Tasha studied the pair of raksi as she, and the rest of the away team, followed them down the hall. Their sleek, reptilian bodies were covered with fine scales in a variety of colors. The female was a dark blue, with hints of green and purple reflecting in the light. She wore green pants, and gold armbands wrapped around her upper arms. She wore no shirt, as she had no need to since reptiles didn't have breasts. A gold choker set with purple stones hung around her neck. And the small crests on her head were adorned with purple stones as well. The crests were what separated males from females. Females had smaller, more elegant crests, often adorned with jewels. The crests of the males were much larger, and spiked. The male leading them was stunning. His scales were ebon and edged with silver, making for a majestic look. He wore black pants and silver armbands. The spikes on his crest were silver and looked very sharp.
Tasha thought about how the away team was on this planet, called Sila, at Starfleet's request. The people of Sila had applied for Federation membership, and, since there was no other starship close, Starfleet had asked the Enterprise to send a team over to oversee the application. Riker had brought Tasha, Geordi and Worf along on this mission. Their first day was going extremely well – the raksi were a very pleasant race, and the planet was gorgeous. Since the Enterprise was in a neighboring solar system assisting with a peace conference, the away team would be spending several nights on Sila. Tasha was brought out of her thoughts as the raksi pair led them into a circular room and stopped.
The room was a library. Books filled a multitude of shelves lining the walls, and were strewn across various tables. Tasha scanned the room, noting that it was empty except for a small raksi female with a child on her hip. She stood with her back to the party, staring out the window. The child noticed them first, and pointed his tiny finger at them, making a soft sound. The woman turned. Tasha noticed that her crests were smaller than the other females she had seen, and no gems adorned her. "This is Kiaha, and her son Lak," said the male escorting them. "I wanted you to meet her, so you could see first hand the steps the rebels have taken against us."
One of the reasons Sila was applying for Federation membership was to be able to request aid in dealing with a large, growing group of rebels. Tasha wondered what this female had to do with the rebellion. The male, Slvark, continued his story. "Kiaha was kidnapped just over two years ago, when the rebels were just beginning to band up against us. They took her to their compound and threw her in a cell. Over the next week, the males had their way with her." Tasha shivered, pushing her own memories back. "At the end of the week, they let her go. She came home, and soon discovered she was pregnant. She was only 14 years old, just barely old enough to bear a child." Slvark continued talking, but Tasha didn't hear anymore. She was lost in her own past. Will noticed her distant look and gently touched her arm. "Tasha? Are you ok?" Will kept his voice down so he didn't attract the others attention. Tasha gave herself a mental shake, and forced a smile. "Fine sir, sorry, guess I'm a bit tired." Will didn't buy it but nodded. They both turned their attention back to Slvark. Tasha soon found herself watching Kiaha and her child out of the corner of her eye. The young girl was speaking softly to her child, and was rewarded by giggles from the boy. Tasha felt the sting of tears in her eyes and was glad that Deanna was not on this mission. She sensed Will watching her again. He reached over and placed his hand on her lower back. She trembled lightly at the effort of keeping her emotions in. "Tasha?" Will whispered, his voice full of concern. She shook her head slightly. "Not now Will," she whispered back, "please." She felt his fingers press into her back gently as acknowledgement.
Tasha said a silent thank you as Slvark finished his story and started out of the room. She gave one last glance towards Kiaha and Lak as she followed the rest of the team out of the door. The next couple hours were spent learning about the raksi way of life and getting a tour of the palace and its grounds. It was all very interesting, and Tasha soon found herself enjoying it. By the time they were being led to their quarters, Tasha had almost managed to forget about the girl and her child.
Slvark stopped outside of a large, open door. "Here are your quarters for the night," said Slvark, his voice like a silky hiss. "We assumed you would want to mate with your female tonight, so we didn't separate you," he stated. Tasha's jaw dropped and she sensed the amusement of the rest of the team. She turned to glare at each of them in turn. Geordi smartly didn't meet her gaze, while Worf just looked intrigued. Will grinned at her, and gave her a wink. Blushing, she turned away. She heard the raksi inquire if that was acceptable, and Will's reply that it was. The raksi showed Will a bell next to the door, instructing him to use it if there was anything they needed. Will thanked them and they left.
Tasha turned back to the men as the door closed. Riker tried to look serious as he swaggered towards her. She put her hands on her hips as he stopped a few feet in front of her. "So," he said, "wanna mate?" He managed not to smile, but he wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her. She busted out laughing. Grabbing a nearby pillow, she threw it at Will. He ducked and laughed. Geordi chuckled. Worf regarded them with a blank expression. "I thought it was a good idea," he said, his deep voice carrying over their laughter. Tasha stared at him, until she saw the tiniest of smiles turn up the corners of his mouth. She threw a pillow at him. He caught it, and it exploded, showering him with feathers. Worf growled while the rest of them dissolved into laughter.
They had just barely cleaned up the mess when several raksis entered with their dinner. They spread the dishes out on a table to the side. Slvark was there as well. Will asked him if there were any blankets available. "Blankets?" asked Slvark. "Ah, I forgot, you are not cold blooded like us. I will see what I can find for your comfort." Slvark left the room, the rest of the raksis following. Will hoped they didn't take long, he could already feel the cold creeping into the room. He caught Tasha rubbing her arms out of the corner of his eye. He turned to her. "You ok?" She nodded. "Just getting a tad chilly." He kept his gaze on her and she realized he was referring to earlier. She shivered, and swallowed before continuing. "I'm fine Will," she said softly, letting her voice and eyes tell him it wasn't something she could discuss there. He stared at her a moment and gave a tiny nod. "Well, let's eat," said Will. They moved over to the food. Fortunately, the native cuisine was close enough to what they were used to. They ate heartily, and sat chatting afterwards. Not too long after they finished eating, Slvark returned with some blankets for them. Will thanked him, and they went about setting up their bedding for the night. The raksis didn't use beds. Instead, they settled for piles of pillows and cushions on the floor.
Tasha picked out the plumpest looking set of pillows and settled down in the middle of them, glancing around as if to dare one of the men to comment. They smartly kept quiet. Will threw a couple of blankets her way and she wrapped them around herself, shivering slightly. She was reminded briefly of nights on the street of her home world. She shivered again, but not due to the cold this time. She quietly watched the men prepare their bedding. They were soon done, and all of them sat around chatting about Sila and the raksis. The planet and its people seemed like a promising group to join Starfleet, and the away team was definitely enjoying their time exploring the new planet.
The four of them settled down to sleep a few hours later. Tasha buried herself down into her pillows, tucking her blankets carefully around her body to keep her body heat in. Soon she was somewhat warmer and she drifted off into sleep. Hours later…
…A young Tasha huddled in the dark alleyway, hoping the men didn't see her. She shivered, her scant clothing not much protection against the chill of night that was creeping over the city. She had to find a place to spend the night, and soon. Watching the men wander off, she scampered out the other end of the alley and into a tunnel entrance nearby. She ran lightly down the tunnel, watching carefully for the piles of rubble that could trip her in the fading light. About half a mile in, she turned down a side path. She had spent the last few nights here. As she ducked into the niche she slept in, a pair of green eyes popped up from behind some rubble to regard her curiously. Tasha smiled as the orange tomcat crawled over the rubble to greet her with a soft meow. "No food today pal, I wasn't so lucky." She reached down to pet the cat, but as her fingertips brushed the top of his head, the cat dropped down into a crouch, and a low growl came from his throat. "Nice kitty," came a voice from behind Tasha. Her eyes widened and she bolted for her escape path
She didn't make it three steps before strong arms grabbed her. She fought back, scratching at the arms that held her, kicking wildly, until a slap to her face sent her to her knees. She started to scramble away, but one of the men pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. She yelled in fear and anger. Just last week she had watched what happened when another gang had cornered a girl her age. Tasha knew the same was about to happen to her. The man pinning her ripped the clothes off her body. Tasha struggled until he threatened to slice her throat open. Tasha went still, figuring it was better to be alive. She felt him between her legs, and then she cried out in pain as he pierced her, taking her virginity. After each of the five men had his way with her, they left her, huddled on the cold concrete floor. Tasha silently vowed her revenge as hot tears coursed down her cheeks.
Five weeks later, Tasha walked out of an alley, wiping her mouth with her hand. She had just pilfered a hot cheese biscuit from a merchant, only to throw it back up right after eating it. The same thing had happened the day before. She figured something was wrong with that merchant's supplies…
Three and a half months later, Tasha ran her hands nervously over her swollen stomach and instantly regretted it as the action pulled her shirt over her budding breasts and her nipples that were so sensitive they hurt at the slightest touch. "Yer pregnant, child," said the old woman that served as a source of medical knowledge to the colony.
Four and a half months later, Tasha was back at the old woman's. Sharp labor pains had her squatting on the floor as she waited. Finally the woman came over. Two other women came as well, and spread clean blankets out under Tasha. They took up position on either side of her, each taking an elbow to help her stay upright. The old woman gently rubbed Tasha's belly and felt between her legs. "The babe is in position, it won't be much longer." Minutes passed and then another wave of contractions hit Tasha. She gasped, and the women held her up. Soon the old woman was yelling at her to push. Tasha pushed. And pushed. And then, finally, she felt the baby slide out of her. The woman caught it, and gently laid it upon the blankets. Tasha looked down to see a baby boy, covered in her blood. He opened his eyes and looked up at his mother.
A year later, Tasha carried her boy on her hip as she ran from another gang group. Three men chased her through the streets and alleyways. She slipped into a tunnel entrance and hoped they didn't notice. The footsteps followed her, and she cursed. She prayed there were no mineshafts in this section as she ran almost blindly along. Suddenly a man stepped out in front of her, and she screamed. She almost succeeded in fighting him off when the others caught up behind her. One grabbed her babe from her arms. Separated from his mother, the child began to scream. The first man threw Tasha to the ground and she landed just inches from one of those bottomless shafts she had feared stepping into. He tore her clothes off and forced her legs open. As he began to rape her, Tasha looked over at her screaming baby. The man held him by one arm, dangling him over the ground. As he noticed Tasha watching him, he grinned and walked around to stand next to the mineshaft. Tasha's eyes widened as she realized what the man was going to do. He held her baby boy over the shaft and let go. Tasha screamed…