Part 27
Mara looked about the street, but there was no one watching, so she made her move. She walked past the speeder, slipped the beacon onto the side, and continued up the street and around the corner. Hopefully no one would notice what was about to happen, but then, it really only took one, didn't it. There was the sound of astonishment, and Mara swore under her breath and moved away from the area quickly without looking like someone trying to get away quickly. That was a skill she'd acquired long ago, one of many that helped her stay alive.
Two stormtroopers appeared in front of her, and Mara cursed under her breath. "Halt," they said, and Mara froze in her tracks. "Show me your identification."
"Now would be a good time," she said under her breath. "I misplaced it," Mara said aloud, which was almost the truth. It had been lost when Isard took her into custody, and she hadn't had time to forge a new one. Standard procedure was to take her down to a detention area to be checked for possible warrants based on DNA, fingerprints, and such.
"We're having trouble getting the speeder out of the Gate," Seven said into the audio implant. "What's your situation?"
"Come with us," the trooper said, taking out the binders.
"Oh please," Mara said pitiably, knowing that everyone back at Crossroads Facility could hear, "is it really necessary to lock me up and bring me in, just because I didn't get my ID card replaced yet?"
"Quiet," the trooper said, locking the binders around her wrists.
There was a sudden hum, and the speeder appeared behind them, and it wasn't empty. Seven, Lara, and Starbuck jumped from it onto the two shocked stormtroopers and knocked them over. Seven quickly overpowered one while Lara and Kara took down the other. Mara, knowing what the plan must be, ran to the speeder still bound and climbed inside.
"Take the guns," Lara said, and between the three of them they managed to disarm the stormtroopers. Lara quickly aimed it at the prone trooper and pulled the trigger, but as she did Seven pushed the barrel aside, so that it blew a small hole in the street.
"No," Seven said sternly. Lara glared at her, then kicked the trooper again for good measure, then the trio hopped back onto the speeder. A second later, they all vanished, much to the surprise of the gathering crowd.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The speeder and the four occupants sat in the Gate back in Crossroads Facility. "You're lucky I didn't blow your hand off," Lara said to Seven. "Don't do that again."
"Then do not force me to do it again," Seven said in the same tone. "There was no reason to murder that man."
Lara scoffed. "He's a soldier in the employ of a galactic evil; Mara briefed us on them, remember?"
"There was no need to kill him."
"He was too dangerous," Lara shot back. "Imagine if he'd gotten to the speeder before we jumped, what then?"
"He didn't."
"But he could have!"
"That's not reason enough to just kill someone."
"Mara," Lara said, turning to the still bound woman, "If we hadn't shown up, what would they have done to you?"
Mara swallowed, looked at Seven, then down. "They would have taken me to the detention area, taken various means of identification, and then begun interrogating me."
"You mean torture," Lara said. Mara nodded, eyes closed. "The man wanted to take her and torture her," Lara said to Seven, "and you want to use the kid gloves. I guess we see how much you really care for Mara."
Seven strode forward like an omen of impending disaster, but Starbuck quickly stepped in between and held her back. "Enough of this," she said. "It's over, deal with the here and now, all right? We've got the speeder and all our people out, mission accomplished. We can talk about how we handle operations later."
Seven took a deep breath through her nose. "Agreed," she said darkly, then turned to the speeder to begin disabling the security system.
Lara took the binders off Mara; even as she did, Starbuck came to her side. "Apologize to Seven," she said in a voice only they could hear. Lara turned to her, and her expression said everything. "That was a very hurtful thing you said, and we're supposed to be working together. You don't have to like her, but you do need to be a little civil to her if we're going to live through this."
Lara sniffed, attached the binders to her belt, and walked over to Seven. "That was a little harsh," she admitted. "I apologize for what I said."
"Apologies are irrelevant," Seven said, not looking up. "As it would imply what you say to me actually mattered. I care nothing for the opinions of a would-be murderer."
Starbuck and Mara looked at one another. "Get the feeling we just stepped off a cliff and are just waiting to hit the ground?" Starbuck asked her.
"Afraid so," Mara said, walking out of the Gate where Ms. Danoob waited. "This isn't going to work," she said finally."
"Everything seems to be working fine," Ms. Danoob said. “Once Seven disables the security system and changes the registration, you can sell the speeder for enough credits to buy a hundred years worth of blasters and packs."
"Yeah, except we'll be using them on each other," Mara said.
"Not at all," Ms. Danoob said. "The same thing that prevents you from harming me prevents you from harming each other."
"That's not what I mean," Mara said. "Seven and Lara just don't get along, now you can't have this in a strike team like this. We're going to get ourselves killed."
"Don't worry about it, Mara," Ms. Danoob said. "I have the situation well in hand."
"Do you now," Mara said with disbelief.
"Just give this a little bit of time," Ms. Danoob said. "Trust me."
"Oh sure," Mara said. "I have all the reason in the world to trust you."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Seven straightened up as Mara walked into the Gate. Rather than trying to get it out she'd opted to just work on it in there. It wasn't her native technology, but with her mechanical skills and Mara's coaching she'd quickly deduced how to handle it. This was, after all, just a small civilian land transport, nothing special. "The vehicle is ready," she informed Mara.
"Good," Mara said. "And thanks for saving me. Really, those Imperials would have done some pretty nasty things to me, and there was a chance the Gate couldn't pierce their shields. You saved me from a very tough ordeal."
"Thanks are unnecessary," Seven said. "You know I would never stand by and allow harm to come to you. I would die to protect you, Mara." And with Seven's literalism, Mara knew that she meant that exactly; if saving Mara meant losing her own life, Seven would do it. Mara reached out and pulled her close.
"You need to get along with Lara," Mara said finally. "For the good of the group."
"She was going to kill that helpless man-"
"I know," Mara said. "But he was dangerous, and Lara is used to dealing with very dangerous people and acting accordingly."
"So you are saying I should have just let her kill him?"
"I'm saying that we were all chosen because of our skills and judgment, and we need to be able to count on that judgment. You may not have liked what she did, but Lara didn't do that simply because she likes or is even casual about killing adversaries. She just has a different opinion as to what acceptable force is."
"It seems to me to be a rationalization for murder," Seven said.
"Maybe," Mara said. "You know my history, Seven; I've got old instincts in me too, ones that kept me alive. This isn't always going to be pretty, I- I'm more than just someone who bounces around the bed with you."
"I- I know," Seven said. "Yet you clearly are trying to change, but Lara-"
"You don't even know her," Mara said. "Not really. And you've got to remember that we're a team, and it depends on all of us working together. There is no you, and there is no her, and there is no me, there's only us, and if you're not careful you're going to get us killed."
Seven nodded. "I will try," she said. "But I must confess it is not going to be easy. I do not like her, though I cannot explain why."
"You don't have to like her," Mara said. "Just get along with her."
Seven nodded a little. "For your sake I will try."
Seven left and Mara took a seat. Now to get the money. It was pathetic that she'd been reduced to stealing speeders after once answering to the Emperor himself, but she had to make do. "All right,” she said, "let's jump." And she and the speeder vanished.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Lara was still stewing over Seven. She hadn't liked her to begin with, and that stunt with the blaster hadn't helped. It wasn't that she wanted to kill that trooper, she really only was going to do it because she thought it was too great a risk to let him pursue. But Seven jumping in was worrisome; next time they could die if she tried something like that. And the way she rebuffed her apology really annoyed her. Lara wasn't the kind of person to admit when she was wrong, but she recognized that Kara had been right, and swallowed her pride for the good of the team. Well, apparently Seven had no interest in the team, just in her own petty opinions, and how everyone else should live by them.
She was waiting with Starbuck in the debriefing chamber when Seven entered. Lara walked up to her. "I need your help with something," she said. "Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
"Why?" Seven asked suspiciously.
"I want to show Kara something," Lara said.
Seven looked at her a moment, but she remembered what Mara had said, and so complied. "What are you showing her?" she asked.
There was the click of the binders latching around her wrists. "That you're as gullible as I thought." Lara said with a smirk.
"Lara-" Starbuck began.
"No, there's something that needs to be sorted out," she said while Seven whirled around and glared at her. "Out there, you don't second guess me, got it?"
"No," Seven growled. "I do not answer to you."
Lara's eyes dropped, and Seven looked down at her own chest. A moment later she exploded with laughter as Lara grabbed her breasts and began tickling them.
"You won't second-guess me," Lara repeated, squeezing and tickling Seven's breasts. Even through her uniform top, it was effective, and Seven laughed and shook but refused to surrender. "Right? Right?!"
"HAHAHA! NO!!! YOU CAN'T HAHAHA MAKE ME!" She writhed and danced about as Lara continued kneading away around her breasts, each little squeeze tickling like mad.
"Lara," Starbuck said again, "this isn't helping."
Lara ignored her. "All I want," she said to Seven, "is for you to not try to second-guess me," she said to the laughing, tear-stained face inches from her own. "I don't think that's asking too much."
"HAHAHAHA! STOP!!!" Seven demanded.
"Or what?" Lara asked.
Seven screamed and there was a snapping sound as the binders broke; they were designed for humans, but Seven wasn't exactly human any more. Lara and Starbuck both stared at the panting, fuming and -most important of all- free Seven of Nine. "Oh frak," Kara said under her breath. "We're in trouble now."
Seven grabbed Lara and dropped her onto the table, quickly pinning her down. Lara began screaming as Seven grabbed her breasts and began tickling them even worse than she'd just done to her. "'Gullible?'" Seven demanded. "You expect us to be a team, then call me gullible for trusting you?" She began massaging the undersides, causing Lara to roar and struggle.
"GET HER OFF! HAHAHA!!!" Lara begged, and even though she probably deserved it, Kara couldn't bring herself to stand by and do nothing. She grabbed Seven and tried to pull her off, but she didn't budge. Seven reached out with one hand and gently pushed Kara right over as if she were a small, annoying child, her other hand never relenting in her attack.
"What's going on?" Ms. Danoob asked, and everything froze. The three looked up at her like the teacher just returned from the lavatory. "Well?"
"Just working something out," Kara said. "Nothing to worry about."
Ms. Danoob shook her head. "You two... I think you both need to end this feud once and for all."
"I tried," Lara said, panting for breath, still flush from the tickling. "She's too stubborn."
"That is a lie," Seven said. "You-"
"Enough," Ms. Danoob said. "I'll handle this, in my own way, as soon as Mara returns."
"How?" the three asked as one, then looked at each other.
"You'll see," Ms. Danoob said, and walked out.
Mara looked about the street, but there was no one watching, so she made her move. She walked past the speeder, slipped the beacon onto the side, and continued up the street and around the corner. Hopefully no one would notice what was about to happen, but then, it really only took one, didn't it. There was the sound of astonishment, and Mara swore under her breath and moved away from the area quickly without looking like someone trying to get away quickly. That was a skill she'd acquired long ago, one of many that helped her stay alive.
Two stormtroopers appeared in front of her, and Mara cursed under her breath. "Halt," they said, and Mara froze in her tracks. "Show me your identification."
"Now would be a good time," she said under her breath. "I misplaced it," Mara said aloud, which was almost the truth. It had been lost when Isard took her into custody, and she hadn't had time to forge a new one. Standard procedure was to take her down to a detention area to be checked for possible warrants based on DNA, fingerprints, and such.
"We're having trouble getting the speeder out of the Gate," Seven said into the audio implant. "What's your situation?"
"Come with us," the trooper said, taking out the binders.
"Oh please," Mara said pitiably, knowing that everyone back at Crossroads Facility could hear, "is it really necessary to lock me up and bring me in, just because I didn't get my ID card replaced yet?"
"Quiet," the trooper said, locking the binders around her wrists.
There was a sudden hum, and the speeder appeared behind them, and it wasn't empty. Seven, Lara, and Starbuck jumped from it onto the two shocked stormtroopers and knocked them over. Seven quickly overpowered one while Lara and Kara took down the other. Mara, knowing what the plan must be, ran to the speeder still bound and climbed inside.
"Take the guns," Lara said, and between the three of them they managed to disarm the stormtroopers. Lara quickly aimed it at the prone trooper and pulled the trigger, but as she did Seven pushed the barrel aside, so that it blew a small hole in the street.
"No," Seven said sternly. Lara glared at her, then kicked the trooper again for good measure, then the trio hopped back onto the speeder. A second later, they all vanished, much to the surprise of the gathering crowd.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The speeder and the four occupants sat in the Gate back in Crossroads Facility. "You're lucky I didn't blow your hand off," Lara said to Seven. "Don't do that again."
"Then do not force me to do it again," Seven said in the same tone. "There was no reason to murder that man."
Lara scoffed. "He's a soldier in the employ of a galactic evil; Mara briefed us on them, remember?"
"There was no need to kill him."
"He was too dangerous," Lara shot back. "Imagine if he'd gotten to the speeder before we jumped, what then?"
"He didn't."
"But he could have!"
"That's not reason enough to just kill someone."
"Mara," Lara said, turning to the still bound woman, "If we hadn't shown up, what would they have done to you?"
Mara swallowed, looked at Seven, then down. "They would have taken me to the detention area, taken various means of identification, and then begun interrogating me."
"You mean torture," Lara said. Mara nodded, eyes closed. "The man wanted to take her and torture her," Lara said to Seven, "and you want to use the kid gloves. I guess we see how much you really care for Mara."
Seven strode forward like an omen of impending disaster, but Starbuck quickly stepped in between and held her back. "Enough of this," she said. "It's over, deal with the here and now, all right? We've got the speeder and all our people out, mission accomplished. We can talk about how we handle operations later."
Seven took a deep breath through her nose. "Agreed," she said darkly, then turned to the speeder to begin disabling the security system.
Lara took the binders off Mara; even as she did, Starbuck came to her side. "Apologize to Seven," she said in a voice only they could hear. Lara turned to her, and her expression said everything. "That was a very hurtful thing you said, and we're supposed to be working together. You don't have to like her, but you do need to be a little civil to her if we're going to live through this."
Lara sniffed, attached the binders to her belt, and walked over to Seven. "That was a little harsh," she admitted. "I apologize for what I said."
"Apologies are irrelevant," Seven said, not looking up. "As it would imply what you say to me actually mattered. I care nothing for the opinions of a would-be murderer."
Starbuck and Mara looked at one another. "Get the feeling we just stepped off a cliff and are just waiting to hit the ground?" Starbuck asked her.
"Afraid so," Mara said, walking out of the Gate where Ms. Danoob waited. "This isn't going to work," she said finally."
"Everything seems to be working fine," Ms. Danoob said. “Once Seven disables the security system and changes the registration, you can sell the speeder for enough credits to buy a hundred years worth of blasters and packs."
"Yeah, except we'll be using them on each other," Mara said.
"Not at all," Ms. Danoob said. "The same thing that prevents you from harming me prevents you from harming each other."
"That's not what I mean," Mara said. "Seven and Lara just don't get along, now you can't have this in a strike team like this. We're going to get ourselves killed."
"Don't worry about it, Mara," Ms. Danoob said. "I have the situation well in hand."
"Do you now," Mara said with disbelief.
"Just give this a little bit of time," Ms. Danoob said. "Trust me."
"Oh sure," Mara said. "I have all the reason in the world to trust you."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Seven straightened up as Mara walked into the Gate. Rather than trying to get it out she'd opted to just work on it in there. It wasn't her native technology, but with her mechanical skills and Mara's coaching she'd quickly deduced how to handle it. This was, after all, just a small civilian land transport, nothing special. "The vehicle is ready," she informed Mara.
"Good," Mara said. "And thanks for saving me. Really, those Imperials would have done some pretty nasty things to me, and there was a chance the Gate couldn't pierce their shields. You saved me from a very tough ordeal."
"Thanks are unnecessary," Seven said. "You know I would never stand by and allow harm to come to you. I would die to protect you, Mara." And with Seven's literalism, Mara knew that she meant that exactly; if saving Mara meant losing her own life, Seven would do it. Mara reached out and pulled her close.
"You need to get along with Lara," Mara said finally. "For the good of the group."
"She was going to kill that helpless man-"
"I know," Mara said. "But he was dangerous, and Lara is used to dealing with very dangerous people and acting accordingly."
"So you are saying I should have just let her kill him?"
"I'm saying that we were all chosen because of our skills and judgment, and we need to be able to count on that judgment. You may not have liked what she did, but Lara didn't do that simply because she likes or is even casual about killing adversaries. She just has a different opinion as to what acceptable force is."
"It seems to me to be a rationalization for murder," Seven said.
"Maybe," Mara said. "You know my history, Seven; I've got old instincts in me too, ones that kept me alive. This isn't always going to be pretty, I- I'm more than just someone who bounces around the bed with you."
"I- I know," Seven said. "Yet you clearly are trying to change, but Lara-"
"You don't even know her," Mara said. "Not really. And you've got to remember that we're a team, and it depends on all of us working together. There is no you, and there is no her, and there is no me, there's only us, and if you're not careful you're going to get us killed."
Seven nodded. "I will try," she said. "But I must confess it is not going to be easy. I do not like her, though I cannot explain why."
"You don't have to like her," Mara said. "Just get along with her."
Seven nodded a little. "For your sake I will try."
Seven left and Mara took a seat. Now to get the money. It was pathetic that she'd been reduced to stealing speeders after once answering to the Emperor himself, but she had to make do. "All right,” she said, "let's jump." And she and the speeder vanished.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Lara was still stewing over Seven. She hadn't liked her to begin with, and that stunt with the blaster hadn't helped. It wasn't that she wanted to kill that trooper, she really only was going to do it because she thought it was too great a risk to let him pursue. But Seven jumping in was worrisome; next time they could die if she tried something like that. And the way she rebuffed her apology really annoyed her. Lara wasn't the kind of person to admit when she was wrong, but she recognized that Kara had been right, and swallowed her pride for the good of the team. Well, apparently Seven had no interest in the team, just in her own petty opinions, and how everyone else should live by them.
She was waiting with Starbuck in the debriefing chamber when Seven entered. Lara walked up to her. "I need your help with something," she said. "Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
"Why?" Seven asked suspiciously.
"I want to show Kara something," Lara said.
Seven looked at her a moment, but she remembered what Mara had said, and so complied. "What are you showing her?" she asked.
There was the click of the binders latching around her wrists. "That you're as gullible as I thought." Lara said with a smirk.
"Lara-" Starbuck began.
"No, there's something that needs to be sorted out," she said while Seven whirled around and glared at her. "Out there, you don't second guess me, got it?"
"No," Seven growled. "I do not answer to you."
Lara's eyes dropped, and Seven looked down at her own chest. A moment later she exploded with laughter as Lara grabbed her breasts and began tickling them.
"You won't second-guess me," Lara repeated, squeezing and tickling Seven's breasts. Even through her uniform top, it was effective, and Seven laughed and shook but refused to surrender. "Right? Right?!"
"HAHAHA! NO!!! YOU CAN'T HAHAHA MAKE ME!" She writhed and danced about as Lara continued kneading away around her breasts, each little squeeze tickling like mad.
"Lara," Starbuck said again, "this isn't helping."
Lara ignored her. "All I want," she said to Seven, "is for you to not try to second-guess me," she said to the laughing, tear-stained face inches from her own. "I don't think that's asking too much."
"HAHAHAHA! STOP!!!" Seven demanded.
"Or what?" Lara asked.
Seven screamed and there was a snapping sound as the binders broke; they were designed for humans, but Seven wasn't exactly human any more. Lara and Starbuck both stared at the panting, fuming and -most important of all- free Seven of Nine. "Oh frak," Kara said under her breath. "We're in trouble now."
Seven grabbed Lara and dropped her onto the table, quickly pinning her down. Lara began screaming as Seven grabbed her breasts and began tickling them even worse than she'd just done to her. "'Gullible?'" Seven demanded. "You expect us to be a team, then call me gullible for trusting you?" She began massaging the undersides, causing Lara to roar and struggle.
"GET HER OFF! HAHAHA!!!" Lara begged, and even though she probably deserved it, Kara couldn't bring herself to stand by and do nothing. She grabbed Seven and tried to pull her off, but she didn't budge. Seven reached out with one hand and gently pushed Kara right over as if she were a small, annoying child, her other hand never relenting in her attack.
"What's going on?" Ms. Danoob asked, and everything froze. The three looked up at her like the teacher just returned from the lavatory. "Well?"
"Just working something out," Kara said. "Nothing to worry about."
Ms. Danoob shook her head. "You two... I think you both need to end this feud once and for all."
"I tried," Lara said, panting for breath, still flush from the tickling. "She's too stubborn."
"That is a lie," Seven said. "You-"
"Enough," Ms. Danoob said. "I'll handle this, in my own way, as soon as Mara returns."
"How?" the three asked as one, then looked at each other.
"You'll see," Ms. Danoob said, and walked out.
