Ekos 17 - Toter Mann Geht

Posted on Sunday, 2 May 2021 - 1:51pm by Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt & Crewman Leopold Eberhardt

Mission: Operation: Neu Reich
Location: Ekosian Prison

Escorted by an Ekosian guard in appropriate Nazi inspired uniform, a man approved the cell containing Adrianna Baciami. The man was dressed in mid 20th century Earth clothing with a european flare. They wore muted earth tones, had fair hair and and a mustache. Family portraits from the Eberhardt home would have alluded to the man's identity.

He pressed his face up against the bars of the prison cell. "You're the one he brought here. You are the one responsible for this?" He scoffed. "I was expecting someone...else. You hardly look as troublesome as I expected."

Adrianna looked up from her bed with quite a glare. Her tone sounded murderous and fed up, "and who are you to make that judgement?"

"Don't see the family the family resemblance, girl?" he quipped. "Step closer. Examine me with your eyes and see what the future looks like.'

Adrianna got up stiffly, limping over to the bars. Leopold had said that his father had died, but this man resembled the pictures in the family home. Ghost? Real? Hallucination? Anything was possible at this point in the game of life in an Ekos prison where the free hours included pain and torture.

Adrianna softly put her hands on the man's shoulders, seemingly for stability and looked to his eyes, almost to double check her suspicion of identity. Suddenly she jolted, pulling the man so he hit his head on a bar rather hard, with as much strength as she could muster. "My father used to use us as collateral. You used Leopold. You are no father of his." She held him on the bars so he could hear her tone, growling, almost thirsty for his blood to be spilt. She barely managed to finish before she had to let him go, her shoulders, arms and back, searing with pain. She groaned trying to stretch them out, but with no avail.

"Feisty like his mother," replied the man. "No wonder he likes you. He was always a momma's boy, but there's nothing wrong with that. Strong woman. I fell for her."

He looked at Adrianna. "I would not sell out my son for anything, it was strategic. I had a better chance at freeing him and his mother if I was outside, but you two...you rushed in. Now he's in here, my daughter is dead, and my wife is broken."

Adrianna shook her head and chuckled softly with impatience, pacing the cell, "we would not have gone to such extremes, had your wife have not disclosed concerns about your plans or had not given us the schematics. We also ended up freeing every single person in this prison instead of just two people. Either way, the blood of your daughter and the smashed soul of your wife-- that's on your hands, not mine. You know that. So continue blaming me all you want, if it helps you sleep at night, but I am no fool."

She glared at him, she didn't like being called feisty, it was condescending, "I'm the fucking chief of intelligence for the USS Standing Bear and previous to that I was a cappo in Earth's mafia -- meaning I was the one to hand out punishment. The difference between you and I, darling, is that if I get my hands dirty, I only put myself at risk and those I feel are smart enough and strong enough to survive. But I will always take the fall. As I am doing here since some asshole nazi with a tiny dick, and an ego that needs to be stroked, has decided I'm his personal crash test dummy of the torture chambers, human punch bag and all round play thing."

She saw movement at the corner of her eye, assuming a guard that had just been offended, and then looked back to Leopold's father taking a calming breath. She'd crossed a few lines. The woman sat back on the edge of her bed, worn out already. Her tone softened to slight defeat, "why are you actually here?"

"Because what you say is no longer true, and you need to realize that," the man said shaking his head. "You getting your hands dirty does affect others whether you want to see that or not. You put yourself in danger, my son is going to follow you to an early grave. The two of you being imprisoned here...you know the Federation will be poking around here soon enough."

The man stood his ground firmly. "I am Felix Eberhardt, my wife is broken, my daughter deceased, and my son is somewhere in here," the man said sternly. He looked at Adrianna. "My own blood died out there. The only daughter I have ever had until recently. I am here because I have two of my kids in this hell hole."

Adrianna sighed, "that doesn't answer my question. Are you here to lecture me to try and make yourself feel better or do you need something, Felix?" Adrianna was tired and though she had been lonely of late, she had no desire to remain engaged without purpose, especially with a man she felt she had to be defensive with.

"Neither," he said. "I am here to console you and offer support. You need to keep your spirits up and know that someone is coming for you. They have to be, but until then, I am trying to get the Ekosians to release you. I have already convinced them to leave my wife alone, and I have given them enough to keep them off my back."

Adrianna shook her head, looking to the floor. A lot of thoughts ran through her head. "I appreciate what you are doing, but prioritise what is left of your family. I've been trained since I could walk and talk on how to survive stuff like this. Leopold hasn't and he's hurting. For once, I have an opportunity to save him, when all he has done for me is save me. Mostly in ways I don't think he realises." She paused, "Don't misinterpreted what I'm saying as me being a martyr. Take it as me being smart about this and knowing my own strengths and actually pulling rank."

Adrianna stood back up with a little groan of a few aches, and walked back over to the bars, "I know Ekosians don't have much in the way of gender equality, but please, listen to me."

"Don't listen to her," a familiar voice called out, approaching with armed guards leading him like a dog. "Father," Leopold said looking at Feelix. "How nice to see you are not dead. I would love to hear how the hell you managed that, but I do not think I will like it" added Leopold.

He looked at Adrianna. "I see you have met Feelix, my sperm donor."

Adrianna smirked and teased, "you sure? I don't see the resemblance."

Adrianna looked to Leopold and seemed to visibly relax in his presence, "seems that there is a reason why I've not been brought home to meet the parents before. I've spent 10 minutes tops with your mother and maybe five with your father and they both hate me. I must admit, I'm not upset-- I'm somewhat impressed with myself." Ade sat down on the floor next to the bars, tired, but wanting to be close to the action,but more specifically, to Leopold.

"You should come here, sweetheart," he said with a forced smile. "I want to check on you, make sure you are fine," added Leopold. He had not yet informed her why nor how he was able to come see her like this, but it very well had to do with a little white lie of the pink or blue variety that he may have very well let out to the guards.

Adrianna shuffled close to the bars a little curious with his change in attitude, "last round of torture included being soaked with a hose and water boarded again. It was refreshing. I didn't need a shower after." Adrianna tried to joke, but it was clear in her eyes that it had been a close call. She had felt like she would drown a number of times.

"Well, they aren't going to be ruffing you up anymore, at least not for the next few weeks or so," he said to her. "I may have..." he reached through the bars and placed a hand on her stomach area. "Congratulations, you are expecting. At least that is what I told the guards. I told them you were very early along, too early for the primitive technology here to determine, but that we learned just before we got here."

Adrianna remained neutral a moment processing what he had said as she watched his hand. She then looked back to his eyes. The woman smiled sweetly, but what she said was completely contradictory. She opted to use her native tongue just in case of a guard hearing, "are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Have you seen my home world?" Leopold shot back at her. "Would you be sane living here? I was raised in this shitastic world. So, yeah I'm out of my fucking mind and I love you."

"I love you but Leo," Adrianna’s voice cracked a little, her eyes going a little red, trying to ward of tears, "it won't be long before they find out and I don't think I can handle the consequences. Leo, König -- the guy I hurt, Leo, he's out for blood."

"It will buy us a few weeks at least," he said trying to reassure her. "Ekosians threw away technology over a century ago to fully embrace this. I mean really," he said pulling at the bars. "A Vulcan could snap these if they tried hard enough. They won't be able to tell you aren't pregnant for a little while. They won't risk hurting you now."

Adrianna rested her head on the bars. She sighed a little. "I'm sorry. Thank you." She reached out and held his hand, squeezing it softly, "your dad blames me for your mum hurting, your sister dying and you being behind bars. He hates me."

She chuckled a little then looked to Feelix and returned to standard, "sorry, standard is not my first language."

"You hate my wife to be?" Leopold said looking at his father. "The future mother of your grandchildren?! You cannot hate her," Leopold continued with his charade, leaving his father in the dark.

Feelix nearly fainted. "Grandchildren?! I am...she's?" He stumbled backwards into a wall. "No, I do not hate her, but I wished you both had not come and placed yourselves in danger."

Adrianna smiled. It was entertaining to see Feelix in shock, but flatly said, "that's what family is supposed to do. If they screw up, they help fix things. That and we wanted share good news. Wedding and baby." She kept up the charade, rubbing her stomach softly.

"At least there is a wedding, but in here? No, you are getting out of here if there is to be a wedding and a child," said Felix shaking his head. "You are an Eberhardt already, springing news upon people and nearly killing them."

"I don't think he's a fan of 'grandpapi'. Perhaps he would prefer morto che cammina," Adrianna chuckled, "pregnant or not, marrying or not, love me or hate me-- nothing changes. You'll still be stuck with me, Feelix-- I have no intention of letting your son go alive."

She paused and smiled, she'd decided on what name she'd take after marriage, though hadn't disclosed to Leopold yet, "I will, however, enjoy being a brave wild boar instead of an Italian colloquialism that means 'kiss me'." She looked to Leopold to see how he'd react, she'd been honest about being unsure of her name changing.

Leopold pressed as close as he could to be near her. "Adrianna Eberhardt," he said softly. "I like the sound of that. I want to say it outside of these walls and back aboard our home."

Adrianna blushed. She kissed the tips of her fingers and then placed them on his lips. "One day soon," Adrianna encouraged.

"Soon," he said as if he knew with certainty.

Adrianna smiled and looked up to Feelix, "so yes, I will be an Eberhardt, but whilst here, behind bars, I and this little one will be a Baciami."