Duel to the Death [18+]

Posted on 12 Feb 2015 @ 8:13pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Min Zhao & Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D.

3,324 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Rigel VII - Vajripam, Hotel, Lirha's Brain
Timeline: MD 21 - 0350 local

[ON]

Standing in the expansive holodeck with the most basic of battle arena programs now running, Lirha impatiently waited for the two summoned combatants to arrive. It would be a glorious fight for her to watch, one which involved two Humans who, to her knowledge, had never tasted the satisfaction of killing another soul. Their combat virginity would soon be tested, and at the end of the day, she would know who the superior woman was. Not superior to her, of course, but rather in the lesser scheme of things.

A sudden loud swishing noise indicated the holodeck doors had opened, and Lirha snapped her head towards it to view the first arrival, much to her delight.

Smoke billowed into the holodeck from outside, obscuring Lirha's vision. All she could see was a woman in a wheelchair swinging something over her head. With a flick of her wrist, Tuula sent the chain flying across the holodeck towards a training dummy on the other side of the room. The chain wrapped tightly around the dummy's neck with such force that it would surely crush his windpipe had he had one.

Rolling out into the middle of the holodeck, Tuula produced three scapels and, rapidly and with surgical precision, sent them flying towards the dummy's face. Finally, as she passed by him, she drew her bone saw and slashed it across the chest, knocking it to the ground.

With the dummy vanquished in a stunning display of badassery, Tuula sheathed her bone saw and turned towards Lirha. With a leather jacket, a bandolier full of scalpels, and a band of black makeup across her eyes (matching her lipstick, of course), she was equipped to kick some ass and look awesome while doing it. As she stared Lirha in the eyes, she had only four words for her.

"The doctor is in."

Lirha coughed a bit and waved her green hands in front of her face to clear the smoke from her eyes before looking at Tuula. The medical officer looked...well, very prepared. And her skills with her instruments were no doubt on display.

"Impressive," Lirha remarked as she approached her. The Orion took in her appearance while noting that she looked strangely alluring with her war paint on. She reached down to Tuula's collar, grasped the zipper of her jacket with her fingers, then tugged it downwards, exposing the woman's cleavage much to Lirha's satisfaction.

Proceeding to look her up and down with sultry green eyes, Lirha then placed the tip of her index finger under Tuula's chin and tilted her head up to look at her. "It would be a shame if you died today and we did not get to celebrate a victory. Try not to get yourself killed," she instructed before releasing her chin.

"There are worse ways to die than fighting for glory in the ring." Tuula gripped her wheels tightly as her eyes, the hardened eyes of a gladiator, softened for just a brief moment. "But I don't plan on losing."

Min's entrance by comparison was swift and quiet. Rappelling out of the holodeck ceiling, Min's entrance was as silent as a Ninja's. Slicing and dicing her opponents, baby strapped to her back, the first sign Lirha had of Min's presence was the press of a sharp blade against her neck and these words. "Death comes swiftly from the shadows."

The commodore hadn't seen Min come down from the ceiling but her presence was revealed soon enough when she felt the uncomfortable sensation of a knife against her green neck. "I believe your opponent is over there," she said with an amused flutter to her voice while turning to point at Tuula.

"Take your places and prepare for battle," she then instructed to both of the combatants. "Computer, throne."

On cue, a large and elegant Orion ceremonial chair materialized at the far end of the arena, after which Lirha walked towards it and up the steps before turning and sitting down in the elaborate seat. She clasped each of the armrests and crossed her legs, then waited for the other two women to take up their positions before beginning the match.

Tuula made her way to the corner, pulling the chain from around the dummy's neck and throwing it over her shoulders on the way. She would be needing it in the challenge to come. Ready for battle, she stared down her opponent. "My compliments, that was a stunning entrance. It's too bad that it will be your last."

"We shall see. Many have said that, and they are dead." Pulling her second sword from it's sheath, Min moved into her starting position, watching her opponent, studying her as they awaited the order to begin.

"I have no plans to die today," replied Tuula as she began swinging her chain over her head, building up momentum. She glanced away from her opponent towards Lirha, giving her a subtle nod that she was ready to start the fight.

Lirha reached down to the side of her throne where her hand eventually settled on a large disruptor pistol which was hidden inside of a gold compartment. After retrieving the weapon and clasping it firmly in her right hand, she then gave a final command before beginning. "Computer, disable holodeck safeties," came her order followed by the familiar confirmation chirp.

Pointing the pistol towards into the air, she then fired a single green disruptor burst which exploded against the ceiling and rained glowing shrapnel for a brief moment. "Begin!"

A chain was not the most intimidating of weapons, it was not large like a battleaxe or sharp like a sword. But in the hands of a master, even a simple chain could be deadly. A lot of fighters underestimated Tuula's abilities with but a simple chain, and a lot of fighters died for that. Her secret weapon was a little thing known as the law of conservation of angular momentum, as as soon as the fight started, one end of her chain went sailing towards her target, the other wrapped tightly around her fist.

Having watched Tuula's entrance, Min was not surprised when Tuula began wielding the chain. But like every weapon, it had it's weaknesses, and Min intended to exploit them. Chain was like any ranged weapon, either stay outside the weapon's arc, or dive in close to render the weapon ineffective. Min chose the latter, avoid the first swing of the chain as she approached cautiously, both blades drawn.

Seeing Min dodge the first swing of the chain, Tuula swung it around again in a wide arc and back towards her target on the follow through. As she did so, she carefully sized up her opponent, looking into her eyes to anticipate possible angles of attack. She was ready to draw her bone saw and block any incoming strikes at an instant's notice.

Min kept her motions fluid, not using the same dodge or feint more then once in a row, keeping Tuula on her toes (well, not literally), as she probed for a weakness. Having seen the bone saw, she knew the weapon was equal her own.

Seeing a slight hesitation in Tuula's swing, Min used the moment to sweep in for a strike. Blades glinted in the light of the holdeck as steel contacted flesh. The slashes were at most superficial but first blood belonged to Min.

"What are you slashing at my legs for?" taunted Tuula as she used her bone saw to block an incoming strike. With Min's main hand sword crossed with her bone saw, Tuula used all her might to use the bone saw to shove herself off and propel herself backwards, just in time to avoid what could have been a deadly slash across the abdomen from Min's off hand.

"You fight well," said Tuula, as the two warriors sized each other up from several meters apart. "But I'm afraid I can't let you win." With that, she pressed a button on her chair, sending two retractable blades shooting out of the hubs of her wheels like an ancient war chariot. Quickly, she fired three scalpels in rapid-fire succession towards her target.

With skill born of practice, Min dodged one, knocking the second from the air with a swipe of her blade. She was not so lucky as the third blade snuck past her defense and embeded itself in her thigh. She grunted from the pain as she pulled the blade out of her leg, blood oozing from the wound.

Seeing her opponent's concentration broken by the flying scalpel attack, Tuula took advantage of the opening. She pushed herself forward, charging her opponent. As her momentum carried her towards Min, she again drew her bone saw for a mighty swipe.

Regaining her concentration at the last moment, Min blocked Tuula's strikes with her twin blades. Lashing out quickly, trying to find an opening, Min found nothing but blade. For a time all that could be seen was the glint of steel and the clang as blades contacted, seeking a purchase from which to penetrate the other defenses.

Lirha crossed her green legs and intently watched the unfolding duel with satisfaction. The intensity was beginning to pick up much to her delight, and she slowly nodded to herself and mumbled under her breath in her native Orion tongue. "Yes...excellent...."

Back and forth, Tuula and Min crossed weapons, neither side able to make contact with anything but the other's blade. Min would attack in a flurry of two weapons, and Tuula was just as fast with her oversized bone saw. As Min brought her main hand sword down onto Tuula with a powerful strike, Tuula blocked it with the saw and the two weapons became locked together. Holding the bone saw with both hands, Tuula gave it a mighty twist.

A loud metallic snap was heard throughout the arena as the medical grade steel in her bone saw proved less brittle than Min's cast steel sword. But the sudden release of energy and the buildup of sweat on her hands from a long fight caused Tuula to lose her grip on the bone saw, sending it and half of one of Min's swords clattering across the arena. She quickly rolled backwards, conscious of the threat that Min posed even with one sword.

Loss of momentum at this moment could prove fatal and that was precisely what happened. The shattered blade gone, Min had to switch grips with her remaining sword, costing her precious time. By the time she recovered Tuula had opened a significant distance, allowing her chain to come into play again.

Swinging the chain around her head, Tuula was barely able to keep her opponent at bay. She knew that without her bone saw, it would be difficult to block Min's incoming strikes and that her best bet would be to try to keep her from coming in too close. Every time Min would try to come in closer, she'd be met with a violent swing of the chain.

Try as she might, the chain was proving difficult to break past and Min was tiring as the fight wore on. Tiredness was setting in, her attacks getting sluggish. One final feint executed sloppily and Min found the chain wrapped around her sword arm.

Mai stifled a scream as the chain whipped back towards Tuula, shattering bones in her arm as the motion yanked Min off her feet. Crashing to the ground, the chain stilled wrapped around the shattered arm, Min could do nothing except wait for the inevitable.

Hearing the cracking of bone and seeing her opponent fall down in pain, Tuula moved in for the kill. She pulled herself up alongside her down opponent and swiftly drew a scalpel, holding over her opponent's neck. "Victory is mine!" she exclaimed, clutching the scalpel tightly.

Lirha rose from her chair with excitement after witnessing the critical blow which had just left Min crippled. With a fiery and devious glint in her green eyes, the Orion waved her disruptor pistol at the combatants and shouted for a swift resolution. "Finish her!"

Breathing heavily, Tuula looked down at her defeated opponent, her scalpel but a few centimetres from her jugular. As a medical professional, she knew she could end this quickly and painlessly. Min fought honourably, and deserved at least that.

For a moment, she looked up from Min. Slicing the throat of a combatant who was on the ground defeated? There was no honour in this. She spun the scalpel around in her hand, offering it, handle first, to her opponent.

Laying on the ground, her arm shattered, Min waited for the death blow that never came. Upon seeing the blade offered her, Min accepted the blade, feeling it in her grip before she returned the scalpel. It seemed that today she faced an honorable opponent, one unwilling to kill for sport.

"If it's blood you want," shouted Tuula as she swung her chain over her head. "It's blood you shall get!" With a flick of her wrist, she had one end of the chain wrapped tightly around Lirha's neck. The other was in her tight grip as she pulled Lirha towards her.

The tables were turning it seemed, and as Tuula's chain wrapped around Lirha's neck, Min retrieved the known broken blade from the ground. Hefting the shard, Min awaited her turn to exact revenge.

Tuula continued pulling on the chain, tightening it around Lirha's neck and drawing her in closer. "What's the matter?" she taunted. "I thought you liked the fights?"

Enraged but also coughing and trying to breath, Lirha tried her best to unwrap the choking device which had tightened snugly around her esophagus. And try as she did, it was impossible for her to work her fingers underneath it, and rising panic played across her green eyes. With a move of desperation, she grabbed the chain and pulled back on it to give herself enough slack to quickly reach back behind her where her disruptor pistol had fallen. Her green hand reached out and caught the firearm, and in one swift move she pointed it at Tuula and squeezed the trigger sending out several successive shots towards the wheeled-woman with surprising accuracy.

Min watched as Lirha fought the chokehold, her hand flailing behind her for the weapon she'd dropped. As Lirha's hands fell upon the weapon, Min moved instinctively to close with Lirha. Time slowed as the weapon came up in Lirha's hand and several bolts of energy lashed out, striking Tuula in the abdomen. The women staggered in her chair, losing her grip on the chain as two patches of red slowly spread across her outfit.

By the time Lirha would realize the mistake of not targeting Min first, Min closed the distance between them. The shattered sword slashed out in Min's hands, slicing through the flesh and bone of Lirha's wrist. A scream echoed forth as the pistol, the hand still holding the grip, fell to the floor. In one fluid motion, Min continued the strike, rending Lirha's other hand from her arm.

Time seemed to return to normal as Min held the shattered sword in her remaining good hand, poised for the death blow that would end Lirha's life.

Golden spurts of blood squirted from Lirha's two severed wrists as she looked at them in horror. The pain didn't register for a very long moment during which her body went into shock as a result of what she was seeing. The commodore's eyes rolled back into her head for a brief second then resettled on the scene in front of her, specifically Min who was now standing above her ready to strike once again. "...Why...?" she managed to painfully whisper to the COO who had decided to cripple her.

"So you would understand the powerlessness you brought upon your victims in this arena." Mai grinned evily. "And now you die, as powerless as your victims before you."

The blade in Min's hand lashed out, stabbing Lirha below the navel, embedding all eight inches of jagged blade inside her gut. With a little twist and a savage yank, Min pulled the blade up Lirha's torso, the blade tracing a bloody line of torn flesh and entrails as it cut through Lirha's body. When the blade contacted her sternum, Min gave a final tug, wrenching the blade free from Lirha's body in a gush of blood.

As Lirha took her last breath, her eyes glazing over, Min planted a gentle kiss on Lirha's cheek. "You died well Mistress."

"Min," gasped Tuula, coughing up blood. With disruptor wounds to the lung and liver, she didn't need to be a doctor to know that she was not long for this world. Wincing in pain, she looked up longingly at her former opponent.

Min turned from Lirha to attend Tuula. She could see on closer inspection the fatal wounds on the women's body. Blood soaked the women's abdomen, the two wounds easily visible from her vantage point. Kneeling, Min took Tuula's hand in her own. "I am here Tuula."

"You fought with honour," she said, looking into Min's eyes, and then down again at her wounds as she gasped for air. "Would you allow... a fallen warrior... one last kiss?"

Min gently cradled Tuula's head in her hand, easing the women's ability to breath. Her other hand she placed on Tuula's stomach, feeling the wounds for herself. Leaning in close, Min planted a firm kiss on Tuula's lips, a lover's kiss.

With her last ounce of strength, Tuula wrapped her arms tightly around Min. As she kissed her former opponent passionately, her eyes rolled back and all went black.

Min's lips parted Tuula's as the women gave up her last breath. Gently letting her body slump back in the chair, Min placed her hand on Tuula's forehead. "Rest in peace."

Looking around, Min surveyed the field. She alone stood alive on the field but with Lirha dead by her hand, the backers of these games would never permit her to live. The few that killed their mistress died horrible deaths after being tortured in unimaginable ways.

~These games would kill me eventually,~ Min mused. ~Now I stand alone, with only one way out.~

Kneeling on the field, her legs crossed underneath her, Min pulled out a small dagger she always kept hidden. Closing her eyes, Min plunged the blade into her stomach. Grunting from the hellish pain of the razor sharp blade, Min pulled the blade across her stomach, completing the cut.

Pulling the blade out, Min let it fall from her hands to the ground. Breathing slowly Min could feel the life ebb from her body as she bled out onto the ground. Her final breath rattling in her throat, Min died kneeling, a look of peace on her face.

---

Lirha's eyes suddenly snapped open and she violently bolted upright in her bed breathing heavily and gasping for air. A sheen of sweat coated her face, chest, and blankets, and she struggled to re-adjust to consciousness after just having the strangest nightmare she'd ever experienced.

As her chest heaved and she inhaled air to try and calm herself, she looked around in the darkness of her hotel room and saw Siren curled up peacefully next to her while softly snoring. Lirha could still feel the effects of the j'mordal narcotic in her system from several hours earlier when she and her friends were at the club, and perhaps that had been the protagonist for her most unusual dream.

Silently while whispering, she swore to never again get high while on shore leave. And to make sure she kept both Tuula and Min away from any sharp objects.

[OFF]

--

CDRE Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

LT Min Zhao
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Tuula Voutilainen
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

 

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