MAQUIS Act 42
Scene 1
We discovered the Island before the evacuation started. It appeared out of nowhere. Nobody knew it existed even though it was on one of our major trading routes.
When we landed on the beach, we couldn't believe our luck. It had everything we could want. We looked after the basics of survival first. We built a sturdy shelter then we found a source of clean drinking water. There were so many trees bearing fruits that we had never seen before. It surprised our hunters that there were no animals on the Island. The climate was perfect for growing crops and other produce so we knew that we wouldn't starve.
We were happy with our new home and decided to settle here. As time passed we started to notice that small items disappeared during the night. The Elders blamed the young boys and excused them due to the trauma of leaving everything they knew. We worked hard to make the Island our home.
On our first expedition to explore our new home, we found Mira in the middle of the jungle. She told us that little blue men, with wings, cared for her after her family disappeared. Of course, nobody believed her. We thought that she had created a fantasy world to cope with the trauma of losing her family.
We brought her back to the camp and gave her food and water followed by a bath and clean clothes. The Elders offered her a home with us. I lost my family during the war so I took responsibility for her. We bonded straight away. I became her Grandpere and I loved her like she was one of my own.
Not long after Mira joined our community we had our first tragedy. A four-year-old girl disappeared during the night. Her mother and father tucked her into bed the previous evening. When they went to wake her up in the morning her bed was empty. We kept searching for her or her remains but came up empty handed.
Following her disappearance, something started to attack the camp during the night. In the morning we found, broken tools, spoiled food and ruined crops in the makeshift field.
"Did you find the culprit?" asked Chakotay.
No, we didn't and that was the problem. At the end of a meeting, we made the decision to find another place to settle.
They started to chop down the trees to build a raft the following day. Our Woodsmen took pride in their work. On the mainland their safety record was exemplary. At the end of the second day, there was an accident. One of the trees fell in the wrong direction and killed two men. The incident upset every settler but accidents happen. After all, we only had primitive tools and no advanced technology.
The work started again the following day. This time a pile of tree trunks rolled and crushed a Woodsman. We stopped work after the third death. When I got home Mira was waiting for me. She looked scared to death.
She asked me to sit down because she had something to tell me.
Mira's Story
She told me about her own people. They had also tried to settle on the Island. Her family and their friends thought that they'd found paradise. After three nights on the island, five children disappeared. The parents were angry because they never found them or their remains.
They held an emergency meeting, it was a unanimous decision to leave the Island.
Mira's people made canoes from the logs they had already chopped. They packed their canoes with food and water for the long journey.
The weather was perfect on the day they intended to leave. There were no clouds in a brilliant blue sky. Their journey started without any mishaps. When they reached the end of the cove the weather changed. The sky turned black. There was a cloudburst which drowned everything. The canoes started to fill with water then the thunder and lightning joined in. The sea churned creating huge waves.
The storm halted as soon as it began. The boats had disappeared and there was no sight or sound of her people. Mira was the only left because she hid in a tree.
"You and your people can't leave the Island, Grandpere, it will destroy everyone you care about."
I went straight to the Elder and told him everything. He didn't believe me! He thought it was another of Mira's imaginative stories. I told him that Mira and I would not be leaving with them.
On the day of their departure, everything went as planned. There were no accidents or strange mishaps. I began to think that Mira's story was the product of a vivid imagination.
Mira asked me if I could hear a loud buzzing noise because she'd never heard it before. I turned to see a dense black cloud moving towards us. The buzzing sound grew in volume. Mira shouted at me to lie flat on the ground. The cloud passed over us and moved swiftly to the boats to engulf them. When the cloud lifted we couldn't see my people. I left Mira on the beach while I swam out to the canoes.
I still have nightmares about their ruined bodies. They had red bumps all over their exposed skin. That was bad enough but their bodies were swollen and their skin was turning black from the feet upwards. I fell back in the water and realised that the black specks in the water were dead insects. They died after they released their venom into their victims.
Scene 1
"Since that day we have lived here by ourselves. We try to discourage anybody who lands here from settling on this cursed Island."
"Did you try to leave the Island again?" asked Chakotay.
"No, I don't want to die a horrible death! We are safe as long as we stay here."
The old man was sorry, "You have no transport or equipment to leave the Island. I'm afraid you are prisoners of the Island."
Chakotay was desperate, "There must be something we can do. I could undertake a vision quest for advice from my spirit guide."
"During our time alone, I found books in one of the caves, They were diaries from an earlier group of settlers. I'm afraid that they suffered the same fate. None of them survived an attempt to leave the Island."
Scene 2
Chakotay and Kathryn ambled back to the camp in silence.
"What are we going to tell the others?" asked Kathryn.
"We will tell them the truth and discuss our options," responded Chakotay.
"We only have the old man's version of events," added Kathryn.
"Borrowing a phrase from the Klingons, today is not a good day to die. We'll stay here until we know for sure."
When they walked back into the camp, B'Elanna and Ayala were desperate to hear what they had discovered. After Chakotay told them everything, they sat open mouthed.
"There must be something we can do. We have to fight. I will not sit here and grow old in this place because the Island won't let us leave," shouted B'Elanna.
"I'm with B'Elanna, the Island has to learn that it can't keep pets." joked Ayala.
Chakotay knew that everyone was in shock, "We will talk about this tomorrow and devise a plan.
Scene 3
The following morning Mira woke them up with a message from her Grandpere.
"Grandpere wants me to show you the caverns beneath our cave. He believes that you could move in there. There is a rainy season here which ruins everything it touches. He said that you and your friends could stay there because it is dry and safe."
Mira grabbed Chakotay's hand and pulled her with him.
"It looks like I am going for a walk. We'll talk when I get back. They reached the cave to find the old man waiting for them.
"Mira will show you the way. The earlier settlers started to renovate the cavern to make it comfortable."
"Why didn't you move there with Mira?" asked Chakotay.
The old man replied, I'm old and stuck in my ways. This old cave has everything we need.",
"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been on the Island?" enquired Chakotay.
Chakotay could tell that he didn't want to answer his question. "I can't give you a precise figure but it is about two hundred years. Mira has been here for much longer."
"The Island has made you immortal?" whispered Chakotay.
The old man nodded his head. He couldn't tell Chakotay that he wanted to die. Death would be preferable to living on this cursed Island for eternity.
"Mira, come here and show Chakotay the path to the caverns."
"Can I visit the camp afterwards, Grandpere until sunset?" asked Mira.
The old man was glad that there was female companionship for Mira.
"As soon as the sun sets I want you back to wash up for dinner."
Mira grabbed Chakotay's hand again and pulled him towards the back of the cave. There was a passage. Unfortunately, it was so low that Chakotay had to bend to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. Chakotay noticed a blue light darting around at the end of the passage.
"What is that? Did you see him?" asked Chakotay, who hoped that he wasn't having delusions.
"That's Ari, he's upset because he didn't finish his work. He has to stay in the dark tunnels until Obe has forgiven him."
"Is he one of the tiny blue life forms who looked after you after your people died."
"Why can you see him and Grandpere can't?"
"My people honour the sky spirits and the land. I have an animal guide to help me make important decisions in my life."
Mira skipped ahead of him, "Ari, come and meet my new friend, Chakotay."
The tiny blue man flew over to him and landed on his shoulder.
Ari bowed, "I apologise for standing on you without asking permission. I can't talk to you while I am standing on the ground."
Chakotay grinned, "My name is Captain Chakotay. What must I call you?"
"Mira gave me the name, Ariel after she became part of my family," answered Ariel
Chakotay looked around, he wanted to speak to Ariel by himself.
He gave his water bottle to Mira. "Could you ask your Grandpere for some water please?"
"I will run so you don't have to wait too long!" shouted Mira.
"How long have you lived on the Island?" asked Chakotay.
Ariel replied, "The Island has always been our home."
Chakotay decided to be direct, "Do you know anything about the curse?"
"The curse started after we found Mira. We used to go to neighbouring Islands to hunt before the rainy season. After she settled in, the hunting parties started to attract bad luck. The animals began to attack the hunters. The weather could switch from sunny and warm to heavy thunderstorm if any settlers tried to leave in a boat."
"Do you think Mira made the curse?" asked Chakotay.
"Our Priestess believes that she shares her body with an evil ancient spirit. We tried to separate it from Mira but the entity stopped her heart."
Chakotay was angry, "Does she know anything about the killings?"
"She knows that she has blackouts but we have never told her the truth. How could she cope with the knowledge that she killed her people."
"Why did the entity continue killing people?"
"The spirit wants to cause chaos. It needs fresh people to play with."
Mira stood in the tunnel watching Ari talk to Chakotay. The Spirit knew about the new arrivals but he didn't know the group included a descendent of the sky spirits. It returned the body to Mira.
She skipped along the tunnel to catch up with Chakotay.
"Grandpere said that we have to hurry - he is very strict about meal times."
Chakotay said goodbye to Ariel then followed Mira along the tunnels. He memorised the route because he didn't want to rely on her until he knew more about the situation.
Scene 4
The adapted cavern was impressive. It had separate alcoves along one wall for use as sleeping quarters. There were seating areas for meetings. They had even found an underground spring to provide running water. At the back of the cavern, they had tried to start a garden. The soil was still there and access to light through a gap in the rocks.
"This is perfect! Why didn't you move down here with your Grandpere?"
"He told me that he's lived in this cave for over two centuries. He wants to die in his own bed.
"I'm heading back to the camp now to tell the others. Then we will start to move our few possessions here as long as your Grandpere agrees."
"I'm sure that he will - he misses his friends and people."
Mira's Grandpere was ecstatic when he heard that Chakotay and his crew wanted to move into the cavern.
It was so late that Mira had to stop with her Grandpere rather than walk back with Chakotay. Ariel joined him before he reached the camp.
"We would like to help you leave the Island without letting Mira or her Grandpere know." offered Ariel.
"I will speak to the others and let you know. Where can I reach you?"
"Call my name and one of my tribe will let me know."
After dinner, Chakotay sat down and told Kathryn, Ayala and B'Elanna what he'd learnt.
"Do you think that Ariel will keep our secret. He is native to the Island and has known Mira and the old man for centuries," asked Kathryn.
"His tribe are prisoners of the Island spirit. They used to leave to hunt on other islands but the entity stopped them."
"Why won't they leave with us?" asked B'Elanna.
"He is very fond of the girl trapped inside her body with the entity. They tried to separate them but it stopped her heart," answered Chakotay
Ayala commented, "It is a shame that we don't have access to a transporter any longer - we could have separated them."
Kathryn added, "We won't be able to leave the Island unless we find some transport. If we move to the caverns, the entity will know exactly what we are doing."
"Ariel might be able to help us with that. I have a feeling that he keeps his secrets safe from the entity or it would have attacked him," replied Chakotay.
Ayala and B'Elanna went to bed leaving Chakotay and Kathryn by the fire.
"Do you think Tom and Astra will be searching for us?" asked Kathryn.
"They are both resourceful. I'm sure they will be looking for any means of transport they can find to reach the Island," replied Chakotay.
Kathryn voiced her concern, "Do you think that this is it? Are we going to spend eternity on this Cursed Island?"
Chakotay put his arm around her, "I promise you that we will not spend eternity here. We will find a way to leave here alive and healthy."
"What are we dealing with?" asked Kathryn.
"My Father always reminded me that there is more to life than we can see, hear and touch."
Kathryn couldn't believe that she was going to ask these questions out loud, "Do you believe in evil? Is that little girl possessed?"
"I know that there is an energy on the Island that has kept them alive for over two centuries," replied Chakotay.
"Should we try to open a dialogue with it?" asked Kathryn.
Chakotay laughed, "That is such a Starfleet solution!"
Kathryn punched him playfully, "You had Starfleet training as well."
Chakotay tried to distract her. "Let's concentrate on making our lives more comfortable on the Island."
Kathryn added, "I'm not happy with the idea of moving into the cavern."
"I agree! I'll tell him that we will move into the cavern during the rainy season," agreed Chakotay.
He waited for an answer until he realised that Kathryn had fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake her up so he stayed exactly where he was. For a brief moment, he could pretend that she knew how much he loved her.
Scene 5
The entity had taken control of Mira so it could spy on the camp. It was sitting in a tree where it could see and hear everything. The new life forms were different. The others were violent and aggressive. This group wanted to find a peaceful solution to their problems. It would enjoy watching their reactions to certain stimuli like pain and terror. He knew that their bodies were weak so they wouldn't last very long. It jumped down to return Mira to the old man as they had an agreement.
The entity ran straight into Q, "Not so fast evil one! I want to have a word with you."
The entity tried to knock Q out of the way with its dark force. Q snapped his fingers and froze the entity in mid step.
"It's rude when evil villains ignore a polite request. Whatever brought you into this world should have taught you better manners."
The entity spoke using Mira's voice, "What do you want false god?"
Q was starting to get annoyed, "I assure you there is nothing false about me. One of the females you are stalking is mine. You will not interfere when she leaves the island."
"What about the girl and the old man?" asked the entity.
"They will die if they leave the Island so you can keep them. Do not use the girl again," warned Q.
"What will happen if I ignore your orders?"
Q was starting to lose his patience, "You will spend eternity locked inside a comet."
The entity wanted Q to leave, "I comply! I will not hurt your female."
"I will be watching you!" Then he snapped his fingers and disappeared.
The entity tried to control its rage. How dare that creature appear on its home and dictate his demands. It would torture his female first then hand her bloody remains back to the false God!