Storms and Mountains and Pirates, Oh My, Part 3

Posted on Sat 16th Jan, 2021 @ 2:55pm by Lieutenant Elliot Jericho & Lieutenant Commander Kiara Lena

1,243 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Denouement
Location: Uncharted Planet in the Thetacron Sector
Timeline: MD: 2, 0615 hours

"Okay, I am a diplomat. I was on assignment when I ran across some information that this planet was once used as a smuggler's drop point. So, we came looking to see if anything was left behind," Kiara said, hoping it was vague enough for him to believe the lie.

He pushed her back onto the bed. "And what did you find?"

"Nothing, yet. We were on our way up the mountain to place a beacon to help us triangulate the location. We found a cave they used, but it was empty. We need the beacon to help us find the next spot to look."

"And why should I believe this any more than your last lie?" he asked.

"You saw the shuttle. You saw the cave. If we'd found something, don't you think you would have found it, too?" she countered. "Or why would we be sheltering from the storm half way between the shuttle and the mountain with a beacon if we weren't going to plant it somewhere?" That much was true. Mostly. If she stuck to mostly telling the truth, she wouldn't have to remember the lie. She stood. "Come on, I'll show you."

He pushed her back onto the bed. "You stay here. If you're telling the truth, I'll let you live." He turned and left the room.

That she doubted. He couldn't afford to let them live. And she clearly had nothing to use as a weapon. Yes, she'd taken basic hand-to-hand in the Academy, and knew Tai-Chi, but she was a diplomat. She used her words. She just hoped she could find a way out, or warn Elliot.

====

Elliot put his weapons away and searched the body that he knelt over as he watched the other three men continue to walk away from him. He winced with pain. The drop from the tree added to his bruised and and battered body. First was the shuttle crash and then the bear type creature. What was next.

The man had a basic disruptor, no stun settings. Elliot pulled the weapon from the man's hand and tucked it into his belt as he continued to loot the body. In one of the front pants pocket was a communications device. Elliot looked over it for a moment, "This might just come in handy." He stood up and pushed it into his front pants pocket for use later.

Now armed with a disruptor, Elliot could make quick work of the three other men, but he needed all or some alive so he could question them as the where Kiara was. He shook his head and pulled out the sharpened sticks. He had to get rid of one or two more o them first.

Elliott began to close the distance on the man that was fallowing behind the other two. Elliot made no noise and even if he did it would have been drowned out by the storm. He changed his mind and put the sticks back in his belt. Coming up behind the straggler, he got a choke hold on him. Unconsciousness came quickly and quietly since there was no blood going to the man's brain. He went limp forcing Elliot to hold his entire body weight. Elliot grunted as he slowly lowered the man to the ground.

====

As soon as the man was gone, Kiara began to search the room for anything she could use as a weapon, or to get out. "Computer, lights." Nothing happened. It was worth a try. She felt along the walls from the floor to as high as she could reach. There wasn't even a light switch in the room.

Then she felt the bed, tearing it apart to see if anything was loose. When she found nothing, she put it back together. Then she went to the other furniture in the room. One of the chair legs was loose. She worked at it until it came off, and took the screws out in case she could use them for something.

It wasn't much, but she kept the chair leg with her and kept looking.

====

Elliot had secured the unconscious man with some of his rope. He wasn't sure what he was, a soldier, a mercenary or pirate. He studied the man's clothing and equipment then remembered how the group walked and searched for him, definitely pirates and they seemed to lack any formal training on how to track down or hunt a prey, but Elliot had the training. He hunted down the last two Pirates and choked them out the same way he did the second man and bound their hands before they woke. One by one he walked them back to their ship once he had located it.

His next task disgusted him, but was necessary. Commander Lena was not aboard the small vessel and he had to find out where she was. He had to get the information out of these men and get the truth, but they would not be willing to just give it up. The three men were quiet, but Elliot could tell that they were younger, less experienced pirates and he just may get away with only minimal coercion.

"I've already killed one of you. Tell me where my friend is and I won’t hurt any of you. Don't tell me and I promise that you will feel pain like you have never felt in your life. I am skilled in many ways of torture and can keep you alive for a long time with the maximum level of pain." Elliot lied. He didn't have much experience at all with torture and hated it.

One man laughed at him, "I'm not telling you anything."

The three men sat on the floor as they leaned back against the bulkhead with their hands tied behind their backs. Elliot backhanded the man, knocking him over. The man spat blood and smiled up at Elliot. Elliot grabbed him by the shirt and straightened him back up then hit him again. This went on for several minutes with no effect.

====

Kiara had the leg and now she had strips of cloth from the sheet. She tied them into three strands and braided them together for strength, all the while listening for anyone to come back. He would. She knew it. Or he'd send someone. She didn't have long.

When she had her improvised rope, she took the remaining piece of cloth and went back to the door. Using the rest of the chair, she set about devising several trip hazards for the next person to come to check on her.

====

"I can tell when something doesn't work and when it’s time to move on to something else." Elliot looked around the small ship and found a rod of metal, probably a repair part for the ship. He used the disruptor on short bursts to heat up the end of the rod until it glowed red then walked over to the mouthy individual and pulled his shirt back, "Are you sure there is nothing you wish to say to me?"
The man laughed, "Nope, other than you are a terrible interrogator."

The smell of searing flesh filled everyone's nostrils as the hot metal burned the man’s skin. He yelled out in pain, but Elliot held the metal steady.

"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you everything you want to know, just stop!"

Elliot turned his head, surprised to see who had made the request.

====

 

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