"Perhaps Diplomacy"

[Dox Maturin 0]

"Perhaps Diplomacy"

Duty Log - 0918.16

 

Dox groaned as he awoke from the half-sleep of the phaser stun. His right arm was immediately sore as he remembered where he was. He rubbed his arm; the fabric of his sleeve was stretched over the impact point and he knew there would be a small temporary bruise on his skin underneath.

 

He winced and groaned again as he saw Claire standing over him. "It did not work," he snapped at her, "and the whole idea was ridiculous to begin with."

 

"Mr. Granger thought it would work," Claire, his figment, said apologetically. "Based on what we know of this place, aggression and firmness is highly regarded. Who's to know what would have happened if you had shown fear or weakness?"

 

"Well, aggression is better suited for Granger," Dox immediately shot her a look, "but we are not going down that path again. I have come too far to relinquish myself to either of you. I by far prefer diplomacy, and if the events of tonight are any indication, I am better suited at it." He rubbed his shoulder again, now noticing that Lieutenant Commander Tekyier was laying against the side of the cell.

 

He moved to her, shaking her shoulder slightly and trying to rouse her. She was breathing, but quite unconscious. Carefully he pulled back her shirt and inspected the blast wound on her abdomen. A point blank strike. The faint bruise was more severe than what a standard Federation stun would produce, but Dox was sure it would disappear within a day. It would have been worse.

 

"Ma'am, I am so sorry," he sighed as he checked her pulse and, satisfied that she would be alright, rolled her back into a comfortable position.

 

Obviously he had made a mistake by trying to take a stand against the security officer. And his second mistake was retaliating after he had been struck. Still, by what he knew of this place, his reaction would not have been unexpected, so the damage should be minimal.

 

Dox thought hard about the news feeds he had read. As a figure approached the cell, who he would eventually learn was named Kimura, he could not even begin to imagine where they were. He turned and looked behind himself. They were captured. Claire was gone. Laarell was asleep. He was alone.

 

The mission was going splendidly so far.