Return of a Champion (Chapter 6)
Jun. 16th, 2010 09:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akainagiReturn of a Champion (Chapter 6)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
akainagi (conceptual credit to chrismata1976)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Star Trek: The Next Generation/Alice in Wonderland crossover
Pairings: Tarrant/T’Lara, Data/Tasha
Summary: Centuries later, the direct descendent of Alice Kingsley, now serving on the USS Enterprise, is called on to aid Underland. Unfortunately, a few other people get sucked along for the ride.
After the humiliating and unsettling events of earlier in the day, T’Lara would have liked to spend the rest of her day in meditation, trying to reestablish her mental controls.
But Time was something of an issue.
That was how she found herself in the midafternoon sun, facing off against the finest female guard Marmoreal’s military had to offer.
The woman was tall, appeared only slightly older than her predecessor had been, with a square jaw and heavy brow which gave her an intimidating look. Not an unhandsome woman, she wore her mid-length hair in a tight braid.
T’Lara felt immediate hostility towards her.
They squared off with swords at the ready. T’Lara didn’t even wait for the command to start. She took an immediate swing at her opponent. The guard was caught by surprise, but quickly recovered, parrying the attack and countering with one of her own.
T’Lara again felt the exhilaration of battle. Her senses were razor-sharp. The desire to beat this woman, to assert her superiority, her worthiness, was overwhelmingly strong.
She tried to reign in her enthusiasm. That, too, was part of the Pon Farr. Hostility towards unbonded females. Females who were a threat to her. Females who might compete for a potential mate’s favor. Being so early into the blood fever, T’Lara had not expected this urge to be so strong.
But it was.
If she just gave into her desires, she would win easily, she was sure. She had superior strength, superior speed. And the guard would not be expecting an all out attack during a practice session. She could catch her unawares and take her head. She would - prove herself the superior female. The superior mate.
Her sword picked up speed, parrying and thrusting, varying her attacks to unbalance her opponent. And when her sword drew first blood, nicking the back of her opponent’s hand, T’Lara’s blood sang with call of her ancestors.
The guard was on her heels; tried to concede defeat. As if T’Lara would allow a ptential rival to live. How illogical that would be. She was faintly aware that Data was ordering her to stop, calling her name. But she had her rival on her knees now; all that was left was to take her life. She hefted her sword to bring down the final blow, when, in a repeat of earlier events, a pair of strong arms restrained her. Attempting to wrest the sword out of T’Lara’s hand proved difficult without breaking the delicate bones of her wrist with his android strength. Finally, after sustaining a thankfully superficial, but sizeable cut to his own arm, he managed to pry her fingers off the weapon. It clattered to the ground.
“Stop, Lieutenant!” Data ordered.
“Unhand me!” T’Lara growled. She struggled violently, thrashing her arms and legs.
Fearing she would hurt herself in her violent struggle, Data opted for the most expedient solution to the problem at hand. Applying pressure to the precise points on T’Lara’s neck, her struggles immediately ceased and she slumped in the android’s arms, a victim of the Vulcan neck pinch technique.
The horrified guard was clearly uninjured, for she took off at a run, no doubt to report the unfortunate incident to her captain.
Data picked up the unconscious T’Lara, intending to take her back to her room to sleep off the neck pinch.
“Data!” Tasha exclaimed, “You’re hurt.” She gave a cursory examination to his right arm where the skin had been sheared off, revealing the mechanical workings underneath.
“It is superficial,” Data assured her. “I shall bandage it later. At present we must get T’Lara back to her room.”
Tasha nodded and followed. They were nearly back to their quarters when the hammer came down.
“What hae ye done ta her, ye beast!” Tarrant hollered in a rough Outlandish brogue as he blocked their progress.
Data’s face remained impassive. “She is unharmed, Mister Hightopp. Lieutenant T’Lara is merely unconscious. It was necessary to prevent even more severe injury. Now, please let us pass so we may return her to her room.”
Tarrant, as concerned as he was for T’Lara, was momentarily distracted by the sight of Data’s arm, the blinking of optics and circuits clearly visible. “What is tha’? What the hell are ‘ye, some kinda demon?”
“I will answer your questions at a later time,” Data replied coldly. “But for now let us pass.”
Tasha did not have Data’s patience. She stepped up and deftly grabbed Tarrant’s arm, twisting it behind him and slamming him up against the wall, clearing the corridor for Data and T’Lara’s passage. “Sorry, Mister Hatter, but we’re in a bit of a hurry.” She didn’t sound the least bit sorry.
The trio headed for T’Lara’s room, leaving the shocked and infuriated Hatter standing in the hallway, watching their departure.
Having reached their destination, Data lay the Vulcan woman’s limp body on the bed. He studied her form, scanning her briefly. Her vital signs were normalizing, but they were on the high side, even for a Vulcan. Pon Farr was exerting a tremendous strain on her system.
“How is she?” Tasha asked. The concern was clear in her voice.
“She should wake soon,” Data replied. “But Pon Farr is taxing all her body systems. Either her body or her sanity may fail before the battle on Uhrturm Day. And it has clearly been proven that she cannot train.”
“I’ll train her," Tasha offered immediately. I’m not the best with a broadsword, but I know the basics."
“No,” Data answered. “It is too risky. She views all females as threatening. She may try to kill you.”
“She views unattached females as a threat. And she’s never given any indication she feels threatened by me. Probably because of my relationship with you. She figures I’m taken.”
Data was unconvinced. “It is still risky.”
“I know,” Tasha admitted. “But T’Lara’s taking the biggest risk of all. She’s the one who has to go into battle. I promised her that we’d back her to the hilt. I’m not going to renege on that promise now. I’ll train her.”
A moment passed while they regarded each other over the still form of T'Lara. Data was looking for solid reason to refuse his lover's request. Tasha was mentally drafting counterarguments.
Then both parties were granted a reprieve. The knock on the door startled Tasha, who looked to the door and then back to Data. “Three guesses who that is,” she said dryly.
Data went to the door and opened it slightly. Tarrant stood on the other side of the door, hat in hand, his anger apparently had dissipated.
“Lieutenant T’Lara is still sleeping,” Data informed the anxious man.
“Then I will wait until she wakes,” Tarrant countered.
“Mister Hightopp, the Lieutenant is not in any condition to receive visitors, please come back at a later time,” Data said brusquely, and shut the door in the man’s face.
Tasha smiled. “Well, he’s persistent, anyway.”
“He sees his Alice in me,” interjected a voice from the bed.
“T’Lara!” Tasha exclaimed. She approached the woman’s bedside. “How do you feel?”
“Ashamed that once again I have allowed my personal flaws to affect my mission. I nearly killed that woman. It is inexcusable,” T’Lara couldn’t bring herself to look Tasha straight in the eye.
“Pon Farr would hardly be considered a personal flaw,” Data said. “It is a fact of biology; one that you need not be ashamed of. I should have considered the ramifications of having you fight a female. The blame lies partly on my shoulders.”
“Whoa,” Tasha interrupted. “There’s no blame on anyone’s shoulders. Everyone came out okay. No harm, no foul.”
T’Lara sat up slowly. She gestured to Data’s injured arm. “There is the harm. I apologize, sir.”
“It is not significant,” Data assured her. “Given what you have been through today, I believe you should rest. Tasha will resume your training tomorrow. We had theorized that you do not view her as a threat. Is this the case?”
“Of course,” T’Lara replied. “She is already mated.”
Tasha turned slightly pink and cleared her throat. “As you noticed, the Hatter is waiting outside to see you.”
T’Lara thought for a moment. She had treated him rudely earlier. She should like the chance to apologize.
“I advise against it,” Data said. “Being male, he could trigger the Pon Farr to progress.”
“Then will you give him a message for me?” T’Lara asked. “Tell him I apologize for my behavior earlier today in the garden. And tell him thank you for his concern.”
Tasha smiled. “I’ll tell him."
“Thank you.”
“Rest well,” Tasha said as she and Data departed.
Tasha addressed the Hatter, who was still loitering in the hallway. “I’m sorry, but you can’t see T’Lara right now.”
“Is she not well?” Tarrant asked with alarm, looking from her to Data and back again.
“She just needs rest,” Tasha answered. “She told me to say that she’s sorry for her rudeness in the garden, and that she thanks you for your concern.”
Tarrant smiled slightly, despite his worry. “I see. Tell her I hope to see her soon.”
Tasha nodded. The poor man was besotted, that was clear enough. Whether it was with Alice or T’Lara was anyone’s guess.
Tasha thought of something. “You’re a milliner, correct?”
“I am.”
“Do you think you could provide me with a strip of cloth?” Tasha asked. “I need to bind Data’s wound.”
“Of course,” Tarrant replied. “I’ll bring one straightaway.” He looked again at Data’s arm, the mechanical inner workings on display for all to see. He opened his mouth to ask again –
“I am an android,” Data volunteered, “a synthetic being.”
“Synthetic?”
“Man-made,” Data explained. “I was constructed from mechanical parts.”
Tarrant’s eyes widened with understanding. “You’re like a doll come to life?”
Data nodded. “If you wish to look at it that way, I suppose that is one interpretation.”
Tarrant gave him a final curious look, and then went to get the bandages. He returned within a few moments with a few strips of clean white cloth.
They thanked him and went into Data’s room where Tasha took on the task of bandaging his exposed inner-workings. It would not do to have to explain Data’s nature to everyone they met.
“Thank god she only shaved the skin off,” Tasha said. “We’ve got no means of getting you repaired until this whole crappy ordeal is over.”
Data didn’t really know why he asked the question until it came out of his mouth. “Does it bother you to see me like this?”
Tasha looked at him like he had two heads. “Of course it bothers me. You’re hurt! I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.”
“It does not bother you? The reminder that I am a machine?” he asked.
Tasha looked at him closely, her eyes narrowed. “Why a question like this all of a sudden? Why would it bother me? I know who you are and what you are. It’s not like I pretend you’re anything else. I happen to like what and who you are. I wouldn’t have been sharing a bed with you for two years if you being an android bothered me. There.” She had finished bandaging his arm. In the end, most of his forearm had to be wrapped.
“Why did you choose to stay in Underland? Q gave you the opportunity to go back to the Enterprise. Why did you not take it?” Data inquired.
Tasha’s voice took on a peevish tone. “What the hell is this, twenty questions? I’m a Security Chief. I couldn’t very well let my superior and a junior crewmember face an away mission in an unknown, possibly hostile environment without some kind of protection. Now if you’re satisfied with my answers I’d like to get some rest of my own.”
“Of course,” Data replied. “Goodnight.”
Tasha bid him goodnight in return. Her thought as she left his room was that she was a damned liar.
Author:
akainagi (conceptual credit to chrismata1976)Rating: PG-13
Genre: Star Trek: The Next Generation/Alice in Wonderland crossover
Pairings: Tarrant/T’Lara, Data/Tasha
Summary: Centuries later, the direct descendent of Alice Kingsley, now serving on the USS Enterprise, is called on to aid Underland. Unfortunately, a few other people get sucked along for the ride.
After the humiliating and unsettling events of earlier in the day, T’Lara would have liked to spend the rest of her day in meditation, trying to reestablish her mental controls.
But Time was something of an issue.
That was how she found herself in the midafternoon sun, facing off against the finest female guard Marmoreal’s military had to offer.
The woman was tall, appeared only slightly older than her predecessor had been, with a square jaw and heavy brow which gave her an intimidating look. Not an unhandsome woman, she wore her mid-length hair in a tight braid.
T’Lara felt immediate hostility towards her.
They squared off with swords at the ready. T’Lara didn’t even wait for the command to start. She took an immediate swing at her opponent. The guard was caught by surprise, but quickly recovered, parrying the attack and countering with one of her own.
T’Lara again felt the exhilaration of battle. Her senses were razor-sharp. The desire to beat this woman, to assert her superiority, her worthiness, was overwhelmingly strong.
She tried to reign in her enthusiasm. That, too, was part of the Pon Farr. Hostility towards unbonded females. Females who were a threat to her. Females who might compete for a potential mate’s favor. Being so early into the blood fever, T’Lara had not expected this urge to be so strong.
But it was.
If she just gave into her desires, she would win easily, she was sure. She had superior strength, superior speed. And the guard would not be expecting an all out attack during a practice session. She could catch her unawares and take her head. She would - prove herself the superior female. The superior mate.
Her sword picked up speed, parrying and thrusting, varying her attacks to unbalance her opponent. And when her sword drew first blood, nicking the back of her opponent’s hand, T’Lara’s blood sang with call of her ancestors.
The guard was on her heels; tried to concede defeat. As if T’Lara would allow a ptential rival to live. How illogical that would be. She was faintly aware that Data was ordering her to stop, calling her name. But she had her rival on her knees now; all that was left was to take her life. She hefted her sword to bring down the final blow, when, in a repeat of earlier events, a pair of strong arms restrained her. Attempting to wrest the sword out of T’Lara’s hand proved difficult without breaking the delicate bones of her wrist with his android strength. Finally, after sustaining a thankfully superficial, but sizeable cut to his own arm, he managed to pry her fingers off the weapon. It clattered to the ground.
“Stop, Lieutenant!” Data ordered.
“Unhand me!” T’Lara growled. She struggled violently, thrashing her arms and legs.
Fearing she would hurt herself in her violent struggle, Data opted for the most expedient solution to the problem at hand. Applying pressure to the precise points on T’Lara’s neck, her struggles immediately ceased and she slumped in the android’s arms, a victim of the Vulcan neck pinch technique.
The horrified guard was clearly uninjured, for she took off at a run, no doubt to report the unfortunate incident to her captain.
Data picked up the unconscious T’Lara, intending to take her back to her room to sleep off the neck pinch.
“Data!” Tasha exclaimed, “You’re hurt.” She gave a cursory examination to his right arm where the skin had been sheared off, revealing the mechanical workings underneath.
“It is superficial,” Data assured her. “I shall bandage it later. At present we must get T’Lara back to her room.”
Tasha nodded and followed. They were nearly back to their quarters when the hammer came down.
“What hae ye done ta her, ye beast!” Tarrant hollered in a rough Outlandish brogue as he blocked their progress.
Data’s face remained impassive. “She is unharmed, Mister Hightopp. Lieutenant T’Lara is merely unconscious. It was necessary to prevent even more severe injury. Now, please let us pass so we may return her to her room.”
Tarrant, as concerned as he was for T’Lara, was momentarily distracted by the sight of Data’s arm, the blinking of optics and circuits clearly visible. “What is tha’? What the hell are ‘ye, some kinda demon?”
“I will answer your questions at a later time,” Data replied coldly. “But for now let us pass.”
Tasha did not have Data’s patience. She stepped up and deftly grabbed Tarrant’s arm, twisting it behind him and slamming him up against the wall, clearing the corridor for Data and T’Lara’s passage. “Sorry, Mister Hatter, but we’re in a bit of a hurry.” She didn’t sound the least bit sorry.
The trio headed for T’Lara’s room, leaving the shocked and infuriated Hatter standing in the hallway, watching their departure.
Having reached their destination, Data lay the Vulcan woman’s limp body on the bed. He studied her form, scanning her briefly. Her vital signs were normalizing, but they were on the high side, even for a Vulcan. Pon Farr was exerting a tremendous strain on her system.
“How is she?” Tasha asked. The concern was clear in her voice.
“She should wake soon,” Data replied. “But Pon Farr is taxing all her body systems. Either her body or her sanity may fail before the battle on Uhrturm Day. And it has clearly been proven that she cannot train.”
“I’ll train her," Tasha offered immediately. I’m not the best with a broadsword, but I know the basics."
“No,” Data answered. “It is too risky. She views all females as threatening. She may try to kill you.”
“She views unattached females as a threat. And she’s never given any indication she feels threatened by me. Probably because of my relationship with you. She figures I’m taken.”
Data was unconvinced. “It is still risky.”
“I know,” Tasha admitted. “But T’Lara’s taking the biggest risk of all. She’s the one who has to go into battle. I promised her that we’d back her to the hilt. I’m not going to renege on that promise now. I’ll train her.”
A moment passed while they regarded each other over the still form of T'Lara. Data was looking for solid reason to refuse his lover's request. Tasha was mentally drafting counterarguments.
Then both parties were granted a reprieve. The knock on the door startled Tasha, who looked to the door and then back to Data. “Three guesses who that is,” she said dryly.
Data went to the door and opened it slightly. Tarrant stood on the other side of the door, hat in hand, his anger apparently had dissipated.
“Lieutenant T’Lara is still sleeping,” Data informed the anxious man.
“Then I will wait until she wakes,” Tarrant countered.
“Mister Hightopp, the Lieutenant is not in any condition to receive visitors, please come back at a later time,” Data said brusquely, and shut the door in the man’s face.
Tasha smiled. “Well, he’s persistent, anyway.”
“He sees his Alice in me,” interjected a voice from the bed.
“T’Lara!” Tasha exclaimed. She approached the woman’s bedside. “How do you feel?”
“Ashamed that once again I have allowed my personal flaws to affect my mission. I nearly killed that woman. It is inexcusable,” T’Lara couldn’t bring herself to look Tasha straight in the eye.
“Pon Farr would hardly be considered a personal flaw,” Data said. “It is a fact of biology; one that you need not be ashamed of. I should have considered the ramifications of having you fight a female. The blame lies partly on my shoulders.”
“Whoa,” Tasha interrupted. “There’s no blame on anyone’s shoulders. Everyone came out okay. No harm, no foul.”
T’Lara sat up slowly. She gestured to Data’s injured arm. “There is the harm. I apologize, sir.”
“It is not significant,” Data assured her. “Given what you have been through today, I believe you should rest. Tasha will resume your training tomorrow. We had theorized that you do not view her as a threat. Is this the case?”
“Of course,” T’Lara replied. “She is already mated.”
Tasha turned slightly pink and cleared her throat. “As you noticed, the Hatter is waiting outside to see you.”
T’Lara thought for a moment. She had treated him rudely earlier. She should like the chance to apologize.
“I advise against it,” Data said. “Being male, he could trigger the Pon Farr to progress.”
“Then will you give him a message for me?” T’Lara asked. “Tell him I apologize for my behavior earlier today in the garden. And tell him thank you for his concern.”
Tasha smiled. “I’ll tell him."
“Thank you.”
“Rest well,” Tasha said as she and Data departed.
Tasha addressed the Hatter, who was still loitering in the hallway. “I’m sorry, but you can’t see T’Lara right now.”
“Is she not well?” Tarrant asked with alarm, looking from her to Data and back again.
“She just needs rest,” Tasha answered. “She told me to say that she’s sorry for her rudeness in the garden, and that she thanks you for your concern.”
Tarrant smiled slightly, despite his worry. “I see. Tell her I hope to see her soon.”
Tasha nodded. The poor man was besotted, that was clear enough. Whether it was with Alice or T’Lara was anyone’s guess.
Tasha thought of something. “You’re a milliner, correct?”
“I am.”
“Do you think you could provide me with a strip of cloth?” Tasha asked. “I need to bind Data’s wound.”
“Of course,” Tarrant replied. “I’ll bring one straightaway.” He looked again at Data’s arm, the mechanical inner workings on display for all to see. He opened his mouth to ask again –
“I am an android,” Data volunteered, “a synthetic being.”
“Synthetic?”
“Man-made,” Data explained. “I was constructed from mechanical parts.”
Tarrant’s eyes widened with understanding. “You’re like a doll come to life?”
Data nodded. “If you wish to look at it that way, I suppose that is one interpretation.”
Tarrant gave him a final curious look, and then went to get the bandages. He returned within a few moments with a few strips of clean white cloth.
They thanked him and went into Data’s room where Tasha took on the task of bandaging his exposed inner-workings. It would not do to have to explain Data’s nature to everyone they met.
“Thank god she only shaved the skin off,” Tasha said. “We’ve got no means of getting you repaired until this whole crappy ordeal is over.”
Data didn’t really know why he asked the question until it came out of his mouth. “Does it bother you to see me like this?”
Tasha looked at him like he had two heads. “Of course it bothers me. You’re hurt! I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.”
“It does not bother you? The reminder that I am a machine?” he asked.
Tasha looked at him closely, her eyes narrowed. “Why a question like this all of a sudden? Why would it bother me? I know who you are and what you are. It’s not like I pretend you’re anything else. I happen to like what and who you are. I wouldn’t have been sharing a bed with you for two years if you being an android bothered me. There.” She had finished bandaging his arm. In the end, most of his forearm had to be wrapped.
“Why did you choose to stay in Underland? Q gave you the opportunity to go back to the Enterprise. Why did you not take it?” Data inquired.
Tasha’s voice took on a peevish tone. “What the hell is this, twenty questions? I’m a Security Chief. I couldn’t very well let my superior and a junior crewmember face an away mission in an unknown, possibly hostile environment without some kind of protection. Now if you’re satisfied with my answers I’d like to get some rest of my own.”
“Of course,” Data replied. “Goodnight.”
Tasha bid him goodnight in return. Her thought as she left his room was that she was a damned liar.
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Date: 2010-06-17 01:41 am (UTC)