CHAPTER TWELVE:
Eshe: May 22, 2154
"Greetings."
Aiveli smiled at Malcolm and Travis coolly, ignoring the looks of shock on both men's faces. Gesturing to the two men who had come to stand behind her, she moved closer to the officers, her smile even brighter.
"Please, allow me to untie you. I was not aware that my guests had been taken prisoner. I apologize for any mistreatment on the part of my guards."
"Yeah, right," Travis whispered, though he kept his expression neutral. The initial shock had worn away, and they were left now with a biting feeling of uneasiness.
The bonds that had tied their hands and feet were loosened, and Malcolm gingery rubbed the red skin beneath the ropes. Wincing from the stinging sensation, he turned his attention to the girl who stood in front of him, her stance confident but on edge.
"So who are you really?" he asked, giving her a wary look. Aiveli, for her part, laughed. Her laughter was musical, almost the same as that of her younger sister, but Malcolm could tell that she too was as tense and uneasy as he was. The laughter was a façade; there was something going on that she wasn't telling him. He recalled her earlier attitude toward them. She had been quiet, reserved, and unwelcoming…something was wrong with this.
He didn't trust the young woman at all.
"Why, Malcolm, how can you even ask? I am Aiveli of Phidai, priestess of the temple of Phidai. We are friends, are we not, Malcolm?"
Malcolm scoffed.
"Friends don't sneak up on each other and bind them like criminals."
Aiveli's smile didn't waver, but Malcolm saw a brief expression of annoyance flash through her eyes. Her voice however, was just as kind as before.
"Malcolm…I apologize for how you were treated. My people thought that you were part of the Protectors. When I learned that you had been captured, I came immediately."
Her expression looked sincere enough, but Malcolm was still extremely wary. The events of the past 48 hours had been crazy, and he wasn't stupid enough to blindly trust someone who could pose a potential threat to him or to Enterprise. However, two could play at this game. If Aiveli wanted to be friends, then Malcolm had no problems pretending to be friends as well.
"All right. Let's say I believe you. Where are we?"
Aiveli shook her head.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. If either of you were caught, you would then be able to lead them back here, and I can't let that happen. Please…may we put this behind us?"
Malcolm stood up slowly, aware that every movement he made was being watched closely by the two other men in the room. Making sure that he was acting casual, he checked them quickly for weapons and found that their only means of protection were large blades that hung by their sides. Malcolm had seen old British war swords like those before, and he knew almost instantly that they would present something of a challenge.
If only I had my bloody phase pistol with me…He knew Archer's reasons for not allowing him to carry a phase pistol on this mission. After the incident with the communicator, it would be disastrous if someone else managed to discover a phase pistol and misuse it. The potential threats were enormous.
No, the captain had ordered that only communicators were to be brought, and even those must be kept hidden at all times unless no one else was present.
Malcolm understood it; it made perfect sense, after all.
He hated it anyway.
Especially now, he felt almost useless and weak without some form of weaponry on him. He knew that even if he managed to remove the swords from the guards, he wouldn't get far without a weapon of his own. The thought bothered him.
His decision to play along with Aiveli was even stronger now. Thus, he smiled, offering a hand to her in an expression of trust. Aiveli gave him a long stare, but then smiled as well and took his hand.
"All right," Malcolm said, giving Travis a look that said 'play along'. Travis looked questioning for a moment, but he then decided against protesting and gave an almost imperceptible nod in reply. Turning back to Aiveli, Malcolm smiled again. "What is past is past. We accept your apology."
Aiveli nodded in agreement.
"Wonderful! Now…you and Travis must be hungry. Please, follow me."
With another wary look at Travis, Malcolm shrugged and followed her out the door, the two guards following them with anxious fingers upon the hilts of their blades.
Ainuc'a muttered gently to herself as she looked over the ruined temple altar, her dress torn and dirty from all of the dirt and dust that had settled. Being more familiar with the temple than any other person, save for perhaps her sister, she scowled as she saw that most of the sacred runes on the walls were now gone.
Judging by the explosion, most of the temple had caved in. However, Ainuc'a knew that the tunnels beneath the temple were practically indestructible, and it was towards the stairway that she started to walk, hoping those structures were still intact.
Somehow, she sensed that Aiveli had already done the same thing and had made it out safely. Her older sister's words before the explosion were still fresh in Ainuc'a's mind, and no matter how much she tried to deny it, she knew the truth before. She knew that somehow, Aiveli had been responsible for the explosion.
When the time comes, Ainuc'a, you make sure you run…It was a hard thing to admit. Her own sister had known of this, had purposely helped in the destruction of their beloved temple.
And why?
Ainuc'a had a feeling she knew. That in itself made the thoughts harder to bear.
She decided against thinking about it for the time being. Focusing on the path before her, she suddenly gave a startled gasp when she stumbled over an opening in the ground near the altar. She had almost fallen in.
"Watch yourself, Ainuc'a," she murmured softly, chiding herself for not paying enough attention to where she was walking.
The cavity did not seem to be very deep, and Ainuc'a could see the floor of the pit rather clearly. Her sharp eyes scanned the debris and darkened stone, though she wasn't sure of what she was searching for.
A speck of white among the dark rocks and dirt caught her eye immediately. She squinted, trying to see more clearly. The white form finally came into focus, and Ainuc'a gave a small gasp of relief.
It was the woman, Hoshi, who had been present at the ceremony. The woman who had smiled kindly at Ainuc'a when she had been caught staring. Even now, she didn't understand why she had been staring in the first place. All she knew was that she, Hoshi, reminded her of someone else…someone important.
Ainuc'a put those thoughts aside. There were more urgent things to be worried about at the moment.
"Hoshi! Hoshi!" she called down, hoping the other woman could hear her.
Almost at once, the white gown shifted, and Ainuc'a thought that she saw Hoshi wave up. Next to her, Ainuc'a could see the outline of another person, and it took her a moment to realize that the man in the dirtied cream colored robes was the man called 'Trip'.
"Who are you?" Hoshi called up, and Ainuc'a almost laughed in relief and glee.
"My name is Ainuc'a! I was the priestess who also helped with the ceremony."
Hoshi's reply came quickly.
"Oh, thank God. Can you get us out of here?"
Ainuc'a looked around her. There were no ropes or anything that could be used to pull the two out of the hole. Getting frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair, her brows furrowed in deep thought.
They were stuck down there, but there had to be a way to lead them out safely.
Her eyes widened suddenly as an idea finally came to her.
"Of course!" she exclaimed, excited. Kneeling next to the opening of the hole, she called down.
"I think that I can get you out…but I'm coming down too. Move out of the way!"
Making sure that she could still see their forms clearly, Ainuc'a let herself slide down from the ledge. She landed on the ground, her legs absorbing most of the shock of the fall. Brushing herself off, she turned to face Hoshi and Trip, both of whom looked extremely confused.
"Ainuc'a, right?" Trip asked, giving her a questioning stare. He was holding his left arm at an angle, and Ainuc'a didn't have to be a healer to realize that the arm was broken.
"Yes," she replied to his question, smiling at him.
"How do you plan on getting us out of here when you're down here with us?"
Ainuc'a smiled even more. Walking over to the left wall, she began removing a few of the large stones at a time. Trip hurried up behind her, and then asked her again what she was doing.
"I'm going to find a way out of here. There are tunnels beneath the temple that stretch for many kilometers. I know that if we can dig our way through this wall, we should be able to reach the lower level of stairs. From there, I can lead us out of the temple. Please, trust me."
Trip looked at Hoshi for a moment. They both saw the agreement in each others' eyes and moved towards the rocks. Just as Trip was about to reach for the nearest stone however, a small hand stopped him. He looked in surprise at Ainuc'a, who was holding him back.
"Please…if you don't mind my saying, your arm looks terrible. You should rest. Hoshi and I can handle this."
"Now wait just a minute!" Trip exclaimed, looking frustrated. "It's just a lil pain…I'm fine, really. I don't like the thought of just sittin' here twiddling my thumbs while you two do all the work."
"Trip…you are hurt. Please listen. It is horrible of me to say, but you would not be much help anyway. Please understand."
Ainuc'a spoke quietly and gently, but Trip noted an undertone of command in her voice. Even though he partly agreed with her, he was not about to let some random young alien priestess tell him what to do. He wasn't useless…he could help.
Trip looked to protest some more, but then he saw that Hoshi was nodding in agreement with Ainuc'a. When she saw that he had noticed her reaction, she gave him a look that said, quite simply, 'it's for your own good'. Sighing, and not liking the feeling of helplessness one bit, he sat back, raising his good hand in surrender. It wouldn't do to be stuck here with Hoshi being mad at him. He could swallow his pride, just once.
The two women turned back to the task at hand.
