The Emerald City (part 5)

Posted on Fri Oct 11, 2019 @ 8:15am by Lieutenant Alanna Wells & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant Jason Haines & Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Lieutenant Commander River Morgan & Ensign Jessica Mayhew & Ensign Tizo Criteser

1,186 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Elsewhere
Timeline: MD 8, 2200 Hrs

Previously in The Emerald City (part 4)

Alanna turned to Denegal. "I'll help you, but I need to do something first. There is one thing you can do to undo part of what you created, and it doesn't involve suicide."

And now, the continuation

[Outside]

Brianthe turned to the others. "Alanna wants us to go inside. She says it’s safe." She nodded to the guards. "Bring them."

It wasn't hard to find where Alanna stood with the Borg.

"Hi, everyone. I would like you to meet Denegal. He's the one they claim is the prophet, but he hasn't been their leader in a while."

"Hi," Brianthe said hesitantly. She looked at Alanna.

"Denegal told the people to leave here. Whoever is keeping them together and following the prophet is doing it on his own." She turned to the Borg.

"I cannot speak truth to that," Denegal said. "As I said, it has been a long time since I told the people to leave. Some I imagine were children when I did. And as I told your friend, reality is fluid here. I am uncertain when there are people truly here. I could have told them and then it was forgotten in time. All I can speak truth to is that I need to die and can't do it myself."

River drew in a deep breath. This was dodgy ground for a doctor, but then again, she was thinking that if a sentient being had suffered for hundreds more years than nature intended for his species, and who was in pain, surviving only due to the intervention of automation, had a lucid and genuine desire to find peace at last, then it needed to be at least considered for the pros and cons.

His statement of his calm and reasonable, thought-out, and considered wishes left her very little doubt as to whether she could be in violation of her vow to do no harm by granting his wish to be allowed to die finally, as opposed to leaving him to do so at the whim of his declining power source for an uncertain amount of time, forcing him to endure a worsening predicament until the inevitable damage finally cut in. It would probably not be such a long time into the future when it finally happened, but then he'd been many years contemplating its final approach and regretting his mistakes in solitude. She watched him more in sadness than judgement. She was dedicated to preventing suffering. This was a difficult one, and it wrenched all the more painfully when she flashed back to her own past mistakes and the people who had died as a result of those.

Her mind broiled back and forth as she got more and more sucked into comparing herself with him and empathising with his pain, physical and emotional. She decided to let Alanna do what she had to, and then, if they were going to leave Denegal here, she would watch for her moment to make amends for Harrison and the others.

Alanna watched the doctor, feeling only a small part of the other woman's emotions. She gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

River was brought back to the present situation as her own thoughts centred at Alanna's gentle touch. "Thanks," she murmured very softly, appreciating the empathy, but still feeling she didn't deserve any kindness, considering the flashbacks of her own past that she had just been seeing in her mind.

Then Alanna turned to the Borg. "Denegal, I forgive you. I know you aren't who you were when you crashed here. I can't imagine what you've been through over the past three hundred years, but I can feel who you are now. You deserve forgiveness, and you deserve peace." She could forgive him, knowing that he'd done some terrible things in his effort to get back to the Collective. He wasn't himself then. The person he was now had suffered for the sins of his Borg self. He deserved rest for that at least.

River shivered unnoticeably to anyone looking at her, other than the goosebumps that rose on her forearms. She wondered if Alanna -- or anyone, for that matter -- would be so ready to offer her forgiveness if they ever found out what only she herself knew.

"Although I recognize and appreciate the sentiment of your words," Denegal replied, "you can not grant me that forgiveness. Only those that I have wronged can, and there are too many for that. I doubt peace will be found in the afterlife, for my sins are too great. Please, just grant me death."

"I'm not the judge of that," Alanna said. "But I can see you've suffered. There is one thing you can do. Tell me how I can stop those who are hurting others in your name from coming here and using the technology after you're gone. I don't want to destroy the cube, but I want to destroy the technology inside it."

"I have not made any tools for them in years," Denegal replied. "And they were too primitive to learn to read the Borg coding that is used on the ship. I will set an overload for you, and all you have to do is push a button and leave. I will set a timer for one minute. Is that sufficient time for you to get out?"

"If the others are out, yes," Alanna said. "As long as I can push the button from just inside one of the entrances. Otherwise, I'll need five."

"Very well," Denegal replied. "Five minutes it is."

"Thank you," Alanna said. "I'm glad I met you, Denegal."

"Give me a few minutes. I'll meet you outside," Alanna said to the doctor.

She looked at the others. "You can stay here, help me, or meet us outside." Alanna wanted to be sure there was nothing usable on this ship when they left.

Jessica frowned. She didn’t like making deals with the Borg, but if they were going to end him, that was fine with her. It would protect the people of this planet. But what was Alanna planning? Just unplug it! She followed Alanna, though, not wanting to let any of the team out of her sight.

Yolanthe watched Alanna go. "I'll stay." She narrowed her eyes at the former drone. She wasn't sure if she trusted it, and she wouldn't leave the medicine woman alone. "If all else fails... kill it with fire."

"That will not be necessary," Denegal said, working at the terminal Alanna had accessed to set the overload and timer. "Once the cable is unplugged from me, I will only have approximately a minute's worth of power to sustain me."

To be continued...

Lieutenant (jg) Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer

Ensign Brianthe Oaxaca
Botanist

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights

Lieutenant Commander River Morgan
Acting Chief Medical Officer

Denegal "The Prophet"
APB Lieutenant JG Jason Haines

Ensign Tizo Criteser
Security Officer

Lieutenant Annora Tessaro
Chief Security Officer

Ensign Jessica Mayhew
Security Officer

 

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