The Path to Living Again...

Posted on Sun Feb 13th, 2022 @ 2:10am by

Mission: S1 Episode 1: Caretaker, Part I
Location: Delta Quadrant, SS Alexandria II
Timeline: MD4 - Late afternoon
1510 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

According to Rebecca, Kaleigh and Daphne had been on board 4 days now. Kaleigh had been able to replicate some school items for Daphne, having taught the child basics over the years but having been given no proper materials, it had been hard. Daphne, Kae found loved stories so the basic reading lessons they had done, were now put to use as Daphne snuggled on her bunk with a PADD full of stories to read. Leaving Daphne there, Kae wandered the runabout, pitchin in where possible. But now, while Daphne immersed herself in a story, Kae found herself on the bridge looking for something to do.

She stepped up to the chair where Micheal sat. "Ok,.,. bored now" she said brightly.

Micheal looked over at Kaleigh and grinned slightly. "How is my little friend doing with her studies?"

"Its a good thing she is a reader" Kaleigh replied "Not sure she likes Mathematics but then, its not my strong suit either." She flopped down on the other chair.

Micheal chuckled softly. "An Intel operative, who doesn't like math? That's like a Marine who doesn't like to shoot." He gave her a playful smirk.

Kaleigh smiled "It was not my strongest subject, but I passed it." She kicked her feet lightly. "Anything new happening out there?"

Nodding to himself, he pointed to the console next to her. "Rebecca has been compiling all the information we have obtained since she came online. I haven't taken the time to go through it all. You can take a stab at it, if you want? There's info there from both the Andromeda Galaxy and what we have picked up here in the Delta."

Kae nodded. "Sure, better than walking around." She smiled and shifted to face the console. "You know, for an AI, she is very intutitive."

"Thank you, Mistress," Rebecca replied happily. "I strive to serve you and Master to the best of my abilities."

Micheal glanced over and grinned at Kaleigh. "Think you have a new friend, Kae." He chuckled softly as he finished speaking.

"That's good, Friends are always welcome" Kaleigh replied with a small smile.

Rebecca suddenly materialized in the cockpit. She had altered her clothing to dress more like Kaleigh did. Not exactly, just similarly. "I would be glad to assist Mistress in her work."

Kaleigh smiled "That would be great" She said "I need to get more information about the various powers here. Who controls which area, who is aiming for a new area that sort of thing."

"One moment, Mistress," Rebecca replied. She closed her eyes for a few beats, then reopened them. "There. I have sorted each piece of Intel into region and the various powers that Masyer and I have either encountered or have gathered Intelligence on. Is that more helpful for you, Mistress?"

"Yes thank you Rebecca. " Kae replied as she began to pull up information.

"If there is anything else I can help with, Mistress, please don't hesitate to ask." Rebecca gave Kaleigh a kind smile.

"I will Rebecca." Kae gave the AI a bright smile before turning back to the information. She considered the Kazon carefully as she read.

The AI smiled again, then discontinued the use of her avatar, to conserve power.

A short while later, Micheal handed the helm off to Rebecca and stood, stretching his large frame. Afterwards, he let out a soft sigh and said, "Don't know about you, but I'm hungry." He moved to the replicator at the aft bulkhead. "You want anything?"

Kaleigh had gotten used to not eating often, so she was not even paying attention to the hunger pains. "Oh.. sure, fruit will be fine" she said as she pulled up more information on the Kazon.

Micheal nodded, then turned back to place the order. For Kaleigh, he replicated an assortment of tropical fruit and berries. Then, for himself, he ordered a roast beef with melted mozzarella sandwich. He carried both dishes over to Kaleigh’s seat and handed her the bowl of fruit. "Here ya go," he said with a soft grin on his face.

She smiled as she took the bowl. "Thank you Micheal" She said placing it beside her. "Have you dealt with the Kazon a lot?" she asked.

After taking a bite of his sandwich, the big man shrugged slightly. "A few minor run-ins. They are nothing more than nomad pirates. Some will trade with outsiders, though, I have avoided them as much as possible. Our tech is far in advance of theirs. The Togra Clan seem to be especially interested in gaining any technology that they can." He took another bite and finished it before continuing.

"One thing the various clans seem to have in common, is their hatred for the Ocampa. From what I have been able to piece together, about five hundred years ago, give or take a decade, the Ocampa ruled over the Kazon, using them as slave labor. At some point, there was a revolution and the two have bern fighting each other ever since."

"Well similar to our history then" She mused as she continued looking. "They may be less technological then us, but they may have their uses Micheal." Kae said softly. "Their ships could be easily upgraded, and taken over"

He nodded slowly. "True. Unfortunately, we are vastly outnumbered right now. And I won't do anything that puts either of you in any undue risk."

"So we will need to be sneaky about it." Kae said softly. "We are after all smarter than them."

A slow grin started to cross his face. "You already have an idea, don't you?"

"Terrans are superior, we know this" she said casually. "And any race that has been enslaved once, can be enslaved again, you just need the correct bait"

"And what bait are you thinking of for this snare?"

"Start small, trade." she began. "Not weapons systems and such. Not Replicators either. We will need to find a tradable commodity for them."

He thought about it for a moment, then said, "Water. Water is in short supply around here."

"So we can use Water to barter for supplies, and parts?" Kae asked.

Micheal looked around the small cockpit and shrugged. "Not sure what their parts could do for us.."

Rebecca interrupted. "Forgive the interruption, Master. While it is true that their parts would be quite substandard to their Imperial counterparts, I could still use the matter of said parts to replicate something closer to what we would need."

"We could use the replicator to break it down to base parts as well" Kae replied with as smile. "And then there is trading with other races using the stuff from the Kazon."

Micheal looked from Kaleigh, to Rebecca, and back again. He grinned softly. "Well, looks to me like you two are the brains here. Guess that makes me the muscle."

"Well together we will be able to do more than survive here" Kae said as she closed down the files.

Rebecca nodded. "You must find a way to thrive." She looked at Micheal. "Master, for too long now, you have just been surviving. You are no longer alone. You must find a way...to live again."

Micheal's grin fell as he comprehended what Rebecca had just said. While he had told Kaleigh that they were a team, he was still having moments that he felt alone. "I...I will try," he replied softly.

"We both will" Kae said to give him some encouragement.

Hearing her tone, Micheal looked over into Kaleigh’s beautiful face. He had truly never seen anyone more beautiful than her. "With you, and Daphne, by my side, I think I can find my way back to living a life." His right eye glistened slightly as he looked into Kaleigh’s eyes.

Kaleigh nodded. "Maybe we can also help take out the Ocampa." She suggested as she stood.

"That would be quite a beneficial accomplishment, Mistress. Unfortunately, at the moment, we do not possess the firepower available to cause any real damage to the Ocampa. If we had an Imperial battleship, or even a battle cruiser, perhaps. The only other option would be to unify the Kazon Clans. Perhaps then, there would be a chance." Rebecca's eyes lowered. "Of course, by that point, the Kazon would be too powerful for you to conquer and rule."

"Unless we unify them under us" Kaleigh replied softly.

Rebecca blinked a few times, running calculations. Then, she opened her eyes and replied. "If you both are careful in how you accomplish this goal, I calculate an eighty-nine point three seven five percent chance that you will be successful in not only unifying the Kazon Clans, but ruling them in perpetuity. Of course, there is always the chance that they will overthrow you, and possibly kill you, if they feel that you are treating them as slaves."

"Then we make sure they do not feel that way" Kae replied softly. "Micheal?"

Micheal was quiet for a few beats, thinking. Then, he nodded and said, "Okay. Let's get started."

Finish?