A/N: A short one for you today. Got a little busy trying to get back in the swing of things after the holiday. Thanks so much to anyone still reading this, I know my stories end up being like a million chapters lol. I only have one more episode in mind after this to tie together all the overarching elements, so resolution is in sight, I promise!
I was toying with the idea of maybe doing a one-shot before I write the final episode, something that would take place on Betazed, maybe during Carmen's visit? JWood201, I remember you saying you'd love something like that. I'm always open to ideas for scenarios or anything you'd like to see happen on Betazed! Also, we WILL be seeing Lwaxana again in this episode. :-)
Zara08-Thank you so much for always reviewing! Seriously, I look forward to your feedback and witty remarks every time. Your last comment would be a hilarious one shot, don't you think? Lol!
The Romulans prodded them towards Shadow Ridge at a ruthlessly brisk pace. Rain had turned the jungle floor into a boggy mess, making the journey a difficult one. Jora especially struggled, still exhausted from her ordeal in the river. Time and again she stumbled, and time and again Carmen stood her back on her feet. She feared that Kotar would grow impatient with the girl and change his mind about keeping her on as a prisoner. An old fear shuddered down her back. Where she was from, Romulans were skillful and accomplished in the art of torture. Therefore the council had made a "merciful" decision to withhold any valuable information from all child-soldiers, rendering them useless to their enemy. They barely even knew what they were fighting for. As a result, children were never taken prisoner; they would be executed with swift and callous efficiency instead.
As Jora stumbled again, Carmen cast Riker a desperate look. The girl would not make it all the way up to the ridge. He smiled gently, sympathetically, and scooped her up. "I've got this," he whispered. "Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to either of you."
Carmen wanted to believe him. There was no war here, she told herself. But still, as she watched Jora's head bounce softly against Riker's chest, she found it reminiscent of the way her Klingon compatriots would carry some of the younger recruits. The places they visited were never teeming with life like Vakrona. No, they were usually god-forsaken rocks covered in sand or snow or ice. The children always had a difficult time navigating that sort of terrain. So on occasion, one of the Klingons would pick them up, grumbling something about how humans never carried their weight while simultaneously tucking them into their arms like a fretting mother. Carmen herself had been one of those children once, weary and cold and hanging from a Klingon's arms.
Jora looked cold and weary, too. Carmen shook her head, forcing herself to shut out the image. Jora was never supposed to resemble a child-soldier. She was never supposed to be in this position. It was supposed to be safe here-safe to get attached, that is.
The hike carried on, and so did the morning. It was hard to tell what time of day it was anymore without a sun to make proper shadows. The rain pounded in time with the Drums, keeping their very own marching cadence. It became increasingly difficult for Carmen to hide her pain from the others. She was sure that Kotar had cracked several of her ribs, and her tongue tasted of blood from the kick to her face.
"It's alright, we're almost there," someone whispered. Carmen looked around, startled from her brooding. It was the Romulan boy. He offered her a flimsy smile of encouragement.
Slowly, a realization dawned on her. "It was you, wasn't it?" she growled. "You're the one who shot me down from that tree!"
His smile fled. "I'm sorry. It's just-you left me no choice!"
Carmen was about to dismiss his apology when something flickered in her brain, a small mote of recognition. She narrowed her eyes, trying to place it. Yes, there was something strangely familiar about him. But how could that be? Surely she had never met him before.
Still, her mind would not let it go. "Who are you?" she demanded.
Kotar whipped around. "Toleel!" he bellowed. "I told you to keep out of this!"
Carmen staggered back a step, reeling from the sound of his name. Riker, too, froze in place. He knew the name, but not the face.
Oh god, his face...She could see him now, lying lifelessly beside the other bodies. Carmen had never forgiven herself for the boy's death. This was the Romulan who had died for Captain Picard. This was the boy whose death had precipitated the destruction of her Enterprise. If she had saved him, then Toleel's father would have gone ahead with the first ever Romulan-Federation alliance. And that ship that she was born on, the Enterprise of her real mother and father, would still be somewhere out there.
As Toleel crept back in line with the other Romulans, turning his face to the ground to avoid Kotar's glare of disapproval, Carmen's mind spun out of control. What did this mean? For her, for Riker and Troi, for the Enterprise that still sailed the heavens above? Her universes were colliding, and there was something terribly foreboding about it all. It was supposed to be safe...