Venus Fly Trapped

Posted on Thursday February 7th, 2019 @ 16:30 hours by Mayterial Droz & Alexandria Farron

Mission: Pixie Dust
Location: Betazed / Fawkes
Timeline: MD01 - 12:30 hours
1679 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Mierin Kel preceded her escort into the communications room, eager for the adventure that was any amount of time spent outside of her cell. It was a nice cell, but still a tiny, locked room that she couldn't leave. That was the extent of her life these days... a series of varying, locked rooms that she couldn't leave. The communications room was no different, but at least it was bigger and contained some kind of portal to the outside universe.

Directed toward a small cubicle with a comms terminal set low over a thick, cushioned floor mat, Mierin knelt, then flopped down onto it, tucking her legs in beside her in as elegant a manner as she could muster. Her arms and legs were unbound--prisoners on Betazed were not chained like they were in other parts of the Federation--but her prison-issue dress featured a skirt that was long enough to brush the floor and narrow enough to limit her movements to a clipped, waddling sashay. She absolutely hated the plain grey dress. And hated the matching grey tights worn underneath. Both were comfortable enough but were made from a cheap, synthetic one-size-fits-all material that compressed to hug her curves in a way that somehow felt even more confining than the prison itself. They were the only garments she was allowed, and both got a sonic wash the same time she did, three times a week. She'd been wearing them for three months straight.

It was not her first time in prison, and probably wouldn't be her last, but some things one could never get used to.

Something else Mierin had been wearing for three months was a suppression band, a collar-like device, nearly two fingers-width, secured around her neck. It was not as physically uncomfortable as it looked, but mentally... it was crippling. Literally. Prisoners on Betazed were treated well, fed well, and housed comfortably, but those who habitually abused their telepathic powers had them suppressed. By law she could only be made to wear the band for three months per stay, and it was supposed to come off in two days, but wearing the band had made those three months feel like three years. She couldn't wait to touch another's mind again, even if it would be another three months before she was allowed to leave this place.

As her escort set up her comms terminal, Mierin took a moment to preen, even though it was an unnecessary gesture. She was very pretty, even with no makeup and wearing her plain grey dress. The band could not be mistaken for jewelry, but she tried to pretend it was such. Her brown hair was... immaculate, done up in a braided bun so intricately twined, it had taken hours to achieve. But as a prisoner, time was the one thing she had. Soon enough, the call had been placed, and she was given a measure of privacy... which meant her escort had stepped back not two meters out of view of the screen. That was frustrating. There were many things Mierin wanted to say that didn't want anyone but her most special person in the galaxy to hear.

Mayterial was just sitting back down at the console in the Captain's quarters, confident that everything was prepared to weather the turbulence if they were going to come across any going forward. The terminal beeped signalling a request to communicate came in from Betazed. It indicated a particular institute that tried to reach the Fawkes, which immediately made May weary. She knew Meghan wasn't incarcerated on Betazed. Who else would be reaching out to her from there? She ran a hand through her hair to make herself representable and pushed the button to accept the incoming communication, "Captain Mayterial Droz, civillian Starship Fawkes. How may I be of service?" The voice was warm, kind, inviting.

Mierin had been expecting the Fawkes' captain to answer, but she had not been expecting that person to be another Betazoid. Not that that meant anything, but for some reason she'd been expecting the freighter captain to be... well, older. And not as pretty. Granted, Mierin was probably younger, and considered herself to be prettier, but she could be jealous, and she was incarcerated... not a good combination where her general well being was concerned. Droz, however, was perfectly placed to gain influence over young Farron, should she wish to do so. Her level of anxiety rose, and she couldn't help but see Mayterial as something of a threat. Plus, the captain was a fellow Betazoid. She would know exactly what a suppression band was, and that those who wore them had shown themselves to be the lowest of the low in Betazoid society.

"Blessings of the four be upon you, Captain." Mierin said, attempting to sound equally warm. She tried not to oversell it, though. She was obviously a prisoner... not a priestess. "My name is Mierin. My spouse is a member of your crew. Alexandria Farron. I would like to speak with her, if I may." The pronunciation was similar, but off. Mierin had never actually heard her wife say her own name.

Mayterial frowned at that. She remembered how Alexandria had talked about a woman that had taken advantage of her standing in Starfleet to live a life of luxury. It was obvious that she had been caught and that she was serving some kind of sentence on Betazoid. Absentmindedly May scratched her neck where the memory of her own 'necklace' stirred. "Truthfully, I'm not really inclined to patch you through. What is your business with my Navigator?" She really had no right to do this, and normally the signaller would be handling these requests. But her signaller was a rookie and the call had come from a Betazed prison, so she felt it was an exception.

For a moment Mierin's eyes sparkled with anger, but it was quickly suppressed. Her eyes glanced off-screen for a moment, and for another moment frustration could be seen. She would have to be careful how she responded. If she got angry and made threats, her escort would close the connection, and a behavior report was not something she wanted to deal with. Yes, Mierin was a criminal, and she had played a significant part in screwing up Alexandria's career, but she felt she deserved a chance to at least try and apologize. Plus... they were still legally married. Mierin had to know why.

"Your navigator can take care of herself." Mierin said dryly. "And as for our business, well... you're the telepath. You tell me. Don't tell me you haven't touched her mind..." The first part was a lie. Farron could barely take care of herself even in a highly structured environment such as Starfleet. She needed someone to keep her on the right path. Mierin might not be the best person to do that, but the last thing she wanted was to see young Farron end up like her... in a prison cell. That would be the worst place for her. And freighter crews were shady. It seemed like she'd just seen a news report about some freighter captain who had gotten her entire crew locked up, while she walked. That was low, even by Mierin's standards.

"I'm not the one with the neck jewellery, miss." The neckband implied that she used her abilities to the detriment of others, and for all her faults Mayterial never really forced her telepathy on others. She knew what devastation it had wrought on her people when they were forced to do so under the heel of the Dominion occupation. "Plus, it doesn't take a Betazoid to ascertain as to why you would target her for your scheme."

That flash of anger and frustration returned, but again was just as fleeting. This freighter captain was trying to provoke her. Yes, initially Farron had been the perfect target. No close friends, no close family. Little hope of ever becoming romantically attached. And it had worked. They'd been legally married a year before anyone had figured out, and that had only happened because...

Fear and urgency gripped Mierin, causing her to unconsciously grip her neck band as well, until she realized what she was doing. The fool captain had no idea, "Maybe not, but if you think I'm the worst of her problems, you should probably rethink when and how you choose to utilize your birthright. Hopefully before..." Mierin cut off abruptly. It wasn't her place to say so much, and certainly not to someone she couldn't trust. "Please, let me speak with her!" She nearly pleaded.

"Miss Farron is indisposed at the moment. Can I relay a message for you, ma'am?" Mayterial became cold and calculating. It was very clear that Farron was getting sucked into something far more devious and complex than she had bargained for. She needed to keep a close eye on this woman.

Whatever control Mierin may have had over her temper vanished in an instant. "You're lying!" She cried out, angry and visibly upset. "You can't do thi-" The connection was abruptly cut. Apparently, her escort had decided that there was no farther point to the exchange.

"You can't do this..." Mierin said, sulking and thumping the screen with her fists, not hard enough to do damage, but enough to earn herself another month of her stay to be spent in isolation. She was a pathetic sight as her escort pulled her to her feet and herded her out of the room.

Mayterial looked at the screen that turned black, showed the logo for the institute with a message apologising for the fact that the transmission was interrupted. She knew exactly what happened, she smirked to herself a bit. In facing confidence tricksters it was always an ongoing battle to see which one could lose their cool first. She was glad that this time it wasn't her.

[OFF]

Mayterial Droz
Captain
S.S. Fawkes

&

Meirin Kel (NPC)
Prisoner
Betazed Correctional Institute
(As written by Alexandria Farron)

"So I departed and was free of imprisonment"

 

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