Escape on the Freighter Part 1

Posted on 18 Feb 2018 @ 6:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Remington Dodd & Ensign Angelica Wright & Lieutenant JG Doya Emja & 2nd Lieutenant Jennifer Goodwin & Petty Officer 3rd Class Kara Sem & Captain Maia Sterling & Ensign Teela Tjaansz
Edited on on 19 Feb 2018 @ 6:09pm

2,176 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: S02 Episode 3: When Realities Collide (Incidentals)
Location: A Dominion station/Freighter
Timeline: Mission 4 Day 65-0

[ON]

The ship was dark and crowded and hadn't been kept up for years. Before The Fall, it was called a Merchantman by some, or a Class J Freighter by others. It had 3 decks and was originally only designed for warp 2.9 at the fastest. That wouldn't do.

A group of humans were serving the station in a number of menial tasks. Some in mechanical upkeep, some in recreational activities, and other in more...personal...recreational activities.

Some of the Dominion's allies, such as the Orions, provided them with individuals, willing or not, who could be the perfect companions. "Courtesans" were the old term for them, but they often served multiple roles across the Dominion. They genetically engineered them, with enhanced intellect, enhanced endurance and strength for their rougher customers, and enhanced reaction to others' pheromones. But one group of humans had had enough and wanted out of Terok Nor and had heard of a system that might be what they need.

"SShh!" came the call in a harsh whisper. The face was beautiful and perfectly symmetrical. It was designed that way. Both sides of her were identical externally. She was clad in leather pants that left little to the imagination, and a midriff-exposed shirt that showed off her figure and her toned arms. Her long dark blonde hair was in a braid but you could tell it was in curls. She was one of the star players in the nightly entertainment on the Promenade.

"We're safe in here," said Nicci. "I made sure of that. I've been sweeping the whole ship, and there are no listening devices." She was another star player, entertaining the Cardassians, the Vorta, and other Dominion members. Humans were a hot commodity after the fall of the Federation. Especially ones that didn't look half-starved or radiation-poisoned.

Jarlie followed Nicci, still not entirely sure about this situation.

Two Orion girls joined Nicci and Jarlie, both with red, curly hair, something off-worlders didn't often see. Both were as endowed as Nicci but came upon it naturally. Nicci had been genetically rewritten by the Orions on Terok Nor, like her accomplice Jarlie. "We've got at least two weeks' worth of rations. Food, drink, fuel. It's taken us four months to get it, but it's all loaded up."

"We have two weeks worth of rations, but where are we going to go? This shuttle may be suped up but we are still weeks away from any safe haven assuming one still exists". Jarlie said pulling up her top. She had a hidden hand phaser tuck between her enhanced cleavage.

"Thanks, Kayla," Nicci said, smiling at her friend. She never thought she'd make friends with an Orion, but then again, she was in the same position Nicci was in. Since the small uprising in the 2150s, Orion women were not allowed to be educated and had been 'enhanced' a long time ago to be more subservient to men and more adventurous in private. Nicci hated the thought of it. She was too talented to go that route, so the Orions enhanced her mind, made it incredibly easy for her to remember things and fix things, and let her dance on Terok Nor, and receive payment for her services to clients. The only advantage was it let her finally find out about this small freighter that was sitting at one of the docking rings, unused, for the past three months.

Nicci conveniently removed the freighter from the Cardassian computer and had made an occasional edit to the database removing certain components that were shipped in, as she was made aware of them, and diverted them to her little private freighter. With all the traffic at Terok Nor, in orbit of Bajor, no one noticed over the last year. She had upgraded the freighter, creating a masking profile to remove it from Dominion sensors, and had upgraded it to warp 7. That was the tough part. She had given it four point-phaser emitters, but she didn't know if they'd keep working.

Jarlie watched as Nicci showed her the enhancements to the shuttle. It was amazing what an enhanced intellect could achieve.

"It's a shame that Cardassian died last night," Emma said. She was another accomplice, a skilled pickpocket, and a skilled flirt, who used her skill to gather information from people and pass it on to Nicci. "He was really sweet, and..."

"Emma, come on, focus," said Teela. She was an Aktevan, a tree-dwelling species known for their engineering and power systems abilities, and aesthetic design of ships before the Fall.

"We're almost done, ladies," Nicci said. "We'll be ready to leave in a week."

She finished storing the ration packs Kayla passed over to her, as her other accomplices put some extra clothes and a few knickknacks in some of the cargo holds they had claimed as quarters.

"Ladies, I know we've suffered a lot," Nicci began, as she addressed her friends, "but we're almost ready. We can't get back who we were, but we can escape and regain some semblance of freedom from the Dominion. They tried to make us little more than slaves to them and slaves to their desires. But that ends soon. I will contact you when the time to move comes. Till then, keep up your duties with the Cardassians and the rest of the Dominion."

"They not only made us slaves to their desires but slaves to our own, and that's even worse," Jarlie said.

"Hello, I was wondering if I could join in your cause?" A blonde woman approached out of the shadows. "I am Jen and I am currently working as a personal pleasure servant to the security chief. I want out of here so bloody bad that I will do what I have to to get out with you." Jen stated. "However, I have a longtime boyfriend, who is also a servant on this station. Since human males have been hard to find, he is in high demand for the female Cardassians to control. I know he is for getting out of here as well. Plus he has engineering skills as he was on one of the last ships the Federation had in this area serving as assistant chief engineer." Jen Goodwin was now fully in the light and her enhancements could be seen to be like the rest of the gals in the group.

Nicci was cautious, but she had a knack for reading people. It made her a particularly popular courtesan and dancer, not to mention mechanic. She looked her over, "Jen Goodwin? Were you born with that face and name, or was it 'gifted' to you by the Orions?"

"I was given the name Jen when I was born. I can't pronounce the name that my overseer calls me." Jen replied. "I know that I was captured when I came looking for Timmy who was already being altered to be of service to a Gul's wife or the such."

"I can't say that I was born this way," Nicci said. "But Taggert is my real last name. I'll leave it at that for now. What can you do to help us out?"

"Sterling was my last name once, what are your talents"? Jarlie asked.

"I can be sure the security system is running a diagnostic at the right time to aid in our departure," Jen replied. "Timmy can be sure to get away from his controller if we time this all right. He had a rest cycle that should coincide with the target time for departure. He has also secured two access codes to a storage locker where we can get a few weapons that the Ferengi barkeep had secured for a failed raid of the station."

"Do you think he can get to our little trash heap before he's missed?" Nicci asked. She wanted to save as many as she could but she was limited - fuel...food...weight - to how many she could save. The environmental controls may not hold up with so many breathing...the engines might not fully maintain a stable warp field at so high a warp factor...the the whole thing was one big gamble. But then again, she couldn't keep going like this. She was a piece of meat. Property of the Dominion, and their allies, the Orions. Humans had little chance in this universe but she heard rumours of New Xindus, and even the sliver of a chance meant she had to take that chance.

"I know he can get to the ship before it departs, as he uses all his free time to spend as much time with me as we can get," Jen replied. "We would be together now but the female spoonhead who controls him is having a party for her sister and his services were needed. But I know he will get to us before we take off. I am sure Tim can make the adjustments needed to the warp core in flight, he was good at that on his little ship before he was captured. I have secured some supplies to add to your stockpile. Tim and I have been looking for the right time to get out of here and when I heard of your ship in the rumour mill, I had to come and check it out."

"Remind me not to talk to so many people if there's a rumour mill about this ship," Nicci quipped. "We'll take any supplies you can get us, Jen."

"I have not said a word to anyone. As long as I abide by the security chief's desires I am fine. However, I know his access code and will set up a diagnostic cycle to help shut down any sensors to add to our departure. I can get the supplies we have been stashing for our planned get-away with you in the next few days." Jen replied.

"So, we leave in 8 days," Nicci said, having taken stock of everything she had yet to do. She may have fudged the number, just in case the 'rumour mill' got up to the Cardassians. "Make sure you're both ready. You too, Jarlie. This isn't a pleasure cruise, so don't go packing up your quarters if you have them. That would set off too many alarm bells. We need to act as normally as possible. That means being as personal as we have to be with the Cardassians and the other overlords on the station."

"Timmy and I stay in our controllers' quarters. So neither of us has much of anything personal to pack up. We will be travelling very lightly. I know Timmy will be unable to meet tomorrow but I will be here." Jen replied.

"A pleasure slave only owns what her Masters give her, or what she can steal, to think I was once a scientist," Jarlie said jiggling prettily.

"I'll meet with you all tomorrow at 2300 and we'll finalize everything," Nicci said. "Remember, stay quiet, don't tell anyone a thing. Secrecy is key if we're going to get out of here alive. Don't think the Vorta won't sick the Jem Hadar on us. If they catch us trying to escape, they might kill us...or they might alter our bodies and minds even more till there's nothing left. My friend Jackie, rest her soul, doesn't even remember who she was now." Jackie was the number one courtesan on Terok Nor, and after her attempt at escape, she had mysteriously embraced her role, and couldn't even think of escaping. It was like the old movie Nicci's father showed her, 1984, where the guy ended up loving big brother at the end.

"That sounds like a fate worse than death, so I will be mum about of-of this even to Timmy until we need to depart" Jen stated in response.

"It might be better to not remember our pasts, with this body I'm sure wherever we go I can find a husband. But I doubt I could find reputable work looking like this. Best I could hope for would be working as a Dabo girl in some seedy casino". Jarlie said.

"Good luck, ladies," Nicci said.

Jenn then left to return to her quarters where she found a note from Timmy. She read it and it stated how much he loved her and that he was sorry for what happened to him and ultimately to her. He was giving her information about how to get some weapons and some supplies he had managed to secure for their escape with the rest on the shuttle.

[OFF]

Commander Maia Sterling
First Officer/Chief Science Officer
USS Tomcat

Lieutenant Remington Dodd
Chief Engineer
USS Tomcat

Lt. Jg Iria Walon
Chief Counsellor
USS Tomcat

Lt. Jg Nicole Taggert
Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Tomcat

Ensign Teela Tjaansz [PNPC: Taggert]
Engineer
USS Tomcat

2nd Lieutenant Jennifer Goodwin [PNPC: Dodd]
Marine Officer
USS Tomcat

Ensign Doya Emja [PNPC: Dodd]
Damage Control Specialist
USS Tomcat

Ensign Angelica Wright [PNPC: Dodd]
Flight Control Officer
USS Tomcat

Petty Officer 3 Kara Prill [PNPC: Dodd]
Matter/Energy Systems Specialist
USS Tomcat

 

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