Surefoot 56: Shelter from the Storm

Misha chuckled, his mood breaking.

Nearby, Sreen sat in the comfy-looking carrier chair her Grandmama Ma'Sala gave her, watched the scene, babbling, "MEESH! MEESH! GOBBA GOBBA MEESH!"

Father and son looked to her, Hrelle laughing with delight, his tail swishing over his rear. "Sounds like she's trying to say your name."

Misha gasped and rose, crouching beside his sister. "You say my name, Baby Sreen?"

Hrelle sat up now, smiling. "She's tried to say yours, Sasha's, your Mama's. When your Grandmama comes onboard later, she might be here when she finally manages her first word. At least, I hope so."

The door to the Aboretum slid open, and a figure emerged, approaching quickly.

Hrelle looked up, noted who it was, and rose to his feet, dusting off the dirt from his uniform, still feeling numb from his earlier medical treatments. "Captain Sakuth?"

Nearby, Sreen hissed, and Misha frowned. "Bad Lady!"

"Hush, Misha." Hrelle drew up to her. "Captain, this is a surprise. I was hoping to speak to you, though, to thank you for-"

Her hand shot up, pressing against the side of his neck before he could do anything but spasm into unconsciousness.

"PAPA!" Sreen howled.

"Papa!" Misha echoed, baring his teeth and claws and charging towards Sakuth, roaring and leaping at his father's attacker.

Sakuth swung out and smacked the cub in mid-air, sending him sprawling to the nearest clump of dirt and compost, where he lay still and bleeding.

Struggling in her chair, Sreen roared at the Vulcan, crying out for help.

Sakuth ignored her, kneeling down beside Hrelle and arranging her fingertips on either side of his head. My mind to your mind... my thoughts to your thoughts... you cannot resist...

Screen kept screaming for help, her tiny lungs taking in as much air as they could before screaming again.

*

Elsewhere, deep inside Hrelle's mind, Sakuth's own swept down like a predator from above, diving deeper into a dark, thick forest, pursuing her prey. You cannot escape me, Captain. You cannot resist. Continued action such as this is only causing you neurological damage. Stop, now.

No...

She continued her pursuit, the psychic landscape become more overgrown, entangled and thorny, the deeper she went, the more defences she shattered. Show me the secret of Ma'Sala Shall's Seven Hells Weapon. I know that you will know it.

Hrelle's mind scurried ahead, a tiny, pitiful prey. No... please... you don't want to do this...

She ripped though thorny branches and around charred, thick, ancient trees, her quarry always just ahead of her. Show me the location of the Mother's Claws' secret base of operations...

His mind leapt and dove, barely escaping her grasp. No! Don't! You'll regret coming here, I promise you!

I regret nothing, Captain. What I do, I do to protect the Federation from all potential threats, including from ostensible fellow members. And when I'm done with you, the Judas Press I implant in your mind will make you forget all of this, forget everything... until you see Ma'Sala Shall again. And then you will kill her, and then yourself-

NO!

His mind plummeted into darkness.

She dove in after him...

...Only to find herself in a deep, wide pit.

And Hrelle's mind was no longer a tiny, pitiful prey.

He was a Beast, a gargantuan, rising up, towering over her like a monster of myth.

And he looked down with deep, crimson-red eyes and pearly pointed teeth, and laughed. TOLD YOU YOU'D REGRET COMING HERE, BITCH. T'VARIK AND KAMI HELPED MAKE THIS GUARDIAN IN HRELLE'S MIND.

NOW... LET'S PLAY...

And now he grasped her, claws digging into her psychic form, ripping into her, sending unbelievable levels of pain through her mind.

She fought back, losing

EEEEEEEEE

-motional and psychic-

EEEEEEEEE

-control control control control-

EEEEEEEEE

NO! Must stay, must finish the missi-

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

*

Agony shot through Sakuth's skull like a phaser beam, sending her hurling backwards onto the Arboretum floor. There was a high-pitched sound, cutting mercilessly into her very being, ripping away her discipline, her mental and emotional stability. Some sonic weapon employed by Hrelle-

No. He lay there, unconscious, as did his son. And there was no one else here except-

She winced and gritted her teeth as Sreen screamed again, the frequency affecting the discipline of the Vulcan agent.

Unprecedented levels of terror and rage swept through Sakuth, unchecked.

Even Hrelle's bastard cubs were a threat.

A threat to Sakuth.

A threat to her mission.

A threat to the Federation.

Take whatever steps are necessary, Trenagen had ordered.

They all had to be eliminated.

Without hesitation, she drew the hidden miniature phaser from her jacket, rolled the power bar to a lethal setting, and fired it at the still-screaming cub in the chair...

TO BE CONTINUED...