Ch. 5: The Dyrallians

A face filled the viewscreen, and Archer narrowed his eyes. He knew he'd never seen this species before, but there was something familiar about the man he was looking at. The alien's skin had a silvery sheen to it, and the large eyes were deeply blue. His dark hair was cropped short, and Archer could clearly see the large but delicate ears and the thin ridges that ran along his cheekbones, across his forehead, and extended into his hair at the temples.

"I am Sorin Kelek, captain of the Starsweeper. On behalf of the Dyrallian people, I thank you for what you did."

"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship Enterprise. I'm glad we were able to help. I'm guessing that those ships have been bothering this area?"

Kelek sighed. "Yes, Captain. I am not sure if you are aware, but our people have recently ended a very long civil war between Dyrallia Prime and our colony on Dyrallis. Some of the more disgruntled on the losing side pooled resources and hired those mercenaries to attack the winning side, and to drive away those who might help us. We've lost a lot of people because of them, Captain."

Archer's brow furrowed, then his expression cleared and he leaned forward slightly in his seat. "Tell, me, Captain Kelek, did your civil war end about 18 years ago?"

Kelek's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Yes! The colony formally surrendered on Dyrallia Prime just a little over 18 years ago. But how did you know, Captain?"

"A ship that was run by some of my people was very recently destroyed by attacks from those mercenaries. One of the survivors mentioned passing through this area of space about 18 years ago, and that it had only just ended a very long civil war."

Kelek shook his head. "I'm sorry that those accursed ships caused the destruction of one of your vessels. I, and some of my fellow captains, have been trying to get the council on Dyrallia to approve measures that would allow us greater leeway in dealing with this threat. However, the ships have attacked so quickly that very little record of them is left." His face then brightened a bit. "Would you happen to have the destruction of that ship on record? I'm sorry if that sounds cold, but we have so little visual confirmations…"

"No, that's perfectly understandable," Archer replied. "In fact, we also have this latest attack on record, if that would help."

"Immeasurably, Captain. Thank you."

T'Pol came over and stood by Archer. He noticed that she was staring intently at Kelek, and she turned towards him and arched her eyebrows. He turned to the viewscreen and asked Kelek to wait for a moment.

"T'Pol, is there something about Kelek that you'd like me to know about?"

"Just this, Captain. I believe that this person matches the description Mr. Green gave about what Kesslyn looked like when she was found. It is possible that these Dyrallians are her people."

Archer turned back towards the viewscreen and scrutinized Kelek. Silvery skin, large ears, facial ridges...yes, that was the familiarity he had felt. Green's description of Kesslyn's baby features had stuck in his mind, and he saw them now on the alien he had been speaking to. He gestured to Hoshi to resume transmission.

"Captain Kelek," he began, "I was wondering if you'd like to come aboard Enterprise. We could brief you more fully about what we saw with those mercenary ships, and there's someone here I think would like to meet you."

Kelek thought for a moment, then said, "I would be happy to, Captain. It's not that often we get to see vessels other than our own. I'll bring my shuttlepod over in, say, an hour?"

Archer nodded. "Sounds good. I'll see you then. And Captain Kelek? Thanks for the help."

Kelek nodded and signed off. Archer turned to T'Pol and said, "Would you please go and get Kesslyn? I want to talk to her about this Kelek, and about your theories. We'll take her down to Sickbay so we can have Phlox clear up anything we don't have details on. Plus, we can check on any injured crewmen."

She nodded, and went to get Kesslyn. The three of them headed for Sickbay. Halfway there, Lieutenant Cutler came running up to them. She skidded to a stop and faced Archer, panting.

"Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Captain, it's Mr. Green. He was down in Engineering when the marauders hit. He pulled one of the crew out of the way when the console exploded and caught on fire, but he was hurt badly. Doctor Phlox wants you and Kesslyn down there as soon as possible."

Archer looked at Kesslyn in time to watch every bit of color drain out of her face, her eyes going wide and panicked. He grabbed her hand as they sped to Sickbay.

The doors hissed open, and Kesslyn rushed inside. She spotted Green immediately, and started to run over to him. Phlox caught her just before she reached him.

"Let me go!" she cried, twisting in his grasp. "I want to see Alex…they said he was hurt…let me go!"

"Kesslyn!" The doctor forced her to look at him, even as she struggled against his tight grip. "Kesslyn, he is hurt. He's hurt very, very badly. He protected that crewman from the explosion, and the fire rushed over him. He cut and burned. Kesslyn, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

She sagged in his arms then, shaking her head in denial. "No, no, please, not Alex. Not him. I need him; he's the last of my family. Please, Doctor…please. Do something… anything. Please!" The tears that started to fall down her face accentuated her pleading words. Phlox could do nothing more than shake his head. She bit back a sob, then asked to be taken to Green.

She reached his side, and gasped at his appearance. A medical blanket covered much of him, but what could be seen of him was bloody and burned. She gently reached over and touched his cheek, one of the few areas on him left undamaged.

"Alex? Alex, it's me, Kessa. I wanted to see if you'd like to take a walk in hydroponics today. All the plants are blooming."

He opened his eyes and focused on her face. He produced a weak little smile, and coughed. "I'd love to, Kessa, but I don't think I can right now. I'm feeling kind of weak." His voice was a raspy whisper, and Kesslyn's face crumpled a bit at the sound.

"That's OK, maybe later." Her tiny smile disappeared as Green began to cough, and blood dribbled out of his mouth. "Alex, please. Please fight. Please don't leave me. You're all I have."

He gasped, trying to take in air to his torn, burned lungs. "I want to, Kessa, but I'm so tired. Captain?" he called, raising his voice fractionally. Archer came over and looked down at him.

"Mr. Green, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be sorry," Green said, cutting him off. "I need to do something for me. I need you to promise me that you'll take care of Kesslyn. No matter what happens, I need to know that she'll have a place where she's loved and cared for. Can you do that for me, sir?"

Archer nodded. "I'd be happy to, Mr. Green. It was a pleasure knowing you."

Green's eyes shifted back to Kesslyn, and he raised his unblistered hand to touch her face. "Be brave, Kessa girl. It'll be OK. I want you to remember all the good things, OK? I want…you to live, and be happy. I love you, sweetheart, always…and always." His eyes lost focus, and he dropped his hand. Closing his eyes, he let out one tiny sigh and was gone.

"Alex?" Kesslyn whispered, her voice trembling. "Alex, no, Alex, please, please. Please don't go. Wake up, Alex, wake up! Alex, please!" She drew in a great ragged breath. "Alex, I love you. Alex…" Her voice trailed off as she began weeping, her body shaking with the force of her tears. She held Green's hand to her and laid her head on his chest, crying for the loss of the last link to her family.

Archer turned away, giving Kesslyn a private moment to grieve. His own eyes smarted. Green had been a good person, and in the short time he had known him, Archer had begun to regard him as a friend. It was not fair that he'd had to die that way, and doubly unfair that Kesslyn had lost her friends, her family, and her world in such a short time. He tried to move Kesslyn away, but she began to fight him, hitting and screaming through her tears. Phlox stepped in and gave her a sedative, and she abruptly slumped into Archer's arms. He lifted her up and laid her on one of the unoccupied beds. He gently smoothed her hair from her face and stared down into her tear-ravaged face. He walked around Sickbay to check on each of the injured crew, then returned to Kesslyn's bedside and watched her sleep. He jumped as T'Pol touched his arm.

"I am sorry to disturb you, Captain, but Captain Kelek will be arriving in approximately 20 minutes. Perhaps you would like to clean up a bit?"

Archer was startled. He was not aware that such a length of time had passed. "Thanks, T'Pol. If you don't mind waiting in the shuttlebay, I'll be there as soon as I get cleaned up."

"I will go there directly," she replied. As he turned to go, she spoke again. "I am sorry for the loss of Mr. Green, Captain. He was a good man."

Archer looked back at her, somewhat surprised by her sentiment. "Yes, he was, T'Pol. Thank you." He then walked out of Sickbay and went to his quarters.

A short time later, he waited next to T'Pol as Captain Kelek exited his shuttlepod and walked onto Enterprise.

"Captain Kelek, it's a pleasure to have you here," Archer said, stepping forward to greet him. "If you would come this way, we can speak in my ready room."

Kelek inclined his head. "Thank you for the welcome, Captain, and in advance for the information concerning these mercenaries. We have lost many of our ships and those of other species to their attacks."

Once in the ready room, joined by Tucker and Phlox, Archer sat down across from Kelek and slid a small data chip across the table.

"That's the information we have on the ships, including the recent attack and what information we have from a previous attack. I hope it will help."

Kelek took the chip and tucked it into his shirt. "I'm sure it will, Captain. Perhaps now we can convince those waffling politicians that we need a bigger military presence out here to get those mercenaries."

"Captain Kelek, I do have one rather, well, odd question to ask you," said Archer. Kelek inclined his head to allow Archer to proceed, and he did. "I was wondering if your people have some sort of, well, camouflage capabilities. I don't mean any of your equipment, but your people, actually. Is it possible for you to change your appearance?"

Kelek looked taken aback by Archer's question. "Actually, yes, we do. If I may ask, Captain, how is it that you have that particular bit of information? It's not something that is well known outside of our people, and for good reason. The fact that we can alter our appearances is not something we want everyone to know."

"I told you about that ship that was attacked earlier, the one who had been through here about 18 years ago. Well, it seems that they picked up a passenger, a child. Our doctor noticed that there was an abundance of pigmentation cells in her skin, and the people who raised her noticed that she appeared different than when they had first rescued her."

Kelek nodded. "It comes from our ancestors. In past millennia, our planet was overrun with carnivorous predators. Our ancestors found that the best way to keep safe was to blend in, and as time passed, that trait became more refined. We can consciously control the alteration of our pigmentation and slight reshaping of the face. We call it leshay, which means 'the hiding.' Don't get me wrong, Captain, it's not that we could look exactly like another person. Our facial features remain fairly steady, but we could look like another of the species. Here. Let me show you."

With that, an amazing transformation began to occur. In the space of a few seconds, Archer watched Kelek's silvery skin change color, his ears shrink, and the facial ridges seemingly melt into his face. He found himself, to his amazement, looking at someone that he would never have been able to tell wasn't another human being.

"As you can see, Captain, it's a very intriguing and useful trick, but it's used more for defense than for any sort of attacks. Now, may I see this girl that your this other ship rescued?"

With that, Archer got up and led Kelek out. Trailed by T'Pol and Tucker, he and Kelek walked over to Sickbay. Once inside, Archer walked over to Kesslyn, who was still sleeping off the effects of the sedative. Kelek joined him, and looked down at the sleeping girl. His brows furrowed in a frown.

"Well, Captain, if this was once one of my people, she isn't anymore. In our sleeping states, we look the way we did at birth. The fact that this girl still looks human tells me that her leshay skills are pretty much gone. And without leshay skills, she would not be considered one of our own. She would be outcast, Captain. I'm sorry, but that it how my people would see it."

Archer gazed at Kelek and then Kesslyn in consternation. If she was born a Dyrallian but might not be considered one of them, what was he going to do with her? How was he supposed to honor his promise to Green if the place he had hoped would accept Kesslyn would have nothing to do with her?