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Throne Room, Imperial Palace, San Francisco, 2257
In the Terran Empire, trusting someone could get you killed. Katrina knew this, had learned this lesson early on, but still she had trusted Michael Burnham’s claim to have no interest in ruling the Empire. Fool, she thought as her body hit the ground and she gasped for air.
Maybe Katrina should have let Michael discover on her own that she would not be able to hold the throne for long instead of telling her outright. Maybe she should have suspected something when the younger woman gave up her claim so easily. If Katrina had not been distracted by her own loss, she would have probably picked up on it. Instead, she had made the fatal mistake of giving Michael too much credit.
Thought she was smarter.
Lying in a pool of her own blood, flowing freely from the wound in her chest and back, Katrina had little time for regrets though. Instead, she thought of Gabriel, who had been the closest thing she had had to family. If it had not been for the trust she had placed in him and his skills in manipulating people, she would not have trusted Burnham so lightly.
Now she was paying the price for his failure. Shouldn’t have thought with his dick, Katrina thought. She would have laughed if she had been able to, but her body was starting to go numb. She knew she was dying. Turns out, Gabriel had been right about one thing after all.
Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, 2219
“You’ll never make it in the fleet if you don’t learn how to fight, Cornwell. It’s a miracle you ever made it through the entrance exam, weak as you are.”
Katrina ducked a punch and took a few steps back to bring some distance between her and the man who kept attacking her mercilessly. The next blow would have caught the side of her head, if she had not managed to block it just in time.
“You’re too slow,” Gabriel said smiling cruelly, “You’ll get yourself assassinated within a week if you ever manage to get a command in the first place. Though, of course that would require you to live long enough to graduate.”
Katrina made an attempt to kick at his leg, but Gabriel easily sidestepped out of her reach before attacking again with a series of blows that were aimed at her head and torso. Too busy trying to block every single one of his punches, Katrina seemed to lose track of the space around her. When her back suddenly hit a wall, the other cadet’s grin widened. His arm shot forward and his fingers wrapped around her throat.
Katrina’s eyes widened in terror as he stepped closer and squeezed until she struggled to breathe. She brought her left arm up and used it to push against his chest, to keep him at bay, but it was no use. Lorca was much stronger.
“You really should pay more attention to your surroundings, Kat. This was way too eas…y.” His triumphant grin turned into a frown.
It was her turn to smile now. Gone was the fake expression of terror that had twisted her face only seconds ago. If Gabriel’s surprised reaction was anything to go by, it had served its intended purpose. “Something bothering you, Gabriel?” she asked innocently, her voice strained from the force of his grip.
Gabriel’s eyes left hers and wandered down to where she pressed a knife to his thigh. With one flick of her wrist she could severe his femoral artery or cut of bits of his body that she knew he was very much attached to, just like any other man. By now he was probably regretting having given her the knife as a birthday present.
The pressure around her throat lightened as Gabriel slowly released her from his grip and raised his hands in mock surrender. “Looks like you’re learning after all, Kat.”
Katrina straightened herself. “You never know when skills like these might come in handy,” she said before dragging the knife from his thigh up to his abdomen, almost caressingly, the sharp silver tip gliding over the fabric of his uniform with just enough pressure to be a noticeable threat, but not hard enough to actually cut.
“I’m sure Jacobs enjoys your new skill set. She seems like the type,” Gabriel said with a lewd grin.
Katrina ignored his remark. Her eyes never left his, while the knife continued the journey upwards over his ribs and chest to his throat, where it finally came to rest. “Though I doubt I will ever take command of a ship. We both know that my talents lie elsewhere.”
If Katrina was honest with herself, she had no interest in commanding a ship of the fleet. All that being in the centre seat did was paint a target on your back. Instead, she preferred to stay in the shadows: Gain peoples’ trust, be their advisor, and let them take the fall if necessary.
She smiled up at Gabriel. He had the drive to get his own command and rise through the ranks. There was no doubt about that. Lorca was ambitious and ruthless enough to make something of himself and she would be right there by his side as his friend, his confidant – and the one pulling the strings from the shadows. No matter how smart and cunning he was, in the end, if you knew which buttons to press, everyone could be easily manipulated. She just had to make sure she knew him well enough to be able to do just that.
Captains quarters, ISS Buran, Earth orbit, 2253
Reclining on the couch in Gabriel’s quarters on board the ISS Buran, Katrina took a sip of the Scotch her friend had poured her earlier. It was common for the two of them to spend time alone in his quarters; Katrina was sure that his crew thought he was fucking her just like any other woman he paid any attention to, though nothing could be further from the truth. She was not interested in being one of Gabriel’s many conquests; to be used and discarded on a whim. They had something much more valuable instead: mutual respect, loyalty and friendship.
Katrina had always been good at reading people and had never shied away from using this gift to her advantage. Gabriel had a knack for always knowing what to say or do. When he looked at you, he really looked at you, made you feel special. It did not take long for them to realize that they saw each other for who they were, not who they pretended to be to keep up the charade that was necessary to survive in the pit of vipers that was the Terran Empire.
When they first met back at the academy, she had only intended to figure out why he was the only one who saw behind her mask so easily. She had wanted to learn, to improve her skills until she was able to make even him believe whatever it was she wanted him to see. Her intention had been to manipulate him and use him for her own gain, but in the process of gaining his trust, she had come to appreciate him and the friendship he had offered, so she had soon abandoned her original intentions. In the end she had gained an ally, someone who she did not need to pretend for, whom she could talk to and trust – as much as she could trust anyone.
It had been a long time since they both had been fresh recruits, but they still stayed in touch and met up whenever they could. After all, there were some things that were simply safer to say in private.
“She was a great Emperor once, but she has become soft.” Gabriel’s voice betrayed his disgust with their liege’s idleness. “Instead of expanding the Empire as she ought to, she is content to rule over the territory she has. It’s a disgrace.”
While everyone else still saw him as the loyal right hand and most trusted advisor of the Emperor, Katrina had known for a while now that Gabriel was not happy with Georgiou’s reign and here in the privacy of his quarters he did not feel the need to hold back.
“She doesn’t deserve to be Emperor any longer.”
“And what do you propose we do about it?” Katrina asked in a tone of voice that feigned boredom. It wasn’t that she was not interested in what he had to say. Her loyalty was to the Empire first and to whoever held the throne second. Whether Georgiou’s reign was good for the Empire was debatable as far as Katrina was concerned. However, even though she trusted Gabriel, it was always safer not to seem too eager when treason was discussed so openly. While it probably would not take much convincing for her to join his cause, she also did not want to volunteer before she knew what he intended to do. If Gabriel wanted to stage a coup, he better come up with a plan himself instead of leaving all the hard work to her.
“It’s time for a new Emperor.”
Katrina laughed. “Who? You?” If only it were that easy. While Gabriel might be able to gather enough supporters to be a contender for the throne, he would not be the only one in that race.
But Gabriel surprised her. “Michael,” he suggested instead.
“Michael? You honestly think she would betray her adoptive mother? The woman who raised her?” Katrina was not convinced. The Emperor had skillfully brainwashed her little pet. “All she has to do to gain the throne is wait. Why would she risk losing everything by staging a coup?”
Gabriel smiled. “She would do it for me. We are going to rule the Empire together.”
So that’s the way the wind is blowing! Looks like Gabriel has not been able to resist temptation - again. Katrina was sure that the Emperor would not be happy with this development, but knowing Gabriel that particular detail made taking Michael into his bed even more tempting for him.
While personally she could not care less about who he slept with, she caught herself wondering whether he was serious about sharing power with Michael. Something about the way he talked about the Emperor’s adopted daughter made her wonder if she was more to him than just a pawn to be used. If that was the case, she needed to make sure to have a close eye on Michael, just in case…
“Are you sure you can trust her to see this through?” she asked to reassure herself.
“She is not happy with Philippa’s rule either. She thinks her weak.”
I wonder who put those ideas into her head.
Katrina took another sip of the Scotch and sincerely hoped that Gabriel wasn’t wrong about Michael.
Imperial Palace, San Francisco, 2255
“Leave. All of you.” The Emperor’s voice was domineering as always, despite the devastating news she had just had. Her adoptive daughter, Michael Burnham, was dead. Katrina and the other aides bowed and left the room as ordered.
Looks as if Gabriel isn’t done, yet.
Just days ago, he had to flee on the Buran after his attempt to overthrow the Emperor had failed. Now it looked like Phillipa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Qo'noS, Regina Andor was finally at the losing end of this dispute. If Gabriel had not been betrayed, he would have already disposed of that bitch.
The Emperor had demanded their presence earlier to ensure that her officers understood that she wanted to be the one to kill Gabriel Lorca personally. Katrina had expected something like this ever since she had heard of the failed coup and had been prepared to do and say whatever it took to convince Georgiou that she was still loyal. Since she was not in an agonizer booth yet, she must have been convincing enough when she offered to hunt down and capture Gabriel in the name of the Emperor.
Sure, Georgiou trust her even less than anyone else, because it was common knowledge that she was Gabriel’s friend, but if the Emperor had any knowledge of her involvement in the coup, Katrina would not have been allowed to leave the room alive unless it was to be thrown into the agonizer. So Katrina figured that she was safe – for now at least – and so was Gabriel, wherever he was.
The Emperor had known of his intentions before he was ready to make his move. Somebody had betrayed them and, while Katrina had no idea who had done it yet, she would find out – if she stayed alive long enough.
Back in the throne room, before the Emperor had arrived, she had mingled with the other aides, carefully probing and prompting to extract any information that might prove valuable. Those fools did not even realize what they were giving her. They were too easy to manipulate. Sometimes she missed Gabriel, simply for the fact that he was a challenge rather than an easy mark.
Katrina had been aware that the Emperor had sent Michael to capture Gabriel, but she had also known that the story would not unfold as Georgiou had hoped. According to Gabriel, Michael had been more than happy to overthrow her mother and claim the throne for herself. The latest, unexpected, turn of events left only two options: either it was a cover-up to hide the fact that the Emperor’s beloved daughter had sided with the traitor Lorca or something had gone wrong on Gabriel’s end. Katrina hoped that it was not the latter. Separately, Michael and Gabriel would struggle to hold the Empire, but together they were a force to be reckoned with. Without Michael, Gabriel would have to actually fight for an Empire that the young heir to the throne could have simply handed to him.
While she had had a hard time trusting in Michael’s loyalty to Gabriel at first, Katrina knew that, with Gabriel’s guidance, the other woman would make a better, worthier, Emperor than Philippa Georgiou. The Empire would be better off under their rule and that was all that mattered. She only hoped that Gabriel was not blinded by the fact that he had taken Burnham into his bed. He wouldn’t be the first to lose his wits over — and get backstabbed by — a beautiful face and a willing body.
Imperial Palace, San Francisco, 2257, after the destruction of the imperial flagship Charon
Gabriel was dead. This time he really was. Katrina had not given any credit to the official report that had him die in the destruction of the Buran. That had just been Georgiou’s attempt to make her grip on the Empire look stronger than it was. According to Katrina’s sources Gabriel had simply vanished. She did not know what had kept him from reaching out and contacting her, but he must have had his reasons, whether she liked it or not.
Why did he not reach out to me before staging another coup? Stubborn bastard!
After a year of not knowing what had happened to him he was now truly gone. Never again would they sit together, enjoy a stiff drink or a good meal, and try to shape the Empire according to their vision. Katrina blinked away the tears she could not allow herself to shed and closed her eyes tightly.
She did not quite know how she felt about this most recent development, or rather she did not know which emotion would win out. There was sadness over having lost a friend, rage at Michael fucking Burnham for having gotten him killed somehow, of that Katrina was sure, and the whole Georgiou dynasty for being weak and undeserving of the throne they held. She also felt anger over having wasted her time with that lunatic Alexander just so Gabriel had someone on the inside. The rage and anger she could deal with. It was the sadness, the regret over so many things, and the mind numbing loneliness that threw her off balance.
Katrina opened her eyes again and looked out over San Francisco. She knew she had to push all of that away for now. There would be time to deal with her emotions at a later stage, but first she would use her anger to her advantage. She would rally Gabriel’s remaining followers and rid the Empire of Alexander and his madness. Katrina would do whatever it took and once she had reached the goal that Gabriel and she had set out to achieve – a Terran Empire that was out of the clutches of the Georgiou dynasty and in safer hands – she would take the time to mourn her friend.
Imperial Palace, San Francisco, 2257
Katrina made her way to the coordinates Captain Airiam had submitted. She had been surprised to hear that Michael had apparently survived the destruction of the Charon just to surface on Qo’Nos of all places. By the looks of it, the former heir to the throne had struck a deal with the rebels to depose Alexander.
What was that old saying? My enemy’s enemy is my friend.
Like Burnham, Katrina was willing to side with the rebels to save the Empire from the lunatic who called himself Emperor now. However, she assumed that their common goals ended there. After all, Michael would want the throne for herself and Katrina would not let that happen. The empire did not need another weak Emperor. It needed strong leadership and right now and a ruling council of governors would provide just that until a competent emperor could be chosen. If Michael could not be persuaded to do what was best for the Empire, she would have to be deposed — just like Alexander.
But first I will get some answers about what happened to Gabriel.