Chapter 6 - A Lost Soul
1245hours

Beverly opened her eyes and found she was no longer in the dark cavern, the room was bright and smelled clean, almost fragrant. She wondered if somehow she'd made it back to the Enterprise, but looking around she did not recognize her surroundings. She testsed her limbs. As she moved to sit up a firm hand held her in place.

"Slowly. Doctor Crusher. You are still healing."

"Who are you?"

The white skinned, green eyed female smiled "I am Valeia of Galos. We found you on the surface of our ruined planet." Beverly gasped and sat up quickly.

"Where is the captain?...where is..."

"I'm over here Beverly." she turned to the sound of his voice. He looked worse for the wear but very much alive.

"Oh thank heavens. She looked around the large room as they continued their test.

"Your Enterprise crew members are on their way here. We are so sorry for the misunderstanding. We sent the coordinates but the magnetic shift interefered and sent you outside of our floating city. We are so very sorry."

Beverly was helped down from her bed as was Jean Luc as they began to walk towards each other. Beverly continued to look around the room, searching frantically with her eyes.

"Sorry? You nearly killed five Starfleet officers. That is hardly a way to request assistance from the Federation" Picard spat angirily, his grey eyes were filled with fury as they reduced to near slits.

"My son. My son Wesley was with us...he was injured, where is he?"

The woman and two other Galosians stared at each other sadly as the two of them left the room. One of them returned and brought with them a small black cloth and with out stretched hands and a bowed head handed them to Beverely. Picard suddenly flanked her on one side. Beverly stared at the shimering blue gown of the female and the dark pale blue hair of her more androgynous counterpart.

"Where is my son?"

"Doctor. We transported back to the city, my father stayed with him because we could only help one of you at a time. It took all of our powers to heal you and bring you back. We made the decision that the Enterprise would need its captain first ..."

Beverly began shaking her head frantically.

Picard rose to his full height beside her "You did not..."

"Where is my son?" she screamed.

"I am sorry, the boy was badly injured, before we could transport his life signal, he perished in the last quake, along with my father."

"No..." Picard whispered stunned.

"I have to go back down there."

"Doctor, it's not safe. Its not possible right now."

"I'm not leaving my son down there."

"Doctor. There has already been a team trying to retrieve them, but the cavern has collapsed another 20 meters. Please prepare yourself for the possibility that his remains may never be found."

Beverly found herself in a firm embrace as a hand stroked against her back. An eerie silence enveloped Dr. Beverly Crusher. Her skin already an almost alabaster white became even whiter as she mumbled something incoherent. And tried to sit up. The color completely drained from her skin, and her eyes slammed shut as she fell back suddenly, lapsing into a dead faint. For Beverly's lack of color, Picards face glowered red with anger as he touched his communicator, and it chirped to life.

"Picard to Enterprise"

"Captain! It so good to hear - "

Picard cut Riker off immediately

"Dispense with the pleasantries for now Number One. It seems our crew were given the wrong coordinates and we were gravely injured, Dr. Crusher and I are better now it seems. Please beam Dr. Crusher up to sick bay, and have Commander Data pilot a shuttle down to the planet to meet me."

" But sir ..."

"Number One that's an order...Mr. Crusher is missing and badly injured. Picard out - "

Location Unknown
1245 hours

Cold. Cold permeated every fiber of his being chilling even his bones and the deep ache of his injuries. Tremors wracked his body as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. He was no longer in the deep cavern and he lay flat on his back and though he felt no bounds on him, he was unable to move.

Wesley could hear sound all around him but could not decipher a specific voice. It was muffled voices, incoherent words. He realized he must not be awake. And again the voices that spoke to him were through his mind.

"H - H - Hello..." his voice made no sound. The pain in his scull threatened to take him under again, but the knot in the pit of his stomach kept that from happening.

"Please...anybody? help?" He tried again. There was not a sound. A sudden unfamiar terro seized him. He had to stay awake. He could feel his heart racing, blood coursing through his injured limbs and the panting of his own breath. It was hard not to respond to these emotions. He was panicing. Wherever he was, he was afraid he was trapped, and then a familiar sound made its way into his psyche.

Through the haze he could hear a familiar voice.

"Where is my son?" He recognized the anguished sobs of his mother. He struggled to peer through the absolute darkness and found himself again unable to answer.

"Mom..." he tried to scream but only suceeded in wearing himself out.

"We have delivered the boy. You must release us from our debt."

"Where is he?"

'He is alive. The Enterprise crew arrived on the surface and were injured. He was among them.

"He is damaged?"

"He has injuries, we will heal him as long as you honor your agreement, otherwise we will let him die." The commander drew up to his full height as he closed the distance between he and the elder Galosian.

"You will heal him and bring him to me within the hour."

The elder man stared at the phaser in his hand and swallowed carefully.
"

"We will have him ready for transport immediately"
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Well...Well..Well... a ruse? A plot against the Enterprise? Is Bevery in on it too? Keep reading...there's always a twist!