"Warrior Souls"
Rating: PG-13 Reviews and comments needed! Thanks ;) Four Trip's eyes flickered open, but the pain in his head was too great. He let them drift back shut and concentrated on his breathing. Where am I? What's going on? I can't even think straight. A cool hand stroked his forehead. “You have been injured. Rest.” The voice, the words, and the intonation sounded familiar. “T'Pol?” The hand hesitated for a brief moment. “You are delirious with fever, love. Just rest.” He allowed himself to drift off. Images and memories came through his mind. Jon Archer, how they'd met while working on the NX program, how Jon had saved his life in the Outback. Trip had been hurt, and Jon had slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, rushing for cover as arrows rained all around them... Arrows? That's not right...More memories surfaced, memories not completely his own...his own wedding, in the light of the twin moons, holding her hands as the priestess blessed their union, feeling his wife's cool, steady presence in his mind. This was right, not like the first time, when he'd stood aside with an aching heart and watched her marry someone else... Shore leave at a beautiful place, he and a dark-haired man...Trip remembered his name, it was Malcolm Reed, the Armory officer. They'd gotten attacked, tied up and left for dead, but they'd escaped and tracked their assailants down, and he shuddered as he remembered the smirk on his friend's face and the looks of sheer terror on theirs, as Malcolm administered his own brand of “justice”... He cried out and sat bolt upright in bed. “What the hell! Where am I? This ain't right--”There was movement next to him, and a warm body pressed against his. Hands touching his shoulders, finding the neuropressure points and siphoning off the tension. “The nightmares have returned.” It was a statement, not a question. “Yeah...” he muttered as he pressed a hand over his eyes. “You are a sensitive soul, my love. Seeing so much death affects you more than the others. You are a Builder, not a Destroyer, but you are strong. Look deep inside you, find the Strength.” The husky voice dipped lower. “And I am here. I will never leave you.” Trip opened his eyes and saw the speaker for the first time. Long blonde-brown hair, elegantly swept eyebrows, amber eyes set in a beautiful face. He stared at her for a long minute, then touched her cheek with a gentle hand. “Wait a sec..I know you...” A ghost of a smile was on her lips. “You remember.” “Yes,” he whispered. “I remember.” He pulled her to him and kissed her, shutting out everything except the two of them. The questions could wait. All Malcolm had were questions and more questions. He was exhausted, but he couldn't shut off his mind. Instinct told him not to relax, not to take this world in truth, or he would be lost. I must admit, it would be easy to do so. He turned his head and looked down at the woman in his arms. Her soft, even breathing told him she was finally asleep. They had spent hours just talking. He listened as she proudly told him how she had dispatched their enemy, then in the same breath, chastise him about nearly getting killed again. She sounded just like Hoshi and if he closed his eyes, he could imagine it was her. This woman resembled his fianceè to a startling degree, both physically and personality-wise. Malcolm sighed; when the talking was over, she had shown him just how much she had missed him. It had taken all of his control to separate a part of him from his body, not to give in to the siren's song. But it had been so tempting. He nearly had. Be objective. See it as an investigation and look at the clues. Obviously, we've been transported to Aronia's past, playing out roles of people dead for five thousand years. You are Dom'ni, Weaponmaster to General Hu'fase, Supreme Commander of the Aronian forces. The war is going badly for us and soon it will be the final battle. It will be us or them. He shivered; he knew what the outcome would be. Neither side won; they had destroyed each other. He glanced down at her. Leen'da, the Weaponmaster's wife, married for five seasons, in charge of the General's household. Hu'fase brought her into his House, raised her just like a daughter. Malcolm chuckled; it sounded just like the history between Hoshi and Jon Archer. So the relationships between the players were similar to those on the Enterprise. Hu'fase had mentioned a “Master Builder”. That had to be Trip, and from what the general had implied, this Master Builder was as accident prone as Trip. “What's so funny?” He started. “I thought you were asleep.” “I was. You woke me up.” “I'm sorry--” “Don't be.” She raised her head and flashed him a brilliant smile. “You don't laugh as much anymore and it makes me happy when you do.” “I'm glad.” He tightened his arms around her. “The General wants me at his side tomorrow morning.” “Which is where you should be, love.” Her tone became impish and her eyes sparkled with humor. “I know better than to be jealous of you two, with as much time as you spend together on the field.” The wicked jibe made him laugh again, and her smile widened. “Besides, I know where your desires lie. You demonstrated it quite ably not too long ago.” Malcolm's face flushed crimson at her boldness. She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. “In all seriousness, there is something you should know, if--” Her voice failed for a moment, then she pushed on, “--if you fall in the battle ahead.” “What should I know?” he asked gently. “If it will ease your mind, a part of you will go on.” She moved his hand to her abdomen. “I am carrying your child.” Malcolm blinked. Blinked again. His mouth moved, but he couldn't speak. Oh bloody hell. Bloody, freaking hell. General S'kott Hu'fase sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. I need another haircut, but it can wait until we've won, he thought. The burst of optimism faded as quickly as it came. A sense of foreboding took its place; there had to be a way to end this war, once and for all, without more massive casualties among his men. There had to be, but what was it? He rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. At least his Weaponmaster and Master Builder were alive and with their respective mates. Hu'fase wondered if Leen'da had told the Weaponsmaster the wonderful news yet. It made the general even more determined to win this war. The son or daughter of two of his closest friends deserved to live in a world of peace. “Damn Shadows,” he muttered. “They strike and retreat, no pattern and no rhyme or reason. They burn our villages and steal our livelihood. Now they surround us in their trap. This has gone long enough. I must end it before they weaken us just by attrition.” He was tempted to break tradition and have Joh'leen and the other women on the front lines, but that wouldn't do at all. They were the Aronians' secret line of defense, and if Joh'leen was in battle, Leen'da would follow, and endanger her unborn child. That was unacceptable. This damn war has taken my father and his father before him. I must end it. A soft noise caught his attention and his head shot up from the map was reading. One of his stewards stepped into the room and bowed in respect. “My apologies, General, but your staff is ready to assemble for the morning strategic meeting.” “Is it time already?” Hu'fase sighed and took another deep breath. “Are the Master Builder and the Weaponsmaster among them?” “Not yet, my lord, but they send word that they are on their way.” “Good. Distribute the morning meal to those already present. As soon as my two advisers arrive, we will begin. Oh, and carry a basket of sayo fruit to the lady Leen'da and please make sure she eats it.” The steward smiled and said, “Yes, General.” He bowed again and left. Hu'fase gathered up his various maps and papers and tried to put himself in the right frame of mind, but the niggling sense of doom refused to leave him. |
Like it? Hate it? Just want to point out a typo? Join the discussion now.
Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its various forms and its characters are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the authors of this site, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit. This site is owned by CX and was opened to the public in February 2008.