Chapter Two! Worked on this, and quite a bit more while I was up in Canada this weekend for the Kingston FunFly, which everyone should attend as it is happiness wrapped in beer, airplanes, and well behaved dogs, sprinkled with attractive men. To summarize (the story, not the hot drunk Canadian pilots); Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty have landed in the Tortall Universe due to a transporter accident. They have been apprehended by Numair, Daine, Alanna, and the Long River Wolf Pack.
Numair looked from the seven captives to his Lover, then to Alanna. In this day and age, seven years after the end of the Scanran war, not many people didn't know their names. Even more troubling was Daine's proclamation that the tall, slightly green looking man in blue was neither Immortal, Mortal, nor Devine. Even to his gift, the newcomer read oddly, as though he were looking at him through a spell. The others looked normal to him, and they carried what looked like small spelled charms. He didn't see the gift in any of them, but he could see Alanna fiddle with her emberstone and frown, looking between the odd tall one, a man in gold who could be Scanran with his blond hair and piercing blue eyes, and one who glowered back with an equally cross frown. Behind them was a lovely woman who looked like a Bazhir or Carthaki with her sculpted facial features, a young looking Yamani man in gold and a baby faced boy with the fine features of a Gallan youth. A seventh man, dressed in grime covered red watched him just as intently as Numair watched them, though he had a genial, good natured smile gracing his attractive face.
His lips quirked in a suppressed smile as he watched the woman, Nyota something, supported the fainted youth. The man introduced as McCoy pulled a silvery tube from his bag and jabbed it against the boy's neck. A quick hiss issued from the device and the boy, Pavel Numair remembered, gasped, lurching in the woman's arms and opened his dazed eyes.
"Was that wakeflower?" Alanna asked curiously as she watched the Yamani man flutter about the child. She suppressed a knowing smile and turned her attention to the almost growling man who glared back at her.
"Is it what? It's a hypospray to wake Chekov up," He glared at the Tortallans and muttered darkly under his breath. Alanna chuckled to recognize her own characteristic scowl on the man's face.
"Doktor, I am thinking you enjoy your job too…" the boy trailed off when he looked beyond the faces peering down at him in concern, "Yo mayo… vwe are not in Sickbay…"
He struggled to his feet, Numair noticed he leaned heavily on the man introduced as Hikaru, and kept his gaze dutifully away from the wolves.
"And here I vas hopingk in vas all a dream,"
"Sorry laddie, thes isnae a dream", the jovial man bounced on his feet, nodding his head toward the wolves, but his eyes not leaving Numair and Alanna, "It looks like we 'ave gotten ourselves intae a right spot o' trouble,"
"Trouble we wouldn't be in, Scotty, if that damned transporter worked right!" hollered McCoy.
Numair mused to himself, thinking for all the child had fainted, the rest of the intruders were holding together quite well upon seeing Daine's partial transformation. Wherever they were from, they were obviously familiar with either shapeshifters, or a similarly high powered spell. Since they'd shown no recognition of wild magic, he doubted they suspected it in his currently furry bride. If they turned out to be hostile he assumed Daine and the animals would be an unpleasant surprise.
Scotty, Numair couldn't recognize the man's thick accent, was cut off in his hot tempered response by the beautiful dark woman.
"Lady Uhura, was it?" Alanna fingered her emberstone idly. When the proclaimed communication officer, whatever that was, nodded, the Lioness continued, "What is your tribe?"
Looking confused when Nyota spluttered in indignation, she asked again, "Do you know of the Bloody Hawk? I'm the Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Where are your lands, have you conferred with The Voice?"
"What are you talking about?" Nyota asked in exasperation.
"Alanna, maybe she is Carthaki," Numair murmured to his friend.
Bright eyebrows drawn tight over amethyst eyes Alanna studied the woman, "Are you Carthaki? You know, we do not persecute Bazhir here, our King IS The Voice,"
Nyota's mouth worked a few moments silently as she exchanged an almost panicked look with the tall greenish man.
Numair raised a large hand, "Wait, I think it is painfully obvious that you are not what we thought. Let me release you and we will get this all sorted out at Fief Dunlath. This is not the place to interrogate you, nor does it appear you have done anything wrong,"
Kirk, the Scanran looking man, smiled brightly and thanked him.
"Yes, I assure you, we mean no harm. We are just lost,"
"Apparently very lost," the Yamani muttered as Numair cautiously recalled his gift. The tightly packed group breathed a sigh of relief but didn't move far from each other. Kirk still stood cautiously in front, hand hovering over an odd device in his belt.
Alanna noticed as well, "If you would though, hand over your weapons? You understand, you are in a very sensitive area and we have no idea how you got here,"
Spock nodded, "That is logical, Ma'am, though I assure you there is a very simple explanation for our being here,"
"We look forward to hearing it," Numair gathered the devices dropped on the ground with his magic, noticing how the newcomers looked awed as the lighted black fire drew them toward him, "Daine, are you coming back with us or continuing to visit?"
Daine shook her head and picked her pack of clothes from the ground. Trotting lightly she went behind a large trunk to change back. She stepped back a moment later, adjusting breeches and shirt with fingers still sporting heavy black claws for nails and large, furry ears perched on either side of her curly head.
The people stared in a mixture of fascination and fearful disbelief as she finished transforming and strode back to them.
"You, but wha… how," Chekov was pale and looked ready to faint again, "What?" he squeaked.
"I have Wild Magic," Daine spoke softly, smiling warmly at the youth. Numair was amused to see the blush creep up Pavel's face and the vaguely jealous look cross the Yamani's.
"Illogical, there is no su-," Spock began but was silenced by an elbow to the ribs by both Kirk and McCoy; he simply raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Numair chuckled, "No need to worry, I know not many people believe in Wild Magic nowadays. But I can see it with my Gift, I assure you, Our Wild Mage here has it,"
"Your gift?" the one called Sulu asked lightly, still looking queasy at the transformation.
"Surely you know the Gift," exclaimed Alanna, "Magic?"
"As I said, magic is an illogical assumption to make despite the situation," Spock continued despite the wild shushing of his friends.
"What are you talking about?" It was Daine's turn to gape, flabbergasted at the strange interlopers in their world.
"Scanran, you are the leader?" Kirk looked puzzled, but nodded at Numair.
"Spock, shut UP you green blooded hobgoblin," McCoy turned to the tall man and glared, pushing his shoulder, whispering urgently as Numair relayed their names to a large wolf with a noble plumed tail held jauntily in the air.
"Brokefang, make sure that Maura is expecting our… odd company," the wolf wuffed softly at Numair and turned to nuzzle Daine. One by one the wolves licked the girl and rubbed against Numair and Alanna then melted into the forest like shadows.
"Numair, they might be escaped from the Mithran temple of mind Healers," Alanna said slowly, "They're not lying, or bluffing. The genuinely don't know anything, which just leaves insanity,"
"We arenae insane!" exclaimed Scotty, and at the uncontained chuckle from Uhura smiled sheepishly, "At least nae in th' way you're thinking of,"
Numair and Alanna shared the people's smiles as one might humor small children.
"What do you mean by it is illogical to assume magic in this situation," Numair asked Spock.
"Technology of sufficient advancement is indistinguishable from magic. It is obvious to me that your culture has been visited before by post warp peoples and has been given advanced devices but not the knowledge to use them,"
Numair frowned and McCoy covered his eyes with a hand as the Vulcan talked.
Alanna stepped forward, "Are you escapees from Ganiel's temple? Were you prisoners somewhere?" her violet eyes were soft and concerned.
"Please, Ma'am, we're the Bridge Crew of the USS Enterprise. Call number NCC-1171. We were supposed to beam down to a diplomatic meeting on a planet called Ancash XII," Kirk explained, "Please, just tell us where we are,"
Now the three Tortallans looked utterly flabbergasted, "You're in the forest of Fief Dunlath. In the Kingdom of Tortall,"
Chekov shook his head, "I hawv nevwer heard of a plenet called 'Tortall' Keptin,"
Whatever this situation was, Numair knew he'd never encountered something even remotely similar to it before. And he had a feeling he would be praying every night to any God that would listen that he never would again. Straightening and looking at his lover, he sighed.
"Whatever is going on here, I'm sure we'll sort it out as soon as we get back to the Fief," turning slightly, he motioned to the crew, "After you all. You'll forgive us if we don't quite want to let down our guard just yet,"
Kirk smiled graciously and moved forward, cautious as he passed between them, "Not at all, Mr. Numair. I understand. Which direction are we travelling?"
Pointing, Numair began to follow the oddly dressed group, thinking hard and fast. It was obvious the visitors were odd, confused, and not necessarily a threat to Tortall. He didn't think any of their enemies would send so varied a group of spies, nor had the Whisper Man even hinted there would be any trouble in the coming weeks. Was it possible these really were interstellar travelers? He tried to think if he'd ever heard the Badger or Daine's parents talk about human life on other planets. And Alanna had not hinted the Goddess had ever told her it was possible. Maybe these people were out of the God's power. Maybe they were just crazy. As they walked toward Dunlath, he realized this was likely the last sane moment he would experience for weeks.
Well, short chapter, but this seemed the least intrusive place to cut it off before the next installment. Reviews would be lovely! And again, go read Transported: Healer by Cable69 for the inspiration I had to write this! Hopefully this won't turn into another long story I start but then never type up the chapters I write down.
Tootles! Jimmy Buffet concert tonight at Mohegan Sun! I cannot wait!