Chapter 9
"Well, that was pleasant," Tasha said after the three of them were given a place to stay for the night.
"On the contrary, Lieutenant," Data said. "Their leader did not seem very welcoming."
"Sarcasm, Data," Tasha reminded him. "I know they didn't seem so welcoming."
"At least they were sincere about it," Riker said. "At least we're not sleeping in the dirt tonight."
The commander was right. Tasha grabbed the first mattress she could find, threw it on the floor and flopped down. A whole day and a half of travelling and they still had not found that ship. The young lieutenant was beginning to think they were on the wrong planet...
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, my lord. A female and two males."
A thin, pale-skinned figure stood bent over a page of an ancient book, its reed-fiber pages worn and browned with age. He pushed a wavy lock of dark brown hair away from his face as he turned to a page with the inscription he was looking for.
"Tell me, boy. What did they look like?"
The young man swallowed hard. He knew he would get in trouble for consulting the high priest one way or another. "One of the males was really tall with dark hair. He called himself "commander". The other male was very pale-skinned and he moved very stiffly. The female-"
"Had hair like the sun and eyes like the ocean?" the high priest interrupted.
"Yes, my lord."
He smiled. His gaze turned from the inscription on the page to an identical one on the chamber wall. So the prophecy was true!
The high priest closed the book and placed it back on its pedestal before moving on to a stone altar. The top of the table was painted in the likeness of the city and the surrounding forests. Tiny stone figurines lay scattered across the map; some were in the likenesses of people, others animals, others trading ships and caravans.
And one that resembled a spaceship. The high priest picked it up.
"This is what they were looking for," he said.
The young man nodded. He knew he was in big trouble.
The high priest turned to the young man, his pale violet-colored eyes glinting in the dim light of the shrine. "I would prefer if they stayed a little longer here," he said. He picked up a tiny figurine of a reptilian hunting animal and placed it close to the outskirts of the city. "Your mother is foolish to dismiss them."
Thunk.
Tasha opened her eyes. Something must have hit the wall outside. She turned over and shut her eyes.
Thunk.
There it was again. It sounded like it hit the shutter covering the window to their room. She quietly got up and sneaked over to the window, careful not to wake Riker, who was snoring. Data was lying on the floor with his eyes closed, doing whatever the android equivalent of sleep was.
She cautiously pushed the shutter outwards and peered out onto the street. She saw a short, skinny figure standing there, poising to throw something.
Thud.
Tasha opened the shutter all the way and poked her head out. "What do you want?" she asked, trying not to raise her voice and wake the whole room.
The figure stepped forward. It was Perseia.
"Sorry to wake you," she said in a quiet voice. "But I have questions for you, and you are not leaving this city until they are answered."
Chapter 10
Why in the hell am I doing this?Tasha thought as she sneaked out of the room and outside. She had made sure she had a phaser with her in case something happened. She stepped into the cool, slightly humid night air.
"Your name is Tasha, right?"
Tasha turned around. Perseia was standing behind her. "Yes," she said. "Tasha Yar."
"Tah-sha-yahr," the girl repeated. "I've never seen your kind before. Where are you from?"
"Uh..." Tasha said. She had no idea where to start. These people were a pre-warp civilization. How could she explain anything to this girl? "Well, for starters, I came from a long way away."
"How long?"
"If I told you exactly how long, you wouldn't believe me."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Try me."
Tasha sighed. She would have to improvise. "I came here on a starship from a place called Earth."
The girl squinted in confusion. "Earth? Starship?"
"Yes, a ship...one that travels through space, among the stars," Tasha said. She noticed the girl's blank expression. "I told you you wouldn't believe me."
Perseia looked up at Tasha. "You mean, you came from the stars?" she asked. Tasha nodded. Perseia then pointed to Tasha's head. "Is that real?"
"What?"
"Your hair."
Tasha ran a hand through her blond hair. "Yes, it's real."
"Can I touch it?"
"What? Why?"
The girl reached up and took a handful of Tasha's hair, tugging lightly. Tasha tried to hold back a giggle. This girl was just too curious, wasn't she?
Perseia let go of Tasha's hair and said, "Legend has it that one of the gods had gold hair like yours. They came from the stars too."
Tasha raised an eyebrow. "Did they say where they were from?" she asked.
"Nobody questions the gods," Perseia answered. "Only the priests can do that. They're the only ones with the answers."
"Is your mother one of them?" Tasha asked.
Perseia shook her head. "My brother Khaya is training to become one. You've seen him already; he was with me back in the caves when we found you."
"May I ask what you were doing there?"
Perseia was silent for a moment. "We were out hunting. Our hunting party split up, and my brother and I ended up running into you."
"I see," Tasha said.
"You said you were looking for a ship," Perseia said. "A...flyingship?"
"Yes," Tasha said. "One that travels through space, like ours."
Perseia looked confused again. "We don't have one," she said. "Some people have been trying to build flying machines, but they don't stay in the air for very long, nor do they fly high enough to reach the stars."
"Well, have you seen anything...unusual...in the sky lately?"
The girl shook her head. "No..."
"No one has seen anything unusual in the sky," a male voice said. Tasha and Perseia turned around to see a male native striding toward them.
"Khaya! What are you doing here?" Perseia asked.
"Mother sent me to look for you," he snapped. His eyes met Tasha's. "What are youdoing out here?" He asked.
"Your sister had some questions for me," Tasha said.
"Perseia!" Khaya shouted. He switched to his native tongue and began to scold her. The girl hung her head.
"I'm sorry, Tah-shayar," Perseia said. "I must go. I shouldn't have awakened you."
"That's all right," Tasha said.
Khaya took his sister's arm and motioned for her to come with him. He turned to Tasha and pointed at her. "You stay away from my sister," he warned.
Morning came without much fanfare. Riker looked unusually cheerful, and Data seemed a little more eager than usual.
"We aren't leaving yet?" Tasha asked when Riker told her his plan. "But Tensis told us to leave today."
"Of course she did. But she didn't say when," Riker said, beaming.
"Commander, I don't think sight-seeing is a good idea," Tasha said.
"We will have left the city by midday," Data assured her. "Most of what is to see we have already seen yesterday."
"Just the temple," Riker said. "I have a hunch the ship is here somewhere within the city."
"So we're going to search the city for the ship?"
"Precisely, Lieutenant," Data said. "It would be best if we start in the center of the city and work our way outwards."
"Wait, are you suggesting we split up?"
"No," Riker said. "We're staying together. The innkeeper didn't seem too friendly, so it's best if we keep together."
Data activated his tricorder. It was a wonder it was still working. A map appeared on the tiny screen.
"This is a rough layout of the city's design. It is circular in shape, with the temple complex directly in the center. The river runs directly through the middle of the city and flows underneath the temple complex before cutting through the city again."
"We should explore that temple further then," Tasha suggested.
"That would not be advisable," Data said. "If we are to respect the natives here, it would be best to leave the structures they deem sacred alone."
"Besides," Riker added, "we don't want to make them mad."
"So where do we start then?" Tasha asked.
Data enlarged a small portion of the map. "Commander Riker suggests we begin here, in this sector of the city..."