A Queen Bows To No One

Posted on Tue Apr 6th, 2021 @ 11:43am by Mauricio Arnaldo & Katya

Mission: The Gauntlet
Location: Paradise Outpost

Trigger warning, some concepts discussed in this post may be distressing.

ON:

In the commander centre of Paradise Outpost, Katya was sitting in her chair watching as the Irokari continued to repel the Breen cruisers still pushing on their borders. The Pandora had sent out their Valkyrie fighters to assist and together, they had managed to keep the Breen from advancing. The Breen had been continuously testing Paradise's defences, using their heavy cruisers to wear down the forces helping to protect the Outpost. Those defending Paradise did not have the firepower and capabilities of the Breen; the fleet mostly consistent of small and medium-sized powers from around the Expanse, those willing to put their lives on the line to create a space free of the Alrakis Pact. They did not have advancements of the Confederacy, but what they lacked in military muscle, they made up with in numbers and spirit.

So far, it had been working. But the Breen were not giving up - every day they pushed further against Paradise's outer borders and especially since the Pandora had sought shelter here. Katya knew they would keep pressing until a weakness could be found.

"One Cruiser has been disabled." Came Mauricio Arnaldo's voice from across the command centre, reading out reports. Her right hand human. He had been in her employ for a few months now, but had become a loyal member of her growing court. "But the other Cruiser is still proving difficult to hit."

"Let the Irokari fall back while the Pandora's Valkyries do their thing." Katya said solemnly, "They are faster."

"We need a central tactical channel." Mauricio said as he sent through the commands. "Trying to coordinate an attack through three different channels is slowing down our responses."

Katya nodded, "I'll bring it up with the council. I am certain they will agree."

"They will if you suggest it." Mauricio looked back with a smile, his human lips parting in glee.

"Very true." Katya said with a nod, her face not breaking its concentration.

There came a loud beeping from Mauricio's console and he turned back to look. With a frown, he reported back, "My Queen, there are three new ships approaching the battle location."

Katya leaned forward in her child, her neon tattoos flashing red. "Who?"

Mauricio looked back at her. "They're... your people? Insignia says Anh'Iran."

At this Katya stood suddenly, her bright orange mane swaying behind her. "Which ship?"

Realising this meant something to his chief, Mauricio returned to his console to see for himself. "I can't read that name. The universal translator doesn't seem to recognise it."

"Then it can only be one person." Katya said, her hands gripping together. "My father."

[Katya's Office]

Storming into her office, Katya pushed the door open with great force and didn't bother to turn on the lights. She strode across to the desk and collapsed into her chair, placing her hands to her temples. The emotions swelling within her was causing her skin to feel hot and her tattoos to beam red. She just wanted to sit in the shadows and seethe.

After ten minutes of uninterrupted stewing, there was a knock at the door and Mauricio popped his head into the darkness.

"Katya?" He called out. He had seen his Chief deeply rattled enough to leave the command centre. She had remained calm, if a little impatient, during their crossing from Carnwennan back to Paradise, but she had not seemed this upset at any stage of that trip. Even when she was taking back Paradise from the Breen, she had a sense of thrill and excitement to her voice, but never fear like this. He didn't quite know what to do.

Katya replied in her own language, deliberately using every curse word that she could. Finally, she looked up to Arnaldo. "What?"

"The Anh'Iran ships helped to defeat the remaining Breen Cruiser. Destroyed it, actually." Mauricio reported positively. He had watched as the three Anh'Iran fighters had made quick work of the Breen, cutting it down to size with a fiery laser that packed incredible force; a weapon Mauricio had not seen before. The ex-Marine in him was impressed by their show of force.

"Good." Katya merely replied, stubbornly. "Ensure the Irokari are brought back safely and their crews supplied with a hero's return."

"Okay." Mauricio nodded. He paused. There was more. Of course there was more. He spoke gently, "Now your fa- uh, the Anh'Iran are requesting docking. I asked Haj to delay them with his usual tactics but... what do you want to do?"

"Fire upon him." She immediately hissed back.

The human nodded and started to leave before he stopped. "Are... you sure?"

Katya let out a deep breath. "No. Invite him onboard and then fire upon him."

Mauricio frowned, "I'm worried that will upset the council and undermine your position as their leader. Plus it will likely cause the Anh'Iran not to support our cause."

Turning around to him, Katya fumed. "I know. And he likely knows that. That's why he is here."

Mauricio stepped further into the room, though didn't dare to come much more than a few steps. And he didn't turn on the lights, he could see her glowing in the darkness already.

"Katya, he's brought three ships with him. This could be the reinforcements we need to help protect Paradise." Mauricio offered. "They are good fighters too."

"It will not come without a cost." Katya warned. "The primary concern of all Anh'Iran fathers is commodity. They may not be as honest about it as the Ferengi but they are just as motivated by greed and power."

Mauricio took this in, nodded in the shadows, only half his face illuminated from the corridor outside. He could hear the anger in her tone and he wanted to know why her father's arrival provoked such a reaction.

"I know so little about your people." Mauricio said weakly. "The Pandora had not visited your world and I only know what is in your public profile. I don't mean to sound ignorant, Katya, I just want to understand."

"Of course." Katya replied, eyes flashing to him sympathetically. The earnest human with his questions was only trying to figure her out, as so many had tried to do. But she knew it came from a place of care and respect; Katya trusted that he wanted to help. She looked down at her arms, the neon tattoos that adorned her skin. They were bright and beautiful, but to her they were scars. "I am reminded every day of what he did to me. He gave these to me against my will. So that he could sell me for a better profit."

Mauricio winced at the information. "Dios mío. He did that?"

"My father sold me into slavery when I was still a child." Her voice grew with fervour and hate as she continued. "Because of him, I knew a life of shame and disgust; my entire worth as a living being reduced to the highest price someone was willing to pay at any particular time. And that price only went down as I grew older, in case you needed a reminder of how truly evil some can be."

Silently nodding, Arnaldo could hear his own deep breath passing through his nose, but he had nothing to say.

"This is true of all Anh'Iran girls." Katya shook her head. "We are told it is to please the fire spirits, the streams of magma that flow across our surface. The tattoos are a composite of sodalite crystals and magma, burned onto our skin like packaging to make us more appealing and interesting to foreign species."

"Magma?" This caused Mauricio to sputter.

"Yes. Our skin is tough, hardened by exposure to the planet's surface. But it still burns us." Katya insisted, knowing all too well the feeling of receiving these tattoos. "Some girls die from the procedure, their bodies thrown to the fire spirits as repentance for their weakness. In truth, it is a vile tradition enforced on us still and it is the fathers alone who collect the profits. They have turned our people into tourist attractions."

"That's horrible." Mauricio said firmly. "No one should go through that."

Katya shifted in her seat, trying to not let her emotions slip too far into her anger. "No, but we do. It took many years and many unspeakable acts, but I survived. Eventually, I escaped that life and made myself into the Queen of Paradise - next, the Expanse." Regaining her composure, Katya sat up straight. "He has no ownership of my life. I own me. I do not need him."

"Of course you don't." Mauricio said firmly. "Look at what you've done in the last three months alone. Not only did you repel the Breen from Paradise, but you've taken that opportunity to build a coalition of powers around you to help fight the entire Alrakis Pact. No one in the Expanse has been able to stand up against them, but here you are building an entire war front! You even have the Federation asking for your help. It's incredible, Katya!"

"So why is he here?!" Katya slammed her hand on her desk, dismissing all of his platitudes. "To sell their support in exchange for something most likely. Territory or resources. Or, I would expect he believes he could take me back to the Anh'Iran and assume control of my station!"

"He will have no chance of that." Mauricio insisted, tapping the phaser at his hip. That was his job, after all.

Katya continued, "Even so, how many girls does he have on his ship? Children, like me, that he has paid to keep him companion while he makes his journey here? I KNOW he will have them!"

Mauricio blinked, feeling the heat radiating off Katya from across the room. "It's disgusting if he does, I am one hundred percent with you. It's your station, Katya. You can tell him that he cannot dock or board if he has any companions with him. Set the rules and show him your influence."

Katya huffed, "Perhaps."

"If his intentions are legitimate, he will comply and we find out what he is offering. And If there's a chance that he can be useful to our war efforts, we should hear it." Mauricio pressed. "If he does not comply, then you have your answer. He is still exactly the person you think he is and we don't need him. Either way, you have lost nothing."

Leaning back in her chair, Katya thought about it. "This is true. Your advice is valid, Arnaldo, I will take it into consideration and I will make the decision myself after time. The thought alone of seeing him makes me unwell." She shrugged slightly, "But showing him my position and seeing him beg for my attention would be very... satisfying. If he has come to pledge his allegiance, he will pledge it to me personally."

Mauricio nodded and gave a shrug, "Hey, you still have all the power here."

"He makes me feel like I do not." Katya admitted. "That is what Anh'Iran fathers do."

"Well Queens bow to no one." Mauricio said with a smile.

"True." Katya replied lightly. "Very true."

As Mauricio turned to leave, he just knew that somewhere in the darkened office, Katya was smiling too.

OFF