Three Worlds Part I

Posted on 17 Jan 2018 @ 5:57am by Lieutenant Junior Grade Jack Elliott (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR, Bre'el Dip. Msn.)

Mission: He ho'omaka hou 'ana - A New Beginning
Location: Cardassian Space Quinor V
Timeline: August 18, 2385

Beneath his boots the brittle ground broke into more pieces, blown by the arid winds, tumbling particles, mixing them back together with the barren wasteland that lay dry as a bone. His uniform did little to shield him from the ache burning through his pale skin or protect him from the thirsty sun wanting to drink him dry. Fields lay fallow, black pleats against the bright hues of white and blue skies waiting for the tears of the heavens to fill her furrows. Jack licked his cracked lips and swallowed more of the hot air making his throat sore as he raised his hand to shield his eyes. In this vastness, this expanse of space, there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. Some say they found god in places like this, or clarity, each with a different story. Mirages more likely, delusions caused by lack of water. Desolation no amount of prayer would ever restore fertility. No, nothing remained except a hollowed out carcass. And these people. 


"Starfleet! Starfleet!" 


Less the words and more the fluctuation not hiding the panic in the woman's voice roused Jack from his minds wondering. She was panicked. Her words came in a slew of mixed Bajoran, Cardassian and Standard and words unknown to the universal translator. He had seen her before in the same dirty rags, breath heavy and foul from rotting teeth and a daunting look in her eyes of broken dreams from a belly full of nothing but hunger. Jack listened closely, piecing together words of mixed languages, following with his eyes to her points of frantic to the other side of the hill. Nodding he understood, Jack placed both his hands on the woman's shoulder, giving her a small amount of reassurance before running at full speed towards the hilltop. Ignoring the searing pain as too much of blistering air filled his lungs, he let out a silent prayer to non existing gods, goddesses or prophets that he would not be too late. 


As he reached the summit, Jack paused for a moment and looked across the cracked and scotched field, seeing the child, alive, sitting and not moving. Nine meters in a straight line, give or take, looking at space between them in two dimensions. Somehow the child had managed to outwit the circle of fencing that had been placed around this area. This was one of a handful of places where mines and armaments had not been removed yet. Security measures had apparently not been enough to keep a toddler out, seemed highly unlikely. Placing his comm badge, tricoder and phaser on the ground, he offered another prayer for a third dimension. No help came from the gods or prophets. Just this one man, in this one space and moment of time. And one wrong step would be his and the child's last blown to the sky like a solar flare. Opening the gate with his security code, and breathed what he thought would his last.* Damn the Cardassians*  


These people had suffered and endured so much and had precious little. Children, the most precious of all,  were the one thing that gave them hope and fulfilled expectations. In the few days since he had arrived here, that he had learned. "Alright prophets. I don't know you and you don't know me.But  I am going to need your help here since I can't use my science. And just between you and me, I am glad for the heat, cause I am scared and if I make it back, at least my trousers will be dry." 


Like a faint touch, Jack felt a peace envelop him as he took his first step, then another. He could see lit footsteps ahead of him, or merges from the beating sun, guiding each step he took. Joy overtook his mind, as he understood the path ahead of him and the pattern emerged clearly. Or his brain was luring him to a deceptive death. Nine meters became five, then three and without realising it, the child was in his arms, crying and dirty. As he crossed the field back towards the gate, he was unsure if it was the divine intervention of some faceless prophet or shear blind luck, but he felt assured somehow, he would survive. Faith was that point in the middle, between certain and uncertain. Closing the gate firmly behind him, he felt a pair of hands reaching for and removing the child from his arms, and heard the cry's of relief from the woman. 


"Ensign Elliott, Commander Marek wants to see you back at ops right away."


...........................................


Trousers dry, thank the prophets or the sun for that small favour, Jack entered the make shift headquarters of operations. He spotted Commander Marek, two Cardassian males and one Bajoran female huddled together in the centre of the room. His eyes flickered briefly as the focused on the Cardassians and then back to his commanding officer. "You wanted to see me Commander?"


"Ensign Elliott. I hear you are either the luckiest son of a gun or a fool." Commander Marek said turning to the young Ensign. 


"Or both," the female Bajoran chimed in. Prophets be.....why did he keep thinking about prophets....she was the most beautiful woman he had encountered in the entire quadrant. Granted, he had only been on remote rocks like this one. Her eyes were dark and tense. Jack wasn't sure if he should look away or if he never wanted to look away. Tense and laughing at him in the same glance. "Either way, Bajor owes you gratitude, Mr. Elliott."


"Perhaps. But for now, let me introduce you, to Lt. Nuji from the Bajoran taskforce and Kamar Jale and Relloc Moro from the Cardassian taskforce. Starfleet has been asked to link up with and assist both the Bajorans and Cardassians taskforce groups established to locate and handle these situations left from the occupation," Commander Merek said as he poured a glass of water and handed it to Jack. He was being vague, trying to downplay the mess the Cradassians had left behind. Jack and Merek both knew the Cardassians had not been forthcoming with information of their old labour colonies and ammunition sites. " Moving forward, we all feel it is a better way of using resources for a quicker result if we all work together. And since, Mr. Elliott, you are fluent in all relevant languages and so good with children, I am going to be leaving you here to represent Starfleet in this taskforce operation on Quinor V. Should take about two months then we will get you to Bajor to finish up your training. Sound good?"

Two months on this hot rock? Was he kidding?

"Sir, Commander. I, uh, I am not uh, good with kids. I don't know anything about kids, " Jack said fumbling for words. 


"Ah don't count yourself short, son. You did good work here today and over the last few days. These people trust you and they are going to need you to help make the transition back to Bajor," Merek slapped Jack on the back and pointed towards the door. "Lt. Nuji has some things she need to feel you in on at the settlement."


"We look forward to working with you to solve this most unpleasant situation, Ensign Elliott," Kamar Jale said smiling while his counterpart remained silent. The other male Cardassian didn't smile and his facial expression was difficult to read. "Perhaps after Lt. Nuji gets you up to speed.....and you have a chance to refresh yourself, we can have evening meal together and get started so we may all return home as soon as possible."


"Yes, I, look forward to working with all of you," Jack answered not feeling sure about his abilities to carry out this assignment. He was a tactical officer. And he had specialised training in counter intelligence. Merek had more in mind than Jack helping a handful of survivors. Commander Merek didn't betray anything he was thinking either. Cardassians and Starfleet both seemed to have their own agendas. Spying, intel officers, counter intelligence.....the games we play, Jack thought still smiling. And what was the Bajoran's role or game?  Turning his attention to Lt. Nuji, he was lost for words and waited for her to speak first. 


The Bajoran walked past Jack giving him a smirk and out the door. He followed like a puppy who had been given a treat and then scolded. When he stepped out, she was leaning against another of the headquarters make shift buildings, one  foot propped up against it's wall. Jack's heart did a double beat as his eyes passed over her quickly from toe to head, pausing briefly on those dark eyes again, then looking away as the heat rose to his cheeks turning them a light pink. She watched him watching her and her smirk widen. 


"Shall we go Lt. Nuji or are you going to hold that wall up all day?" Jack said looking anywhere but at her. 


"If we are going to be working closely together for the next two or three months, Jack Elliott, then call me Krihe. A word of advice, Jack Elliott, you need to work harder on keeping how you feel about the Cardassians off your face and out of your eyes," Krihe said as she moved off the wall and in front of him. "One thing I have learned is you shouldn't judge a whole species by the actions of others. Take your species for example. Until today, I thought all human males were ugly."


She was teasing him. And he kind of like it. Maybe two months on this rock wouldn't be so miserable after all. 


"Come Jack Elliott. We have a lot of work to do, and the prophets willing, we can get it done on time and get the hell off this rock, back to Bajor and a real bath." 


Prophets? Jack rolled his eyes and followed Krihe. 


End Part I