Chapter 4 – Horses and Regrets
"Have you ever ridden a horse?" Meraigyn's eyes met his over her mug of tea, sparkling with mischief, and Julian shook his head. "We will have to remedy that today. It's a perfect day for riding." She set her mug down, and headed for the door hidden by the stairs. He followed her, curious as to where the door led, and raised an eyebrow when he came to the bottom of the stairs.
In the room were a replicator, and a pair of computer terminals, one with a keyboard in front of it. Meraigyn waved him into the room, and he stepped off the stairs, following her over to the replicator.
"The replicator is pre-programmed with the sizes we got from your uniform and boots. It's designed for clothing creation only. So you can come down here and get a new set of clothing when you run out of clean ones. For now."
"And the terminals?"
"One keeps tabs on the generator that powers all of this, and controls the features that keep this place from freezing in the winter. The other is for official council dispatches only. It's keyed to my voice and retinal patterns only. And the monitoring computer responds only to the technician who comes up every two months to check on things, if nothing goes wrong." She smiled slightly, a wry twist of the lips. "I normally don't let new arrivals see this room for several months, actually. Not since one of them tried to break the security on the generator computer, and blow up the house. He'd only been here a few days, and he never did accept that there was no going back."
Julian got the replicator to make him some riding clothes and boots, then preceded Meraigyn out of the basement. He knew she was making sure he knew there was no way to return, and encouraging him to adapt to life here. But there had to be a way to return home, even if it was a longer route than the way here. He just had to wait for Lerik to find what he needed for a communicator, and he could talk to someone about a discreet pick up, so that they didn't disturb the lives of those who already lived here.
Meraigyn led him down a different path into the valley, emerging from the trees near a stable, waving to a young woman who came out of them leading a horse with a saddle, and a second loaded with supplies. "Leaving already, Vanor?"
Vanor shrugged, her black eyes regarding Julian with a faint curiosity. "You know I don't stay in the village long. My trap lines don't allow that." She paused. "Who's this?"
"Julian Bashir. He's a new arrival." Meraigyn touched his shoulder, heading for the stables. "I'm taking him out riding today. Good hunting, Vanor."
The other woman nodded, swinging up onto her horse, and headed up the trail as they went into the stables. Inside, Meraigyn took her saddle down from the pegs, then stepped out into the yard, whistling sharply, a tri-note pattern that summoned a lovely black horse with a perfect white star on the forehead.
"His name is Gabriel," said Meraigyn warmly as she saddled the horse, Gabriel nudging her shoulder in a plea for treats. "Once you're in the saddle, just keep your feet in the stirrups, and hold onto the saddle bow until you get the feel of him gait. I'll keep him on a lead rope for now."
They spent most of their day down in the valley, Julian learning rapidly, and soon graduating to a horse of his own without a lead rope. Gabriel snorted at the geldling he was riding, and Meraigyn controlled him with as few sharp words. "Care to take one of the trails tomorrow, Julian?" She smiled over at him, and he shrugged.
"If you'd like to, I'd be happy to come along." He returned her smile, the horses ambling towards the stables. "Though I am curious. When is the harvest festival?"
"A couple of weeks. It's almost harvest time for our climate belt, and festival is after we've brought in the crops from the fields. We take them into the city, and everyone finds someplace to stay for the week of celebrations." Meraigyn grinned, pulling Gabriel to a halt. "It's a celebration of our freedom, as it were."
Julian swung off the horse as Meraigyn dismounted hers, the two leading the horses into the stable. "A celebration of freedom?"
"Yes. Freedom from the old laws, from old feuds and prejudices, from old taboos and from the expectations of our parent races. Literal freedom from the raiders, and the chance and resources to keep that freedom. For everyone on Terra Nova, and our sister planets." She shrugged, leading Gabriel into a stall. "We've worked for it, and this is one of our rewards."
He unsaddled his horse, replying over the stall divider. "You've overcome all the prejudices of the parent races?"
"Not all of them." Meraigyn brushed her horse as she spoke. "It's taken us four hundred years to heal the rifts that we have enough to prevent war from breaking out." She ducked under Gabriel's head to the other side, smiling at Julian. "The worst part is integrating newcomers, with the hatreds and preconceptions they bring here." Her lips quirked in a wry grin. "And their clinging to the laws they grew up with. It makes integration a chore."
"I'll try not to make your life difficult." Julian returned her smile as he rubbed down his horse.
"I'm sure you won't." Meraigyn put up the tools after the finished, and tucked her arm into his. "What would you like for dinner, Julian?"
"What do you have to offer?"
"Fruit, sausage, cheese. I have rice and bread in the pantry, roots in the cellar. Oh, and steaks in the cold box, courtesy of Kerg and his sisters."
"Sounds like you had something in mind already." He looked over at Meraigyn, and she shrugged.
"Something other than the usual cold dinner seemed like an excellent idea. Particularly when the weather is beginning to cool."
Julian lit the candles in the main room as Meraigyn brought in a plate of fried apples and walnuts, sitting on the sofa beside him. Se offered them to him silently, the plate steaming in the chilly evening air.
The fruit was sweet, and the sticky caramel covered his fingers. Meraigyn crunched on the walnuts, licking her fingers clean. They watched the sun set as they ate, a brilliant display of color visible through the massive window overlooking the valley.
"It lovely, isn't it? The view of the sunset over the valley." Meraigyn's voice was soft. "It reminds me of all the sunsets I missed back on Earth, sometimes. The people I could have watched them with."
Julian looked over, and saw the gleam of unshed tears in her eyes. "Do you ever regret coming here?"
"When the first of us were brought here, there was no time for regrets. Only survival. It never occurred to any of us to ask to go back. Vera was in fear of the Obsidian Order, and what they would do to find out where she had been taken, and what they could learn from it. Kavel couldn't deal with the shame and dishonor he would endure returning to the Klingon Empire after having been a prisoner of slavers. We often wondered how he managed to remain here, without killing himself. I didn't want to go back to the Sanctuary Districts, where I had been living. Those places were hell on Earth. Nidak was Tal Shiar, but that only meant he knew what he'd be going back to. And Nia wanted nothing more than to meet the challenge of bending a new world to our collective will." She smiled, shaking her head.
"We were a strange lot. But none of us had any regrets at the time." She paused, staring into space. "Now, I have the luxury of regrets. Time to think about what might have been if I'd asked them to take me home. And sometimes I regret it. For the little things. Sunsets. Family dinners. Friends I never had the chance to say goodbye to." She reached up to wipe tears out of her eyes.
"But?" Julian kept his voice low, watching her face.
"But there are so many more reasons to be glad I chose to stay. The chance to see not only a new world, but a new galaxy. The technology to live forever, if I wanted to. Meeting new people, and passing on my knowledge and skills to generation after generation. Being able to pursue the skills and activities I've always wanted to, but never had the time for when I was young. I wouldn't give up this chance for anything."
"You've made this world your home. No one would want to give up that without a fight."
Meraigyn looked up at him, giving him a brilliant smile. "No. People usually fight harder to defend their homes." She sighed, looking back out at the deepening twilight. "But it really doesn't matter much out here. Our only real enemies are the raiders, and we know very well how to keep them at bay. No one else but the nomads has the technology to transverse the intergalactic void, and has come to this galaxy."
"And if someone did find a way here, and discovered Terra Nova?"
Meraigyn shook her head. "That's an unlikely event any time soon, and it wouldn't do those who found us any good. We won't allow anyone to destroy what we have here." She stood, taking one of the candles. "I'll see you in the morning, Julian."
Author's Notes
ducks Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I had this chapter, and chapter five written, I just haven't typed them up, and posted them. smiles apologetically.
cryogenie - Thank you for the review.
Nenya Culariel - Heh, yes there is something about Starfleet doctors... Anyway, I have more, and I'm glad you like everyone. There'll be more of Lerik and his family in the next chapter, and although we don't meet Dexi yet, I'm sure that can be arranged. smiles Also, the idea of whether or not Terra Nova or Earth is home for Meraigyn - or if the galaxy of their birth is indeed home for a majority of those brought to Terra Nova - will come up later, and is important to some of the events that occur later.
Mijra - Yes, I intend to write more, I just had my Julian-muse go and vanish on me for a while. He's back now, so there will be more forthcoming.
cherrybloosomjen - And I remember that episode. Yes, what Meraigyn and the council that rules Terra Nova is doing isn't right, but it's what they've done for centuries, and it's the only way they know of to protect those who live there. Things won't always stay status quo, though, so keep an eye out for more.
prometheus-1984 - I'm sure he could adapt, and perhaps he shall. I still have several more chapters before I resolve the question of whether or not he goes home. And the reasons behind his decision, either way.
RavenDove - And here is more, and there is another chapter on the way, once I get it typed, and I can post it. is being difficult about uploading, and it's taking quite a bit in order to upload chapters. More hassle than usual. Thank you for pointing out the mistake in chapter three, that has been corrected. And I shall have to read your stories, once I get chapter five typed and posted...
Scopes Monkey - No, Lerik isn't joined... he's just a much faster learner than others, and can be too smart for his own good, since his emotional maturity and physical self aren't caught up to his intellect. It can be frustrating for him, and I think we shall see more of that later. He does feature in the next chapter, and he will be someone to keep an eye on for later plot considerations. Ah, and Meraigyn didn't actually kill her last guest... the guest ran off on her own, and hasn't been seen since. Whether she is alive or dead, we might never know. We shall see.