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"The Road to Cardion" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG CHAPTER 4 T’Pol pulled her blanket from her pack, unfolded it, and wrapped it around Reed. She pulled it tight around him and sat down next to him, keeping close. “That water was damn cold,” he told her. She looked at Garut. He appeared unaffected by the frigid water. “Why did you risk your life for them?” “They’re risking theirs for us. Tomorrow we’ll be outside of this barrier. Do you think they’ll still be there?” “I don’t know.” T’Pol looked at him. “With your phobia, I can’t comprehend why you would have done what you did.” “A pretty simple equation when you think about it. Hide or die, die or hide?” Reed used his hands to imitate a balance. He smiled, looking at her. “If they aren’t there, Lieutenant...” “We’ll cross that bridge if it’s there.” “How can you be so optimistic?” Reed smiled, looking at his hands. I want to go home. I don’t like this planet very much.” T’Pol said nothing. “You been too quiet since we left T’Pol, even for you. Do you wish to talk about what’s bothering you? Is it Trip?” “He and I had a fight before I left.” “You never refer to your fights as fights.” T’Pol nodded. “Anything I do lately agitates him into yelling and disruptive behavior.” “He’s learning to deal, T’Pol. It’s just going to take time.” “Deal?” “He killed Bionq and one of his best friends is clinically insane right now.” “He told you this?” “Yes, and... And I wasn’t supposed to tell you. He didn’t want you to get upset by it.” “I’m not upset by it. I understand, now. I would have understood if he’d told me also.” “Are you sure about that?” T’Pol looked at him. “Of course. I relied on Captain Archer and not having him around to help with command has made things difficult for everyone.” Reed smiled, shaking his head. “It’s not like that for humans, T’Pol. He misses doing things with him, talking to him.” “He misses his companionship?” “Yes. There it is.” T’Pol nodded. “I understand now. I can’t explain why I’m discussing such a personal matter with you.” “You’re upset by what’s happening. That’s understandable.” “It is unlike Vulcans to discuss these matters with anyone other than mates and family.” “I hope that makes me family. It would be rather awkward if you thought of me as a mate.” Reed chuckled, smiling at her. “You do not find this an irregular conversation to have at this time?” “We’re in the middle of a jungle with a group of rebels in the midst of a war. Tell me something that is regular about this situation?” T’Pol sat back down. “You have a very good point.” “There’s nothing wrong with us discussing problems, professional or otherwise. I like that you to feel comfortable enough to talk to me about Trip.” T’Pol looked up, staring at the canopy overhead. Reed followed her gaze up. Neither saw Isha sitting in the dark of the jungle nearby, listening and watching the two. # “How far before we’re beyond the barrier?” Reed asked Isha. “Another five kilometers.” Reed looked ahead. Isha had suggested he and her take the rear today. Garut was trailing at the back in front of them, remaining close to Reed. Far ahead Reed saw T’Pol following behind Point Dasex. “Is T’Pol your senior commander?” Isha asked. “Of sorts. She has a field commission to captain.” “What does field commission mean?” “Our captain is currently indisposed and she’s assuming his command.” “Why is he indisposed?” “I’d rather not discuss that, if it’s all the same.” Isha nodded. “At the river, she said you were her first in command and was anxious to rescue you. Are you two close companions?” “No, but we’re friends.” “Why would she say you were her first in command?” “The situation was intense. It was merely a slip of tongue.” “She made it seem like you were sacrificing a lot to hide you, Garut and Areki.” Reed didn’t reply. “Something else you care not to discuss?” “I’m afraid of water.” “Afraid of water?” “Yes. It terrifies me to submerse in water.” “I’ve never met anyone afraid of water.” “Now you can say you have.” “So when she said you were sacrificing a lot, she meant it took a great deal of courage to do what you did.” “I suppose she did.” Isha walked in silence for nearly an hour and Reed passed the conversation off as forgotten. “You two are different species, correct?” Isha asked. “Yes.” “You act very different. She represses a great deal, you risk your life for strangers. Is that normal of your two species?” “Her species repressing things, yes, but not all humans risk their lives for strangers.” Reed smiled. “But Captain Archer has largely influenced me in that respect.” Reed noticed Garut glance back at Isha and then him. He said nothing. Isha also noticed the glance. She lowered her voice when she spoke again. “You’ve taken Garut on as your responsibility when his guard was killed.” “No. He took me on. I had no say in the matter.” “He trusts you. I believe you’re influencing him.” “Is that good or bad?” Isha looked ahead without answering. Reed looked ahead, deciding she wasn’t going to. “I will let you know,” she said after a while. Reed smiled. “For someone your age, you are very mature, Isha.” “My age?” “You can’t be more than seventeen or eighteen.” “Sixteen. Do not humans and Vulcans act as I do at my age?” “Vulcan’s I don’t know about. For humans it’s rare for teenagers your age to act like you do. But then, if you were raised in the shadow of wars, I can understand the reasoning behind raising a child to grow up so fast.” “I was raised to serve the Gartian.” “Speaking of which, what are the Gartian? We’ve avoided soldiers that you and your men could have easily disarmed or killed. Why haven’t you?” “We don’t kill unless we’re protecting refugees or stopping slaughter tactics. Our work is to aid the dead in reaching the next life and healing the innocent victims of war. Nothing more.” Reed again saw Garut glance at them. Isha didn’t appear to notice this time. “What are slaughter tactics?” “Soldiers invading one Ambassador’s territory will send out platoons to slaughter villages and leave the corpses. It spreads disease and can weaken the other side by preventing them means to able-bodied men and women to enlist in the war. Most of the people in the villages are farmers and want nothing to do with their petty wars, but the Ambassadors don’t care. They’re only out to gain control of more land.” “All of them?” “Ambassador Havet was the only one that hasn’t been in generations. He was trying to get all Ambassadors to agree to peace. Ambassador Lartiz began supporting his effort a few months ago. Most likely that was the reason Ambassador Doshal attacked them.” “You’d think they’d want to stop fighting.” “They seek only revenge.” “The only way Earth found peaces was when the rulers of the various countries decided it together, when we had nearly killed ourselves.” “How long ago was that?” “Several hundred years ago.” “And you still consider it your burden?” “Yes.” Reed looked at her. “And in doing so, we remind ourselves of why we need to avoid war, Isha.” “But only after your leaders agreed to end it.” “Yes.” “And so Jakisau will never know peace. Until our leaders realize how pointless it is.” “Unfortunately.” Isha fell silent. Reed decided to let the conversation die as well. It was depressing to realize that, without saying it, Isha desperately wanted peace among her people, but she didn’t have the power to make it possible. # Trip lay on his bed, tossing a tennis ball against the top of his bunk. When his companel beeped, Trip jumped out of bed and in one step was across his room to his desk. “Trip here.” “Sir, I have Lieutenant Reed.” “I’m on my way!” Trip ran out of his quarters. # Trip ran onto the bridge. “Are they on the bridge COM?” Trip asked. “Yes, Trip,” Reed’s staticky voice replied, “so don’t go saying anything bad about me or T’Pol.” Trip smiled. “You have no idea how great it is to hear your voice.” “I feel the same however I have good news, bad news, I’m afraid. We have reached the edge of the barrier to communicate with you, but you can’t reach us here. I’ve been told that if you try to transport us, the warring forces will scramble the beam and essentially kill us. And you can’t set a shuttle pod down anywhere near where we’re at, either. It’s...well, you can’t.” “Why are you being vague?” “We can’t secure this channel on this end.” “And that matters because?” “If I give too much detail we may be found or blocked from reaching our destination. I can tell you that once we reach the place, you will be able to set a shuttle down and it should be far enough from the war to be safe. We’ll be going back into the barrier to reach it so we can’t communicate with you until we get there.” “Is T’Pol okay?” Trip asked, his voice softening. “Yes. She was banged up when the house was bombed, but she appears to be feeling much better.” Trip smiled, looking down. “Take care of her, Malcolm.” “You know you needn’t ask that, Trip.” “Yeah. I know.” “I need to break off communication now. Wait for us.” “I’ll be right here. Hurry right along.” “We will. Reed out.” “Ensign, alert me if they contact us again and be sure to tell Hoshi about this when she comes on,” Trip said. “Yes, sir.” Trip walked to the lift and stepped on. His finger hovered over the choice of decks. He tapped one. The lift slid down and opened. Trip walked through the quiet halls to the Brig. The two guards nodded once to him as he walked past them. Archer was sleeping so Trip entered the cell and sat down next to the bunk. Trip rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes and fell asleep for the first time in days. # The group wound their way through the jungle. As had become typical, they had fallen silent after their midday break. Reed looked up when he ran into Garut. At the front of the line, Isha was listening, her hand held up to signal them to stop. She turned, silently motioning to the five rebels. The rebels motioned the four to gather around. Isha pulled a flat device from Jajul’s pack and handed it to him. He tapped it to wake it and then tapped a control. A contour map appeared, showing shapes nestled into the two rising hills to the right. Turquoise triangles appeared on the screen with information next to them in Jakisau. Some moved, but most of them didn’t. “They’re cleaning,” Gephka said, looking at Isha. “Orders, sir?” “Annihilation. Jajul, remain with the packages and keep them out of harms way. We’ll alert you when it’s clear.” “What are you doing?” Reed asked her. “Stay with Jajul,” Isha ordered as she and the four rebels jogged off. Jajul pulled his pack off and put the device back into his backpack. Reed looked at him and where the others had disappeared. He followed them. “Malcolm, stay here,” Jajul said. “What is annihilation?” Reed asked without stopping. Jajul followed him. T’Pol and the two teenagers followed him. “They’re stopping a slaughter tactic.” “Called cleaning?” “Yes. This is a village of women and children. They kill everything in it to prevent the people from having more children and then burn the village to the ground.” Reed reached the edge of the jungle and stopped. He could see the village below him and while he couldn’t make out details, he could see Jakisau running from other Jakisau and being shot down. “That’s the sickest thing I’ve ever heard,” Reed said. “It takes someone not of right mind to issue such an order,” T’Pol said. Reed looked at her. She was watching the scene below with the most intense stare he’d ever seen on her face. “He would never be like that. We wouldn’t let him,” Reed told her. “Wouldn’t he? He doesn’t even know his own name.” “We wouldn’t let him.” T’Pol looked at Reed. “Who?” Jajul asked. Something exploded, making the two look back at the village. A house was burning, quickly spreading smoke and hiding the village from view. The five stood in silence, waiting for Isha to tell Jajul it was clear. # The four followed Jajul through the village, staring at the massacre around them. From babies to old whose hair and skin were darkening with age, Jakisau lay dead around them. T’Pol slowed to a stop. A woman lay on the ground, her baby still clutched to her. A particle beam had burned a hole through the baby and the woman, leaving a hole three quarters its size in her back as it exited. Wasteq and Garut stopped in the center of the village together, standing close to each other for support. Reed followed Jajul to Isha. “Bury the dead,” Isha instructed Jajul. “I doubt you’ll find any alive. They’d been at this for some time before we could stop them.” Jajul reached under his pack and pulled a stick device from it. There were five controls on it and three LEDs across the top. He tapped the controls and walked over to a corpse. Reed watched him point it at the corpse and fire. The corpse disintegrated into a fine white ash. Reed looked at Isha. She was typing on her wrist device. “What can I do to help?” Reed asked. Isha looked at him. She reached under her pack and pulled out a stick device. “This is a Gartian shovel. It’s already set to bury. You aim it at the heart and push this button.” She pointed at the bottom button. “The green light comes on when you fire it. If you aim it and the yellow light comes on, wait for it to recharge. It takes seconds. If the red light comes on, call one of us. It means the Jakisau is still alive and we’ll try to save them.” Reed looked up. “Where is your heart?” he asked. She reached out, laying her hand on the right, just under his ribs. “Here.” Reed turned and began working his way across the village. T’Pol looked up, watching Reed. He aimed the device at a corpse and fired. She looked away, walking again. She passed a house and stopped. T’Pol turned her head. Though faint, she could hear a baby crying. She entered the house and the crying became louder. It suddenly became muffled. “I will not harm you,” T’Pol said. “Please, come out.” She waited but no one came out of hiding. T’Pol began searching for the muffled crying. She came into the kitchen, finding two dead Jakisau on the floor. The back door was opening and closing on the body of a third Jakisau and the crying was louder beyond the door. T’Pol walked to the door, putting her hand against it. It opened and she walked through, following the crying. It was coming from inside a wood shed and she cautiously entered. A young female Jakisau quickly pulled the baby in her arms to her chest and against her bleeding wound. She watched T’Pol with wide terrified eyes. T’Pol slowly walked up to her, kneeling down. The woman was shaking from shock as blood continued pouring from the wound on her side. “I won’t harm you,” T’Pol told her. “I’m with people who’ve come to help. I’m going to get one.” T’Pol stood. The woman grabbed T’Pol’s wrist. T’Pol knelt down again. The woman tried to speak but no words came out. With shaky hands she held the baby over to T’Pol. “Aina. Her name...is...” The woman died. T’Pol caught the baby before it was dropped as the woman fell over. The baby screamed, shaking her small fists at the Vulcan. T’Pol gently cradled Aina into her arms, rubbing her belly to calm her. She got up and walked back into the village. She walked to a porch free of blood or corpses and sat down on the steps. She shrugged out of her pack and pulled out her extra shirt. She fished through the pack, pulling out a nutrient drink. She ripped off a sleeve, dipped it into the drink, and held it to the baby’s lips. The child grabbed her hand, pulled the wet fabric in her mouth, and sucked it. T’Pol pulled it away to dip it in the drink and return it to the child’s lips, allowing herself to lose track of time. “She must be the only things living here,” someone said. T’Pol looked up. Garut was standing in front of her, wide-eyed and pale. “I’m certain of it.” T’Pol looked back at the baby. “Do you have children?” “No.” “You’re good at that.” T’Pol didn’t respond. Garut sat on the porch next to T’Pol. “Have you seen Malcolm?” “No, but he is assisting the rebels in disposing of the bodies.” “We call it burying, but...it’s not really. Burying means you have to put them in the ground.” “Typically, it does mean that.” Garut looked at T’Pol. “Is it true that not all humans help strangers like he does?” “There are less that won’t than those that do.” “Would you help a stranger?” “Yes.” “Do all Vulcans?” “Not usually.” “Then why do you?” “I have seen the benefits of assisting someone I don’t know.” “Seen the benefits? Don’t you mean felt it?” T’Pol looked at him. “No.” “Vulcans and humans are so different. How do you get along with such huge differences?” “Through compromise and communication. Both are necessary to establish and maintain a relationship without much conflict.” “Much?” “There will always be some conflict because of our differences, but it is easily overcome because humans and Vulcans communicate their opinions and both sides allow the other to retain their own opinion. Even if it isn’t a largely accepted opinion.” “And what about among your own kind? Is that how you deal with conflicts?” T’Pol looked at the baby. “Not always.” She looked up when a shadow fell over her. Isha stared at the baby. “Where did you find the baby?” she asked. “Her mother was injured and dying. Her name is Aina. We’ll have to take her with us.” “I agree. You’ll tend to her until we get to the Hold?” T’Pol nodded. “We’ll be done soon. Make sure she’s well fed and changed before we have to move.” Isha turned and walked away. T’Pol looked up suddenly. She turned to Garut. “I believe this child lived in the fourth house on the right. Go see if she had diapers.” “Diapers?” “Items they use to put on the child’s lower half until they can learn to control their bodily functions. I will need several of them.” Garut jumped up and ran off to search for what T’Pol had described. T’Pol turned her attention back to Aina. # Rain poured down on the group, drenching them and turning the ground to slippery mud. Add to that the slope they were climbing practically went straight up, and it explained why they were all covered in mud. Ahead of T’Pol, Point Areki reached back, holding his hand out to her. She slapped her muddy hand into his and he held tight, helping her up the slope. Her arm reactively tightened around Aina and the baby whimpered, tightening her tiny fists on T’Pol’s shirt. Ahead Reed held out his hand to her. She let Areki’s arm go and grabbed his wrist. Reed pulled back, helping her up the rest of the steep slope. The rebels started up the slope with Isha and Jajul bringing up the rear. Midway Isha and Jajul stopped, looking back. T’Pol followed their gaze. She could see the meadow they had just crossed and at least two-dozen soldiers were wading through the tall grass in their direction. She looked down, watching the Gartians and Isha hurry up the slope. Isha led them into the jungle at a run. They came to another river and followed it upstream to a smooth cliff face. The river plunged over the top, creating a wide pool at the foot of the cliff. Isha motioned them to wait. She carefully made her way across the rocks and disappeared behind the waterfall. She suddenly appeared and waved them to follow. The rebels and Reed helped T’Pol across the rocks and into the shallow cave behind the waterfall. The baby whimpered, waving a fist at T’Pol. She pressed her fingers to the baby's lips, softly humming to it. The baby yawned and she adjusted it against her shoulder, trying to get it to go to sleep. Isha moved to the edge of the falls, watching the jungle. “How many did you count, Jajul?” Isha asked. “I saw eighteen, but I’m guessing well over twenty.” “They’ve been to the village I would guess.” Isha turned, looking concerned. “This is most likely a place to be searched.” Everyone waited for her to make a decision. “Areki, scout for a better place. Keep us informed of their movement.” “Yes, sir.” Areki left the cave. Isha turned, again watching the jungle. |
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