B'Elanna
Miral the elder cried out in pain as B'Elanna was encircled by the plasma fire. Covering her baby's face with what little garments she had left, B'Elanna struggled to grab her mother's hand. The fire burned brightly on her back, her face, her legs. She could feel its poisonous essence reaching through her skin, crawling along it, slowly dissolving all feelings but fear. Again, she readjusted the swathes on little Miral with one hand, hoping to protect her from the gruesomeness of the fire. Leaning further and further in until her naked body was nearly consumed by the blaze, B'Elanna made a final attempt at Miral's hand. Fear crept along her skin: fear of failing, fear for her daughter, fear for her mother. Fear for herself was vanquished.
And as B'Elanna grasped her mother's hand, it fell, severed from the elbow onward. Petrified, B'Elanna could do nothing but stare at the hand that had raised her in this world as she was engulfed by the flames…
B'Elanna woke with a start from her dream. Groping for little Miral's form, she hugged it tightly to her body, making the small child cry out in protest. Releasing the pressure on the baby, she rocked her back and forth, soothing the cries. B'Elanna was propped against the wall in her cabin, dressed in a loose white garment. The sun peeked in through the cracks, barely warming the cabin. Nevertheless, B'Elanna felt as if she were back in her dream. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the vividness of it all. Three generations of Torres' present, each one with the dark hair and forehead ridges, each one dying without honor.
Or was it without honor?
She tried to think back. Why had she been there – wherever there was – naked, holding little Miral a ring of fire, and an elder Miral on the outside? Try as she might, B'Elanna couldn't place any of it. The room they had been in hadn't been on the forefront of B'Elanna's thoughts at the time. Concentrating hard, she could recall the smell of a cave, dampness covering the cavernous walls. But that was it. Frustrated with herself, B'Elanna leaned her head back and closed her eyes when the Captain walked in.
At first, B'Elanna made the effort to rise without disturbing the now-sleeping Miral, but Kathryn motioned her to be still. Pulling a chair up from the other side of the cabin, Kathryn sat down in front of the bed.
"How are you feeling?" B'Elanna stretched and yawned.
"Tired," she admitted.
"Well, I hope you two get some more rest. You deserve it." The Captain placed a hand on Miral's head. "I don't want to keep you from your sleep, but I wanted to get some answers first." Curious, B'Elanna nodded.
"I know that our scanners aren't incredibly strong at the moment because of lack of supplies, but I was wandering if there was a way to modify them to be a bit more far reaching."
"Well, we would need to either improvise or acquire some other materials, but they could grow to be a lot more powerful. Why?"
"You didn't hear about this morning?" At the shake of B'Elanna's head, Janeway continued. "Harry and some others were setting up the communications array last night, and the Plak'han discovered us. Later on, when we restarted the array, another specie – the Bistras – contacted us. Apparently, they're here to help out and give us supplies for a plasma storm that is heading our way. Soon." B'Elanna gaped.
"But the nearest plasma storms we detected were six months away!"
"Yes, but we may not have been able to see these ones coming. I plan on accepting whatever help we can get from the Bistras, and then cut them off. The less people who know we're here, the better. So if we could have some updated sensors – "
" – then we won't need to rely on others," B'Elanna said, finishing the Captain's sentence. And as B'Elanna watched the Captain coo at little Miral, she saw the elder Miral's face superimpose itself on Kathryn. Shocked at the sudden change in appearance, B'Elanna habitually pushed herself backwards. Janeway looked up, concerned.
"Are you okay, Lieutenant?" B'Elanna drew in breath, refocusing. This was the Captain, not Miral, who could very well be dead. If not, at least in the Alpha Quadrant.
"Yes. Yes, I think I'm fine. Just exhaustion." B'Elanna forced a smile through, causing the Captain to smile back.
"Good. Well, I think we all are a bit tired." She smiled one last time, and rose, heading towards the door. Halfway across the threshold, Kathryn turned, laying a hand across her abdomen.
"When you feel well enough, I would like for you to come look at the sensors and see what we can do about them. I'm sure the Wildman's, especially Naomi, would love a chance to baby-sit." And then she was gone.
That's right! B'Elanna mentally smacked herself. How could she have forgotten that the Captain was pregnant? Tom had told her just last night, and she hadn't even given the Captain her congratulations! Still admonishing herself for not thinking about it, B'Elanna rose with little Miral and walked over to the night stand on the other side of the room where her food that she had been eating before she had slept was. Bending over, B'Elanna picked up some berry-like food and popped one into her mouth. Not bad. She held one up to the light…
…where it burst into flames.
Keeping her cool, B'Elanna dropped the fruit and turned to the tray where a cup of water was. Knowing she would regret not drinking this later, she threw its contents onto the berry. Letting the tin cup fall to the floor with a clank, B'Elanna bent over the berry and, with one hand clasped around Miral, she picked up the fruit.
Aside from the sponginess it had from being drenched in water, it was still a tinged light blue and didn't look burnt at all. Suddenly very aware of how unlikely all of this was, B'Elanna turned very slowly and found her shoes, slipping them on. Throwing a shawl around her soldiers in case Miral decided to spit up, B'Elanna walked quickly to the makeshift sickbay, where she turned herself over for the Doctor's treatment.