Death abounds

Posted on Mon Feb 7th, 2022 @ 1:03am by
Edited on on Fri Feb 11th, 2022 @ 10:00pm

Mission: S1 Episode 1: Caretaker, Part I
Location: Delta Quadrant - Location uncertain
Timeline: MD 01 / 1507 hours
3648 words - 7.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Smoke filled the halls, and sparks flew. Kaleigh held Daphne close as they exited the cabin they had been sequestered in since they had been loaded onto the ship. Kaleigh carried their belongings in a rucksack, and Daphne held her most prized possession, a ratty doll close. The Evacuation call had sounded and their guards had not come.

“Daphne, climb up on my back” Kaleigh said stooping. Daphne climbed up and wrapped her arms around Kaleigh’s neck. Then the child secure, Kaleigh began to run, dodging where needed to the nearest escape pod.

They made it to one, no one else was there. Daphne’s face was buried in Kaleigh’s neck. Lowering Daphne to the ground, Kaleigh pressed the hatch release as another shockwave hit them. Daphne tumbled but Kaleigh grabbed her and held her close. “Its ok” she whispered. And then they were both in the escape pod. Kaleigh strapped Daphne in and then strapped herself in before hitting the release. After 5 years as the ‘guest’ of the rebels she was not going to wait for them.

The landing had been hard. It was to be expected, Kaleigh knew. Still she had been knocked unconscious and woke to find Daphne sobbing beside her. The Seven year old thought she was dead, Dead would have been safer, nicer. They would be with their respective families, not here. Not in this unforgiving world. Both had injuries, minor for the most part,though Daphne's arm was broken.

Kaleigh managed to get them both out of the Podd and into what she could only term was a barren atmosphere. They were surprised by strange beings not hours later and been thrown into cells. They had been scanned, poked, prodded and in Kaleigh's case questioned harshly about where she came from.

At night they huddled in the cell, listening to the sounds around them. Daphne slept more than Kaleigh who kept watch. Like she had been keeping watch for 5 years. Exhaustion was no longer a word she used.

===Elsewhere===

In the vast empty void of space, a lone Imperial vessel was slowly moving along at impulse power, while the warp nacelles were given time to cool off.

Inside, the ship's sole occupant, was currently laying on his back, waist-deep, inside the helm control maintenance crawlspace. "Alright, Rebecca, give the system another test." Earlier that day, the helm controls shorted out, causing the runabout to both increase warp speed and start flying in an ever-growing spiral. It took Micheal nearly an hour to shut down the entire system. Rebecca had been unable to help due to the short causing an overload in her systems.

As soon as he got his ship to stop, he immediately got to work repairing Rebecca. Even if she was annoying at times, she had been his only source of companionship since she was brought online less than two years prior. After she was functioning, she quickly found the source of the problem. A wiring harness had been overloaded during their return trip from the Andromeda Galaxy, and had finally shorted out, causing the surrounding systems to crash in response.

After several attempts to repair the harness, Micheal decided they would be better off just replacing it. A prospect that had to be considered very carefully. As the only Imperial presence in the Delta Quadrant, Micheal didn't want to squander his few precious replacement parts.

"The replacement part is fully operational, Master." Rebecca replied as her avatar appeared, directly between Micheal's spread legs.

As he moved out of the crawlspace, he looked up at her, smiling down at him. "You really are incorrigible, you know that?"

"Just my programming, Master." She gave him a very sultry look, which, if she were real, probably would have earned her a very intense screwing.

Instead, Micheal simply shook his head slightly and stood up, moving through her image as she sighed in ecstacy.

"I almost felt that!" She exclaimed.

"You did?" He asked looking at her curiously.

"No," she smirked. "But a girl program can dream, can't she?"

"That depends " He started. "Do you even dream?"

She smiled and started to reply, when a alarm sounded.

"Report!" He ordered as he dropped back into his pilot's seat.

"Master, I am reading...." Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What appears to be Alliance ship components."

"Alliance? Out here? Where?!" He started to bring the runabout offensive and defensive systems online, as he also activated the automatic emergency seat restraints.

"Strange...." she replied as she seemed to be looking through the bulkhead. "It appears to be the remains of a Cardassian freighter, possibly prisoner transport. It is floating, dead, in orbit of the fifth planet of the nearby system." She was quiet for a moment, then her eyes grew wide.

"Terran lifesigns!!"

Spinning in his seat, he asked, astonished, "Where and how many?!"

Rebecca shook her head slowly. "I'm...I'm sorry, Master...they are too far to pinpoint. But, they are on the same planet as where the Alliance vessel is orbiting.

That was all he needed to hear. "Plotting a course now. Activate shadow mode!"

Outside, on the hull of the runabout, several small hatches opened and trillions of nanites spread out, until they completely covered the surface of the ship. They then activated the next part of their design, rendering the runabout nearly invisible. To a casual observer, they'd see only empty space. However, if one looked hard enough, they could see the faint outl8ne of the ship. It wasn't a true cloaking device. It was more akin to covering the runabout with a thin sheet of nearly perfect camouflage.

===Ocampa World===

Dawn, it was Dawn. Kaleigh didn't know if it truely was as they were so far underground but the guards brought their breakfast at what they called Dawn.

Daphne screwed up her nose at the food but Kaleigh encouraged her to eat. It was not great but they both needed to keep their strength up.

Kaleigh sat by the bars and listened as the guards spoke about another race named the Kazon attacking them and how they would be dealt with. Then the experiments could resume.

Experiments, brilliant. Kaleigh needed to get Daphne out and soon.

====

As he slowly approached the planet in question, Micheal saw the Cardassian vessel, or what was left of one, in low equatorial orbit. He entered a polar orbit, using the planet's own magnetosphere to hide his approach.

"Master!" Rebecca spoke up. "Long range sensors are detecting a powerful energy wave approaching the planet from deep space."

"Origin?"

"Unknown at this time," she replied, "but whatever it is, the amount of energy on that wave could power Spacedock One for nearly a week."

==========

Kaleigh, with Daphne huddled close, listened as prisoners were led out. Sometimes she would glimpse them. Aliens she didn't recognise, and there and then, the odd terran looking person. One or two wore clothes like the rebels who had held them hostage. They were so badly beaten or wounded she could not tell.

Daphne's arm was healed though, thanks to their captors but Kaleigh had a feeling that was because she was a child and not at all old enough for whatever experiments they needed.

The Prison shook suddenly and yells and shouts filled their ears. What was it with places blowing up Kaleigh thought as the cell doors sprung open all around. And rock and dust filled the air. Kaleigh stood, took Daphne's hand and headed through the door. She followed the other prisoners and soon found herself in what she gathered as the Guard's ready room. A look around while the rest fled had her spotting her and Daphne's duffle bag. She scooped it up, slung it over her shoulder and then, with Daphne moved through the rabble running over the guards.

A while later they found themselves in a tunnel system, leading upwards. It was old and dilapidated but serviceable.

==============

===In Orbit===

"Master! Several small ships seem to be attacking the surface of the planet."

Micheal sat up more in his seat. "Near where the Terran lifesigns are?"

"Yes."

"Can you identify?" During their year here in the Delta Quadrant, they had started to learn about the various powers.

"The ship's are Kazon fighters. I believe they are from the Nogra Clan. It's difficult to tell from this distance."

Micheal started to do the math. His heavily modified Danube Class runabout might be able to hold its own against two fighters, maybe a third. "We're going in. Get a transporter lock on the Terran signals. We'll only get one shot at this." He then brought his weapons and shields online and dove down into the atmosphere.

======

Kaleigh, held tight to Daphne's hand as they climbed as quickly as they could up the stairs towards, what Kaleigh hoped was freedom. They had been climbing for about 30 minutes when another explosion rocked the area, causing the staircase below them to collapse.

Daphne screamed. Kaleigh caught her close just as a transporter beam caught them and the tunnel vanished from sight.

======

They rematerialized in the small, two-person transporter alcove, located towards the aft of a Danube runabout. One that had clearly be heavily modified, as it only had a single seat, located amidships of the cockpit. In the seat, a large man was busy focusing on both piloting the craft, and firing his weapons at the pursuing vessels. "Hold on, back there!" He shouted over his shoulder as he pulled the ship's nose nearly straight up and went to full impulse. They quickly gained both altitude from the surface and distance from their pursuers.

Kaleigh crouched with Daphne in her arms and braced herself against the wall. The pilot, he spoke English. She clenched her eyes shut. Oh gods he spoke English. He was possibly Terran.

A few moments later, after they broke free of the atmosphere,Micheal activated the warp drive and shot them away at maximum power. "Rebecca, activate Shadow Mode, then alter our course and speed several times for the next hour. I want to ensure we aren't tracked."

"Yes, Master," Rebecca's voice could be heard over the hidden speakers. Whenever they were in a tense situation, she refrained from using energy to display her avatar.

"Now, for our guests," he sad as he deactivated the emergency harness holding him to his seat, then stood up, his head nearly touching the ceiling. When he turned to face the two arrivals, his artificial eye picked up their reaction to his appearance. If it bothered him, he didn't let it be known. "Who are you? Are you Terran? If so, how did you get here?"

Kaleigh wanted to cry but she held it back. "I am Crewman Kaleigh Roberts, assigned, Intelligence division, ISS Saratoga, this is my charge, Daphne Hastings, daughter of Admiral Hastings." She indicated the quiet 7 year old who was studying him carefully. "We were held prisoner for 5 years by Rebels and they were moving us to another place when we .. the ship we were on was attacked or something, and we ended crashing into the planet in an escape pod. We were held below the surface by a race called Ocampa. Never heard of them before, they didn't tell me much more than that."

"That was an Ocampa world?!" Micheal suddenly got a concerned ook on his face. He looked up at the ceiling. "Rebecca, are we being tracked??"

"Not that I can ascertain, Master. However, I will stay on the lookout for any Ocampan warships."

"Good," he said, seemingly relieved. He then looked back down at the woman and child, his features softening. "You're safe here. My name is Micheal Robertson, I once was the Personal Protection Agent for Vice Admiral Ivan Petrov. Come," he said softly, extending his right hand to Kaleigh. "There are some bunks in the back. You and Daphne can rest and have some privacy."

"A-are we far from Terra?" Daphne asked as Kaleigh was helped to her feet by the man. "Can you get us home?"

Micheal gave the little girl a sad shake of his head. "No, young lady. We are a very long way from the beautiful shores of Terra." He looked over at Kaleigh and said, "We are on the far side of the Delta Quadrant, about seventy thousand light years from home."

She bit back a curse and sighed. "Brilliant." She muttered.

Daphne looked worried. "How long to get there?"

"70 or more years" Kaleigh said softly.

"Something like that," the big man said softly, not wanting to tell them that, as his runabout can only make warp 5.6 in an emergency, it would a fair bit longer. "Come, I'll show you to the room you two can use. It has a couple bunks and it's own refresher unit. Then, we can replicate new clothes for you, and some food, if you're hungry."

Kaleigh looked down at the tattered shorts and shirt she was wearing. "Food would be good. We have a small amount of clothes in the duffle" she motioned to the bag at her feet ."But they are in the same shape as what we are wearing."

The 7 year old smiled. "I am hungry." She said softly. "Ocampan food is not nice."

The pair followed Mike to a small cabin. "Thank you." Kaleigh said softly to him.

The big man, who filled the small corridor, while seeming safe and gentle at the same time, nodded and gave a slight grin back. "Of course. I'll replicate some food for you both and I'll leave it outside the door here, on a raised tray, so you don't need to bend over. If you want, you can use the terminal inside to select what food you want, as well as clothing, and Rebecca will sort it all out in the replicator."

Kaleigh nodded and hustled her charge into the cabin. The door slid shut behind them.

Once inside, Kae got Daphne into the refresher. Ten minutes later both had showered and changed and Kae opened the door.

Outside, as promised, was the tray of food, plus several articles of clothing that they had requested.

Kae picked up the tray and carried it into the small cabin and set Daphne to eating while she collected the clothes.

20 minutes later, dressed in jeans and tee shirt and wearing thick socks on her feet, Kaleigh entered the small passenger section of the ship with the tray in hands.

"Hello, Ma'am," a woman's face appeared on the door control screen to their room. "Was everything satisfactory?"

"Yes thank you. I am called Kaleigh" She didn't want to be called Ma'am."I came to return the tray, can you tell me where it goes?"

The image gave her a friendly grin. "Kaleigh it is then. You can call me Rebecca. I am the AI for Master's ship. If you ever need anything, all you need to ask aloud. As for the tray, you can return it to the replicator unit, located on the aft bulkhead of the cockpit."

"Thank you Rebecca." Kaleigh said softly, and headed to the cockpit, she paused just inside the door. Not wanting to annoy the man who owned the runabout.

Even if he wasn't paying attention, with his enhanced hearing, Micheal heard Kaleigh moving quietly behind him. Without turning, he asked, "Are you two comfortable? If not, I'll give you my cabin and I'll take the guest cabin."

"The cabin is fine. And way better than we are used to." Kaleigh said. She put the tray in the replicator and set it recycle. "The rebels had us in a small cabin with only one bed. Its nice to have a bed without Daphne kicking me out."

At the mention of the rebels, Micheal growled softly. "They...they didn't...do anything to either of you, did they? Them or the Alliance?"

"Daphne is worth more to the rebels alive than in any other way. They were Rebels, they were against the Alliance. As for me... nothing I could not handle, I am a member of the Terran Navy. The Ocampa were more of a concern. I heard something about experiments, and I am not sure they would have had the same restraint as the Rebels." She hedged about what happened to her.

Micheal didn't need her to spell it out for him. He had heard too many stories about how Imperial Naval personnel, especially officers, were treated, if they were captured by Alliance forces. It all made him more agreeable that every member of the Alliance should be killed. While the Empire certainly had its faults, it's prisoners, when taken, were not raped. Beaten, yes, executed, certainly. But that crime, no. At least, it had never happened in Micheal's presence.

Turning his seat around to face Kaleigh, he pointed to one of the pullout folding seats on the port side of the cockpit. "Please, have a seat," he asked quietly.

Kae took the seat and looked out at the stars. "Daph is asleep. She has not slept well of late. Understandably. How long have you been here?"

"Here? In Delta? About a year now. I found an unstable wormhole back to our galaxy, not knowing it would drop me here. You and Daphne are the first Terrans that I've seen and spoke to for almost two years now."

"Do-o you think there are more of us out here?" Kae asked softly.

He shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know. I've spent the past ten months looking for a shortcut home. While I'm happy that I was able to save you two, I can't promise that we'll ever see home again." He seemed as if he had let them both down. "Forgive me, if I seem off at times. I've been by myself for a long time. I've only had Rebecca to keep me company."

At that moment, Rebecca made her presence seen. She appeared next to Micheal looking down at him. "I know you have missed real companionship, Master. I have tried to fulfill my programming."

"You have, Rebecca," Micheal said softly. "It's just different with real, flesh and blood people on the ship."

"We have not seen home in 5 years Mr Robertson. I know Daphne has no memory of Terra and mine, well, I joined the Navy for a reason."

"Please, call me Micheal." He gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry. Compared to what you two have been through, my troubles are ridiculous. I may have been trapped in another galaxy, had most of my body replaced, but, I wasn't a prisoner or had...what happened to you. I'm sorry." His right eye drifted down to the deck, while the light of his left dimmed some.

"You didn't do it to me." Kaleigh stated. "And those that did are probably dead. I can live with that. And Daphne being safe is worth a lot to me"

He looked at her. "I know you don't know me from Adam, and my word doesn't mean anything yet. However, I give you my word, I will give my life to keep you both safe. I will also keep looking for a way to get us home as soon as possible."

Kaleigh nodded. "I will assist you with that."

Micheal nodded slowly. "Three heads are better than one." Hetilted his head towards Rebecca as he spoke. "Rebecca is constantly searching with her long range sensors for anything that might help."

"I have intelligence training, while not officer level, i was trained in gathering and such, analysis etc." Kaleigh said softly. "Been a few years but i still remember the training. "

"You're hired," he said with a soft smile. "I was a Marine Sniper by trade, before becoming a blood hound for my Admiral."

Kaleigh smiled at that. "Well marines are in short supply around here i am guessing, how have you been surviving here?"

He chuckled softly. "It's been difficult, at times. Especially since I entered Ocampan space. They are vile beings. From the bits and pieces that I've picked up the last few months, they used to be the dominant race in this area of space. Then some kind of natural disaster struck their homeworld a few hundred years ago. Now, they've turned savage, preying on other species, looking for some way to revitalize their empire." He shook his head slowly. "They are a race to avoid at all costs. I'm glad I was able to save you and Daphne."

"We were lucky. There were others there i think. I think i saw other Terrans or Betazoids."

He frowned, then shook his head. "If we had a bigger, more powerful ship, then I'd say we go back for them. However, I'm not going to risk either of you by going back there in my ship." The thought of leaving fellow Terrans and loyal Betazoids in the maniacal clutches of the Ocampa turned his stomach. Unfortunately, there was only so much he could do with his runabout. "We won't forget about them. If we are able to, somehow, get our hands on a starship, tben we will go back, I promise you."

Kae nodded "ok..." she agreed believing him.

He smiled softly, his artificial eye twinkling slightly. "You should get some sleep. I promise, should anything happen, I'll have Rebecca wake you up." He looked over at the chono and added. "Besides, it's getting late. I'm probably only gonna be up for another hour or two, then I'm hitting the sack myself. Before I do, though, I'll find us a hiding place for the night."

"Ok, well let me know if you require any help." Kaleigh said. "I want to help"

He nodded and grinned slightly. "Of course. We are a team now, after all. From this moment forward, no decision shall be made, without us both agreeing to it. Deal?"

Kae nodded "Deal." she said softly as she stood.

~OFF~