Six Months Ago, 10 days out from Varia
Enterprise
By night three Chris stopped inventing errands requiring he walk past the mess hall on deck 3 at 11:00pm; by night four their routine was set. Aalin claimed the table near the viewport, she smiled when Chris entered the room. He procured two mugs of herbal tea from the replicator and took the seat beside her. She asked about his day.
I'm going to miss this, miss her, when the Varian mission is complete and she leaves the ship, Chris thought. "No work this evening?"
"No one else refers to the hour before midnight as evening," she replied, the corners of her mouth curving with amusement. "But no, as per your suggestion, I am taking a break." She added in her head, I came here in case you stopped by.
Chris longed to reach out and brush his fingertips over the faint scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones. She typically concealed them; he found them attractive, suited for her face and personality.
Both started to speak. The public address system called, "Captain to the bridge."
ooooo
The following day Aalin entered the ready room when permission was given. The ship's first and second officers were there as well conversing quietly with the Pike. He nodded and said, "I'll take it from here. Isak, keep me up to date. Thank you."
Chris gestured to the informal area of the room. After Aalin took a seat on the sofa, he sat in a chair on her right. "How long did you work at the school in the main Gileseian refugee camp?
"Not long, almost three months."
"Were you aware a militant group organized by one of their religious leaders annexed several of the smaller camps and were planning to form a new government?"
"Our camp administrator, Brad, mentioned it a few times but he wasn't concerned, believing the largest camp's occupants would never support their cause. He suggested we not venture outside our settlement's perimeter without an escort. But, no, otherwise I know little about this militant faction."
Chris resisted an urge to clasp her hand. He continued in a quiet voice. "There is no way to soften this. The main camp was overrun last night. Violently." He paused while she digested the news.
Aalin paled and bowed her head.
"Ready?" Chris asked gently.
She nodded.
"It's important to keep in mind our current information is preliminary, and in the chaos initial data can be wrong." Chris kept his voice calm and steady. "The school was burned. We believe no students were inside at the time. An unknown number of aid workers have been taken hostage. Shenzhou was dispatched to negotiate for their release and evacuate them."
Aalin looked up and into his eyes. She asked in a whisper, her voice rough, "There's more isn't there."
"There are injuries and casualties. A few identities are confirmed."
"Please tell me."
"One of the other teachers is missing, a Gileseian, she may have been trapped in the school when it was torched."
When Aalin closed her eyes, the tears that had pooled ran down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her waist. Her hands trembled.
Enough. Tell her the rest later, Chris thought. "What can I do for you? How can I help?" His tone was kind and earnest.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "This is why you tried to keep me on board the ship isn't it? When I insisted on returning to pack and say goodbye. You knew this might happen." The last sentence sounded accusatory.
"Yes. Starfleet has been monitoring the situation. I was in the loop. I wanted … I wanted you to be safe."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Legally it was classified and privileged information. Telling you, once you were on board Enterprise, served no purpose. There was no need for you to carry the burden that came with that knowledge," Chris answered honestly.
"And the others?"
"My first officer and I explained the situation to Brad who informed the rest of the aid workers. We offered all of them passage home. None accepted. My security chief helped the local police improve their limited defenses." His expression was sad. "The options open to me may have been limited, but I carry the responsibility for my choices."
Aalin nodded wearily. Looking across the room and away from Chris she said, "I'm so naïve. What was I thinking? Those children live in abject misery. All in the camp do. There is little hope. Knowing a smattering of Federation standard wasn't going to change that." She turned to him, "I must be a ridiculous figure to you, an overprivileged woman with no understanding about the complexities of the situation yet still thinking she had something to contribute."
"No. Not at all. I don't think that. I don't believe that."
She rose. Her shoulders drooped. She moved slowly, her body rigid with tension. To Chris she looked fragile. "Thank you for telling me. You'll let me know when more information becomes available?"
"Yes."
"Please excuse me."
Chris stood and escorted her to the door. "Of course."
ooooo
Aalin's defeated posture and the sorrowful look in her eyes remained in Chris' thoughts the rest of the day as he tended to the myriad duties of running a ship. His instincts urged he stay by her side, his experience as a commander overrode personal desire; she needed time and space for processing and accepting the tragedy.
At 11:00pm, he was disappointed but not surprised when finding the mess hall on deck three empty. When Una and Phil entered Chris asked, "Have you seen Ms. Matthews?"
Una answered first, "We spoke briefly. Did you tell her about her tentmate? That she was killed while protecting a patient?"
"Not yet."
Phil said, "Una filled me in, and I sent Nurse Chapel to check on our guest. She's … as well as can be expected. Chapel left a mild sedative in case she needs it. Anything new?
"Philippa's negotiating for access to the hostages. She believes there are several serious untreated injuries among the aid workers."
ooooo
Aalin raked fingers through her unbrushed hair and put it up in a messy bun as she answered the door chime.
Chris stood in front of her with a tray in his hands. "May I come in?" Her eyes were red and puffy, he surmised correctly she had slept little and cried most of the previous night.
"Ah … ok."
He placed the tray on the coffee table and smiled at her. "May I sit?"
"Sure." Her answer remained without inflection and monosyllabic. She kept her eyes focused on the floor while they sat in silence.
"Do you know more?" she asked after several minutes.
"Nothing new since yesterday except the militants allowed the hostages medical treatment. That's a hopeful sign." He added, "I know the officer handling the negotiations. She'll take good care of your colleagues."
Aalin looked at Chris. She spoke haltingly. "I'm sorry … for my outburst yesterday. It was … unfair to you. You were kind and thoughtful. Burdening you with my insecurities was … inappropriate."
"I think you're too hard on yourself. But that's not important right now. And I have big shoulders."
"Your crew has been thoughtful. Commander Una checked in. And Christine from Sickbay."
"They understand how hard it is to be among strangers when you need friends."
"I … wait …" Aalin looked perplexed. "What is that aroma … how is it possible … did you bring … chicken soup?"
"Ah yeah." Chris continued with perfect timing, "I had visions of the replicators breaking under the strain of producing cupcakes. And the resultant sugar high you might experience." As intended his humor coaxed a brief faint smile from her. "I didn't know what you like; it's a recipe I've been fiddling with the past few years."
Aalin's smile grew. "You made this for me? But … aren't you too busy … when did you have the time … you cooked?"
Her response pleased Chris. He answered the questions in order, "Yes. No. I made time. Yes."
"I'm touched. And didn't realize before now that I am hungry."
"Which is the magic of chicken soup." While she ate, Chris ordered a cool compress from the replicator for her irritated and swollen eyes.
"I don't suppose you'd share the secret to your recipe?"
"If I did, you wouldn't need me anymore," Chris countered. He handed her the compress.
"Trust me, I couldn't duplicate it, not even if Julia Child herself sat on my shoulder." Her smile faded. "You have more to tell me, something you held back yesterday."
"Yes, but before I do, will you indulge me?"
She nodded.
"This may be out of turn, but I think you're wrong. Yes, the food shortages continue, and the refugees' futures are uncertain. But when you were teaching with the counting song, I watched the children laugh. When you told them stories, they were happy even if only briefly. Try to remember those moments as well."
Aalin closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. After Chris delivered the news about her tentmate he opened his arms, and she accepted the comfort in his embrace.
Present
Day 2
Noohra
Aalin packed their supplies; at full moonrise she woke the children. They were tired, cranky, and resisted additional walking without a full night's sleep. Frazzled and scared, Aalin uncharacteristically responded to their protests in a stern and harsh tone. After several false starts the group began retracing their steps. Progress was slow.
There had been no time for rebinding her feet in the makeshift cloth shoes. In the grey moonlight the children struggled to see one another and the terrain. Aalin spent most of the night guiding those who were lost back to the group and picking up others as they tripped over rocks.
In an effort to offer the villagers relief supplies and medical care, she had traveled this mountainous area multiple times on the local version of a horse, an oio. If only I paid more attention to my surroundings rather than always relying on the security guards or operations officers to find our way. The children can't walk half the night and through the next day without rest. They need a safe place to sleep in the morning. She tried reconstructing a map of the area from those travels. The effort yielded no success.
There were few landmarks on this barren high plane. Aalin possessed no orienting skills. In the darkness she inadvertently headed the group farther south than their original crossing. Here the plain stretching between the two mountains was wider. By dawn they were several miles short of the safety of the first mountain's foothills, again exposed to air attack on the open land. Paralyzing fear threatened. She sternly reminded herself, There is nothing you can do about that, don't waste energy worrying over it.
Hour after hour she pushed the children to keep walking step by slow step.
Day 3
Enterprise Holding at Station Near Noohra
"Status of the Aschaski reconnaissance flights?" Chris asked during the early morning briefing.
"Still grounded," Isak replied. "For at least another day, maybe two."
"Well done."
"Nicola continues monitoring all open radio communications. He's heard nothing unexpected," Una reported.
"We shall assume that is good news," Chris replied.
"Captain," the call to the intercom came from the bridge. "Captain Georgiou has beamed on board. Mr. Spock is escorting her and Doctor Boyce to the ready room."
On arrival Georgiou explained Saru's findings.
Una spoke first, "If Lieutenant Matthews and the children are not where we expect them to be … are they behind schedule and still crossing the first mountain?"
"Saru repeated the search this morning. They are not on the trail they were following. Not on any part of it," Georgiou said with emphasis.
"There are benign reasons which might explain why they left the trail," Isak pointed out.
"Can Saru's technique be modified and used for a stealthy search of the entire area?" Una asked.
Georgiou shook her head. "No. It piggy-backs the Aschaski's sensors. Which are limited. We are reading their equipment's echo.
"Is the Noohran resistance group a party to the cease-fire?" This question came from Spock.
"Yes," Isak answered.
"They agreed to stand down all operations for these ten-days. In return the Aschaski gave them twenty hours of safe passage out of the mountains. There have been no incidents and the Noohrans report all resistance members are accounted for," Georgiou added.
Chris walked to the viewport and stared out of it. He said softly, "The Aschaski are monitoring the entire trail … consuming scarce resources … resources even a novice commander would deploy differently in demilitarized zone … they know about the children … or at least they suspect."
"Buy why? Why are orphans a threat to them? They're too young for working in the mines. And the Aschaski have no reason to believe a Starfleet officer is their guide," Phil said.
"Captain, may I return to my post?" Spock asked. No one noticed his skin had paled to a faint green.
"Yes. Unless Captain Georgiou objects?" Chris answered.
"I should return to the Shenzhou." She nodded to Chris.
Chris continued, "That's all for now. We'll reconvene later."
After the others left, Chris continued staring out of the viewport in the direction of Noohra.
Noohra
By noon the group crossed into the foothills of the mountain they exited yesterday. There, as if gifted by a deity, they found a shallow clean stream and a network of caves. A quick inspection confirmed the first cave was large and free of unwanted creatures. The children collapsed on the ground and fell asleep without coaxing.
The cave felt confining triggering anxiety and panic, but Aalin resisted her desperate need for open sky and fresh air. She couldn't risk being seen. With her reserves spent, exhaustion burned out the persistent fear leaving her numb. She longed for the comfort and safety of Chris' embrace.