I do not claim any characters from the Trek Universe, and am only using any named herein to tell a story meant for entertainment purposes only.
Star Trek: Lost Mare
By LJ58
8
"You can truly bring these wonders to the Southern Lands? To our entire world," Sa'aru asked as his sole, surviving advisor listened incredulously in the now private meeting with Helen, her group outside just then, leaving her alone with him, and Mother Jania.
"The Federation is ready to help all of E'osta. The Prime has already visited out ships. Seen what we offer. I extend the same invitation to you, Lord Sa'aru, so you may see for yourself just what we have to offer, too."
"The Northern Coalition has already….visited your star ships?"
"Yes," she nodded. "Against his advisors' wishes, I might add, but he was quite convinced once he did. Now, he seeks to drag even his less wise followers into a future that will benefit your entire world. I know, sir, he would be more than willing to speak to you, too, about a true alliance, did you wish it. But the fighting must end. The toxic weapons must be put away. You only hurt your own with those devices."
Lord Sa'aru grimaced, and glanced to the silent priestess.
"When I was put into power, the one thing I wished more than anything else was to rid our land of those dreadful bio-weapons. As you say, Lady Honey," he called her after Dr. Marcan's example, "They are not good for our people, for using them renders any victory meaningless."
"Agreed," the Mother nodded to him.
"Yes, but my own military refuses to listen. They care only for bigger, and better weapons, and don't realize we are only destroying what little we have left since the Northern Coalition's defenses now keep any missiles from getting very far over the borderlands."
"Perhaps you might have some of them attend you when you visit….."
"When we visit," the priestess told her. "I wish to see this ship of the stars myself, young filly," she told her. "It will help me better understand you, and determine a suitable penance befitting your stature."
"As you wish, Mother," Helen nodded to her, not arguing the point. She wasn't here for pride. She was here to stop a war, and perhaps help a planet in flux. "I am more than certain my captain would welcome you, too."
The mare only nodded to her, adjusting her cloak as she did.
Beyond the room, in the great hall, Lt. Myers, and her team, were working as unofficial servers to feed all those that stayed to hear what would come of this meeting of star-beings, and their own leaders.
More than a few warriors showed up, too, but they were all hanging back, simply watching.
Sa'aru looked at her not for the first time, as if still unable to bring himself to believe what was obviously happening right before his eyes. Then, even as a uniformed stud in black, with more than a few ribbons on his grim jacket burst into the room, the unassuming leader simply nodded at the man bracketed by four guards.
"I will go with you, young filly. I will see this ship of yours for myself."
"What do you mean, Lord Sa'aru," the obvious military man demanded. "Go where?"
"Ah, General Colraan," the leader of the Southern Coalition nodded. "Good. You are here. You owe this young filly an apology."
"I…. What," the big stud sputtered.
"You fired on her ship, a peaceful vessel, without true provocation. You will apologize."
"Without…..provocation," the officer sputtered incredulously.
"The creatures that appeared earlier came by mistake," the priestess told him. "That has been explained to our satisfaction," the told the senior officer.
"Are you being duped by this…..creature. Just because it wears a face like our own…."
"If I may, Lord Sa'aru? Mother Jania," Helen nodded to each of them.
The priestess merely nodded.
Sa'aru sighed heavily, but gestured for her to go on.
"General….Colraan? Yes," she smiled when he only snorted. "I am as I am because the Maker willed it. Dr. Marcan himself can tell you I wore another shape when I first arrived," she said, nodding to the silent physician who looked a little uneasy at the man's presence.
"So, you admit you are not what you seem…..?"
"General, you are putting too much important on your own fears. Most military men, do. My friend Andrea is much the same. She is as much a warrior as you, and just as stubborn, too."
He scowled at that.
"Females cannot be warriors," he scoffed.
"You have not met my friend," she smiled. "I offer you the same invitation, sir, if only to calm your fears. Come with us. Speak to my captain. See the ship that brought us, and the things we can bring you. Don't repeat the mistakes of the past when it can only harm the very people you try to protect."
"Is that a threat," he snarled.
Helen sighed, and shook her head.
She couldn't help but catch the faint mirth in Mother Jania's otherwise schooled manner.
"General, without boasting, I should tell you that our starship is untouchable by your standards. Even we have enemies out there. Some that would overwhelm you without warning had they found you first. That we are here, reaching out as friends, should tell you that is not our way."
"So, you do have weapons?"
"A single of their warriors put nine of my best sentries to sleep in an instant," Sa'aru told him blandly. "Do we have anything that could match that?"
"Warriors? You mean….that beast out there?"
"Will, you mean. It's his name. He is from a race we call wolvyrn. They can be very good friends," Helen told him. "The one you should worry about, though, is my friend Andrea. She is a warrior. She thinks like you. She takes protecting us very seriously."
"A female…..?"
"Any problems," the big brunette demanded as she appeared in the door just then. "Will said you were getting loud in here."
"That," Colraan exclaimed, eyeing the big, muscular woman, "Is a female?"
"Watch it, furball," Andrea growled.
"Andrea, it's okay. Just ironing out a few details."
The woman's dark green eyes glittered, but they missed nothing as they swept the room.
"Well, yell if you need help. I had Tom beam back up for extra food packs, and more water filters for the purifier, too. We've had a few more guests show up as word spreads."
"Good. The more that see we are earnest, the better in the long run," she nodded. "I trust the treacherous Harry Williams is being detained," she asked pointedly.
"Captain Rollins has him locked in the brig, and won't even let him contact Starfleet until he has your report," she told her, well understanding her ploy just then. "I don't think he will be getting away this one."
"So, your people have their own malcontents," General Colraan murmured.
"Don't we all? Think, General," Helen asked him. "If you did try to fight again, who gets hurt? Us? Able to fly away, without ever being touched? The Northern Coalition, who has had years to plan, and a much better defense grid to block your weapons. There will damage on both sides, but I admit, I have seen the North's defenses. They are better than yours. You will once again be adding to the misery and destruction of your own already suffering people. I ask you, as friend, listen to me. Give us a chance to help you, and your people. To help your entire planet."
"Why," he grunted.
"Do you know, sir," Dr. Marcan spoke now. "I asked her the same thing when we first met. It is, apparently, what they do. Her peoples, and they are a wondrous band, travel for the sake of knowledge. No other reason. No fame. No wealth. They are explorers. Scientists. The things they could teach…."
Colraan eyed the plainly dressed stud he dismissed as a peasant, and snorted.
After a moment, he eyed Helen, the nodded.
"I will see this ship with you. But I bring our own guards with us. The Mother's life is too important to risk without precautions," he added.
Helen noted he said nothing of Lord Sa'aru.
"Then consider me your guide," she told him, and went to the door.
"Lt. Myers, we're preparing to beam up. Remain here, and see all the hungry are fed while we are gone," she told her, noting four new techs had beamed down by then, and two had brought extra food processors, and two more were setting up a water filtration pump they were setting on capped well set to one side of the great hall.
"You sure big, and disagreeable has calmed down enough," she scowled, eyeing Colraan through the open door.
"He'll be fine."
Andrea glared, but nodded.
"Just keep a close eye on him. I don't trust him."
"I'm sure the captain will be using all safety protocols when we beam up," Helen told her quietly, glancing over her shoulder.
"I'll just remind him. When I order the extra filters and food packs we need. I don't think some of these people have had a decent meal in months."
"Marcan was right. Most of them seem desperate just because they're hungry, and afraid. Seeing this place, I can understand that. We'll be beaming up in a few minutes, so you call the captain first," she told her, closing the door.
Andrea only nodded, and then disappeared behind the closing door.
"If we're ready then," Helen asked when she deliberately took her time explaining the transporter process to the general and his men.
"Yes," Mother Jania simply nodded, obviously excited, and trying very hard not to show it.
Lord Sa'aru looked uneasy, but more blatantly excited.
The general, she noted, simply looked cynical.
"You two will stay with the Mother at all times," he told two of the guards with him. "You two, with the Lord Sa'aru."
"And what of you, sir," one of the younger warriors asked him as he glanced at Helen and Marcan.
"Do you think a northern-born peasant could take me, boy," the surly officer growled, obviously looking down on Marcan, and not even considering Helen in spite of her claims to date.
"All right, everyone stand close," she said, moving them together as she stood with them, even putting her back to them. Then she pulled out a device the general recognized from taking the other men's strange technology. "Dr. Slater to Sojourner," she called.
"Sla-tuh," Mother Jania gaped for a moment, even as Helen said, "Party to visit the captain. Lock on, and energize."
She and Marcan stood down from the transporter pad after materializing. Both of them more inured by now to the process. The other Exanters stood there looking shaken, and uneasy, especially when General Colsaan looked around, and realized two of his men had not come with them.
"Where….? Where are Intarr, and Shruun," he rasped, locking his eyes on Helen even as a strange door opened with a hiss of sound, and two massive beasts walked in with a smaller male. All wearing the same uniform.
"Forgive us, General Colsaan," Captain Sawyer addressed him directly, proving he had listened in on their conference when she had discreetly left her communicator open just for that purpose. "But two of your men were carrying viral explosive devices of some kind, and I could not allow that on board my ship. You understand."
"They were what," the Mother gasped in genuine surprise, and looked to Colsaan.
"If they were, I was unaware of it," the officer said. "And you left them with that crowd of civilians? The damage they could do…..?"
"Will be minimal," Ben told him. "We took the liberty of transporting them out of the city, and into a more remote part of the wilderness until you wished to deal with them yourself," he added, not commenting on the possibility that he might have ordered some kind of mad attack himself.
The surly warrior shook his graying head, and swore.
"That is the cost of recruiting peasants. You get as many zealots as soldiers," he swore. "So, you are the commander of this….vessel?"
"Captain Benjamin Sawyer. He turned to the others, and made a courtly bow to the priestess, having learned a few things from listening to Helen. "Welcome to my ship, the U.S.S. Sojourner."
"It seems a bit…..cramped," Lord Sa'aru commented even as the door opened for them as Ben led them out of the transporter room, and into a wide hall that ran in both directions.
Dr. Marcan burst into laughter.
"Forgive me, sir," the physician told him. "But I felt the very same way when I first came here by accident. Then I saw a sight that absolutely stunned me. Captain, with your permission, perhaps our first visit should include a look at E'osta?"
"That's a very good idea," Helen agreed.
"All right. One stop by the viewing lounge, and we'll get on with the tour. Lady," he turned to Mother Jania, "Gentlemen, this way."
Colsaan noted the two beasts stayed in the small room, and didn't come out.
"You truly command those monsters," the general asked Ben.
"Abe, and Will are not monsters, sir. Just another species. You'd be surprised at the variety out there," he smiled. "As you are about to see. Our starship has a crew from quite a few member races, and many of them enjoy relaxing here," he said, and walked into a door that opened again at his approach, without any explanation for it.
Colsaan paused, eyeing the door this time, and walked through.
"How…..?"
"We can talk about technology later. Right now," Ben said, "I believe the good doctor would like you to see something."
He led the small group past a group of off-duty personnel that barely even glanced their way, and then pointed out a large, glassy pane before them.
Mother Jania simply stared.
Sa'aru gasped in obvious emotion.
"That….cannot be real," General Colsaan choked.
"It is. Our world," Marcan told him, and the largest land mass that was their home was a dichotomy even from here. Most of the North was lush, green, and showed blue spot that spread out to the oceans. The southern half of the Great Island was almost all brown. On the far side as the ship orbited, they saw another, darker brown mass that was the lost home of their ancestors. Long ago destroyed in another forgotten war.
Colsaan leaned forward, his hands clenching on a railing near the ports.
"It looks…..sickly."
"We can help you with that," Helen said kindly, daringly putting a hand on his bowed shoulder. "We can help you purify the waters, the air, and even the land. E'osta can be green, and fertile again, with no dead lands to trouble you."
Colsaan was the first to speak as they turned from the grim sight of their world.
"How," he fairly demanded.
"We start, by speaking with your neighbors," Helen cut in. "Is he ready, Captain Sawyer?"
"Ready," Ben nodded, and gestured toward the door.
Even Mother Jania lost a degree of composure when they walked through the crowded ship, and entered another smaller room. This one with a short, graying stud who was studying a curious model of something on the table.
"I still cannot believe this ship of yours can be so….huge," Ad'mm exclaimed, and then locked eyes on the group with Helen. "Ah, you are a Mother of the Way," he said, and bowed.
"So, the North does still favor the Maker," she smiled after regaining her composure. For unlike a frowning Colsaan, she recognized him at once, having seen him once at the last attempted aid talks.
"North, or South, I have always known we are one People, Mother," the graying Exanter smiled faintly. "It is just some of our people, in their fear, and despair, have forgotten that truth."
"You still speak wisely, and well, Lord Prime."
"Prime," one of the guards hissed.
"Stand down," Colsaan snapped. "This is not a place for fighting," he said, walking over to the table, and eyeing the curious model the Prime had been studying. "You say this represents their ship?"
"Perhaps you'd like a better look," Ben suggested.
"And how is that possible?"
"Our sister ship, the Carlisle, is orbiting close by just now. I just have to open a viewport here," he said, pressing a button on the table that made part of the wall seem to slide open. Then the officer was staring out into space again, but this time, a massive ship hung in those stars over his planet.
"That….. It's huge," he rasped, trying to imagine all the weapons, and soldiers such a vessel might carry.
It was one thing to see something in a telescope, or a grainy holo-film. To see it so close, in all it's glory. Ships this huge were bound to powerful. As powerful as the people flying them.
He turned to Lord Sa'aru, then back to Mother Jania, and grit out, "We should talk."
Helen only smiled.
To Be Continued…
