The Rebellion - Day 1
Alexa Earhart opened her eyes as the first alarm had gone off signalling the slaves that it was time to get up. Her stomach rumbled all the time because she never had enough food. Every slave was forced to do heavy manual work all day. The Briori only fed them three bowls of thin watery gruel with three tiny, grey pieces of bread every day.
Her best friend Jax woke up but went straight back to sleep when the alarm stopped. They were both orphans as their parents were executed by the Briori for planning to escape. The guards used a strong deterrent to maintain order because there were so many slaves.
Alexa started to poke Jax to make him get up, "Get up, get up, get up, get up."
"All right you don't have to be so physical," he pointed at one of the Briori guards, "They do it much better than you."
"Stop moaning, if we don't get in the food line there will be nothing left and your stomach will eat itself."
"Good point," Jax grabbed his bowl and ran to the line.
He held Alexa's place until she got there. Jax was one of the strongest because he ate everything he was given so nobody argued with him. After they choked down the gruel for breakfast, the guards escorted them to their work areas.
"I'll see you tonight, don't start any trouble without me," shouted Jax.
A guard gave him a smack on the head for talking. Alexa hoped Jax wasn't in one of his moods because that wouldn't be the last beating he'd get.
Alexa reached her workstation. She grabbed her hammer and started to break the rocks into little pieces. The younger children sifted through the rubble. They sorted the ore into a mine cart and the waste rock into buckets.
When the alarm sounded for dinner Alexa slumped to the floor. The Briori guard passed out the bowls and slopped a lumpy grey liquid into it. One of the other slaves walked past their gang and dropped a note into her lap. She waited until the guard turned away to read it.
"There will be a meeting tonight, during the guard's handover. We only have fifteen minutes so don't be late. Only come if you are ready to get up off your knees and fight."
Alexa looked around nervously to make sure the guard hadn't seen her. She never forgot the last time she saw her mother.
The guards came to get her before work started. Two of them pulled her mother out of their shelter by her hair. Her mama picked her up and hugged her until the Briori guard became impatient and separated them. Her mama didn't stop fighting as the guards dragged her away. That was the last time she saw her. She found out later that her mama and Jax's father had been planning to escape for months. One of their comrades got cold feet at the last minute and confessed everything to his guard. The Briori guard took every rebel to the surface and shot them immediately. Their bodies were reduced to dust and scorch marks - justice was swift in the Briori mines.
Alexa was scared yet she would go to the meeting. Her mother died because she wanted a better life for daughter. She was adamant that she wouldn't let her mother's sacrifice be in vain.
When the last alarm sounded the guards escorted the slaves back to their living area. The Briori made them live underground as it was more efficient to keep them closer to their work. Alexa and Jax made their own shelter with a dirty sheet and some branches blown into the mine during a storm. As soon as Jax returned She told him about the meeting.
"Wow finally, I knew there would be an uprising soon. Everyone is wound up and I've seen more fights this week than I can ever remember."
"Calm down Jax or the guards will know that we're planning something. Our uprising will be over before it's begun."
"I wish Dad had lived to see us fight for our freedom."
They kept to their normal routine so the guards wouldn't get suspicious. Jax kept talking until Alexa told him to quieten down before the guards dragged him off to the hole. They crawled out of their shelter, to head to the meeting area giving themselves five minutes. A tall man with long grey hair and a untidy beard stood on an upturned bucket to make himself heard.
"I know we haven't got long. In two days time, I will break into the Commandant's alcove at night and sound the alarm. During the chaos we must overthrow the guards and take over the mine. I'm sure that you would rather die fighting for your freedom than starved and abused by these aliens"
"We will need weapons to defend ourselves," shouted Jax.
"Try to find pieces of flint to sharpen into spear heads. We will provide the shafts."
One of the lookouts signalled that the guards were returning so they all raced back to their shelters.
The Rebellion - Day 2
When the morning alarm sounded Jax was the first one up. He was so excited that he was jumping around and singing.
"Shut up Jax, you'll get us all killed. Try to act as sleepy as normal or we will be the ones executed on the surface."
He stood still but he couldn't stifle the big grin on his face, "I'm sorry Lexi but I can't help it. I can't wait to get out of this mine and start living a free and happy life."
"Let's get some food or you won't have the energy to fight the guards."
"Why do you have to be so sensible all the time?"
"One of us has to be, we can't all be like you. We have to stay alive to enjoy our freedom."
He gave her a big hug and a kiss before they headed to the breakfast queue. Jax left whistling which earned him another cuff around the head from the guards.
Alexa had been in love with Jax for as long as she could remember. Of course he didn't know. Jax treated her like a little kid not a grown woman. She was pathetically grateful for any attention he gave her
At the first break Alexa received another note delivered in the same way.
"There will be a bundle of sticks waiting for you by your shelter with some makeshift twine. Make your weapons tonight because the uprising will start at twelve tomorrow night."
Alexa wasn't excited yet because she knew things could still go wrong. After the end of the day she collected the branches to use as the shafts for the spears. She started to strip them of all the leaves. Jax rushed through the door and emptied his pockets spilling small pieces of flint all over the floor.
"Don't blame me when you cut your feet on them in the morning."She scooped them up in a pile while she was talking to him.
"You're always looking at the negative side of things Lexi - relax."
"We haven't got time to relax. We have to make these spears now otherwise we'll have nothing to defend ourselves with."
"Where are we going to keep them once they're finished?"asked Jax.
"The Rebels have already thought of want one of us to distribute them tonight. Everyone needs to attach them to the inside of their trousers before tomorrow."
"That's a terrible plan, what are we going to do if one of us gets searched?"
"Just hope that doesn't happen. Try not to annoy the guards today as you won't be able to escape if they beat you."
"Promise me Lexi that if anything happens to me you will escape with the others. I'll come back to haunt you for the rest of your life if you don't."
"If we can't escape together, I'm not going," She stated firmly. Let's finish making these weapons so we can get some sleep before our escape tomorrow."
Alexa fell into bed exhausted after making an impressive amount of spears. Jax wasn't tired so he said he'd deliver them to the slaves.
The Rebellion - Day 3
When Alexa woke up her first thought was that something was wrong. Then she realised that Jax wasn't there. She stuck her head out of the shelter and looked everywhere she could think of.
She asked all the slaves who slept nearby, "Have you seen Jax I didn't hear him get up this morning?"
"Hasn't anyone told you, he was taken by the guards last night. After he refused to obey an order they searched him and found one of the spears. Luckily he'd already given out the other ones. He took full responsibility for it and told them he'd planned to escape alone."
"Where are they keeping him?"asked Alexa feeling unwell.
"He was taken to the isolation hole but they are letting him out to work because he's one of their best workers."
The line was starting to form for the morning slop. Alexa didn't feel like eating but she went to stand in line anyway. Now she had to rescue Jax before they escaped. She would rather die than leave him here. She choked down the gruel and joined the line for work.
"Lexi are you okay, I'm really sorry about Jax."
She nodded to everyone who spoke to her but couldn't trust herself to reply. Luckily she had to concentrate on her work or she could lose a foot or worse severely injure one of the children. At the midday break she left her work gang to find Jax even though she knew if they found her she would join him in the hole. When she saw him she stifled a cry.
"What did they do to you, I told you your smart mouth would get you into trouble,"
His face was so swollen that all you could see were the slits where his eyes should be. They left his arms and legs alone so he could still wield a pickaxe.
"Lexi don't worry about me get out of here tonight and I will join you when I can."
They both knew he was lying. She kissed him and ran back to her station.
The guards should have noticed how tense and excited the slaves were when they finished work. Alexa returned to their shelter and put three things into her pocket. There were two photographs of their parents and her mother's locket. Finally she lay down for a few hours to conserve her energy.
When the alarm sounded she woke up with a start, grabbed her spear and rushed to the hole. She saw one of the guards running towards her so she flattened herself against rocks. There was one Briori soldier left guarding the hole while the other one had gone to find out what had gone wrong.
She knew she had one chance to deal with him. Alexa grasped her spear tightly while she summoned up the courage to kill the guard. She knew that Jax would be die if she left him here. The guard stood with his back to her. Alexa threw the spear straight at him. When he was lying on the floor she rammed the spear right through him. She stared at his twitching body to check whether he was dead and vomited on the ground.
"What's happening, Alexa if you've come to rescue me I'm going to be really mad with you."
She finished vomiting and stuck her head over the edge of the cell grinning.
"I told you that we have to escape together or not at all."
She took a device off the guards body, pointed it at the hole and waited for the rungs to appear. Jax climbed up slowly because he couldn't allow himself to fall. When he reached the surface he grabbed the gun and looped it over his shoulder. Then he took Alexa's hand and raced to the exit. The exit tunnel was narrow so Jax pushed Alexa in front of him. They were almost there when Jax heard shouting behind him. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down to find a hole in his chest. Before he collapsed he threw the gun to Alexa.
"Lexi, I've been hit, don't turn back you must survive."
Alexa felt her heart break but she did as she was told, she grabbed the gun and opened fire. She killed all the guards that came after them. The tears were rolling down her face as she left the mine to emerge into the sunlight. She walked over to the other survivors who were also crying and hugging each other.
Maquis Act 13 Continued
One of Alexa's descendants was in the group who came to meet Chakotay and his landing party.
Scene 1
"Now we know that you're not Briori, you are most welcome. If you come with us we can show you our homes."
"Thank you, we need to barter for some essential supplies, would that be possible?"
"No problem, we will supply you with whatever you need. We are desperate for information about Earth. Our ancestors were abducted from Earth over four hundred years ago. They didn't leave a written history. Obviously they had more things to worry about than writing about their home."
"We will gladly give you some books and photographs of Earth in exchange for the supplies."
"I am Tom Noone, the leader of our growing community. After a brief tour of our city, we would like to invite you and your crew to a banquet in celebration of your visit. After all, we are distant relatives."
"We would be delighted to join you. I'm sure my crew will be grateful to eat decent food. Battle rations can be a little boring over a long journey."
There was space in the truck for two people so Chakotay sent Bendera, Ayala and B'Elanna back to the ship. He took Kathryn with him to tour the city because of her training in diplomacy and making first contact.
The city was impressive. There were neat clapboard buildings, simple but well constructed. The roads were clean and well laid out. All the citizens were busy and most of them seemed to be happy. There was a thriving market with plenty of fresh produce. Chakotay thought it resembled an American city in the nineteen-thirties.
The arrival of strangers caused quite a commotion. The arrival of the crew of the Val Jean was their first contact with other other humans.
Scene 2
They returned Kathryn and Chakotay to their ship after their tour. The Mayor made arrangements to meet them later in front of the City Hall. The crew were grateful to get off the ship and eat proper food for once. For the rest of the day the crew of the Val Jean got ready for the banquet in their honour.
Kathryn found a dress that wasn't too creased and applied some makeup which she borrowed from Ann. Just before they left the ship, Ann pulled her to one side.
"Kathryn I have a secret to tell you, I'm pregnant."
"That's fantastic congratulations to you and Gerron?"
"Of course it's Gerron's baby, we both wanted you to know first."
"When are you going to tell the others?"
"We thought the banquet tonight would provide the ideal opportunity."
"Right, I won't say a thing to anyone, promised Kathryn.
Scene 3
When the crew from the Val Jean reached the town square they were greeted with a round of applause. There were tables groaning with food with long benches to sit on. The people moved aside to let the crew sit between them to eat.
At the end of the feast the Mayor stood up to give a speech.
"I would like to welcome our honoured guests from our home world. This brave crew was abducted by an alien entity and abandoned in this quadrant. I believe that we have more in common with these brave people than our common ancestry. In this spirit I would like to offer them a home and employment with us if they would like to stay with us."
Chakotay and Kathryn scanned the faces of the crew to see if anyone looked interested. On their way back to the ship Chakotay caught up with Kathryn to ask her for advice.
"What should I do? We only have a small crew and there is strength in numbers."
"This journey may last for the majority of our lifetimes. I think you have to give them the choice," she was thinking of Ann and her news."
"Do you feel tempted to stay?" asked Chakotay who was unsure that he could cope if she said yes.
She smiled at him, "I've been in space for the majority of my adult life - I'm a space gypsy. I have a duty to tell all the relatives of my crew, face to face, that they died defending the weak and vulnerable. They were courageous and brave right to the end."
Chakotay hugged her in a gesture of support.
Scene 4
Ann and Gerron were waiting to speak to Chakotay when he returned.
"Come in and sit down, I think I know why you're here."
Ann spoke first, "I am pregnant Captain and we want our child to grow up in the sun, playing in the fresh air and safe. I don't want the baby to be born and raised in space."
Gerron continued because Ann was getting upset, "They have offered us a house with some land and a job. We have to take this opportunity Captain, for the baby's sake."
Chakotay stood up and hugged both of them, "You don't have to explain anything to me. Of course you want a better future for your little one. We will miss both of you."
Scene 5
Chakotay held an impromptu meeting with the whole crew after his chat with Ann and Gerron.
"The Mayor has offered any of the crew who want to stay on the planet a home and employment. I understand that you didn't sign up for this journey. So I wouldn't blame any of you for choosing to live and work on this planet. I will be leaving tomorrow morning. If you want to stay, pack up your personal possessions and be ready to disembark at 0900 hours.
Kathryn spent the rest of her evening helping Ann to pack up all her belongings. Ann was really happy about her pregnancy and her new life with Gerron. Still she would miss some of the crew, especially her best friend Kathryn.
"If the baby is a girl then we are going to call her Kathryn. We thought about naming our baby Chakotay if it was a boy but we thought it would be a little exotic for this planet."
Kathryn laughed before she could start to cry again, "I am honoured that you'll name your baby after me."
When everything was packed, it was quite late so Ann went to bed as the baby was making her tired.
In the morning everyone was waiting to say goodbye to Ann and Gerron. There were a lot of tears and hugs then Gerron picked up their bags and they walked towards their new home.
Chakotay was really glad that the rest of the crew decided to stay.