"Foreshadow"
By RitzBitz Chapter 1
"Huh."
Ensign Hoshi Sato's voice came across the nearly deserted bridge of the Enterprise. It was night shift, and the only reason Hoshi was on the bridge at this late hour was to make up for time taken on her birthday.
"What is it, Ensign?" Commander Arkin's tone was one of indifference. Hoshi could tell he was tired. Hell, it was 2:15 in the morning, who wouldn't be?
"I'm picking up an interesting sub-space signal, sir," she relayed. "It seems to be coming from a ship, about two light-years away. I think it's a distress call."
Commander Arkin walked over to the science station and scanned for life forms. "I'm not reading any bio-signs", he told Hoshi. "Maybe I should inform the Captain. Can you tell what the message says?"
"It's pretty difficult to tell. But, I'm getting the impression there was a huge fight, and an overpowering enemy. If you will, sir, I'd like more time to find out what it says before we inform the Captain." She didn't want to drag him out of bed and have this turn out to be nothing.
"Proceed, Ensign."
* * *
"Come inside, children!" A shrill voice echoed throughout the courtyard. Mistress Kolir called the children inside at dinnertime everyday, but today a cold rain had started to fall, and the sky had darkened very quickly, so she called them in early. She looked up at the black clouds and shivered, hurrying the children again.
At the Institute for troubled children where she worked, Mistress Kolir was in charge of the children under the age of 10 years. She watched passively as the 21 in her care all came scurrying across the pebbled courtyard to the large double doors that led inside. For the most part, the children here had undergone some tragedy, and had been deemed unfit by the government to stay in the public schools on Garel, her planet. She cared for each of them dearly, and worried about them all. Especially her two newest students.
Mattaya and Neera hung to the back of the crowd going inside. They had come the Institute about a fortnight before, and still kept to themselves for the most part.
"Hurry up, Matt! I want to get a good seat in the banquet hall!" Mattaya's younger sister was only 4, but she had already mastered their language and refused to keep quiet, like he told her. Now the teachers in the Institute had deemed her "a genius".
"I'm coming," grumbled the sullen 10 year old. He himself would be also labeled as such if he wasn't careful. They had to keep a low profile.
The two children hurried after their counterparts into the Hall and out to the washrooms. When dinner was ready, the 143 students and teachers all sat down to eat. Mattaya and Neera sat by themselves at the end of one of the long tables, talking in hushed voices.
"Tonight we leave," Matt told his sister. "Jeral and Hinus are coming, too."
"I don't want to go!" Matt shoved his hand over her mouth, which she proceeded to lick.
"Ew, Nee!" He wiped his hand on his tunic. "You have to keep it down! You want us to get caught?" She shook her head. "Then hush. We have to go tonight, something big is going to happen, it's the perfect distraction. Make sure you have what you need ready to go."
"What about the birds? Can we take them?"
"We'll take some. I'll contact you over the communicator; you had better be ready!" He stood and carried his dish over to be cleaned, and then headed out to his dorm with the rest of the students. Dinner was over.
* * *
"Well, Ensign?" Captain Archer was on duty now, and he took the PADD from Hoshi. She had stayed after her shift was up to completely decode the message.
"As far as I can tell, sir, it's a distress call. Apparently the engines were knocked out by enemy fire, then the ship was boarded. They were overpowered." She paused a bit, then resumed, "The transmission says something like, 'we cannot fight a god', if that makes any sense. I have the coordinates ready, sir."
"Do we know anything about this race? Do we know who they are?"
"Yes, sir. They are called the 'Garelians'. I have no name for the enemy they fought other than how the Garelians referred to them; Ekon."
T'Pol looked up at the Ensign. "In Vulcan, 'Ekon' refers to a god or deity." Hoshi nodded; she knew that and found it very interesting that the words were the same in both languages.
Archer read over the PADD again, and looked up at Hoshi. "Give the coordinates to Travis, Hoshi." She nodded and sent the coordinates to the helm. They were underway in less than five minutes.
* * *
"C'mon!" Mattaya's urgent whisper fell on the ears of the three other runaway students. They were entering a dark tunnel leading out of the school. Jeral, Hinus, Neera, and Mattaya were each carrying a bird cage; they collectively had rescued about a dozen of the birds from the Aviary. At the Institute, the birds were used to indicate to miners whether or not poisonous gases had leaked into the mines. Neera was appalled by this thought, and had convinced Mattaya to let her rescue some.
Outside, the sky was black as pitch, and the children turned on the flashlights attached on their arms. Mattaya gestured that they should head left. They ran until they reached the perimeter fence, designed to keep trespassers out, not runaways in. Once through the fence, the children headed for the mines beyond the river. They were breathing heavily by the time they reached their hideout.
"How is it we didn't get caught," asked Jeral as he took out a blanket and wrapped himself up. The 8-year-old was very thin and always cold. He and Hinus were the only friends Matt and Nee had made at the school.
"I heard the adults talking about an accident on one of the mining transports in space. They kept saying 'we're next', stuff like that. Then today at morning exercises, I heard Master Kopek say 'it's tonight, then.' I knew we could escape if everyone was distracted, which you have to admit, they have been."
Neera, Jeral, and Hinus all nodded. Suddenly there were explosions in the distance. It sounded as if the world was coming apart. The children crowded around the mine entrance and gasped in horror.
* * *
Captain Archer, Hoshi, T'Pol, and Malcolm Reed all had to stay in Decon for little over an hour. When Dr. Phlox was certain they were free of any contaminants, they gathered with the Trip and Travis in the Situation Room.
"Malcolm, will you put in the data file we found on the ship?"
"Aye, sir." The Lieutenant inserted the data file and on the screen came a map of the surrounding space. "Here's what we know so far. This ship was a hauler, shipping minerals from a planet called Garel. The vessel was intercepted by another ship that disabled their engines, life support, and weapons. Before they could take offensive action, the ship was boarded, and all crew members, we assume, were taken aboard the other craft."
"Could they be alive still?" Trip directed his question at the Captain, who looked at T'Pol.
"It is logical to assume that that is correct; otherwise, why take the crew aboard?"
"It could be they were trying to cover something up, if the Garelians are dead. Perhaps they took the crew to hide how they died." This came from Travis.
There was a silence.
"We can't know until we investigate. Malcolm has recovered a map, apparently of the home planet Garel. We'll set our course for it, Travis."
"Aye, sir." With that, the senior officers went back to their stations, and the Captain ushered T'Pol into the ready room.
Archer sat down at his desk to send a message to Starfleet. He looked up at T'Pol, who was standing, but took a seat when the Captain gestured. They sat in silence for a few moments waiting for Archer's transmission to connect to Admiral Forest.
"Do you really think they're still alive?" Archer asked her quietly.
"It is possible, Captain. Although Ensign Mayweather does have a point, it is far more likely the Garelians have been taken alive." She paused. "Captain, I am not entirely sure what you plan to do."
He regarded her for a moment. "I'm not either, T'Pol." He shook his head. "I'm not either."
* * *
Captain Archer sat in his chair, watching the view screen. It had been nearly a week since Hoshi had detected the Garel transmission. It had taken that long to convince the Admiral, not to mention the Vulcans, to carry on with the mission. The planet Garel was in range, but so far no one was responding to any hails.
"Captain, I am reading buildings and structures as if this planet was inhabited, but very few bio-signs. It is as if Garel has been abandoned." T'Pol looked at him and he knew she wanted to go with him to the planet.
"Very well, Sub-Commander. Trip, you have the bridge. T'Pol you're with me. Let's find out what happened down there." They headed into the turbo-lift, and then to the shuttle bay.
"T'Pol, how many life signs did you detect?"
"Four."
"Let's go find them."
By RitzBitz Chapter 1
"Huh."
Ensign Hoshi Sato's voice came across the nearly deserted bridge of the Enterprise. It was night shift, and the only reason Hoshi was on the bridge at this late hour was to make up for time taken on her birthday.
"What is it, Ensign?" Commander Arkin's tone was one of indifference. Hoshi could tell he was tired. Hell, it was 2:15 in the morning, who wouldn't be?
"I'm picking up an interesting sub-space signal, sir," she relayed. "It seems to be coming from a ship, about two light-years away. I think it's a distress call."
Commander Arkin walked over to the science station and scanned for life forms. "I'm not reading any bio-signs", he told Hoshi. "Maybe I should inform the Captain. Can you tell what the message says?"
"It's pretty difficult to tell. But, I'm getting the impression there was a huge fight, and an overpowering enemy. If you will, sir, I'd like more time to find out what it says before we inform the Captain." She didn't want to drag him out of bed and have this turn out to be nothing.
"Proceed, Ensign."
* * *
"Come inside, children!" A shrill voice echoed throughout the courtyard. Mistress Kolir called the children inside at dinnertime everyday, but today a cold rain had started to fall, and the sky had darkened very quickly, so she called them in early. She looked up at the black clouds and shivered, hurrying the children again.
At the Institute for troubled children where she worked, Mistress Kolir was in charge of the children under the age of 10 years. She watched passively as the 21 in her care all came scurrying across the pebbled courtyard to the large double doors that led inside. For the most part, the children here had undergone some tragedy, and had been deemed unfit by the government to stay in the public schools on Garel, her planet. She cared for each of them dearly, and worried about them all. Especially her two newest students.
Mattaya and Neera hung to the back of the crowd going inside. They had come the Institute about a fortnight before, and still kept to themselves for the most part.
"Hurry up, Matt! I want to get a good seat in the banquet hall!" Mattaya's younger sister was only 4, but she had already mastered their language and refused to keep quiet, like he told her. Now the teachers in the Institute had deemed her "a genius".
"I'm coming," grumbled the sullen 10 year old. He himself would be also labeled as such if he wasn't careful. They had to keep a low profile.
The two children hurried after their counterparts into the Hall and out to the washrooms. When dinner was ready, the 143 students and teachers all sat down to eat. Mattaya and Neera sat by themselves at the end of one of the long tables, talking in hushed voices.
"Tonight we leave," Matt told his sister. "Jeral and Hinus are coming, too."
"I don't want to go!" Matt shoved his hand over her mouth, which she proceeded to lick.
"Ew, Nee!" He wiped his hand on his tunic. "You have to keep it down! You want us to get caught?" She shook her head. "Then hush. We have to go tonight, something big is going to happen, it's the perfect distraction. Make sure you have what you need ready to go."
"What about the birds? Can we take them?"
"We'll take some. I'll contact you over the communicator; you had better be ready!" He stood and carried his dish over to be cleaned, and then headed out to his dorm with the rest of the students. Dinner was over.
* * *
"Well, Ensign?" Captain Archer was on duty now, and he took the PADD from Hoshi. She had stayed after her shift was up to completely decode the message.
"As far as I can tell, sir, it's a distress call. Apparently the engines were knocked out by enemy fire, then the ship was boarded. They were overpowered." She paused a bit, then resumed, "The transmission says something like, 'we cannot fight a god', if that makes any sense. I have the coordinates ready, sir."
"Do we know anything about this race? Do we know who they are?"
"Yes, sir. They are called the 'Garelians'. I have no name for the enemy they fought other than how the Garelians referred to them; Ekon."
T'Pol looked up at the Ensign. "In Vulcan, 'Ekon' refers to a god or deity." Hoshi nodded; she knew that and found it very interesting that the words were the same in both languages.
Archer read over the PADD again, and looked up at Hoshi. "Give the coordinates to Travis, Hoshi." She nodded and sent the coordinates to the helm. They were underway in less than five minutes.
* * *
"C'mon!" Mattaya's urgent whisper fell on the ears of the three other runaway students. They were entering a dark tunnel leading out of the school. Jeral, Hinus, Neera, and Mattaya were each carrying a bird cage; they collectively had rescued about a dozen of the birds from the Aviary. At the Institute, the birds were used to indicate to miners whether or not poisonous gases had leaked into the mines. Neera was appalled by this thought, and had convinced Mattaya to let her rescue some.
Outside, the sky was black as pitch, and the children turned on the flashlights attached on their arms. Mattaya gestured that they should head left. They ran until they reached the perimeter fence, designed to keep trespassers out, not runaways in. Once through the fence, the children headed for the mines beyond the river. They were breathing heavily by the time they reached their hideout.
"How is it we didn't get caught," asked Jeral as he took out a blanket and wrapped himself up. The 8-year-old was very thin and always cold. He and Hinus were the only friends Matt and Nee had made at the school.
"I heard the adults talking about an accident on one of the mining transports in space. They kept saying 'we're next', stuff like that. Then today at morning exercises, I heard Master Kopek say 'it's tonight, then.' I knew we could escape if everyone was distracted, which you have to admit, they have been."
Neera, Jeral, and Hinus all nodded. Suddenly there were explosions in the distance. It sounded as if the world was coming apart. The children crowded around the mine entrance and gasped in horror.
* * *
Captain Archer, Hoshi, T'Pol, and Malcolm Reed all had to stay in Decon for little over an hour. When Dr. Phlox was certain they were free of any contaminants, they gathered with the Trip and Travis in the Situation Room.
"Malcolm, will you put in the data file we found on the ship?"
"Aye, sir." The Lieutenant inserted the data file and on the screen came a map of the surrounding space. "Here's what we know so far. This ship was a hauler, shipping minerals from a planet called Garel. The vessel was intercepted by another ship that disabled their engines, life support, and weapons. Before they could take offensive action, the ship was boarded, and all crew members, we assume, were taken aboard the other craft."
"Could they be alive still?" Trip directed his question at the Captain, who looked at T'Pol.
"It is logical to assume that that is correct; otherwise, why take the crew aboard?"
"It could be they were trying to cover something up, if the Garelians are dead. Perhaps they took the crew to hide how they died." This came from Travis.
There was a silence.
"We can't know until we investigate. Malcolm has recovered a map, apparently of the home planet Garel. We'll set our course for it, Travis."
"Aye, sir." With that, the senior officers went back to their stations, and the Captain ushered T'Pol into the ready room.
Archer sat down at his desk to send a message to Starfleet. He looked up at T'Pol, who was standing, but took a seat when the Captain gestured. They sat in silence for a few moments waiting for Archer's transmission to connect to Admiral Forest.
"Do you really think they're still alive?" Archer asked her quietly.
"It is possible, Captain. Although Ensign Mayweather does have a point, it is far more likely the Garelians have been taken alive." She paused. "Captain, I am not entirely sure what you plan to do."
He regarded her for a moment. "I'm not either, T'Pol." He shook his head. "I'm not either."
* * *
Captain Archer sat in his chair, watching the view screen. It had been nearly a week since Hoshi had detected the Garel transmission. It had taken that long to convince the Admiral, not to mention the Vulcans, to carry on with the mission. The planet Garel was in range, but so far no one was responding to any hails.
"Captain, I am reading buildings and structures as if this planet was inhabited, but very few bio-signs. It is as if Garel has been abandoned." T'Pol looked at him and he knew she wanted to go with him to the planet.
"Very well, Sub-Commander. Trip, you have the bridge. T'Pol you're with me. Let's find out what happened down there." They headed into the turbo-lift, and then to the shuttle bay.
"T'Pol, how many life signs did you detect?"
"Four."
"Let's go find them."