<USS Avalon> Talea Descends Into the Pit

Talea Descends Into the Pit
by
Dr. Alexis Cazook, AMO
Ensign Talea  Erridim
Sergeant Walker T. Ranger

2007:03.15

Having regained  enough strength prior to Alpha shift, even startling 
Alexis (who was still  unaware of Regellian Healing Trance or its 
effectiveness) in the process,  Talea was cleared for work. Alpha shift 
was downright boring, because  everything went smoothly. Arriving at her 
quarters about 16:10, she looked  at the message PADD that was on the 
deck outside the door with puzzlement.  She wasn't sure about this. 
Picking it up, she activated it. The message it  contained was very 
brief, reading only, "Meet me in the Pit. --  Walker"

She went on into her quarters to change into something out of her  
still-limited collection of off-duty clothing, trying to puzzle out what  
was going on. Something didn't quite ring true, but what it was, she  
could not have said. Ten minutes later, however, she was changed into  
her civilianized RSMC battle-dress uniform and walking the proper  
direction to reach the Marine spaces. The clothing, which was nearly  
unrelieved matte black except for the metalwork, which was semi-gloss  
black, fit her well, and she knew this. Only the leather of her boots  
was bright, and it was mirror-finish black. She strode with quiet  
confidence toward the section of the ship the Marines called their own,  
stopping smoothly at the sentry post.

The sentry looked her up and  down before stating sharply, "Non-military 
personnel are not permitted down  here."

Talea smiled slightly, producing her Starfleet ID and the PADD. "I  was 
requested to come down here by one of the Marines, Corporal." Her tone  
was very polite, although the words themselves had bite.

The Corporal  took the PADD, glanced it over, and looked back at her. 
"Fine, you may  enter," he said before muttering ". . . at your own 
risk," under his breath  so that Talea couldn't hear.

Talea, however, heard him, her hearing  extremely keen, due to her being 
Regellian. Without showing sign she had  heard the last four words, she 
proceeded down the corridor, scanning for the  gymnasium. Her instincts 
were telling her something was wrong, but she  couldn't quite pin down 
what it was. It was about to be very clear indeed,  however.

As she entered the gymnasium area, several of Alpha Squad's  members, 
remembering her from that morning, nodded to her. Inside the ring  were 
two Marines, warming up. On the sidelines at floor level were an  
additional eight, also warming up.

She stood over against the wall,  scanning with both eyes and her psionic 
senses for Walker, and began to  actively worry, as she was not finding 
him within the gym or even nearby.  This was when she began to realize 
the message had been a lie. One likely  intended to get her hurt very badly.

The Marines that had conspired to  "take care" of Talea for the disgraced 
Ensign had quickly closed and locked  all the doors to the gym, trapping 
her. That's when Second Lieutenant Peter  Jackson, Thomas Jackson's 
identical twin, stepped forward. "Time to party,"  he said, with a 
devilish grin on his face. "Come here!" He grabbed Talea and  held her in 
a restraining hold. He walked over to the ring, dragging her the  entire 
way. She was momentarily too shocked to react. He then threw her over  
the ropes and into the ring before calling out, "Computer, activate  
force field around the ring!" The field came up around her and the  
fighter left in the ring, a huge bruiser named Kano.

Talea, however,  had other plans. She attempted to short-teleport, but 
her senses warned her  just in time that the field they'd thrown up was 
unusual. It wasn't quite an  anti-teleport screen, but it was near enough 
to cause real problems. She  assessed Kano, and knew she was in for a 
fight, but one she could still  win.

Kano came toward her, weapons ready. He delivered the first blow to  
Talea, one to her head, stunning her slightly. He grinned and hit her  
again, this time on the arm, drawing blood.

Losing no time, Talea  used her skill as a fighter to take the fight to 
the bigger man. She didn't  know him, but the fact he was trying to harm 
her was an instant way for him  to make an enemy out of her. Dodging 
away, she roundhouse kicked, connecting  with his left knee, which 
collapsed, since she'd struck the back of  it.  Instead of allowing her 
anger to control her, she used the energy  caused by her anger to sharpen 
her focus.

Kano powered up his weapons  and began to fire away at Talea. "Get over 
here!"

She dodged the fire  before kicking both weapons out of his hands. 
"Weapons against an unarmed  girl? You must be really afraid of me." Her 
tone was scornful. She wasn't  angry now. She was intently focused and 
watching him carefully. She knew  that both of the weapons had been 
damaged by her kick, too. It was pure  hand-to-hand now.

"Afraid of a /bitch/ like you? Never. Just trying to  put you in your 
place . . . on the /floor/!" His intent now clear to Talea,  although he 
didn't realize it, Kano moved toward Talea and managed to get  another 
hit in. He turned around and went for a third hit against  her.

Talea, though, got a knife-edge chop in on his right arm that  sounded 
more solid than it really was. She knew this creep was good, but he  was 
also a bully who was underestimating his opponent badly. For one, she  
was far stronger and faster than she appeared. It was easy for those who  
didn't realize what she was to underestimate both, since she did, for  
all intents, look like a Terran woman, not Regellian, due to her  
complexion.

"Bad move, bitch!" he said as he spat on her. He rubbed  his hand against 
his mouth. "Why can't you be a good little bitch and do as  you're told?" 
He made a running pass at her and flung his arm against her  chest, 
knocking her to the floor, laughing as she hit the canvas  hard.

At the impact of the near clothesline, although she was now in  blazing 
pain, she turned it into a back handspring and was back up before he  
could possibly get ready to finish it. Using her speed, she got inside  
his guard and hammered his gut three times, then attempted an uppercut,  
which missed. She spun away to the outside after the miss.

Kano  attempted a bear hug, but she slipped the grip quickly enough that 
nobody  realized she'd actually teleported free. She then circled with 
him several  times, waiting on him to make another move. She had already 
determined to  stop this fight during that exchange. She hadn't asked for 
the fight, but by  the Creator, she would finish it! It had rattled her 
to see what appeared to  be a perfect duplicate of Ensign Thomas Jackson 
in the room, wearing Marine  uniform, but she realized quickly it could 
not be permitted to affect her.  She had, therefore, noted this, then let 
it slide past.

Finally, Kano  made his move. Talea, alert, skipped to one side, staying 
to his outside,  then brought her fists down against the back of his neck 
as he passed. When  that just staggered him and elicited cat-calls from 
those watching, she  switched to another method and drove knife-edge 
chops to the junction of his  shoulder and neck. At the last possible 
instant, she pulled the blows, but  used telekinesis to actually deliver 
the knockout. As he fell, she landed to  his right, putting the heel of 
her right boot to his throat in a classic  kill move. One of the watchers 
called, "Enough! The woman wins! Computer,  disable field." Jackson, his 
revenge thwarted, looked at her, pure venom in  his eyes now.

Talea took no chances as she saw the small crowd beginning  to surge 
forward. She teleported clear, landing in her quarters, trembling  like a 
leaf in reaction.

Eight seconds after she teleported clear,  Walker arrived with three 
other Security personnel, and began working to  quell the situation.

Kano got up, spitting in disgust, still a little  dizzy from the woman's 
final move before he'd hit the mat and felt her boot  across his throat. 
He saw Walker and company, got out of the ring and exited  the gym in a 
hurry.

Walker saw the fighter leaving the ring, allowed  him to leave the gym, 
then teleported to his location, putting him into an  arrest-hammerlock. 
"Going somewhere in a hurry, aren't we?"

"Yeah, to  tend my wounds before they get worse," explained Kano. "Of 
course, I can't  do that unless you let me go."

Walker shrugged. "To gain wounds, you had  to have been fighting someone 
at combat speed. There was nobody else in the  ring."

"That's cuz the person already left," Kano attempted as defense.  "He had 
already left the ring. He took his victory and left." There was  truth in 
the words, because Talea had indeed taken her victory and  left.

Walker just shook his head in mock sorrow. "Likely story. Why do I  have 
the feeling you got defeated by one of the women? You macho types are  
all alike. Won't admit the truth when it's staring the other person in  
the face."

"It was Sonya who got the better of me today!" Kano  exclaimed. "How was 
I to know she'd beat me like this?!"

Walker  chuckled. "Sonya, hmm? I'll just ask her later. She was on patrol 
until five  minutes ago."

"She and Jax tag-teamed me," Kano protested.

Walker,  his grip tight enough not to endanger the other man, then 
teleported both of  them to Main Sickbay without warning. Suddenly, he 
had the eeriest feeling,  but he would chase it down a bit later. He 
called out, "Doc Cazook! Doc  Mahler! Either of you here? Got an injured 
Marine!"

Kano, startled,  yelled, "Hey what?! Whoa!" Recovering slightly, he lied 
again. "Umm . . .  yeah. Sonya and Jax beat me up . . . again. This time 
worse than  before."

Walker shook his head mentally. The guy was still lying and  didn't 
realize he could be read like a book. What the truth was, he didn't  know 
yet, though.

Hearing the shouting out in Sickbay, Alexis ran out  of her office to see 
what was going on. "What in heaven's name is all the  shouting about? 
This is a Sickbay, you know, not an athletic arena." Seeing  the man with 
Walker, Alexis walked over with her tricorder. She started to  scan him 
when he jumped. "Sergeant, you wanna control this man, or should I  just 
let him stand here and suffer?"

Walker's statement was soft, yet  direct. "Kano, calm down and let the 
doctor work, or I'll make certain she  can work on you." Kano blinked, 
then shivered for a second before relaxing  and allowing the doctor to 
work without interference.

Within another  half hour, the near-riot was over. None of Walker's 
patrol had been aware of  the plot to entrap and harm Talea, and the 
instigators were intelligent  enough not to tell those who arrested them 
of the matter. However, later  that shift, another name plaque was added 
to the "Fleet Wins" side of the  scoreboard by the one who had called 
"Enough!" Only two other names were  above hers.

In her quarters, Talea was having a huge flashback to her  childhood due 
to the situation just past, but her whimpers as she curled  into a fetal 
ball were too soft to be heard outside her quarters, and the  psionic 
shielding kept telepaths and empaths from sensing that  aspect.

Walker blinked. The eerie feeling had just exploded into a  certainty. He 
sprinted to Talea's quarters and tapped the chime. When there  was no 
discernible answer, he cursed softly and used Security overrides to  open 
the door. On seeing her curled in on herself like she was, he tapped  his 
combadge. "Ranger to Cazook. Medical situation with Talea."

'/Now  what is going on with that poor girl?/' "On my way, Mister 
Ranger." Taking a  deep breath and grabbing an emergency med kit, she ran 
out of Sickbay and to  the nearest lift. On the way, she had an idea. 
Once in the lift, she tapped  her combadge. "Cialra, this is Doctor 
Cazook. I believe we have another  problem with Talea. I am currently in 
a lift on my way there. Could you meet  me there or perhaps . . . come 
teleport me there faster?" '/Oh lord, what am  I getting into, asking to 
be teleported?/'

Cialra responded, "Will  meet you at her present quarters. Due to some 
research I have done, I'm  afraid that it appears Ensign Thomas Jackson 
was correct. She is living in  the incorrect quarters, and even worse, on 
the wrong deck." Eighteen seconds  later, she met the doctor outside the 
turbolift and the two ran to where  Talea was.

Walker spoke the door open before they could ring the chime,  but to 
their surprise, was pacing in the living area. "When I reached to  
comfort her, she flinched away. Something terrible has to have  
happened." He then spotted the PADD and the message it contained, and  
his eyes widened before he said, his voice full of hard anger, "I see  
we're going to have to do some hard questioning of those caught in the  
incident in Marine Gym today." At their looks of inquiry and Cialra's  
raised eyebrow, he angled the PADD where they could read the message. "I  
assure you I sent no such message. Nor would I have done so in Beta  
shift." His words were said in barely-controlled anger. "I knew that  
jerk was lying, too. What is he covering up? Who is he covering for, and  
why?"

When the two women went into the bedroom, they found Talea, her  right 
arm bleeding sluggishly, curled in on herself in a tight ball on her  
side, moaning something that not even Cialra could understand.

Seeing  Talea curled up on the floor brought a flood of anger and 
frustration to  Alexis. Wouldn't . . . couldn't people just learn to get 
along with each  other? Wasn't that what Starfleet was all about? 
Infinite Diversity in  Infinite Combinations? Sitting on the floor next 
to Talea, she calmly used  the tricorder to try and determine what was 
going on. "Talea, it is me . . .  Alexis. I know that you are hurting, 
and I so want to do something to help  you. However, in order to do so, I 
need to know what happened. There are  only you, myself and Cialra here. 
No one is going to hurt you." '/How am I  supposed to make her believe me 
when every time she turns around someone or  something has happened to 
her? It just isn't fair. Dammit to hell!!/'  "Talea, please tell us what 
happened. I can treat your physical wounds and I  can sure try to treat 
the psychological ones, but you are going to have to  help me here." 
Taking the dermal regenerator from her kit, she ran it slowly  over the 
obvious physical injuries. After a few minutes the bleeding had  stopped 
and there was no sign of any injury. If only the psychological  damage 
was as easy to treat!

Talea blinked. What was Doctor Cazook  doing here? This worried her 
enough that she asked, her voice weak and  sounding far more frightened 
than she realized, "Doctor? Why are you here,  where they can get to 
you?" She wasn't completely aware of where she was.  She, in fact, 
because of the flashback, thought she was back on her Clan's  lands!

Scooting closer to Talea, Alexis lifted the young woman's head and  
placed it on her lap. Gently stroking her hair, she spoke softly.  
"Talea, we are in your quarters on board the Avalon. No one is coming to  
get either you or me. If I am not mistaken, you are having a bad  
flashback caused by whatever or whoever attacked you. Please try and  
relax."

In response, as she realized the doctor was right and she  finally fully 
recognized the truth of her words, Talea curled up in her lap,  trembling 
again, only this time in relief. She didn't trust herself to speak  yet.
With a frown on her face, bifocals hanging on her chest, Alexis looked  
at Cialra. "I need to take her to Sickbay and keep her there. How can I  
do that, when there is no psionically shielded room? I need your help,  
Cialra. I don't know what to do to help!" With a lone tear falling down  
her face, she pleaded, "How do I help her?"

Cialra smiled slightly.  "Doctor, all we must do is wait for the paint to 
dry and stabilize. With the  methods I showed the personnel doing the 
task, that will be within the next  few minutes, given any luck."

Walker, worried, but somehow sensing he  would not be welcome, finally 
sat in the living area, trying to figure out  what or who had caused this 
new problem. He stilled totally as he realized  who it had to be, and 
barely suppressed a growl of intense dislike. He  closed his eyes and 
gently sent to Talea, ~Was there someone who looked like  Thomas Jackson 
there?~ All he received at first was an increase in fear,  then a sense 
of relief, followed by a sense of acknowledgment, none of which  were 
verbal. He didn't know what had just happened, but she seemed far  
calmer. It was at that point that he began to wonder just how he was  
able to telepathically communicate with Talea, even so minimally, given  
that her quarters were psionically shielded, as was her bedroom  suite!

Talea stirred, then sat up, blushing furiously. Turning eyes full  of 
tears toward the doctor, she whispered, "Forgive me for having done  
that." She sighed. "But I expect I need help I shan't get while  
sequestered in my quarters. Let's go to Sickbay, if you truly believe it  
will help." Her reluctance was carefully hidden, although she did trust  
the doctor. She raised her shields, and there was a whisper of non-sound  
and a barely-discernible halo of color briefly limned her entire body,  
then vanished as her shields stabilized.

"Oh Talea, you have no need  to ask for forgiveness. You needed to let it 
out and it is okay to do that.  I highly recommend it from time to time. 
As for going to Sickbay, I do think  that it is best. Cialra has been 
assisting me in making a special room there  that is psionically 
shielded. It is a room that is far enough from all the  commotion that 
you can rest, yet still close enough that I can easily check  on you. Or, 
if you need me for anything, all you have to do is  call."

Talea rose gracefully, then said, "Shall we?" Gesturing toward the  door, 
she walked calmly out of her bedroom, only to stop, eyes wide, as she  
saw Walker. She wasn't sure she wanted to face him right now, since she  
had been forced to defend herself against a Marine! She was unaware that  
he had arrested the fighter and that another Security man was the one  
who put the fighter in the brig, although none of the group of nine were  
in the same area as Ensign Jackson. Their crime was simply that of  
unruly behavior, since no proof could be had of any conspiracy as  yet.

Talea relaxed almost as quickly as she'd become a statue, though, as  she 
recognized the one man she trusted above all others. "I suspect this  
proves I do still have enemies who are not only willing to damage my  
reputation, but put me in harm's way." She shuddered. "That group  
certainly acted just like men of my Clan would, against a female they  
felt was being uppity. Had I not been just as trained as the fighter  
they set me up against, I could well have been seriously injured, or  
even killed."

Walker looked at her, his face grave. "So, you were the  one that did 
those injuries to the man I took to Sickbay? Good for you!" He  was 
unaware of the plaque's update as yet, but he'd already deduced who the  
likely suspects were, and one of them did look exactly like the Ensign  
already in the Brig. He turned to the doctor and Cialra. "I plan on  
getting to the bottom of this. Keep her safe, help her regain  
equilibrium." He did a quick scan of Talea's shields, nodding mentally  
at the result. Her shields were stronger, and resilient enough to  
withstand any typical attacks from telepaths of anything less than  
Journeyman-Master. Since he wasn't aware of any such aboard, she would  
be safe . . . at least mentally.

Talea smiled. "Shall we, then?"  Cialra winced, but neither the doctor or 
Talea saw her. This was a huge  reversal for the young woman. She was 
usually not quite this agreeable to  going to Sickbay or Infirmary. Of 
course, this wasn't their Clan's homeland,  Cialra admitted to herself. 
Rules were quite different here, as they were in  the majority of 
Regelis, and across much of known space, for that  matter.

Cialra nodded. "I will do my best, Sergeant." She meant it both  ways, too.

Before leaving for Sickbay, Alexis looked at Sergeant Walker.  "I suggest 
before you go out and try and do bodily harm to someone, that you  get 
some rest as well. /That/ is an order. I don't need to have to take care  
of both you at the same time." Smiling at Talea, she nodded, "This one  
is keeping me busy enough. I'm not complaining, mind you! I just wish it  
wasn't happening. It /shouldn't/ be happening. Not in this century when  
everyone is supposed to get along. I just don't understand people like  
this or like your clan. Anyway . . . enough of my rambling. Let's get  
you situated in Sickbay where you can rest up and be assured you will be  
safe."

Walker chuckled softly. "Who said I was going to beat anyone  up, Doctor? 
Dealing with this issue can be done without violence, especially  since 
everyone involved in that fracas was bundled off to the Brig and  placed 
in a different area from the Ensign, and separate cells from one  
another." He relented, though, saying, "I will get some rest, but only  
after I know for certain if my suspicions are correct. I am just as  
disturbed as you are, Doctor. Behavior like this, if it happened on a  
Regellian vessel, would be dealt with quite swiftly and in a manner that  
would all but guarantee a non-recurrence by the person or persons  
involved."

"Believe me, Sergeant, when Captain Skyler hears of this,  she won't take 
kindly to it at all. She is not one for tolerating this kind  of 
behavior, and she won't have it. Not now, not ever. If I had my way,  
they would all be spaced at the earliest convenience! I realize that  
isn't the proper attitude for one who has taken an oath to heal, but  
they have gone too far this time. Even for me."

Walker flinched at  her anger, however justified it was. However much he 
personally agreed with  her, this wasn't a Regellian vessel, where it was 
possible to summarily  space someone for deliberate infraction of this 
sort. "It is quite possible,  even likely, that the brothers Jackson will 
be on board the /Baron l'Orange/  together, on their way out of their 
respective services for this. I can, in  fact, almost guarantee it. 
Perhaps even including the bruiser I brought into  Sickbay earlier, since 
he had a direct hand, literally, in the proceedings!"  He looked at her 
gravely. "I am no more happy about this than you are,  ma'am." He sighed. 
"I guess my plan for Talea and I is out now." This last  was rueful, 
since he had planned a dinner date for the middle of the next  Beta 
shift. With her this badly traumatized, it may do more harm than good.  
"Unless you think it would help her recover if she and I had a dinner  
together, in the general crew lounge tomorrow night."

Alexis hung her  head. She knew her outburst had upset Walker and it was 
most inappropriate.  "Sergeant, let's give her some time in the shielded 
room, time to rest and  regain some of her strength. Dinner might indeed 
be just what she needs.  However, I want to make sure she is strong 
enough to handle it. Of course, I  will want to have her come back here 
afterward. I don't want to push her.  She has been through a lot, much of 
which she wouldn't have made it through  without your help, for that I am 
grateful." This time it was Alexis is bowed  slightly.

Walker nodded. "Forgive me, Doctor. My own emotions are running  high, 
and, as with Talea, I am not certain why, although, Havens know, this  
situation, especially of late, has been enough to try the patience of a  
saint." He smiled slightly. "Shall we head toward Sickbay, as I see  
Cialra has escorted Talea toward there?"Alexis couldn't help but smile,  
as she had a slight idea what was going on with both of them, and it had  
nothing at all to do with what had been going on with Talea and her  
abilities returning, although that may play a part in it. "Perhaps not a  
saint, but more a man and woman starting to feel something for each  
other?" Smiling, Alexis started walking toward Sickbay, no doubt leaving  
a bewildered Sergeant behind her, wondering what she was talking  about.

Walker shook his head in disbelief at the observation she'd stated  as he 
followed the doctor. Not so much the fact she'd given it, but the fact  
he'd set himself up so neatly for that. He followed her, his expression  
thoughtful. More and more pointed toward what his grandfather had  
predicted.





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