at the detaining field.
      The Vulcan lay on her side facing the back wall.  Her hair was in
disarray and she wore a blue jacket as a skirt.  She was convulsing slightly
and breathing hard.
      "My God!  That smell..."  R'annec breathed.
      The human turned and stood up as R'annec turned off the detaining field
and stepped inside the cell.  The left side of the human's face was blue and
her left eye was swollen shut.  R'annec stepped toward the Vulcan, but the
human slid between them.
      "I think your people have already done enough damage.  If you're not a
doctor, then why don't you leave."  She reached up and brushed a strand of red
hair out of her face.
      R'annec started to step around the human, but got cut off again. 
R'annec punched at the doctor, but Beverly sidestepped and tried to lead
R'annec off balance for a T'ai Chi throw.  It didn't work.  R'annec flowed
with Beverly, her motions as smooth as a cat.  Too late Beverly realized she
was off balance, then in the air.  Beverly flipped through the air, spread-
eagled, and landed face first on the floor.  Pain exploded throughout her head
and she had to fight to remain conscious.
      R'annec turned away from the disabled human and knelt at the Vulcan's
side.  She took her by a shoulder and pulled her onto her back.  When the
Vulcan didn't resist, but simply lay there shivering and panting, she sat back
onto her heels and rubbed her chin.
      Hmmmmm, could it be?  Surely Falkl'or wouldn't keep this Vulcan
imprisoned during her mating time.  R'annec turned toward the human who was
clawing her way upright.  she pointed back at the Vulcan.
      "Is this Pon Far?"
      Beverly tried to raise an eyebrow, but it hurt too much.  She couldn't
even bring herself to be sarcastic.  She hooked an elbow over the side of a
chair and leaned back against it.
      "Yeah.  What do you know about Pon Far?  What do you care?"
      "My people haven't completely shaken off the primitive urges of our
Vulcan ancestors."  She looked back at Selar.  "Mostly it occurs in Romulan
females now.  The scent is similar.  A lot of males don't even know that we
still have traces of the urge."  She looked back at Beverly, her expression
softened.  "I'm sure the captain would turn you both back over to the
Enterprise if he knew her condition.  We are a compassionate people."
      This time Beverly did raise an eyebrow.  She shook her hair out of her
face.  "It doesn't matter.  You've killed her anyway.  I doubt she'll make it
much longer and without medical supplies I can't help her."
      R'annec looked back down ar Selar.  "I can help her."  She started to
reach out to Selar, but Beverly lurched forward.  R'annec reached up and
placed her hand on Beverly's chest.  With a push she sent the doctor sliding
backward across the cell.
      "Our people are not as evil as you think - you'll see.  I will make her
stronger right now and the captain will take you back to the Enterprise when I
tell him about her condition."
      The Romulan looked down at the Vulcan and took a deep breath.  Placing
her fingertips on either side of Selar's head, she found the temples.  Beverly
looked on in amazement as R'annec began a mind meld.

* * * * *

      The helmsman on the Enterprise worked constantly, and with Data's help
was able to keep the Enterprise in the path of the Romulan ship.  Worf was
poised, anxiously awaiting any attempt to escape, but the Romulan ship finally
powered down their engines and sat quietly in space, ignoring the Enterprise's
hails.
      "Captain, message from Vulcan.  It is Staoq again."
      The captain looked weary, but managed to pull himself together. 
"Onscreen."
      The elderly Vulcan appeared on the screen and began speaking without any
amenities.  "Captain Picard.  Have you located Selar yet?"
      "We have located her, but she is being held captive by the Romulans."
      "She is still alive?"
      "Last time we saw her she was alive but looked to be in bad shape."
      The Vulcan thought for a moment then spoke simply.  "My son is beyond
our ability to help, now.  If you are unable to return Selar to Vulcan very
soon, He will die."  Staoq terminated the communication with that.
      Picard stood up and strode toward the ready room, talking.  "Mr. Data,
You have the bridge.  Commander Riker - come with me.  I want to talk to my
senior staff in fifteen minutes."  The door whooshed shut behind the two
officers.

* * * * *

      Falkl'or strode into Engineering and was surprised not to see R'annec
working on the cloaking device.  He looked around, but there were only a few
of R'annec's subordinates running Engineering.
      "Where is Commander R'annec?"
      None of the engineers knew, so he stormed over to a computer console. 
"Computer, where is Commander R'annec?"
      "Commander R'annec is in Engineering."
      He turned to see R'annec just walking into the engineering room.  His
eyes were big and he was mad.
      "Where have you been?  I told you not to leave here until you had the
cloaking device repaired."
      She took him by the elbow and steered him into her office.  "I have
found out something extraordinary.  It is quite important."  As the door
closed behind them, she turned and leaned against her desk.
      "I stopped by to see the Vulcan prisoner on my way to engineering."
      "What!"
      She cringed.  "I wanted to know why you have been acting so strangely
lately."
      "Strangely in what way?"  His mood was not improving.
      "You just haven't been yourself lately and I've found the reason.  The
Vulcan prisoner is experiencing Pon Far."
      "Pon Far?  So what?"
      "So, she is emitting pheromones that are making you and the other males
on this ship act atypically.  That's also why the two guards tried to rape
her.  They couldn't help themselves."
      "That's rubbish.  We have advanced past being influenced by such basic
animal instincts.  Besides, that is not the point.  The point is I told you to
go to engineering and you disobeyed."
      "My Lord, if we turn the Vulcan back over to the Federation vessel, we
can leave in peace - we won't need the cloaking device.  It is cruel to keep
her here during Pon Far."
      The Romulan captain's face hardened.  "I don't give a damn about Pon
Far.  It is amusing to see a Vulcan in this condition; I knew all along that
their perfect emotionless attitude was a ruse."
      He sneered and continued.  "The only reason I killed the two guards was
because I thought they might kill the prisoners; and that would make them
useless to us.  I'd let every crewman on this ship take the Vulcan if I didn't
think it would relieve her suffering.  Let the bitch stay in heat for all I
care."
      "But my Lord, she'll die."
      "Forget the prisoners, R'annec.  It is unbecoming an officer of your
station to show concern in such matters."  He took her by her shoulders and
pressed his body against hers.  "I think that when I complete this mission and
bring these prisoners back to the Council, there will be a nice reward in it
for me."  He kissed her on her neck, his mouth lingering just below her ear.
      "But what about the Enterprise?"
      "They are as good as destroyed.  I have put in a call for backups and
three warships are responding.  As soon as the Enterprise is destroyed, I will
begin my new life of power on Romulus."  He pushed her back and held her by
her shoulders.  "And you, if you stop showing undue concern in matters that
are not yours to trouble with, can benefit from this too."  He smiled a
reassuring smile at her.  She smiled back at him, but was still troubled with
the Vulcan.


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