Mars Attacks - Part III

Posted on Wed Aug 26th, 2026 @ 7:01pm by Lieutenant Katya Davi & Commander Rhupert Tyree

1,251 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Background/Behind the Scenes
Location: Bars on Mars
Timeline: Immediately after Mars Attacks - Part II

[PREVIOUSLY]

While they were distracted, she planted an image of herself running naked in the opposite direction, carrying a bouquet of daisies and singing a love song. Only this version of herself had long, flowing black hair. She thought it was silly, so she added a hint of perfume to the thought. Yeah, she thought to herself. Mating musk. Just what rabid Marines need.

[CONTINUED]

She paused at the end of that building. There were no Marines here, but there was also no easy way down. Kat had to remind herself this was Mars, not a holodeck, and she couldn't destroy property. Then she noticed the end of a small metal ladder used for a fire escape. Good. She tested it to be sure it wasn't stuck, pulled it down just enough to step on the bottom rung, then let her weight pull the ladder to within four feet of the ground. From there, she jumped down and looked for Rhu--and a place to hide.

Then she felt the mental bellow like a sex-starved moose and turned to see one very large Klingon coming her way at a dead run. So, she did what any sane female would do. She ran. Not to safety, but to a tactical advantage. Because here, there was no safe place. Not with 60...50?...maniacal Marines on the hunt.

As she climbed the roof, Rhu kept up with her from the ground working on his skulking, using a variety of subtle mental nudges to clear a path. When her mental image of a naked Kat scurrying in a separate direction, building on some of his prompts he nodded approvingly. This was how Betezoid teams were meant to function. Slipping in behind a group of the love struck marines.

Well, lust struck.

He added an image of the now raven haired Kat losing her feathers as she fled, to continue the illusion and called out above the crowd, "Woo hoo! There she goes." He had his Akai out of his boot now, just in case and he began circling the building she was using as a perch.

Kat was picking up Rhu's thoughts, whether from all their training or just because she automatically reached for him. She wasn't going to think about that because he'd accept the first and tell her to stop the second. But he did give her an idea. She broadcast a mental image of herself growing raven-colored feathers and flying off, leaving behind a cascade of feathers that turned into tiny crimson and black butterflies.

Then she found a place to sit down where she wouldn't be noticed to focus just on her telepathic manipulations.

Sprinting at the near, shorter wall of the building Kat was hiding on, Rhu used it to run kick off a leap to roll onto the roof and pull himself up into a crouch. The sounds of most of the marines was moving off and he moved quietly to the deep shadow beneath a window that had low lights and....giggling?...emitting from it.

Snickering, Rhu crept in within two meters and projected, `"Nicely done. Though I notice you didn't quite go all into the role. Clothing and no feathers at all?"` He was amused, most of his words forming into her mind as much as in her ear. ~"They should clear out with a number of good stories. At least they'll think that."~

"I was slow to catch on," Kat admitted telepathically. "I'll do better next time." She looked at Rhu with a raised eyebrow. "There will be a next time, right?" she whispered. "Because I'm going to need backup."

The squeal and more noises from the window just about had him laughing as he tapped her on the shoulder and then jumped to catch the main roof, pulling himself up and moving so he could offer a hand if she wanted, but giving her room for the choice. ~"There's always next time. Live training scenarios beat simulations or holos all up and down...let’s move a couple of buildings over and I'll introduce you to Lila at the Drop Zone. There's a private bar there. She's always good for some intel and it'll let things settle down."~ The half whisper, half projection into her mind was so localized that another telepath would have to be actively listening, really really listening, to pick up more than a whisper.

She took his hand and let him help her up. "Yes. I could use a drink, and then maybe another practice session." She flashed him a flirtatious smile as her tattoo began to play What's New, Pussycat?". "Since we're in a target-rich environment..."

He caught the flash of her smile in the dark, her surface thoughts were moving to what he thought of as base line for her and he sent back approving thoughts.

`"Good girl,"` he said with a flirtatious telepathic suggestion, interwoven with his approval. He tapped her leg again and gestured for them to move toward the edge of the roof, looking for a way down in the half shadows. A series of balconies let them slip down and he was glad no one had seemed to take notice. He knew someone had. There had been a few tell-tale flickers of window blinds and he was sure there were a couple of passive sensor nets operating for anti-intruder measures.

But this wasn't that kind of training. And he only knew enough about that to get himself (hopefully) out of trouble.

Once on the street, he took her by the hand to cement the wrong idea in the mind of anyone that was watching remotely and said, "Brief combat and evasion is a good starting point and you grasped pretty quickly the idea of how Betezoid operative work. They usually work in teams and use gentle nudges and suggestions. But running is always a good idea when you get surrounded. Now tell me how you could have done better?" He kept up the approving feeling he was projected so she knew he wasn't being overly critical.

"I should have had a plan going in. A hook, a story, and an exit. Then it would have been easier to feed the proper misinformation and visuals. The running helped because it gave them a target and a direction. Plus, if I stayed in one place, I risked someone getting past the mental illusions." It had been a while since she carried on a telepathic conversation and she found herself slipping into the natural openness that came with it.

The skin contact helped with their telepathic conversation and he sent, ~'Kinda. You can't always plan. A general cover story helps, but you also could have planted the idea that some of the others were getting handsy and you need defending. But, I like the way you went with it. Or is it a deep seated desire to be chased by a company of marines.'~ His tone took on a more teasing tone as he led her toward a corner building that was very well lit. "The ground floor of Drop Zones is modeled after an old Earth diner. Nice to have a place where you can order a malted on one level and maybe wear it on another. Or have someone else model it."

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Katya Davi
Chief Operations Officer
USS Valiant

Commander Rhupert Tyree
Master and Commander
USS Valiant

 

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