Standard Disclaimer
A Blast From The Past
Part Four
"I want Edele up here – now!" commanded Captain Archer.
Out of breath, Edele burst onto the bridge with Trip and Malcolm on her heels.
"I'm here," she gasped. "I had a feeling this had something to do with my 'friends'."
She looked up at the viewscreen.
"Oh, bugger."
"What's wrong?"
"That thing up there?" she pointed to the ship on the screen. "That's the closest the Elache have to a war vessel. Fully equipped with all 'their' best technology. Believe me, Captain, all that stolen equipment and machinery make them a fierce opponent."
She glared at Malcolm. "Don't give me that look. Just because I never attended your precious Starfleet doesn't mean I'm completely dense."
Remembering she was surrounded by Starfleet officers, she directed a comment of "No offence," to the room in general.
"They're haling us, sir," informed Hoshi.
Archer nodded, and the image appeared on the viewscreen. This Elache looked worse than the others unconscious in sickbay. Still green, still mouthless, but its various horns seemed longer and it was heavily armed with an impressive range of weaponry.
:KIDNAPPERS! Return our people to us at once!:
Archer clapped his hands to his ears, but it didn't help. That brutal voice ripped through his head, and he dropped to his knees.
Edele crawled over to him, eyes streaming.
"I should have warned you," she said, face screwed up in pain. "The Elache are telepathic – it's why they don't have mouths. This one is making no attempt to shield, that's why it hurts so much."
Making an effort, Archer struggled to his feet. Facing the viewscreen, he shouted, defiantly. "We can't help you like this!"
The Elache 'lowered' it's mind voice. It was now bearable, but only just.
:Give us back our people. The Ka'ak who attacked them, also. She must be punished.:
"Ka'ak?"
:SILENCE!:
One by one, the crew of the bridge blacked out, as the Elache reached into their minds and forcibly took all information that could be useful.
They were cruelly dragged back into consciousness and given the mental version of a kick up the backside.
:You have thirty of your hours to comply with our requests. If our people are not returned and the Ka'ak not turned over for execution, we remove them and destroy your ship.:
The image disappeared and the ship vanished.
~*~*~*~
"Captain, just let me go."
"No! Do you really think I'm going to send you into certain death? I'm not about to let you die!"
"And *I'm* not about to let me die, either. But if I stay here, *all* of us will die. Including me. If I go, it's only *probable* death. They don't execute *all* their prisoners."
"No?"
"Some are slaves."
"SLAVES?!?"
"Look, Captain Archer, I'm resourceful. I won't be there long."
Archer raised an eyebrow, inviting her to explain further.
"This isn't the first time I've been up for execution. It's… not *easy* to get out of, but it's possible. It's expensive, and you're in debt for pretty much the rest of your life, but…"
"…at least you're alive to be in debt," Malcolm finished for her.
Edele threw him a grateful glance, but he turned his eyes away.
"Captain," he said, "I may have a compromise. I don't like it, but I think it's the best choice we have…"
END OF PART FOUR
Ok, ok, I know I said we'd find out about their homeworld, but I have writers block!
Next Chapter :- A visit to the Elache homeworld, and Malcolm gets a little deja-vu.
What are you waiting for already? REVIEW!!
A Blast From The Past
Part Four
"I want Edele up here – now!" commanded Captain Archer.
Out of breath, Edele burst onto the bridge with Trip and Malcolm on her heels.
"I'm here," she gasped. "I had a feeling this had something to do with my 'friends'."
She looked up at the viewscreen.
"Oh, bugger."
"What's wrong?"
"That thing up there?" she pointed to the ship on the screen. "That's the closest the Elache have to a war vessel. Fully equipped with all 'their' best technology. Believe me, Captain, all that stolen equipment and machinery make them a fierce opponent."
She glared at Malcolm. "Don't give me that look. Just because I never attended your precious Starfleet doesn't mean I'm completely dense."
Remembering she was surrounded by Starfleet officers, she directed a comment of "No offence," to the room in general.
"They're haling us, sir," informed Hoshi.
Archer nodded, and the image appeared on the viewscreen. This Elache looked worse than the others unconscious in sickbay. Still green, still mouthless, but its various horns seemed longer and it was heavily armed with an impressive range of weaponry.
:KIDNAPPERS! Return our people to us at once!:
Archer clapped his hands to his ears, but it didn't help. That brutal voice ripped through his head, and he dropped to his knees.
Edele crawled over to him, eyes streaming.
"I should have warned you," she said, face screwed up in pain. "The Elache are telepathic – it's why they don't have mouths. This one is making no attempt to shield, that's why it hurts so much."
Making an effort, Archer struggled to his feet. Facing the viewscreen, he shouted, defiantly. "We can't help you like this!"
The Elache 'lowered' it's mind voice. It was now bearable, but only just.
:Give us back our people. The Ka'ak who attacked them, also. She must be punished.:
"Ka'ak?"
:SILENCE!:
One by one, the crew of the bridge blacked out, as the Elache reached into their minds and forcibly took all information that could be useful.
They were cruelly dragged back into consciousness and given the mental version of a kick up the backside.
:You have thirty of your hours to comply with our requests. If our people are not returned and the Ka'ak not turned over for execution, we remove them and destroy your ship.:
The image disappeared and the ship vanished.
~*~*~*~
"Captain, just let me go."
"No! Do you really think I'm going to send you into certain death? I'm not about to let you die!"
"And *I'm* not about to let me die, either. But if I stay here, *all* of us will die. Including me. If I go, it's only *probable* death. They don't execute *all* their prisoners."
"No?"
"Some are slaves."
"SLAVES?!?"
"Look, Captain Archer, I'm resourceful. I won't be there long."
Archer raised an eyebrow, inviting her to explain further.
"This isn't the first time I've been up for execution. It's… not *easy* to get out of, but it's possible. It's expensive, and you're in debt for pretty much the rest of your life, but…"
"…at least you're alive to be in debt," Malcolm finished for her.
Edele threw him a grateful glance, but he turned his eyes away.
"Captain," he said, "I may have a compromise. I don't like it, but I think it's the best choice we have…"
END OF PART FOUR
Ok, ok, I know I said we'd find out about their homeworld, but I have writers block!
Next Chapter :- A visit to the Elache homeworld, and Malcolm gets a little deja-vu.
What are you waiting for already? REVIEW!!