<a class="link link--external" href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/67/ba/d6/67bad6b09e26897151727e29ffe811e3.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Thomyris “Riz” Heroux</a><br/>Location: Bridge<br/>Tagged: All.<br/><hr class="bbc-hr bbc-hr--3"/><br/>The others rushed to her defence but Thomyris heard or saw little of it, in fact fearing it more than anything. Poor Mateo was already bad enough, weighing on her conscious and killing her deep seated stabs of guilt. The last thing she wanted was the rest of the crew, people she practically viewed like a second family, getting at each other’s necks. It amazed even herself how when her own life was at risk, she was willing to endure whatever ordeals, even torture and rape. Yet when the life of a comrade was at stake, she felt a tumult of emotions, from rage to sorrow to despair.<b>“Don’t.”</b>She tried to beg of Elaine, with her hand on her firearm, but her voice sounded no more than a squeak if anything, managing to only shake her head next when Jin-Lai apologized.<i>For what?</i>She had done nothing wrong.<br/><br/>The message was sent and Thomyris was to be handed over in an exchange. She would cooperate and make it right. For Mateo’s sake at least.<br/><br/><i>Get those cuffs off her now.</i>If the entire room was a myriad of emotions about to implode, it was dipped entirely in the inverse with those words. Thomyris gasped aloud and shot her expression up, looking with utter shock at the Captain as she revealed the deception.<b>“It…it was all a ploy? I…”</b>She stammered, still not believing it. She immediately shut her mouth and raised her chin, fixing her gaze upon Iona with renewed wonder, with a look of hope itched into her features. All the words, the thoughts, the feelings of betrayal and loathing for Iona was replaced by even more guilt and shame in having doubted her. She wanted to shout her undying thanks and gratitude when the Captain marched out, but found she nearly choked in a sob instead, more embarrassing than nearly weeping from the betrayal.<br/><br/>But why was the Captain looking so tired and exhausted? The cuffs were removed and Donovan apologized, ruffling her hair. He wasn’t to be forgiven so easily though, having terrified Thomyris the worst.<b>“You…ass. You gave me a heart attack.”</b>Was all she managed to sneer at Donovan, even going as far as to give his shin a kick of indignant fury, though she hurt herself more by kicking that hard muscle, a spike of pain throbbing into her foot. Her lips however quirked into an uncontrollable smile like a baby being flashed a shiny, jingling item, unable to truly be angry. They had got her and got her good with this, making her feel ashamed. She bent down and collected the cuffs as well, using her relatively lesser strength to try and bend them back into a shape. They did need them for their ploy in the end, did they not?<br/><br/>Orders were issued swiftly next, Thomyris paying apt attention, now wishing to take full part in it all despite her initial reaction. She hooked one half of the cuffs on a wrist but left it dangling, while taking the stun baton Donovan had gifted her and sliding it into a sleeve of her jumpsuit.<b>“I guess as the prisoner, I ought to wait on the Annie and look the part…”</b>She mumbled, not really seeing herself do much of anything else to prepare. She departed with the others yet saw Donovan veer off towards where Iona would be. It caused her to frown, though she didn’t follow. She knew she owed the Captain a great deal of thanks and probably her life as well. If anything should lay claim to the debt on her head, it would be Iona.<br/><br/>While the rest of the crew prepped themselves however they needed to, Thomyris simply waited by the Annie, taking a moment to collect and compose herself. Today had been a day like no other for her, fucked up beyond any recognition or description in any of the many languages of humankind. A part of her still did want to cry, especially for Mateo’s sake, who was getting the worse of it because of her. She made all sorts of motions in his head, like perhaps giving him a cut of her pay, her dessert at the evening meal, maybe even covering his night watches to let him recover and sleep in. Whatever it may be, all she knew was that she owed him a debt comparable to that which she owed the Captain and everyone else on this ship.<br/><br/>Fumbling with her cuffs, she managed to make them look plausible on her wrists. Yet there was new fears and all to consider. If they were going to ambush the captors, there would certainly be shooting and a great deal of risk, with herself in the middle. She had already faced one combat situation today and barely managed to keep herself from freezing up. The anxiety of what might happen in the next, if not to her then to others, was daunting.