Safekeeper (part 2)
Disclaimer: See part one.
Louis had been on the bridge. Next thing he knew he was somewhere else. Someplace different. It was in the mountains. People from the crew were there, and people he never saw before, offering food.
"These are holograms," announced one of the crew with a tricorder.
Louis shook his head, "First the Captain is a hologram, then I'm surrounded by holograms. Why?"
"Guess you don't like holograms?" said a familiar voice.
Louis turned around to see Tomas. He answered, "They give me the creeps."
"Something that seems so real but is not real. I just thought it was amazing."
A holowoman approached them, "Would you like some food. There is a variety to choose from. We have breads, fruits, cakes..." she kept going.
Tomas turned to Louis, "I dare you to eat something."
Louis causally grabbed an apple and inspect it. Then he took a small bite, chewed slowly and swallowed. Surprised himself in actually doing it. Everything seemed to be fine, but then he felt dizzy. He held his head and collapsed.
Harry, who had been watching, started to move towards him. By the time he got there Louis disappeared.
Tomas stood there, shocked. He softly whispered, "Now, he's really going to hate holograms."
"No one eat anything," Harry ordered, not knowing what else to do.
"Now you tell us," Tomas muttered.
Harry looked where Louis had been, "Fool." He turned to one of the holopeople, "Where is he?"
"Why don't you eat something?" the holoperson replied.
"Excuse me? Where is he?!"
"Eat something."
"Who's in charge?"
The holoperson left and approached someone else,"Why don't you eat something."
"Apparently these holos aren't made to respond to reasonable questions," Tomas said.
"We should look where these holograms are being emitted from," said an officer, judging by the green color of her collar, Harry saw it was an Lieutenant Commander.
The Lit Com, whose name was Pearl Forrest started walking away. Harry followed her. Tomas followed Harry.
As they left a gas, almost invisible, started to come from the floor in the middle of the people. Pearl, Harry, and Tomas moved quicker out of the crowd. When they got to the end, they noticed a far away house. They walked there.
"Why are you following me?" Harry asked Tomas.
"I'm not," Tomas said, "I just want to get away from that gas." It was half true, half a lie. The truth was he had no idea what else to do.
The gas wasn't getting them as much as the others, but it still made them feel tired. They walked more quickly until they finally got to the house.
It was quite big, and when they entered it they saw it only had one room.
Pearl found the hologram projector. "We should disable it."
"Fine with me," Harry said as he pulled out a phaser, "Stand back." Pearl looked surprised, but she stood back. Harry shot it when she did.
The soft green walls turned gray. In the house appeared medical type beds with sleeping people.
Harry looked at the people, "They're Maquis."
Tomas looked at the people, a male was a Vulcan with dark skin, another was a human female with blonde hair, another female appeared to be half Klingon.
Harry looked at each of the people, then he stopped at one. The one he stopped at was female, human, with brown hair.
Tomas heard Harry whisper something, he turned. He recognized the one Harry was by. Tomas had met her once, not on good terms, she had threatened his life.
The gas was started to get to them, they fought it, but it was getting stronger. Pearl, who was closest to the door, was the first to collapsed.
Tomas moved to the back of the house to stay conscious as long as possible. He expected Harry to do the same, but he didn't move.
The Captain had been on the ship alone for 4 days. Half his crew was taken. The other half was dead. He figured out his kidnapped crew was on the Array. The Array was a huge space station near them that was sending energy to a near by planet. He also figured out the Maquis were also on the Array. They probably were kidnapped as well.
The Captain detected a small alien ship, he hailed it. The small ship responded, "Yes?" answered a spotted alien.
"What do you know about the big space station?"
"Are you by any chance from another part of space?"
"Yes, you've heard this before. What about the space station?"
"It is controlled by one being. This being takes care of the people called, Ocampa. They call this being the Safekeeper. They are on the planet, Ocampan, that's the planet the Safekeeper is sending energy to."
"Thank you for the information, uh, does Safekeeper normally take the crew off it's ship?"
"The crew is gone? Yes, but, why weren't you taken?"
The Captain already knew the answer to this, because he was a hologram. Not wanting this alien to know that, "I don't know why. Will he return my crew?"
"Yes, but at times he keeps a couple people."
"Why?!"
"I don't know. Look this conversation is boring me, and I am busy. I will be here for awhile. Contact me later. My name is Neelix. What shall I call you?"
"I don't have a name. But I am referred to as the Captain."
"Ok, good-bye." The screen went blank.
The Captain was on his way to the turbolift when his crew returned.
Louis shook his head, "What happen? The last thing I remember was... Oh, I am never going to eat any holofood again."
The Captain had no idea what he was talking about. But he was happy his crew was returned. What was left of it anyway Then he remembered what Neelix had told him, "At times he keeps a couple people."
"Computer, tell me of any people missing."
"Ensign Harry Kim."
The Captain shook his head, "Of coarse, the person I yelled at last time I saw him."
"What happen?" Louis asked again.
The Captain explained to the people on the bridge everything Neelix had said.
"Captain," said one of the crew, "He did say a 'couple people', maybe someone was taken from the Kaay if they were..."
"Then we could work together," the Captain finished off. He wasn't sure he liked the idea, and from the look on Louis's face, he hated the idea. But it was good idea.
"Hail them."
The Kaay answered, Kathryn spoke, "What?"
"I got some information from someone, he mentioned a couple people would be kept. One of our's was. If the same goes for you, I thought we could work together."
Janeway nodded, "One of our's was kept, B'Elanna Torres. Working together might work. If I could trust you."
"You have my word."
"The word of a hologram, Captain? Can I trust it. In one way, you are programmed by Starfleet and would be very faithful to them. In another way, can holograms lie?"
"I assure you Captain Janeway, I am not programmed to lie. Besides, Starfleet is on the other side of the galaxy. Right now whether your Maquis or not really doesn't matter."
"Maybe. I shall talk to my crew first."
The screen went blank, the Captain snapped, "How did she know I was a hologram."
"It wasn't from me," Louis said quickly, "The Maquis have ways of getting information. By the way, if I recall correctly. Wasn't B'Elanna our spy?"
"Yes," the Captain said.
"So if they do help us then wouldn't they be helping two Starfleet people?"
"They don't need to know that."
"Isn't that lying?"
"Withholding information is not lying!" He stepped closer to Louis, "And they won't get any information from you!"
Louis shook his head, "They won't. I promise, they won't."
"Captain," said the new ops officer (their first one died), "The Kaay is hailing us."
"Open a channel."
Kathryn spoke, "Tell us the information you got from this alien."
The Captain told her everything.
Kathryn spoke quickly, "I am sorry to disappoint you, but I think it would be better to work on our own. At least for us." The screen went blank.
"Gets the needed information, then says no," The Captain said under his breath.
Louis for one was a bit happy she said no.
B'Elanna Torres woke up finding herself in a small room that looked like a hospital. She was also on a hospital bed. Or at least that's what it looked like.
"B'Elanna Torres?"
B'Elanna looked over at the sound of her name. She saw a human male looking at her. He was in a bed too. He wore a white hospital gown. She realized she wore the same thing.
"Who are you?" she asked, "How do you know my name?"
"Ensign Harry Kim. I was on a ship, USS Voyager, we were looking for the Kaay after it disappeared."
B'Elanna nodded, "It's nice to see someone who's Starfleet again."
Harry smiled, then he became serious, "Do you have any idea where we are? I mean it looks like a hospital but..."
"No, I don't know."
"So how were the Maquis?"
"They were nice. But they figured out I was Starfleet."
"Oh?" Kim frowned, "I wonder how that could happen."
Someone came in, two people, they looked mostly human, excepted for the ears. One was male, the other female. "Welcome to Ocampan." The female said.
"Safekeeper says you are from another planet." The male said. "Safekeeper wants to talk to you."
Harry frowned, "Who are you? And who's this Safekeeper?"
"Safekeeper take care of us, the Ocampa." The male said, "My name is Sdar." He put his hands so they faced palm down, then faced them up. "This mean 'hello'."
Harry and B'Elanna repeated the motion.
"Safekeeper has told Sdar and me to teach you of Ocampa. Safekeeper has not told us why," said the female, "My name is Kes."
"But Safekeeper wants talk to you first." Sdar said, then he left.
Kes put her hands palm up then tuned them down, "This mean 'good- bye'." She left.
Next a woman came in. She looked completely human. "I am who the Ocampa call 'Safekeeper'. My real name is a bit complicated, it is Sh'kufeen'qeryzing'jafunx. But you can just call me Sh'ku."
"Why don't the Ocampa call you by your real name or Sh'ku?" B'Elanna asked.
"I am like a parent to them. I consider them my children. They call me Safekeeper the same reason you call your parents, 'Mom' and 'Dad'."
"Why were we kidnapped," Harry asked.
Sh'ku seemed saddened, "I am sorry for any inconvenience. But I...I have big request of both of you. I have taken care of the Ocampa since my people came here. He accidentally ruined their land on the surface. It is all desert now."
B'Elanna frowned, "So we're underground?!"
"Yes, I was told to stay here and take care of the Ocampa. I have done so for 100 years now. But I, I am dying."
Tomas was eating in the Mess Hall. He frowned, Voyager's cook was not a good cook.
Louis walked in and sat across from Tomas. "I wonder what the Captain is going to do. Do you know the latest news?"
"I'll tell you what I know and you can fill me in. Someone is missing from Voyager. Someone is also missing from the Kaay. Both taken by this Safekeeper person who takes care of the Ocampa. The Captain wanted to work with Janeway, but she said, "No."
"I for one am glad she said no. I don't want to be on the same ship as her."
"Why?"
"Because I was helping Starfleet find them. I betrayed the Maquis! She'll kill me as soon as she has the chance."
"Why don't you tell her you helped because you were worried about the people on that ship?"
"That would work if she believed it. But she won't believe it. No Maquis would do it"
"I'm sure one would."
"Even if they did, I wouldn't and she knows that. What do you know? You never met her."
"Actually, I did once. She threatened my life."
Louis looked surprised, then frowned, "Why?"
"I can't tell you. If I did she'd kill me."
"Your serious. Wow. I didn't know."
Tomas didn't want to talk about what he knew and life threats any more. "By the way who are the missing people?"
"From the Kaay, B'Elanna-"
"Wasn't she the spy?"
"Yes."
"So if Janeway did agree to help, she'd be helping two Starfleet people. I see..."
"You know something?!" Louis said suddenly.
"No, I don't."
"She knows B'Elanna's Starfleet doesn't she?"
"I don't know." Tomas looked away.
Louis knew Tomas knew, but was afraid to tell, "Just yes or no. I won't tell anyone, I promise."
Tomas looked down. "Most likely yes," he whispered quietly.
Louis smiled, "This is great. Ok, I won't say anything anymore."
Tomas looked up, "I want to get back to our part of the galaxy. The longer it takes to rescue those two people the more likely we'll be stuck here. Now not being able to go where ever I want is bad enough. But having to be stuck here with Harry?!"
"Well the Captain will most likely get those two people back..."
"Yes, true. And..."
"If he doesn't, you won't have to share a ship with him. Harry's the person from Voyager that is missing."
"Oh? Oh!"
"You seem happy." Louis said.
Tomas got up and left without saying anything.
to be continued...
Disclaimer: See part one.
Louis had been on the bridge. Next thing he knew he was somewhere else. Someplace different. It was in the mountains. People from the crew were there, and people he never saw before, offering food.
"These are holograms," announced one of the crew with a tricorder.
Louis shook his head, "First the Captain is a hologram, then I'm surrounded by holograms. Why?"
"Guess you don't like holograms?" said a familiar voice.
Louis turned around to see Tomas. He answered, "They give me the creeps."
"Something that seems so real but is not real. I just thought it was amazing."
A holowoman approached them, "Would you like some food. There is a variety to choose from. We have breads, fruits, cakes..." she kept going.
Tomas turned to Louis, "I dare you to eat something."
Louis causally grabbed an apple and inspect it. Then he took a small bite, chewed slowly and swallowed. Surprised himself in actually doing it. Everything seemed to be fine, but then he felt dizzy. He held his head and collapsed.
Harry, who had been watching, started to move towards him. By the time he got there Louis disappeared.
Tomas stood there, shocked. He softly whispered, "Now, he's really going to hate holograms."
"No one eat anything," Harry ordered, not knowing what else to do.
"Now you tell us," Tomas muttered.
Harry looked where Louis had been, "Fool." He turned to one of the holopeople, "Where is he?"
"Why don't you eat something?" the holoperson replied.
"Excuse me? Where is he?!"
"Eat something."
"Who's in charge?"
The holoperson left and approached someone else,"Why don't you eat something."
"Apparently these holos aren't made to respond to reasonable questions," Tomas said.
"We should look where these holograms are being emitted from," said an officer, judging by the green color of her collar, Harry saw it was an Lieutenant Commander.
The Lit Com, whose name was Pearl Forrest started walking away. Harry followed her. Tomas followed Harry.
As they left a gas, almost invisible, started to come from the floor in the middle of the people. Pearl, Harry, and Tomas moved quicker out of the crowd. When they got to the end, they noticed a far away house. They walked there.
"Why are you following me?" Harry asked Tomas.
"I'm not," Tomas said, "I just want to get away from that gas." It was half true, half a lie. The truth was he had no idea what else to do.
The gas wasn't getting them as much as the others, but it still made them feel tired. They walked more quickly until they finally got to the house.
It was quite big, and when they entered it they saw it only had one room.
Pearl found the hologram projector. "We should disable it."
"Fine with me," Harry said as he pulled out a phaser, "Stand back." Pearl looked surprised, but she stood back. Harry shot it when she did.
The soft green walls turned gray. In the house appeared medical type beds with sleeping people.
Harry looked at the people, "They're Maquis."
Tomas looked at the people, a male was a Vulcan with dark skin, another was a human female with blonde hair, another female appeared to be half Klingon.
Harry looked at each of the people, then he stopped at one. The one he stopped at was female, human, with brown hair.
Tomas heard Harry whisper something, he turned. He recognized the one Harry was by. Tomas had met her once, not on good terms, she had threatened his life.
The gas was started to get to them, they fought it, but it was getting stronger. Pearl, who was closest to the door, was the first to collapsed.
Tomas moved to the back of the house to stay conscious as long as possible. He expected Harry to do the same, but he didn't move.
The Captain had been on the ship alone for 4 days. Half his crew was taken. The other half was dead. He figured out his kidnapped crew was on the Array. The Array was a huge space station near them that was sending energy to a near by planet. He also figured out the Maquis were also on the Array. They probably were kidnapped as well.
The Captain detected a small alien ship, he hailed it. The small ship responded, "Yes?" answered a spotted alien.
"What do you know about the big space station?"
"Are you by any chance from another part of space?"
"Yes, you've heard this before. What about the space station?"
"It is controlled by one being. This being takes care of the people called, Ocampa. They call this being the Safekeeper. They are on the planet, Ocampan, that's the planet the Safekeeper is sending energy to."
"Thank you for the information, uh, does Safekeeper normally take the crew off it's ship?"
"The crew is gone? Yes, but, why weren't you taken?"
The Captain already knew the answer to this, because he was a hologram. Not wanting this alien to know that, "I don't know why. Will he return my crew?"
"Yes, but at times he keeps a couple people."
"Why?!"
"I don't know. Look this conversation is boring me, and I am busy. I will be here for awhile. Contact me later. My name is Neelix. What shall I call you?"
"I don't have a name. But I am referred to as the Captain."
"Ok, good-bye." The screen went blank.
The Captain was on his way to the turbolift when his crew returned.
Louis shook his head, "What happen? The last thing I remember was... Oh, I am never going to eat any holofood again."
The Captain had no idea what he was talking about. But he was happy his crew was returned. What was left of it anyway Then he remembered what Neelix had told him, "At times he keeps a couple people."
"Computer, tell me of any people missing."
"Ensign Harry Kim."
The Captain shook his head, "Of coarse, the person I yelled at last time I saw him."
"What happen?" Louis asked again.
The Captain explained to the people on the bridge everything Neelix had said.
"Captain," said one of the crew, "He did say a 'couple people', maybe someone was taken from the Kaay if they were..."
"Then we could work together," the Captain finished off. He wasn't sure he liked the idea, and from the look on Louis's face, he hated the idea. But it was good idea.
"Hail them."
The Kaay answered, Kathryn spoke, "What?"
"I got some information from someone, he mentioned a couple people would be kept. One of our's was. If the same goes for you, I thought we could work together."
Janeway nodded, "One of our's was kept, B'Elanna Torres. Working together might work. If I could trust you."
"You have my word."
"The word of a hologram, Captain? Can I trust it. In one way, you are programmed by Starfleet and would be very faithful to them. In another way, can holograms lie?"
"I assure you Captain Janeway, I am not programmed to lie. Besides, Starfleet is on the other side of the galaxy. Right now whether your Maquis or not really doesn't matter."
"Maybe. I shall talk to my crew first."
The screen went blank, the Captain snapped, "How did she know I was a hologram."
"It wasn't from me," Louis said quickly, "The Maquis have ways of getting information. By the way, if I recall correctly. Wasn't B'Elanna our spy?"
"Yes," the Captain said.
"So if they do help us then wouldn't they be helping two Starfleet people?"
"They don't need to know that."
"Isn't that lying?"
"Withholding information is not lying!" He stepped closer to Louis, "And they won't get any information from you!"
Louis shook his head, "They won't. I promise, they won't."
"Captain," said the new ops officer (their first one died), "The Kaay is hailing us."
"Open a channel."
Kathryn spoke, "Tell us the information you got from this alien."
The Captain told her everything.
Kathryn spoke quickly, "I am sorry to disappoint you, but I think it would be better to work on our own. At least for us." The screen went blank.
"Gets the needed information, then says no," The Captain said under his breath.
Louis for one was a bit happy she said no.
B'Elanna Torres woke up finding herself in a small room that looked like a hospital. She was also on a hospital bed. Or at least that's what it looked like.
"B'Elanna Torres?"
B'Elanna looked over at the sound of her name. She saw a human male looking at her. He was in a bed too. He wore a white hospital gown. She realized she wore the same thing.
"Who are you?" she asked, "How do you know my name?"
"Ensign Harry Kim. I was on a ship, USS Voyager, we were looking for the Kaay after it disappeared."
B'Elanna nodded, "It's nice to see someone who's Starfleet again."
Harry smiled, then he became serious, "Do you have any idea where we are? I mean it looks like a hospital but..."
"No, I don't know."
"So how were the Maquis?"
"They were nice. But they figured out I was Starfleet."
"Oh?" Kim frowned, "I wonder how that could happen."
Someone came in, two people, they looked mostly human, excepted for the ears. One was male, the other female. "Welcome to Ocampan." The female said.
"Safekeeper says you are from another planet." The male said. "Safekeeper wants to talk to you."
Harry frowned, "Who are you? And who's this Safekeeper?"
"Safekeeper take care of us, the Ocampa." The male said, "My name is Sdar." He put his hands so they faced palm down, then faced them up. "This mean 'hello'."
Harry and B'Elanna repeated the motion.
"Safekeeper has told Sdar and me to teach you of Ocampa. Safekeeper has not told us why," said the female, "My name is Kes."
"But Safekeeper wants talk to you first." Sdar said, then he left.
Kes put her hands palm up then tuned them down, "This mean 'good- bye'." She left.
Next a woman came in. She looked completely human. "I am who the Ocampa call 'Safekeeper'. My real name is a bit complicated, it is Sh'kufeen'qeryzing'jafunx. But you can just call me Sh'ku."
"Why don't the Ocampa call you by your real name or Sh'ku?" B'Elanna asked.
"I am like a parent to them. I consider them my children. They call me Safekeeper the same reason you call your parents, 'Mom' and 'Dad'."
"Why were we kidnapped," Harry asked.
Sh'ku seemed saddened, "I am sorry for any inconvenience. But I...I have big request of both of you. I have taken care of the Ocampa since my people came here. He accidentally ruined their land on the surface. It is all desert now."
B'Elanna frowned, "So we're underground?!"
"Yes, I was told to stay here and take care of the Ocampa. I have done so for 100 years now. But I, I am dying."
Tomas was eating in the Mess Hall. He frowned, Voyager's cook was not a good cook.
Louis walked in and sat across from Tomas. "I wonder what the Captain is going to do. Do you know the latest news?"
"I'll tell you what I know and you can fill me in. Someone is missing from Voyager. Someone is also missing from the Kaay. Both taken by this Safekeeper person who takes care of the Ocampa. The Captain wanted to work with Janeway, but she said, "No."
"I for one am glad she said no. I don't want to be on the same ship as her."
"Why?"
"Because I was helping Starfleet find them. I betrayed the Maquis! She'll kill me as soon as she has the chance."
"Why don't you tell her you helped because you were worried about the people on that ship?"
"That would work if she believed it. But she won't believe it. No Maquis would do it"
"I'm sure one would."
"Even if they did, I wouldn't and she knows that. What do you know? You never met her."
"Actually, I did once. She threatened my life."
Louis looked surprised, then frowned, "Why?"
"I can't tell you. If I did she'd kill me."
"Your serious. Wow. I didn't know."
Tomas didn't want to talk about what he knew and life threats any more. "By the way who are the missing people?"
"From the Kaay, B'Elanna-"
"Wasn't she the spy?"
"Yes."
"So if Janeway did agree to help, she'd be helping two Starfleet people. I see..."
"You know something?!" Louis said suddenly.
"No, I don't."
"She knows B'Elanna's Starfleet doesn't she?"
"I don't know." Tomas looked away.
Louis knew Tomas knew, but was afraid to tell, "Just yes or no. I won't tell anyone, I promise."
Tomas looked down. "Most likely yes," he whispered quietly.
Louis smiled, "This is great. Ok, I won't say anything anymore."
Tomas looked up, "I want to get back to our part of the galaxy. The longer it takes to rescue those two people the more likely we'll be stuck here. Now not being able to go where ever I want is bad enough. But having to be stuck here with Harry?!"
"Well the Captain will most likely get those two people back..."
"Yes, true. And..."
"If he doesn't, you won't have to share a ship with him. Harry's the person from Voyager that is missing."
"Oh? Oh!"
"You seem happy." Louis said.
Tomas got up and left without saying anything.
to be continued...