#gabriel could maybe show more colors hes very repressed

[onlineviolence]

wings

[ethereal-addy]

{ about addy; the musical angel, good omens oc }

       name: addy

       title: principality addy / the angel of song / music

       appearance: she has caramel toned skin and dark chocolate brown eyes. while the eyes are nothing special from afar, they have little flickers of gold in them that tend to flare up when she gets passionate, she has short pixie cut hair that stands at a very light blonde almost white color. she also tends to wear very harry potter-esque glasses with a black frame and large lenses that are moreover for looks rather than actually seeing as she's an angel with perfect vision.

       fashion / style: when around other angels, addy tends to wear a very masculine type of formal outfit consisting of a white fitted button up shirt, a light almost pale blue bowtie, a light-toned grey fitted blazer jacket, light-toned grey dress pants, and white mens funtasma platformed shoes. she also has light blue suspenders to match her bowtie and while it's only visible when she takes off her blazer jacket, she almost never tends to take it off so it's more of a given aspect of her outfit. / when in public and back on earth she tends to wear outfits that are more reminiscent of korean fashion or 'soft' fashion as it has been referred to as by mortals. she will usually wear either white or light pastel short sleeved croptop or longsleeve white croptop sweaters with different logos and words upon them of all kinds, and these tops will usually be tucked into or be paired with a checkered pencil skirt, shorts, or faded light blue denim jeans. however if she's feeling a bit more confident, she will wear more vibrant, dark colors such as a black long-sleeved sweater with the sleeves rolled up and a watch on the wrist, dark blue denim jeans, a black and white grey-toned flannel tied securely around her waist and black platformed boots. that is something that doesn't really tend with her outfits, as she tends to wear either light pastel, white, or black formed boots or shoes of some sort to make herself appear taller.

       height: addy stands at 5'0, so she's a little on the short side

       sensitive(?): physically wise, her skin is very tender and sensitive so she bruises easily, but she tends not care or just wears outfits that cover it up. mentally wise, she's actually a very sensitive person, known to blow certain things out of proportion. but she's also sensitive in the sense that she tends to instantly become happy or her day and eyes just sparkle and brighten whenever someone calls her a nickname or something of the sort, the same thing for when she's sad, but she usually just isolates herself and breaks down. ( can we sense a bit of a.. espresso depresso angel who tends to repress her feelings? )

       wings: as addy is smaller than the average angel, her wings are shorter as well. while the average angel wings are usually maybe double their actual height hers are only a foot larger than her actual height. her wings can outstretch to 2 meters ( 6 feet ) and when folded behind her back, they are a good foot above her head to show the height. her wings are a very light shade of pink, close to being white and have small glitters of gold in them that are more prominent when in the sunlight

       flying(?): while angels are known for flying as per their wings and the human depictions of them, addy can't fly as well as other angels. flying city to city is no problem for her, but state to state or country to country is too much for her to handle and is more of a miracle thing. of course whenever armagedon is coming and addy goes back up to heaven, she has to gear up for a fight, but she's not a strong flyer, so instead they had be a healer ( where are my mercys at? )

       abilities: of course being an angel means that she can perform miracles and heal people, her healing abilities differ as she is an angel of song. from healing broken bones, healing bruises, reviving wilted flowers and fixing uprooted trees, her healing abilities are a little different than other angels. she has the ability of being able to manipulate / control life energy to heal or restore living beings back to their original state, and while it sounds a bit overpowered, her powers are weak. she can't do anything worthwhile without her abilities, the most she could do is heal a cut on your arm from scissors. but with music involved? now we're talking. when she plays an instrument, her powers are conducted through the instruments making them stronger than before, but it doesn't automatically get amplified, it also depends on how into a song she is. for example, she was once in an old park, one that hadn't been cared for in many a moon, so whenever she came along with a guitar in hand began to play and sing a song? butterflies came back to a garden that was once again filled with life. yellowing grass brightened to a vibrant green, dulling flowers bounced back to life with color and went into full bloom, and birds were chirping along with her singing as she closed her eyes, getting into the song. now that being said, her powers are a bit unstable, out of control you might say, so she really has no control over what they might do whenever they kick in

       voice part: as the angel of song, she's well versed in all voice parts, however her vocal range is an alto, but she does have experience singing other parts and can sing them if needed

       instruments(?): of course's able to play a wide variety of songs and all types of instruments, she tends to stick to a few of her all-time favorites, those being the ukulele, piano, guitar, and the violin. however as they are her own, usually they're either pale pink, white, or wood with white lace designed across them for design.

       favorite music genre(?): that being stated, addy knows and loves a wide variety of music, however her more recent favorites are: rock, pop, remixes / dubstep, and alternative / indie

       sexuality / gender: as addy is an angel, she normally should've even be thinking about love, right? angels don't even think about getting together with other angels, let alone mortals as it's not necessarily against code, but it's a stupid thought to think about in simple terms. but nevertheless, addy has found herself open for love, as she has related herself with the term: 'pansexual' as she doesn't have a preference about who loves her, she just wants it. / addy might be a female angel, but she mostly refers to herself as 'they / them' and although most of the other angels don't listen, she's managed to get gabriel to at least correct himself from time to time if she gives him a pointed look. however aziraphale has actually freely called addy 'they' without her having to tell him twice. but she doesn't mind 'she / her' she just doesn't prefer it as much.

       relationships: she gets along well with mortals despite not having to be on earth, and not even supposed to be there, but she is. mostly for her musical purposes with her instruments and all. however with angels.. she doesn't exactly have the best relationship with them. gabriel is someone that she feels as if she can call friend, the only issue is she has been told by the angels several times that her using instruments does't help her abilities, when in reality is has, so she can't exactly tell him that she uses music to conduct her healing abilities. but other than that, she does tend to talk to him and she would call them good friends, but unbeknownst to her he does know that she uses music for her healing abilities and honestly has grown to be okay with it. he's just waiting for her now to tell him so he can accept her and apologize her about the past. aziraphale, on the other hand, is someone who is fully aware of her using music and honestly loves it. whenever she does tend to sing on her own and he's around, he seems to tear up, as her voice was practically sculpted by the gods. while her speaking voice is normal, her singing voice has that affect on others. but he and her are the best of friends, she tends to spend most of her time at the bookshop and usually sings to herself while singing or just plays a little song for aziraphale when days are harsh at the shop. crowley is someone who addy never saw herself getting along with, but eventually the two became the best of buddies, like how she is with aziraphale. the three of them are like the three musketeers in a sense, however addy usually gets the feeling that she's more of a third wheel and crowley tends to assure her that she's not and has been a shoulder for her to cry on more than once. michael is someone who isn't very fond of addy. she tends to keep her distance from her and while she likes her sense of style, she doesn't enjoy her company. it's more among the lines of addy being lower than her, rather than her personality. while her personality is a whole 'nother thing on it's own, she's mostly distant because she's a higher rank than her, but when in public, they're mutual. uriel is someone that actually gets along with addy. it's surprising to be honest as uriel is very strict and rarely smiles, but addy and her are acquaintances, but at least it's better than being mutual. the two can hold a conversation for at least 10 minutes before having to part ways, but they'll get there one day. now sandalphon, he's someone who almost.. detests addy, is that the right word? they're both unsure, but he doesn't like her. while addy has been known to make him laugh, he tends to glare at her in disgust out of the corner of his eye. the most interaction they'll have is give a nod saying that they acknowledge their existence but that's about it.

       physical affection(?): so as angels aren't supposed to get together with mortals or anyone for that matter because of the whole immortality thing, she's actually really touch deprived. she's good at giving physical affection but mostly loves to receive it as she tends to literally craves affection and if you accept or give her a hug, she will cling to you for 5 minutes, so just be prepared for that. but she's honestly all for it, being a shoulder for you to cry on, someone to just hug and break down on, she's all for it, anything that will get her closer to having somebody to love and care about her

       verbal affection(?): she isn't very good at giving it to be perfectly honest, she's more of a receiver on this part, she loves being called a nickname or being complimented. some people tend to just compliment her, this being aziraphale or crowley because they love to see her eyes light up and sparkle with those flecks of gold

       favorite color(?): anything pastel, however her more favorite colors are anything purple, mostly violet and lavender, it's part of the reason why her and gabriel get along as she tends to compliment him about his eyes and his wings bc they're lilac and she really loves them, she even started writing a song about purple because of him

       favorite foods(?): while angels aren't normally meant to like food, or 'gross matter' as gabriel puts it, addy has a few selective foods that she'll eat. these foods are: tiramisu, salads, bubble tea, ice cream, and vietnamese sandwiches

       caught up on human culture(?): given that human culture is hard to keep up with as it's constantly changing, she's only caught up with a few things such as technology, running jokes, and some religious customs

       exercise(?): just as gabriel jogs when he's stressed, addy tends to actually go to the gym when she's stressed. when she goes, despite her small frame and stature, she's able to lift 35 lb weights and when she's really into exercising she will run on a treadmill, do pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups in sessions that last up at least 3 hours.

       cursing(?): if archangel 'hecking' gabriel is able to curse, you'd think she would too right? wrong, she tends to only curse when stressed, as most angels do but the most she has ever gotten to cursing is 'hell' but she doesn't say it that much anyways as she doesn't let herself get that stressed to the point where she might even be cursing.

       extra(?): please feel free to message or ask her anything!!

[writesandramblings]

The Captain’s Secret - p.88

“I Grope About the Embers”

A/N: We remain in episode 13, "What's Past Is Prologue."

Full Chapter List Part 1 - Objects in Motion << 87 - Captain Lorca 89 - The Man Who Sold the World >>

"How do I look?" asked Lorca, leaning down to give Lalana a closer look. They stood in the hallway. She inspected his face carefully. Larsson watched them with half his attention, the other half alert for trouble because they were still in territory that could only be described as hostile. This whole universe was hostile.

Lalana half-tapped, half-spun her fingers, as if she was having trouble deciding whether she liked or hated his current appearance. "There is still blood on your face, as you desired. Are you sure I cannot clean it more?"

As it was, she had restricted herself to removing any imminently harmful bacteria that were already threatening infection and reduced any lingering redness around his eyes. To her, the former action was more important. To him, the latter.

Lorca harrumphed smugly and straightened. "Maybe I like it," he said.

Larsson snorted. "It's a good look for you. Evens the playing field for the rest of us."

"Some women like a rougher look," retorted Lorca. "Adds character." He had seen his reflection in Lalana's eyes and found it not entirely unappealing, blood and all. It was easy to feel like an action hero when you looked it.

Larsson rolled his eyes. As if Lorca, of all people, needed more character. Lorca was, in Larsson's estimation, entirely too vain. Larsson was five years younger and turning thoroughly silver—exactly who did Lorca think he was fooling? Himself, Larsson decided, because it surely wasn't anyone over the age of thirty-five. That Larsson could think of at least three women who had recently fallen for it did not help, and he highly suspected the Landry in this universe had been as receptively pliable to her Lorca as the Landry on Discovery because the way the two of them moved in sync as they rolled out on a tactical deployment was entirely too telling.

Lorca was oblivious to Larsson's internal monologue. "You have your orders. Stay out of sight," he told them and headed off down the hall towards Landry and the others. After everything that had happened in the communications station, he felt relieved, more awake, his mind lighter. There was even a spring in his step.

"Well," said Larsson once he and Lalana were alone, "let's go cause some havoc." Lorca had given them a new objective: disable power systems connected to some of the Charon's batteries so Sarek and Voq would have a safe zone upon arrival. Not all the batteries—Lorca might still need them himself—but some.

As they moved through halls mostly emptied of threats thanks to Stamets' biological weapon, Larsson realized Lalana seemed to have a second sense for approaching danger, almost as if she could see around corners. "I can see around corners," she said when he mentioned it. "Not entirely, but enough to know if something is there." Her multitude of pupils gave her a limited ability to differentiate between the reflection of light in the penumbra of a corner, where images of what lay around those corners hid.

"How did any of your people ever get hunted?" asked Larsson. Being on an operation with Lalana was entirely shifting his perceptions of her. None of this had ever come up the many times they had gone swimming or fishing together over the years. He completely understood now why Starfleet Intelligence had recruited her back in 2250.

"Partly luck, partly because if none of us showed up at all, they would burn parts of the forest. A few lului is an acceptable trade to preserve the forest."

Larsson already knew this fact and kicked himself for asking a rhetorical question. Lalana always answered them.

The shipwide comms suddenly activated. It was Lorca. Larsson heard the familiar tone of a speech. Though Larsson had not been aboard the USS Buran at its launch, he had heard about the launch speech from his former crewmates, and they had supplied him with a recording for a laugh.

This speech was very, very different.

"Hello, Philippa. I've watched for years as you let alien races spill over the borders and flourish in our backyard, then have the gall to incite rebellion. The Terrans need a leader who will preserve our way of life, our race. Try as you might, it's clearly not you. Even Michael knew that. It was her great shame. Well, it's indecorous of me to share pillow talk. To the rest, many of you know me, some of you served with me. To all, I make this offer: renounce Georgiou. The Empire is dying in her hands, but you don't have to. Not today. Michael Burnham is not to be touched. She is integral to our future plans. A future where we, together, will make the empire glorious again."

It was more than a speech, it was a directed taunt at Emperor Georgiou.

"What the hell," said Larsson as the audio terminated. "It sounds like he's gone native."

Lalana's tongue clicked. Larsson had no idea how right he was.

They were not the only ones that heard this speech and found a crucial flaw in it. Someone else considered Lorca's words, weighed them against the full breadth of the situation, and initiated a transport.

The light of the transporter was obvious enough even Larsson could see someone had just beamed around the next corner. He and Lalana immediately tucked behind the nearest bulkhead defensively.

Whoever was coming took no steps to disguise their approach. A single set of flat footsteps, no hesitation, an almost casual gait with a faint shuffle to it. The footsteps came closer and closer. Larsson readied his rifle. When the footsteps were almost upon them, he spun out from his hiding place with weapon drawn.

It was Petrellovitz. She stopped when Larsson jumped out but seemed unsurprised by his emergence. She was holding Groves' pineapple in her hands. It was a relief to see a familiar face, even when it was unfamiliar, because at least she was not one of the emperor's people.

"You disappeared," said Larsson accusingly. "Captain was displeased. You went to get that?" He jerked his rifle at the pineapple.

Petrellovitz did not answer his question. Instead, she went, "Lieutenant Larsson. I need you to take me to your ship." She turned her head, looking for telltale signs of visual anomaly along the niche where Larsson had been standing. "Where's that thing?"

"What thing?" said Larsson.

Petrellovitz glared fiercely. She had no time for games. "The thing that's with you. The... alien."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I am quite certain Emellia means me, Einar." Lalana dropped down from the ceiling, startling Petrellovitz. She was wearing a pattern of colors replicating the texture of the ceiling panels. Despite this camouflage, in such a low-ceilinged corridor with almost-adequate lighting, the thing that had made her hard to spot had not been the color and texture of her filaments but her location. Most humanoids rarely looked up unless there was something abundantly obvious above them.

Petrellovitz recovered her composure quickly. "You're coming with us."

Lalana tilted her head to the left, wondering about the state of this universe's version of Mischkelovitz—her matted, stringy hair, her multitude of scars. "Did Gabriel send you?"

It took Petrellovitz a moment too long to answer. "Yes."

The lie was obvious. Lalana pressed her fingers together and said, "We are already on a mission. You are welcome to join us, but we must adhere to Gabriel's plan."

"New mission, take me to your ship," said Petrellovitz with a petulance in her tone and posture that was entirely like Mischkelovitz.

Petrellovitz had no weapon, only the pineapple. "Come, Einar, let us continue," said Lalana, and they turned to do so.

"Wait!" went Petrellovitz. She held out the pineapple. "Can you hold this?"

"My hands are full," said Larsson, indicating his rifle.

"My arms hurt," said Petrellovitz, almost breathlessly. There was something distant in her intonation. "They hurt so much. Everything hurts." Her eyes seemed to be fixed on Larsson without seeing him.

Larsson and Lalana exchanged a glance.

Petrellovitz's gaze shifted to Lalana as she realized, unbelievably, that Larsson took direction from an alien. "I'll go with you. I can handle a weapon. Let me carry the rifle," she said forcefully.

Larsson only shook his head. "No way."

"I will carry the pineapple," offered Lalana, stretching her arms out. This seemed to suit Petrellovitz. She handed the misshapen blob of components over, careful to position it so the parts that stuck out were not under any stress that might bend or break them.

Then Petrellovitz rolled up one of her sleeves and ran her fingers across the wounds on her forearm. The pineapple really had been painful to carry around. Larsson repressed a shudder at the sight. He suspected this universe's O'Malley was the source of those marks. Petrellovitz shuffled half a step back from Lalana, seemingly engrossed in the mess of bloodied, torn flesh.

What happened next happened very quickly. Petrellovitz appeared to be rolling her sleeve further up or trying to scratch an itch above her elbow. Her fingers closed around something hidden in the upper part of her sleeve the size of a pen cap. She pulled it out and simultaneously lunged towards Larsson, stabbing it through the fabric of Larsson's sleeve. Larsson gave a surprised "Gah!" at the sharp and sudden pain as Petrellovitz launched herself backwards, intentionally sprawling onto the floor with the intent of rolling or springing away, but Lalana's tail whipped around and hooked Petrellovitz's ankle, making escape impossible.

A lancet hung from Larsson's arm. He pointed his rifle down at Petrellovitz and lifted his arm to inspect the lancet. There was something resembling an insect wing attached to the back of it—a membranous ampule attachment which had collapsed into a vacuum as it emptied during injection.

"Explain yourself or I will crush your ankle and remove your foot," said Lalana sharply, her tail tightening and her filaments wriggling into Petrellovitz's skin.

Though Petrellovitz had been intending to dash to a safe distance to deliver this information, the fact that Larsson and Lalana were not killing her outright rendered this action unnecessary. She smiled unpleasantly up at them from the floor. "It's a biological agent. If you don't get the antidote, you'll be dead. I'll make the antidote on your ship. The one with the spore displacement drive. You have... two hours. I hope your ship is nearby."

Larsson pulled the lancet/ampule combo out of his arm and held it between two fingers. To him it seemed like an overly large mosquito.

"Let me see," said Lalana, releasing Petrellovitz's leg so she could pluck the offending object from Larssons fingers with some of the filaments of her tail. Her filaments circled around the collapsed ampule and snaked towards the injection point. She trilled in alarm and the lancet fell to the ground, a few epithelial filaments still attached and fading from blue-grey to brown. "What is that!" went Lalana, head turning between the lancet and Petrellovitz.

"What?" said Larsson, alarmed.

"It was so toxic, my cells immediately sealed and detached themselves to protect the main matrix from contamination."

Larsson hastily pulled up his sleeve, never mind that this meant taking his gun off Petrellovitz. There was an ugly patch of browning skin the size of a penny.

"I suggest we get a move on," said Petrellovitz, standing and rolling her sleeve down. "The sooner you get me to your ship, the less permanent damage."

"We should contact Gabriel," said Lalana, but they could not access the communications system. Even Larsson's communicator was not working. Larsson noticed the control indicator on the pineapple was red instead of green. He attempted to reactivate it. Nothing happened.

"You're wasting time," said Petrellovitz. "I've biolocked the pineapple to my signature and commands. So long as you are within range of it, all systems will react only to me. You can leave me and the pineapple and reach Gabriel, but how long will it take you? And I'll disappear and you'll never have your antidote."

Larsson pointed his rifle at the pineapple. "Then no more pineapple," he said.

Petrellovitz stepped between Larsson and Lalana. "No," she said. "That won't undo the lock. It will just remove the key. You'll seal the systems permanently." She slid back half a step, turning to address Lalana and Larsson both. "Listen up. I know you have great scientists in your universe, the same as we do. I'm like Einstein, Hawking, and Curie combined. You think you can outsmart me? You can't. But if you take me to your ship right now, and if we reach it in time, then Lieutenant Larsson can live."

There were a few details to this comparison which were lost on Larsson and Lalana. Curie, for example, was renowned in this universe for tricking people into being her research subjects as she unraveled the mysteries of radiation. Hawking, though physically debilitated, had provided the foundational work for many of the Empire's most devastating weapons, planet-busters particularly. Einstein's scientific crimes were too numerous to list and dwarfed only by the magnitude of his scientific achievements. The three of them were Petrellovitz's personal idols.

"Take Einar to the ship then," said Lalana. "I will complete Gabriel's objective on my own."

"No," said Petrellovitz. "Either you come with me or he dies. I'm not here for Einar." If she could have, she would have injected Lalana with the toxin directly. The only reason she chose Larsson was that she had no idea how the chemical agent would interact with Lalana's biology or even if it would have had any effect. Her attempts to remote scan Lalana had resulted in null data.

Larsson pressed his hand against the mark on his arm. It ached faintly, but he felt otherwise fine. "Never mind this. Let's get those power relays. Captain's counting on us."

"You must go to Discovery and get help," insisted Lalana.

"You're not listening," said Petrellovitz. "They'll never synthesize the antidote in time. You need me, and again, my help is conditional."

Lalana's hands twitched. She was still holding the pineapple. Her fingers stretched towards one another, only the fingertips able to touch across the circumference of the pineapple, tapping lightly but rapidly.

At her distress, Larsson smiled thinly. "It's fine. I'm not as old as you, but I had a good run. I don't care if I die."

Lalana's fur began to writhe. Her pupils were widening and she was beginning to shake. She felt like balling up onto the floor. "Einar! You're my best friend! And there is no other copy of your face for me to find!" The other him was already dead.

Larsson's face twisted with helplessness. "But we came here for you. I can't let you give up on this for me."

Watching them, Petrellovitz felt revulsion. The Larsson she had known would never have had an alien as a best friend. He loved killing and cooking them. The whole premise of the other universe was abhorrent to her. Its denizens were just as abhorrent, human and alien both, with their endless declarations of goodwill and friendship and love as if any of these were real things you could experience with anyone, human or alien.

Lalana twisted towards Petrellovitz, stilling the tapping of her fingertips by pressing them tightly together. "I will go with you, Emellia. But you must tell Gabriel we are unable to complete our objective."

Petrellovitz smiled, this time with sinister delight. "You have a deal. But please, call me Petra. And I'll take that pineapple back now." Maybe it did hurt to carry it in her torn-up arms, but Emellia Petrellovitz was no stranger to pain.

Lorca was leading his forces towards a fight against an approaching group of Imperial soldiers when the comms beeped. Targeted systems were supposed to be disrupted right now to prevent Georgiou from finding them and launching any remote countermeasures, but when Lorca realized who it was, it made perfect sense.

"Petra," he spat. "You ran off. Didn't take you for a coward. Michael'd be disappointed."

"Are you alone, Gabriel?" she intoned lowly in reply.

Lorca glanced at Landry and Stamets. "No time for your games. Now get down here and make yourself useful."

Petrellovitz's voice immediately triggered Stamets' ire. "Captain!" he practically squeaked. "As I have told you time and time again, there is absolutely nothing Lieutenant Commander Petrellovitz can do that I can't—"

"Shut up, Stamets!" said both Lorca and Petrellovitz.

"Eggheads," said Landry disapprovingly.

Petrellovitz followed this up with, "Captain, I met a friend of yours who regrets to inform you that the power relays for the starboard batteries aren't going to be disabled."

Lorca froze and looked at Landry. He signaled for her to lead everyone ahead. As his people moved past him, the tromp-tromp-tromp of their footsteps echoing down the hall, Lorca said, "Petra, if you've done anything to Larsson and—" He couldn't say Lalana's name in front of the soldiers streaming past him. Even if the name meant nothing to them, it was clearly not human. Suddenly the solution struck him. "—Eleanor, there's no rock, no stone will hide you. You understand me?"

The footsteps echoed away down the hall.

"I'm not hiding from you. I heard your speech. It was a good speech, but it did confirm something I've always suspected. You're different. You always have been, but since returning from the other world, I can see it more clearly. I know your secret, Gabriel."

The frowning grimace on Lorca's face was both true and a cover for the gnawing worry in his stomach. This was exactly the reason he had wanted Lalana off the Charon in the first place. "Petra. Where's Lalana?"

"Your pet is safe. I won't harm it. It's proof, after all, that you aren't who you claim to be. I've always known. Ever since that night. You're the one Michael would be disappointed in. So I'm keeping your pet as insurance."

Lorca inhaled deeply. "Lalana is no one's pet," he growled, each word sharply hissing through clenched teeth.

"So then, she's a useful toy? Would you believe she's also expendable? There's a recording of you in a room talking with some rebels. Makes for very interesting viewing."

It was Cornwell all over again. He was naked and exposed and being stabbed by something too close to his heart. He stared in shock at the emptiness around him, his hands tightening on his phaser rifle.

"The thing is, I really like your plan. You helped set the rebels up, didn't you? To destabilize Georgiou. You really are something else. So, I've decided to delete the recording from the Charon and let you finish what you started. Georgiou is a failure who needs to be removed. When you've taken care of her, then we'll talk about your pet. I think it's time the Empire had some intelligent leadership."

Lorca's shock faded into a determined glower. "You think you can make a power play against me? No one's gonna follow you."

"I know that. That's why you can trust me. I need you. I'm not your enemy, Gabriel. I want to stand with you and the other Michael. That will ensure someone still has the Empire's best interests at heart." Petrellovitz did not believe in love, or friendship, or anything based on feelings. The one thing she did believe in was shared goals. "I'm even doing exactly what you asked and taking your pet back to Discovery. Besides, you don't need me here, you have Stamets, like you wanted."

Lorca snorted at that. "I didn't want Stamets. If you hadn't run off..." It was no secret what Lorca did to traitors, and Stamets had betrayed them all. "Come back, stand with me. We'll do this together. It’s what Michael would have wanted."

"I agree, but there's something I need to take care of first. Don't worry, I'll find you when I'm done. Now that we've conquered space, I think we ought to conquer time, don't you?"

The firefight was already in progress when Lorca caught up to Landry and the others. He dropped into the fray as seamlessly as if he had been there from the outset. Since they were using his tactical plan, in a way, he had been.

"Surrender and you don't have to die!" he bellowed over the bursts of phaser fire, the roars of retribution on both sides, and the occasional final screams of life. His forces were making mincemeat of the guards. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Intentionally so; Lorca's people were fighting on a battlefield he had chosen for this precise reason. Victory was assured as a result.

The Imperial soldiers were dwindling down to a surviving handful. "We surrender!" came the call, and all the soldiers who remained standing threw down their weapons and stood with their hands in the air.

Lorca strode towards them, smirking, Landry at his side. "That's more like it. You must be pretty loyal to your emperor to charge into battle for her this late in the game. Loyalty's important. Good for you. Not so good for me, though, is it? I did say if you surrendered you'd live. Mind you, I didn't say how long, and unfortunately, we just don't have the logistical wherewithal for any prisoners right now."

Lorca raised his rifle. Landry and the others did the same. With a burst of phaser fire, the surrendering forces evaporated into licks of fire in the air save for one: their commander, Joann Owosekun. Lorca pointed his rifle at her. Owosekun's eyes were wide with shock and fear.

"Hope you're still loyal," he said. "I need you to deliver a message."

Landry started laughing, her shoulders shaking with mirth. How much she had missed Lorca's sense of humor. Lorca smirked at her. It was beginning to feel like old times.

The laughter subsided. "That thing Petra mentioned with the power relays, is that a problem? I can send a team."

Lorca shook his head. "No." The loss of that objective was a minor setback if even that. In truth, once they had the throne room, it likely wouldn't make a lick of difference. Mostly the point had been busywork to keep Lalana and Larsson out of the way. In the end, the task seemed to have done just that.

All of Larsson's arm was brown now. The color had spread across his shoulders and onto his neck like the roots and branches of a tree. His head was swimming as he sat at the shuttle controls. "We're coming—we're coming up on—nngh." He rubbed at his face. The shuttle was cold, but he was sweating. He had removed the armor and tunic of his Terran uniform and was in his undershirt.

Lalana wiped the sweat from his brow with her tail. "I'm so sorry, Einar."

"It's all right," he assured her. "I saw Matty, you know. Matty Kerrigan, from... from the Triton."

"I know," she said. He had told her this half a dozen times now in his delirium.

The worst part was, there was nothing Lalana could do about the toxin. Her attempts to negate it had been ineffective. Her cells shut down and detached upon contact. She was therefore protected from the contagion, but not in any way that could help Larsson.

Larsson's hands jerked on the controls, threatening to undo their course. His head shook in an attempt to clear the confusion in his mind to no avail.

"Let me pilot for a bit, Einar," said Lalana, nudging his hands aside with her tail. "We're almost there."

Petrellovitz watched Lalana and Larsson, still disgusted by the display of familiarity. Some aliens she could almost understand the attraction of. Risians, for example, were visually identical to humans, to the point where a few of them sometimes infiltrated the Terrans' ranks or lived as Terrans entirely. Vulcans had strange, pointed eyebrows and ears, but again, otherwise almost human in appearance, though their personalities always gave them away. Not so Lalana. The lului was grossly inhuman and looked like nothing so much as a giant blue kangaroo rat.

Besides, thought Petrellovitz, if Larsson was deteriorating beyond the point of recovery, well, that was Lalana's fault because she was the reason they could not use the transporters to get to the shuttle in the first place.

Another thing disgusted Petrellovitz. She was still holding the pineapple. While there was no denying it was entirely effective, it looked like it had been crafted by a five-year-old child. Not a QORYA child, the regular kind of whelp normal people raised. Lorca thought the person who made this could replace her? That was an insult too far.

She would settle this insult and the question of her expendability once and for all. There could only be one of her.

They were hidden along the back of a long, tall hallway awaiting Georgiou. Tendrils of light snaked up the walls without ever seeming to fully illuminate its vaulted length. This would have been an ideal deployment for Lalana. She could have hidden in the shadows at its peak, dropped down onto Georgiou from above, wrapped her tail around Georgiou's neck, fused herself to Georgiou's shoulders, and neutralized the emperor.

There was a flutter in the golden light at the other end of the hall. Footsteps marching towards them. Lorca had one hand on Owosekun's shoulder. He squeezed her shoulder and said, "Now be a good little birdie and fly on over." He shoved her forward.

A single figure emerged, silhouetted and alone. Georgiou, standing as tantalizing bait, seemingly exposed, which meant she wasn't. Moments later, a cadre of soldiers filtered in behind her and took up offensive positions.

"Don't shoot," said Owosekun, emerging from the shadows and approaching Georgiou with her hands in the air.

Georgiou looked at Owosekun, disappointed. She had thought perhaps Owosekun might take Michael's place in some capacity, but it seemed not. "Where are your troops, commander?"

"We were ambushed."

"How did you survive?"

It was not an easy admission for Owosekun. "Lorca spared me. He said he wanted you to know..."

"Know what?"

"That he was here."

One, clean shot from Landry reduced Owosekun to flickers of fire in the air. The red dots of charged weapons lit the dark end of the hallway, bobbing faintly like dancing fireflies.

Lorca stepped out from behind a column in front of his men. Georgiou had come exactly as he intended. She was on his battlefield now. He grinned. "Hello, Pippa. Did you miss me?"

Lorca's troops fired, their shots hitting the defensive shield Georgiou had erected in the hallway. In response, Georgiou triggered a command from an interface on her wrist and automated turrets popped out from the walls and rained fire back down towards Lorca's troops. Lorca easily ducked back behind the column. The front line of his forces took the brunt of the attack.

Landry was standing behind the column directly across from Lorca. He signaled her. One finger, one second. They both moved out at the same time and struck the pair of turrets, disabling them at once.

It was unfortunate, the bodies of the dead on the floor between them, but they had gone to their deaths willingly to expose the turrets and allow a path to be cleared for the others.

"Light her up," ordered Lorca. The remaining bulk of his forces fired at the shield between them and the emperor. "Mr. Stamets!"

"Containment field at 30%, 25%."

The shield was dropping. Georgiou raised a fist and withdrew back towards cover with her guards.

"Five, four, three, two, it's down!" shouted Stamets.

The firefight erupted from both sides. Lorca crouched down and rolled something down the hallway. A small, silver ball.

"Flash grenade!" shouted Georgiou, but not quickly enough. A brilliant white light filled the corridor. Georgiou and some of her guards managed to shield their eyes, but many were left screaming and blinded in the grenade's wake. Their screams were quickly silenced into wisps of fiery disintegration.

With her guards falling around her, Georgiou stepped out, fired a few shots, and called out, "Emergency transport!"

She was gone. Lorca strode forward into the golden light where Georgiou had been. His quarry had escaped. He turned to Stamets. "You didn't warn me she could do that, Mr. Stamets." Petrellovitz would have figured that out. Damn her for her absence.

"Please tell me we can kill him now," said Landry.

"Well that depends if he can disable an emergency transport system."

"I can," said Stamets, working on the padd in his hands. "I can do that."

"Good," said Lorca. Landry sighed in disappointment.

At least they had advanced their position. "Set up a perimeter around the throne room. Let's tighten the noose."

Part 89

[generator-x]

For the love of Lucifer

"Lucifer, shut up. I'm trying to do stuff." I said throwing a book at him. He caught it and opened it. "Greek lore?" He asked raising an eyebrow. "Yes, it's for my class and maybe for Sam and Dean too." I said looking at him. "Of course it has something to do with them. You're always doing something for those two." He hissed leaning over my shoulder. "They need a researcher, and since my main course is about ancient texts then it's basically my job as their little sister. Besides why do you even care, you're just here to get your kicks then you'll pop out until you need your full again." I said not looking at him as he sat my book back down. "Your sure about that, that I just want my feel then just leave?" He asked pulling my face up to look at him. I glared and pulled my face away from him. "Yeah I am, it's what you always do anyways. I think your just a poor, pathetic angel who comes to me because they don't have anywhere else to go because no one likes you." I said going back to my homework/research. "You are so fucking stupid. I come here because I am in love with you, you stupid human. I leave because I hate seeing that most of this work is for those idiots who don't even see how beautiful you are, I hate that they use you and you don't even care if they do or not, just as long as they give you approval, you're fine!" Lucifer shouted stomping away from me. He sat on the far side of the bed with body facing me, I tried to say something but nothing came out. I sighed and turned around to my textbook and kept working on my term paper. Deep breathing could be heard and it started to calm and become faint. I knew he was looking at me, I could feel holes burning into the back of my head. "What Lucifer?" I asked not looking up from writing something down about Typhon, he was known for as the father of all monsters. He didn't say anything back or make a sound either, I sighed putting my pencil down and turned my chair around. I gasped and leaned back in my chair when he was right infront of me, hands on either side of my chair. He had this look on his face that meant trouble, it was also really, really sexy. "What Luc?" I asked looking into his eyes. "Do you want me?" He asked not taking his eyes off mine. "What kind of question is that?" I asked cocking an eyebrow at him. "It's a question I want an answer to." He growled leaning in closer to me. "Why does it matter if I want you? You're Satan, it's forbidden for any living creature to love you." I said turning back around. "Oh because I'm fallen means I don't deserve any love? Does it mean I'm suppose to be forgotten about it swept under the rug because I rebelled because I didn't want to love you selfish humans more than my father?" He asked his voice raising with every word. I bit my lip so I wouldn't respond, making Lucifer sigh and the next thing I heard was wings flutter. I turned around and was met with an empty room, I sighed letting out a shaky breath. A note popped up on my desk with a caligraphy L stamped on it, the wax was a maroon color with the edges carefully cut off. I looked at it for a second then took it by the corner and threw it on my bed beside my pillow, going back to my Greek homework. Not long after I went back to my homework a flutter was heard and I sighed. "Luc I really don't have time right now, this is due in the morning and I can't get a bad grade on this. It takes up 50% of my grade." I said flipping a page in my lore book. "I know, but I won't take up much of your time." A slick voice said from behind me that made me turned my head, my eyebrow cocked. "Oh, hey Gabe." I said before turning back around. I smirked when I felt his smirk fall into a frown. "Look, (y/n), I don't know what just happened between you and Lucie but whatever it is you two need to make up." Gabe said clicking his fingers making a bottle of (f/d) pop up beside me. I rolled my eyes and moved it off my translation book. "Yeah I'll do it as soon as I'm done with this paper." I muttered writing down down something on the lore of the west. "Why are you acting off?" Gabe asked walking over to me, making me look at him. "Because this paper is important and I want it to be perfect so I won't get a bad grade." I muttered pushing his hands off of me. He snapped his fingers and my paper was done, I looked up at him with my eyebrows knotted. "Ok what is it that you angels want? How come I can't get any of my own work done, by myself?" I asked shutting all of my books. "Because whatever happened between you and Lucie is important that you solve it because he will go haywire." Gabe said pulling the sucker out of his mouth. "Gabe I really don't care right now, he just said himself that he didn't love me. I quote 'Because I didn't want to love you selfish humans more than my father.' Gabe he doesn't give a shit. He doesn't love me, he only thinks he does because I put up with him." I said taking my necklace off and handing it to him. "Here, this isn't mine to keep, give it back to him." I said taking the note off my bed and putting it in my nightstand drawer. "(y/n), you can't just push this away and ignore it. Something going to happen and I don't want it to hurt either of you because that's whats going to happen. Both of you are going to cut each other off until one of you hurts the other or maybe worse, I know Luc loves you. He just has a hard time expressing it, you need to guild his feelings out, nurture them. Both of you are idiots but you're made for each other." Gabe said putting the necklace on the desk before popping out. I grabbed it and put it the drawer with the note, running my fingers through my hair. "I don't have time for this angel bullshit." I muttered pulling out my Roman homework. I groaned looking up at my clock and mentally slapped myself when it read 1:45 am. On the up side I had finished, on the down side the situation with Lucifer and Gabriel were stuck in my brain. I looked over at my drink and smiled when I saw it hadn't been waterlogged. ~Thanks for the drink Gabe.~ I prayed to the archangel turned trickster. I smiled when a sticky note with a smiley face that said your welcome on it popped up. I downed half of it and sighed from relief, needing energy from what I was about to do. I crossed the room to my nightstand and took out the note, but left the necklace. I popped it open and skimmed over it, catching the various I'm sorry's and I didn't mean it like that's but I sighed when no explanations for what he said in there. ~Lucifer, get your ass in here now.~ I prayed to the fallen angel. It took a second but wings fluttered and a sulking Lucifer appeared on my bed. "I'm sorry." He said, his voice was shot and his eyes were red, and he was still crying. "Luc, please stop crying." I said sitting beside him, rubbing his back. "You hate me, don't you?" He asked, managing to stop the tears that were threatening to fall again. "No Luc I don't hate you, I'm kind of upset that you said what you did. I was cranky and tired, and I wanted to get my paper done so I could go to sleep, but I know I won't be able to go to sleep unless we make up." I said reaching into the nightstand, pulling the necklace out. I handed it to him and he looked up at me, more tears welling up in his eyes. "Luc, it's your grace. I don't need it with me, it could get you hurt." I said curling his fingers over the top of it. He shook his head and put it back around my neck, smiling softly when he looked back up at me. "It's not my grace, it's yours. Whenever you were small, I believe you were a baby, someone stole your grace and cut off your angel radio. It made you human more or less, but because you're a repressed angel you have a very rare interest in history and lore. I've kept it in this protective charm waiting for you to claim it, but you never did. But as soon as you do, you'll be an angel again, and you won't need me for anything." Lucifer said looking at the necklace, smiling sadly as it started to glow. I looked down and the blue-white light was moving rapidly, stretching it's confinements. I took it off and put it on the night stand, making it calm down and slowly stop moving. "Why wou-mph!" Lucifer started but was cut off by me kissing him. He hesitated but put his hands on my hips, kissing me back. "You remember asking if I wanted you? I'm about to show you." I said pushing him on his back pulling my shirt over my head and standing up pushing my shorts and panties off. "You study without a bra?" He asked quirking his eyebrow. "When I'm home and don't have anything to do I go bra-less." I said pulling him up and pulling his shirt over his head. He smirked and pulled me into his lap, kissing at my neck, his hands ran up my sides, tracing my curves. "Luci." I moaned as his hands gripped my breasts, squeezing them and tweaking my nipples. He hummed and pinched one making me arch into him. "Someone's eager." He murmured biting my neck, dragging his fingers down to my pussy.  "You're dripping, you filthy thing." He said pushing two fingers in me, curling them. I cried out, latching onto his neck, grinding on his fingers. "Do you want something to fill you up, dirty girl?" He asked pulling his fingers out and rubbing my clit, watching me squirm. "Yes please!" I whined rubbing myself against his jeans. "Eager thing." He muttered against my neck, standing up and dropping me on the bed. He unbuttoned and pushed his pants and boxers down, stroking himself. "Nick has excellent equipment for this." Luci said smirking. His cock jumped when I moaned watching him spread precum over his head. "Oh don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you precious." He said climbing up over me, running his hands up the entirety of my body. "Luci, please stop being mean and making me wait, I want you now!" I groaned wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss. He hummed in response, sliding his hands down my body, until he wrapped his hand around himself, lining up with me. "Now, remember, be a good girl and make a lot of sounds for me." He muttered against my ear before thrusting into me roughly. "Luci!" I squealed, not expecting him to be that rough that quick. "That's right, precious. Say it louder, I want everyone on this campus to be able to hear you." He said giving a sharp thrust, biting my earlobe. "It would be kind of weird to hear that Lucifer is fucking someone senseless, don't ya think?" I asked, sass dripping from my voice. He grinned and slapped my ass, making me yelp and thrust into him. "Don't get a smart mouth with me or I'll wear it out of you." He said grinning from ear to ear, kissing me and pulling me up into his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck, moving my hips against his, meeting his thrusts and threading my fingers through his hair. "Aren't you such a dirty girl." He said grabbing a fistful of my hair, forcing my head back and attacking my neck. "Luci please, harder." I whined trying to force my hips down on his harder, but being stopped by his free hand. "We're going at my pace. This is punishment for disobeying me and hurting my feelings." He murmured against my neck, biting down harshly. I cried out feeling the knot in my stomach tighten, threatening to snap. "Don't you dare come without me." He growled laying me back down thrusting harder and sloppier than he was before. I whined trying to meet his thrusts, but failing when his hand came down, stopping my hips from moving against his. "So close, baby girl. Say my name, let me hear those pretty sounds." He growled, pushing his thumb against my clit, rubbing in rough hard circles. "Lucifer, ahh!" I cried out writhing as the knot tightened more, a brink from breaking and pushing me over. "Just a little more." He groaned from how tight he made me. A few more sloppy thrusts and he was spilling into me, forcing me over my edge. Lights came over my vision, making me squeeze my eyes, protecting my eyes. When I pushed them open, soft things caressed my face, tickling me slightly. "Luc, your wings." I said trailing off in awe. "Do you like them?" He asked, looking at me shyly. I nodded running my fingers through them. "Do you want to see what yours look like?" He asked reaching over and grabbing the necklace that held my grace. I nodded, taking it from him and holding it tightly in my hands. I could feel the grace run from the necklace into my fingers, making my body tingle and bloom into light enveloping me. I clinched my eyes feeling light all over starting to blind me. I opened my eyes again and black feathers came into view. "They're black!" I gasped, smile spreading all over my face. "They have teal in them, they suit you." He said pulling me into a kiss.