Topic: Of Changelings and Men

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-18 03:52 EST
Of Changelings and Men

http://home.comcast.net/~kjpatke/Kumari.jpg

She used him to help her assassinate a religious leader.

She lied to him to help her steal an invaluable art collection.

She manipulated him into helping her kill an old friend from his past.

But this time, she was genuinely asking for his help.

Her mission was a long term infiltration of the betrothed to an Andorian official. Her people laid the groundwork for her to be in place for years, collecting information and providing influence for their greater purposes. She knew when she saw him on the planet, that she would be able to use the Cardassian again, just as she did so many times before. This time, she would let him in on her plotting. She couldn't take the risk of anything not going according to plan. Together, they devised a plot. They would lead to her getting caught and reveal the whole plan of her people to the Andorians. Then, he would help her escape. But even the best laid schemes often go awry.

This is that story.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-18 03:55 EST
Chapter One: Intelligence

Pretenses, much of Corrim's convenient placement was through calculated pretense. Sure he'd actually done a little business with the Cardassian ambassador to Andoria. The man had a knack for finding oddities, Corrim wouldn't always call them rare, but he needed a reason to be in the building. Timing was everything sometimes. The need to haggle over the price, of what would surely turn out to be a replica, of an ancient Andorian Ushaan-Tor mining blade that was supposedly used by Captain Shran in a duel had to be timed to end as the real reason for Corrim's visit was able to be approached. Corrim had managed to time his departure from the ambassador moments after his mark had walked past. The corridor wasn't empty, that would actually look better than if Corrim had tried to approach covertly. Besides, the purpose for his visit had to do with an asset that had been disturbingly quiet according to his contacts at The Obsidian order. The building was colder than Corrim would've liked, though he supposed for the Andorian's it was probably too warm. He hefted the leather satchel on his shoulder uncomfortably and followed the asset until he stopped at a lift.

"Shres P"Trell" It seems like ages since I last saw you." Zora wore her vacant smile. Like all political smiles, it wasn't her own. This time, she was ordered to infiltrate the Andorian government. She hated their light blue skin and white hair, but mostly she hated their odd antennae. Two stupid things sticking out from their foreheads with a stupid dent on the ends. If that wasn't bad enough, this was a long term assignment. She liked to get in and get out. She hated to stay in one place too long. It was too easy to get distracted and forget the objective. She was making small talk, trying to suck up to some political official who she had memorized his name, but didn't care to really listen to as he droned on about some wonderful new policy he wanted to enact. Instead, another voice caught her ear. It couldn't be. Not here. She couldn't help herself. She turned towards the lift and saw him there. She couldn't help but stare for a moment. Later, she would be grateful for her feminine Andorian disguise.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-18 03:57 EST
Corrim set the leather bag on the floor and grabbed hold of Shres" hand to shake it like an old friend. Shres however was looking at him like he had no idea who Corrim was. "Don't tell me you don't remember me" Corrim' Corrim Duvek?" Shres quickly put on an "oh, yes how could I forget' face. Corrim knew the man well, he'd been the one to recruit him as a source of information on the Andorian government. Something was wrong, Corrim couldn't be sure what yet.

A well placed lie could do a lot, and of course Corrim found them to be much more fun than the truth. "I'm not surprised, we met on Caldar Prime in that hole in the wall pub. You had your eye on that Orion girl, well, you and the rest of the bar. I swear you were so nervous about going to talk to her that you lost track of your drinks. By the time you got up the nerve to approach her, you were unintelligible." Corrim kept his tone jovial, his face holding the disarming grin that had gotten him in and out of trouble so often.

Zora watched for a moment, then quickly turned back to the Andorian man who continued about his superior policies. She looked down for a moment, realizing her smile was real now. She looked back at the man and nodded. "Oh yes, I agree. You can be sure I will let Val"Shen know. If you'll excuse me?" The man nodded and bid her farewell.

While the Cardassian was busy talking to the Andorian, she turned and began heading towards the lift. In addition to memorizing names, she also learned the blueprints of the major government buildings in her preparations. There were two options to get close. On the left of the lift was a supply room. On the other side was an office. It was Kerell's office and he wouldn't be taking his lunch break just yet, according to how she had been monitoring everyone so far. He could still be inside working. She casually walked up to the supply room door next to the lift and went inside, closing the door behind her.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-18 03:59 EST
Shres now returned the grin to Corrim. "Yes" yes of course, the whole night is a complete haze to me. To be honest I can't even remember what happened after I went to talk to her." The lift doors opened, and Shres was making his excuses to say goodbye. "So nice to see you again, if you'll excuse me I have an important meeting to get to."

Corrim paused letting his smile sit for a moment before answering. "Of course, I'm sure you're quite busy, I really hope to run into you again. We can make a night of it, try to relive that night?" Shres nodded his assent but Corrim caught the look of relief just as the door to the lift was closing. He let his smile falter, and looked away from the lift thoughtfully. The truth was that he and Shres had never been on Caldar Prime, it had been Rigel 6 and Shres had been stone sober. Corrim hit the button to call the lift back again.

Once in the supply room, Zora morphed into her natural pink iridescent liquid form. She then quickly collapsed and spread onto the floor. She flowed over to the thin slit opening under the door and peeked out, seeing Corrim's satchel still on the ground. She'd have a few moments before the lift door would open and hoped it would be enough time. Through a thin stream, so as to reduce her chances of being seen, she seeped along the floorboards and the grout along the tile flooring, until she was fully inside his bag.

When the doors opened, Corrim retrieved the bag from the floor and stepped inside. He pressed the button for the lobby, fortunately the lift was empty though. By the time it arrived at its destination, Corrim had beamed away to his ship which was holding a stationary orbit. He was already sitting on the bridge when the elevator he'd been in opened in the lobby.

Corrim had laid the bag aside, and opened a subspace channel. A distinctly Cardassian face peered at him from the viewscreen. "Corrim, what a delightful surprise" To what do I owe the pleasure?" The Cardassian's tone was pleasant, behind him Corrim could see outfits and fabrics in various states of completion. His attitude was very similar to Corrim's though his hair was perhaps longer and his face fuller.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-18 04:01 EST
Still in her liquid state, Zora slowly trickled out of his bag, along the baseboards under his controls and up along his consoles until she could watch the viewscreen, hidden among the gaps in a control panel a few feet from him.

"I've had a bit of an attire emergency. The 'seam' in the "pocket' of my favorite suit gave out on me while I was planetside on "Andoria"." Corrim's inflections changed as he spoke certain words. "I've already lost some "valuables"." The Cardassian on the screen tsked a few times, and wore a very sympathetic look.

"Hard to lose a really good suit like that, and I am astonished to hear that it has cost you already. Will you need a new suit sent to you?" The face looked away from the screen as though checking his inventory. "I could get you something in a few days." He looked back to Corrim who wore almost the same smile.

"I think I will try my hand at repairing the pocket, though I am sure it will only be a temporary fix at best. I'm sure I'll need you to tie up the loose ends when I come by' next week if you're free." Corrim crossed his ankles and leaned forward to tap the console a few times, the other Cardassian was doing the same.

"You're in luck, I do have an opening but the timing will be tight. Hopefully you'll be able to close up the gap on your own. I'd hate to have to tear the entire thing apart in order to make it right again." The mannerisms so similar that tilt of the head and ambivalent smile given to Corrim.

"I'll certainly let you know how it goes, I'm no tailor though. If this job proves too big it's nice to know I have you to fall back on." Corrim leaned forward once again, hand hovering over the communications panel. "Till then, I have a lot of things that need to be tended to.? He cut off the signal and sat back in the chair. His fingers went to the space between his brows and massaged it gently.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-18 04:06 EST
Zora would have smiled if she could. She listened intently to both sides of the conversation. Apparently the Andorian Corrim ran into by the lift was one of his contacts, a leak, a seam. But for some reason he was no longer providing Corrim with valuable information; he was no longer in his pocket. Corrim was going to try to repair the situation himself, tie up a loose end if need be, but Zora was beginning to connect a few more dots on her own, things that might be beneficial for Corrim to know too, though she would certainly benefit if she could get him on her side. They hadn't left on good terms, but it was worth a shot. Better than living on cold Andoria for years to come. While he was rubbing his forehead, she slowly began to extend out and behind him, quickly forming into the dark haired humanoid appearance he was familiar with, and she was most comfortable in. She stood relaxed in a blue t-shirt and tight, black pants with blue and white floral pumps, hair tied back in a loose pony tail and spoke softly.

"I know we certainly have a few loose ends to tie up ourselves."

To his credit Corrim didn't react to her. It wasn't that he expected her, or at least he hadn't expected her now. He did think she would turn up eventually though. There were many things going through him as his anger fought with the part of him that was still glad to see her. It was inconvenient though. Why now and what part had she already played, that he would have to ferret out. He didn't turn to face Zora, as much as he wanted to look at her, the part that was hurt by their last encounter wanted to beam her directly from the ship.

"You know "my dear", it's interesting the places you turn up. I wonder though if you are here to make a fool out of me again. Perhaps the fourth time will be the charm' Exactly how am I supposed to react to your being here" Welcome you with open arms??

There was more than a hint of sarcasm as he spoke, and a hard edge to the endearment. Corrim had run this scenario through his head a thousand times, and only now realized which version would be the closest to true.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-18 04:10 EST
Zora didn't know what she expected. Maybe she really did believe he would be happy to see her, happy to help her. But that seemed foolish and she was no fool. Neither was he. She lost her usual smugness as she slowly walked up next to Corrim to look at his profile. She said sincerely, "I didn't know you'd be here. But now that you are, I need your help." She didn't bring up the past. She didn't regret the things she had done for her objectives, though she regretted the way she did them. She didn't need to lie to him, use him, hurt him.

Corrim's brows dropped angrily. She needed his help, again, of course. His fingers gripped the arms of the chair so tightly that he thought he might leave indentations. It was her, the first version of her that he'd met anyway. He could see that the instant he turned his head to look at her. It was hard not to notice what she looked like, and harder still not to let his interest in her show. His eyes were dark with his mood though, and he managed not to look beyond her face.

"You need" Simple as you please you're going to ask "me" for help" Why not just borrow my face and do whatever it is you are here to do' Should I worry that I'll be killing someone else this time around" Should I simply expect that thirty second reunion before you run away again?" Corrim's volume had begun to elevate, he was losing the control that he'd spent so many years cultivating. He knew what it meant, that he still cared more than he wanted to.

Zora wanted to say something, defend herself and her job, apologize for all the things she did to him. She was trying to not show her emotions. "It's different this time. I?" She paused then continued, "The people I'm working for are trying to infiltrate the Andorian government. My objective is to pose as someone influential to one of the officials. It is a long term job. I'd be there for years. They are trying to do something bigger this time. I don't' This is bigger than us.?

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-19 02:45 EST
Corrim thought he understood what had happened with Shres now, but in all honesty he couldn't bring himself to care too much about the Andorian government beyond information making it out. He heard the things she said, but mostly he was hearing the things she wasn't saying. She wasn't touching on the things he wanted to hear. "Bigger than "us?" Perhaps to you it is, because you feel less than a Vulcan, except where it concerns you. I hear you speaking of government takeovers, but then I hear you say the assignment is inconvenient to you. It will take some of your precious time. I already know things that take time are the first things you run from, regardless of who you trample over on the way."

Corrim knew he was being hurtful, but she wasn't answering his immediate questions either. He pushed himself up out of the chair more aggressively than he really wanted to. He wasn't sure where it had come from. He did manage to force his self to step away from her, even though it left his back open to her. He crossed his arms over his chest and pointedly refused to look at Zora. "I'm here for one reason, you really think I care if the people you work for make it inside the government so long as I have someone in place to tell me what?s happening?"

"I know I shouldn't have lied to you?" Zora stopped herself before saying "all those times before" in fear of making it worse. Still looking at him, she added, "I'm not lying to you now. Whether or not this is bad for me or bad for the government or bad for my employer, it's still a bad situation." She looked down; she couldn't look at him as she said, "I'll have to marry the official." Andorian marriages had four partners. She wasn't looking forward to marrying one, let alone three others. She returned her eyes to meet his. "You may appreciate the irony' I need you to help me get caught."

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-19 02:47 EST
"You think this is about the lies" I can take being lied to Zora. I've done my share of lying." Corrim's frustration hadn't ebbed, it was fueled by the emptiness that Zora represented to him. "You made me care Zora. You twisted me around your finger and then used me like a yo-yo. Convenient to have in your hand when you need me, then leaving me to wonder what "I" did wrong." Did it matter now what she was telling him about the marriage" He couldn't bring himself to think about it, and that fact alone told him that of all the things she'd said, that was the one that mattered.

He was still angry though, still hurt and embarrassed by her. She'd looked away when she admitted it, and once he would have believed she wasn't manipulating him. Now he knew how well she spun a tale and took on a persona. "I might be able to help you get caught. Was that you I was speaking to down there?" Corrim let himself look in her eyes, that wouldn't tell him anything. There was no question she would betray nothing to him. For a moment he just wanted to look. "I'll keep it simple, what?s in it for me" I'm certainly not going to fall for your fake feelings again."

"No, it wasn't me, though I was there. I saw you and followed you." The eyes that he looked into were fake. Her body that she formed for him to recognize was fake. But her feelings, those were real. That was why her feelings were the one thing she wouldn't talk about. She adjusted her stance slightly, going into her mission mode. "If I get caught and exposed for what I am, the Andorian government know they have been breached, causing my people to back out of their plan. If you help me, you can help them to catch me and become the hero to the Andorian government. You won't even need your contacts and spies because they'll be happy to work with you in any capacity you like, citing it as for future security purposes of course. There are a few ways my people can be revealed for what we are and you can give this information to the Andorians. One is through simple blood tests. When we give the appearance of bleeding, it only lasts a few moments, then what seems like our blood reverts back to our normal liquid form.?

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-19 02:48 EST
Zora paused, not wanting to reveal this way, but knowing she owed it to him, if not more. "The other method is through stunning phaser sweeps. A high enough setting forces us to lose our focus on our form and return to our normal state." She paused again and her tone became more serious. "I need you there, to help me. If I'm going to get caught, I need someone to help me get out before they try to destroy me, or worse, experiment on me."

"No." Corrim knew there was one thing he didn't want, and that was exposure. "That's certainly not good enough my dear." He found it funny how easy it was to fall back into that role, and those words. "Unless of course part of your goal is to see me ending up on your hit list. That actually wouldn't surprise me in the least." He would need to remain anonymous in this. He still wasn't satisfied though. She wanted him to forget, to move forward and forget the past. He couldn't do that now. "I don't want to be a hero, I've never wanted to be a hero." Except perhaps to her once. Corrim stepped towards her his arms unlocking like he meant to touch her. Instead he stepped around her and started to press buttons on the console.

"Whatever the payment is it will come directly from you. Do you understand" I'm doing this, and you're going to pay." The main view screen now had an image on it of Shres. "This is going to be difficult, I assume that T"Pelle is dead, and that he's been" we'll call it replaced. I'm going to need another informant, but then again that will be my problem. Walking away from your betrothed should be easy enough for you, what with all the practice you have at disappearing. Did you make them love you?? Corrim omitted the word too from the end of that sentence.

She just nodded as he spoke of payment. She would pay him anything he asked. Money and credits she could give easily. She knew it was what she couldn't give that he really wanted, though. She consciously ignored the intent behind his last question, answering it in her own way.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-19 02:49 EST
"I only met him briefly. The official, anyway. Val"Shen. The others I have not met yet. It is an arranged marriage. You know how picky the mating rituals of the Andorians are." The race was slowly dying out. Since they needed four Andorians to reproduce, it became a rigorous process to fit compatible mates. Zora continued, "I can be your informant, at least for as long as I'm engaged in?" She paused, regretting her word choice. ?"as long as I'm on the assignment." She was hoping it would at least be a start.

"Yes, I do understand how mating can be difficult' here. How it can tie together someone who doesn't wish to be tied." Corrim turned and sat on the console, losing the battle slowly to keep from looking at Zora for too long. "I had Shres in place for a long time. Most of what he gave was low level, there were the occasional bits of information that sparked a need for action though. This will progress too quickly I think. Don't worry though "my dear Zora??"

How many times had he thought to say those words to her again? It was never meant to be said in quite this way though. "I've been doing this a long time, if there is one thing I know how to do, it's make associations that last." Was he speaking about her, or his assets" Corrim couldn't be sure anymore. "Rest assured though, we'll have you out before you do something that you will regret." Maybe it was a reaction to the term engagement that had him speaking so bitingly to her, or was it being left in the middle of a lobby just wishing to be able to talk to her even though he knew what she had done?

She continued to remain as impartial as she could. His every move, every word, was a constant reminder of how she left him. She felt she deserved to take each biting comment. Even then, it wouldn't compare to how she used him so often in the past. The last time, she knew she went too far, using him so she could kill an old friend of his.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-19 02:51 EST
Zora answered, "I will be able to provide you with the highest clearance of information from Val"Shen, at least relating to the Andorians. My people" I guess I don't have as much clearance with them as I believed, since they neglected to tell me about the new Shres. Undoubtedly there is more of my kind already planted in the Andorian political structure ?" She trailed off. She didn't like that her people were hiding things from her. This new Shres could even be there to check up on her and ensure she was doing her job. It would make being caught and revealing them more difficult.

Information was always tempting, it had been the foundation of his wish to be part of The Obsidian Order. This was different though, he would have trusted her once, now she could as easily be playing her own game. Corrim didn't doubt she wanted out of this particular operation, what he doubted was her. Don't you get it Zora?" Corrim was raising his voice again, he hadn't shouted at anyone since his old arguments with Durai. "I don't want "anything" from you." Corrim closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. He took a few calming breaths, and regained control of his emotions.

"I don't trust you anymore."

Zora took a step back as he yelled, the first movement she made since they began speaking. Her eyes softened, revealing her hurt. She may have manipulated him, but she wouldn't lie to him, not now. "You shouldn't trust me." Even as she said it, she knew she would leave him again. If he helped her out of this mess, she would leave just as quickly as she had all the times before. But this time, she would at least say goodbye, as opposed to leaving a calling card or leaving in the middle of the night while he slept. She looked down, knowing she needed to address it all. "You should have never trusted me from the start. I manipulated your feelings so I could kill Durai back on Baaja. I lied to you about my job to steal those Moinnet pieces so you would help me.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-19 02:53 EST
"I've said I would help, Zora. I need time to put together the right plan though." Hurting her didn't make him feel better. Part of him wondered if she were being manipulative again, that part was dead certain she was. He knew she was in this for herself. Perhaps this time she would understand what she'd done to him. "You've been gone too long, someone will be looking for you, that's the price you pay for being a lover even in this business." Corrim remembered his training and let that disarming smile cross over his face again. "I'll take a room in the Andorian Blue hotel, make an excuse" find some reason to come to me in two days." Corrim couldn't help but add one last jab at her, given in that same amiable attitude he was sure she would recognize. "I'd offer to escort you "my dear" but I know how you prefer to leave alone. I'm sure you remember the way." Corrim smiled at her, and tilted his head much as he had with the Cardassian whom he'd spoken to earlier.

Zora looked at him and nodded. Anything she would say would be interpreted as deceptive. It probably would be deceptive too. She had done this too often now, to him and everyone else, that she didn't even remember what the truth was anymore. She simply turned and walked towards the door. She stopped in the doorway for a moment, as if deciding. She turned her head to the side and looked down. She spoke softly over her shoulder, not trying too hard to be heard. "Thank you." She turned her head back, facing forward, and continued to the transport room she would beam herself back down to Andor where she would regain her role for the next two days.

Corrim watched her walk away, now he could look at her the way he had wanted to the moment she had first spoken to him. When she left the bridge he monitored her progress on the view screen all the way to the transporter room. It wasn't until she had beamed out that he finally acknowledged that he'd heard her final words to him. "You're welcome.? Corrim sat back down and started to go over in his head what he knew, and how he could use it.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-20 01:49 EST
Chapter Two: Pact

Corrim was seated in room 331, he'd changed three times before deciding on a gold and green tunic over black slacks, tucked into a pair of dull black boots that rose to mid calf. He was watching the time on the electronic clock, aggravated with his self over the nerves he was feeling. It wasn't like he didn't know Zora after all. He tried settling in with a drink only to find that the glass was left untouched and he couldn't stay seated for longer than a few minutes at a time. The room itself was clean, the airy blue painted walls were part of the reason the hotel had its name. The rest had to do with the ice coated fa?ade outside. There was a bed which had been made recently a small table and a few comfortable chairs. On each side of the bed was a nightstand and a lit brass lamps. More lamps were attached to the walls as well, also lit. Corrim stood again checking the mirror and fixing any minor flaws he saw. He turned sideways and put his hand to his middle before shrugging and beginning to pace. It had been two days, just as he instructed. Earlier in the day when she had free time, she made her way to the Andorian Blue hotel and took on the appearance of a new staff member, eventually finding records of the hotel. It was impossible for her to miss Corrim's alias. Room 331 was currently occupied by Durai Tarn. It was a harsh reminder of the two men she killed, using him to unwittingly help her. She waited until evening. Eventually she found herself walking down the hallway to his room. There was no need for her to come to him as anything other than what he was familiar with. Zora appeared as her favorite version, a young human-looking woman with dark hair pulled back into a loose pony tail with strands falling around her face and neck. Small mouth. Smooth nose. Calm eyes that almost seemed to change color between brown, green, and blue, depending on how the light hit them. She wore a simple outfit. She had to dress up most of the time for the official meetings and parties, so she relished the chance to relax. She wore a floral patterned V cut shirt of pink, purple, and white with pink pants and white flats.

Zora paused a moment, trying to collect herself, then knocked softly on the door to 331.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-20 01:51 EST
The knock didn't startle him, in fact it had brought him back to normal, or as normal as Corrim could get. He opened the door, the charming smile in place. She would be expecting that from him.

"Come in my dear, I had almost forgotten you were coming by today."

He waited for her enter, closing the door behind her. He'd purposely not called her by name on the outside chance someone might hear him. He didn't suspect surveillance, but the odd bystander could become a witness with a slip of the tongue. "That isn't exactly true, I remembered you were coming but since there was no guarantee when you could make it I was busy doing other things."

He looked at what she chose to outfit herself in, the pinks made her look a little pale. This was an ice planet though, everyone had a paleness to them, unless they were blue that is. "Sit if you wish, I'd ask if you would like something but if memory serves you don't really eat or drink." His face turned uncertain, and he pretended that the memory was vague. Corrim couldn't help but put his hand familiarly on her back to guide her further into the room. "Sorry, the accommodations aren't extravagant, but my cover is a somewhat less successful merchant here. I will admit it has been some time since I was last on Andoria."

Corrim retrieved his drink, his tone cheerful and his questions mundane for her. "I hope you've been well. I personally dislike the climate here, far too cold for my blood." He moved past her, his hand falling away, and back to his side. "I think you'll be pleased with what I have managed to come up with. Normally I wouldn't participate in exposing a spy, but I have laid enough false trails that look real to make this almost ordinary."

Zora walked calmly inside. She ignored his statement about occupying himself with other things and wondered how long he really waited. He had waited much longer than that for her before. Her eyes closed for a brief moment as he placed his hand at her back to guide her.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-20 01:52 EST
Zora focused on what he was saying. She answered his offer with, "You're correct, but thank you." She realized even behind the closed door, he was maintaining his show for her, the same show he would put on for those he interacted with for his own jobs. This seemed to be just business for him, impersonal. She couldn't fault him for that. Trying to maintain her own impartial demeanor, she responded, "Then what is our next step?"

Corrim noticed Zora's reluctance to sitting. It was obvious how she wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. He did his best not to take it personally. Just to show her he was fine with her indifference he did take a seat at the small table. "It's really not so complicated. We're going to play on the naturally suspicious nature of their intelligence agency." He set the drink back down, still not having taken a single sip of the thing. "I'm going to receive some poorly encrypted communications straight from Cardassian space." He crossed his ankles getting comfortable, there was no need for her to know how uncomfortable he really felt. "This will of course have them looking to bring me in for questioning. You are going to need to provide me with information. I'll need something that only your hus" fianc" would know."

Subconsciously following his lead again, she sat in one of the chairs across from him at the table. She looked down, staring at his drink, in a thoughtful trance as she said, "Val"Shen has been working on a proposal for the Phaser Dispersal Array consoles on the Kumari class ships. It's almost done. He is going to be presenting the plans in a week."

Corrim smiled at her admiringly, it was just a short lapse in his fa"ade though he wondered if she could tell the difference. "I'll need a schematic Zora, something that will implicate your" Val"Shen. I'll offer them information, trying to make a deal. They'll be coming for him, and suspecting that he is one of your people. We both know that he'll manage to pass the blood test, but you'll need to make enough of a scene for them to insist on testing you too."

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-20 01:53 EST
Corrim crossed his arms on the tabletop, and leaned a little on them. "Then, once you are caught and I am their new informant, I'll be able to disable their containment field just enough with this device here for you to change and come out through the breach." Corrim slid a device out of his pocket that was about the size of a pen, and turned it on. "It works on magnetic resonance. It's not going to bring the whole wall down, but I believe it should be enough."

Zora smiled in return, but let it fade as his own did. She didn't want to push anything too far with him in any direction. She knew she was walking on eggshells as it was. "I assume you also think that the best time to try to get everything to come to a head will be during his proposal meeting" I can make enough of a scene there. The Andorian government surely wouldn't be able to sweep the presence of my people infiltrating their government under the rug at a public assembly." She knew it would be just enough to stop her people's plan, outing them by outing herself.

"Of course my dear, timing is everything. I'll send the subspace signal the day before, give them time to find me. Then sweat out an interrogation until the meeting is supposed to take place. I'm afraid if I move too soon that I'll be giving a warning to the rest of your people. There can be no time for interference that will stop them from publicly arresting you." Corrim let his eyes drift to the clock again, funny how quickly time moved sometimes. "I'll need the schematics before I send the signal so I have time to familiarize myself with enough details to make them believe me."

Zora followed his eyes to the clock. Did he really hate her so much that he was counting the seconds until she left' She looked down, answering, "I can get you the information by the end of the work day tomorrow. I'll leave the information in the room. There's?? She trailed off a moment, knowing he must want to limit his time with her.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-20 01:55 EST
"There's no reason for you to be here when I drop it off. It would only complicate things." Zora stood up from her chair and looked at him as she said blankly, "Keep in mind, the information will not be complete. I'm sure he'll be making changes on it up until the meeting. But it should be enough to get the government to take notice and believe you."

He supposed he should be relieved, at least she wasn't pretending to have feelings for him this time. Still she obviously didn't want to see him again, why else suggest that he not be there the next time she came by' Corrim wouldn't let it affect him though, he sat back in his chair and just let the old smile cross his face. "I won't want the most recent information, days old will be perfect, because when they question him, he will know that it is current, just not the most current." He gave her a conspiratorial nod, then he became suddenly more serious. "I'll give you my extra key card, I understand that Val"Shen is probably keeping you on a short chain. I'm surprised you managed to stay out of his arms long enough to make it here this long."

Zora turned towards the door. He didn't want to see her, and she no longer could look at him. She took it, though. She knew she deserved whatever insults he would throw at her. Besides, she knew deep down, even after he helped her with this, she knew she would leave again. "Once I deliver the files, I can leave the key card in his belongings the day of the meeting. It will help cement his connection to you.? She hoped he would just give her the key and let her go to be alone in a full house.

Corrim felt a pain in his chest at being so blunt, what was she hurrying back to if not' he no longer wanted to think about it. He rose and stepped towards the doorway, picking up an envelope and sliding one of the cards into his hand. He put his hand on the knob and pulled the door inwards blocking it with his back and waiting for Zora to come closer.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-20 01:57 EST
Corrim took her hand in his, something he'd wanted to do the moment she had sat down. He wouldn't try to force his self on her though. The hand holding the card covered her palm, laying the thin strip of plastic there between them. His hands lingered a moment, while he looked into her eyes trying to see what color they were now. "Just be careful out there, this doesn't work if one of us gets caught too soon."

Zora's eyes met his as he placed the keycard in her hand. They reflected the pure, airy blue of the walls around them. She hinted at a smile, but never let it get there. "Thank you," she said softly. In times past, she would have given him a bold remark like "Oh, don't worry, even you can't catch me" but that had been just another one of her appearances she put on to keep people away. No matter how hard she tried to keep him away, he still was helping her now. The gratitude in her eyes was only matched by the sincerity in her voice. "You be careful too." She pulled her hand back with the key and waited for him to let her pass.

Corrim stepped back out of her path when she pulled her hand away. He had been expecting something more from her. That overconfidence that was barely contained as she had been so often with him before. He couldn't take the way this parting was going. "Of course my dear, and let me say what I should have said when you came in. That is a lovely shade on you." His smile was more real in that moment than it had been for her entire visit.

She allowed her hinted smile to show through then, giving even more reflection to her blue eyes. She turned and continued on her way out the door. He watched her when she walked out, until the corridor turned a corner and took her out of sight.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-22 03:09 EST
Chapter Three: Counter Intelligence

They'd come as Corrim had planned, it was only a few hours after he'd received the encrypted message from the tailor. The information was legitimate, though poorly masked, just as he'd intended. Corrim understood intelligence agencies, they saw enough subterfuge that they would work off suspicion and always assume there was a deeper meaning. The problem however was keeping up the ruse, holding out long enough for them to believe what they saw, but not so long that they would discover it was all calculated. This of course meant that Corrim would need to be interrogated. He was restrained in a chair the room dark except for the light shining in his face to keep him from identifying his questioner. He'd done his homework though, and knew Jen"Mahr to be the only female interrogator within Andorian intelligence. That she was a female hadn't stopped her from having a good time showing Corrim that he wasn't afforded any real rights. That she could do whatever she pleased and no one would ever really know. The bruising in his eyes and blood that was leaking from the corner of his mouth was the only evidence she needed. "I've already told you my name is Durai Tarn" I demand to know why you're holding me!"

Corrim voice was full of righteous indignation, he flinched as she approached though. Maybe just enough to convince her that he might be afraid too. Jen was only warming up, but she knew he wouldn't crack under a few hits. They were a nice bonus for her, but she knew about Cardassians. Their mental fortitude was as tough as their scaled skin; that was why their interrogation techniques were known to be the best. She had learned every one she could, and she would verify that they were through her own experience testing them out. Smiling at his indignation, she spoke as she began to walk around to his back.

"Well, Mr. Tarn, you sent out some very important information. I want to know what that information was. I'm happy to leave you here as long as you like. I'm getting paid by the hour. I could do this for weeks."

Jen stood facing his back, then began to softly massage his neck scales. She could play mind games too.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-22 03:11 EST
Corrim couldn't seem to help his self. It wasn't bad enough that he was here to lie convincingly, he suddenly had the urge to lie unconvincingly as well. He smiled despite the pain it brought to his swollen lip. "My mother loves trying out new recipes, I was sending her a good one for an Andorian tart. The baker in question charged me a lot for the recipe and stipulated that I wasn't to allow it to get out. Which is why I needed to encode the message." Corrim really wished he had his hands available, it was so much more convincing when he could add body language.

Jen nodded behind him. She let go of his neck and proceeded to walk back in front of him as she said calmly, "That was very sweet of you. But what I would like to know is?" Standing in front of him, she quickly brought one leg up and kicked him on the side of his head. She continued calmly, ?"who you got this 'recipe" from."

Corrim's head snapped to the side with her kick, he barely heard the question afterwards. "I don't know if I can recall the name of the baker?" Corrim slowly brought his head back up and spit out a mouthful of blood, and opened his eyes though the light did hurt to look at. "He did say that it was the most sour tart he knew how to make" I think he called it a Jenny Mahr." Corrim was bracing even as he said it, though his knowledge of her name may give her a clue that he was breaking down.

She laughed, then walked to the side of him. She leaned down and said in his good ear. "Oh yes, I'd heard of it. It's very tart indeed." She walked over to the side of the dark room. He'd be able to hear something shift. She came back with a small wooden chair and placed it down in front of him. Sitting down facing him, she brought one leg up and purposefully brought it down hard between his legs on the chair, truly only half aiming.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-22 03:13 EST
Jen didn't really care if she hit one area in particular, for most males, the threat was enough. Though hitting him would be bonus. She brought her other leg up and rested it across her leg. She lounged back comfortably with her legs on his lap and continued, "I tire of this talk. Tell me something interesting and we'll make a bit of a bargain for your freedom. Maybe you overheard your baker friend saying something about some top secret government project."

Whether he said he gave the information or someone else released it to the Cardassian government, it didn't matter; she just needed to know who leaked it and how much else was out there. Even though she wanted to savor this, she didn't have the time. The documents released were going to be discussed at a public hearing in a few days and the Andorian government wanted to ensure it went as smoothly as possible. It didn't help that the documents were about a new weapon.

Corrim couldn't stop the impulse to pull back as far he could, not that it was much but every little bit would help. He clenched his jaw as she put her feet in his lap and used him like a piece of furniture. Degrading as it was though, Corrim had directed her where he needed her. She may discover one day that he'd manipulated her, now though it was time to give a little information cryptically and let Jen's mind make the connections.

"It seems to me that if you were really concerned about Andoria, you would be more interested in the "changing" face of its government. It's always so sad the way politicians just seem to shift from one form to another. One might say that all politicians are changelings. One might say that you never can tell how well you know a person."

Jen stared at him blankly for a moment. He was undoubtedly telling her something, but was it simply a distraction, or was he trying to tell her without telling her" More importantly, did she have enough time to play his game" She'd let him go on for now and see if he could give her something he could use. "Sure, every politician is two-faced, but we don't have the Changeling threat on Andoria. We have too many stop-gaps for that to happen."

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-22 03:13 EST
Corrim was growing used to the placement of her heels, and perhaps she did have nice legs even if they were blue. Still, he knew that she was interested in what he was trying to say, and that was far more important. "Of course not my dear" and you won't find the schematics for a certain Phaser Dispersal Array console in my hotel room. Schematics provided to me in order to keep quiet about what I know. That cannon overload sounds particularly devastating. I'm sure it's fine though and Val"Shen has managed to pass the blood screening. Maybe it isn't him, but I'm just as confident that your phaser sweeps of his office will have turned up nothing as well. This whole thing is simply a mistake over a tart recipe." Corrim was looking right into Jen"Mahr's face as he spoke, the subtle grin was not the usual he wore. This one had him looking nothing but guilty.

Jen looked back over her shoulder and nodded, as if getting a message from someone in the shadows of the dark room. He gave her what she needed, Val"Shen. But he had more. She decided to focus on the elements she didn't know. She brought her legs down off of his chair and sat upright and proper in her own, hands folded in her lap.

"Well, yes, of course we're doing blood screening and phaser sweeps. But, you know, they never told me why. Why is the blood screening so significant' And what setting have the Cardassians found the most effective for the phaser sweeps?" She knew she was completely fishing here, but he seemed willing all of a sudden. Her men were on their way to search his hotel room again for the schematics. If he was telling the truth with that, she'd be willing to take his word for the Changeling tests.

Corrim could feel the blood returning to his leg, the pressure she was putting so obviously meant to apply pressure to his femoral artery. "I'm really very surprised to discover that your agency hasn't trusted you enough to tell you that when a changeling's blood is taken, it can only hold form for a few moments before reverting back to the natural liquid state. Or that wide beamed sweeps on high stun causes them to lose concentration on their form, forcing them to transform."

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-22 03:19 EST
If Corrim timed this right, Zora would be just about to arrive for the meeting. By the time they arrived to question and test Val"Shen the meeting would be in full swing. The charming smile returned to Corrim's face as he watched Jen"Mahr 's reactions to the things he was letting her in on.

Again, Jen looked back over her shoulder, then returned her gaze to Corrim. She stood up quickly and her voice was rushed.

"Congratulations, Mr. Tarn. You give. We give. You've earned a nice stay in our most luxurious holding room, at least for the next few hours. We'll have to make sure that you can't interfere in the public meeting, after all."

Corrim had expected to be held as well as a precaution. That wouldn't stop him from acting like he was caught by surprise. "Really now, do I look like the kind of guy who would go out of his way to be a hero' I can assure you that all I want to do is get back to my room and get off this frozen planet, my dear." He spoke with an air of sincerity that surely she had come to suspect by now.

Jen smiled. "Then allow us to do you this favor."

Corrim heard rustling working its way around the dark room, then was blinded as an opaque hood was placed over his head.

He heard her instruct, "Take him and blood test him." He then was hit from behind and knocked unconscious.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-27 03:17 EST
Chapter Four: Uncovered

Val"Shen had just called up a weapons demonstration, a Kumari class escort was approaching a drone ship and preparing to fire. Watching along with him was a panel of five senators. Val was speaking to all of them but it was the one in the center that mattered most, Raf"Chthon the chairman of the committee. It was he who would approve or deny the experimental weapons system. Val looked to Tala for moral support as the specialized cannons vaporized the drone in a single pass. "As you can see, the weapons system is highly effective, but I do understand that you will need to see the cost of outfitting our remaining Kumari class vessels. You will find that I have provided a schematic, and list of materials needed as well as a cost estimate for?"

There was a commotion outside the door to the conference room. They were pushed open and a team entered the room. Raf"Chthon stood and looked to the intruders. "What's the meaning of this interruption?" It was the female in a lab coat who stepped forward to answer Raf. "You're pardon Senator, a matter of some urgency has come to our attention." She flashed a badge that indicated she was with Andorian Intelligence and stepped forward to hand Raf a data pad. "As you can see sir, we have learned that Val"Shen may not be who he claims." Everything was going according to plan. Thanks to Corrim getting caught and interrogated for sending out Val"Shen's documents, he was able to provide them the false lead that Val"Shen was a shapeshifter. Now all that was left for Zora to do was to make enough of a scene so that the Andorian government suspected her too. Val"Shen's blood results would show his innocence, but it would condemn her. They would lock her up, just as she wanted. Only then would she be able to expose the shapeshifter threat on Andoria and get out of her long term mission, sentenced there for years. Zora continued posing as Val"Shen's fianc", Tala. She leaned against him and said in a panic, "What's going on here??

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-27 03:17 EST
Val took comfort in Tala being close and her protective nature. "This is outrageous, I don't know where you got your information but I can assure you I am who I say I am." He put his arm around Tala, then looked to Raf to back him as well. The Senator never got a chance to say a word though as the woman in the lab coat produced another datapad, this one had holographic properties. She called up a set of schematics and displayed them for everyone in the room.

"Do you deny that these schematics are yours then?" Her tone was flat, and cold. Val only had to look for a moment to recognize them. His mouth opened as though to speak and then closed again.

"It is my design, though it isn't the most recent. Where did you get them?" His voice was subdued, filled with worry as to how someone had managed to get data that he'd managed to keep well hidden. The woman stepped forward, producing a hypodermic needle.

"That's classified, but it has been indicated that you may have been replaced by a changeling." She moved closer and grabbed for Val's arm. He pulled it away from her and looked to Raf.

"This is a clear violation of my rights! I've served Andoria all my life, surely you won't let this travesty stand?" Val couldn't stop the anger he felt from showing on his face. He held more tightly to Tala, needing her to support his self.

Now was her cue. Zora needed to make enough of a scene to gain suspicion of the Andorians, but she didn't want to be too over dramatic in case any of her fellow changelings might hear about it later and accuse her of treason. She pushed back her white hair, careful not to hit her Andorian antennae, looking to the woman with the needle. She stood in front of Val"Shen and said defiantly, "He is a good and honorable man. I can confirm that he has seen no one and been nowhere but in his work office or in our home these past few weeks, working hard to develop these plans.?

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-27 03:20 EST
The woman looked at Tala, her eyes narrowing at being put off. "If that's true then there should be no issue with this little test." She turned to look at Raf before continuing. "The fact is that we acquired these schematics, which means that even if Mr. Shen isn't a changeling he may be a traitor?"

Raf nodded to the woman. "If it will end this, I suggest you take the test Val." At Raf's words the woman took his arm again, and used the hypo to extract some of his blood. It was set on a table and watched, but nothing happened.

Val was indignant at the treatment. "What exactly are we supposed to be seeing, miss?" The woman was paying no attention to Val though. She looked at Tala thoughtfully. "Who else had access to your work Mr. Shen?"

Tala looked completely offended. "How could you possibly accuse me of something like this" This is my future husband. He trusts and confides in me. How could you possibly taint our relationship by accusing me of such a thing?" Zora was aware the woman never actually said anything to accuse her, but if she needed to put words in her mouth to make this happen, she would.

The woman produced a keycard from her coat pocket. "Have you ever seen this Mr. Shen" It was found among your things in your office at home. Strangely enough it was used to open the room where we found the schematics in question." Val's eyes went wide as he looked at the card.

"I've never seen that before." He looked from it to Tala and then back to the woman holding it. "Tala has been at my side day and night." The Andorian woman's face became a sneering smile as she looked to Tala.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-27 03:24 EST
"Then it shouldn't bother her to be tested as well." She replaced the vile in the hypo with a fresh one and made to reach for Tala arm. "Unless anyone has some objection' I'm certain we can get this all cleared up in a few hours, the room can be locked down and everyone present can be investigated." This brought the rest of the panel to life, and Raf stood looking accusingly at Tala.

Val"Shen forestalled whatever Raf was going to say. "Show them how wrong they are my love." He looked at Tala adoringly.

Tala scoffed at the woman and looked at her as if reluctant, but begrudgingly offered her arm to her for blood draw. Inside, Zora was smiling, happy everything was working out as she and Corrim had planned. She would be caught, Corrim would help her to break out, and she would be off the hook for this awful mission to infiltrate Andoria.

The woman jabbed Tala, showing no signs of compassion as the blood filled the vial attached to the hypo. She detached it and held it aloft for everyone to see. The dark blood did nothing at first, then it began to destablilize and turn into a thick pink liquid. Behind the woman the three security officers raised their phaser rifles and pointed them at Tala.

Val"Shen let go of her as though she had stabbed him. His face held a look of betrayal. "It seems we've found our culprit." The door opened and a fourth security officer brought in a stasis box and opened it. "You'll understand if we don't want to give you the opportunity to try and escape. We'll take you to a holding cell and let you out there." The three with rifles moved to get better angles on Tala. "One way or another you are going in the box."

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-27 03:25 EST
Tala smiled an evil smile. If Zora wanted to really hit home her point for the Andorians, she'd show them the true changeling threat. Tala quickly reverted to the same pink iridescent liquid in the vial and began to extend two long tendrils that were once her arms, haphazardly swatting at the Andorian security. She didn't want to hurt any of them and hoped they would put her down quickly. If her fellow changelings heard about the scuffle, they would know she wasn't trying unless she had put down half the room.

The woman fell back away from the shapeshifting Tala just as the third opened fire. Val looked on horrified by what he was seeing. The two men were knocked to the floor and got up firing as well in a concentrated stream of phaser fire set on heavy stun. The senators behind the table were panicking and headed towards the door, one grabbing hold of Raf and pulling him along with them.

Although everything up until now had been a perfectly executed deception, Zora's reaction to the phaser fire was real, and painful. Her form slowly began to lose its shape and what sounded like muffled screams of several voices blending together as one came from the huddled mass of gel.

The Andorian scientist dropped the hypo and quickly grabbed up the box. Val"Shen was still watching transfixed with horror as she charged in and caught the liquid mass. The top went closed and she punched in a sequence of numbers to activate the stasis field. She turned to the men with phaser rifles and gave a command. "Bring Mr. Shen along too, we'll have plenty of questions for him I think.? Two of them moved in behind Val and leveled their weapons at him before escorting him from the room.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-28 03:17 EST
Chapter Five: Penned In

Corrim watched as a security detail passed by his holding cell. One female Andorian held a stasis container. She deposited it in an adjacent cell before opening it and backing out quickly to raise a containment field. The plan was working, he knew that it wouldn't be long before Zora was reconstituting. One member of the armed escort moved to stand by the door while the other two left completely. The woman in the lab coat spoke to the cell Corrim couldn't quite see into. "You'll find that the containment field has sealed off this cell, there's no cracks in the floor even the ventilation has a force field. You're going to be spending quite a bit of time with us. Not to worry though, someone will be here soon to start asking questions." The woman's smirk was cruel, Corrim found his self talking without thinking first. "I trust that someone will be by to speak with me soon, I was promised my freedom before brutally assaulted." The woman turned to look at him, angrily for interrupting her. She said nothing just headed towards the stationed guard and out the door. Zora was barely aware of what they were saying, but she recognized Corrim's voice. She slowly began to ooze out of the stasis container. She was trying to focus on the plan. He was supposed to get caught. She was to get caught. He was supposed to get out, then get her out. Honestly, all she could think about was getting out of the box and rematerializing into herself, into anything really. The phaser fire hit her harder than she thought it would. It wasn't like she had been hit that hard before. Most humanoids didn't know about that changeling weakness. They didn't, until she had Corrim reveal it for her. She'd probably regret giving out that flaw against her people one day, but for now, it did what she needed it to, get her caught convincingly. She couldn't act this pain. Slowly, her iridescent pink liquid stood about three feet off the ground, bending and molding, as if trying to form in slow motion, fighting against itself.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-28 03:19 EST
Corrim moved to the farthest side of his cell trying to get a look into Zora's. He was careful not to contact the force field knowing that it would only cause him pain to do so. He had to be sure she was in there and all right though. He couldn't risk saying anything, the guard at the door would report any kind of verbal interaction between them. Why didn't she come to where he could see her though' Corrim did the only thing he knew how to in this situation. "I'd have thought that by now your agency would have managed to find time to address my needs. Now that you have another prisoner, I'm sure to be forgotten. I demand to see Jen"Mahr now!? He stated his command calmly, though there was no question he was trying to control the situation. The guard at the door didn't move at first, then he stepped to a control console and typed in a message. Corrim wasn't really watching him, he was looking for signs of life in Zora's cell.

Zora was definitely aware of him now as he spoke again. She focused on his voice a moment to pull her back, remembering more vividly the appearance of the person she was with him, her favorite appearance, a young female humanoid with long dark hair. More quickly her form began to assume the shape of a humanoid, but she realized that was not who she needed to be. She needed to assume the role of the Andorian, Tala, in order to keep up appearances. What was starting to become dark hair instead turned to pure white, while two antennae began to extend from beneath the hair. Rapidly, the rest of her assumed the appearance known as Tala. She walked up to the edge of her cell so she could look for him, but stayed away from the walls for fear of being hit again.

Corrim didn't know what the guard had transmitted, he lingered long enough to see the woman in the adjacent cell. It wasn't Zora, at least not by looks, he figured she was keeping her Andorian appearance. That would aid them both when it came time to free her. He gave her a meaningful look before pacing back the other way and sitting much as he had been since he regained consciousness. It still took some time for anything to happen.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-28 03:20 EST
Corrim was fairly certain that they were trying to figure out what to do about Zora. The usual interrogation methods were all but useless against her species. Eventually though someone came. He wasn't surprised to see Jen"Mahr step through the doorway. She stepped up to Corrim's cell and looked him up and down dismissively. "I'm of a mind to keep you in there Mr. Tarn."

Corrim laced his fingers in his lap and smiled at her, his head tilting ever so slightly to the left. "Please, call me Durai, everyone does." He stood up grabbing his wrist and holding it in front of him. "The way you say that though, would I be mistaken in believing someone else is of a different mind?"

Jen"Mahr frowned, she turned to the guard and gave a nod. The barrier in front of Corrim dropped and he stepped out. He panned his vision around, saving Zora's cell for last. Jen moved to a table and sat down pushing an envelope forwards and indicating that Corrim should sit across from her. "Fine, Durai. You will be free to go, but I need you to verify that your belongings are intact." That she wasn't talking about it only made Corrim sure that she had been ordered to let him go.

He sat down and opened the envelope, pulling out everything and examining them all before stowing them away. "Everything seems to be in order." He pushed his pen into a pocket on his shirt and looked across at Zora. "Is that the changeling?" Corrim pretended to be fascinated by the Andorian in the holding cell. "How can you tell, she looks very much like every other Andorian woman." Jen flinched at his dig.

Even though she looked perfect, Zora was still trying to pull herself together on the inside. She could rest while Corrim was mostly keeping the focus on him. She felt comforted when he pushed the pen into his pocket. That was the device that was going to free her by making a small disturbance in the force field, enough for her to mold through to escape.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-28 03:21 EST
Corrim started to stand, but Jen put a hand on his arm. "Wait, we're not done here Durai." Corrim looked at her hand, he licked his lips and looked up at her. She was looking at him suspiciously, or was that just how he felt.

"What more do you need from me" Is there a place on my face you haven't bruised yet' Maybe you want to work on the parts that you missed?" Corrim's tone was full of sarcasm when he spoke. He did notice that she removed her hand from his arm. She pushed a clip board in front of him.

"Nothing that would give me that much pleasure. I need you to sign for your property, saying that you have received everything we took from you." Corrim took a deep breath and smiled. He looked across at Zora and pulled the pen from his shirt.

Corrim looked right into Zora's eyes as he pointed the opening of the device in his hand at her cell wall. His eyes flicked for a moment between Zora and Jen, then back again. His finger pressed on the plunger slowly, an ironic smile crossing his face as out of the end came the nib of a ball point pen. He bent low over the table and signed his assumed name of Durai Tarn. "Am I free to go then?" At Jen's nod Corrim deactivated the pen and put it back into his shirt, before walking from the room.

Zora smiled as Corrim did, but the smile quickly faded as the pen clicked to reveal a mere writing utensil. This was wrong. This was not the device. This was not her ticket to freedom. This was not the plan. Her eyes grew wide as she watched Corrim turn to leave. As he walked from the room she yelled out, "No! What about me?" She didn't realize her question could be easily assumed for Jen as well. Distraught, she swung her fists out to pound on the clear wall in front of her. The force field surrounding her cell became all too apparent again as she cowered back in pain.

Corrim felt a twinge of guilt as he heard Zora yell, or maybe it was the response that Jen gave to the girl in the cell" "Eager to get started are you? Not to worry, we have all the time in the world to pull you apart and get whatever information you have for us.?

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-28 03:25 EST
Chapter Six: Shifting Alliances

The light was raised to blinding in the brig, the holding cells were empty except for one. Andorian intelligence was doing everything it could to keep the changeling uncomfortable while they gathered what they would need to begin questioning it. Things were moving quickly, though it may not seem so to those who were waiting. In a scant three hours they had managed to secure all the necessary paperwork, and get input from other federation agencies. The infiltration had started a frenzy of testing and perhaps that was the real hold up. A guard was stationed outside the door, he would come in every so often and change a setting, on some environmental function in the room. Whatever it took to keep the changeling disoriented. She had eventually stopped her yelling, and gone quiet. Three hours.

The time would have been long enough for her. Zora never stayed in the same place too long. That's why she hated being assigned this long term mission on Andoria. But she had planned to get out if it, with Corrim's help. Everything had been going according to plan. She was caught and he was there to rescue her. But this time, like all the times she had done to him, he left her. She yelled for so long. She almost wished she had a humanoid throat that she could have gone hoarse. At least then she would have the physical pain to focus on instead of her emotional one.

Zora just sat in the back corner of her cell now. When she had pounded against the walls, the shielding injured her, since it knew exactly what setting to be on. They knew because Corrim gave her the information. He knew, because she gave it to him. She gave him all he needed to exact his revenge on her. If she was him, she probably would have done it. All the physical and emotional stress was wearing her body down. She would need to revert back to her liquid form soon to recuperate. Scared they would try something worse on her while she was down, she tried to focus on her form, though she could only focus on him.

Raf"Chthon stalked the corridor, he wanted to see this changeling for his self and more than that he wanted a little time alone to question her on a few things. He'd been kept waiting for hours while measures were put into place. Still he used his pull to get inside the building and more importantly stepping into the brig and in front of the holding cell that Zora occupied. He looked at her cruelly, his pale eyes full of hatred. The antennae on his head moved with his aggravation.

"This is unacceptable, I thought you were so much stronger, but here you are cowering." Raf scoffed at her biting the end of his tongue as his gaze drove deeper into her. "Now that you're here, it won't be long before the rest are caught as well.?

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-28 03:26 EST
Zora rolled her eyes as she saw Raf come in. Of course he would have his hands in this. He was one of the officials that seemed to have a hand in everything. Val"Shen was always complaining about him. Trying to maintain her appearance as the Andorian Tala more than ever, she looked down and said angrily, "Don't you dare cross me, Raf. You have no idea what I'm capable of." She fluttered her own blue antennae from under her snow white hair, in the efforts to show him in a way that he would that she wasn't going to tolerate him.

She continued, "When I get out of here, you'll be the first one I come after. I should have assassinated you when I had the chance, but I won't make the same mistake twice." She would have too, if it hadn't been for her orders from her people to stay low until they achieved more for their plan. Then again, she didn't exactly hold to their orders. At the top of the list was probably to not reveal their presence, or to get caught.

Raf shook his head, at her words knowing she was completely trapped. "From what I can see you can barely hold yourself together. I see they left the stasis box in there, but no' You won't want to go anywhere near that again will you. Perhaps this trash bin would be more to your liking?" Raf's foot caught on the bucket and knocked it over spilling trash out of it. "The grime might get to you but at least you would know that you wouldn't be put in stasis." His chest rumbled with a cruel laugh as he tormented Zora.

"You won't be assassinating anyone little Tala, because for you there will be no escape. What you will get is year after year of experimentation, and a cell that is designed to contain you." He stepped away from the front of the cell going to the command console and tapping a few buttons. "I don't think I really need a record of this visit floating around out there." His eyes darted from the console to Zora then back again. "It'd be interesting if you did get out of there, personally I don't think you have the strength left to offer me much resistance.?

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-28 03:26 EST
Zora thought he seemed cocky for a humanoid. He should know enough about her people to know they were a force to be reckoned with. But he was right, she would need something to collect herself in, when she wasn't able to hold herself together any longer. Even she was starting to see her blazer and pants beginning to seep down in an unnatural way. She hated the thought, but being in the trash can would be better than that stasis box if he tired anything. In the box, she could easily be locked inside again and who knows where he would take her. In the can, at least she could ooze out and try to escape if he let his defenses down. She looked up at him from her position on the floor and said dryly, "So are you going to find out and give me the can' I'm sure you'd love the symbolism. You could even take pictures and use it for your next political campaign. "Raf"Chthon. Taking out Changling trash." "

Raf bent down and picked up the trash can. He was still young by Andorian standards and fit. He moved to the console and dropped the force field. The bucket was held beneath one arm as he walked to the now open cell that held the changeling. "Perhaps I will have pictures taken, or maybe I will just have you paraded around with me, the obedient little changeling on a leash. Raf"Chthon tamer of the founder."

He was inside and staring down at her in the corner. His face held the cruel smile once again as he squatted to look her in the eye. "What shall I call my pet changeling anyway' Tala is far too good a name for you. How does Puddles sound?" He let his eyes fall to the oozing blazer and then back onto her face.

She would have waited until he had been in awhile and have exchanged a bit more dialog with him to get him comfortable, relaxed, and off guard. Not like she had time to spare, but his words already cut her while she was down. "Can puddles do this!"!? Reverting to an ooze, she lunged forward to knock him down and try to make her escape.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-28 03:27 EST
Raf looked surprised for a moment, he dropped the bucket and put up his hands to try and catch the liquid form. His hands plunged through the surface, and then he began to change. His arms became the same pink liquid substance as his attacker. "You've done more than enough here I think, Zora. I did warn you that you wouldn't have what it took to resist me. Those phasers looked painful."

Raf let himself become completely liquid, merging with Zora for several moments before receding. As he did Zora was revealed once again. She became confused as he began to meld with her. No. No, only other changlings could do that' No. It hit her in a fury. The Link.

Raf formed once more as the Andorian senator, he looked at Zora dispassionately. "You and your friend have exposed us all. Since you like consorting with solids so much, we've decided that you can become one." He began to back from the cell watching Zora's face as the truth of her situation began to sink in fully.

No. No, she always did everything she could to stay out of The Link. Any one of them that linked with her could read her thoughts, her memories, everything. She had done so much, felt so much, things her people wouldn't understand. She tried desperately to hide her thoughts, but as she did, she focused on things, which only brought them to the surface.

They would never understand her fascination with' As he said the word, she flinched. Solids. As he let go of her, she felt herself fall to the floor, weakened. She was even more confused. The Link usually invigorated them. She looked down at her black pants and simple white shirt. Gone was her business attire. She pulled at her hair and pulled the loose ponytail around so she could see the end. Dark hair. Her white Andorian hair was long and dark, like her favorite form, Zora. No. She tried to change back to Tala. No. It was then when his words began to sink in. She looked up at him with a bewildered look on her feminine humanoid face.

"No," she finally spoke in desperation. "You can't do this to me. I'm nothing. Don't take this from me!" The severity of the situation was only beginning to hit her now. "They will kill me?"

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-28 03:27 EST
Raf stepped from the holding cell, and reactivated the energy barrier. "I'm afraid it's too late. It's done, and yes, I don't doubt that their experiments will kill you. At least it won't be one of us doing the killing." He stepped away from the console one last time. "By now the others have gone, I'll be gone shortly too. Raf"Chthon will have disappeared. You will remain, and they will ask you questions that you won't be able to answer." Raf turned into another security officer and turned the recording device back on. He stepped through the doorway where the previous guard position was conspicuously empty. Raf waited for the door to close before heading down the corridor.

Zora rose to a standing position. Her whole body felt awkward, like she didn't know how to move it. She didn't. She walked to the edge as he began to walk out. "No!? she screamed in a foreign shriek and began to hate herself for wishing to feel her vocal cords strain. As he walked out the door, she began to pound on the clear shielded wall without thinking. It hit her hard in her humanoid body and she let out a blood curdling scream as she fell backwards in extreme pain that she had never felt before. Laying face down on the floor, she tilted her head back to try to catch her breath.

She never needed to breathe before, but she was grateful for being able to breathe now, though even it pained her to do so. She looked down at the floor. Blood was dripping from her mouth. She could taste the warm metallic flavor from it. Hoping for a miracle, she watched the blood droplets, begging them to become her pink iridescent liquid form to prove to her this was all some elaborate joke. They didn't. Instead, added to the blood were little droplets of water. She was crying. She didn't even know how she was doing it. She laid her head back down on the floor, feeling the warm watered down blood on her skin, and began to weep.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-29 00:11 EST
Chapter Seven: Burned

Corrim knew many things. He knew how to turn a phrase, and how to seem insignificant. Corrim knew how to make people trust him, and even how to betray them once that trust had been gained. What he really knew though was how to get information, in this case placing a bug in the right place. He'd lied to Zora, the pen he'd had was never meant to work on the force field that held her confined. There was something about it though that had been missed by the Andorians. The ink within was full of nanoprobes. Microscopic programmable machines found their way to the paper he'd signed, and spread out. The page in Jen?Mahr's files was a functioning listening device now that still couldn't be seen. It was far more ingenious than that though, the nanoprobes had spread to the table on which Corrim had signed the paperwork. When he beamed to the ship it was a small matter to open a subspace channel. Corrim told himself that he didn't feel guilty about leaving Zora behind. He told himself that Zora had earned exactly what she was getting and that he was completely justified to let her sit there. Corrim told his self these things until he nearly believed them, except that he could still hear her screams to him ringing in his ears. The device within Jen's office was open, he could hear her plans for Zora, the different methods she planned to test out on the changeling woman. Corrim told himself to smile over the knowledge.

Something had him changing the subspace channel to where Zora was being held though. He wondered if she were still yelling. That was when he heard something he'd never thought he would. Zora's cries as she sat in the back of her cell. Corrim's fingers shook and he moved them to the console but couldn't quite make his fingers shut down the link.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-29 00:12 EST
When Raf entered, Corrim became confused. Corrim was used to subtlety, listening to the man bait her He couldn't help but talk.

"He's toying with you Zora, don't you fall for it." Corrim realized as he looked around that he'd stood up but couldn't remember having done so. He held the console as Raf managed to push Zora into her attack.

Corrim's fingers gripped the edge of the console angrily. He tried to tell himself one last time that this is what Zora deserved, until he realized a few things. The first was that Zora was in pain, the cell had been constructed for a shape shifter. The second was that the methods Jen was going to use on Zora would kill her. The last thing he realized is that it would be his fault, just like Tora. It may not be his hand on the trigger this time, but it was he who had orchestrated this. Corrim was moving before he really knew what he planned to do.

Zora was fading in and out of consciousness in her cell. This humanoid body was so fragile. She didn't know how to control it yet, that's what she told herself in her infrequent bursts of awareness. She heard an explosion nearby. She could feel as she lay on the floor in a small pooling of her own blood. It was enough of a jarring to get her to wake up and open her eyes. She turned her head down slightly so she could see the door, dragging her cheek along the floor. She had heard of this humanoid symptom - hallucinating. She must have been, since she saw Corrim running through the door.

Corrim hated the cold, his Cardassian physiology required heat. It was strange that it was that cold which would get him into the building. He wasn't able to transport directly inside, a dampening field made it impossible. He was able to beam onto the roof though, the cold would ensure he wasn't spotted. The lock on the door had to be bypassed, but he'd brought along a tricorder and made short work of it.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-29 00:14 EST
Corrim made his way down the stairs, halting at the floor Zora was being held. Timing would be everything here. The nanoprobe listening devices were encoded to self destruct if they were discovered. Corrim transmitted a code along the first open subspace channel and the device in Jen?Mahr's files went off. The transphasic explosion blew out the wall in the corridor. Emergency personnel moved towards the location of the explosion. This allowed Corrim to slip into the corridor. The guard outside the holding area was missing. That was unexpected, but Corrim wasn't going to question good fortune.

Once inside he dropped the forcefield on Zora's cell. Corrim looked at the way she lay there, taking in the blood on the floor. He wanted to drop down next to her and let her know it was going to be all right. There wasn't time though. He reached for her and pulled her up over his shoulder. He looked out into the corridor, then took off towards the stairs once more.

Zora blinked hard as he picked her up. She knew it couldn't be a hallucination if she could feel it, right' But could she trust what she was feeling in this foreign body' She passed out again as he laid her over his shoulder.

Corrim rushed up the steps, his legs ached at carrying her but she was in no condition to help him. He set her down on the steps as they neared the roof door. He was sure they would be monitoring all exits now, so he called up the second subspace channel and sent the destruct command to the device in the room with the holding cells. The building rocked under his feet as the transphasic explosion went off. With any luck they would assume that Zora simply became someone else and left. Once the bomb went off, Corrim was hefting Zora once more and plunging out onto the roof.

Zora heard another explosion and opened her eyes. She looked around briefly, not knowing how she got to these stairs. Corrim' She felt him pick her up again, but began to fade out once more. Her eyes shot open and she gasped deeply and suddenly as they hit the cold air outside. Her body spasmed, almost causing him to drop her. He situated her over him again as she completely blacked out.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-29 00:16 EST
Zora regained consciousness.

Slowly, she looked around. The bland beige walls of the monochromatic room seemed to press in on her like a" Wait. She wasn't in her cell on Andoria anymore. She closed her eyes, trying to focus and remember. There were explosions. Then Corrim. Did he save her" She opened her eyes and was able to identify a few of the medical devises and consoles in front of her. Her vital signs were displayed, her humanoid vital signs. She had mimicked vital signs before, but she had to concentrate to do so. Those numbers were coming up all on their own. The blood pressure and pulse figures began rising and it grew increasingly harder for her to breathe.

It had been difficult when he first got her back to the ship. He'd had to leave her in order to break orbit and get the ship out of Andorian space. It was quite likely that he wouldn't be able to come back there again, at least not with this ship. Once the course was set, and the autopilot engaged Corrim had returned to the medical bay. It was small by most standards, a single bio-bed and the equipment to treat the most common things. If she'd needed surgery though, that would have been a problem.

Corrim was sitting in a chair nearby, he'd been listening to her breathing for the better part of two hours. It was long enough to know when something had changed. He looked up from the page he was writing on. "Try not to move too quickly, you were pretty bad off before I started carting you through the building like a rucksack."

She heard him speak and knew she couldn't deny what had happened, all of it. "Oh, oh no?"She began to moan softly and trying to get up just as slowly. "No. No, you left me to die?" She sat up and held her side, leaning over in slight pain, but any pain to her was intense. "You should have let me die," she said meekly.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2014-05-29 00:17 EST
He'd left her, and now he wasn't sure how to respond to her. Corrim could say he'd no intention of leaving her to die, but was it better or worse to leave her to be tortured. "You had extensive burns across your body, your clothes needed to be? replaced." He indicated the gown she now occupied, knowing that was likely to be another thing she would be angry over.

"You have some bruising inside and will be tender for a bit, but from what I can tell your vitals are normal. I'm not a doctor, and you are unique, but now that you are up that is a good sign." Would she realize he was ignoring the accusation' Hard to say in her present condition.

Zora turned away from him and said softly, more to herself, "I'm not unique anymore." He wouldn't have known. The last time they were this close, she had been doing all of her normal things to simulate being a humanoid. Beating heart. Expanding and contracting lungs. Blinking eyes. All the things she had learned to do to put humanoids at ease with her presence. Now, she was doing them involuntarily and it was killing her.

Corrim rose and set down the pen and the book. "You are more unique now than you've ever been." He moved to stand in front of her, offering her a hand so she could slip off the bed if she chose to. "To my knowledge there is now only one of you. That isn't what?s bothering you though." Would she reject him again as the one who had left her to die"

"I know this isn't what you want, I don't know what if anything can be done about it. I'll help you if I can' if you want my help. I can put you off somewhere else though if you would prefer it. For now though, we need to put as much distance between us and Andoria as possible." He cleared his throat then took a deep breath. "Stay as long as you need to."

She ignored his hand and just sat. She shook her head as he spoke. It was like he knew. "I don't understand " How could you possibly know what happened" How do you know I'm the only one like " this?? She couldn't even listen to his offers. She was still trying to come to terms with what he already seemed to know.

Whispered Words

Date: 2014-05-29 00:18 EST
Corrim shook his head, he looked away for a moment then looked back to her and smiled. "You told me when you gave me the means to detect you with a blood test. I admit I merely suspected when I pulled you out of that cell. The blood on the floor it had been separated from you for some time, but it was still blood." He turned to a drawer and opened it. "If that weren't enough, your clothes still have blood on them, the clothing itself didn't shift back to your real form. The dermal regenerator was the final clue."

She was still shaking her head. She would have been able to deduce all that before. Being a humanoid had made her lose her edge. She said, not really in response to anything he said, "Ok?" She slowly pushed off the bed and rose to a standing position. She balanced herself, still holding on to the edge of the bed. She began walking to the door as she said, "I think I'll go lay down in my room for a little while." She didn't realize what she had said. She had stayed there before, then had promptly left while he slept. When she got to the doorway, she turned around and looked at him. It was reminiscent of the last time he had seen her before running into her on Andoria, but this time, she wasn't running away, being lost in a crowd. She said softly, "Thank you."

She wasn't acting like the Zora he knew, though she had fooled him in the past. He didn't think this was the same though. Her condition was traumatic for her, that much was certain. Had he done this to her" Should he be feeling guilty' Those were questions he would eventually answer, right now he knew that no this wasn't his doing beyond leaving her behind when he'd promised to get her out. He watched her walk away unsteadily, she'd get used to how her muscles worked soon enough. Maybe he did feel guilty, but it was over breaking his promise to her. "Of course, my dear.?

Zora walked to the bedroom and looked around. Everything was just as she had left it, though she hadn't disturbed it much. She sighed and began to settle herself in. Unlike before, she would be staying awhile.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2016-12-29 00:45 EST
Epilogue

There were advantages to owning the ship, advantages that Zora would have countered had she been in a different frame of mind. Corrim used the access panel and put the override command in, causing the door to slide open. The room beyond looked as he would have expected for a person that no longer cared. It wasn't trashed, there were parts that had been left in perfect organization, which was just as bad. Untouched, because they didn't matter. He stepped into the room, his eyes looking Zora up and down before grunting and shaking his head. "You, my dear, need to clean yourself up. How long has it been since you've showered?" He let the words hold every implication that she didn't smell so good. "Or brushed your hair for that matter." Or eaten, but he left those thoughts go unsaid for now. Zora looked up to him meekly as she sat in the edge of the bed. After a long pause, she answered as if forcing words out, "I didn't' know I needed to?? She had spent her whole existence as a shapeshifter. She never sweated, never needed to brush her hair. Though she understood the concepts by watching the humanoids, they were still foreign to her in practice. As someone who had mastered the art of body sense, in her shape shifting body, it was something she cursed now. With every breath, she could feel this humanoid body dying all around her. Sitting on the bed, she could feel gravity pulling on her like she never had before. The muscles in her arms and legs felt numb and her heart strained with each beat. She had no value to anyone anymore now that she was no longer a shapechanger, and she had no value for her life. Knowing the body needed oxygen, she refused to breath in the first few days of this new hell she lived inside, but the body's will to live forced her to draw a deep gasping breath after just a few minutes, no matter how often she tried. Knowing that the body needed nourishment, she decided to deny it food and water. The first day went smoothly enough. After a half of a day, she wasn't even hungry anymore. But that night, the hunger pains prevented her from sleep. It took hours to finally fall asleep.

Whispered Words

Date: 2016-12-29 00:47 EST
When she awoke, she was happy to feel so weak that she didn't even think she had the energy to crawl to get food. After a day and a half, she was forced to eat just enough to make the headache and nausea go away. If she thought she was in a continual state of pain before, nothing prepared her for the pain of that headache. She thought she was going to die from the pain, but it was taking too long in killing her. She went on like that for over a week, only eating when the pains became too great, hoping that eventually the body would waste away around her, like she had wasted away on the inside. Corrim eyed her coldly. "You obviously don't have to, but right now I doubt you could take a noseless Caprezian by surprise." The species had no eyes to see with, or olfactory membranes, having evolved to see on an entirely different spectrum. "Let alone fend one off if you tried." She looked as bad as she smelled, and not all of that was due to the unkempt hair and pallid features. She was going gaunt and hollow cheeked. It was only this that clued him into her true desires. It was this weakened state that had him moving now. His size, coupled with the seeming age of the Cardassian belied his speed. Without so much as a warning he cleared the distance between them. His open hand clamped onto her throat, catching her up and pinning her against the wall. "I get it Zora, you hate this life, you want it gone." The words spilled from his mouth like poison from a snake's bite. "But I'm not going to let you kill yourself. I certainly didn't save you so that you could die by your own hand. Not when my own will be much more satisfying." Slowly his fingertips tightened, a five pointed vice on her throat. He stepped into her, the muscles in arm and shoulder tightening as he lifted Zora from the floor, keeping her pinned to the bulkhead.

Shifting Eyes

Date: 2016-12-29 00:51 EST
Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her heart was pumping furiously, but her weakened state left little to fight back with, even if she had wanted to. She stared at him blankly. The adrenaline gave her the strength to speak with a painful seriousness, even if she could only choke out the words from his grip. "You should have left me there to be die." With the terrorism she caused, she would certainly have been executed. She continued angrily, "But kill me now. I've suffered in this body long enough." She had been trying unsuccessfully to do it herself. It would be easier if he just did the work for her. The bulkhead rang like a gong as Corrim pulled Zora slightly away, then as quickly banged her head against it. "Believe me Zora darling, I want nothing more than to remember the woman that I thought I was saving. It would have been a much better memory that having to soil my hands with the pathetic thing before me now. There's no help for it though' I have only myself to blame." He was shuddering with anger, the vice of his hand closing tighter to cut off words and breath alike. He could feel her pulse beneath his hand struggling to pump precious oxygen to her brain. Still he held on to her, watching her like he no longer cared to have her in his sights. The pain from the bulkhead made her head hurt worse than the hunger headache she had experienced before. Her head was ringing long after the bulkhead became silent, so much so, that she wasn't even paying attention to his words. By the time he tightened his grip causing her to lose air, her limp arms lifted her hands to his at her throat, trying to pry his fingers away from her flesh. After attempting to kick at the ground, her feet lifted behind her, unsuccessfully trying to find something to stand on. She would have been hurt by the way he looked at her then, but when her eye met his, her eyes were only filled with panic. She was weak, even when she'd begun to struggle, something he'd wanted to expect but could really only hope for. It would have been easy for Corrim to finish the job if she hadn't struggled, because that would mean she was no longer Zora. She would have been a nameless creature, a thing to be pitied. "Now" This is when you choose to fight' It's too late Zora" much too late to realize that you're alive, and that somewhere inside you wish to remain so."

Whispered Words

Date: 2016-12-29 00:52 EST
Corrim's hand tightened even more, then it disappeared altogether in a flash of reflex that had him letting go and turning away from her to let gravity take care of the rest. "But, I've changed my mind. You're no longer worthy to be destroyed by me. Look at you, a skeletal reflection of the woman I?" He didn't finish, that would give too much away to her. "Clean yourself up! Figure out how to bring back some small part of who you are. I'll be more than happy to kill you, when there's some challenge to it. If ever you have that in you again." He didn't bother to look at her, knowing that his own self-loathing for the things he was saying and doing would be evident on his face. "Until then, we have work to do." After collapsing onto the floor, Zora gasped and coughed while rubbing her neck. Her head still pounding, she could do nothing but keep her head low. Pulling her arm away to look at it, she saw what he had meant. She was a shell of the woman that he had known, the being that she once was. But she was better than this. If the humanoids could sustain their limited lives in these defeated bodies, she should be able to thrive. She *would* thrive, as soon as she rested long enough to be able to get herself up. Corrim's glance over his shoulder was brief. Enough to ascertain that she was moving, if slowly. There was nothing more to say, to try would be to risk what had been accomplished. He couldn't apologize, or show any kind of regret for treating Zora harshly. His hand went to the door panel, and he thumbed the button to open it. He was barely able to keep his own shaking hand under control, a fact that had him give a derisive grunt. It was centered at himself, however it was perceived by Zora he wouldn't know because he was out into the corridor before the thing had finished opening.