Act One, Scene Three

[Akirapryde]

Gul Bolon laughed, "you Vulcans are always the same." He said getting up from his bed once more and walking down to the far side of the cell. Looking in to the wall as he spoke, "I have valuable information. I am sure someone has needs for what I know." He ran his hand along the steal bulkhead, "I was once powerful. I commanded those to do my bidding. My wife was from a politically powerful family. My children were chosen to..." he spoke of his family. All of them no long dead when the destruction of Lakarian City occurred. "It was said, that Legate Dukat himself was considering me to be one of his Legates." He turned with hate in his eyes, "Then SHE came in to my life! I warned them all of what threat she and her unit posed to us. No one would listen to me. She was one woman and they were just one company."

Anger filled his voice as he lunged forward but stopped short of the group of three Starfleet Officers. "How lucky can one person be to best me each time! My best laid plans beaten by her each time."

He righted himself once more. He realized that the Klingons just beyond the forcefield were not taking his anger kindly. "I didn't want to let her slip away like that" he said as he walked up to Dr. Vanlaere and slowly took a knee before her. Carefully he took her right wrist in to his hand. Holding her wrist loosely, he continued, "I needed her to suffer. She had to suffer. Her unit had been broken by me but this wasn't enough." He reached up and motioned towards where her heart would be within her own chest. "That is why I had to have her soul. I knew her faith as well as she did, I denied her peace. Just like I denied her unit peace. If I couldn't have her, no one would. Not even in the afterlife."

He smiled coldly, "Oh you should have see it. They fought admirably. But I knew every move they were planning to make before they made it. Even their best laid traps were exposed to me. I watched from my command post as they were trapped like beasts led to the slaughter. They fought back with such fierceness. They were magnificent to behold. It was such an honor of mine to slay them. Just as they had ended my career, my family. My life" he said looking up in to the Doctor's eyes. There was coldness and hatred in his eyes for the topic of this conversation. No empathy, no mercy, just hate.

Sensing that someone would force him to move anyway, he backed up as he continued. Running his hand through his hair and down the side of his face. There was a strange twitch in his motor control. "My orders were to capture as many as possible. And I had the chance to on a few occasions. But I wanted to beat them soundly on the battlefield first. I had to." He turned to face V'rol, "Did you know that they were called the miracle unit" he said with a slight cold laugh. "They wouldn't have a miracle this day. Even as Starfleet was planning a desperate rescue mission I knew I would have them. Their's was an all or nothing plan. It would be Ghost Recon's last hope for survival. But I knew about the plan just after it was laid out before Admiral Ross by Brigadier Ka'To. An hour before the mission was to begin, I ordered the final attack on the Ghost Recon. I swooped them up just before their grand rescue. It was my turn to be uncannily lucky."

He turned and walked back to the wall once more, "I remember that day so fondly. I was walking the battlefield looking for her. I knew she was out there somewhere. Bodies laid across the ground like leafs tossed about by the wind. I heard the cries of the dying. Through the smoke and death I saw her laying there in the mud within a pool of her own blood." He turned from the wall as he spoke with an actually tear in his eye, "She was near death" he said softly. "I couldn't let her die. Not like that. I called my headquarters and beamed both of us to our medical facility."

He took in a deep breath, "I didn't let her die then and I had no intention of letting her die that day either." Anger filled his voice once more, "I DIDN"T HAVE A CHOICE!" he screamed out.

Watching his guards carefully he brought his anger under control as he took in a deep breath. "I didn't have a choice. They all had to die. But she had a secret. One last secret to tell me. Just when I was going to leave to order the death of the rest of the POW's she tasked me."

Returning to Dr. Vanlaere side he continued, "she tasked me. She laughed at me. Her jaw broken from when I kicked in her face, she laughed at me. Taunting me that she held one last secret. I had to know!" He looked around nervously almost as if he was worried someone was watching, listening to him. "I had to know" he said dropping to his knees. "Yes, I was ordered to kill the others including her. But she was going to beat me again." he turned and looked Dr. McCoy in the eyes, "You understand, don't you. In death she was going to beat me. AGAIN! I couldn't allow it."

He turned back to V'rol, "you could never understand the passion that we felt for each other. It was a contest of minds and will" he said softly as he slipped backwards till he was sitting on the steal floor of his cell. He slammed his fist in to the floor, "Glinn Hirus told me I had to follow my orders. But she laughed at me. She knew she was going to beat me. One last time she tasked me." he said curling his fist in to a ball right before his face. "I had to find out what this last secret was. She had to time me. But there wasn't time. I had no choice."

He looked down once more as he shook his head, "There wasn't time. A Starfleet task force was already enroute to the internment camp. I would have her secret. I had to. But there wasn't time. I had planned for us to escape. Just the two of us and a few loyal guards. I would have all the time I wanted to ensure her suffering would continue." He said as he looked down at the floor, "Let the rest of the guards kill the POWs" he paused, "Yes! That was the plan. But there wasn't time and those weren't my orders" he looked up again. "The orders were clear. Kill the remaining POW's before Starfleet arrived. Leave no witness to that battle."

He slowly rose to his feet as he turned to the far side of the cell once more. "What could I do. I had to carry out my orders. What could I do. I looked her in the eyes and kissed her soft lips. Her face was broken and scared from all the beatings. By my own hands I had broken her body. But this was not enough. I would not release her. Not ever! She would escape with me once the guards had their orders." he walked over to the forcefield and looked out at the Klingon guards beyond the barrier. "I would keep my prize. For all time, I would keep her alive and suffering each day for the rest of my life. But she one last time challenged me."

Gul Bolon turned to face the three once more, "you will never understand the connection that we had. Before she was captured and after, we were connected on a level that none of you can understand." He smiled as he remembered the moment. "I remember her words the night. She laid in her little cage as I was told my orders to kill the rest of the POW's. I was talking with my Glinns. They were getting ready to issue the final orders. It was then in that moment she spoke up from her cage like an animal." He paused as he searched their eyes. He knew that they could not understand what he and Major MacConnell felt for each other. "She was an animal in that cage. Covered her own waste and half starved. Yes, she was my animal. An animal I captured and beat down. But she wouldn't surrender. Not even in captivity."

He paused a moment as he remembered that time in his life. "She rose up on all fours and looked me right in the eyes. I felt our connection as she spoke to me. Those hollow words echo in my ears to this very day. I will never forget her courage. That primal courage that comes from an animal that knows it had met its master. She spoke to me knowing that I would beat her once more."

He recited her words perfectly. "I remember her words, 'I tasks you!' she said then continued, 'I tasks you, and YOU shall never have me! chase me 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares maelstrom and 'round Perdition's FLAMES before you give me up. But you'll never have me!' He said almost in sadness. He shook as he spoke, "I had no choice."