Abduction of an Abductee Part 1/3

Posted on Fri Jul 8th, 2022 @ 1:47am by Cenva Zanzi & Game Master

1,185 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: How Did It Happen? Prequel Stories
Location: Zanbar Universe - Various Locations
Timeline: Shifting

Timeline: Nine Months Prior to Station Encounter

The One Temptation stood at the fringes of town, yet it enjoyed an active customer base. Located on the border of the United Syndicate Organization and Beta Conglomerate space, it hosted an often-cantankerous crowd. Finding staff wasn't impossible, but keeping that staff was a challenge. T'Ryl looked over at his new hire while he wiped down the bar top.

The young lady had arrived several days ago. She spoke with an aristocratic accent, but she lacked the air of entitlement that came with the associated privileges. She explained that her father had disowned her after an innocent tryst with an unapproved suitor. She needed a place to stay while she tried to figure out what to do next.

T’Ryl knew her entire story was fabricated, but he didn’t care or judge. Her past would either catch up with her or she would move on in a few weeks and he would find a new barmaid when that happened. He wasn’t one to scrutinize too closely.

He offered her a job in exchange for room and board. And, if she wanted to make any extra money, he wasn't opposed to visitors to her room if she gave him a cut… if she knew what he meant.

She knew what he meant.

In truth, she was hiding – but not from a disapproving father. Erasing her presence from known space was a work in progress and it began with the removal of the tracking device embedded deep into her shoulder muscle while still an infant. That had been her official initiation into slavery. Its removal signaled a degree of freedom she had never before felt.

Her next goal had been to find a way out of USO space.

The Beta quadrant was a promising horizon. In BC space, slavery was abolished and runaways were welcomed, to a degree. In her favor, Cenva had a cache of currency and means to support herself if she could not find employment. Finding a job was a bonus. She could reinvent her past while working on a dream for the future.

She wasn’t sure whether she could share any of her true history, ever. While Securing transportation to the border, she had found a sizable bounty posted for her capture. Her imagination may have exaggerated her punishment pending her return. Or, her imagination may have been completely accurate. She was not willing to find out.

Timeline: About Four Months Prior to Station Encounter

"Ready to settle up?" Cenva slid a receipt over to one of the night's barflies after making her rounds to all the tables. The night had been a busy one. Slowly, tables of patrons were clearing away and the regulars filtered out to return to their homes. Yet, several small groups lingered, chatting away in private conversations.

Kevin looked down at the data screen with mild curiosity. Closing time was still two hours out. He wondered if he had inadvertently signaled that he was ready to go. He nearly had the information he was looking for after three days of research around town. Now that the bill was in front of him, his acquaintances bid farewell and departed. He sighed, the artifact he searched for was so close and yet so far away. He resolved to come back one more night while checking his dues.

The waitress had flirted with him through the night with soft touches and shy smiles, which he discounted as part of her job. Looking down to a handwritten note next to his total, now he wasn’t so certain her touches were so innocent. Pulling credit chips from his pocket, he caught the girl’s eye. Where the normal server's friendly "Thank you" with a smile would be encased by a large heart, the handwritten note said, "The Klingons know, Fleeter. Ask to come to my room."

Kevin slid the screen back, topped by some credit chips. Now that his barmates had left, his friendly smile was directed to the waitress. "Does a place like this offer any other services?" He allowed his hand to brush against hers while she collected his payment and erased her note from the tab.

Cenva leaned toward him to run a hand through his hair, "Only when paid for in advance," she answered, a gleam in her eye and a flirty kiss to the tip of his nose. She walked her fingers down his chest but fell short of making it to his lap. "What else do you have in your pocket?" She pointed, suggestively with an impish grin.

He reached into his pocket to pull out a few more chips. "Will this do?"

“It’s a start.” Cenva collected the money and made eye contact with T'Ryl, signaling to let him know she was heading out for a bit. He nodded in response, watching the money go into the till.

"This way," Cenva guided Kevin from the bar towards a small staircase that led to some rooms in the back. She pulled her hair over her shoulder playfully and slid her hand into his while her hips swayed.

"Is there another way out of here?" Kevin asked when they were out of earshot from the seating area.

"There's a back door, but they'll be watching it now that I've taken you out of their line of sight." She laid her weight into the door she unlocked. "Starfleet's rarely stupid enough to come here. What's your deal?"

"Uh," he didn't know what to say. He had not been called stupid in quite a long time. Childhood retorts of, "I'm not stupid! You're stupid," didn't seem appropriate in this situation. "What gave me away?" he asked instead.

She shrugged and locked the door behind them. "I’m not sure. I listen but I don't ask questions unless it’s to clarify a drink order. I’ve seen what they can do to Starfleet in the past and I really don’t like cleaning up blood,” she emphasized the word blood, her eyes wide. “So, I thought I'd get you out of there before they drew their blades."

Kevin nodded, "Okay, but what's the plan now?"

"What?” Cenva laughed while she locked the door from the inside. “You need me to come up with your extraction plan too? Don’t you have a communicator and transporters?" Raucous sounds came from the hall and a very sharp blade split the wood of her door in a single stroke. The first strike was quickly followed by another. Cenva flinched while the wood screeched. She had severely miscalculated the severity of interfering with the party of Klingons and ran over to open the window on the other side of the room.

The door didn’t last long. In the next instant, two very upset Klingons were moving into her room while Kevin wrapped her in a hug from behind. The shimmer of a transport beam engulfed her and Kevin before she could reach the window. That evening, her employment at the One Temptation ended.

 

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