Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter…took me forever to write it but I enjoyed it nonetheless
Liz - Happy you've enjoyed it so far. :D
Volley – Me too…I am very curious. I guess we'll both find out soon enough, though eh:D. And I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.
Triptacular-I'm glad it was as smooth as I had hoped…usually my stories are bumpy and err…so…wrong…anyway! Thank you for the kind comment. :D
I hereby announce that any of the characters mention here, save Tolmah, is not mine to possess and belong to Paramount.
They neared the tunnel at the end of the valley and Malcolm noticed the moving hordes of people near a black hole inside of the mountain, although there was a faint glow to the tunnel illuminating its passage ways. Sky lights, Malcolm thought as he pressed the other two onwards. Tolmah led the way towards the tunnel with Trip next to him and Malcolm behind. The wind grew stronger as they continued towards the great mountain with speed with Malcolm giving occasional orders just to fool the troublesome overhearing ear.
The entrance to the tunnel grew ever closer and the donkey snorted in the background, getting tired from its day's journey. They could see many men, women, and children entering and exiting the tunnel's cavernous mouth holding items in their hands, on their backs, or on some other means of transport. They were dressed in earthly colours, with splashes of lilac or purple on the richer folk. Just like Red and Purple had been with the Romans on Earth, Purples and Sea Greens were considered vast luxuries to have in the high social orders of Junaris' society.
As they neared the toll man, Tolmah slowed slightly and Malcolm and Trip did thereto. "Make sure there is nothing in the saddle bags that we will need" Malcolm made no comment to Tolmah, for which he was grateful. Who knew who was watching? Malcolm put a few things in the pockets he could find in the guard's uniform he was given and looked at Tolmah silently to let him know he had done the task. Tolmah nodded and they continued on.
The toll gate was fairly busy with the long queues and it was soon their turn to pay up. He handed the toll man the donkey's reins and the toll man nodded, gesturing them to go through with a welcoming smile to his facial features. Without uttering a word, Malcolm thanked him with a nod of his head and pushed the other two forwards slightly into the mouth of the big tunnel ahead of them.
As soon as they were far from the toll man's earshot range, Trip turned his head slightly grinning, "You're enjoyin' this, aren't you?" His eyebrows were raised slightly as he spoke in a hushed manner.
"Maybe, a little" Malcolm responded softly, blinking slightly as the tree sap stung his eyes slightly. His nose was starting to feel a little runny and his head a little fuzzy due to his notorious allergies. He hoped he could up this disguise for as long as they needed him to. And he wasn't really up to being the sneezer of them all.
"Quiet now. There are eyes and ears everywhere you go" berated Tolmah, who was keeping his eyes trained directly forwards, Trip faced the same way as Tolmah again and they continued on down the dark gloomy passage of the tunnel. They did not see light for several hours and had only the faint glow of the amber sky lights to go by.
When they did eventually see the light produced by the two suns, Trip couldn't be happier. Whereas Tolmah and Malcolm were used to dark spaces, Trip was not. He loved the sunshine and the open air since he was a small kid playing with a baseball bat on the grass outside his home with his dad.
Of course, when they finally left the blackness of the tunnel, they jerked their heads, squinting everywhere as their eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden light. Having been used to glowed darkness, their eyes weren't used to great amounts of sunlight.
The city itself was a spectacle to be seen with its building built in and around the mountain faces and the tall Grecian style pillars holding up parts of the stone part of the buildings. It had that odd Grecian and Romanesque feeling to the whole place and everything had a green or purple tinge to it. Even the water, by now Malcolm and Trip had gotten used to, was a vivid lilac. It seemed idyllic, the place of every little girl's fantasy world.
Tolmah discreetly signaled them to stop and they took in the wonders of the city, watching the city folk go around their daily business. Woman with their children in tow, guards patrolling the roads and the great waterfall that was the main centerpiece of the city and the civilian men doing their daily jobs.
"Make for that building" Tolmah muttered so Malcolm could hear, and Malcolm saw to where Tolmah's pointed forefinger was pointing to. A large green tinted building with four cylinder pillars standing guard at the front, so that was where Malcolm pushed them to. Saying the odd cursed comment towards them made sure any Guard official would think him one of them and was simply escorting two prisoners to wherever they were headed for.
They reached the green pillared building and Tolmah nodded slightly for them to enter. Tucker leaned closer to Tolmah, "Why we coming here?" "This is a communications building. We can contact your spaceship from here" Tolmah duly responded. Worried they would get noticed by the other Guards in the room, Malcolm prodded Trip away from Tolmah a little and gave his best friend a reproachful look to which Trip glanced at him and look strait ahead again, not saying a single word.
'A first for the yank' Malcolm mused as they made their way up the stairwell towards a room full of techno gadgets. Surprisingly, the room was completely empty of technicians or workers and Tolmah went straight towards a machine in the corner. Tucker and Reed followed and eventually Tolmah asked Tucker for help. Malcolm watched them work at the machine whilst casting careful, trained looks around the room. He could see no security camera's and for once was relieved at that.
"We've got them. We've sent them a message via subspace. That way the authorities won't be able to pick it up" Trip said, careful to keep his face neutral, as he leant his rear against console.
"We have told them where we'll be, so onwards back into the main city we go, Reed" Tolmah order and went for the door. Trip looked at Malcolm before following. Malcolm did the same and they went out of the building. Hopefully, no one would discover who they really were and stop their plans before they could get carried out.
Tolmah, discreetly, showed them towards a dark alleyway which was hidden from the rest of the city on the outskirts. They sat down against the wall and Malcolm kept as look out, giving Tolmah and Tucker time to rest and to close their eyes. The wall was covered in algae as water ran down the sides providing refreshment for them, so Tolmah and Trip leant against each other to keep upright.
The night passed quickly and at midnight, Trip took over guard watch so Malcolm could have a decent night's sleep. The air was crisp and fresh as a spring day. Purple leaves scattered the ground though giving the unique feeling it was actually autumn. When morning came, Tolmah raised Malcolm from his slumber and Tolmah led them on, heading towards an open green patch.
As was agreed, the shuttle pod from Enterprise was there with the hatch open and two very familiar men stood in front of it. Smiles were on their faces as they saw the two disaster twins walk towards them. Just as everything seemed like it was going to be as it once was, bullets began to fly towards the trio and they ran for cover. They used every last ounce of strength they could possibly muster.
Tolmah cried out in pain as a bullet caught him in the right leg and he stumbled to the floor. Risking their own lives, both Trip and Malcolm ran back to help Tolmah. They crouched and Tolmah took them both by the neck, his hands gripping their shoulder. Gripping Tolmah to them, they carried on towards the pod.
Captain Jonathan Archer and Ensign Travis Mayweather fired shots as cover for the three men who were running towards the pod with urgent haste. The Junaris guards flinched and pressed on, firing their relentless round at the running men. A bullet hit Tolmah again, this time lodging in the right shoulder, Tolmah relaxed at the pain, jerking backwards. Malcolm and Trip kept him upright and steady as they neared closer to the pod.
"Come on Trip!" Jonathan Archer urged as he fired at a brusque Junaris who was starting to fire on Malcolm. The Junaris fell to the ground and another took his place. Chris, Jonathan though, just how many are there.
They eventually go to the shuttle pod and Trip got in first. He pulled Tolmah in with Malcolm's help from pushing Tolmah up from behind. After Malcolm entered, Travis backed away towards the opening. Malcolm hid behind the door and fired at the Junaris with the alien weapon. It was an easy thing to use; it was basically a stick kind of device with a button to fire.
Malcolm continued to fire well aimed shots at the Junaris giving his Captain the chance to get inside the pod. The pod itself rumbled and groaned as Travis got it going. Jonathan got on quickly and closed the hatch just as a shot was fired. Because Malcolm's leg was out slightly, the shot caught his leg and he recoiled. He gripped the offending wound the shot had created on impact and held back the cry of pain.
Travis flew the pod quickly out of the planet's atmosphere and they were lucky the Junaris hadn't fired at the pod itself. Captain Jonathan Archer and Ensign Travis Mayweather had completed their mission and glanced at each other.
Ta for reading, hope you have enjoyed it from the start. In a dilemma whther to keep Tolmah alive or not thoughXD so what you say in your review will affect the outcome of that one:D:D Happy Reviewing!