We're Not In Kansas Anymore - Part 3

Posted on Sat Jul 20, 2019 @ 11:00am by Civilian Jason Haines & Civilian 'Arrival' Avis Larant Ms & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant Alanna Wells & Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Lieutenant Commander River Morgan & Ensign Jessica Mayhew & Ensign Tizo Criteser & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca

1,486 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Not Kansas
Timeline: MD8, 2130

[ON]

Previously...

Freila led down the path, and after they all got on the trail the branches closed behind them. As they move forward, the canopy of the trees got thicker and it got darker. In an act of defiance, the leaves of the smaller trees and shrubs gave off a luminescence that combated the darkness and made it so they could see reasonably well, like when it turned dusk on a summer’s evening. There were numerous sounds in the forest, and they could see what seemed to be birds flitting here and there.

Alyssa was fascinated with the forest. It almost felt alive. She could even imagine the trees talking to each other. It reminded her of places she'd read about in fantasy stories.

Now the continuation...

“Legend says that in ancient times the goddess Aezra made the trees glow so that those of our people who lost their way could always find their way home,” Freila said. “It seems since the Falling, too many have lost their way and too few have found their way home.”

At that moment two individuals emerged from the forest. From a features point of view, they looked very much like Freila, except their ears were rounded. One, dressed in a grey tunic and simple kilt, looked old, his skin wrinkled, his eyes pale white, his remaining hair grey and wispy. The other dressed in a similar tunic, but black pants, looked much younger in contrast, his eyes brown, and hair short and black. They seemed like they might be males of the species, but it was hard to tell in the light. The older one leaned on a wood staff but held the arm of the other as well.

“Freila, you bring guests. Old ones at that,” the old man said. “Why is this?”

Avis would have been insulted except she was still mourning the death of Jason and not really with it.

Alanna was caught by the intriguing feeling of interconnected minds, like everyone was on a mental web that spread throughout the forest. It made her telepathic senses tingle.

“I was attacked by thugs of the Prophet,” Freila said. “My guests saved me from the Prophet’s men.”

The old man nodded. “Greetings to you all. I thank you for aiding my granddaughter.”

"Thank you for allowing us to come here," Alanna said. "We are honored."

Jessica nodded. “We bring a fallen comrade and have come a long way. If we could have someplace to rest and a bit of food and water, we would be most grateful,” she said. Half the day spent trekking across the wilderness had burned off the alcohol she drank at the poker party and what snacks she had eaten had hardly been a meal. She hoped her stomach wasn’t too loud. Jessica started to recall her survival training in case she would need to go trapping or hunting.

The old man nodded and said, "I am sorry for your loss. By all means, we will shelter you tonight."

With the help of the younger man he led them forward and the tree limbs seemed to move for him, revealing a trail. Following him, they came to a clearing that they could tell was large, but the light was just too dim to see how large. It seemed odd given how thick the forested area they just came from was.

The clearing seemed to house a village. As they started to pass small, circular dwellings, lights shone through the open window areas, smells of food wafted through the air, sounds of light, flute-like music reached their ears. After about five minutes more walking, they reached a dwelling that was slightly larger than the others.

"Asin," the old man said, "please go get Marisel. Ask him to bring the relic."

"Are you sure?" the younger man asked.

"Indeed," the old man said. "Freila is here, she can help me cook dinner."

The young man shook his head and left, looking at the group of travelers suspiciously.

The old man then said, "The accommodations will be cozy, I think is the word. You will unfortunately have to leave your friend outside. I have a blanket that you can cover him with."

Alanna looked down at Jason's body. "Will he be safe from wild animals?" She would stay outside and protect him if she had to.

"For the evening he will be," the old man said. "Before morning you will need to decide how you handle your friend's vessel."

Avis sighed. The body would be decomposing fast now. The only decent thing would be to give Jason a burial, hard as that was going to be. Still, it could maybe wait til the morning.

Alanna nodded. "I wish there was a way to bring him back." She fought back tears. "We'll decide...something." She knew they couldn't keep the body with them indefinitely. Jason was gone, and she'd have to deal with that fact. Later. Right now, she still couldn't process what happened.

Freila led them into the small home. The first thing they saw as they come in was a door across the small kitchen area. Hanging on the door was a stitching of the Vulcan IDIC symbol.

Alanna stopped and stared at the embroidered symbol. "What is that?" she asked Freila. Old ones. The old man called them the old ones. Could that possibly mean that this was a possible future reality?

Exhausted by the journey and her own physical weakness as a result of her injury, River had walked along, concentrating only on keeping up and staying conscious, as she felt dizzy and remote. However, at this new revelation, she too began to wonder why the Vulcan symbol was embroidered in such an old way over a primitive home, yet with some form of strange community linking and... could it be telepathy... like some Vulcans could...it swam in her cotton wool filled head and she gave up again, returning to just following along. What did it mean? She was too tired to work it out. She could only hope one of the others would make more sense of this.

Jessica stared at the IDIC symbol as well. What the hell? She noticed River wavering a bit and moved over to offer the doctor some support. “Take it easy, Doctor,” she murmured, helping her to a chair in the room. “Sit. Can we get some water?” Jessica asked. “Do you have any...medical supplies?” She glanced over to the others. “We need to check Jason for any technology before we leave him unattended, which I wouldn’t recommend anyway. We should take watches. But we need to consider the Prime Directive here,” she said, remembering her Academy training.

Yolanthe stayed with the body. This was way outside her wheelhouse. "What do we do with him?" she asked the others. "Bury? Burn? As I can dig, or lug wood, Whatever needs doing."

“Does he have family?” Jessica asked. “That might make a difference. Has he told anyone his wishes?” If they had a phaser, they could vaporize him, but they didn’t.

The Vulcan symbol intrigued Annora, but at the moment they had more pressing concerns.

"Unknown. It would all be in his file. Of course, we don't have access to that at present. During the war we carried ID tags on our persons at all times. That way if something happened, your basic info was readily available. However, I doubt he has anything like that on him. Burial is the most common practice but considering the circumstances cremation might be the way to go."

"Jason has a half-sister and a father," Alanna said quietly. "His father works for Starfleet." The woman might still be on the station, but Alanna didn't think she'd care if Jason died. "I don't know what his wishes are."

"I hate to point this out, but someone's going to have to make a decision," Yolanthe said to Alanna. "He's going to get ripe. He's already stiff."

The old man spoke up. "I respect that this is your friend. I would recommend you cremate him. The Prophet has a morbid fascination with the dead. We used to bury our dead or entomb them. The Prophet changed that."

Jason was much more than a friend, and she didn't want to be the one to make the decision, but it had to be made. "You're right. Cremation is better than letting the Prophet get him." She ran a hand across Jason's cheek, saying a silent goodbye.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

---

Various Aliens
Played By Lt.(jg) Jason Haines

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights

Ensign Tizo Criteser
Security Officer

Lieutenant Annora Tessaro
Chief Security Officer

Ensign Jessica Mayhew
Security Officer

Avis Larant
Investigative Journalist
DD5

Lieutenant JG Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space Five

Ensign Brianthe Oaxaca
Botanist
Deep Space Five

 

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