Star Trek PBEM Sim / Star Trek RPG
OUR STAR TREK PBEM STORIES: REMEMBRANCES PAST
Title: Remembrances Past, Part Ten
Location: Pandora's Box, CO's Stateroom
Flashback Setting (Emma): Takharesh X
Ensign Emma Peel promised the Intel Sector Chief that she would take care of
those that had helped them. He was very concerned about this that no one who had
helped and risked for them be left behind in the war zone unless that was their
choice. After ensuring the survivors of that group except for one family were
ready to escape the planet, she went to the rendezvous coordinates. She was to
meet her Chief, who was posing as Saldar the Beggar and the crown prince in a
safe house there.
She arrived at the prearranged coordinates and waited... and waited. When she
could wait no longer, she entered the caves trying to remember the route that
her Chief had showed her before and some good hiding places near the entrance.
Intel and Starfleet resources were stretched past the breaking point between the
war effort and evacuation. She had to go alone, but she knew she needed back up.
Before entering, Emma checked one last time for new reports and found out that
Village Tescahdehn had been taken over and a search of the area begun last
night. She flinched realizing that she might be too late to save them. She
delayed no longer and entered, grateful that her side of the caves did not have
bats, snakes or other creepy crawlies and that Saldar used to help protect his
exit and escape on the other side of this series of maze like tunnels. The
darkness and cramped spaces gave her much intrepidation as she squeezed herself
down the hole and landed. There was barely room to shift to begin crawling.
As Emma crawled, she recalled all the details of this part of the caves and the
warnings not to use her light too early into the caves as it could be easily
seen from outside if someone was watching.
A few hours later and finally with enough room to stand up and start running,
she felt an explosion hit the caves in the distance. A few minutes later she
heard another. This one was much nearer now. She momentarily lost her footing
and rushed on. As she turned the corner, she began coughing heavily. She could
see nothing but great invasive clouds of dust and the newly fallen rocks from
the collapsing cave ceiling in her way. She wrapped her scarf across her face
to filter out some of the dust.
Using her scanner she checked to see how deep the pile was and if there was a
chance of another path working out. She knew a big detour this close to the
rendezvous coordinates was to be avoided if possible. She did not want to miss
them.
The scanner told her something that surprised her. The readings showed three
life forms, a man and two children. She hurriedly began removing the rocks to
search for the people underneath. ~Perhaps they could tell me if they saw Saldar
and where he went with the prince?~ she thought.
It didn't take her long to find part of the tattered clothes of a beggar.
Minutes later, she was able to find the body and the blood stained head
covering. She gently worked it away, fearing the worse and found the face of her
friend and Chief. She brushed his cheek lovingly with her hand and his eyes
struggled to open.
"The children," he croaked out.
Emma stroked his cheek again but was too overwhelmed to talk and
concentrated all her efforts into action. She removed more rocks and
she found the two children alive and well. They were shielded and saved by him
when the explosions came.
The children were conscious so she talked to them as she got them out of the
rubble trying to be careful to not injure the Chief further.
When the children were freed, they immediately began to try and help her dig
Saldar out. The Prince told Emma to be careful of Saldar's foot that was injured
earlier and asked her careful questions to see what side she was on.
"Side?" she said with disdain. "There is no side here. Just facets of the same
corrupt heartless stone. The only side I am on is his side," she said pointing
to her friend. "Saldar's side," she started to weep unable to hold the tears
back any longer.
The Prince pointed to the girl with him. "That is the side we are on. We will
get him out," he said to reassure her as he began to come into his own and find
his strength.
There was nothing Emma wanted more than getting her friend out, but from her
earlier scans, no equipment and no other adult to help her, it didn't look
possible. She tried to stay positive and remembered a quote he used when told
the odds of a mission. "The impossible? That is what we do best," he used to say
with a wink in one eye and firm conviction shining out the other.
"Your foot?" she asked Saldar. Getting him out wasn't working but she kept
trying anyway.
"Good news. It doesn't hurt anymore," he replied weakly trying to
joke. "You need to leave now. They are coming for the Prince and
they don't want him alive. Take the necklace and give it to him
later."
Then he switched to a language that he thought the children should
not recognize. "Check me for tech. All Federation traces must be
removed and take the indigenous scanner and wristband. Read it all,
then destroy them. I want you to know what happened in case it
becomes important one day, but I can't risk this all falling into the
wrong hands. Trust no one."
Emma didn't believe he had any Federation technology, because he
was always extremely cautious and careful about that, but checked
what parts of him that weren't buried under rock to put his mind at
ease. "You are clean," she said back in the obscure language.
"Good, the erazine," he said.
"You remember the laws here," she protested. "If you take the drug to
wipe your memory then the farce that passes as a legal system here
considers it incontrovertible truth that you are guilty of whatever
they want you to be guilty of."
"Yup, that's why 'you' give me the shot," he said.
"But you won't even remember that," she protested, "and it's nasty
stuff. You don't know what type of long term problems this will cause
you, especially with that messed up experiment that..."
"Yup, I know but that's why you are going to do it," he said in a
raspy tone. There was now no doubt it was an order and not to be debated any
longer.
"Spacebarge, you are an idiot," she said.
"Yup, I know. But a live idiot is worth more than a dead smart man,"
he said rephrasing an ancient Earth proverb. "Emmie, it's only a
matter of time before they find some way to get the information out of
me. You know that. The training and the experiment will make it
harder and slow them down of course, but it's just a matter of
time. It always is. We know that. In the weakened condition I am now I don't
think I can buy you even enough time for you all to get off planet. Get out with
the kids now. Mahldemi's grabbing the throne. Starfleet's on the wrong side. Our
unit might be even set up to take the blame," he explained.
Emma said nothing. She knew that from the traitor Frye that this was true and
now had the proof.
"Don't give the Prince to his cousin as promised. Sneak him out. Don't
trust anyone. Get him and Jherrine to Madame Verelberg. Have her place
them somewhere good like we did the others. Tell everyone he died
getting out. That will make the cousin happy and hopefully call off
the search and stop blowing the mountain and the rest of the planet.
Tell no one about Jherrine. She'll tell you her story later. Be sure to place
her hand in Verelberg's when you do," the Chief ordered, making sure the custom
was kept for her custody and care.
"I will," she said forcing tears back getting out the injection
stick. She was sure now, there was no way she and the kids alone were going to
be able to remove enough rock to free him even if they had several days.
Reluctantly, she gave him the shot.
"If you live through this it won't go well for you," she reminded.
"No choice," he said. He didn't want to get all the operatives and allies in the
region killed or compromise any security issues in addition to his concerns
about the children and the Prince.
Saldar bit his lip as the erazine burned as it entered his body and coursed fire
through his veins. He wished he could get something for that pain and his ribs
but didn't want to waste anymore time. If all worked out well, he'd be taken for
a freelancer, a mercenary, with no ties to anyone except of course the losing
side as it would be assumed or contrived.
Emma grabbed his hand and he squeezed back to say, "Thanks". Then she saw him
pass out, let go, gave him a hug and kissed his head. "Bye, Spacebarge. I'll
come back for you. You have my word," she said
tearfully and full of conviction.
Then she left with the children as another explosion shook the caves
and showered down more rocks down on his position.
