Yeah, that would have worked too. 
The Star Eagle Adventures IV: All The Sinners, Saints
- Thread starter CeJay
- Start date
Well that meeting went as well as it could. At the moment it definitely looks like the crews are more opposed to one another - I can see that this can go south quite easily. More south than antartica!
Great build up of tensions and antagonisms.
Great build up of tensions and antagonisms.
This is a situation where two good men (Owens and Akinola) are ending up as antagonists even though neither one really wants to be. Both men are coming to respect each other, but their natures and personalities are working against them here. I liked Owens coming to bat for Star--he still neither likes nor trusts her, but she is his first officer and it is his duty to back her and he came through.
As for Mel--he's just an ass...
Joseph and the Regular Fleet just don't seem to work and play well together, do they?
As for Mel--he's just an ass...
Joseph and the Regular Fleet just don't seem to work and play well together, do they?
Eight: The Enemy
“This would never have happened if you hadn’t insisted I treated that man,” said Wenera frustrated and tried unsuccessfully to pull at one of the steel rods again which were barring the small window, effectively keeping them contained in a thirty by thirty foot cell. She had tried the metal door earlier but given up on any attempt to open it almost immediately.
T’Ser sat cross-legged on one of the two cots which were lining the dirty walls and looked at the doctor with a Vulcan like curiosity. “Are you suggesting that you should have let him die?”
Wenera sighed with apparent frustration. “No, of course not,” she said and tried to push harder. For just a moment she thought the bar was giving in slightly. It had merely been her fingers slipping. “But you could have made sure he didn’t have a damn gun within arm’s length,” she added.
“Yes, in hindsight that would have been a pretty good idea.”
The Starfleet physician whirled around to face the woman, infuriated not only by her tone but also by her ostensibly lackadaisical attitude as if this entire episode was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “Are you just going to sit there?”
“What would you like me to do, doctor?”
“How about using your superior intellect to try and get us out of this cell? That would be a good start.”
T’Ser cracked a small, amused smile. “My intellect isn’t that superior, doctor. Surely you have realized by now that I’m not your garden variety Vulcan.”
Wenera turned back to the barred window. “You could have fooled me for a minute there. But Vulcan or not I’m pretty sure it is our duty as Starfleet officers to attempt to escape captivity,” she said and resumed her efforts to loosen one of the bars. “And I would appreciate if you could use some of your muscle to lend a hand.”
“That would be pointless.”
Wenera gritted her teeth. “And how would you know that?”
“Because,” she said softly, “I’ve already used all my ‘superior’ Vulcan muscle and intellect to try and find a way out of here earlier and determined that we have no means to force ourselves out of here on our own.”
That gave the doctor pause and she turned back to look at the Border Service officer. “You did? When?”
“About two hours ago when you were still asleep. I’ve tried the door, the window, the walls, I even considered the option of digging a whole into the floor or escaping through the ceiling and I’ve come to the simple conclusion that there is no way out of here with the means at our disposal.”
Wenera’s shoulder sacked noticeably and she sat down on the only chair in the room. “And you say you aren’t Vulcan. Did you calculate our survival chances as well?”
She smirked again. “I’m good at math,” she said apologetically.
But Ashley Wenera did not feel like smiling at all. Truth be told she was downright scared. She had seen first-hand what these people were capable of. She had seen the patients in the hospital which had come to know the rebels cruelties and she feared that they would end up their next victims. Wenera had spent her entire adult lifetime treating the sick and injured with the luxury of never having to be among them and share their sufferings. She had visited planets on which people had been nearly tortured to death and yet she’d never had to fear similar treatment. Until now.
“We’re going to get out of this, doc, I promise you that,” said T’Ser.
Wenera looked up and was surprised to find T’Ser’s facial expression a mask of confidence. She didn’t know much about the Vulcan. In the short time they had been together she had found out that she was the senior operations manager on the Bluefin. She wasn’t a command officer and yet the firmness of her voice and the hard look in her eyes gave her such an authoritative demeanor, Wenera was sure she would make a damn fine captain some day.
The bleakness of their situation won out over T’Ser’s assertive declaration however. Wenera shook her head slightly. “You have no way of knowing that. For all we know they might come in here to execute us any minute now.”
T’Ser stood up from the cot. “No they won’t.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Think about it. We are too valuable to them. These rebels have just nabbed their greatest prize yet. Two representative of a powerful foreign government. The first aliens to ever officially visit their world. They’ll be eager to use us to broker some kind of deal for better weapons or equipment to support their war.”
“Oh great,” said Wenera, not in the least bit comforted by T’Ser’s words. “In that case we’re in real trouble. Starfleet would never hand these people advanced weaponry in exchange for our lives. It goes against the Prime Directive which we’ve all taken an oath to protect. With our lives if necessary.”
“Maybe not but it will buy us some time. And I don’t know about your crew but I know my skipper will not give up until he’s got me back. If for no other reason than to give me a proper chewing out for having been foolish enough to come down here in the first place. I have complete faith that my people will find a way.”
This time the conviction in the Vulcan’s voice showed some effect and Wenera nodded slowly. But then another thought took seed in her mind. “Why did you decide to come down here anyway?”
T’Ser, not having expected that question turned away slightly in an attempt to hide her face. She didn’t reply right away. “I … I was curious about this world.”
Now Wenera stood. She had noticed right away that the flawless conviction was gone. “You are a terrible liar.”
She shrugged. “Vulcans don’t lie.”
“No,” Wenera shot back. “They don’t. But when it suits them they have a tendency to twist things around until it hardly resembles the truth anymore. And they do it so well nobody ever notices. I guess you must not have had a lot of practice.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“So?”
T’Ser turned to look the doctor in the eye and immediately sensed the futility of trying to keep things a secret any longer, considering their current predicament. “A friend of mine alerted me to the possibility that the situation on Tiaita was not as it seemed. That perhaps the government was using Starfleet to fund their own civil war. That we were being duped into being an unknowing aggressor. I had to see for myself.”
Wenera looked doubtful. “Who told you that?”
“What does that matter? I think we have pretty much proven by now that he was right.”
“We’ve proven nothing,” said Wenera. “We’ve been taking prisoner by a criminal gang of terrorists who don’t shy away from bombarding the center of a city, killing whoever might be unlucky enough to get in their way.”
“You really think that the attack was carried out by a mere gang? Those were soldiers. Open your eyes, doctor. We are in the middle of a civil war.”
Ashley Wenera wanted to protest that she had seen no indication of a civil war yet. It wasn’t just that she found the idea of Starfleet assisting a faction in a civil war too distasteful to consider, she had to believe that they had come here to do the right thing. To help a people get back onto their feet after having been victims of unprovoked violence and aggression. She had to believe they were the good guys.
But before she could respond she heard somebody beginning to unlock the door. The sound startled her so much she instinctively jumped back and towards the far wall. She was surprised, amazed even, that T’Ser did the exact opposite and moved in front of her, shielding Wenera from whoever was entering the room.
The door opened slowly and Wenera could see how the Vulcan visibly tensed, almost as if she was getting ready to jump whoever was going to come through.
They were too careful to allow her the opportunity however.
The burly man who slipped inside held a dangerous looking handgun and motioned for T’Ser to step back. She did so hesitantly.
The second man who entered looked a whole lot less intimidating. And it wasn’t because he was small or diminutive. On the contrary, he had an undeniable physical presence. But he possessed an equally undeniable peacefulness. His eyes seemed calm and there was an utter lack of tension on his face as he quietly measured up the two Starfleet women. Wenera was determined not to be fooled by his outward appearance.
“Welcome to the New Light,” he said. “My name is Balik and it would appear the two of you will be our guests for the time being.”
“Guests,” said Wenera and laughed sarcastically. “That’s rich.”
He gave her a short nod, acknowledging the sarcasm. “I do appreciate that you both cooperated in coming here.”
“We didn’t have much choice,” said T’Ser in stern tone. “And let’s make this perfectly clear. We did not cooperate in the least. We were brought at gun point and against our will. You have kidnapped two Starfleet officers and you will face harsh repercussions for your actions. Our people do not look kindly on abductions.”
Again Balik appeared understanding. He had expected those exact words.
“What are your plans for us?” the Vulcan demanded to know.
“I am not certain.”
This seemed to anger Wenera and she took a step closer to Balik but shrunk back again when the other man pointed his gun at her. “What kind of kidnappers are you?”
“Desperate ones,” Balik replied in a deadpan. “You are the doctor, right?”
Wenera nodded hesitantly.
“We will be requiring your services.”
She looked at him as if he lost his mind. “You really expect me to help you? You killed countless innocent civilians in your raid and probably thousands more in similar attacks. We’ve come here to help your victims. I have no intention to fix up your soldiers so that they can go on taking innocent lives for whatever ridiculous cause you follow.”
“And yet you saved my man back in Al Tre Nek. I understand he would have died if you hadn’t treated him.”
“It wasn’t my idea,” she said so quietly it was almost a whisper.
But Balik ignored it and took a step towards her. “I think you were compelled to help him. I think your moral code forces you to take action when you see somebody who needs your help.”
“Well, I think you’re insane,” she shot back and then exchanged a glance with T’Ser. She wasn’t quite able to read her expression but something told her that she wanted her to help these people.
“I’ll be honest with you,” said Balik. “I do not know what your fate is going to be. It simply hasn’t been decided yet. We might use you to try and bargain with your people or perhaps one or both of you will be executed to send the government and your Federation a message.”
Wenera couldn’t help but flinch noticeably at the bluntness of Balik’s words. “But if I help you we might get away with our lives, is that it?”
“I cannot promise that,” he said. “I would not like for you to be killed but I might not be the one to decide.”
Wenera shook her slowly. “I’m not going to do it.”
T’Ser grabbed Wenera’s arm and pushed her into the far corner of the room for a private conversation. “Think about this, doctor. Refusing his request serves no purpose whatsoever.”
“And complying will? You heard it yourself, we might still be executed. Our primary responsibility is to attempt to escape, not assist our enemy.”
“I am thinking of escape. But we can’t do it if we are locked in this cell waiting to be executed. If you can get out of here you might find another option,” she whispered. “Besides, it sounds to me as if these people might be divided amongst themselves. That’s something we should try to exploit.”
Wenera shot a glance over her shoulder to look at Balik who appeared entirely content to wait them out until they had made a decision. She focused on T’Ser again. “I’m not going to help them kill more civilians.”
“All I’m asking, doctor, is that you go out there and have a look. If they have injured people and you don’t want to help them, fine. But at least try to get out of this cell.”
Ashley Wenera thought that over for a few seconds and then nodded with a sigh. She turned and walked towards Balik, this time entirely ignoring the armed guard. She had found a new sense of entitlement. Maybe they were going to kill her, but not yet. Not until she had given them what they required. “Where’s your hospital?”
* * *
Excellent segment, CeJay! Wenera and T'Ser are in a precarious situation that will require them to work together. I have a feeling both of them will go through the crucible before they escape or are rescued.
I like how we see T'Ser examined as a Vulcan through Wenera's eyes. It adds a certain edge to their forced partnership as Wenera tries to reconcile her conceptions of Vulcans and the reality of T'Ser.
I also like seeing how they both try to tackle their imprisionment. One wonders how they will escape it but also what they might learn of the situation on the ground and how it might draw them in on one side or the other.
I also like seeing how they both try to tackle their imprisionment. One wonders how they will escape it but also what they might learn of the situation on the ground and how it might draw them in on one side or the other.
T'Ser's playing it cool here...she knows that right now the best they can do is buy time and let the situation develop--and be ready to take advantage of any opportunities that spring up. A dangerous game--but right now it's the only game open to them.
Akinola and McBride had hardly spoken a word after they had left Eagle’s briefing room. There had really been no reason to voice their mutual disappointment over Schwarzkopf’s decision to maintain a hands-off policy in regards to Tiaita. There was no need to put into words that neither of them agreed in the slightest.
The silence had carried on even after they had rematerialized on Bluefin and it wasn’t until they both stood side by side in the turbo-lift on their way to the bridge that McBride broke it.
“We can’t just leave her down there,” he said without glancing at the skipper.
“I know.”
“We can’t just leave her safe return in the hands of an unknown foreign government.”
“I know.”
McBride glanced at the captain. “Sir, we have to –“
He cut him off. “Don’t you think I know all that, Dale? But what would you have me do? Disregard direct orders from a superior? Take on a Nebula-class starship?”
“Do you really think they would try to stop us if we attempted to get T’Ser back ourselves?”
“Oh I’m absolutely certain that Schwarzkopf wouldn’t hesitate to do what ever he can to keep us from interfering. He wouldn’t even think twice of escalating this whole mess. Can’t you see what’s going on here? We’ve done some considerable damage to his inflated ego the first time we bailed him out. He won’t allow for that to happen again,” said Akinola. “As for Owens, he’ll probably do whatever he’s been order. He does not know the man as well as I do.”
McBride wanted to counter that even Akinola didn’t really know Schwarzkopf that well. The extent of their familiarity after all was a single previous encounter which nevertheless had left deep scars and immense mistrust between the two men. In the end McBride didn’t say anything because after all he had witnessed, he himself could not deny that his captain was probably right about the admiral.
“And even if Schwarzkopf was not the issue, how exactly do you suggest we try and find her? Even Eagle with all her fancy sensors has not been able to locate any trace of our missing crewmembers. It be like trying to find the needle in the haystack.”
The doors to the bridge opened and Akinola stepped out of the turbo-lift.
McBride however remained behind for a moment, the skipper’s last words remaining on the forefront of his thoughts.
Nigel Bane nearly jumped out of his seat upon seeing Akinola having returned from his meeting. He didn’t say a word but his entire body was mirroring anxious anticipation. Akinola could tell he wanted to take actions quickly, almost as eagerly as McBride.
The first officer finally entered the bridge. “What if we had a metal detector?”
Startled Akinola turned to look at his executive officer. “I beg your pardon?”
“You said it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” he said with a sly grin, his Texas drawl more prominent than usual. “Well, back where I’m from we have a whole lot of hay. That sort of makes me an expert, I guess.”
Akinola’s irritation persisted. “Commander, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Suppose you were to try and find the literal needle in a haystack. You’d use a metal detector. Something that is tuned just right to find what you’re looking for.”
“We have sensors, Commander,” said Akinola with the slightest bit of impatience in his voice. Clearly this was not something his first officer needed to be told. “And they’ve been rather useless.”
McBride nodded in agreement. “Yes, but maybe because we’re not looking for the right thing,” he said and turned towards the Australian acting operations officer instead. “Mister Bane, could you recalibrate our sensors to scan for teteron radiation? And if so, do you believe you could locate a small source on the planet below?”
Bane considered the strange request for a mere moment but then nodded quickly. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Teteron radiation is extremely rare and has very unique characteristics. If there is some down there it should stand out like a mob of roos in the Vulcan’s Forge.”
“Commander, how is locating a teteron source going to help us find T’Ser?” Akinola demanded.
McBride smirked again. “Well, if we’re lucky our needle is wearing a small teteron source around her neck.”
But Akinola wasn’t quite satisfied with that reply.
“I gave T’Ser an amulet made of an Rigellian sapphire. It emits low levels of teteron radiation,” said the first officer quietly and with a lot less cockiness than before. He had not wanted to share that information openly and felt slightly embarrassed to having to do so in front of the entire bridge crew.
It was Akinola’s turn to grin. “Well done, Commander. I assume of course you did this purely for security reasons should a situation like this arise.”
“That’s exactly right, sir.”
Still grinning, amused by his first officer’s sudden awkwardness, Akinola turned to look at Bane who stood in front of his station with a small smirk of his own. “So, Mister Bane, do you think you would be able to find it?”
He nodded without hesitation. “Yes, sir. It’ll take me a minute but if we localize our search area I think we stand a good chance of locating any such radiation.”
“Well then stop standing there, wasting time.”
Bane nodded sharply and practically jumped into his seat. His hands racing over his controls.
McBride stepped closed to the captain. “Sir, when we find T’Ser’s location do we share it with Eagle?”
Akinola sat in his chair without replying.
“If we do,” McBride said, “they might try to stop any attempt for us to try and retrieve her ourselves. To be honest, that is a risk I am not comfortable with.”
“Neither am I, Commander,” he said and looked directly into his first officer’s eyes. “Solly still standing by with that stallion?”
Dale nodded.
“Get to the shuttle bay, assemble your team and be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
“Yes, sir,” said McBride and headed off.
“Dale.”
The first officer stopped to look back at the captain.
“We are now treading on waver thin ice. Be extremely mindful of your steps and make sure you bring T’Ser back. And yourself.”
“We’ll get her back, sir.”
The silence had carried on even after they had rematerialized on Bluefin and it wasn’t until they both stood side by side in the turbo-lift on their way to the bridge that McBride broke it.
“We can’t just leave her down there,” he said without glancing at the skipper.
“I know.”
“We can’t just leave her safe return in the hands of an unknown foreign government.”
“I know.”
McBride glanced at the captain. “Sir, we have to –“
He cut him off. “Don’t you think I know all that, Dale? But what would you have me do? Disregard direct orders from a superior? Take on a Nebula-class starship?”
“Do you really think they would try to stop us if we attempted to get T’Ser back ourselves?”
“Oh I’m absolutely certain that Schwarzkopf wouldn’t hesitate to do what ever he can to keep us from interfering. He wouldn’t even think twice of escalating this whole mess. Can’t you see what’s going on here? We’ve done some considerable damage to his inflated ego the first time we bailed him out. He won’t allow for that to happen again,” said Akinola. “As for Owens, he’ll probably do whatever he’s been order. He does not know the man as well as I do.”
McBride wanted to counter that even Akinola didn’t really know Schwarzkopf that well. The extent of their familiarity after all was a single previous encounter which nevertheless had left deep scars and immense mistrust between the two men. In the end McBride didn’t say anything because after all he had witnessed, he himself could not deny that his captain was probably right about the admiral.
“And even if Schwarzkopf was not the issue, how exactly do you suggest we try and find her? Even Eagle with all her fancy sensors has not been able to locate any trace of our missing crewmembers. It be like trying to find the needle in the haystack.”
The doors to the bridge opened and Akinola stepped out of the turbo-lift.
McBride however remained behind for a moment, the skipper’s last words remaining on the forefront of his thoughts.
Nigel Bane nearly jumped out of his seat upon seeing Akinola having returned from his meeting. He didn’t say a word but his entire body was mirroring anxious anticipation. Akinola could tell he wanted to take actions quickly, almost as eagerly as McBride.
The first officer finally entered the bridge. “What if we had a metal detector?”
Startled Akinola turned to look at his executive officer. “I beg your pardon?”
“You said it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” he said with a sly grin, his Texas drawl more prominent than usual. “Well, back where I’m from we have a whole lot of hay. That sort of makes me an expert, I guess.”
Akinola’s irritation persisted. “Commander, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Suppose you were to try and find the literal needle in a haystack. You’d use a metal detector. Something that is tuned just right to find what you’re looking for.”
“We have sensors, Commander,” said Akinola with the slightest bit of impatience in his voice. Clearly this was not something his first officer needed to be told. “And they’ve been rather useless.”
McBride nodded in agreement. “Yes, but maybe because we’re not looking for the right thing,” he said and turned towards the Australian acting operations officer instead. “Mister Bane, could you recalibrate our sensors to scan for teteron radiation? And if so, do you believe you could locate a small source on the planet below?”
Bane considered the strange request for a mere moment but then nodded quickly. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Teteron radiation is extremely rare and has very unique characteristics. If there is some down there it should stand out like a mob of roos in the Vulcan’s Forge.”
“Commander, how is locating a teteron source going to help us find T’Ser?” Akinola demanded.
McBride smirked again. “Well, if we’re lucky our needle is wearing a small teteron source around her neck.”
But Akinola wasn’t quite satisfied with that reply.
“I gave T’Ser an amulet made of an Rigellian sapphire. It emits low levels of teteron radiation,” said the first officer quietly and with a lot less cockiness than before. He had not wanted to share that information openly and felt slightly embarrassed to having to do so in front of the entire bridge crew.
It was Akinola’s turn to grin. “Well done, Commander. I assume of course you did this purely for security reasons should a situation like this arise.”
“That’s exactly right, sir.”
Still grinning, amused by his first officer’s sudden awkwardness, Akinola turned to look at Bane who stood in front of his station with a small smirk of his own. “So, Mister Bane, do you think you would be able to find it?”
He nodded without hesitation. “Yes, sir. It’ll take me a minute but if we localize our search area I think we stand a good chance of locating any such radiation.”
“Well then stop standing there, wasting time.”
Bane nodded sharply and practically jumped into his seat. His hands racing over his controls.
McBride stepped closed to the captain. “Sir, when we find T’Ser’s location do we share it with Eagle?”
Akinola sat in his chair without replying.
“If we do,” McBride said, “they might try to stop any attempt for us to try and retrieve her ourselves. To be honest, that is a risk I am not comfortable with.”
“Neither am I, Commander,” he said and looked directly into his first officer’s eyes. “Solly still standing by with that stallion?”
Dale nodded.
“Get to the shuttle bay, assemble your team and be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
“Yes, sir,” said McBride and headed off.
“Dale.”
The first officer stopped to look back at the captain.
“We are now treading on waver thin ice. Be extremely mindful of your steps and make sure you bring T’Ser back. And yourself.”
“We’ll get her back, sir.”
* * *
Heh heh! I like this. One of the many good things about this story is we get to see more of Dale McBride. Lots of good character interection here between Akinola and mcBride well used to each other.
Now the question is how will the Eagle react to the Bluefin's actions? For that matter the Admiral's response is unlikely to be kind.
I liked the interchange between Akinola and McBride and yes, I have a feeling bad things are going to come of Joseph acting on his own here--Owens is not going to be pleased--even though he probably understands the reason why Joseph is doing it. It's never a good situation when you're working at cross purposes like this...innocent lives tend to get put in jeopardy.
In the end Ashley Wenera did not require any additional motivation to begin treating the rebel’s sick and injured and Balik had remained true to his word. He had made no threats nor had he promised any rewards for her cooperation.
After seeing their makeshift hospital–this one impossibly more improvised and lacking than the one she had attended in Al Tre Nek–and the many patients being treated there she had acted out of instinct. Her first realization had been that treatment didn’t mean much here. The fact that most of the patients had cots appeared to be a luxury. Sanitation, sterilization and medical equipment was nearly non-existent and medical supplies were scarce. They had brought a number of supplies with them when she and T’Ser had been taken but those had quickly run out.
Wenera was not entirely unaccustomed to working with the bare minimum thanks to her experience in field medicine. But the minimum here often meant fresh water and a small vial of antibiotics.
The second discovery was much more startling for the Starfleet physician. A number of the patients were young men and women with apparent battle injuries. But an even greater percentage were young children or the elderly who suffered from a wide variety of inflictions which were often not related to the exposure to combat. Like in Al Tre Nek these people suffered from malnutrition or other diseases which were easily avoidable or treatable with the right medicines.
The difference lay in the numbers and the seriousness of the conditions. Here, medical personnel was limited to a handful of entirely overworked doctors, some without any kind of formal training. And these few volunteers were responsible for a staggering number of patients with such easily cured afflictions as pneumonia or common viral diseases. With the limited supplies available these were often terminal. The survival rate for the sick at the settlement was shockingly low.
Ashley Wenera worked tirelessly through the entire day, ignoring the skeptical or mistrusting stares from patients and staff alike. She was assertive when she had to be and comforting when she could. She was left almost entirely alone by Balik and the guards and yet she could always feel his presence nearby, watching her. She didn’t care. She had much more important work to do than to worry about his presence.
She barely allowed herself any breaks at all, a few sips of water and a slice of bread to maintain her strength from time to time, she secretly injected herself with a stimulant when nobody was looking to fight off the oncoming fatigue.
It didn’t take long for the staff to realize that she was not only being honest about her intentions to help them, she was also incredibly effective at what she was doing. Soon everybody had fallen in line, deferring to her judgment on medical procedures and listened carefully to her explanations and treatment methods.
One of her last patients for the day was a somebody who needed no introduction.
The young man–and she realized for the first time that he was merely a teenager, really–seemed hesitant to approach her. He also appeared rather shy considering the ordeal he had put her through.
Vekte-Ait was not alone either. He had brought a young woman about his age, possibly even younger. And an infant.
He inched towards her while the woman with the child in her arms remained at an even safer distance as if Wenera had magical powers which she could use against them if she so wished.
“I am glad you are unharmed,” he said.
Wenera worked on a fresh bandage for a man whose leg she had been forced to amputate just a few minutes earlier. Thankfully he was calmly sleeping now, a stark contrast to the mind-numbing screams he had produced earlier.
She didn’t pay her kidnapper much attention, determined that she was not going to give him the light of day. “No thanks to you,” she mumbled.
“I … I’m sorry that we took you like that.”
The doctor stopped. “You’re sorry?” she said and then looked at him. “You’re sorry?” she repeated as if maybe she had misunderstood.
But he nodded firmly. “I don’t think you are a bad person,” he said. “I don’t think you are like the others. You had no reason to save me after I was shot but you did it anyway.”
“That’s right,” she said, conveniently leaving out the part in which she had wanted to refuse to help the man partly responsible for killing her escort in cold blood. “And you repaid us by shoving a gun into our faces. Is that how things are done here? Because I have to be honest, this is not the kind of gratitude I’m accustomed to.”
“I am grateful, I really am.”
“That’s a funny way of showing it,” said Wenera and went back to finish the bandage, making it clear that as far as she was concerned, this conversation was over.
The young man got the not so subtle hint and turned to leave. But he changed his mind halfway through. “You could have left me to die and I’ll always be thankful that you didn’t. But our cause is more important than my life or even yours. After what you’ve done, and after what you’ve done here today it is hard to believe that you are an ally of the Tia. That you could condone what they’re doing to us.”
Wenera finished up with the bandage and walked over to a nearby basin to clean her hands. “You are terrorists. You kill the innocent just to make a point. To get what you want. I’ll always be against those who kill for the sake of killing.”
“But you are wrong about that,” Vekte said with rising passion in his voice. “We did not start this war. The Tia did.”
“Of course they did. And they’ll say you guys did and round and round we go. But whoever started this and whatever your intentions might have once been you have become the aggressor and now you are paying the price for it,” said Wenera as the cold water washed over her bloody hands.
“How can you say that?” he said with such anger in his voice it gave Wenera the chills. He moved up to her, grabbed her shoulder and violently twisted her around only to push her back into the wall with such force that she winced in pain. “How can you make such statements without knowing anything about us? You have been here a few days, you’ve learned whatever the Tia have chosen to tell you. Have you ever attempted to study our history or our culture? What do you know about us that you can sit in judgment over an entire people?”
The young woman with the child stepped closer, her face twisted with concern after witnessing the outburst. “Vekte, please,” she pleaded.
But he just stared at the doctor with cold eyes.
Wenera stared right back.
“Have you ever been to a re-education monastery?” he asked with such a sharp edge in his voice it could have cut through steel. “Have you seen the mass graves of the labor camp? Have you witnessed first-hand how the Tia treat the Ait day in and day out? Have you been to the ruins of Ald An Lek after it was leveled by government forces?”
This apparently gave Wenera pause as her mind tried to come to grips with the information it was receiving. Trying to understand if this was cheap propaganda, circulated by terrorist leaders in order to keep the troops dedicated to commit mass murder or if perhaps there could be a shred of truth to the young man’s charges. If judged solely by his brimming eyes the decision would have been an easy one.
She soon found that his eyes were by far not the only ones fixing her now. Almost everyone was now staring at her and she could tell that whatever inroads she had made with her tireless dedication to treating these people were slowly eroding.
“Please,” the young woman pleaded again, apparently not wishing to be part of any of this. “Let’s just leave.”
But Vekte shook his head. “No,” he said and continued to stare at the Starfleet doctor. “You may be too blind to see the truth and too comfortable with the lies fed to you by the Tia. But you are our prisoner now. And I have come here so that you can have a look at my little boy and make him better.”
Wenera was still stunned by the young man’s intensity. Then she nodded slowly. “Place him on that cot over there.”
The young woman–presumably the mother–only did so after being prompted by Vekte and even then only hesitantly.
“She won’t hurt him,” he assured his wife. “She might have you fooled but she is not really a monster. Just misguided.”
Wenera did her best to pay no attention to Vekte’s stinging accusations and went to work on the infant.
He had a simple ear infection which was easily treated. What scared Wenera was that with the untrained staff and the few supplies at the rebel’s disposal the chances had been good that nobody had been able to correctly diagnose and treat the little child and that he would have eventually died from an affliction that took her mere minutes to treat.
After she was satisfied that he was going to be alright she picked him up and held him in her arms for just a moment, surprised how comforting it felt to hold him. His big eyes were starring right at her as if to thank her for making the pain go away. He grasped her finger with its tiny hand.
The mother on the other hand was nowhere near as calm and when Wenera was holding on to the child for too long she moved closer.
Realizing the agony she was putting the young mother in, Wenera quickly handed him over. “He should be alright now. Make sure to keep him warm for next few days and place him on his back when he goes to sleep.”
The mother took him greedily but with much care. She nodded hesitantly. “Thank you.”
“Of course. You have a beautiful child. He clearly takes after his mother,” she said, making sure Vekte overheard her.
The young woman quickly left, not even waiting for her husband to follow her.
“If you are the victim here then why abduct us at gun point?” she wanted to know. “Why go through all this trouble? Why didn’t you just come to us to tell us about what was really happening here?”
Vekte shot her a surprised look but then quickly followed up with an utterly sarcastic laugh. “You know you remind me of a the mystical resktu.”
“A resktu?” she asked, not sure if to be flattered or offended.
“It’s a creature from our old legends. It has two bodies, two personalities. One does one thing and the other does the exact opposite. It has two heads, just like you and your people,” he said and walked away.
But Wenera didn’t understand. “What is that suppose to mean?” she asked but received no response as she watched him leave the hospital.
Vekte’s final words remained on her mind after he had left and she once again had immersed herself in work.
It wasn’t long however until another matter became the focus of her attention. She had just finished diagnosing one of the older patients and come to the sad realization that there was little that she could do. She estimated his age at about seventy-five standard earth years but he was frail, unnaturally thin and had long since lost most of his teeth and hair. He was also suffering from acute liver failure probably brought on by a viral hepatitis. Perhaps a new liver could have saved him but she had no means to produce one artificially or the necessary equipment to consider a transplant. If she had been on Eagle, he may have had a good chance of survival but here, he was destined to die.
The rest of the small medical staff had apparently made the same conclusion and left him mostly in peace. On Tiaita he had nearly reached the average life expectancy in any case.
For Wenera who was used to seeing people live twice as long and die with a lot more dignity, it wasn’t quite that easy. At least the drugs she had administered would ensure he would go peacefully.
But for the moment he was still awake and to her surprise he managed a large, toothless smile.
She knelt next to him. “I’ve given you something for the pain. It will help you sleep,” she said.
“Sleep,” he said, still smiling at her. “That’d be nice for a change.”
“Is there anything else you’d like? A bite to eat perhaps? I might be able to scrounge up something.”
“You must be new around here, young one,” he said with sparkling eyes. “Food is more difficult to come by than a good night’s rest.”
Wenera was surprised. He apparently hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t the same species. “Well, I’m the new doctor and if I prescribe you a good dinner I’m sure something can be arranged.” Wenera had absolutely no idea what had compelled her to be this personal with the patient. Good bedside manners were a required trait for a physician serving on a nice and orderly starship but here it was a liability. Time wasted which could be put to much better use. And yet here she was, exchanging pleasantries with a man she knew would not survive the night.
“What purpose would that serve, young one?” he asked. “It isn’t as if I’ll need the strength anymore. Let the young fill their bellies. If they can find the food that is.”
“The young also have the responsibility to look after the old,” she said. “Don’t sell yourself short. You might not be fighting in anymore battles but you still have your wisdom, your experiences and your knowledge to share.”
“My dear, I don’t believe I am in a situation to share much of anything anymore.”
Wenera understood then that this man had already made his peace with the universe. He knew he was going to die and he was prepared for it. For whatever reason that bothered her. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry? Why would you be sorry. I’ve watched you, young lady. Your first day here and you’ve already thrown yourself into the work. I’ve seen the faces of the men and women you’ve healed. You are making a great difference here. You’re dedication to our cause is no reason to apologize. It should be celebrated.”
“The cause,” she said quietly but could not get herself to look at the dying old man.
“The Tia say that we are barbarians because we don’t believe like they do. They say we eat our young and leave our old to die because we have no morals. But just because we don’t worship their false gods doesn’t mean we are not good people. I do not need to believe that the Brothers are awaiting me with open arms in the Celestial Realm. I know that I have lived a good life and that I have left behind my mark on the world. I have no regrets and I die with happiness that I have found the New Light and fought side by side with my brethren and against the Tia tyranny,” he said and then stopped himself when his strength gave out momentarily.
Wenera felt touched by the heartfelt declaration. There was no arrogance or spite in his tone. He was not angry or upset. He was simply at peace now. She almost envied the feeling. But what gave her real pause were the meaning of his words. This was not a mere terrorist, this was man who had fought back against religious prosecution.
“But enough of the ramblings of an old man. I’m sure a young and pretty woman like yourself has much better things to do than to listen to a dying old man,” he said and closed his eyes.
She didn’t say anything then. Her mind was still occupied with the possibility that perhaps she had been wrong after all. Perhaps they had landed in the middle of a civil war after all. And perhaps these so called terrorist had a good reason for their war. Had she judged these people too soon after all, she wondered. She hadn’t allowed for the possibility because she couldn’t conceive that Starfleet would have sent them to a place that stood against everything that the Federation was supposed to mean. She couldn’t conceive that Starfleet would knowingly place her into a situation which would let her doubt that she doing the right thing.
“The Ait are not subjugated or persecuted. They have rights just like the Tia. The highest ranking member of the Tiaitan military is an Ait,” she said without really considering those words. As if to convince her herself.
The old man’s eyes opened again and considered the woman by his bed for a moment. Then he nodded slowly, understandingly. “Many young Ait tend to think like you do,” he said in a tone befitting a father speaking to his child. “And even many old ones who are afraid of change. I was never one of them. I wanted more for my family and myself. I wanted to see my young ones grow up to be able to take public office someday. Maybe even practice a learned profession, like a doctor or a legal advisor. I wanted us to be able to live our life how we saw fit and express our opinions openly even if they were not sanctioned by the Council of Tia. Some of you younger ones might find that thought to be idealistic nonsense. But let me tell you something. Making up your own mind and having your own ideas is a battle worth fighting for.”
Wenera’s head was beginning to spin and she felt a sickening sensation in her stomach.
“You will find out yourself soon enough,” he said. “And once you had a taste of freedom you’ll never be able to go back to live under the yoke of the Tia, treated no better than a slave. I never could.” He uttered a short laugh as if he was amused at the prospect of Wenera learning the truth. “I’m tired now. I think I’ll try go get some of that rest. You take good care of yourself, young one,” he said and within moments he was a sleep.
The Starfleet physician watched him quietly as he calmly began his final slumber. She was anything but. She made it back onto her feet but stumbled almost instantly, nearly falling on top of another patient.
The entire hospital felt very restrictive all of a sudden and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe anymore. She had to get out, that was all she could think about as she rushed towards the exit.
After seeing their makeshift hospital–this one impossibly more improvised and lacking than the one she had attended in Al Tre Nek–and the many patients being treated there she had acted out of instinct. Her first realization had been that treatment didn’t mean much here. The fact that most of the patients had cots appeared to be a luxury. Sanitation, sterilization and medical equipment was nearly non-existent and medical supplies were scarce. They had brought a number of supplies with them when she and T’Ser had been taken but those had quickly run out.
Wenera was not entirely unaccustomed to working with the bare minimum thanks to her experience in field medicine. But the minimum here often meant fresh water and a small vial of antibiotics.
The second discovery was much more startling for the Starfleet physician. A number of the patients were young men and women with apparent battle injuries. But an even greater percentage were young children or the elderly who suffered from a wide variety of inflictions which were often not related to the exposure to combat. Like in Al Tre Nek these people suffered from malnutrition or other diseases which were easily avoidable or treatable with the right medicines.
The difference lay in the numbers and the seriousness of the conditions. Here, medical personnel was limited to a handful of entirely overworked doctors, some without any kind of formal training. And these few volunteers were responsible for a staggering number of patients with such easily cured afflictions as pneumonia or common viral diseases. With the limited supplies available these were often terminal. The survival rate for the sick at the settlement was shockingly low.
Ashley Wenera worked tirelessly through the entire day, ignoring the skeptical or mistrusting stares from patients and staff alike. She was assertive when she had to be and comforting when she could. She was left almost entirely alone by Balik and the guards and yet she could always feel his presence nearby, watching her. She didn’t care. She had much more important work to do than to worry about his presence.
She barely allowed herself any breaks at all, a few sips of water and a slice of bread to maintain her strength from time to time, she secretly injected herself with a stimulant when nobody was looking to fight off the oncoming fatigue.
It didn’t take long for the staff to realize that she was not only being honest about her intentions to help them, she was also incredibly effective at what she was doing. Soon everybody had fallen in line, deferring to her judgment on medical procedures and listened carefully to her explanations and treatment methods.
One of her last patients for the day was a somebody who needed no introduction.
The young man–and she realized for the first time that he was merely a teenager, really–seemed hesitant to approach her. He also appeared rather shy considering the ordeal he had put her through.
Vekte-Ait was not alone either. He had brought a young woman about his age, possibly even younger. And an infant.
He inched towards her while the woman with the child in her arms remained at an even safer distance as if Wenera had magical powers which she could use against them if she so wished.
“I am glad you are unharmed,” he said.
Wenera worked on a fresh bandage for a man whose leg she had been forced to amputate just a few minutes earlier. Thankfully he was calmly sleeping now, a stark contrast to the mind-numbing screams he had produced earlier.
She didn’t pay her kidnapper much attention, determined that she was not going to give him the light of day. “No thanks to you,” she mumbled.
“I … I’m sorry that we took you like that.”
The doctor stopped. “You’re sorry?” she said and then looked at him. “You’re sorry?” she repeated as if maybe she had misunderstood.
But he nodded firmly. “I don’t think you are a bad person,” he said. “I don’t think you are like the others. You had no reason to save me after I was shot but you did it anyway.”
“That’s right,” she said, conveniently leaving out the part in which she had wanted to refuse to help the man partly responsible for killing her escort in cold blood. “And you repaid us by shoving a gun into our faces. Is that how things are done here? Because I have to be honest, this is not the kind of gratitude I’m accustomed to.”
“I am grateful, I really am.”
“That’s a funny way of showing it,” said Wenera and went back to finish the bandage, making it clear that as far as she was concerned, this conversation was over.
The young man got the not so subtle hint and turned to leave. But he changed his mind halfway through. “You could have left me to die and I’ll always be thankful that you didn’t. But our cause is more important than my life or even yours. After what you’ve done, and after what you’ve done here today it is hard to believe that you are an ally of the Tia. That you could condone what they’re doing to us.”
Wenera finished up with the bandage and walked over to a nearby basin to clean her hands. “You are terrorists. You kill the innocent just to make a point. To get what you want. I’ll always be against those who kill for the sake of killing.”
“But you are wrong about that,” Vekte said with rising passion in his voice. “We did not start this war. The Tia did.”
“Of course they did. And they’ll say you guys did and round and round we go. But whoever started this and whatever your intentions might have once been you have become the aggressor and now you are paying the price for it,” said Wenera as the cold water washed over her bloody hands.
“How can you say that?” he said with such anger in his voice it gave Wenera the chills. He moved up to her, grabbed her shoulder and violently twisted her around only to push her back into the wall with such force that she winced in pain. “How can you make such statements without knowing anything about us? You have been here a few days, you’ve learned whatever the Tia have chosen to tell you. Have you ever attempted to study our history or our culture? What do you know about us that you can sit in judgment over an entire people?”
The young woman with the child stepped closer, her face twisted with concern after witnessing the outburst. “Vekte, please,” she pleaded.
But he just stared at the doctor with cold eyes.
Wenera stared right back.
“Have you ever been to a re-education monastery?” he asked with such a sharp edge in his voice it could have cut through steel. “Have you seen the mass graves of the labor camp? Have you witnessed first-hand how the Tia treat the Ait day in and day out? Have you been to the ruins of Ald An Lek after it was leveled by government forces?”
This apparently gave Wenera pause as her mind tried to come to grips with the information it was receiving. Trying to understand if this was cheap propaganda, circulated by terrorist leaders in order to keep the troops dedicated to commit mass murder or if perhaps there could be a shred of truth to the young man’s charges. If judged solely by his brimming eyes the decision would have been an easy one.
She soon found that his eyes were by far not the only ones fixing her now. Almost everyone was now staring at her and she could tell that whatever inroads she had made with her tireless dedication to treating these people were slowly eroding.
“Please,” the young woman pleaded again, apparently not wishing to be part of any of this. “Let’s just leave.”
But Vekte shook his head. “No,” he said and continued to stare at the Starfleet doctor. “You may be too blind to see the truth and too comfortable with the lies fed to you by the Tia. But you are our prisoner now. And I have come here so that you can have a look at my little boy and make him better.”
Wenera was still stunned by the young man’s intensity. Then she nodded slowly. “Place him on that cot over there.”
The young woman–presumably the mother–only did so after being prompted by Vekte and even then only hesitantly.
“She won’t hurt him,” he assured his wife. “She might have you fooled but she is not really a monster. Just misguided.”
Wenera did her best to pay no attention to Vekte’s stinging accusations and went to work on the infant.
He had a simple ear infection which was easily treated. What scared Wenera was that with the untrained staff and the few supplies at the rebel’s disposal the chances had been good that nobody had been able to correctly diagnose and treat the little child and that he would have eventually died from an affliction that took her mere minutes to treat.
After she was satisfied that he was going to be alright she picked him up and held him in her arms for just a moment, surprised how comforting it felt to hold him. His big eyes were starring right at her as if to thank her for making the pain go away. He grasped her finger with its tiny hand.
The mother on the other hand was nowhere near as calm and when Wenera was holding on to the child for too long she moved closer.
Realizing the agony she was putting the young mother in, Wenera quickly handed him over. “He should be alright now. Make sure to keep him warm for next few days and place him on his back when he goes to sleep.”
The mother took him greedily but with much care. She nodded hesitantly. “Thank you.”
“Of course. You have a beautiful child. He clearly takes after his mother,” she said, making sure Vekte overheard her.
The young woman quickly left, not even waiting for her husband to follow her.
“If you are the victim here then why abduct us at gun point?” she wanted to know. “Why go through all this trouble? Why didn’t you just come to us to tell us about what was really happening here?”
Vekte shot her a surprised look but then quickly followed up with an utterly sarcastic laugh. “You know you remind me of a the mystical resktu.”
“A resktu?” she asked, not sure if to be flattered or offended.
“It’s a creature from our old legends. It has two bodies, two personalities. One does one thing and the other does the exact opposite. It has two heads, just like you and your people,” he said and walked away.
But Wenera didn’t understand. “What is that suppose to mean?” she asked but received no response as she watched him leave the hospital.
Vekte’s final words remained on her mind after he had left and she once again had immersed herself in work.
It wasn’t long however until another matter became the focus of her attention. She had just finished diagnosing one of the older patients and come to the sad realization that there was little that she could do. She estimated his age at about seventy-five standard earth years but he was frail, unnaturally thin and had long since lost most of his teeth and hair. He was also suffering from acute liver failure probably brought on by a viral hepatitis. Perhaps a new liver could have saved him but she had no means to produce one artificially or the necessary equipment to consider a transplant. If she had been on Eagle, he may have had a good chance of survival but here, he was destined to die.
The rest of the small medical staff had apparently made the same conclusion and left him mostly in peace. On Tiaita he had nearly reached the average life expectancy in any case.
For Wenera who was used to seeing people live twice as long and die with a lot more dignity, it wasn’t quite that easy. At least the drugs she had administered would ensure he would go peacefully.
But for the moment he was still awake and to her surprise he managed a large, toothless smile.
She knelt next to him. “I’ve given you something for the pain. It will help you sleep,” she said.
“Sleep,” he said, still smiling at her. “That’d be nice for a change.”
“Is there anything else you’d like? A bite to eat perhaps? I might be able to scrounge up something.”
“You must be new around here, young one,” he said with sparkling eyes. “Food is more difficult to come by than a good night’s rest.”
Wenera was surprised. He apparently hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t the same species. “Well, I’m the new doctor and if I prescribe you a good dinner I’m sure something can be arranged.” Wenera had absolutely no idea what had compelled her to be this personal with the patient. Good bedside manners were a required trait for a physician serving on a nice and orderly starship but here it was a liability. Time wasted which could be put to much better use. And yet here she was, exchanging pleasantries with a man she knew would not survive the night.
“What purpose would that serve, young one?” he asked. “It isn’t as if I’ll need the strength anymore. Let the young fill their bellies. If they can find the food that is.”
“The young also have the responsibility to look after the old,” she said. “Don’t sell yourself short. You might not be fighting in anymore battles but you still have your wisdom, your experiences and your knowledge to share.”
“My dear, I don’t believe I am in a situation to share much of anything anymore.”
Wenera understood then that this man had already made his peace with the universe. He knew he was going to die and he was prepared for it. For whatever reason that bothered her. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry? Why would you be sorry. I’ve watched you, young lady. Your first day here and you’ve already thrown yourself into the work. I’ve seen the faces of the men and women you’ve healed. You are making a great difference here. You’re dedication to our cause is no reason to apologize. It should be celebrated.”
“The cause,” she said quietly but could not get herself to look at the dying old man.
“The Tia say that we are barbarians because we don’t believe like they do. They say we eat our young and leave our old to die because we have no morals. But just because we don’t worship their false gods doesn’t mean we are not good people. I do not need to believe that the Brothers are awaiting me with open arms in the Celestial Realm. I know that I have lived a good life and that I have left behind my mark on the world. I have no regrets and I die with happiness that I have found the New Light and fought side by side with my brethren and against the Tia tyranny,” he said and then stopped himself when his strength gave out momentarily.
Wenera felt touched by the heartfelt declaration. There was no arrogance or spite in his tone. He was not angry or upset. He was simply at peace now. She almost envied the feeling. But what gave her real pause were the meaning of his words. This was not a mere terrorist, this was man who had fought back against religious prosecution.
“But enough of the ramblings of an old man. I’m sure a young and pretty woman like yourself has much better things to do than to listen to a dying old man,” he said and closed his eyes.
She didn’t say anything then. Her mind was still occupied with the possibility that perhaps she had been wrong after all. Perhaps they had landed in the middle of a civil war after all. And perhaps these so called terrorist had a good reason for their war. Had she judged these people too soon after all, she wondered. She hadn’t allowed for the possibility because she couldn’t conceive that Starfleet would have sent them to a place that stood against everything that the Federation was supposed to mean. She couldn’t conceive that Starfleet would knowingly place her into a situation which would let her doubt that she doing the right thing.
“The Ait are not subjugated or persecuted. They have rights just like the Tia. The highest ranking member of the Tiaitan military is an Ait,” she said without really considering those words. As if to convince her herself.
The old man’s eyes opened again and considered the woman by his bed for a moment. Then he nodded slowly, understandingly. “Many young Ait tend to think like you do,” he said in a tone befitting a father speaking to his child. “And even many old ones who are afraid of change. I was never one of them. I wanted more for my family and myself. I wanted to see my young ones grow up to be able to take public office someday. Maybe even practice a learned profession, like a doctor or a legal advisor. I wanted us to be able to live our life how we saw fit and express our opinions openly even if they were not sanctioned by the Council of Tia. Some of you younger ones might find that thought to be idealistic nonsense. But let me tell you something. Making up your own mind and having your own ideas is a battle worth fighting for.”
Wenera’s head was beginning to spin and she felt a sickening sensation in her stomach.
“You will find out yourself soon enough,” he said. “And once you had a taste of freedom you’ll never be able to go back to live under the yoke of the Tia, treated no better than a slave. I never could.” He uttered a short laugh as if he was amused at the prospect of Wenera learning the truth. “I’m tired now. I think I’ll try go get some of that rest. You take good care of yourself, young one,” he said and within moments he was a sleep.
The Starfleet physician watched him quietly as he calmly began his final slumber. She was anything but. She made it back onto her feet but stumbled almost instantly, nearly falling on top of another patient.
The entire hospital felt very restrictive all of a sudden and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe anymore. She had to get out, that was all she could think about as she rushed towards the exit.
* * *
All The Sinners, Saints will return in January.
Have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season Everyone
Have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season Everyone
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That was a fantastic segment. Wenera ship bound is often interested in scuttlebutt gossip but we see her heart and drive here. We see the consumate professional come to the fore and treat her patients even as a hostage.
She also has to deal with the battle of minds and ethical situation of the planet's politics which she is reluctant to believe. Her eyes are starting to sway her opinions perhaps. I like that you do not swerve away from handling this thorny issue.
But I think most touching is her conversation with the elderly man. It struck a chord with me for different reasons. Well done. Looking forward to the New Year for more Sinners and Saints.
She also has to deal with the battle of minds and ethical situation of the planet's politics which she is reluctant to believe. Her eyes are starting to sway her opinions perhaps. I like that you do not swerve away from handling this thorny issue.
But I think most touching is her conversation with the elderly man. It struck a chord with me for different reasons. Well done. Looking forward to the New Year for more Sinners and Saints.
I like that we're really getting a good look at what makes Wenera tick. I've found that very often the hardest character to get a good feel of can be the ship's doctor and I think you're doing a good job in bringing out Wenera's compassion, initial naivete, and growing disillusionment? awakening?--I guess we'll have to see how that unfolds.
And yes, the last scene was an especially well written and powerful one.
And yes, the last scene was an especially well written and powerful one.
She had gone through her cell square inch by square inch and once again found nothing. She hadn’t expected to but she had been left with very little else to do.
The doctor had been gone for over eight hours and except for two extremely short visits by a guard to bring her food and drink she had been left completely to her own devices.
She had finally resolved to simply sit on the hard floor, trying to mediate, in the hopes something ingenious would come to her. Perhaps some incredibly clever plan to construct a simple communications device by using an empty plate and a few strands of her hair.
Despite of her situation she giggled to herself at the thought. Life was not anything like those cheesy holo-novels she had enjoyed when she had been younger. A person in a prison cell did not always find a way to escape.
With a heavy sigh she also came to realize that meditation didn’t work for her either. Perhaps if she had been raised in a strict Vulcan household she would have mastered the meditation techniques that so many of her kinsmen relied upon but for her it was simply a phenomenal waste of time.
Not that she didn’t seem to have enough of that. But every time she closed her eyes and tried to focus on a way to escape she couldn’t help but think of Ashley Wenera. She had taken a liking to the stubborn doctor, probably due to their mutual predicament and now couldn’t stop herself from worrying about her. She wasn’t the survivor type. If she had tried to make a run for it and if they were surrounded by desert as she assumed, T’Ser knew Wenera wouldn’t get far, no matter how determined she was. But then perhaps finding death in the desert was a more merciful end then being killed by whatever cruel plans these rebels held in store for them.
When she heard the door being opened, she immediately jumped to her feet, ready to exploit any opportunity that would present itself. In the back of her mind however she secretly wished that Wenera had returned.
It wasn’t the doctor who stepped inside. It was the same guard who had brought her food earlier. But this time he had brought company.
She could see another armed man standing in the corridor outside but both of them seemed to defer to a woman who briskly stepped inside the cell. She wore a stern expression on her face like somebody who had come to get some business done. And T’Ser was sure it wasn’t the kind that would get her any favors.
The woman was a fighter, T’Ser could tell right away. She had a fierceness to her that was impossible to deny. And she hadn’t even said a single word yet. Instead she was simply measuring up her prisoner with the kind of curiosity a hunter would have had for an animal never before encountered.
“Where is Doctor Wenera?” T’Ser said, breaking the silence first.
The woman took a few more steps into the room but didn’t make the mistake of approaching the Vulcan woman directly. Instead she kept her distance, trying to get a good look from all angles.
“You are a Vulcanoid,” she said.
“Vulcan is fine. And you haven’t answered my question.”
“You don’t look that dangerous. I’ve been told Vulcans possess amazing strength and ingenuity, making them formidable fighters. And yet we captured you quite easily.”
“You caught me on an off-day.”
The woman stopped. “I was also told that Vulcans adhere to strict pragmatism. Don’t smile, don’t even joke.”
T’Ser smiled purposefully, humorlessly. “I guess you’re pretty badly informed then.”
“It would appear that way.”
“Are you going to tell me where the doctor is?”
“She has been quite useful,” said the woman. “Helping us with our sick and injured in the hospital. She’s efficient too. I think we might keep her.”
“You will find that that won’t be an option.”
The woman took a small step towards T’Ser. “Is that so?”
She nodded. “You have made a grave mistake in bringing us here. Our people will stop at nothing to get us back. They will find your little hiding place here and they will find us. You and your people will be held accountable for your actions. If you release us now you might be able to avoid any unpleasant consequences that might arise from this unfortunate misunderstanding,” said T’Ser in a perfectly calm and even tone. She had exaggerated of course. But there was nothing like a bit of dramatic flair to emphasize one’s point especially when one was being held against their will and was facing possible execution.
Unfortunately for T’Ser it didn’t quite work. “Somehow I don’t think that will happen.”
She shrugged. “Your funeral, I guess.”
The puzzled expression on the woman’s face was evidence that she didn’t understand the human adage.
T’Ser moved on. “What do you want from us? I find it difficult to believe that you brought us here for a house call.”
“I don’t think you quite understand your situation. You are our prisoner. You do not get to ask the questions. I do.”
T’Ser nodded, acceding the point. The holo-novels had at the very least prepared her for that response. “Ask your questions then.”
The woman smiled for the first time and T’Ser had to suppress the urge to shudder. It was that kind of smile.
“I want to know what your plans are.”
T’Ser was startled. She had expected all sorts of questions but not that one. In fact it didn’t even make sense. “I beg your pardon?”
The woman stepped even closer. “Why are you here?” she said, her voice rising almost to the point of shouting which caught T’Ser by surprise yet again.
“The Federation signed a treaty with Tiatia, surely you – “
“Wrong!”
Stunned by the woman’s intensity, T’Ser had no words to offer.
“The prias and his Tia lackeys signed the treaty. A treaty to get your assistance in wiping out the Ait. Don’t even try to deny it.”
T’Ser wondered if that was what Nigel Bane had been so concerned about. She wondered if it could be true. There was little denying by now that Tiaita was at war with itself. Not after the battle she had witnessed and which had led to their capture. But they had not come as aggressors that much was absolutely certain. “Seeing that you will not give me a chance to even make my –“
The woman lost it. Her eyes flared with raging fire as she rushed T’Ser grabbed her by the neck and with suppressing strength slammed her into the wall. “You are playing with us and I’m sick of this game. We’re not some pieces on a chatuk board that you can manipulate at your every desire. You will tell me why you are really on Tiaita. You will tell me what your end plans are. Are you trying to eliminate both sides so that you can claim our world for yourselves? Tell me or you will die.”
T’Ser had hardly registered the pain in her back but it did trigger her adrenaline to kick in, infusing her with strength and determination. The woman had made a significant tactical error by attacking her so blatantly, leaving her wide open for a counter-attack.
T’Ser didn’t hesitate.
She balled her fist and drove it into the woman’s unprotected solar plexus with such might that she doubled over instantly. Her eyes grew the size of saucers by the unexpected attack and the resulting pain.
The Vulcan never gave her a chance to react. In one swift motion she swiped the gun which was stuck in the woman’s belt and used it like a bat, connecting with her opponent’s right temple. The woman was down before she ever even knew what had hit her.
T’Ser knew she had to move fast. And so she did.
The guard by the door was still trying to draw his own weapon when T’Ser had closed the gap between them in two large strides and struck out with her right, aiming at his chin. She caught him just under it with such force that his entire body jerked upwards. She followed up with an open palm strike against his breast plate which forced him backwards, slamming him into the solid wall behind him.
It wasn’t a particularly graceful attack and if she’d had more time, perhaps she would have tried something along the lines of the neck pinch. The truth was that she wasn’t especially skilled in the classic Vulcan maneuver which could render an opponent unconscious instantly. Inherent physical strength however, was something she had been born with.
The guard sacked to the floor and without giving him much thought, she stepped around him and into the corridor where she expected another guard had been posted.
In fact, as far she knew, an entire army could have been lying in wait just outside her cell. She had to take the chance. She didn’t have much of a plan. Instead she was trying to use the only advantage she really had. Surprise.
Perhaps if she could get out of the building, she could try to locate Wenera and then make a run for a shuttle or another vehicle that could take them into orbit or at least into a nearby city.
The hallway appeared empty on first glance. It wasn’t. The second guard had taken a crouched position behind a number of barrels, waiting for the wrong person to emerge from the cell. When he spotted T’Ser, he took aim and fired.
The Vulcan avoided the bullets by a hair’s length by falling backwards. She scrambled back into the cell and brought up the gun she was still holding in her hand. It was a projectile weapon without a stun setting and therefore she had not wanted to use it but now she was left with no other choice.
She looked over the gun carefully. She had no familiarity with these kind of weapons but its basic function and simplicity did not allude her. Weapons designers the galaxy over, for hundreds of years, had ensured that their products allowed their users to try and kill each other in the simplest possible manner. Usually this translated to point and shoot.
She stuck out the gun into the hallway, aimed it into the direction she believed her opponent to be, and pulled the trigger. She didn’t expect the kickback but her strength allowed her to keep the weapon steady even while it spat a swarm of bullets.
When she stopped firing, she waiting another few seconds before peaking around the corner. When she did she found that the guard was gone. Dead, injured or retreated to find more help, she couldn’t tell.
She heard the footsteps too late.
They had been muffled, like somebody trying to sneak.
She was hit in the head even before she could fully turn to face the attacker.
The woman punched her in the head a second time, even more forcefully. T’Ser brought up an arm to defend herself but couldn’t avoid a third blow which caused her head to be smashed into the metal door. The gun cluttered to the floor and her feet were giving out under her. She never fell. The woman caught her before she could.
It hadn’t been out of concern for her well-being however. The woman dragged the dazed T’Ser back into the cell and dumped her onto the only chair. Then just when the Vulcan was beginning to come around again she was hit again, her head jerking sideways and her vision exploding with bright lights.
T’Ser wasn’t entirely sure how long she had been out but when she opened her eyes again, the headache was nearly unbearable. Her feet were tied to the chair and the her arms behind her back with solid steel wire. She didn’t have all her strength back yet but she doubted that she would be able to get free even once she had regained it.
She looked up to see the woman hover over her. The guard she had taken out earlier was still sitting on the floor, trying to nurse his own injuries.
The woman herself did not look particularly injured and T’Ser now regretted that she hadn’t used more ferocity to neutralize her. Her right hand was scraped and bleeding, testament to the powerful blows she had landed and also to T’Ser’s remarkably thick skull.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” the woman said as she wrapped some cloth around her injured fist.
“I was trying to live up to my reputation,” said T’Ser, forcing herself to appear much more collected then she really felt. In truth she couldn’t get the room to stop spinning. “You wanted a formidable fighter, no?”
The woman ignored her. “I’m going to make this very simple for you. You will tell me exactly what I want to know or I will kill you. But first I’m going to make you wish you were dead. Understand?”
“I make you a counter-offer,” said T’Ser. “You untie me and we settle this by old-fashioned hand to hand combat. You win and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I win and you let me and the doctor go. That way you won’t look like a complete coward.”
The blow came so fast, T’Ser never even saw it coming. It felt as if her head was trying to separate itself from her shoulders.
“You call me a coward?” she fumed. “Me? You are the ones who sit in your powerful starships and kill us by pressing a single button. You are the cowards.”
“It’s a no to my proposal then?”
The woman moved closer to T’Ser. “I want to know what your plans are exactly. You will tell me.”
“You want to know what Starfleet wants on Tiaita?” T’Ser asked through clenched teeth.
“Yes. Tell me.”
“I don’t know about any plans. I am not the one who can give you the answers you are looking for. I’ve come to this world to find answers myself. And so far all I have found is a world torn asunder by civil war. And from where I’m sitting it looks like you are the bad guys.”
The woman turned her back to her captive and walked up to the guard who had fully recovered by now. He handed her something T’Ser couldn’t see.
“Nice try,” she said and turned back around, slipping something onto her hand. “You sound so honest I almost tend to believe you. Almost. But I know you are trying to keep something from me and I will find out what it is,” she said and stepped closer and began to flex her left hand. T’Ser could see that she was wearing metallic knuckles now.
“And what if you’re wrong?” she said. “What if I don’t know anything?”
“Then you will die, either way, I’m going to enjoy myself,” she said and without preamble struck T’Ser again, the knuckles connecting with the side of her face, jerking her head violently to its left and leaving behind a gushing wound.
“Green blood?” said the woman surprised. “How alien.”
The doctor had been gone for over eight hours and except for two extremely short visits by a guard to bring her food and drink she had been left completely to her own devices.
She had finally resolved to simply sit on the hard floor, trying to mediate, in the hopes something ingenious would come to her. Perhaps some incredibly clever plan to construct a simple communications device by using an empty plate and a few strands of her hair.
Despite of her situation she giggled to herself at the thought. Life was not anything like those cheesy holo-novels she had enjoyed when she had been younger. A person in a prison cell did not always find a way to escape.
With a heavy sigh she also came to realize that meditation didn’t work for her either. Perhaps if she had been raised in a strict Vulcan household she would have mastered the meditation techniques that so many of her kinsmen relied upon but for her it was simply a phenomenal waste of time.
Not that she didn’t seem to have enough of that. But every time she closed her eyes and tried to focus on a way to escape she couldn’t help but think of Ashley Wenera. She had taken a liking to the stubborn doctor, probably due to their mutual predicament and now couldn’t stop herself from worrying about her. She wasn’t the survivor type. If she had tried to make a run for it and if they were surrounded by desert as she assumed, T’Ser knew Wenera wouldn’t get far, no matter how determined she was. But then perhaps finding death in the desert was a more merciful end then being killed by whatever cruel plans these rebels held in store for them.
When she heard the door being opened, she immediately jumped to her feet, ready to exploit any opportunity that would present itself. In the back of her mind however she secretly wished that Wenera had returned.
It wasn’t the doctor who stepped inside. It was the same guard who had brought her food earlier. But this time he had brought company.
She could see another armed man standing in the corridor outside but both of them seemed to defer to a woman who briskly stepped inside the cell. She wore a stern expression on her face like somebody who had come to get some business done. And T’Ser was sure it wasn’t the kind that would get her any favors.
The woman was a fighter, T’Ser could tell right away. She had a fierceness to her that was impossible to deny. And she hadn’t even said a single word yet. Instead she was simply measuring up her prisoner with the kind of curiosity a hunter would have had for an animal never before encountered.
“Where is Doctor Wenera?” T’Ser said, breaking the silence first.
The woman took a few more steps into the room but didn’t make the mistake of approaching the Vulcan woman directly. Instead she kept her distance, trying to get a good look from all angles.
“You are a Vulcanoid,” she said.
“Vulcan is fine. And you haven’t answered my question.”
“You don’t look that dangerous. I’ve been told Vulcans possess amazing strength and ingenuity, making them formidable fighters. And yet we captured you quite easily.”
“You caught me on an off-day.”
The woman stopped. “I was also told that Vulcans adhere to strict pragmatism. Don’t smile, don’t even joke.”
T’Ser smiled purposefully, humorlessly. “I guess you’re pretty badly informed then.”
“It would appear that way.”
“Are you going to tell me where the doctor is?”
“She has been quite useful,” said the woman. “Helping us with our sick and injured in the hospital. She’s efficient too. I think we might keep her.”
“You will find that that won’t be an option.”
The woman took a small step towards T’Ser. “Is that so?”
She nodded. “You have made a grave mistake in bringing us here. Our people will stop at nothing to get us back. They will find your little hiding place here and they will find us. You and your people will be held accountable for your actions. If you release us now you might be able to avoid any unpleasant consequences that might arise from this unfortunate misunderstanding,” said T’Ser in a perfectly calm and even tone. She had exaggerated of course. But there was nothing like a bit of dramatic flair to emphasize one’s point especially when one was being held against their will and was facing possible execution.
Unfortunately for T’Ser it didn’t quite work. “Somehow I don’t think that will happen.”
She shrugged. “Your funeral, I guess.”
The puzzled expression on the woman’s face was evidence that she didn’t understand the human adage.
T’Ser moved on. “What do you want from us? I find it difficult to believe that you brought us here for a house call.”
“I don’t think you quite understand your situation. You are our prisoner. You do not get to ask the questions. I do.”
T’Ser nodded, acceding the point. The holo-novels had at the very least prepared her for that response. “Ask your questions then.”
The woman smiled for the first time and T’Ser had to suppress the urge to shudder. It was that kind of smile.
“I want to know what your plans are.”
T’Ser was startled. She had expected all sorts of questions but not that one. In fact it didn’t even make sense. “I beg your pardon?”
The woman stepped even closer. “Why are you here?” she said, her voice rising almost to the point of shouting which caught T’Ser by surprise yet again.
“The Federation signed a treaty with Tiatia, surely you – “
“Wrong!”
Stunned by the woman’s intensity, T’Ser had no words to offer.
“The prias and his Tia lackeys signed the treaty. A treaty to get your assistance in wiping out the Ait. Don’t even try to deny it.”
T’Ser wondered if that was what Nigel Bane had been so concerned about. She wondered if it could be true. There was little denying by now that Tiaita was at war with itself. Not after the battle she had witnessed and which had led to their capture. But they had not come as aggressors that much was absolutely certain. “Seeing that you will not give me a chance to even make my –“
The woman lost it. Her eyes flared with raging fire as she rushed T’Ser grabbed her by the neck and with suppressing strength slammed her into the wall. “You are playing with us and I’m sick of this game. We’re not some pieces on a chatuk board that you can manipulate at your every desire. You will tell me why you are really on Tiaita. You will tell me what your end plans are. Are you trying to eliminate both sides so that you can claim our world for yourselves? Tell me or you will die.”
T’Ser had hardly registered the pain in her back but it did trigger her adrenaline to kick in, infusing her with strength and determination. The woman had made a significant tactical error by attacking her so blatantly, leaving her wide open for a counter-attack.
T’Ser didn’t hesitate.
She balled her fist and drove it into the woman’s unprotected solar plexus with such might that she doubled over instantly. Her eyes grew the size of saucers by the unexpected attack and the resulting pain.
The Vulcan never gave her a chance to react. In one swift motion she swiped the gun which was stuck in the woman’s belt and used it like a bat, connecting with her opponent’s right temple. The woman was down before she ever even knew what had hit her.
T’Ser knew she had to move fast. And so she did.
The guard by the door was still trying to draw his own weapon when T’Ser had closed the gap between them in two large strides and struck out with her right, aiming at his chin. She caught him just under it with such force that his entire body jerked upwards. She followed up with an open palm strike against his breast plate which forced him backwards, slamming him into the solid wall behind him.
It wasn’t a particularly graceful attack and if she’d had more time, perhaps she would have tried something along the lines of the neck pinch. The truth was that she wasn’t especially skilled in the classic Vulcan maneuver which could render an opponent unconscious instantly. Inherent physical strength however, was something she had been born with.
The guard sacked to the floor and without giving him much thought, she stepped around him and into the corridor where she expected another guard had been posted.
In fact, as far she knew, an entire army could have been lying in wait just outside her cell. She had to take the chance. She didn’t have much of a plan. Instead she was trying to use the only advantage she really had. Surprise.
Perhaps if she could get out of the building, she could try to locate Wenera and then make a run for a shuttle or another vehicle that could take them into orbit or at least into a nearby city.
The hallway appeared empty on first glance. It wasn’t. The second guard had taken a crouched position behind a number of barrels, waiting for the wrong person to emerge from the cell. When he spotted T’Ser, he took aim and fired.
The Vulcan avoided the bullets by a hair’s length by falling backwards. She scrambled back into the cell and brought up the gun she was still holding in her hand. It was a projectile weapon without a stun setting and therefore she had not wanted to use it but now she was left with no other choice.
She looked over the gun carefully. She had no familiarity with these kind of weapons but its basic function and simplicity did not allude her. Weapons designers the galaxy over, for hundreds of years, had ensured that their products allowed their users to try and kill each other in the simplest possible manner. Usually this translated to point and shoot.
She stuck out the gun into the hallway, aimed it into the direction she believed her opponent to be, and pulled the trigger. She didn’t expect the kickback but her strength allowed her to keep the weapon steady even while it spat a swarm of bullets.
When she stopped firing, she waiting another few seconds before peaking around the corner. When she did she found that the guard was gone. Dead, injured or retreated to find more help, she couldn’t tell.
She heard the footsteps too late.
They had been muffled, like somebody trying to sneak.
She was hit in the head even before she could fully turn to face the attacker.
The woman punched her in the head a second time, even more forcefully. T’Ser brought up an arm to defend herself but couldn’t avoid a third blow which caused her head to be smashed into the metal door. The gun cluttered to the floor and her feet were giving out under her. She never fell. The woman caught her before she could.
It hadn’t been out of concern for her well-being however. The woman dragged the dazed T’Ser back into the cell and dumped her onto the only chair. Then just when the Vulcan was beginning to come around again she was hit again, her head jerking sideways and her vision exploding with bright lights.
T’Ser wasn’t entirely sure how long she had been out but when she opened her eyes again, the headache was nearly unbearable. Her feet were tied to the chair and the her arms behind her back with solid steel wire. She didn’t have all her strength back yet but she doubted that she would be able to get free even once she had regained it.
She looked up to see the woman hover over her. The guard she had taken out earlier was still sitting on the floor, trying to nurse his own injuries.
The woman herself did not look particularly injured and T’Ser now regretted that she hadn’t used more ferocity to neutralize her. Her right hand was scraped and bleeding, testament to the powerful blows she had landed and also to T’Ser’s remarkably thick skull.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” the woman said as she wrapped some cloth around her injured fist.
“I was trying to live up to my reputation,” said T’Ser, forcing herself to appear much more collected then she really felt. In truth she couldn’t get the room to stop spinning. “You wanted a formidable fighter, no?”
The woman ignored her. “I’m going to make this very simple for you. You will tell me exactly what I want to know or I will kill you. But first I’m going to make you wish you were dead. Understand?”
“I make you a counter-offer,” said T’Ser. “You untie me and we settle this by old-fashioned hand to hand combat. You win and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I win and you let me and the doctor go. That way you won’t look like a complete coward.”
The blow came so fast, T’Ser never even saw it coming. It felt as if her head was trying to separate itself from her shoulders.
“You call me a coward?” she fumed. “Me? You are the ones who sit in your powerful starships and kill us by pressing a single button. You are the cowards.”
“It’s a no to my proposal then?”
The woman moved closer to T’Ser. “I want to know what your plans are exactly. You will tell me.”
“You want to know what Starfleet wants on Tiaita?” T’Ser asked through clenched teeth.
“Yes. Tell me.”
“I don’t know about any plans. I am not the one who can give you the answers you are looking for. I’ve come to this world to find answers myself. And so far all I have found is a world torn asunder by civil war. And from where I’m sitting it looks like you are the bad guys.”
The woman turned her back to her captive and walked up to the guard who had fully recovered by now. He handed her something T’Ser couldn’t see.
“Nice try,” she said and turned back around, slipping something onto her hand. “You sound so honest I almost tend to believe you. Almost. But I know you are trying to keep something from me and I will find out what it is,” she said and stepped closer and began to flex her left hand. T’Ser could see that she was wearing metallic knuckles now.
“And what if you’re wrong?” she said. “What if I don’t know anything?”
“Then you will die, either way, I’m going to enjoy myself,” she said and without preamble struck T’Ser again, the knuckles connecting with the side of her face, jerking her head violently to its left and leaving behind a gushing wound.
“Green blood?” said the woman surprised. “How alien.”
* * *
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