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"The Deidra" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG CHAPTER 2 Archer was uncomfortably aware of Malcolm sitting beside him. He had wanted Trip to go, but Malcolm knew the specifications on the phase pistols and the other odds and ends of armory that the king wanted to look at for barter. Sista sat behind the two men, looking stern and angry. A voice broke across their radio. “Land on docking pad with green flash light,” Sista said. Archer looked down and saw the lights she spoke of. He maneuvered the shuttle pod toward the landing pad and sat it down. Archer got up, watching Malcolm gathering the four PADDs beside him. “Got everything?” Archer asked. “Yes, sir,” Malcolm answered. Archer stepped around his chair and walked to the door. He opened the door and a phase rifle was shoved in his face. The alien on the other end spoke as two more pushed past. “Sista.” “I tell you they bad,” Sista told Archer. An alien by her said something, slapping her face. Archer reached for the alien and was grabbed in a strangle hold from behind. He felt a hypospray pressed against his neck and heard a soft swoosh. The world faded to black. # Archer heard yelling and screaming that echoed. Somewhere nearby was the sound of steady dripping water. Archer moved his arm, feeling cold stone underneath his hand. “K’pan?” Sista’s voice said and then there was a hand on his shoulder. Archer opened his eyes, trying to focus them. “He’s awake,” Malcolm said, appearing in Archer’s line of sight. “What happened?” Archer asked. “Tricked,” Sista said. Archer sat up, taking in their surroundings. They were underground in an area that was cut out of the living stone. There was a wide opening in front of them. Archer got to his feet and walked toward the opening. “Nishta!” Sista said, grabbing his arm when he came within inches of the opening. “Nishta,” Sista repeated. “What?’ Archer looked down at her. “Nishta touch opening. Harm K’pan,” Sista said, patting his shoulder. “Nishta touch opening.” Archer looked at the apparently harmless opening. “I tried already, sir. There’s an energy field across it and it gave me a good jolt.” Archer looked down. “Do you know what they want?” Archer looked at Sista. Sista shrugged. “Nishta. Almost same happen to Sista when she land here. Let us get off ship first. Probably know Sista remember and why came so fast this time.” “Why didn’t you tell me you had met these people before?” Archer growled at Sista. Sista put her hands on her hips, glaring at Archer. “I do! They stole Sista ship. Remember? I say Oriprek bad. Lie and steal. I tell K’pan that. I tell him bad happening to me back on Enterprise. That should mean Sista been here once. I tell K’pan, he still want come! Make me go even though I nishta want go. Not listen to Sista.” Sista jabbed his chest with her finger. “K’pan listen to me more!” Sista turned and walked to the slab Archer had been laying on. Sista sat down on it in an angry huff. Malcolm walked over and sat down next to her, saying something quietly in Sista’s language. Sista shrugged and said something in return. Malcolm patted her leg, responding. “What did she say?” Archer asked. Malcolm looked up at him. “She hates underground places where things crawl around.” Archer narrowed his eyes. “I may not speak their language, Lieutenant, but I know that wasn’t all she said. What was the rest?” “Sir, I really--” “Lieutenant.” “Sir, we’re all a bit on the edge right now. It really wasn’t important. She’s just scared.” Sista looked sidelong at Malcolm. Archer crossed his arms across his chest. “Tell me what she said, Malcolm.” Malcolm exhaled a heavy sigh. “As you command, sir. She said that she’s angry with you for blaming her for this situation when she told you not to come here. She thinks you are reckless because you don’t check everything before you send people on expeditions. Furthermore, you’re fear and stubbornness is not going to mix well if you don’t get a handle on it immediately.” Archer’s jaw set. He turned his back on the two, glaring at the opening. “I’m not scared.” Sista said something else. Archer turned his head to the side a little. “What?” Archer asked. “She said you forgot that she can sense emotions, didn’t you?” Archer said nothing. He walked over to the other bunk and sat down. For a long time the three didn’t speak. “I’m scared.” Malcolm admitted. “Me too,” Sista said. Archer looked up at the two. Malcolm was staring at the ceiling. Sista was staring at her hands in her lap. “Me three,” Archer said. The three were silent again. The three heard footsteps coming and Malcolm got to his feet. Four Oriprek appeared at the opening, three of them armed. The unarmed one pressed something outside the cell and stepped in, motioning Malcolm to come to him. Sista grabbed his arm, pulling back on it. Malcolm spoke quietly to her and she let his arm go. Archer stepped between Malcolm and the Oriprek. “I want an explanation,” Archer said. “We did what we were told and you’re holding us prisoner.” The Oriprek said something. “He told you to move. They didn’t come for you,” Sista translated. “Tell him what I said.” Sista translated. The Oriprek punched Archer. Two of the armed Oriprek grabbed Malcolm and drug him out. Archer turned to attack the Oriprek and was met with the end of a phaser rifle. The two remaining Oriprek backed out of the cell and the shield was raised. Sista walked close to the opening, looking in the direction they had taken Malcolm. Archer got up, laying his hand on her shoulder. Sista closed her eyes. Archer put his arm around her shoulder and led her back to the bunk. The two sat down and waited together. # Two Oriprek led Archer into a room and fastened his wrists into cuffs hanging from the ceiling. Archer heard someone come into the room and his hateful glare darkened when he saw the king. “We did everything you asked,” Archer growled at him. One of the Oriprek punched Archer in the side, knocking the wind out of him. Archer slumped over but the cuffs held him up. Archer got his feet under him again and stood. The king sat down in a chair and an Oriprek brought him a stickpin-sized device that he attached to his clothes. He pressed the front of the device. “Interesting devices, these pins. Your female friend wore them. As did all her young crew. They called them combadges,” the king told him. “And thy can translate nearly any language.” Archer’s jaw tightened. “What do you want?” “Tell us about the cloaking device the Vulcan’s are developing.” “I don’t know about any cloaking device.” “You have a Vulcan on your ship and you do not know of any cloaking device?” “She’s my science officer,” Archer snarled. “Indeed. And she’s Vulcan. I propose a deal.” “What?” “You have her come to the surface to visit with us. Then I will allow you to board your spacecraft, return to your ship, and you can leave. No more harm will come to you.” Archer laughed at the king. Something lashed his back and he fell forward against the cuffs. Archer gritted his teeth against the pain when his back was lashed again. The king sighed. “Well, I can wait as long as it takes. Or until you die. You decide.” Archer looked up at the king. “Go to hell.” The king laughed, sitting back in his chair to watch the torture. # Sista jumped to her feet, hearing someone approaching. Two Oriprek lowered the force field and dropped Archer just inside the opening. Sista waited until they were gone before moving to Archer’s side. “K’pan,” Sista said in a hushed voice. When he didn’t respond she laid her hand on his shoulder. Sista frowned slightly. She stood, grabbed his arms, and drug him over to a bunk. Sista knelt down near his head and laid her fingers on his temple there a wound was bleeding. She frowned a little, glancing around. She lifted up on her knees and held her hand over the wound. A soft glow appeared under her hand and the bleeding wound on his temple slowly began to heal. She pulled her hand away when the bleeding had stopped and moved her hand to the bleeding cut on his lip. It was starting to heal when Archer came to. Sista jerked her hand back, watching him watch her. “What were you doing?” Archer whispered. Sista looked away. Archer moved to sit up but his body hurt too much to move. He lay still again. “Still, K’pan,” Sista said, laying a hand on his arm Her touch caused the wound under it to sting and Archer tried to move away. “Shhh,” Sista whispered. Archer felt a strange warm feeling on his arm and looked at her hand. He saw a glow radiating from Sista’s hand and the wound began to stop bleeding. “You’re healing that?” Archer whispered. Sista looked at him. He was watching her. Archer reached up and touched the wound on his lip. “You can heal wounds?” Archer asked her. “Not all way,” Sista answered. “Some of the way?” Sista nodded. “Not wounds that kill.” “Just little ones?” Sista nodded. Archer smiled a little. “That’s good enough.” “Why they hurt you?” “I wouldn’t tell them what they wanted to know. I don’t know what they want to know. I’m not giving them T’Pol either.” “What they want know? Why want T’Pol?” “They want to know about some Vulcan technology. They think because T’Pol is with us I should know. They want the information or T’Pol so she can give it to them. “What technology?” Sista asked in a whisper. “Cloaking device.” Sista shook her head. “Vulcan’s not have. Romulans have.” Archer looked at Sista. “What?” “Vulcan’s not have. Romulans have.” Archer reached out and grabbed Sista’s arm, pulling her close to him. “Sista, do you know about this cloaking device?” he whispered. Sista nodded. “Malcolm...” Sista looked down, a tear sliding from her eye. “Malcolm know too. They hurt him too!” “Malcolm won’t tell, Sista,” Archer whispered. “And you cannot tell them either. You cannot tell them anything you know about it.” “Klingons have too,” Sista whispered. “I don’t care who has it. You cannot tell the Oriprek, Sista. These people are bad. Very bad. They’ll kill people if they have it.” “They kill us if we not tell,” Sista said. “No. Not if they think we know. They’ll keep us alive as long as they think that.” “And me?” “I don’t know.” Archer let Sista go. “I don’t know Sista.” “Why you worry about them kill others?” “They want to control everything. They would hurt a lot of people to get what they want if they had that device.” “I nishta tell. Promise.” Archer smiled at Sista. “Good girl. Good. Never tell.” Sista smiled, putting her hand over the wound on his lip. It began healing slowly. “That feels warm,” Archer said. “Lots say that. I not know. Never healed me.” “Can the children heal?” “Nishta. Only my kind can.” Sista patted her chest. Archer’s brow dipped into a V. “You say that like you and the children aren’t the same kind.” “Nishta.” “You and the children are not the same kind?” “Nishta.” She shook her head. Archer pushed Sista’s hand away. She met his gaze. “You’re not?” “Nishta,” Sista said, sounding a little irritated. “I don’t understand.” Sista didn’t say anything. “Sista, I thought you and the children were from the same planet.” “Ta.” Sista nodded. “Then how are you not the same?” “Children made for game and serve.” “Game?” “Ta.” “What game?” “Kind like Sista’s jikla make them for game. Put in big ring sometimes and made fight till one die. Sometime let loose in closed area and chase.” Archer sat up, staring at Sista. “They’re your game? You hunt them down and kill them?” “Sista nishta.” Sista shook her head vigorously. “Nishta.” “Why didn’t you?” Sista got up and sat down beside Archer. “Sista tell K’pan about, ta?” Archer leaned back against the wall. “Yes.” Sista turned to sit cross-legged on the bunk facing Archer. “On home we had Varlikon and Jit. Sista’s jikla was Varlikon” “Jikla is...father?” Archer asked. “Ta.” Sista nodded. “Varlikon make Jit for game. Make closed places where Jit join and make more like. Some given ability to feel.” Sista patted Archer’s chest. “Feel.” “A few could feel emotions?” Archer asked. “Ta. Emotions. Jikla low Varlikon. Fix ships that fly away from home. Jikla kind called Varlikon-Jit. Not very high.” Sista held her hand above her head. “You had a caste system.” Archer said. “Your father was very low on it?” “Caste?” Sista asked. “I understand. Go on,” Archer said. “Jikla meet fritha in market. Jit sometime made do things for Varlikon like carry bags and watch children. Jikla like fritha very much and buy to save. All saved latinum used to buy fritha. Fritha and jikla like each other and fritha have Sista. Jikla not able to pay price to keep fritha. Ordered give back.” “Your father had to pay more money to keep your mother?” “Low Varlikon allow have Jit serve, but must pay every cycle to keep. High price.” “Oh.” Archer winced a little when he moved to a different position. Sista reached out and gently helped him move. “Jikla allow keep Sista though. Is right to keep bred Jit from bought Jit. Not pay price for. Fritha very sad jikla tell. Jikla hear fritha kill self so sad. Jikla very angry. He talk and make people angry about way Jit kept, used. Fritha lead fight against Varlikon that think Jit stay same. Many cintra pass of fight. Varlikon began lose people and fight. They make big mistake. They make deal with monsters to fight war. Monsters come down to home and decide like so much stay. Kill Jit and Varlikon. Now all fight monsters, no difference. High, low...no difference. All fight now to keep home. But monsters have weapons powered more, very dangerous. One night jikla wake Sista and tell Sista she fly his ship alone. Say must get children away from home. Home going to be destroyed that night. Jikla take Sista to ship and show her were go. Tell wait for few cintra before come home. Jikla send children to ship and Sista must take away. Say jiklas and frithas stay and fight monsters. Lots bring children and leave. Then planet shake...like planet I look to stay before K’pan say okay to stay. Shake like that. Never shake like that before. I know must leave. Get out of sky, in dark, and lots of ships shoot and blowing up. Sista know must be fast. She remember special thing father show. Make ship go fast like Enterprise. Sista try and try remember to use. Then Sista see not good thing on home. Lines running across look like fire in them. Sista very scared for jikla, for home, for self. Suddenly remember thing and make it go. But not before see home blow like Zintar show with ice. Home gone. Sista alone with children. Fly for many cintra and then return. No monsters left. No ships left. No home left. No jikla. Sista all alone with children. Had good ship till get here. Land and find can’t pay docking fee. Didn’t know of docking fee. Then we learn hide...steal. Sista not happy children learn these. K’pan?” “What?” “Thank you.” “For what?” “Letting Sista crew stay on Enterprise. Get learn. Get friends. Sista never say thank you so say now. Griftlina.” Archer smiled. “Your welcome Sista.” Sista scowled. “We get out, Sista going to take ship back to Enterprise. Not bad Oriprek ship! Sista’s ship! Oriprek never tell Sista of docking fee when Sista call and ask. All other place do. Not Oriprek. Steal ship. Sista want ship back now stuck here.” Archer nodded. “There’s a lot of things these Oriprek fail to mention to people when they talk to them.” “This healing only works on people who like my kind,” Sista said. Archer smiled. “I’ve learned.” Sista smile, falling silent to let Archer go to sleep while she worked at healing the worst of his injuries. |
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