Zara08-LOL! Well here's your other Christmas pressie :-)
"Set your weapon down." The foremost Romulan waved a disruptor in Riker's direction. Gritting his teeth together, Riker obeyed and placed his phaser on the ground. A sneer twisted the Romulan's lips. He nodded the other two forward, each one brandishing disruptors of their own.
Silver lunged suddenly, a vicious snarl erupting from his throat. His jaws clicked together in a warning. The Romulans halted. Their eyes fixed fearfully on the dog.
"Get rid of it," their leader ordered. "And quickly."
"No!" Jora cried, struggling to her feet even as Carmen held her back. "Please don't! He's-"
A bolt of energy struck the dog. He fell to the ground with a thud and moved no more. Jora cried out again, a wretched sound of heartache flying from the depths of her soul. Carmen released the girl and she crawled to Silver's side, burying her face in his rain-slicked fur to muffle the sobs that followed.
But the bolt of energy had not come from a disruptor. It came from Riker's phaser, which was now in the hands of the Romulan boy. It took Carmen several moments to sort out the chain of events. He must have picked it up and stunned the dog in an effort to save Silver from a disruptor blast. Jora, however, had no way of understanding that. For all she knew, her friend had just killed her beloved dog.
The Romulan leader advanced, snatching the phaser away. The boy cowered beneath his glare. Still, he mustered enough courage to make a plea on their behalf. "Mercy, Kotar. Please. They saved my life."
"You are weak like your father," Kotar jeered. He grabbed the boy's shoulder and shoved him roughly towards the guards. "Now go. Stay out of this."
He landed in a pitiful pile, muddy and ashamed. Jora looked up and met his gaze. Tears streamed down her cheeks alongside the rain. Yet her eyes burned with betrayal, and her pain cut deep into Carmen's senses like the jagged edge of a knife.
She pulled the young girl into her arms despite her feeble attempts to lash out. "He isn't dead," she whispered. "Listen to me! Silver's not dead! Your friend saved him!"
Jora stopped struggling, though her mind still fought to comprehend. Carmen held her tightly, protectively, eyeing Kotar as he prowled the space between them and Riker.
"Starfleet, then?" the Romulan mused, turning the phaser over in his hand and examining it thoughtfully. "I knew you would come for the doctor. I had just hoped to be on our way by now."
"Where is Gardener? What have you done with him?" Riker demanded.
Kotar balked at his tone. "Bold questions for someone kneeling in the mud." He tucked the phaser away and squatted down to Riker's level. "Tell me-who are you and what is the name of your ship?"
Riker's jaw clenched. "Bold questions for someone in violation of the Treaty of Algeron."
The Romulan's chest rose sharply. His lips twitched, offended by Riker's insolence. Without warning, his fist flew. Hard. The blow sent Riker reeling backwards.
"Dad!" Carmen cried, separating herself from Jora. She launched off the ground and landed high on Kotar's back. Her arm snaked under his chin, closing around his throat.
Deftly, he grabbed hold of her leg as it sought to hook over one of his and spun her to the ground. No sooner had she landed when his boot smashed into the side of her face. She rolled onto her stomach, holding her jaw and groaning in pain. Smugly then, Kotar stepped between her shoulder blades and gradually squeezed the air from her lungs.
"No…" the commander rasped, still trying to regain his balance. It felt like his brain wouldn't stop rattling around his skull. But the sight of Carmen thrashing violently in an attempt to escape the smothering pressure galvanized him to his feet. "Get away from her!"
The desperate tinge in his voice told Kotar that he had found a way to cut right to the chase. "I will ask you one more time," he said, bending over to shove his disruptor against Carmen's temple. Rain dripped down her face from the barrel of his weapon. "Who are you and what is the name of your ship?"
"Carmen! No!" Jora shrieked. She crouched beside Silver's inanimate body, her widened eyes filled with fear and confusion. She didn't understand the Romulan's question. Nor did she understand Riker's answer.
"I am Commander Riker of the Enterprise," he said, detesting the bitter taste of compliance in every word. "And my ship is in orbit. Now let her go!"
"Well then commander," Kotar said, easing his weight off just enough to let Carmen take a ragged gulp of air. "I suppose the storm is giving your crew trouble, and that's why they haven't beamed you back yet?" He took Riker's seething silence for a yes. "Good. We may have time to finish the repairs after all. Orreth, Tovain-move them out."
"What about the others?" one of guards asked.
"Others?"
"The river washed a man away. A woman ran after him."
Riker's chest tightened. While it was too late for them, he had at least hoped for Troi to escape unnoticed.
"We have no need for so many prisoners," Kotar replied. "If you find them, dispose of them."
"No!" The commander's heart leapt into his throat, choking his cry. "You can't do that!"
Kotar shifted his disruptor in Riker's direction. At the same time he leaned over Carmen again, slowly crushing her beneath his boot. She wheezed a few choice words in Klingon, of which Kotar took no heed. "You may be a commander on your ship," the Romulan growled. "But here, you have no authority. Now march."
"Do you remember what it's like, to be comfortable and dry?" Elion quipped, huddled beneath an umbrella of broad, sturdy leaves. "Neither do I."
It still felt like his head was swimming with water, even though Troi had pulled him out of the river nearly an hour ago. To his relief, she had found him clinging to a broken root on the inside of a bend. Something strange had come over her shortly thereafter, and she insisted that her family was in danger. That they were in danger. It didn't make sense to the agent, but he listened to her anyway and found them a decent place to hide.
Troi did not smile at his attempt to lighten the mood. "The sun has to come out sometime," she merely said, pulling her legs in tighter to avoid the rain dripping off the edge of the leaves. Elion stole a glance at her, eyes abrim with a soft appreciation for her company. She had a way of sounding sage even when she was speaking literally. Yet despite the bravery she tried to wear, he could see that she was grieving the fate of the others.
"Yes. And when it does, Jora's family will send help," he said, hoping to encourage her. "We won't have to do this alone."
"No." Troi shook her head. "We cannot let anyone else get involved. We should be gone by then."
"What do you mean gone?"
She fell silent, pulling restlessly at the hem of her skirt.
"You want to do something about it, I know." Elion cupped a hand over her arm. "But I can't help you unless you give me more information. What do you know about...them? The ones who killed my partner?"
For a moment, Troi hesitated. "They…are not supposed to be here," she said.
"Neither are you. Am I right?"
Her eyes widened briefly, relaying her surprise. That was all the confirmation Elion needed.
"Do you know why they're here? What they want?"
"No," she answered through tight lips.
Elion leaned back against the stalk with a sigh. He still didn't have the truth, the whole truth. But he had wedged the door open at least.
"Well, wherever you're from, I'm glad we met," he said, offering her a smile. Then he shook his head and laughed. "I don't get it, though. Your husband assaulted me. Your daughter held me at gunpoint. But you-you went and saved my life?"
Troi returned his smile at last. "To be fair, you assaulted Will first. And our daughter, well...she's very loyal."
"She is your daughter, then?"
Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I thought maybe it was all just a cover. Is Will...is he really your husband?"
"Ah. I see." She giggled at the note of hope in his voice. "Yes. Or, he will be. We were planning our wedding when all of this came up."
Elion's hopes tumbled, even though he had been careful not to place them too high. "He's a lucky man, then. And what about Carmen? Do you always bring your daughter along on dangerous expeditions?"
"There's no stopping her." A hint of pride seeped into her eyes. "Just like her father. It's one of their best traits. And worst, depending on how much patience I have left."
Elion's smile turned into a smirk. "See, I knew you weren't a poor miner's wife. You're a saint!"
They laughed together for a few moments before remembering their need to keep quiet and keep hidden. Troi leaned her head back, letting a lull fall between them as she listened to the sounds of the storm. And slowly, a plan began to form in her mind.