By Nyassa Kaiba
Chapter 7- RachelThe next morning, since Riker, Picard and Deanna spent a good part of their morning on the bridge theFeralae, Cassie and Iended up sitting or standing in the lounge, working on the latest in a series of history and culture lessons. Picard wanted us finished with a history of the Federation and working on Bajoran culture by the time we reached Deep Space Nine. Picard was doing paper work at the other end when the door beeped.
"Come." Picard replied.
Dr. Crusher came in. "Captain. I thought I should bring this to you." Dr. Crusher said, setting down a report. "It's serious. It's not a threat to the ship, just a threat to the individual. And according to Dr. Bashir there's nothing we can do about it."
Picard read the report, lips pursing as he realized the significance. "Zia just barely finished at the academy. This is unfortunate. I want a shuttle prepared and ready to go the moment Zia's ready to go. In the meantime I think we'd better be prepared to find somebody who can do what Riker did and carry the symbiont for a few days. We might even be able to get Sisko to help us."
"I could help." I suggested.
"How?" Picard stated, turning to us. "Do you even know what's going on?"
"I gathered from your conversation, that there's a sick Trill on board and that he's going to die and somebody has to carry his or her symbiont until it can be taken to the Trill homeworld. Only there's some kind of risk involved and not just anybody can take it." I explained.
"You guessed most of it."
"Rachel you know Jake is going to say no." Feralae pointed out. "And Tobias too. I mean, we just barely got you back. And I think I know the incident they're referring to. This situation came up oncebefore and that time it was Riker who had to carry the symbiont. Only humans weren't equipped, biologically speaking, to carry one. So Riker nearly died. After you coming back from the dead we're not about to lose you again."
"We have at least twelve hours." Dr. Crusher explained. "It's going to have to be somebody captain. I also think we'll ask Captain Sisko if Lt. Jadzia Dax can help out."
"I think that would be wise to speak to Dr. Bashir, Captain Sisko and Lt. Dax." Picard said as he tapped out a note to Captain Sisko to speak to him as soon as possible, to bring Dr. Bashir and Lt. Dax with him. "Now we wait. I don't think I'll decide about Rachel right away."
Feralae shook her head. "What's wrong Feralae?" I asked.
"It's got to be you Rachel. I think you're the only one of us who could make it." Feralae stated.
"Well I thank you for your confidence, but I'm not the only one who could make it." I said, embarrassed.
"Never mind." She sighed, leaning back in her chair and turning to the passage about the Cardassian Occupation.
"We'd better get back to our lessons, because once Captain Sisko and company get here all Hell is going to break loose." Cassie pointed out.
I nodded, thinking of what was to come. If they said yes, even considering the risks, it would be an incredible chance. I would get a Trill's eye view of what Dax and the others had to go through. It would be an incredible chance.
Deanna was eyeing me. "You're actually excited about this?"
"It's an incredible chance."
"It's also an incredible responsibility." She pointed out.
"I've handled responsibility." I pointed out, like the time the council of thirteen inspector had come to Earth. Okay I had messed that one up big time, but I had handled responsibility. "I'm glad to see some action first of all. Second of all I want to see things from, well, sort of a Trill's eye view, I was always curious about them. Third of all it's an incredible chance." I was ticking off the points on my fingers.
"Rachel's the only one who can handle it." Feralae pointed out.
"No she's not. Remember? I handled Aldrea's ixilla." Cassie pointed out.
"So you shouldn't have to do something like that again." I pointed out. "It's only fair. And when that happened I was worrying about you the whole time. I don't want you to try that again." Feralae pointed out.
"Why Feralae, I didn't know you cared." Cassie teased.
Feralae flushed. "You know what I mean Cassie."
"You're right, I do, but we're always trying to protect you and you don't like it. So you shouldn't try to protect us." Cassie pointed out.
"It has to be Rachel." Feralae argued.
"Why Feralae?" I wondered.
Feralae shook her head. "Just a feeling is all, a gut feeling that if any of us others were to try it we'd end up messing the whole thing up."
That was when the computer beeped. Picard turned it on. "Sisko here, what is this about?" Captain Sisko asked via the transmission.
Picard explained. "Do you think you, Bashir and Dax could come to the Enterprise to discuss this?"
"I can head out right now." Captain Sisko agreed. "We'll see you in ten."
"See you in ten." Agreed Picard.
I waited for ten minutes, working on the lesson I'd been given. The door beeped. "Come." Picard stated.
Sisko, Bashir and Dax strode in. "Rachel are you insane?" Dax demanded.
"Who are you, Marco? Or my mother?" I demanded.
"Neither, but I don't think it will work for a human."
"It worked for a few weeks with Riker." Deanna pointed out. "It was a bit of an embarrassing situation, but it got the job done. And there's no unjoined Trill on board the Enterprise, so that's out."
"I am inclined to let Rachel do it." Sisko said, steepling his fingers and looking thoughtfully across the table at me. "But I think we ought to get the other Animorphs in here to think about it."
Fifteen minutes later, the others came and Jake said. "No way."
"Jake she has to do it." Feralae said calmly. "Nobody else is going to be able to handle it."
"You don't know that Feralae." Jake pointed out.
"Yes I do." Feralae argued. "Jake just trust me on this. Rachel's the one only one who can do it."
"How DO you know that?" Jadzia asked.
"It's… okay it's stupid, but last night I had this strange dream. I was standing in Sickbay and both Dr. Crusher and Dr. Bashir were there, only, they didn't act like themselves. And the whole place was bathed in a sort of… a whitish glow. And both of them said that Rachel was important to the Trill, only they wouldn't say which trill they meant, so I supposed they meant Dax at the time. But this makes more sense." Feralae stated.
"But that was only a dream Feralae." Deanna pointed out.
But Sisko was staring at her, clearly shocked and not believing what he was seeing. "A whitish glow?" Sisko asked.
"Surely you don't believe her?"
But Sisko and Dax had turned to each other. "No way. How could they get out of it?" Dax demanded.
"I don't know old man. But it seems that they have."
"What has?" Picard asked.
"There's a possibility that the Wormhole Aliens have managed to leave the Wormhole."
Deanna blinked. "Remember what Q said about a presence following the ship?" She asked Picard.
"But how could the Prophets have left the Wormhole?" Dr. Bashir asked. "What could they have used?"
"I don't know Doctor, but however they did it, they're very likely here now." Sisko stated. "Picard, this could be trouble. But I've had several encounters with them, and these creatures know a lot more about whatever situation we've been in than we have. I think we should trust them."
"I'd rather have some form of scientific proof." Picard said, hesitantly. "I do, however, trust your judgment."
I stretched, cracking my joints. "Let's do it!"
"Meanwhile, Captain, we do have a problem." Sisko stated. "Our sensors detected two Cardassian ships heading straight for us. Dukat says that he knows nothing about it, but he thinks they may be coming to consult with him. I'd like to know what happens in that meeting. I was thinking send Odo and Okami in the ventilation shafts. But Odo says that they'll both have to go back to their original forms by the time those two ships get here. Which leaves me with no way to know what's going to happen. I would like to take Feralae over to the Defiant for a few hours, both so that we can consult Major Kira and be there when those ships get here." Sisko explained.
"I'll come too." Cassie offered.
And I. Alloran offered.
"I'd prefer if one more of us goes as well." Jake said calmly. "If nobody else then I'll…"
"I'll take care of it Jake." Marco offered. "I think it's time I stretched my morphing limbs, if you know what I mean."
"Okay, that makes four of you. Feralae, you're in charge." Jake told her.
"Me?" Feralae asked.
"Yes you. You're the one that has prophetic Aliens following you around." He pointed out.
"Jake that's not fair!" Feralae protested.
"You're right." Jake said, apologetically. "I'm sorry."
"Right. Let's get going then." Feralae said, standing. "As a brave man once said, 'Let's roll!'"
"Let's roll people." Jake agreed.