Chief of Security Tasha Yar absentmindedly brushed back a lock of her blond hair as she frowned down at the communications display. "Captain," she began, her soft voice floating out over the bridge. Commander Riker fought back a yawn and glanced up at the lithe woman. He studied her, judging from her body and face that whatever had her attention was nothing of immediate threat, and therefore not much interest. He settled back into his chair as she continued. "Incoming message from Starfleet command sir, marked for your eyes only." Captain Jean-Luc Picard stood and straightened his uniform. "I'll take it in my ready room Lt." Riker turned in his chair to meet Tasha's eyes as Picard strode towards his ready room. She shrugged at him, tapping her fingers lightly on the edge of her console as she gave the Captain enough time to get situated before piping the message over. Once she believed enough time had passed, she quickly tapped a few keys, sending the message on.
Captain Picard had just settled into his chair when his console beeped. He smiled at his security chief's efficiency, and hit the button to open the message. Three minutes later, his smile was replaced with a scowl, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, worry filling his eyes.
Riker yawned and stretched. He glanced towards the ready room door, curious as to what was in the message. He looked up to see Tasha moving her fingers silently over her board. He grinned and stood, walking up the side ramp to come up behind her. She tried to look innocent, but couldn't hide the smile as she met his eyes. He raised one eyebrow as he crossed his arms. She rolled her eyes. "He only listened to it once. The message was only 3 minutes long, it's been 10 minutes now." She spoke softly, but excitement tinged her voice. For the last 5 weeks the Enterprise had done nothing but scientific research and surveys. The crew was bored and restless. Further discussion was belayed by the intercom chime. "Picard to Lt Yar, please report to my ready room." "On my way sir," she replied, her blue eyes sparkling at the prospect of something, anything, interesting. Commander Riker watched her walk off, and for some reason a sense of dread settled into the pit of his stomach. He wandered back down to his chair, and looked at Counselor Troi. She sensed his gaze and met his eyes, then shook her head. "No Will, I am not spying on emotions again for you!" He caught a hint of anger in her voice, but the excitement was there too. He grinned at her and settled back in his chair to wait.
It wasn't too much longer before he heard a door open and looked up to see Tasha and Captain Picard enter the bridge. When he saw Tasha, he stood without thinking, worried. Tasha looked like she had seen a ghost, her skin was so pale. Her arms were half wrapped around her as if she was cold, and her eyes… Tasha's eyes were usually full of fire, and often anger or annoyance. But now she looked at him with cold, empty eyes. He heard Troi gasp from her seat. "Tasha, what…" Picard raised a hand and cut her off. He reached over to his command panel and tabbed the intercom. "Captain Picard to all senior officers, please report to the observation room immediately." The Captain crossed the bridge to the observation room, Tasha following. The bridge officers glanced at each other, worried, and then followed them.
As they took their places at the table, Riker looked at Tasha again. She was staring at the tabletop, purposely ignoring everyone in the room. He couldn't imagine what was making her so scared and withdrawn. The last person filtered in and Captain Picard cleared his throat. "We have been ordered by Starfleet to head directly to Turkana IV." Riker pondered the name for a second, and closed his eyes in shock as he remembered the birthplace of Lt Yar. No wonder she was so shaken. The Captain continued. "A shuttlecraft carrying Ambassador D'klak was shot down by an unknown vessel. Starfleet Command believes the Ambassador and his parties survived and are on the planet below. It will be our duty to rescue them." He paused, glancing over at Tasha. She sensed his gaze and looked up to meet his eyes. "Lt Yar will be leading the rescue mission due to her extensive knowledge of the planet," finished Picard, his voice soft. Silence filled the room for several long seconds. Tasha spoke, her voice wavering. "Permission to be dismissed Captain." Captain Picard nodded, and spoke as Tasha stood. "Granted. You have 24 hours to prepare your preliminary rescue plan Lt." Tasha nodded and quickly left the room. Riker opened his mouth to ask to be dismissed as well, intending to go after her, but Picard cut him off. "As you all know, Turkana IV is Lt Yar's home world. And I believe you all know the horrors she faced growing up there." Picard's voice betrayed the emotions he felt about this mission. "I ask everyone to give Tasha their full support while we get through this mission." The Captain glanced around the room as everyone acknowledged his request. His eyes settled on Riker. "Meeting adjourned."
Riker waited in his chair as everyone filtered out. The Captain stood and moved to the window, staring out at the deep expanse of space. Riker stood and moved to stand beside him. "I have a bad feeling about this Captain." Picard turned to look at him. "As do I Commander." He turned back to the window. "You are dismissed Commander." Riker turned and headed to the door. "Will," Picard halted him. "Sir?" "Take care of Tasha, keep a close watch over her, will you?" Riker nodded even though Picard still had his back to him. "Aye sir," he replied, and stepped through the doors.
He quickly crossed the bridge to the turbolift. As the doors closed he inquired as to the location of Tasha, and the computer informed him she was in her quarters. Minutes later he hit the chime at her door and waited. After a moment the door slid open. Tasha looked at him, and his heart ached at the pain and fear in her eyes. She turned and walked to the window, trying to keep him from seeing the tears filling her eyes. He was the only one to have seen her cry in the past. He moved behind her, lightly running his fingers down her back, his way of comforting her. He saw her tremble, and caught her easily when she turned and collapsed into his arms sobbing. He led her to the couch and sat down with her. Resting his head on top of hers, he whispered her name into her hair and held her tight. A few minutes later she had cried herself out and pushed herself away from him.
"I can't do this Will," she said quietly, as she stood and walked over to the window again. His heart told him to tell her not to do it, to refuse the mission. But he knew that she'd never forgive herself if she did and the Ambassador's party died because of her. "I don't think I've ever heard Tasha Yar say she can't do something," he said, putting a tinge of disappointment into the statement. He walked over beside her, turning to face her. She turned to him, fresh tears sliding down her face. "I know what you're doing," she said, "And you're right Will. I can't turn my back on this mission no matter how scared I am." Her blue eyes met his and he saw a tiny spark of that fire back in them. He gave her a comforting smile as he wiped the tears off her cheeks.
"So, what is your plan so far Lt?" he asked, switching to professional mode to try and save her embarrassment over her tears. She started pacing the room. "I think I'll do a scouting mission first, to find out if the Ambassador and his party are indeed alive. And to see how hard it will be to get them out of there." She bit her lip, thinking. "I hope for our sake it's a simple matter of finding them and transporting them out." "I hope we are that lucky," replied Riker. "Who do you plan on taking on the scouting mission?" She stopped her pacing and looked at him. The look in her eyes was all the answer he needed and he stepped over in front of her. "Oh no, you're not going down there alone Tasha! You know the Captain won't allow it." She sighed, frustrated. "Commander, I can't ask any one to go down with me, it's simply too dangerous. Once I know where they are –" He cut her off. "Tasha, I'll go with you." She met his eyes, staring at him. She chewed on her lip, debating it all. Finally she nodded, knowing that she wouldn't be able to talk the Captain into going alone, and trusting Riker the most. They sat down to go over the scouting run.
Several hours later, Captain Picard paced the bridge as the Enterprise slipped into orbit around Turkana IV. He looked up as he heard the turbolift doors open and watched Commander Riker and Lt Yar enter the bridge. He watched as Tasha looked to the viewscreen, visibly paling at the sight of her home world. Riker moved down next to him while Tasha walked quietly to her post. She checked a few things on her console, then looked up and met Picard's eyes. He saw the fear there, and wished he could keep her on the ship, where she'd be safe. He held her eyes a moment longer before speaking. "Lt Yar, Cmd Riker, join me in my ready room please." He strode off, leaving them to follow.
Tasha and Will stood at attention while Picard seated himself at his desk. He looked up at his two officers, ordered them at ease and told them to sit. "Well," he said, looking at Tasha, "What's the plan?" She glanced at Riker before answering. "I want to do a scouting mission first, sir. Without knowing where the Ambassador is being held – or if he's even still alive – I can't properly plan a rescue." The Captain nodded, he had expected as much. Tasha continued. "Commander Riker and I will beam down at 1900 hours. We have uniforms being made so that we can blend in better, hopefully no one will pay attention to us." She went on to describe their search plans, with Riker chiming in at times. The Captain listened to them, trying not to worry too much. After they finished detailing their plan, he went over a few minor things with them, then dismissed them. On impulse, as Tasha was about to walk out the door, he called her back in to speak to her privately.
Tasha stood behind one of the chairs, waiting for her captain to speak. He studied her, and she blushed a little under his scrutinizing gaze. Just as she was about to ask what he wanted, he stood and moved over to gaze out the window. He spoke softly, his voice rough with emotion. "Lt… Tasha, I just wanted to apologize. I tried my best to get you out of this mission, but Starfleet Command ordered me to send you. They wouldn't even agree to you directing from the ship." The last bit was spoken with a bit of anger. Tasha moved up to stand beside him, their eyes meeting in the reflection in the glass. Her voice wavered as she spoke. "I survived it for the first 15 years of my life, sir. I should hopefully survive a few days on this mission." The Captain turned to face her, his gaze searching as he met her eyes. Abruptly he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. Shocked, she didn't have time to return the hug before he'd already released her. He swallowed before speaking. "Please be careful down there Tasha. Don't take any risks." She nodded in reply, not trusting her voice. He stared into her eyes a moment longer, then softly said, "You're dismissed Lt." She snapped to attention, then quickly turned on her heel and marched from the room. Picard didn't miss the unshed tears sparkling in her eyes as she turned from him. He sighed deeply as the doors closed.
Tasha headed to meet with Will, brushing the tears from her eyes as she hit the door chime at his quarters. The doors slid open and Will greeted her with a smile. The smile faded as he saw she'd been crying. He stepped back to let her in, then as the doors closed, he held his arms open. She went to him, fresh tears wetting his uniform as she cried in his arms yet again. Without warning, she pushed herself away from him, stalking away as she angrily brushed the tears from her eyes. Will watched her in silence, knowing her well enough to know she'd speak shortly. Her back still to him as she tried to control her emotions, she finally did speak. "I'm sorry Will." "What for Tasha?" he asked, as he took a couple steps towards her. She turned to face him. "For being so weak. I can't stop crying!" He started to chuckle, but quickly stopped when she glared at him. He stood in front of her and looked down into her eyes. "Tasha, there is nothing weak about crying. You're about to face your greatest fears yet again, there's nothing weak about that either." She stood there, thoughtful. "And," he added, "there's nothing wrong in taking comfort from your friends." He reached up and caressed her face. He was a bit surprised when she moved into his arms again, but he didn't hesitate on wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.
Tasha closed her eyes as she rested her head on Will's chest. She listened to his heartbeat, taking comfort from his warm embrace, feeling safe in his strong arms. Then Riker spoke softly. "Tasha. We need to get ready." She sighed deeply, grabbed her bundle of clothes and headed into the other room to change. Riker quickly changed into his outfit. He tucked his phaser away, making sure that he could still get to it easily. In the other room, Tasha finished changing, and did the same, carrying her phaser and grabbing a knife as backup as well. She adjusted her pants leg to hide the knife, then stood and glanced in the mirror. She quickly looked away, as the image threatened to bring back even more memories. She saw Will watching her from the door. She grabbed her pack and headed out, avoiding his eyes. He grabbed his pack and followed her to the transporter room.
Captain Picard awaited them. Tasha and Will dropped their bags on the platform and stood in front of their Captain. He glanced them over, meeting each of their eyes, then nodded. He refrained from last minute instructions, other than to remind them of the transport time and place. They acknowledged the reminder and turned to step on the transporter pads. Picard gave Riker a meaningful look, and Will nodded slightly. The Captain then met Tasha's eyes, and held them as Riker gave the command to energize. Tasha gave him a slight smile as the transporter grabbed them. Picard watched until the last particle was gone, then took a deep breath to compose himself as he headed to the bridge.
Down on the planet, the transporter coalesced into two humans. Despite the fact scans had insured the area was clear of any lifeforms prior to transport, Tasha dropped into a defensive crouch as soon as the transporter released her. She quickly scanned the area, standing once she was satisfied it was clear. She went to stand next to Riker. They were on the corner of a ruined city block, the buildings that once stood there reduced to rubble. The surrounding blocks were much the same, only an occasional building still standing. She shivered, childhood memories haunting her. Will looked down at her, giving her an encouraging smile. She looked around again, getting her bearings, then started walking northwest, heading into the heart of the city. Will followed her, letting her be alone with her thoughts for a bit. She was grateful for that at first. Three blocks later she paused for a moment, closing her eyes against yet another painful memory as Will stepped to her side. "Tasha…" he whispered, his voice breaking the memory, chasing it back into the darkness. A tear escaped from her eye, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. She opened her eyes, meeting his, and holding his gaze like a lifeline. After a moment she gave a slight nod and they started walking again, Will's arm dropping from her waist to grasp her hand.
It wasn't long before they reached the inhabited parts of the city. Tasha released Will's hand in order to be ready for anything. The look of the city hadn't improved any since Tasha's time growing up there, but it seemed the factions had. When Tasha was a child, there were multiple drug lords fighting for control of various parts of the city. Now, from what she could see on the streets, it appeared the factions had been narrowed down to two major opposing forces. It made sense, drug lords would ally together to overcome a more powerful lord, and then it would just snowball until two large forces remained. Tasha quietly discussed this with Will as they walked. They passed by a large group of men and Tasha heard a bit of the conversation. When she heard them mention Starfleet, she ducked around a nearby corner, pulling a startled Will with her. She brought her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, as she strained to hear the conversation. She only caught words, and couldn't even decipher enough to know if the Ambassador and his party were alive. All she caught was that the Alliance had found the party. The conversation turned to other things, and Tasha pulled Will along before someone spotted them. What they didn't notice was that they had already been spotted. Several men trailed the pair, making sure to stay far enough back that they were inconspicuous.
Several hours later found them frustrated. They had been wandering the streets constantly, yet heard no more of the Ambassador's party, nor seen any clues. Tasha had overheard some other conversations, and figured out the two largest factions were the Alliance and the Coalition. She hadn't heard very favorable things about either, but it seemed the Alliance was the worst of the two. She chewed her lip as she dug deeper into her memories, trying to think of where the Ambassador could be. She kicked a rock, sending it skittering down the street. As she watched it, she noticed they had wandered back towards the outskirts of the living parts of the city. She scanned the rubble filled streets and an eerie feeling came over her. Suddenly a man appeared ahead, directly in their path. Will kept walking, unconcerned as of yet. Fear raced down Tasha's spine, and she grabbed Will's arm, turning him back towards the inner city. But soon as they turned, more men appeared in their path again. Will suddenly was fully aware of the danger, and turned back the way they had come.
Tasha fought to resist the urge to flee. All her instincts from growing up here were returning, and those instincts told her to run for the tunnels. The tunnels! She mentally slapped herself for not remembering those sooner. That's the most likely spot where they would hide the Ambassador's party. But now they would be lucky to survive. They were walking at a brisk pace back towards the inner city, but the men behind were gaining on them. Tasha fought her fear as more men stepped out from the shadows of surrounding buildings. She glanced at Will and saw him watching her. She quickly tried to hide her fear, but he saw it. She looked back and saw the men way too close. Grabbing Will's hand, she pulled him into a run. They darted down a side street, Tasha hoping to make it to a tunnel entrance. Halfway down the street however, she gave a strangled yelp as six men stepped out in front of them. Tasha and Will quickly spun around, but the rest were right behind them, blocking the way out. Will reached for his phaser. He looked to Tasha and cursed, seeing the panic in her eyes. "Tasha!" His voice was full of concern, but urgent too. "There's only 10 of them, we can do this. Focus!" Her eyes cleared some, and she nodded. He spun and took out two of the gang before they even knew what hit them. The others scattered, making harder targets. Behind him, Tasha took out two as well, but then the other two rushed her. Before he could turn to help her, two of the remaining ones on his side rushed him. Tasha's phaser was knocked away from her. She reached into her boot, grabbing the knife she had brought for that reason. She swung wildly and managed to dispatch one of the men. However, in their fighting, they hadn't noticed others coming to help the men. Surrounded and way out numbered, they dropped their weapons.
Tasha was shaking. One of the men grabbed her, his dirty hands groping her. She shrieked and jumped up. She fought the men furiously, trying to run, to escape. Will's heart ached as he watched. The men grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. Several of them started to kick her. Will lunged to protect her, but two men grabbed him and held him back. He fought as best he could but they were too strong. Tasha curled into a ball, trying to protect herself from the kicks. One man reached down and grabbed her hair, pulling her up to her knees. Another grabbed her arms and tied her wrists tightly behind her back. "That'll hold ya!" he snarled at her. She growled at him, lunging and trying to bite his arm. He smacked her so hard she flew backwards onto the ground. Will called to her. "Tasha! Please…" he pleaded, not wanting her to bring anymore pain to herself. She looked at him. Her face was bruised and bleeding. Tears cleaned a path through the blood and dirt. He watched the fire leave her eyes, and she laid her head on the ground, defeated.
Tasha tugged at the ropes binding her wrists but they wouldn't budge. She winced at the pain it caused. She heard Will call softly to her again. She met his eyes and saw a tear fall down his cheek. That was all the reminder she needed. There were people that cared about her now, the Enterprise was her home and the crew her family. She held his gaze as two men tied his arms and hauled him to his feet. Suddenly she was jerked to her feet, and she cried out in pain as the ropes cut into her wrists, and fire flared across her right side. I must have a few broken ribs, Tasha thought to herself. She tried to look back to Will, but was pushed forward and had to fight to keep her balance. The men took them to the nearest tunnel entrance and started down into them. Tasha carefully memorized the route they took, in the hopes they might need to find their way out. At the very least it distracted her from the pain.
Will kept his eyes on Tasha as they were forced down the tunnels. He could tell she was in pain and he hoped she could stay on her feet until they got wherever they were going. He figured their captors wouldn't be too gentle if she fell. As he watched her, his mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this situation. As their captors stopped them in front of a door, it came to him. The Enterprise would be expecting them at the transport spot soon. When they didn't show and didn't contact the ship, Picard would know something was wrong. He didn't know if the transporter would work through the tunnels, but he had hope now. Their Captain wouldn't leave them. Now he just had to remind Tasha, to give her the hope she desperately needed.
Their captors opened the door and pushed them into a concrete room. The two escorting Will tossed him onto the floor. His hands were still tied, so he hit the floor hard. He grunted, and Tasha turned towards him. He saw his chance, for all the men were ignoring him. He mouthed the words time soon, looking up, and hoped she understood. Her eyes brightened a little and she nodded slightly, understanding. Then the man that had tied her wrists earlier dragged her to the center of the room. He used a large knife to slice the ropes binding Tasha's wrists, and then slipped her hands into the manacles hanging above her head. Tasha snarled at him as he used a pulley to pull her arms above her head, forcing her to stand on tiptoe. The man just grinned at her, and brought the knife up to her throat. For a moment, Will panicked, thinking he meant to slit her throat. But the man deftly turned the knife and sliced downward, through Tasha's clothes. Tasha hung there in shock, reliving a day from 15 years ago. But when the man slid her pants off her feet, Tasha snapped out of it and fought back, kicking violently at him. He dodged her kicks, growling, and motioned to another man behind Tasha. Tasha tried again, the manacles cutting into her wrists as she put her full weight on them, kicking with both feet. The man dodged again, and then Tasha screamed. Will saw a black blur behind Tasha, and heard a snap. He focused on the second man, and saw the whip in his hand. Will glanced back at Tasha…she hung limp now, her tattered shirt open. He saw the blur heading to her again, and shouted, wordlessly. A swift kick reminded him of the other two men. Tasha screamed again as the whip bit into her back. What Will couldn't see was that the whip was braided with sharp pieces of metal that cut into Tasha's skin. Blood poured down her back, dripping to the floor.
The man in front of Tasha grabbed her arm, steadying her swinging body. He used his other hand to raise her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Now we gots ya. No fight left, good for the taking!" He groped her, forcing his dirty hands over her body. Riker yelled at him to leave her alone, but he just laughed. Tasha squirmed away, and kicked weakly at him. All it got her was another lashing from the whip guy. Tasha fell still as she slipped into unconsciousness. Will started to scream at them again, but then he felt the wonderful sensation of a transporter beam grabbing him.
Captain Picard and Lt. Worf waited in the transporter room. They saw the shapes start to form, and Worf could tell that Tasha would collapse as soon as the beam released her. He stepped up next to the platform, and soon as the beam let go, he caught her gently. Then he realized she was practically naked, and he almost dropped her in his embarrassment. Picard moved quickly to Will, and got his hands free. Then he took one look at Tasha, seeing her blood pooling on the floor, and ordered the transporter chief to beam them all to sickbay.
They materialized in sickbay, and all hell broke loose. Tasha stirred back to consciousness, and groaned in pain. Then she felt arms around her and panicked, fighting Worf. She clawed and pounded her fists against him, neither of which had much of an effect on the Klingon. He growled softly and spoke her name. She went still and opened her eyes, frantically looking around. Once she realized she was on the Enterprise, tears filled her eyes. Worf gently pulled her to her feet, careful not to touch the deep cuts on her wrists. Everyone behind Tasha gasped as they saw the damage the whip had done to her. Worf wondered what their gasps were for until Tasha fell against his chest, sobbing, and he glanced down over her shoulder. He glimpsed the gashes on her back and saw the blood dripping to pool on the floor. He felt a wetness spreading over his chest, and realized it was blood from Tasha's wrists. Frantic, Worf looked around for Dr Crusher.
Dr Crusher ran up just as Tasha slipped back unconscious, the pain too much for her to bear. Crusher gave her a sedative anyway, to insure she wouldn't wake for a while, then instructed Worf to lay her on her side on the bio-bed. Worf did so, and stepped back. Crusher gave him a once over. He looked down to see why, and noticed his red uniform was stained a darker red with Tasha's blood. His nostrils flared as he caught scent of the blood. He looked to Tasha, and saw fully how badly she had been hurt. Worf watched the doctor working for a moment, amazed Tasha had had any strength to fight him. He shook his head, and went over to the others. One of the medical staff was treating Riker's injuries while the Captain watched it all. Picard looked at him, and Worf saw him notice the blood. He spoke quickly, "Sir, permission to be excused so I can… change." The Captain barely nodded. "Granted," he said, softly. Worf headed to his quarters.
Captain Picard watched Dr Crusher frantically work on her patient. His eyes traced the bloodied tears in Tasha's back. He watched a drop of blood fall off the table, splashing into a growing puddle on the floor. He cursed himself for sending Tasha on this mission, and he cursed Starfleet for asking this of her. Commander Riker groaned next to him as the medic tended him. Picard turned to Riker, meeting his eyes. "What happened Commander?" He kept his voice low, not wanting to attract attention from the medical staff. Riker swallowed before speaking. "We were spotted sir, and followed, unknown to us. When we got too far from the city, they ambushed us. We managed to kill several but there was just too many of them." His voice broke with emotion, and he paused to take a deep breath. "They taunted Tasha, and when she tried to fight back, they hurt her, kicked her, and tied her wrists. Then they tied my wrists and forced us to the tunnels. They took us to a room, a torture chamber really. It was Tasha they wanted. They tossed me on the floor with two guards watching me. But they took her to the middle of the room and put her in chains. The one guy, he took the knife and cut her clothes off. Then he started touching her. Tasha fought back… you know her history." He paused again, tears filling his eyes at the horror of it all. Picard waited patiently. "They whipped her. Not a normal whip, I don't know what it was. Whenever she tried to resist, she got whipped again. My god Captain, the blood… her screams…" He trailed off, tears falling down his cheeks. Picard swallowed, then blinked to keep his own tears at bay. He clasped Riker's shoulder in a comforting manner, then turned back towards Tasha.
Dr Crusher had stopped Tasha's blood loss and gotten her stabilized. She now started on the task of repairing the wounds. Taking her instrument she started on Tasha's back. The instrument she referred to as the "magic wand" carefully closed the wounds one layer at a time to maximize healing and minimize scarring. With luck, these cuts would only leave small scars that would fade over time. The Captain quietly walked up next to her. She glanced at him. "She'll be out for awhile Captain, I can call you when she wakes." Picard nodded, his eyes on Tasha. "I'll be on the bridge." He turned to Riker. "Join me when you're able Commander." Riker nodded, and Picard left sickbay.
"How are you feeling Will?" Crusher spoke without looking up from her patient. "Sore. But otherwise I'm fine." He slid off the bed and stepped over to Tasha. He reached down and brushed her blond hair away from her face, grimacing at the dried blood in her hair and on her face. Beverly stopped her work a moment, grabbed a cleaning cloth off the table and handed it to him. He gave her a slight smile, and gently cleaned the blood from Tasha's face and hair, the special cloth making it very easy to do. He used the cloth to clean himself up some as well. He stared at Tasha a moment before Bev's voice broke his thoughts. "The Captain's waiting on you Will." She gently reminded him of his duties. "Yea," he sighed. He took one last long look at Tasha, then headed to the bridge. Bev shook her head, and went back to work. An hour later she had finished closing the wounds. She covered each with synthetic skin bandages, and cleaned the blood and dirt off Tasha. She cut the remnants of the tattered shirt off, and with the help of some of her staff, dressed Tasha in a comfortable loose shirt and pants. She gave Tasha another dose of sedative so she wouldn't wake for a while and headed to her office to do reports.
Commander Riker stepped off the turbolift onto the bridge. He glanced around for his Captain but didn't see him. Before he could say anything, Worf spoke from tactical. "The Captain is waiting for you in his ready room, sir." Riker nodded his acknowledgement and headed down the ramp. He didn't get far before Worf spoke again. "Commander…" Riker stopped and turned, meeting the Klingon's eyes. Worf hesitated, looking embarrassed. Riker suddenly noticed the stillness on the bridge. He glanced around, seeing everyone was watching him with worry filled eyes. He knew what they wanted. "Lt Yar will be fine, at least physically," he said, watching some measure of relief flow through the bridge crew. He glanced around one more time before heading into the Captain's ready room.
Picard looked up when Riker walked in. He motioned for his Commander to sit, and he stared at his screen for a moment before speaking. "Commander, we still have an Ambassador and his party down on that planet. Did you learn anything while down there?" "Not really sir. We overheard one conversation that mentioned the Alliance might have them, but we didn't have the time we needed to gather information. I do believe now that they most likely are being kept in the tunnels, especially since we searched the majority of the surface." Picard nodded, thinking. "What if we search for something native to the Ambassador's home world, but not to Turkana IV? A metal or anything that would clue us in as to where they were." Commander Riker nodded and gave Picard a grin. "Good thinking sir," he said as he stood, "I'll get Data and Geordi to help with the search." He turned to leave but before he could, Picard called him back. "Will, are you ok?" Picard's eyes met Riker's as he turned back. Will nodded. "I'm fine sir." Picard nodded, and Riker left to find Geordi and Data.
Several hours later, Will sighed as yet another search found nothing. He didn't give up hope yet, as there were many things from the Ambassador's home world that were not found on Turkana IV. It just made the searches time consuming, and they didn't have time to spare. He scanned another list of results as Picard came up beside him. He spoke without turning. "I'm sorry sir, this is taking longer than I expected it to." Picard rested a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing the best you can Will, we all are." Riker nodded as the intercom chimed. "Crusher to Captain Picard" "Picard here." "Sir, you better report to sickbay. Tasha's waking." "Acknowledged, Riker and I will be there shortly." They headed for the turbolift without a word.
Tasha crawled through pitch-black darkness. With every movement it was as if liquid fire flowed over her back and wrists. But despite the pain she kept going. She saw a light ahead, and she headed for it. Soon she was able to stand and walk, then run for the light. She saw the light came from a room. She ran into the room, stopping in horror when she saw the chains hanging in the center of the room, and the blood on the floor. Then she saw two men, and one was playing with the whip he held. Light glinted off the metal in the whip and Tasha remembered. She screamed, and the nightmare exploded into light as she woke.
Picard and Riker heard her scream down the corridor. They shared a worried glance as they broke into a run to sickbay.
Tasha quickly realized she had been dreaming, at least she thought. She couldn't understand why she couldn't move however. She tried to move her arms and felt straps tug at her wrists. She panicked. Terror filled her mind as the straps reminded her of manacles and pain.
Dr Crusher watched Tasha out of the corner of her eye as she frantically prepared another hypo with sedative. Hypo in hand she moved towards Tasha. She didn't want to sedate her again, but Tasha was risking opening every wound back up.
Tasha saw the doctor coming. She fought harder at the straps, ripping one wrist wound open again. Blood poured down her hand to drip off the bed. She screamed with a primal fear.
Picard and Riker rushed in as Tasha screamed again. Will took one look at her, and ran to her, leaping over a bed in the path. He saw the straps and fury filled him. "Get these restraints off her!" he roared. Tasha looked at him and he saw the terror in her eyes. He knew she was gone, her mind controlled by fear now. He reached out to her but quickly pulled back when she fought her restraints all the harder. Dr Crusher managed to release the restraints. Tasha quieted a moment as she looked at her suddenly free hands. She glanced at the men with wild eyes.
"Tasha…" Will said softly. Tasha looked at him again, startled at hearing her name. Picard walked up on her other side and she jumped. He met her eyes and that broke the hold the fear had. "Captain…" she pleaded, tears filling her eyes. Picard stepped closer to the bed. Tasha took a breath and spoke again. "I'm sorry sir, I failed. We didn't find the Ambassador. It's my fault sir." "Tasha." Picard's voice was commanding and she fell silent. He wrapped his arms around her. She was shocked at his showing of emotion again, but she needed it. She laid her head on his chest and let the tears flow unabated. Picard closed his eyes as he held her, sorrow filling his heart.
Dr Crusher walked quietly up next to them. She gently took Tasha's wrist and repaired the damage done. Tasha watched her silently, tears falling down her cheeks. Bev gave her a sad smile and backed away.
Will watched them, glad that the Captain was forgoing his normal emotional distance to be there for Tasha. He moved away, taking Dr Crusher with him, leaving the two alone. Crusher looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry Will, I didn't know restraining her would do that. I was trying to make sure she wouldn't re-injure herself." Will wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's alright Bev, you couldn't have known."
Tasha closed her eyes, listening to her Captain's heartbeat, using the sound to calm herself. Her own heart still raced with fear from the dream and the memories. She trembled and clung to the closest thing she had to family.
Picard felt Tasha tremble and cling tighter to him. He pulled her closer in response, whispering into her hair. "Tasha, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes tight against the tears that threatened. "It's ok now, everything's going to be alright." He took a deep breath to compose himself a bit. He started to speak again, but was interrupted by the intercom. "Bridge to Captain Picard." Data's voice broke the silence that had fallen in sickbay. "Picard here," he replied, still holding Tasha. "Sir, there's a message from Starfleet for you, marked your eyes only and urgent." Picard sighed. "I'll be there shortly Data." He glanced at Riker as he walked over. Tasha pushed herself away from him, understanding that duty called. He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek before heading to the bridge. Tasha watched him, then looked up at Riker.
Will saw something in Tasha's eyes that he'd never seen before. Before he could ask though, Tasha, sensing his curiosity, reached out and took his hand. Her eyes begged him to be silent. He squeezed her hand and spoke to Dr Crusher. "Dr, would it be ok for Tasha to leave sickbay?" Almost before he could finish asking, Crusher protested. "Absolutely not Commander! It is way too risky, she could easily reopen wounds and she is still weak." "Bev," Will pleaded, "I'm not saying release her, just let her go for an hour or two." Bev met Will's eyes, and sighed. She looked over to Tasha, who sat there quietly. "Fine," she replied. "But I want you back here in two hours," she ordered Tasha. Tasha nodded, suppressing a grin. Bev looked back to Will. "She's your responsibility Will, if anything happens…" she trailed off as she left the room. Will shook his head, then grinned at Tasha. "Let's get outta here." Tasha returned his grin, but he saw sadness in her eyes. He helped her off the bio bed and they headed to the holodeck. Riker called up an old program of his on the holodeck. He took Tasha's hand again and led her inside.
Tasha gasped at the scene in front of her. A beautiful beach with white sand and gentle waves under a glorious sunset stretched out for as far as she could see. She slipped her shoes off and stepped barefoot into the sand, sighing in delight as the warm grains slid around her toes. Without turning, she asked, "Will, what's it like to have a father?" The pure innocence of the question stunned Will for a minute, until Tasha turned to look at him. "Tasha, I wouldn't know how to explain that to you." The sadness returned to her eyes. "I never knew my father Will. I barely knew my mother, if the term mother could even apply to that woman." Tasha turned away again, staring out over the waves. Will moved up beside her as she spoke again. "I wish Captain Picard was my father." She spoke so softly, Will barely heard her. He opened his mouth to comment, then quickly closed it and hoped she didn't notice, as an idea came to him.
They walked the beach together for a while. They mostly stayed silent, Will letting Tasha have some quiet time to think. After half an hour, Tasha had been too quiet for too long, and Will glanced at her. As he did, she stumbled in the sand. He noticed she was pale, and saw the light sheen of sweat on her forehead. He wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her and stopping her. When his hand touched her back, she gasped in pain, and he cursed. He pulled his hand away briefly and saw the blood. "Bev's gonna kill me," he thought to himself, as he called for the exit. He guided Tasha out of the holodeck. She leaned on him for support, and by the time they got to sickbay, she was barely able to stand. He called out for Dr Crusher as he helped Tasha up onto a bed. Bev rushed over, and quickly went to work. She closed the re-opened wound, and mixed up a concoction in a hypo for Tasha. Soon after, Tasha was stretched out on the bed, deeply asleep. Bev then turned on Will. He prepared himself for her fury, but was surprised. "She'll be fine Will, you should get some rest too." He stood there, staring at her. Bev laughed. "Will, I know Tasha too well. She never said a word did she?" Will shook his head, sighing in relief. He left to find Captain Picard, after promising Bev that he would get some sleep soon.
Will found his Captain on the bridge, and they moved to the Captain's ready room when Will asked to speak to him. Captain Picard studied his Commander as he settled into his chair. "You look tired Will." Riker chuckled. "Don't worry sir, I'm under direct orders from Dr Crusher to get some rest soon." Picard smiled, he knew how the doctor was. "How is Tasha?" Riker related the story of how he had taken her to the holodeck, and how it had been too much for her. Picard nodded and waited. He knew Riker had come here for more than telling him that. Riker stood and walked to the window. "Sir, Tasha asked me what it was like to have a father. I didn't know what to tell her." He returned to his chair. "She said she wished you were her father." Picard met Will's eyes, surprised. "Why are you telling me this Will?" Will stuttered, "Sir, I… I just thought, maybe it… you could help in her recovery some way." Will stood, avoiding the Captain's eyes. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you sir." Riker turned and left. The Captain watched after him, thoughtful.
Will headed to his cabin, disappointed. He had hoped that Captain Picard would do something to help Tasha more, even if was just to act more like a father figure to her. But he had seemed unmoved, even annoyed, by the news. Will sighed as he undressed. He climbed into bed and, even though his mind was in turmoil, was soon asleep, exhaustion taking over.
Meanwhile, the rest of the bridge crew worked frantically to find the Ambassador and his party. Captain Picard angrily drummed his fingers on his desk as he ended yet another call with Starfleet Command. They were insisting that he send Tasha back down there. He smiled slightly as he thought about what Riker had said, that Tasha wished he were her father. He quickly pushed those thoughts from his mind as he hit his combadge. "Picard to LaForge. Any luck on those scans yet?" "Negative sir, and we've tried several million things so far." "Acknowledged. Keep at it Lt." "Aye sir." Picard stood and straightened his uniform. He headed to sickbay, dreading what he had to do.
Tasha had woken, and was being examined by Dr Crusher when Picard walked into sickbay. He greeted the two women, inquiring as to Tasha's recovery. Tasha insisted she was fine and ready to return to duty, but Dr Crusher had a different opinion. Crusher wouldn't let Tasha out of sickbay until she was positive the wounds had healed enough that they wouldn't open again. As Dr Crusher finished her exam, Picard asked her for a moment alone with Tasha. Crusher nodded and headed to her office. Soon as she was gone, Picard met Tasha's eyes. "Tasha, I need your help. We're having no luck finding the Ambassador and his party. I need to know anything you can tell me to help us in the search before it's too late." Tasha sighed. "Captain, there's no way I can help you, not from here. Let me lead another away team down there." Picard stood shocked. "Tasha, after what you went through down there, I can't ask you to go back." "Captain, I know you don't want me to go. But I know Starfleet does… and I can't leave the Ambassador and his party down there." The Captain nodded, a grim expression on his face. "You'll have to tell Riker though," he said.
"You don't have to tell me anything," said Riker, as he came around the corner from Bev's office. "You overheard us?" asked Picard. "Partially, but I didn't need to. I know Tasha well enough to know she wouldn't leave them down there," replied Riker, as he walked up to the bed. He met Tasha's eyes. "I trust that I'll be included in this away team of yours?" he asked. "Of course sir," she choked in reply, fighting back tears. Riker pulled her into his arms. Picard caught a brief glimpse of the pain that flashed through Will's eyes before he turned and left the two of them alone.