Saving Mar

13 IMPAIRED

With Mar's words floating through his head, making him feel positively fuzzy, Jon allowed her to accompany them, provided they all take every precaution. He was still worried, but the fact was that Mar had survived a lot to come this far and she was capable of taking care of herself if it came down to it. That gave him some peace of mind.

Erika gave him a knowing look when he announced another member of the away team, but didn't comment on it in front of everyone. Probably saving it for a private conversation Jon wasn't going to enjoy.

The strategy was simple: they would reach the Orions and attempt communication. Expecting them to decline, the four Federation ships were ready to disable the slavers' shields so that the away team could beam on board. With some luck they would either appear on the bridge itself, or reach it very soon. According to all their intel, the Orions would not be suicidal enough to refuse a possible peaceful resolution, not once their leader got cornered.

There was a remote chance that they would agree to talk right away and the boarding party would not be necessary, but Jon wasn't counting on it. If something went wrong, he was ready to attempt rescuing the ex-slaves while the four allied ships occupied the Orions in battle.

.

"Really, Jon? Bringing a temporarily disabled stranger on an away mission?"

Erika had requested a private chat in his ready room. He knew it wouldn't be pleasant, but he actually wanted to hear her opinion.

He felt like he'd done the right thing. As she was waiting for his defense, though, suddenly every argument that came into mind sounded... weak. Like he'd been masterfully guilt-tripped into agreeing.

Shit.

"They're her people, Erika. She insisted. And I can't lock her up." It was the best he could do.

Erika's jaw fell. He braced himself for her reaction.

"Wow," she breathed. "And here I was, thinking I don't need to worry about you around her. That you haven't lost all reason, that you're in control."

He hid his face in his hands, massaging the tension in his forehead.

"I haven't," he protested softly. "She's just..."

"Very persuasive, yes, I can see that," Erika grumbled. "What's next, is she gonna ask for your command codes?"

"It's not like that," he rolled his eyes, arms falling along his body. "She feels responsible, not just for them, but for us, too. We're trying to save their necks by putting ourselves in harm's way. Just... try walking in her shoes for a minute. Would you just sit back and let others risk their lives for you and your people?"

Erika pressed her lips together, eyes boring into a bulkhead next to her. Then she disrupted the silence with a scoff.

"She'll be putting us in danger herself, with one arm useless," she growled. "You can't really think this is gonna go well. She'll get overpowered and you'll put everyone else at risk by racing to her rescue. Admit it, Jon," she sighed, hands on hips. "You don't think straight when it comes to her."

"I guess I don't, alright?" He snapped, irritated not only by her interrogation, but by how right she was. "Don't you think I'm aware? What am I supposed to do? Keep her here like a prisoner? She didn't even want to come on board in the first place, scared we would haul them to the nearest slave trade point. I'd rather have her with me where I can keep an eye on her, than leave her on the Enterprise only to come back to some kind of PTSD triggered fit of aggressive self-defense."

Erika fell silent for a while, pacing slowly, mulling his words over. Jon watched her, trying to get his breathing under control again.

"I'm gonna trust your – impaired – judgment, Jon," she said in the end. "But keep in mind that if you let me get killed while chasing after her, I'm gonna haunt you."

She bugged her eyes to emphasize how serious she was. He gave her a half-hearted smile.

"I would deserve it. I will do my best to keep us all alive, Erika. Promise."

.

"It's strange, Captain," Malcolm spoke up from his console as they were closing in, the trail getting clearer and clearer.

"What is?"

"We are lightyears away from any reported Orion processing station," he frowned, looking at the screens. "So to speak, in the middle of nowhere. Why would the Orions even go here?"

"Ideas?" Jon scanned the bridge crew. He was fresh out. He'd been sure the Enterprise needed to hurry to catch the ship as far from backup as possible, because mere four of their ships weren't capable of taking on half the Syndicate.

"Could they be meeting a buyer out here?" Hoshi asked. The gash on her forehead was closed up and she wanted to be in on the action. "Halwir said they've made enemies out of more than Orions and... that not everyone wants their slaves... processed." She shuddered, disgust contorting her face.

"Or they have stations we never heard of," Travis suggested.

"They also might just bait us," Malcolm offered. "They know we were in pursuit. Could be a trick, a trap. We don't know who they might've contacted. We could end up ambushed by a dozen of their ships."

Jon sighed and nodded. "We'll just have to catch up with them and see for ourselves. I only hope we brought enough arsenal to get out of there if things go to hell."

.

They were about done distributing phaser pistols when the Enterprise closed in on the Orion ship enough to scan it.

"Sir," T'Pol's voice rang through the comm line, "the ship is disabled."

"What?" He barked, confused. "Whose?"

"The Orions'. There is significant damage to all of their systems. Some evidence of a battle, but... It doesn't seem enough to have caused such a failure. Life support is minimal. I'm reading no life signs."

Jon exchanged baffled looks with the other captains. They wore similar expressions. What trouble could have possibly met the Orions that it had given them no chance to survive?

"How's that possible?" Morkal made himself heard.

"No life signs?" Mar elbowed through, face a mask of horror. She had the standard blue jumpsuit dressed carefully over her braces, almost making it seem like her bones weren't broken.

Jon's stomach sank as he remembered that not all occupants of the ship were Orion slavers.

"Wait," T'Pol interrupted. "I apologize. There is one I missed. Very weak. Whoever it is may not last long."

Mar was raking her hair in desperation. Jon commiserated, but if they wanted to save at least someone, they had no time for meltdowns.

"Set to stun," he grunted, charging his pistol. "I wanna know what happened."