T’Ser had not been Wenera’s most challenging patient of the day.
But unfortunately her injuries had not been superficial either. The severe beating had left its mark. Her skin had been ripped open all along her cheeks and temples, her left eye socket was fractured and she was halfway blind. She had also suffered a serious concussion and the only reason she had not fallen into a coma from the damage to her cerebral cortex was due to Wenera’s quick actions. Balik’s people had hastily brought her all the equipment she had demanded and the doctor had been able to stabilize the Vulcan shortly thereafter.
On a starship she would’ve been able to take care of the cosmetic damage as well but here she was severely limited in what she could do.
She had worked for hours and stayed awake throughout most the night to monitor T’Ser condition who she had kept unconscious with sedatives in order to treat her more serious injuries.
In the end Ashley Wenera had fallen asleep, kneeling on the floor next to the bed. Hardly a surprise after all the work she had done in the hospital over the day, only to return to her cell to have another patient await her.
It was the insisting beeping noise of her tricroder which brought her out of her slumber. She shot up immediately and was instantly wide awake. She reached for the tricorder to find that her patient’s vital signs were growing stronger. T’Ser was waking up.
Moment’s later she roused, trying to open her good eye.
“Easy now,” Wenera instructed.
But T’Ser didn’t seem to have listened and tried to get up into a sitting position. She moaned loudly and reached for her head. “Did a starship land on my head last night?” she mumbled.
“Close,” said Wenera and helped her to sit upright. “You can thank your tough Vulcan skull that you’re well enough to complain about it.”
“I knew my thick-headedness would pay off eventually,” she said and carefully leaned against the wall. “How do I look?”
Wenera cringed. There really wasn’t a nice way to put it. She wasn’t quite sure how much importance the unconventional Vulcan woman put on her appearance but this was one of those moments she was glad there were no mirrors around. Her once beautiful face was swollen and bloodied almost beyond recognition. It was going to be temporary but it sure wasn’t pretty.
T’Ser’s one eye was sufficient to spot Wenera’s pained expression. “I guess I don’t want to know, do I?” she asked through puffy lips and a burningly painful jaw which made it difficult for her to articulate herself properly.
“The important thing is that you won’t have any lasting brain injury. You were very lucky.”
T’Ser placed both her hands carefully on top of her hand in a feeble attempt to try and stop her head from throbbing like a warp core on overload. “I don’t feel lucky. Can I have something to drink?”
“Sure,” Wenera said and poured some water into a cup and handed it to the Vulcan. “Sorry but we don’t have any straws.”
She took the cup. “I’ll manage.”
She did but not without spilling half the cup onto her shirt instead.
Wenera took the cup off her and handed her a towel to dry herself off. It was tinted with dried green blood. She’d had to use it to clean her face earlier.
“What did she want from you?” Wenera asked.
“Want?” asked T’Ser and tried to laugh. It turned out to be so painful that she quickly stopped any further attempts. “To see me broken. To inflict pain. To satisfy her sadistic impulses.”
“I’m sorry.”
But T’Ser shook her head. “It’s not your fault. To be honest, I might have provoked her a little bit,” she said but without the slightest hint of regret. If anything her crooked smile–if that’s what it was, Wenera couldn’t be entirely sure–showed she was somewhat proud of her defiance.
The door opened and Wenera noticed T’Ser flinch noticeably at the sound.
Wenera was equally on edge. After witnessing firsthand what these people were capable off, she had feared that Deite would return at some point to finish the job or choose her as her next punching bag.
She couldn’t suppress a sigh of relief when she spotted Balik step inside instead.
He glanced at them both for a moment before speaking. “How is she?”
“Alive,” replied Wenera angrily. “But not by much.”
Balik nodded and stepped closer.
Wenera was up in an instance, blocking his path with fire burning in her eyes. “Is this how you’re trying to achieve your precious equality? Is this part of your fight for freedom? Tell me, Balik, how does torture fit into your noble struggle?”
The rebel leader didn’t reply, instead he held her penetrating gaze for a moment.
Wenera was afraid. In fact she had never been more so. But her fear managed to fuel her anger in a manner she had not thought possible. She held her ground in the face of the imposing man.
“It does not.”
That left her speechless.
“Deite has changed. Understand, she was never a gentle person. She always cared more about the cause than the means with which to achieve our freedom. But she has lost something very important along the way. And I’ve begun to fear of how far she is willing to go.”
“Then stop her, Balik,” said Wenera. “She’s a monster. You can’t allow her to go on like this. Whatever legitimacy your cause might have, she’ll undermine it with the kinds of tactics she has chosen.”
But Balik was not swayed by the Starfleet doctor and Wenera could sense it. She had immediately understood the rift that had been created between these two individuals. But she could also see that Balik still harbored a certain loyalty to his compatriot which could not be broken by a few words from a person who had been a stranger and potential enemy until very recently.
“I will have to think about what to do about her. But not here. For now I have to ask you both to come with me,” he said and gestured for T’Ser to get up.
The Vulcan did not move. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Wenera nodded in agreement. “Why should we go with you?”
“Because it is no longer safe for you here. Deite will be back to finish what she has started. And this time I will not be able to stop her. Your only chance is to let me help you.”
T’Ser looked skeptical. “You will return us to our people?”
“I don’t know yet. Listen to me, you’ve seen what Deite can do. You can stay in this cell and try your luck with her or you can come with me. I won’t be able to help you if you stay but I can try to protect you if you choose to come with me.”
Wenera studied him closely as he spoke, watched his eyes and his every body movement. She couldn’t exactly claim to be a great judge of character but for whatever reason, she trusted him. She turned to T’Ser. “I think he’s right,” she said and knelt next to her. “We should go with him.”
“How do you know he isn’t just playing with us? Maybe he’s looking for an excuse to have us killed in a staged escape attempt,” said T’Ser. “How can you trust him?”
“Because if it comes down to choosing between him and Deite, the choice is pretty darn easy, don’t you think? Besides, we’re both getting out of this cell, isn’t that what you said we should aim for?”
T’Ser’s torture experience had greatly changed her perception of their situation, Wenera realized. Whatever confidence she’d possessed before had dwindled a great deal.
Wenera stood up and held out her hand.
T’Ser looked at it for a moment and then reached for the hand to pull herself up. She winced in pain and only managed about two steps before Balik needed to rush in to steady her.
Together they managed to carry her outside were two armed guards were already waiting for them. One of them, Wenera noticed, was Vekte-Ait who quickly took over for Balik so that he was free to lead them.
“Where are we going?” Wenera asked, trying to avoid eye contact with the young fighter who had stepped up to help her with T’Ser.
“We’re not the only ones who disagree with Deite’s new leadership style. We’re going to leave the settlement and regroup at a hidden location.”
“Where?”
“A hidden location.”
“Fine,” she said with a sigh when she realized he wasn’t willing to give her more details. “And what exactly do you plan to do once we get there?” Wenera continued as they stepped out of the building and into the early morning sun.
Frustrated, Balik turned around. “Do you always ask so many questions?”
“Yes, actually.”
“How about you let me focus on getting us out of here without Deite finding out, first? We’ll worry about what’s next, later.”
* * *
