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"In Good Time"
Rating: PG Abdicate (Part 2) (4) Archer and T’Pol waited for the two Asilox Attendants to sit down at the table before sitting down with them. “It was nice of you to invite us for a meal,” Attendant Cilu said. Archer smiled. “I hope you enjoy it.” Attendant Poila smiled, asking, “What is this called?” She examined her forkful of noodles, chicken and herbs in a creamy white sauce before placing it in her mouth “Chicken Alfredo.” “I was in your Sickbay and your doctor showed me a chicken. Do you raise them on your ship?” “No.” Archer smiled. “And that’s Nuggets. She’s a pet that belongs to one of my crewmen and Doctor Phlox.” “You keep pets of the creatures you slaughter?” “No. Her being on board is rather complicated.” “I see. As you enjoy such a variety of foods, we should give you some Teguela. It’s very delicious.” “Teguela?” “Yes. It is a mammal on Pazis.” “Where is Pazis?” “Twelve light years from here at coordinates 254.5 and 654.2.” “Those are the coordinates of the planet we just explored,” T’Pol stated. “You explored Pazis. And you do not know what Teguela are?” “We might have encountered them. Could you describe one?” “You may not have seen one if you weren’t there for very long.” “We were there for six days until one of our crewmen was injured.” “Injured by a Teguela? They are very territorial and attack unprovoked. You can’t sleep there without a phase pistol at your side.” “No, my crewman fell on a boulder field and broke his arm and leg,” Archer answered, “Some locals brought him back to camp in exchange for receiving medical attention.” “Pazis is inhabited. Only creatures live there, there are no locals.” Archer smiled. “Well, perhaps they were visitors then.” “Most likely. Many go there to hunt Teguela. They are highly prized for their meat and pelts.” “Most go there to hunt?” “Generally, yes. It is a prime hunting planet for several systems.” Attendant Cilu smiled. “I have hunted there myself.” Archer suddenly recalled another planet where the sentient beings were hunted for sport. He also began to wondered if the Teguela weren’t the strange creatures that had brought Travis back to camp after he’d been injured. Archer recalled that on the way back to meet Enterprise, ever member of the landing party felt these were sentient creatures and that the clicking noise they made was a highly developed language. “What do Teguela look like?” Archer asked. “Oh, they are hideous creatures.” “But what do they look like. We saw lots of creatures there.” “They have long snouts with three rows of sharp teeth. They only have three fingers on their hands and have tough looking skin except for the places where there is soft hair. The hair is used for weaving mostly and the skin is used for a variety of products. They also have long tails that are very strong. One strike with the tail would render a person unconscious. The scales are used for medicines and jewelry.” “They sound…” Archer trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say, “primitive. Are they sentient?” “No. They are vicious, uncivilized creatures. Hunting season is coming up in a couple weeks and we’ve established a contest this year.” “And what’s the prize?” “Five hundred bars of latinum to the hunter that brings in the most pelts. Hopefully we can kill off enough that our government can safely start mining.” “You’re going to mine Pazis?” “We’ve been in need of dilithium for some time and the planet is abundant with it. We plan on holding the contest and then returning after hunting season to capture some and move them to other planets to start packs.” “What about the rest of the Teguela on Pazis?” “We will eradicate them. We must have the dilithium.” T’Pol opened her mouth to comment and Archer interrupted her, “More beans?” Archer picked up the bowl of beans, holding it out. T’Pol looked at Archer, who met her eyes and narrowed his a little to signal her to remain silent. “No thank you. Did you see any creatures like that?” “No. Perhaps we weren’t in the region they live. Tell me more about your planet.” Attendant Poila began telling them about their planet, but Archer’s attention was far from the conversation. It was on Pazis with the Teguela that had helped Travis in exchange for a bandage for one of their wounded. # Archer turned the pilot’s seat around to stand up and found T’Pol blocking in his way. He looked up at her solemn face. “I ask once more, Captain, I thought you vowed not to interfere with other cultures?” “I did,” Archer said as he stood and stepped around her, “but I’m not going to allow them to exterminate these people. It’s bad enough they’re being hunted like the wraiths of Dakala, but to make matters worse, they plan on breeding them so that they would have some to hunt after they strip their planet and annihilate them!” “I do not believe in hunting any more than you do,” T’Pol turned, “however, I believe this to be an unwise course of action.” Archer stepped up to the hatch and opened it. Sunlight filtered into the shuttle pod through the trees nearby. He looked out at the forest around them and then at Travis and Hoshi. The two were waiting behind him with their eyes somewhere other than T’Pol and Archer. Archer looked at T’Pol. “Then stay here. I’m not letting this happen.” Archer turned to leave. “And how do you plan on helping this race, Captain? You saw the weapons they had. They have no knowledge of advance technology and unless you plan on giving them technology—” “T’Pol, you’re doing that Vulcan thing again.” Archer looked back at her. “Kill the logic. After all this time I would have thought you’d have learned that logic doesn’t solve all problems in the universe and this is one of them. I can at least warn them. From there they’ll have to figure out what to do. What if they ask for technology? What if they ask us to help them escape? I don’t have answer to those questions T’Pol, but what I do have an answer to is that I refuse to let a sentient being who rescued one of my crewmen,” Archer thrust a pointing finger at Travis, “and all they wanted in exchange was medical assistance and then left, be killed off! This race is not violent, they’re just fighting for survival.” “Why not simply inform the other races to the Teguela’s true nature?” “Because, T’Pol, speaking from human history, you cannot change centuries of learned discrimination overnight. Our history shows that time and time again. It has to come on it’s own and with a lot of help from a lot of people involved and in the middle of it that want the reformation. They don’t want to change this!” T’Pol let out a slow breath. She walked over to a bench and took out a phase pistol, strapping it on. She turned to face Archer. “Just in case.” “Fair enough.” Archer stepped out of the shuttle pod and led the way to where they had camped. “Start scanning from here. Look for the bio signs appearing and disappearing and then try to talk them out, Travis.” “Aye, sir.” The four began scanning the area with tricorder as they walked through the forest. “I am reading something,” T’Pol informed Archer. “Me too,” Archer said. “Uh…sir…I think we’re being surrounded,” Hoshi said. Archer turned and his stomach immediately tensed as he watched Teguela separate from the forest with their spears aimed at the four. The Teguela started making clicking noises that were gradually getting faster as they advanced on the four. The four backed toward each other until they were shoulder to shoulder in a tight circle. “What if they have different tribes, Captain?” T’Pol asked. “Why didn’t you ask that question in the shuttle pod, T’Pol?” “You were agitated and unwilling to listen.” Archer shot her a disdained look. “We’re friends,” Travis said, “Captain!” “Hoshi!” Archer said, “Get that damn translator working!” “I’m working on it sir.” “Work on it faster, Hoshi!” Hoshi worked with the translator and her own ear, trying desperately to translate the language. The four looked around when one made a high-pitched squeal. It stepped forward, grabbing Travis’ arm. Travis winced when its hand gripped the place it had been broken and was still very tender. The Teguela said something and the others stopped advancing. It leaned closer, turning its head and looking Travis in the eye as it let go of Travis’ arm. “Friend?” it said in a soft voice. Travis smiled and nodded. “Friend.” It leaned back, standing at full height on its haunches. It pointed at Hoshi briefly as it began making clicking noises. The other Teguela rose to full height and began conversing, but they didn’t move closer. “GOT IT!” Hoshi cried. The clicking stopped and she looked up. They were staring at her. “Then why don’t you use it, Ensign?” Archer said. Hoshi slid her communicator into the dock on the side of the translator and there was a soft beep. She opened it and initiated the new language. “We’re friends,” Hoshi said. The creatures stared at her. The one that approached Travis approached her and held its hand out to her. Hoshi hesitantly handed the communicator over to it and it curiously looked at the device. It made noise that only sounded like clicking, and then looked at Hoshi. “I thought you got it, Hoshi?” “I thought I did.” Hoshi looked back at the translator and let out a frustrated sigh. “Stupid! I forgot to save it, sir. Sorry.” “That’s okay. Relax, save it, and say something nice to them.” Hoshi looked up when the Teguela touched her arm and held out the communicator. Hoshi flashed it a smile, took the communicator and put it back in the dock. It beeped again and she looked up at the creature. “Can you understand us?” “Yes,” the Teguela replied in a quiet, gentle voice. It held out its hand out for the communicator again. Hoshi placed the device in its hand. “What do you call this?” it asked, looking at Hoshi. “A communicator.” “And what does your communicator do?” “It allows us to communicate with each other and other aliens.” The Teguela leaned closer to her. “To us, you are the aliens, child. Don’t use the word so loosely.” Hoshi looked at Archer with wide eyes. The Teguela turned and walked to Travis, handing him the communicator. “You and this one,” he motioned to T’Pol, “aided me after you shot me and I was unconscious. Why?” “You were hurt.” “Yes, but why? Why not kill me and take my pelt or my body for food?” “We aren’t hunters like the others that come here,” Archer said. “I was asking this child, you will wait your turn,” the Teguela told Archer in a firm parental, but still quiet and gentle voice. Archer smiled. “My apologies.” The Teguela dipped its head a little before continuing its conversation with Travis. “Is what this child said true?” “Yes. Why do you call us children?” “You are as small as our children when they are young. What else would I call you?” Travis smiled. “We’re humans. My name’s Travis.” “That is an odd name.” Travis smiled some more. “I like it.” The Teguela chuckled, rising up on its haunches. “You are a humorous child, or human. I watched you while you were here. Listened to you with the others. You made them laugh. Are you always this humorous?” “Usually.” The Teguela leaned toward him. “In that case, I am glad to have met you. My brethren are not very humorous I’m afraid.” “They aren’t?” Travis asked. “Perhaps I should teach them some good jokes then.” The Teguela around him laughed. “We are at war and humor is expensive in these times. It costs lives.” “That’s why we came back,” Travis said, “Actually.” “Oh?” “Let Captain Archer speak.” Travis motioned back to Archer, “He knows more about what’s happening than I do.” The Teguela walked over to Archer, looking him up and down. “You are a leader of sorts, yes?” “Yes. I’m this crew’s captain.” “Captain…we have no word to translate this to. Explain.” Archer hesitated. He didn’t know how to explain a captain to a primitive race like this. “You flyer…it comes down out of the sky.” The Teguela gasped suddenly. “You have a ship in orbit, don’t you? We cannot translate the language her name is written in across her bow.” Archer looked at his three crewmen in surprise before answering. “The language is English and her name is Enterprise. How did you kn—” “Ahhh! Yes, yes. The space vessel with primitive weapons from before. Yes, of course! This all makes sense now. We were told it had returned, but…explain what a captain is before we become sidetracked?” “I’m in charge of the crew. I give the orders on Enterprise.” The Teguela thought a moment and then nodded, making a clicking sound that didn’t translate. “The word doesn’t translate to your language for what we call that position in our military.” “Military?” “Yes. We are soldiers. We patrol these outlying lands around a city.” “You have cities here?” “Yes.” “We didn’t detect any cities when we scanned the planet. We didn’t detect any advance technology, as a matter of fact.” “The deposits of dilithium mask many energy signatures and what it does not mask, we have designed technology to provide a shield so it cannot be read when the surface is scanned. You had information about our war?” “Wait! How do you know Enterprise is in orbit, or even what Enterprise is? How can you have technology that can dampen energy signatures,” Archer motioned to the stone headed spear and the Teguela’s clothes, “when you carry stone spears and dress like a primitive race? I don’t understand.” The Teguela nodded. “Yes.” He leaned close to Archer. “It fools those that hunt us for food and pelts. They think we are dumb creatures to be destroyed and sometimes they succeed, but they come in small numbers and we can defeat them with primitive weapons and continue the subterfuge that we are mindless and simple creatures with no comprehension of much more than making fire and crude clothing. It has worked thus far.” “You have weapons other than these spears and bows and arrows?” “Yes. Weapons similar to what this child here carries.” The Teguela pointed to T’Pol’s phase pistol. “And why would you divulge this information to us?” T’Pol asked. The Teguela chuckled quietly, asking T’Pol, “Yours is a very cautious species, isn’t it, child?” “Yes,” T’Pol replied, “Vulcans are.” “We are as well. We found trust in his race.” the Teguela motioned to Travis. “The others that were here saw us several times, but merely passed us by, making no attempt to harm us. We believe that we can trust you.” The Teguela looked at Archer. “We are not hunters. We stopped hunting a long time ago.” “Why?” “Various reasons, but mostly because nearly all the creatures on our planet were wiped out in our foolishness.” “Yes.” The Teguela looked sidelong at the ground. “We experienced the same problem here. We nearly killed all the others before we realized we were no better than those that were hunting us, and we were nearly hunted to extinction.” He looked at Archer. “So we changed our ways. We captured ships for a while, learned technologies we didn’t have, and now we can protect our homes and families.” “They’re coming to destroy you,” Archer said. “They?” “The Asilox. They’re having a tournament and a prize goes to whoever brings in the most pelts. Then they are planning on capturing many of your kind and taking them to other planets so they can breed stock. After that, they’ll return to mine dilithium and kill all your species off.” “This is a serious accusation. Are you certain it is true?” “Do you have contact with the Asilox?” “No, but they have not hunted here for a long time.” “I make no guarantees. I only know what I was told.” “Why did you come back to tell us this? Are they not friends or allies to you?” “I thought you were a primitive race that deserved a chance to live.” “And now that you know we are not?” “You are an advanced race that deserves the chance to live. Surprise is the best tactic during war.” “You have fought wars?” “Yes. In the last eight years, I’ve fought many.” “You, Captain Archer, have a mind set we have not seen in any race since we learned of language and could understand them.” the Teguela pointed at Archer, shaking a finger at him. “It is a shame that others do not have your appreciation of life. I thank you for the information and will give it to command. Do you know a time frame?” “They said two weeks from when we met. That was four days ago.” “Thank you.” The Teguela turned to walk away. “May I meet with this command? Or a ruler.” The Teguela turned back to Archer, leaning on his spear, “We know, from sympathizers who have helped us in the past, that a few of the races that hunt us have very effective methods of extracting information. If you know nothing, you can say nothing.” “I would like to know more about your race.” The Teguela shook its head. “Your crewmen offered me safety when I was injured and you have offered my entire race safety now. Please, allow me to bestow the same on you. Your safety, right now, is in not knowing anything.” Archer nodded. The Teguela walked over to Travis. It laid its hand on Travis’ shoulder and gently wrapped it’s tail around his waist. “You are truly a friend, Travis-strange-name. I am appreciative to have met you and know you. Keep well and try not to injure your appendages any more. That surely cannot feel well!” Travis smiled. “It doesn’t.” The Teguela patted his head. “Keep well, Travis-strange-name.” The Teguela walked away and the others turned to follow him. “What’s your name?” Travis asked. The Teguela turned. “As I told Captain Archer, safety is in not knowing anything, but you can call me friend.” The four watched the Teguela walk away and it appeared that they suddenly disappeared into the forest before their eyes. The four stood in silence for a long moment, staring where the Teguela had disappeared. “Let’s get back. We did what we came for.” Archer said. # Archer walked onto the bridge. “We’re being hailed from the surface,” the Ensign at Hoshi’s communication console told Archer. He stepped out of Hoshi’s way, letting her take over. “Hoshi, on screen,” Archer commanded Hoshi opened the communications channel. A Teguela appeared on the screen. “You are Captain Archer?” it asked. “Yes. And you are?” “I am part of command. You need not know more.” “What can I do for you?” “You wanted to speak to us?” Archer smiled a little. “I was just curious about your race, but I understand that information is classified.” “For now. We will see what happens with this war and your information. If it proves truthful, and we are successful, I will have my officer contact you and send any information you would like on us, assuming you are truly exploring as your flyer’s database said you were.” Archer looked down at Travis, who’d taken his seat again. Travis shrugged. “The officer you spoke with copied your database one night after you and your crewmen were asleep,” the Teguela explained, “We do it to any vessel that lands to keep up on any new technologies. I must say, he is correct about your appreciation of life. Having come in contact with your kind has ignited hope that there may be species out there that do now wish to see us destroyed.” “We don’t.” “In that case, you will accept a token of our appreciation?” “What token?” “Captain,” Malcolm started and then looked up at Archer, “Three ships just appeared port, bow and stern.” Archer looked at the view screen. “What are these ships for?” “One should be hailing you,” the Teguela replied. “One is, sir,” Hoshi said. “Respond, Hoshi,” Archer ordered her. “We are transmitting data on constructing energy shielding, yours is primitive. Please accept this data as a symbol of our appreciation.” Archer nodded. “Thank you.” “Your race is a very intelligent race, Captain Archer. I hope you will be able to unlock the information’s secrets and use it to your advantage.” The Teguela nodded once and the transmission ended. “Hoshi?” “I have the information and…wow!…this is a lot of information! I’m no weapons expert, but it looks like there’s more than energy shielding information here, sir.” “Check it out Malcolm.” Malcolm pulled up the information on a monitor. “They did send the information for the shielding, plus a whole mess of information that’s been encrypted.” Archer looked at the view screen. “The ships, Malcolm?” “They’re gone. At least from our sensors.” “Travis, put us back on course and go to warp four until we’re out of this sector.” “Aye, sir.” Archer sat down, watching the planet swing out of view. “Hoshi, get to work on the encryption.” Hoshi turned to start working on it. # Archer had his mouth open to drink the iced tea in the glass that was millimeters from his lips, but his attention was glued to the PADD in his hand. “Captain!” a voice said. Archer started, looking up at Trip. Trip grinned. “Good book?” “Book is right! This is information on the Teguela.” Trip sat down in the chair next to Archer, snatched the PADD from his hand and turned it so he could read it. “I thought they didn’t want to give us this information.” “It was the encrypted information that they sent with the shielding upgrade. By the way, how are you and Malcolm coming on that?” “We finished. I’ve been hunting ya’ down ta tell ya’ that.” “Hunt isn’t a good word to use on this ship right now, Trip.” Trip looked at Archer. “Sorry.” Archer shook his head. “Don’t be. Just use it sparingly for a little while longer.” “Will do. Wow. They have an average of six children. I’d hate to be that father.” Archer chuckled. “They are a fascinating race. I had just gotten to their history. They have been sentient for only four thousand years and in that time they developed technologies that are far more advance than the Vulcan’s. Can you believe that?” “That’s amazing.” Archer looked out at space. “I’m always going to wonder what the Teguela’s name really was.” Trip smiled, setting the PADD down. “Guess you’ll never know.” # The Teguela looked up at the night sky, listening to the forest around him. He could hear the battle in the next valley over, but his patrol had been sent to keep the alien soldiers from taking the city in the caves above. Overhead the night sky was lit up by the battle waging in space above Pazis. It was cold up here and his thermal clothing did little to keep off the biting, frigid winds from burning across any exposed flesh. “Friend!” He turned, watching a Teguela trot up to him. “Yes?” “The tracker that you put in the data reported back. They decrypted the information three days ago.” “Good.” Friend looked back up to the sky. “I hope they use it wisely, Friend.” “They will.” Friend looked back at the Teguela. “These humans will.” |
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