Lt. Katsim Peri - "Escape"
Amanda Nordstrom
(( Glyrshar Canyon, Bajor ))
Rocks skidded and clapped, echoing through the area. The sound jolted Peri awake. How long had she been there? Realising she had succumbed to the temptation of slumber, the Bardassian scrambled to her feet, hoisting the pack onto her back. Glancing behind her, she spotted the head of a Bajoran peering over a ledge, his eyes hardened with determination. His resolve intensified at the sight of her, and he descended even as Peri scurried down the opposite side.
Chastising herself silently for the lapse in her guard, she slid into another rocky trench, shaped by aeons of water. The rocks clustered in lumps and heaps, forming makeshift stair steps. There, she found herself in a hall-like situation, a single branch leading onward. She had traversed several similar passages, but as she moved forward, the sides became steeper. Without waiting to see how far the man had gotten, she hurried on, sprinting through the rocky gully high above the canyon. In a different time, she might have marvelled at the beauty, but now there was no time for admiration.
The trench narrowed, slowing her considerably. The steep sides lacked sufficient hand or footholds, bulging in and out, widening and narrowing the path. Twice, she passed places where the trench split, but Peri kept following the main line, seeking an exit.
Suddenly, it turned, veering sharply, then coming to an end. She slid to a stop, eyes wide, desperately seeking a way to climb up if she couldn't continue. Whirling about, she started back the way she came. At the crossroads of trench lines, she had just elected to make a choice when the man appeared from around a curve, freezing at the sight of her. For a moment, both stared at each other, then Peri sprinted to the left. The trench rambled back and forth like the others, but the walls shortened, offering footholds deep enough to climb up.
Grasping whatever she could, Peri pulled herself upward, conscious of the pounding feet behind her. One foot slipped, and she tumbled to the ground, but she jumped up and began again. Up, up she went, her hands groping at the edge of the new ledge she now clambered upon.
Just as she began to rise, a hand grabbed her ankle and tugged. With a cry, Peri kicked out, striking something. Ignoring the pain, she pushed up again. Once more, something snagged her ankle, pulling harder, and she thumped to the ground. Rolling, she went about halfway, kicking desperately to shake the man off. She succeeded momentarily but couldn't gain ground quickly enough before he pounced again. Limbs kicked and smacked at each other, and in the midst of her desperate scramble, she felt the hard tug on the pack, pulling her up. Once he wrestled the item free, the lack of resistance forced Peri back to the ground, and her chin hit stone, sending her reeling. Behind her, the man heaved, letting out an 'ah' of victory that quickly turned sour.
Vipin: What? Where is it?
Peri didn’t answer, trying to shake off the pain that made her head swim. Attempting to get her arms and legs to cooperate, she wasn't quick enough. Just as she got to her feet, the man grabbed her, one hand encircling her neck.
Vipin: Where is it!?
Instinctively, Peri’s own hands clapped around the man’s wrist, as if trying to wrestle it off of her. He was far stronger than her, and his grip did not waver, but instead, he shook her, as if that might force an answer from her lips.
Vipin: Where is it!
When she offered him nothing, he growled, then heaved her against the side of a stone. Pain exploded in her head and the world spun, yet his grip remained unyielding. Perhaps her only saving grace were the ridges, far more muted than a full Cardassian, but still present, made her more difficult to choke. Somehow, she managed to lift a leg and kneed the man in the groin, which sent him reeling. Turning, Peri stumbled away from him and further over the surface of the ledge, searching for a way down, or up, or anywhere but there, somewhere she could move and get away from him.
He grabbed her again, sending her back to the ground and then fell on top of her. Her hands sliced at his face, nails raking lines over his cheek even as his hands sought and found her throat. One of her palms pushed up on his chin, and then the other hand furled into a fist to hurl at his face. His grip loosened, and she continued her own assault. His body pressed against hers, pinning her to the ground as he tried to gain control.
She reacted, stopped her frantic clawing and jabbed both elbows into his thighs. Though it did little to release her, it allowed her to focus and get a sense of where his legs were and prevented him from rising high up. Using one foot, she pushed up her right hip and turned, then hooked her leg over to sweep his heel up between her thighs. Leveraging against the heel she had trapped, Peri shifted her hips and trapped his leg in a straighter position. His attempts to gain a better hold upon her were thwarted by the elbow near his leg pushing against it and forcing it in a straighter position, twisting his body, which gave her an advantage. Both hands came up and she pushed hard against the man's chest, effectively shoving him off of her.
Scrambling to her feet, Peri whirled around, then darted back as she realised the edge of the ledge was far too close for comfort. Turning back to face the man, he gained his own footing and reached up, wiping some blood that had trickled from the scratches on his face. Grunting, his eyes locked on her, then he sprung forward. She caught him on one of his outstretched arms, but rather than resist, Peri moved with his motion, then circled around it, effectively allowing him to carry it forward and through to completion. Unable to grab her, his feet sought solid ground, but he leaned too far. His hands snatched at something, but one only grabbed air, while the other managed to hook onto the jacket still hanging from her shoulders. Peri twisted with the movement and let the coat slide off her arms even as she pushed in the opposite direction of the man’s fall. The rock rose up to meet her and Peri landed hard, once again, pain slicing its way through her, but even so, she could not ignore the scream of the man behind her as he plummeted over the edge. She turned just as the thunk of his body hit the stone beneath.
Closing her eyes, Peri eased herself onto her side, then on her back, the rough stone catching upon her clothes. The sky stretched above her, the warmth of the browns and reds of the cavern wall a painted contrast against the brilliant cerulean. She gulped and gasped until she was able to bring her breathing to a more normal speed, then let out a long, heavy sigh.
-- Lt. Cmdr. Katsim Peri Chief Science Officer USS Oumuamua M239008AD0