VOYAGERS! - The Voyager Chronicles
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2
(Sequel to Discoveries)
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)
Previous disclaimers apply
Chapter 6 – AN UNEXPECTED TWIST
Bogg and Jeff vanished from their observation post and began their journey forward to the time of first contact. As they traveled through the void of space and observed the waves of time that passed by, little did they realize just what lie in store for them at their next landing. After what seemed like mere seconds, the two voyagers arrived back at Plymouth Rock, not too far from the area where they had originally departed; only this time it was four months later. They fell through the time portal and landed in an outcrop of bushes just outside the settlement.
"Bogg!!! I could sure use some help here!." Jeff yelled as he lay upside down inside a bush.
"Hold on kid, I'm coming." Bogg yelled.
Bogg grabbed hold of a nearby tree and pulled himself to an upright position. Once upright, he ran over to his partner and attempted to extract him from the bush that had all but swallowed him up.
"Thanks, Bogg!"
"Don't mention it, kid!"
Bogg flipped open the omni. "Red light! Hmmmm! Looks like we've found the problem."
Jeff did not respond. He had a concerned look on his face as he began to look around, observing the area outside the settlement.
"Hey! Kid! Did you hear me?" Bogg repeated once more.
"SHHHHH! Bogg! Listen!" Jeff urged.
A few moments passed. Bogg finally spoke up.
"What? I don't hear anything."
"That's just it Bogg! Nothing! Don't you hear it? Nothing but silence! No birds, no people talking, no animals, no hammering, nothing!"
Bogg stood there, speechless. He began to survey the area. As he glanced toward the settlement, he noticed a small amount of smoke creeping up from behind the fence surrounding it.
"Look Jeff! Smoke! C'mon, kid, let's investigate."
Jeff reached out and grabbed Bogg's arm as he started to walk toward the settlement.
"What's wrong?"
"Bogg, I…" Jeff said with a concerned look.
Bogg turned and kneeled in front of his partner.
"I can tell by the look on your face, something's wrong. C'mon, spill it!"
"Bogg, something's really not right here and I'm scared." Jeff whispered nervously.
"Kid. I have an uneasy feeling about it, too. You know, we've been through scarier situations than this. We'll be ok. I promise."
Jeff put on a fake smile in response to his partner.
"We have to put our fear behind us and continue with the mission." Bogg said as he stood up and put his arm around his partner. "C'mon. Let's get going."
The two walked toward the settlement and then proceeded into the area. Upon passing through the outer gates, they were met by an overpowering stench which could best be described as the pungent smell of death. The two, gagging at the horrendous smell and gasping for air, stopped in their tracks. Bogg reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Jeff.
"Here, kid. Put his over your face."
'Thanks. But what about you." Jeff asked.
"I'll be ok." Bogg reassured as he put the sleeve of his shirt over his nose and mouth. "C'mon let's see what's happened here. Whatever you do, stay close to me."
"Oh don't you worry; I'll be as close to you as your shadow." Jeff replied.
Bogg began to proceed further into the settlement. Jeff was by his side with his arm locked firmly around his waist. After taking a few labored steps, Bogg stopped. At this point, Jeff had such a grip on him that he could scarcely move.
"Kid!"
"Yea Bogg."
"I know I told you to stay close, but, you have such a bear hug on me that I can scarcely walk. Can you loosen your grip just a bit?" Bogg asked as he smiled and winked at Jeff.
"Oh, sorry Bogg."
The two continued cautiously into the settlement. All of a sudden, their worst fears had now been confirmed. Ahead of them, there were bodies of pilgrims strewn all over the area. Some had arrows sticking out of them, while others had multiple knife wounds to their torsos.
"BOGG!" Jeff yelled as he buried his face in his partner's side.
Bogg knelt down and put his arms around his partner. Jeff had seen people killed before on many of their past voyages, however, Bogg knew he had never seen anything quite as gruesome as this.
"My God! They have all been killed!" Jeff yelled as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Kid, I know. It's a massacre."
"How can we set this right, Bogg?" Jeff exclaimed. "They are all dead!"
Bogg turned his partner away from the carnage and attempted to calm and reassure him. "Hey, Jeff, hear me out." He whispered.
"Remember, this is not the way it happened." Bogg whispered softly. "These good people are not supposed to die. That's why we are here. It's our job to figure out what occurred here and correct this problem."
Bogg took hold of his partner's chin and raised it. "Jeff, look at me. I know exactly what you are feeling now. It's never easy to come across something as gruesome as a scene like this, an all out massacre. Believe it or not, I felt the same way as you do the first time I encountered one."
Jeff looked at Bogg with a hint of a smile and dried his eyes. "You did?"
"Yep and I was shocked…no…more like stunned to the point that I… I…" Bogg stumbled on the words as he attempted to finish his sentence.
"What did you do, Bogg?"
Bogg had a faint trace of crimson in his cheeks as he attempted to bring himself to confess his actions to his partner.
"I…I…fainted."
"You what??? You fainted."
"Yep…Hit the ground with a thud, too." Bogg boasted with a smile and a chuckle.
"The next thing I remember was being awakened by a traveler who was passing through the area. "
Jeff began to calm down a bit and continued to listen to his partner.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's ok to be shocked and upset when you encounter a situation like this. However, you have to keep your wits about you; otherwise you may end up in the same situation as these poor folks. Believe me you won't do them any good if you end up like them."
"I'm sorry Bogg." Jeff said shamefully.
"There's nothing for you to be sorry or ashamed about." Bogg reassured his partner. There's one more piece of wisdom I need to pass along to you at this point. I hope that what I'm about to say will not discourage you from being a Voyager."
Jeff looked at his partner and with the sound of determination in his voice, replied, "Nothing could stop me from being a Voyager!"
"Unfortunately, this is just one of many uncomfortable, heart-wrenching and gruesome situations you will encounter as you carry out your responsibilities as a Voyager. The one thing you must remember is; you're there to set things right and you can't do so unless you keep a clear head on your shoulders. As you continue to grow and gain experience from each mission, you will eventually learn how to temporarily detach yourself from your emotions."
"I understand."
"Ok, that's enough wisdom for one day kid. It's decision time and the decision is up to you. We can continue, if you are up to it or we can stop right here." Bogg said. "The ball's in your court."
Jeff who was still felt uneasy about their circumstances attempted to come up with a compromise.
"Why don't you continue exploring and I'll stay right here and wait for you." Jeff suggested.
"Nope." Bogg said vehemently. "That was not one of the options. Besides, I won't put you at risk by leaving you here alone. We don't yet know all of the details of what happened here. Whoever killed these people could still be lurking around."
"I know Bogg…but…" Jeff said nervously.
"Either we continue together or we stay here. That's the choice." Bogg said
Jeff stood there with his head down. His fears were now churning inside of him like giant tidal waves crashing against the cliffs.
"Ohhhhh…oh…ok. I'm ready." Jeff said as his voice quivered. "I guess there couldn't be anything worse than this from this point forward."
"Now that's the brave kid I know. You know, overcoming your fears to see this mission through to the end. I'm proud of you, Jeff and admire you for your courage."
"Thanks." Jeff replied. "I think?"
"Come on, let's get going. And stay close to me, ok?"
The two Voyagers continued their walk into the area. As they made their way deeper and deeper into the settlement, the number of victims increased exponentially. One by one they stopped and examined the bodies for evidence that would explain what happened.
"Look Bogg! Arrows!", Jeff said as he pointed to several arrows which were lying on the ground.
"Yep, looks like the work of natives." Bogg acknowledged. "Kid, have you noticed the victims?"
"Well, I've tried not to…it's so gruesome, but, yes. They are all men. Where are all the women and children?" Jeff asked.
"I suspect they have been taken prisoner."
The two stopped for a moment to survey the area for more clues.
"Well, from the looks of things, there's obviously no one left alive here." Bogg said curiously. "I'd say their first contact didn't go quite so smoothly."
"Hey, kid! Look over there!" Bogg exclaimed as he pointed to one of the bodies off in the distance. "That one looks interesting. Let's take a look."
The two walked some ten feet from their last position and discovered the body of a dead native lying on the ground.
"It's an Indian!" Jeff confirmed. "He must be Samoset."
Bogg kneeled down and began to examine the victim. He pushed back the native's leather vest to expose a gunshot wound.
"Kid, he's been shot with a gun." Bogg whispered. "I wonder why they shot him. It's obvious he wasn't carrying any weapons."
"Hmmmm…Another piece of the puzzle." Jeff said as he rubbed his chin much like another Sherlock Holmes. "We now know what happened, but, what was the motive."
"Ok. What about this?" Bogg said as he put together a theory. "This native, Samoset, came to the settlement and for some unknown reason the pilgrims felt threatened, so they shot and killed him. His family found out and then retaliated."
"His family?" Jeff questioned. "C'mon Bogg. From the looks of things here, it was more like his entire tribe."
"I wondered when you would catch on." Bogg said as he winked at his partner.
Bogg stood up with his hands on his hips, looking down at the native. "The question now is as you said, 'What's the motive?' specifically, what was it that caused the pilgrims to feel threatened by this man?"
In the distance, a faint sound of a voice could be heard.
"Bogg?" Jeff asked nervously. "Wha…what was that?"
"Sounded like someone's voice." Bogg confirmed.
"Ohhhhhhhhh!!!! Help me!!!!" A voice cried out from the distance.
Bogg pointed off to their right. "Sounds like it came from over there. C'mon."
After walking several paces, they came upon a wounded pilgrim, propped up against the exterior wall of a building.
"Bogg, he's alive!" Jeff exclaimed.
"Yeah, just barely though. Kid, take that handkerchief I gave you and go wet it in that rain barrel over there." Bogg said as he kneeled down beside the pilgrim.
"Who are you?" The pilgrim asked with a weak voice. "Are you friend or foe?"
"We're friends and we're here to help." Bogg reassured. "Shhhhh! Conserve your strength."
Jeff arrived with the wet handkerchief and handed it to his partner, who in turn wiped the man's face and brow.
Bogg began to assess the pilgrim's wounds in an attempt to render some first aid. During this time, he noticed a large amount of blood oozing from underneath the victims' overcoat. Realizing he had little time to lose, he slowly folded back the front of the coat only to discover a large knife wound in pilgrim's abdomen, which was bleeding profusely. Quickly, Bogg tore off a piece of the pilgrim's sleeve, wadded it up and put it on the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. It was now apparent to Bogg; the pilgrim would not have much longer to live. He grimaced and began to shake his head in disbelief.
Jeff glanced at his partner; his facial expression alone asked the obvious question, 'Is he going to live?' Bogg looked up at Jeff and with a solemn look began to nod negatively.
Bogg again looked down at the man. Knowing this was their one and only chance to find out exactly what happened to cause an event of this magnitude, he began to question him.
"Sir?" Bogg asked with a somewhat low tone. "Can you tell us what happened here?"
The pilgrim coughed violently. Once he caught his breath, he began to tell his story. "Listen, you have been most kind to me. I fear I have little time left so I must be quick."
"Yesterday. We were going about our normal activities here when this native walked into our settlement." The pilgrim said and then began to cough again.
Bogg wiped his face and the pilgrim continued his story.
"Word spread like fire through the settlement and we all gathered together in front of the native. Everyone was surprised, yet relatively calm for several moments." The pilgrim paused for a moment and gasped for air.
"Suddenly he began to speak. English! He spoke in English!" The pilgrim exclaimed. "One woman began to scream."
The pilgrim paused once again; his breathing had now become more labored.
"Where was I?" The pilgrim said as he continued his story. "Our military advisor, Standish, heard the scream. He came running with his musket."
The pilgrim began to cough again, much more violently than the last time. Bogg reached over and comforted him.
"I'm ok. I must make hast though." He said as he eased his blood soaked body back against the structure.
"Standish saw the native standing there and out of instinct, raised his musket and shot him."
"Somehow his tribe discovered what happened. They invaded the settlement later that day. Took the women and children and killed the rest."
The pilgrim stopped and took a couple of labored breaths. He sat silently for a moment before taking one last breath. His eyes rolled back and his head dropped to one side.
Bogg put his hand on the pilgrim's shoulder and whispered softly to him. "My good fellow, you have left this world long before your time and we're here to correct that. For now, enjoy your rest. You deserve it. You will be back on your feet again shortly."
Bogg stood up and looked at Jeff. "Well, we now know the story here, so it's up to us to prevent this from happening. We need to go back and put a stop to this once and for all."
"I'm ready when you are." Jeff said anxiously.
Bogg opened the omni, turned the dials to March 16, 1621 and looked over at Jeff.
"Ready?"
Jeff grabbed his partner's arm. "Let's do it!" He said.
Bogg pressed the button and they disappeared.