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"Storm Within" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG CHAPTER 2 Trip was crouched next to the shuttle pod hatch, poking the landing pad with a stick. It was warm and sunny with puffy white clouds coasting overhead. There was no indication that there was a killer storm headed toward them. “How long are we going to wait for someone?” he heard one of the crewmen ask from inside. “As long as it takes, Ensign. Read another book,” Archer ordered. “Should have brought War and Peace, nearly done with A Tales of Two Cities,” the crewman complained. “And I started this five hours ago!” Trip looked up. Overhead the sky was clear and bright. His gaze slid down to Archer sitting on the end of the bench just inside the hatch opening. He was wearing his sunglasses and Trip wasn’t sure what he was staring at. Trip looked back down at the landing pad. He hoped that helping these people would bring Archer’s caring side back, or at least lure it into the shadows where it could be coaxed a little more. Trip looked up when he heard a hovercraft approaching. The craft came around a corner and to an abrupt halt. Archer, Malcolm, and two more crewmen stepped out. Trip stood, watching two Dawue step out of the hovercraft. One was skinny as a rail and carrying a case and PADDs. The other was shorter and geeky looking. Both of them were dressed in civilian clothes similar to what the crew wore off duty. The skinny Dawue ran up to them and offered a weak smile. “Are you Captain Archer?” he asked Trip. Trip pointed up at Archer with the stick. “He is.” “Oh.” The alien held out his hand and the case and PADDs he was carrying immediately became unruly. He scrambled to grab them to prevent them from dropping. Trip and Archer reacted, catching as many as they could. The case crashed to the ground and two PADDS slipped away from them. They crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces “GRIEKASH!” the alien cried in exasperation. Trip looked up. The alien was so flustered he was near tears. Trip handed his handful of PADDs to the shorter Dawue, watching the tall one take PADDs from Archer. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Your family lives in the city, don’t they?” Trip asked. Archer looked curiously at Trip. “Yes. My wife just had our fourth son two weeks ago. How’d you guess?” “My dad always got stressed like you when he couldn’t get us out of our home before a hurricane hit.” Trip offered a sympathetic smile. “That’s why we gotta make sure they’re safe, isn’t it?” “What is a hurricane?” the alien asked. “The storm headed in from the ocean. Swirling clouds, high winds, rain, already at a category four and getting worse. We call them hurricanes. By the way, I’m Lieutenant-Commander Charles Tucker, but just call me Trip.” Trip held out his hand. This time the alien didn’t drop everything when he extended his hand to shake Trip’s. “Doctor Garuc. I’m the lead meteorologist here on Rakulo.” “Rakulo?” Trip asked, motioning around him. “The name of the planet. This is our capital, Jaghua.” “I thought the planet was called Dawue?” Archer asked quizzically. “That’s the old name. So then, you are familiar with these storms and meteorology, Trip?” “The storms, yeah. I’ll have to rely on you for the meteorology part, but I know what to look for and how to help people get ready for it.” “Can it be stopped?” Trip almost laughed but quickly reminded himself that not every race in the universe had encountered their weather. T’Pol had never seen a tornado before she was in one. “You can’t stop it, Doctor. It’s gonna hit whether you ask it to or not.” Garuc glanced at the smaller alien when he muttered something. “Do either of you know how to repair weather spheres? Since they stopped functioning we’ve had unpredictable weather like this.” “Are the metal spheres we passed weather spheres?” Archer asked. “Those control your weather?” “They used to, but they’ve been shutting down for the last nine months. Now the weather is unpredictable like on other planets.” “We don’t know anything about weather spheres. Why don’t Dawue just fix them?” “No. They came with the planet.” Archer’s brow dipped at the way Garuc referred to the spheres. “They came with the planet?” “Yes. When we purchased the planet, they were already here. The Kalisaqu we bought it from said their ancestors put them into the atmosphere, but they’d lost the knowledge of how to repair them after a plague wiped out most of their race thousands of years ago.” “Guess the previous occupants had a reason to make them if that hurricane is any indication of the weather on this planet,” Trip suggested. “But if you’re right, Trip, and fixing them won’t stop it, it doesn’t matter, does it?” Garuc looked down, trying to hide an escaping tear. Trip’s heart went out to the alien. He understood the terror of facing an approaching storm like this. “Not really. Look, our ship’s science officer believes we have six days before landfall. There’s a lot to get done in six days.” “Landfall?” “When the storm hits land we call it landfall. Yeah. First we’re going to get hit by winds and surge, or really high, strong waves. All low lying areas, places that flood easy, are going to need to be evacuated. Next we’re going to get rain dumped on us and the winds will get worse. Judging from that thing and that it’s coming up on some warmer water, the winds are going to be horrible. And hurricanes have been known to generate tornados, so we have to find shelter for all twenty thousand people.” “What’s a tornado?” Garuc asked weakly. “They’re smaller funnels of wind but they’re just as dangerous.” “There’s so much we don’t know about this. What if we moved everyone up the mountain, into the jungles near the top?” “It won’t do any good. They’d get away from the floods, but not the high winds. Do you have a weather center set up? Someplace that our science officer can send data to us?” “It’s in a building near the beach.” “We have to move it. That’s station will be vital to everyone’s survival. Uhm...” Trip thought for a moment. “Do you have any place about half way up this mountain,” Trip motioned back at it, “that’s strong, no windows. Maybe something made with concrete, reinforced masonry or steel?” “I don’t know what masonry or concrete are?” Trip looked down, thinking. “Maybe we should just start shuttling Dawue out of the path, Trip,” Archer suggested. “We should, but we’ll only get maybe six thousand moved, and that’s running twenty four hour shifts. No. We have to find them shelter. Caves! Are there caves here? We might be able to get that to work.” “No. No-- Wait. There are some strange buildings that are on about thirty of the islands. They’re made of materials we don’t use. One is close by.” “Let’s take a look.” Garuc turned and hurried to the hovercraft. The crewmen piled in with him and they began scouting for a weather center. # T’Pol turned when her computer beeped. She tapped the controls and frowned at the information scrolling across the screen. “Ensign Sato, hail Commander Tucker.” Hoshi quickly obeyed. # Trip, Malcolm, and the two officers were scanning every inch of the bunker wall. Trip couldn’t believe his luck, actually. His guess was these bunkers had been built during or for a war. They were built into the ground like a dugout and their open face looked down the mountain. So far the readings were showing the walls were one point five meter thick cement, reinforced with iron beams. “This is perfect. Who built this place?” “The previous occupants.” Trip turned to him. “The ones that built the spheres?” “No. The occupants that were here when we came.” “You mean this planet wasn’t abandon when you got here?” “No. Another alien species lived here.” “And where is this other species now?” Archer asked, his tone unusually unfriendly. Trip and Garuc both looked at him. He was looking over an instrument that Garuc’s assistant had brought in and looked up when Garuc didn’t answer. “They’re still here.” “Where? I’ve only seen your kind.” “They live up near the top of the mountains so they can be close to their gods and goddesses.” “They don’t come into the city?” “Sometimes the young ones do, but they always leave and go back to their people.” “Why?” “I don’t know.” “Perhaps the Dawue run them off,” Archer said. “What does that mean?” Garuc asked. “Hey, Garuc, why don’t you run out to the hovercraft and see what the hold up is on the equipment and supplies we asked to have brought here,” Trip suggested. “Sure. I’ll be right back.” Garuc trotted out of the building. Archer watched him leave. “What were you implying?” Trip asked, walking up to Archer. Malcolm and the two officers stopped scanning, looking at the two. Archer looked back at him. “I don’t trust these people, Trip. They bought a planet, which conveniently the previous occupants have no knowledge of how to fix the weather spheres controlling the weather. And it had another species living on it that they didn’t know about and who doesn’t integrate into their culture? Too much doesn’t add up.” “I admit, things don’t all add up, but they’re under a lot of stress right now with this thing approaching. They’re scared and they just want to protect themselves and their families. Why can’t you just let it go until this is past?” “When has that helped in our past?” Archer pressed. “It helped a lot of times in our past.” “The Xindi--” “THEY AREN’T THE GOD DAMN XINDI, JONATHAN!” Trip yelled. Archer’s face flushed. Behind Trip no one moved. “We’re leaving,” Archer said quietly. “I’m not.” “Yes. You are.” “I resign.” A heavy silence fell again. “Fine. I’ll submit it as soon as I get back.” “Fine.” “We’re leaving, men.” Archer walked around Trip. “We need a ride back to our shuttle, Garuc.” “Certainly. I’ll have my assistant take you back.” Trip didn’t turn around. If he did, he knew he’d realize what he’d just done and maybe even lose his nerve. He didn’t want to believe that Archer was going to just leave him there like this. He looked down when something pressed against his arm. Malcolm held out his communicator. Trip took it. “What’s this?” “You left it on the table over there. If you need someone to beam you up, call me. I’ll keep mine on me.” Trip looked up into his eyes. He smiled a little and nodded once. The Brit patted Trip’s shoulder and left. Trip heard the hovercraft engine whine up and closed his eyes as it faded away. Archer really was leaving. Trip turned his head a little when he heard gravel crunch under someone’s feet. Garuc was probably still standing there. Trip drew a breath and turned, staring. Governor Niganc was standing by the door with Garuc. “Governor.” He looked out the door, looking at something Trip couldn’t see. He looked back at him. “Do you believe he will leave you stranded here?” “I don’t know.” “Do you think we’ll survive this?” “We’ll survive it. I’ve lived through them on my planet, I sure as hell don’t plan on letting one kill me on someone else’s.” For the first time Niganc smiled. He walked up to Trip, looking around the bunker. “There are twenty of these on this island, another thirty, collectively, on islands nearby. How many do you think they can hold?” “We’re going to be stuck in them for anywhere from 3 to 5 days, so... Aside from this one, I think we can fit maybe fifty per building. That’ll leave a small area for five medical staff. If you can spare it, I would suggest that a group be in each building, just in case.” Niganc looked into Trip’s eyes. “I don’t know what exactly the problem is between your captain and you, but if he does leave you, you are welcome to stay, or we will make arrangements to take you back to your planet.” Trip smiled, but the fight with Archer had left him hurt and angry. If Archer had stayed and heard this conversation, he would have realized how wrong he was about these aliens. They may not be telling the whole story, but they were only trying to survive right now, not snare others into some elaborate plot. Trip’s communicator beeped. He pulled it out, flipping it open. “Yeah?” “Commander, wind speeds have increased to two hundred and twenty-five kilometers and the barometric pressure is rising,” T’Pol told him. “Alright. I’ll tell Garuc. Thank you.” “Hoshi has set up our computers to interface with their technology. When will the uplink be ready?” Trip looked at the floor. “You’re all leaving, T’Pol, so don’t worry about it.” “Leaving? Commander, why has the shuttle just left the planet?” “Long story and we don’t have the time for it. Hope to see everyone later. Tell Phlox good-bye for me, alright?” “You’re not returning?” Trip looked up, holding Niganc’s gaze. “No, T’Pol. I have some people down here that need my help. Trip out.” Trip closed his communicator. “We have a lot to do, Governor. Did you bring the equipment and supplies that I asked for?” He nodded, leading Trip outside. |
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