CHAPTER THREE. THE LAST FREMEN
The newly promoted Commander Wesley Crusher steps inside the shutllecraft to find his away team waiting for him.
"Congratulation Commander!" Said T'Selar the first to have learn the news. "How did you find out so fast Doctor the
Captain just informed me of this?" Ask Crusher after having received congratulations from the rest of the away team.
"The captain just told you but he told the ship computer two hour ago." Responded LT. Commander Hawk.
"You been a Commander for two hour fifteen minutes." Declared Laforge with a smile on is face that said how proud he was of his friend. So this is how they learn about it! The roster for the away team has the rank of every member. Thought Crusher. "The roster did not have any detail about the mission." Said T'Selar to turn the conversation on the mission.
"The Captain wishes to have a few words with Duncan Idaho." Revealed Crusher.
"Just a quiet ride, the kind I like!" Said Hawk. "Let get going then." Said Laforge ending the small talk, they were having...
"Damn Laforge! Can you see the landing pad?" Ask the new Commander. "No but the computer say we are right on top of the thing Sir" Now my friends will give me the "sir" and that sort of crap. Thought Crusher. The supposed quiet ride did turn out to be quite rough. The landing area of sietch Caladan was hit by an unexpected sandstorm the many sensors should not have any trouble to see in this storm but for the static that was wrecking their whole day.
"Let put the shutllecraft on auto landing since we are right on top the computer would just land this bucket!" They did and after a second the shutllecraft land, almost likes a crash than a landing.
"That was fun, we don't do this again OK!" Said Crusher, just to broke the silence.
"Commander I have a damage report for you." Responded Laforge not amused one bit.
"Can we still fly Geordi?"
"Yes but we broke a landing gear!"
"The Captain said ASAP! I don't care about any landing gear. We will have plenty of time to fix the shuttle later. Mr. Hawk you can try again to contact sietch Caladan!" In orbit they contacted the colony, before anything important could be said the communication was cut by static. Hawk opened a hailing frequency.
"Sietch Caladan can you hear us?"
"Are you mad flying in that storm lad?" Responded the voice of Miles Teg.
"The captain wishes to talk with Duncan Idaho."
"Your in luck he just contacted us. He would be at sietch Tabr in less than half an hour."
"Where is that place?"
"Sending coordinate for sietch Tabr."
"Thanks you." Hawk turned and said.
"We have coordinate Commander."
Crusher asks Laforge. "Did you fix the transporter of this shuttle Geordie?"
"Yes why?"
"We pick up Idaho and teleport him to the Enterprise." Reply Hawk having almost guessed the meaning of the question.
"I will go with Idaho you take the shuttle back to the Enterprise." Said Crusher.
The desert refuge was calm nothing moved until the energy wave of a transporter break the tranquillity and silence of the place. Crusher moved instantly after being materialized. He said to himself.
"Where in hell can, I find this sietch Tabr!"
"You are at the doorstep of the sietch. I hope you have a damn good reason to be there." Said a voice from the shadow behind the Commander. Crusher knowing the danger of moving too fast turned slowly and said.
"I am Commander Wesley Crusher of the Enterprise. The Captain wishes to have a word with Duncan Idaho. And you are? " The men stepped out of the shadow and said with a voice of command.
"Call me Patrin. Come with me lad Idaho would be there soon."
The man led the way to the outside.
"Since we will not stay outside for a long time their no sense in using stillsuit."
"Could you repeat that with the help files?" Ask Crusher.
"A stillsuit is a desert survival outfit that keeps the body heat to minimum and recycle the water that your body loses. With a Fremen made working stillsuit you will not lose more than a spit of water in a day even in the heat of the old Arrakis."
"Old Arrakis? I thought the name of this planet is New-Rakis?" Asked Crusher.
"There was a planet very much like this one. She was called Arrakis and Rakis is the short name of Arrakis."
"So you name this planet for the one you lost when you left the universe you came from..." Crusher saw is mistake just after having spoke. The stare Patrin gave him could have frozen is blood but soon the men relaxed and a smile tempered is mood. He said with more respect in the voice than he used to have for the kid.
"I see you are more senior than you look. I was expecting an officer of your age not to be cleared high enough for this kind of secret."
"In fact I just got promoted to the rank of Commander." Reply Crusher.
"Congratulation! I must tell you for those who betray our trust this universe is not big enough for them to hide!" Warned Patrin no longer smiling. The two men where now standing in front of a door. Patrin presses a hidden switch, the door opened with a hiss of pressured air.
"You are keeping a negative pressure to keep the heat out." Said Crusher to change the subject.
The man smiled and said. "It a bitch of a system to keep running and it using a lot of energy but it worth the trouble." They stepped outside on some sort of rock balcony the place was in the sun shadow. Crusher can barely breathe in this eat while is escort seam to have no problem at all. He said.
"The worm sight was reported to me just before you came, the maker is just minute away."
"Again could you explain me?" Ask Crusher.
"You will see something that few in this universe had the rare chance to witness." Reply Patrin. He was about to say more when the man smelled something and said.
"Look to your left boy!" Crusher turns his head toward the desert on is left.
At first he did not notice anything more than the light of the sun reflecting on the sand of the desert. After a minute or so when is eyes got use to the light Crusher saw some movement.
He said. "Something is moving, what is it?"
Patrin replies. "The maker lad... The maker." Because of the way the light reflected on the sand Crusher could not see more than the sand being push away. He did manage to make a few guess on the size. "This thing is huge what sort of transport is this." Ask Crusher.
"The living kind." Reply Patrin with a laugh. The animal was now close enough that Crusher could see it clearly.
"It a giant Worm!" Exclaimed Crusher.
"Actually it rather a medium Worm! They get a lot bigger when they get older." Corrected Patrin enjoying himself greatly at the sight of Wesley Crusher his mouth wide open in amazement. As the worm came to an halt in parallel to the rock formation his back was half a meter of the balcony. Wesley Crusher saw that a man was riding the beast. The man unhooks some kind of rope that was attach to the worm. He turns and runs in their direction. Before the worm could bury himself in the sand the men make a leap in the air and land at the exact center of the balcony. He said.
"What have we got here a starfleet officer."
"Speak lad the men you seek is in front of you." Said Patrin. There he was Duncan Idaho wearing a strange gray outfit and a dark brown cloak. His stare was even more disturbing than the one of Mile Teg. The stare of eternity would say Crusher later on when he knows more about the men.
"Well yes... I am Commander Wesley Crusher of the Enterprice my captain would like to meet you as soon has possible Sir." Said Crusher presenting himself and is request the best way he could manage.
"And why would I meet Picard sooner than it is expected of me." Ask Idaho looking at Patrin who mades a serie of very fast hand gesture. Idaho responded in kind and said out loud to distract Crusher of his private conversation with Patrin.
"You see I was hoping for a quick shower. The stillsuit we wear tend to get rather smelly."
Crusher said not showing that he was fooled at least not openly.
"We can stop by your quarter on the ship. Mile Teg allready sent your travel gear there."
"I see you have care for everything Patrin tell sister Rebeca that I will meet sister Sheena on Vulcan and i would transmit her request for help in due time."