"In the Dark"
written by Cyndi Fryar
Commander Rhea Kennit

For the second time in six hours, Rhea slowly returned to consciousness alone, lying on her side on the cold,stone floor of the cell. The back of her skull ached abominably. A ragged, harsh groan reached her ears and it was only with the second groan following her ginger touch to the back of her head which alerted Rhea that the sound in fact came from her.

Her fingers cautiously explored the swollen knot on the back of her head, finding a little dried blood where her scalp had bled after being cut by whatever it was they'd hit her with.

At this point, she made the first mistake and tried to sit up. She almost made it before a wave of nasuea and pain hit which caused her already insulted stomach to rebel once more. Retching miserably, Kennit swayed back to her hands and knees and continued to heave for some moments even though her enraged stomach was empty and had nothing left to bring up except for bile.

A few strands of her hair fell down over her face, and Rhea was too sick at the moment to even manage the strength to brush the long whisps of hair out of her face as she curled up on her side on thestone floor, greatful suddenly for the cold which seeped through her uniform as she pressed her cheek to the floor. The chill felt good against her aching skull, easing the painful roar in her head to a lower level with the passing of time and also soothing the brusied cheekbone acquired when Degan had struck her.

Degan!

Until that moment Kennit had quite forgotten everything else, the ache in her back of her head and the sick, angry rolling in her stomach driving everything else from her thoughts. But now.. How could Degan be here? She'd been present at Lt. Degan's funeral and watched as her torpedo casing coffin had been fired into the darkness of space..

None of this made any sense!

What was it she'd said? That they'd invaded something.. The Shroud? There'd been more.. what was it..

The effort to think made her head throb, the temptation to simply relax and allow the dark curtain of unconsciousness to return and blank out the ache and confusion was almost too strong, Kennit had to struggle to remain conscious, keep focused on her thoughts.

Something about the Bith.. allegations that the Federation had been providing weapons to the Bith to allow them to attack a rival .. that they'd been at war with the Bith and that the Federation had given aid to help defeat them..

BUt.. who were "they"? And why was Elise Degan here? Or, some hideous copy of her.. Rhea didn't know what was going on. She didn't have anywhere near enough information to even hazard a guess!

The door to the cell suddenly opened, the unexpected glare of light left Kennit half-blinded and unable to see. Rough hands grasped her arms, jerking her to her feet and half-shoving her forward into the corridor. Stumbling along, Rhea tried to resist and was rewarded with a savage blow to her ribs from the butt end of what looked like some kind of phaser rifle which nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.

She found herself once again thrown into the center of what was clearly an interrogation room, where two more guards secured her to a omminously formed chair. Restraints were locked into place around her upper arms, wrists, mid-section and ankles. Then, unable to move she could only watch what she was able to see of the room from her forced position as three new arrivals entered the room.

Degan..

"We can do this one of two ways." the woman told her. "You can answer our questions truthfully of your own free will, or.. we will force the information we require from you."

Kennit glazed at her captors without speaking, knowing instinctively that nothing she said was going to make much of a difference.

Degan looked at her, "Now. I ask you again. When will the Bith government receive the weapons? How many weapons are being brought in and what kind of fire power has the Federation illegally given to the K’Abithan General Pluralistic to help them destroy us?"

"I don't know!"

With a sizzling crack of sound, a jolt of pain quite unlike anything she'd ever imagined lanced through Kennit's body. Every muscle in her body contracted in agony, quivering uncontrollably and causing her body to jerk up and writhe against the restraints which held her. The pain only lasted for a second, then as suddenly as it struck was gone leaving Kennit gasping for breath.

Impassive and cold, Degan asked again. "That was its lowest setting, each time you lie - the power will be increased.. When are the weapons to be delivered? How many weapons are being brought in? Is the Federation going to help the K’Abithan General Pluralistic attack us? If so, when? Answer me!"

Her voice held a slight quiver she couldn't repress from the last jolt she'd been hit with, already knowing what was going to come. "I don't know anything about any weapons being shipped to the Bith Homeworld and I haven't heard anything about a war between the Bith and any other species!"

This time, when the pain hit it felt as if her nerves had been lit on fire. Her back arched against the restraints as her muscles convulsed involuntarily, and this time Rhea screamed ..