tarr2k1
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(warning: this is a story about good and evil - thus it contains acts of violence)
Part 48
Seven stood up, scarcely able to believe what she was seeing. Everything from before had seemed like a distant dream, and yet, here in the flesh was the all too real image of Mara. The memories she’d pushed aside flowed back at the sight of her.
Seven had been just about to fall asleep when Mara struck. The attack was so quick, furious, and unexpected that it was like being dropped into a pool of ice water, and Seven screamed half in surprise, half with laughter. "Stop it!" she protested.
"Never," Mara said evilly, still tickling Seven's ribs from behind. "Today is the day you will be tickled to death!" And she offered an evil laugh that was so cartoony Seven would have laughed at it even if she wasn't being tickled like crazy. Of course, that fact wasn't something that could be dismissed. Mara had a firm grip on her lower ribcage and was effectively using all her finger tips to dig in and worm around the bare flesh - one of the disadvantages the ticklish have if they sleep nude. Seven squirmed and tried to escape but Mara was all over her, teasing her with words while her fingers tickled away., until Seven rolled off the edge, taking Mara with her.
This, of course, was Mara's downfall, because her grip weakened enough for Seven to worm out of it and turn on her tormentor; she grabbed Mara's wrists and twisted, swinging her casually through the air over her body, yet still dropping her with relative softness on the floor on the other side. She went with the momentum and Mara was on her back, one wrist gripped in Seven's hand, the other underneath Seven's opposite knee. Seven grinned down at her and waved with her free hand, then slowly made little scratching gestures as it slowly came down. Mara squirmed and tugged, but there was no escaping as it slowly reached into her armpit, and she laughed and tossed her head, read hair flaying. "No! hahaha stop it!"
You should have known better than to awaken a sleeping giant," Seven said, still tickling rapidly all over her underarm.
"Yes! Hahahaha! I'm sorry! Won't happen again! Hehehehahaha!!!"
"I shall ensure you properly understand this lesson, and began drawing her nails down along Mara's ribs. She whooped and tried twisting away, but Seven was still able to get them. After a little while of this, she realized too late she'd only succeeded in stretching her armpit out more, but by then Seven had positioned her other knee to hold her in place and was really scratching away i her hollow. Mara pleaded for her to stop, but Seven just grinned sinisterly and kept at it, running her nails all over her pit until her face was red with laughter.
However, while Seven had Mara thoroughly beat when it came to strength, she always underestimated how Mara's flexibility and cunning could neutralize that. With a twisting of her legs she managed to get Seven off balance enough to throw her off. She lunged, but Seven rallied and they both struck together. Mara was again on her back, with Seven on top of her, hands on her ribs. This time, however Mara's hands were free, and she was tickling all over Seven's breasts.
"Hehehe Yield now," Seven chuckled, "and I will be merciful."
"Hahaha, Not a chance," Mara shot back. "I've got your Borg implants, which hehehe means you're mine!" The two laughed even more intensely as they kicked up the attack, fingers wildly pushing the ticklish limits of the other while their laughter filled the room. Finally, after they could take now more, the tickling stopped, and Seven dropped momentarily on Mara before rolling off, still half-draped on her.
"We should crawl back into bed," Mara sound drowsily.
"Can't.. move..." Seven said with complete exhaustion in her tone.
"Maybe we should just sleep... here..." Moments later, the two were out, lying on the floor together in each other's embrace, a surprising posture consider the intensity of the struggle just minutes before.
Mara grabbed onto her. "Oh Seven," she said, her voice so filled with relief it was all Seven could do not to cry at the sound. "You don't know how worried I've been! I'm so sorry!"
"It's all right," Seven assured her.
"No," Mara said, "it isn't. I made a big mistake and you paid the price, and I am going to do everything I can to make up for it, I swear it."
"That's not necessary," Seven said. "Things worked out for the best. I know you might find that hard to believe, but they have." Mara released her just enough to look into her face, and Seven could read her confusion. "Mara... I've never been so happy. For the first time, I... I don't feel like I am Borg... I feel human."
Mara was still just staring, but finally the words came. They were so quiet even Seven's augmented hearing could barely catch them. "You really mean that, don't you."
"Yes," Seven said. "I love him; really, I do."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mara looked into Seven's face, and all her defenses crumbled. The long days and nights of waiting, tormenting herself because of her decision, crying in her loneliness and grief, had only been possible to survive because she kept waiting for this moment. Now it was here, and she was met with rejection... no, worse than rejection. The way Seven acted, it was as if Mara was nobody, that what they shared had never mattered at all to her. And the things she said, about him doing things for Seven that Mara never could, they struck deep into her soul and tried to rend it apart.
That's when the Emperor's Hand appeared. She'd been waiting for a moment like this for oh so long, and finally it had come. "Look at him," she whispered to Mara. "Stealing away the one thing that matters to you. What is he?"
"Nothing," Mara whispered.
"Exactly," the Emperor's Hand said. "Compared to you, an insect. At least when Seven had been taken from you it was under horribly long odds and no way to reach her, but here? There's no reason he should lose her except that he's a weak pitiful excuse for a human being. Seven just needs to see it, Mara. She needs to see that he can never give her what you can, can never protect her like you will. You need to prove once and for all that it's you, not him, that she belongs to."
"Yes," Mara said.
"I can help you," the Emperor's Hand said seductively. "I want to... please, Mara. Just let me help you and I promise you'll have her back in your arms again."
Mara's jaw trembled a little. "What do I have to do?"
The Emperor's Hand grinned. "Just follow my lead."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mara's face suddenly seemed to radiate fury, and she stepped away from Seven and glared at Ronald. "What?" he asked, clearly irritated at the situation and not the least cowed by her expression. It was a mistake.
Mara raised her hand, and suddenly Ronald visibly swallowed. Soon he was grasping at his throat, and it was obvious he couldn't breathe. "How dare you," Mara said her voice like steel and ice. "How dare you even think it!" She squeezed her hand into a tight fist, and he shuddered and fought to breathe.
"Mara," Lara said. "We need him alive. Mara!" Mara was paying no attention to her, so she raised her blaster to stun her, but at a gesture it flew from her hand and into Mara's. Samus tried to move, but another gesture and she was tossed into Starbuck, the two sent sprawling across the floor. The effort had bought Ronald a moment's respite, but that was all, and soon she had her full attention on him
"How dare you!" she repeated, the air seeming to crackle with her rage. "How dare you take her away from me!!!" He dropped onto his knees as he grasped his throat, and she towered over him. "Just who the hell do you think you are?!! You think that the pitiful authority you wield is some kind of power? Is that it?!" She gestured and he was yanked up so that he was dangling by his neck, his toes barely touching the ground. "This is power," she said with fury. "All the so-called strength of your entire empire is insignificant next to the power of the dark side! And you will know that lesson well before I answer your pleas for death!"
"Mara!" Seven said, "Stop it!"
"Be silent!" Mara barked at her.
"Mara," Seven pleaded, "you can't do this!"
Ronald was dropped and he laid gasping on the floor as Mara marched up to Seven. "Can't? Can't?! I am Sith! 'Can't' is a word that applies to others, not me!"
"Please, Mara-"
"No!" Mara said. "He made the fatal mistake of taking away what was mine! Now he'll pay the price!"
"I want to be with him!" Seven said, weeping.
"With him?!" Mara demanded. "Look at him." She turned back and looked at his prone form with disgust. "He's nothing. He tried to control things beyond his reach, thinking in his hubris that the petty authority of his empire gave him power. This-" and lightning crackled around Mara's raised hand, "-is power."
Seven was weeping openly now. "Please, Mara... I love him."
Mara's teeth ground together. "That was exactly the wrong thing to say." Lightning flung from her fingertips and struck him where he lay. He screamed, and for the first time, Mara had an expression of satisfaction. "Ah, he's even weaker than I'd imagined... this should at least do something to make up for this insult."
"Stop it!" Seven shouted. She saw Ronald jump and cry out as Mara hit him again. "Please, Mara, don't do this!" Mara just chuckled darkly and struck him again. Seven ran her trembling hand over her face as she watched, and turned back to Mara. She swallowed, then when she heard Ronald's scream of agony again, she moved. She didn't think, she just reacted... because it was an action she could never, ever, consciously make. She grabbed Mara's throat in her Borg-enhanced grip and squeezed. Mara glared at her in shock, but it was only momentary until her eyes narrowed in pure hate and her full attention was now on the Borg. Seven screamed as the lightning poured into her body, but her grip held nonetheless. Of all of them, she was the only one with the physical strength not to buckle under the onslaught.
The others, from their various positions around the room, watched as these two stood amidst the white glow from the lightning, each screaming in pain and rage and hate as flesh and metal faced off against spiritual energy, and they all knew that none of them had the power to interfere in the battle between these two titans.
In the end, it was as close to mutual destruction as anyone could possibly have gotten. The lightning damaged Seven's Borg implants sufficiently so that her grip weakened before actually killing Mara, and Mara fell unconscious before she could shut Seven down altogether. So instead of dying, the two collapsed to the floor in unconsciousness, still gripping each other. Lara, the only one still standing, looked down on them, and just shook her head. "
"I thought we couldn't hurt each other," Starbuck said as she finally managed to get Samus off from on top of her.
Lara half-shrugged, eyes still on the fallen pair. "I guess, in the end, their love was stronger than even that."
"Call that love?" Samus said, taking her helmet off.
Lara nodded a little. "You have to love someone more than life itself to be able to hate them that passionately." And there for the first time in a long while, Seven and Mara slept side by side.
Part 48
Seven stood up, scarcely able to believe what she was seeing. Everything from before had seemed like a distant dream, and yet, here in the flesh was the all too real image of Mara. The memories she’d pushed aside flowed back at the sight of her.
Seven had been just about to fall asleep when Mara struck. The attack was so quick, furious, and unexpected that it was like being dropped into a pool of ice water, and Seven screamed half in surprise, half with laughter. "Stop it!" she protested.
"Never," Mara said evilly, still tickling Seven's ribs from behind. "Today is the day you will be tickled to death!" And she offered an evil laugh that was so cartoony Seven would have laughed at it even if she wasn't being tickled like crazy. Of course, that fact wasn't something that could be dismissed. Mara had a firm grip on her lower ribcage and was effectively using all her finger tips to dig in and worm around the bare flesh - one of the disadvantages the ticklish have if they sleep nude. Seven squirmed and tried to escape but Mara was all over her, teasing her with words while her fingers tickled away., until Seven rolled off the edge, taking Mara with her.
This, of course, was Mara's downfall, because her grip weakened enough for Seven to worm out of it and turn on her tormentor; she grabbed Mara's wrists and twisted, swinging her casually through the air over her body, yet still dropping her with relative softness on the floor on the other side. She went with the momentum and Mara was on her back, one wrist gripped in Seven's hand, the other underneath Seven's opposite knee. Seven grinned down at her and waved with her free hand, then slowly made little scratching gestures as it slowly came down. Mara squirmed and tugged, but there was no escaping as it slowly reached into her armpit, and she laughed and tossed her head, read hair flaying. "No! hahaha stop it!"
You should have known better than to awaken a sleeping giant," Seven said, still tickling rapidly all over her underarm.
"Yes! Hahahaha! I'm sorry! Won't happen again! Hehehehahaha!!!"
"I shall ensure you properly understand this lesson, and began drawing her nails down along Mara's ribs. She whooped and tried twisting away, but Seven was still able to get them. After a little while of this, she realized too late she'd only succeeded in stretching her armpit out more, but by then Seven had positioned her other knee to hold her in place and was really scratching away i her hollow. Mara pleaded for her to stop, but Seven just grinned sinisterly and kept at it, running her nails all over her pit until her face was red with laughter.
However, while Seven had Mara thoroughly beat when it came to strength, she always underestimated how Mara's flexibility and cunning could neutralize that. With a twisting of her legs she managed to get Seven off balance enough to throw her off. She lunged, but Seven rallied and they both struck together. Mara was again on her back, with Seven on top of her, hands on her ribs. This time, however Mara's hands were free, and she was tickling all over Seven's breasts.
"Hehehe Yield now," Seven chuckled, "and I will be merciful."
"Hahaha, Not a chance," Mara shot back. "I've got your Borg implants, which hehehe means you're mine!" The two laughed even more intensely as they kicked up the attack, fingers wildly pushing the ticklish limits of the other while their laughter filled the room. Finally, after they could take now more, the tickling stopped, and Seven dropped momentarily on Mara before rolling off, still half-draped on her.
"We should crawl back into bed," Mara sound drowsily.
"Can't.. move..." Seven said with complete exhaustion in her tone.
"Maybe we should just sleep... here..." Moments later, the two were out, lying on the floor together in each other's embrace, a surprising posture consider the intensity of the struggle just minutes before.
Mara grabbed onto her. "Oh Seven," she said, her voice so filled with relief it was all Seven could do not to cry at the sound. "You don't know how worried I've been! I'm so sorry!"
"It's all right," Seven assured her.
"No," Mara said, "it isn't. I made a big mistake and you paid the price, and I am going to do everything I can to make up for it, I swear it."
"That's not necessary," Seven said. "Things worked out for the best. I know you might find that hard to believe, but they have." Mara released her just enough to look into her face, and Seven could read her confusion. "Mara... I've never been so happy. For the first time, I... I don't feel like I am Borg... I feel human."
Mara was still just staring, but finally the words came. They were so quiet even Seven's augmented hearing could barely catch them. "You really mean that, don't you."
"Yes," Seven said. "I love him; really, I do."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mara looked into Seven's face, and all her defenses crumbled. The long days and nights of waiting, tormenting herself because of her decision, crying in her loneliness and grief, had only been possible to survive because she kept waiting for this moment. Now it was here, and she was met with rejection... no, worse than rejection. The way Seven acted, it was as if Mara was nobody, that what they shared had never mattered at all to her. And the things she said, about him doing things for Seven that Mara never could, they struck deep into her soul and tried to rend it apart.
That's when the Emperor's Hand appeared. She'd been waiting for a moment like this for oh so long, and finally it had come. "Look at him," she whispered to Mara. "Stealing away the one thing that matters to you. What is he?"
"Nothing," Mara whispered.
"Exactly," the Emperor's Hand said. "Compared to you, an insect. At least when Seven had been taken from you it was under horribly long odds and no way to reach her, but here? There's no reason he should lose her except that he's a weak pitiful excuse for a human being. Seven just needs to see it, Mara. She needs to see that he can never give her what you can, can never protect her like you will. You need to prove once and for all that it's you, not him, that she belongs to."
"Yes," Mara said.
"I can help you," the Emperor's Hand said seductively. "I want to... please, Mara. Just let me help you and I promise you'll have her back in your arms again."
Mara's jaw trembled a little. "What do I have to do?"
The Emperor's Hand grinned. "Just follow my lead."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mara's face suddenly seemed to radiate fury, and she stepped away from Seven and glared at Ronald. "What?" he asked, clearly irritated at the situation and not the least cowed by her expression. It was a mistake.
Mara raised her hand, and suddenly Ronald visibly swallowed. Soon he was grasping at his throat, and it was obvious he couldn't breathe. "How dare you," Mara said her voice like steel and ice. "How dare you even think it!" She squeezed her hand into a tight fist, and he shuddered and fought to breathe.
"Mara," Lara said. "We need him alive. Mara!" Mara was paying no attention to her, so she raised her blaster to stun her, but at a gesture it flew from her hand and into Mara's. Samus tried to move, but another gesture and she was tossed into Starbuck, the two sent sprawling across the floor. The effort had bought Ronald a moment's respite, but that was all, and soon she had her full attention on him
"How dare you!" she repeated, the air seeming to crackle with her rage. "How dare you take her away from me!!!" He dropped onto his knees as he grasped his throat, and she towered over him. "Just who the hell do you think you are?!! You think that the pitiful authority you wield is some kind of power? Is that it?!" She gestured and he was yanked up so that he was dangling by his neck, his toes barely touching the ground. "This is power," she said with fury. "All the so-called strength of your entire empire is insignificant next to the power of the dark side! And you will know that lesson well before I answer your pleas for death!"
"Mara!" Seven said, "Stop it!"
"Be silent!" Mara barked at her.
"Mara," Seven pleaded, "you can't do this!"
Ronald was dropped and he laid gasping on the floor as Mara marched up to Seven. "Can't? Can't?! I am Sith! 'Can't' is a word that applies to others, not me!"
"Please, Mara-"
"No!" Mara said. "He made the fatal mistake of taking away what was mine! Now he'll pay the price!"
"I want to be with him!" Seven said, weeping.
"With him?!" Mara demanded. "Look at him." She turned back and looked at his prone form with disgust. "He's nothing. He tried to control things beyond his reach, thinking in his hubris that the petty authority of his empire gave him power. This-" and lightning crackled around Mara's raised hand, "-is power."
Seven was weeping openly now. "Please, Mara... I love him."
Mara's teeth ground together. "That was exactly the wrong thing to say." Lightning flung from her fingertips and struck him where he lay. He screamed, and for the first time, Mara had an expression of satisfaction. "Ah, he's even weaker than I'd imagined... this should at least do something to make up for this insult."
"Stop it!" Seven shouted. She saw Ronald jump and cry out as Mara hit him again. "Please, Mara, don't do this!" Mara just chuckled darkly and struck him again. Seven ran her trembling hand over her face as she watched, and turned back to Mara. She swallowed, then when she heard Ronald's scream of agony again, she moved. She didn't think, she just reacted... because it was an action she could never, ever, consciously make. She grabbed Mara's throat in her Borg-enhanced grip and squeezed. Mara glared at her in shock, but it was only momentary until her eyes narrowed in pure hate and her full attention was now on the Borg. Seven screamed as the lightning poured into her body, but her grip held nonetheless. Of all of them, she was the only one with the physical strength not to buckle under the onslaught.
The others, from their various positions around the room, watched as these two stood amidst the white glow from the lightning, each screaming in pain and rage and hate as flesh and metal faced off against spiritual energy, and they all knew that none of them had the power to interfere in the battle between these two titans.
In the end, it was as close to mutual destruction as anyone could possibly have gotten. The lightning damaged Seven's Borg implants sufficiently so that her grip weakened before actually killing Mara, and Mara fell unconscious before she could shut Seven down altogether. So instead of dying, the two collapsed to the floor in unconsciousness, still gripping each other. Lara, the only one still standing, looked down on them, and just shook her head. "
"I thought we couldn't hurt each other," Starbuck said as she finally managed to get Samus off from on top of her.
Lara half-shrugged, eyes still on the fallen pair. "I guess, in the end, their love was stronger than even that."
"Call that love?" Samus said, taking her helmet off.
Lara nodded a little. "You have to love someone more than life itself to be able to hate them that passionately." And there for the first time in a long while, Seven and Mara slept side by side.
