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"The Deidra" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG CHAPTER 3 Archer heard two people quietly talking. He opened his eyes. On the bunk on the other side of the cell Sista was kneeling beside Malcolm. He looked as badly beaten as Archer was. Sista was healing a wound on his temple talking in a hushed voice. Malcolm smiled occasionally, but kept his eyes on the ceiling. Archer could imagine the pain his Lieutenant must be in since he was in the same pain himself. Archer closed his eyes again and drifted to sleep. It felt like only minutes had passed when he heard footsteps. Archer sat up, watching the opening. The same four Oripreks appeared and stepped into the cell. One grabbed Sista’s arm. Archer took a step toward the Oriprek. “Nishta,” Sista said. Archer froze. Two of the Oriprek kept their guns trained on Archer. “I be well,” Sista said as the two took her away. Archer watched the remaining two leave. Archer looked down at Malcolm. He was sitting on the edge of the bench, staring at the floor. Archer laid back down and stared at the ceiling. # T’Pol and Trip stared at the image of the planet. There were red dots flashing all over the sphere. “That’s a pretty sophisticated defense system,” Trip said. “Yes. We can’t get a shuttle in there undetected,” T’Pol said. “What about...” Trip frowned. “The transporter?” Trip looked at her. T’Pol looked at him. “You are willing to try the transporter?” “Would it get us in?” “I cannot go. I would have to remain here to command the ship.” “Okay. What about me and three others?” “That is a possibility, but first we need to find them.” “You sent for me T’Pol?” The two turned. Zintar was waiting patiently behind the two. Like the other children, he had picked up on English as if he’d always spoken it. “Zintar,” Trip said. “Do you remember much of Oriprek? The planet below us.” “Yes.” “The Captain, Lieutenant Reed and Sista went to the surface to speak with the leader yesterday. We have not heard from them since they left. We are starting to believe they may be in danger,” T’Pol explained. Zintar frowned. “Sista wouldn’t have gone willingly,” Zintar said. “Well, the Captain kind of ordered her to go to translate,” Trip explained Zintar sighed. “We were kidnapped when we were there. They made us work because we could not pay the landing fee and Sista would not tell them how to lower the defense shield on the Diedra.” “The Diedra?” Trip turned, leaning against the console behind him. “The Diedra is Sista’s ship. They confiscated it for the docking fee.” “Do you know where they would be holding them?” “In the prison.” “Where is that?” Zintar walked up to the screen and pointed to the largest concentration of red dots. “Here. In the center of the city are the gates to the prison. The prison is built underground.” “We could transport outside of the city,” Trip said. “If you’re going, so am I,” Zintar said. “When I was there another slave showed me how to get into the prison from outside the city. With luck, it may be guarded, but still there.” “We have a good plan. I’ll get two more guards and we’ll go down.” “There is one problem,” Zintar said. T’Pol and Trip looked at him. “One problem?” Zintar looked up at him. “They will have dismantled the shuttle pod by now, sir. We will have to find another way off the planet once we get them. They will know how to block your transporter once we’ve gone in.” “We’ll figure it out when we get there.” “That is not an adequate plan, Trip.” T’Pol pointed out. “Okay. Then you tell me what to do once we get to the surface, T’Pol,” Trip said. T’Pol didn’t reply. “Exactly. We have to play this one by ear and hope we know what we’re doing when we get there. Ever use a phaser pistol Zintar?” “I will learn.” Trip led him off the bridge. T’Pol looked at the model of the planet with a long sigh. # Archer got to his feet when he heard the Oripreks coming. When they appeared, they didn’t have Sista with them. They grabbed Archer and Malcolm and led the two men through the dark halls into a room. Sista was kneeling on the floor and her back was bloody from lashes. The king sat in his chair sipping a glass of a dark, oily looking substance. The Oripreks bound Archer and Malcolm’s hands behind their back and pushed them to their knees. Two Oriprek pulled Sista to her feet, ignoring her whimpers of pain. “I am going to ask you once again, woman, how do you lower the force field?” the king asked. Sista snarled a reply. Archer felt a phaser pistol pressed against his head and froze. He looked up when he heard Sista growl like a cat. Beside him Malcolm suddenly sprung to his feet, throwing all his weight on the Oriprek that had his gun aimed at Archer’s head. The room erupted into a fight. Somewhere in the middle of it a phaser cut the bonds around Archer and Malcolm’s wrists. When the fighting stopped, Sista was kneeling on the king’s chest with a phaser pistol aimed at his forehead. “NO!” Malcolm yelled, holding up his hands as he walked toward Sista. “Sista, no. Don’t kill him.” Sista growled like a cat. “Sista, we need him,” Malcolm said. Sista didn’t respond. “Sista,” Malcolm knelt beside her. “Sista, he’s their leader. They won’t kill us as long as we have him alive. We need him to get out of here.” Sista spit at the Oriprek and handed the pistol to Malcolm. Sista walked over to a box that had fallen off a table and opened it. She stuck one of the combadges on her shirt. She took out two more and pushed it one on Archer and Malcolm’s shirts. Sista said something and Archer and Malcolm’s combadges beeped. Sista smiled and when she spoke the translator in the combadge translated her Varlikon to English for the men. “Now we need to go find my ship.” Sista slid the box of remaining combadges in her pants pocket. “We need to find the shuttle pod,” Archer said. “They’ve torn it apart by now. There’s nothing left,” Sista said. Archer looked at the king. “Is that true?” The king nodded, not taking his eyes off the pistol Malcolm had trained on him. “I know how to fly my ship,” Sista said. Archer nodded. Malcolm motioned the king to move to the door with the pistol. The three stepped into the hall. They moved through cautiously through the halls, stunning anyone they came across. They came around a corner and aimed their weapons at the Oripreks standing there. Archer lowered his gun. “Trip?” Archer asked. Trip let out a sigh. “Captain.” Zintar and the two Ensigns lowered their weapons. Sista handed the four combadges, motioning to hers. They put them on their shirts. “We need to get to Sista’s ship,” Archer said, looking at the king. “No, we need a console with maps of the city,” Sista said. “I do not trust him to lead us safely to the ship.” “I don’t know where one’s at.” Sista and Zintar both growled. “This way,” he said, pointing down the hall with a shaky finger. With the king leading they made their way to a central control room. The seven shot the Oriprek in it, and Sista and Zintar went to work finding maps. “We could negotiate something,” the king told Archer. Archer didn’t’ respond. “I can offer money. I can offer...name your price. Anything,” the king begged. “We aren’t going to kill you.” Malcolm thought for a few seconds. “At least not yet.” The king whimpered. “I’ll offer you anything!” Archer leaned into the alien’s face. “How about I just set Sista loose on you again?” Archer hiked a thumb in Sista’s direction. “Would that shut you up?” The king swallowed, falling silent. “Found the maps,” Zintar said. He put his combadge in a slot and the light under it glowed. Zintar put the badge back on and pushed a button on the front. A holographic map appeared in front of him. He reached out and navigated the map to find the Diedra. “Don’t need him anymore.” Sista looked at Archer. Archer aimed his gun at the king. “No! Please!” The king begged. Archer scowled and shot. The king fell unconscious to the floor. “Sweet dreams,” Archer said, looking at Sista. Zintar led them out of the room and through halls to the surface. The seven waited for guards to pass the prison door and then ran across the street to an alley. “This place is crawling with these things,” Trip said, looking around the corner at a group of Oripreks that were going from door to door. “We have to get close to the Diedra,” Sista said. “Zintar?” Zintar was still navigating the map. “In a minute. I don’t know where we’re at yet.” “You may wanna hurry, Zintar. We have company coming,” Trip said. Archer stepped around Trip, looking down the street. He lifted his phaser up, preparing to shoot. Trip did the same. An Oriprek soldier turned and spotted the two. He pointed, yelling at the others. Archer moved behind the cover of the wall, a phaser beam barely missing him. He aimed and shot back. Trip and Malcolm joined them. “We found it. Come on,” Sista said. The three hurried after Zintar down the alley and around a corner. The Oriprek soldiers followed. “They’re regrouping,” Malcolm said as the seven ran around a corner. They turned another corner and found themselves at a dead end. Archer and his crew turned and returned fire. “This what you had in mind?” Archer asked Sista. “Oh yes. I intended on us getting trapped. How close to the Diedra are we?” Sista asked. Zintar checked the map. “A little over a kilometer.” Sista tapped her combadge. “Captain Vardee to Diedra,” Sista said. “Respond.” Sista’s combadge beeped with two short beeps and one long. “We’re close enough for her to see us,” Sista said. Trip looked back at her. “Her who?” Sista grinned. “Diedra, download language translator for English.” “Download complete. Proceed,” a feminine voice responded. “Who are you talking to?” Trip demanded “Disengage port side, stern shields. Authorization beta, omega, Captain Vardee. Authentication,” Sista looked back at Zintar. “Captain? Archer questioned. “Nine four beta alpha Commander Zintar,” Zintar responded. “Access granted,” the voice replied on Sista’s combadge. “Shield disengaged.” “Diedra, lock on to the seven combadge signals and transport on board. Engage shield once all are on board.” “I am not going to be tra--” Archer started, cut off when he was transported from where he was crouching. |
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