Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
There was a light, bright and pure.
And there was darkness.
But both felt wrong.
Something was clearly wrong.
He was drowning.
He was flying.
Something grabbed him.
He was being pulled away from the dark and the light.
Something was really off.
"Captain! Captain!" There was shouting. Whoever it was sounded so far away, as if they were shouting from a distant mountain top.
There was a ringing sound, a sound that one heard when there was an injury to themselves. It was a painful chime, one that made a person feel sick and disoriented.
Then Picard opened his eyes.
"Captain! Captain Picard! Are you okay?" Picard opened his eyes to see two blue shirted crew members huttled above him. Both were visibly shaken, but Picard, in his groggy state, was unable to put a finger on why.
They kept shouting at him, frantically trying to rouse him from his semi-unconscious state. Their words started to sound like gibberish as they began to talk over each other.
Something sparked overhead, raining tiny pinpoints of light down on the two panic-stricken people and Picard.
Picard, annoyed, tried to swat them away, but he was barely able to move a finger. Pain shot through Picard's arm as he tried to lift it, and the captain felt himself slip back into full unconsciousness.
"Captain Picard, wake up."
A concerned monotone voice roused Picard from an injury induced slumber. The voice was very familiar, and he wanted to know who it was.
Picard opened his eyes again, and was greeted by the concerned and soot covered Data. The android was looking over the captain, his yellow eyes seeming to scan over Picard's physique. There was worry in his robotic eyes, a palpable worry that Picard was able to see though his own squinted eyes.
"Data…" Picard grunted, his voice straining, "Data…" His voice sounded hoarse, as if he had recently swallowed shards of metal. It was painful to speak and painful to hear.
"Shh, Captain," Data leaned closer to Picard's face, and placed a hand on his forehead, "Please don't speak or move- you have been injured."
"H-how..." Was all Picard was able to squeak out. He looked to Data, who had stood up and was looking around.
"Doctor Crusher, Captain Picard is starting to regain consciousness." The android commander shouted, alerting Beverly who was nearby alongside a few other crew members.
Suddenly Dr. Crusher was above Picard, looking down at him. Picard noticed that he could see the sky. A bright blue sky.
From what he could tell, he wasn't on the ship.
Beverly knelt down next to Picard. Picard looked at her face, noticing a massive gash on her cheek that seemed to have been hastily taped together. Parts of her red hair looked burnt black, and the part's that weren't burnt were covered in a black soot, like Data's face. Her suit did not seem to fair well either. There was almost nothing left of the sleeves but a few tattered bits hanging from her sharp shoulders. Her pant legs were cut off at the knees, possibly used to make tourniquets or bandages alongside the sleeves. Her badge was gone.
"Captain, can you hear me?"
"Yes…" Picard choked out. He tried to sit up, but he was pushed back down by Beverly.
"Don't get up," Beverly ordered, "I don't know the extent of your injuries, so it's best that you don't move until I've figured everything out."
Picard let out a pained sigh and nodded gently.
"Good," Beverly announced, "I'm going to bandage your head wound to stop the bleeding, you are going to feel a little pressure." Data placing a hand on Picard's head made a little more sense to the captain now. He watched as Beverly took a scrap of fabric from one of the other crew members near her and slowly started to wrap it around Picard's head.
"From what I could tell during triage, you have sustained burns to your abdomen, a broken femur, some sort of head injury, and a dislocated shoulder." Beverly looked to Picard's leg, and winced.
"We're hopefully going to be able to tell if you have sustained any injury to your spinal cord when we reset the femur bone." The face that Beverly made was plenty warning that if Picard had feeling in his legs, he was going to be in for a whole world of pain.
Data reappeared next to Picard, his hands placed on the leg. The simple act of touching the damaged leg was enough to make Picard's eyes well up with tears.
"Place your hands here," Beverly instructed, "and here. Good."
She looked back to Picard, and sighed.
"Sorry."
There was a disturbing squelching noise, and then a loud pop. Picard knew he was screaming, but the ringing in his ears drowned out any outside noise. The ringing became louder and louder, it was inescapable.
Darkness washed over the captain's vision again. He was out. Again.
Picard regained consciousness in a pale, tent-like structure, surrounded by other injured crew mates. The occupants were for the most part quiet, minus the occasional whimper. At least five nurses were cycling through the people in the tent, checking on each and every one.
He was laid on a makeshift cot made up of metal beams and a barely burnt blanket.
Picard overheard that the people in his tent were pretty injured, but could survive without treatment for a little while. But he was unsure what 'a little while' meant.
Was it hours? Days? He was too woozy to guess.
One of the nurses said that he had some blood loss. He was waiting for one of the doctors to get back with an uninjured crew member to donate blood. It wasn't going to be much, but it was going to make all the difference.
Alongside the blood loss, Picard had a nasty broken leg. Luckily the bone didn't poke through his skin, but it was still a pretty serious break. His leg was splinted with two long metal poles that were tied to the leg with cloth.
To add insult to injury, the cloth used on the splint happened to be the loungewear Picard was wearing before- that is, what was left of it. Picard found himself only in his briefs, which would be embarrassing if he had not just been injured.
Picard was sitting up on his cot, trying to think through what had just happened when Lieutenant Commander Data, Dr. Crusher, and Commander Worf walked into the tent. The three filed though the tent, passing by sleeping and sitting up crew members. Many of them looked up at the three commanders, their eyes pleading for answers. But not a word was said. The walked to Picard's cot and stood in front of the captain, their eyes down cast.
"Captain, we need to have a word with you, if you are well enough, that is." Worf explained, breaking the silence of the tented structure. Picard looked at him and nodded.
"Yes, of course," Picard responded, "Is this something that needs to be discussed privately?"
"Yes, Captain," Worf replied. He turned to one of the nearby nurses, and calmly explained that Captain Picard needed to be moved outside for a briefing. They gave a curt nod, and helped lift Picard from his bed and walk him out to the outside of the tent.
That walk also helped to clarify some unanswered questions.
For one, Picard now had a little more understanding of what was happening.
They seemed to be on a planet, and the area around them was made up of red sands and soil, with little green plants shooting up from the land. The sky was a bright, crisp blue, with almost no clouds in sight. It reminded Picard of Earth's sky, yet this sky felt more vibrant.
And of course, the smoldering, shattered body of the Enterprise-D in the distance really put things into perspective.
Picard was sat down on a large red rock near the tent, and the three other commanders stood in front of him. A nurse was watching them from a distance, making sure that Picard was not going to get himself harmed any further. Picard sat up straight, biting his tongue due to the pain of his injuries. But he gave an air of confidence and leadership, even in being wounded.
The commander's hands were clasped behind them, a small show of respect for their captain- who was still in nothing but a pair of briefs and an improvised splint.
Picard studied the commanders, taking mental notes of their appearance and demeanor.
Data was looking as aloof as normal, yet his normally ashen skin was covered in soot and grime. His suit was in tatters, barely hanging on to his frame. His normally shiny and slicked back hair was disheveled and covered in soot.
Dr. Crusher was still wearing her damaged uniform, but this time with a pale blue smock on top. It was stained with all sorts of colors, mainly red and green. One could infer the colors came from many species of blood.
What was left of her hair was tied up hastily in a messy ponytail, with wisps of hair hanging in front of her ears. Her whole appearance was ragged, and the visible exhaustion on her face didn't help her appearance any more.
Worf was very battered. The top of his uniform was about gone, and there was no sign of the stash he wore with pride. Massive dark bruises covered his face, head ridges, and arms. The only intact clothes he had on were his pants and one boot. The other boot seemed to be missing, but Picard was not going to question it.
"So," Picard rasped, "What is going on?" He looked to Data, who he knew was going to be the first to answer.
"I think you have already noticed, but the Enterprise has crashed." Data stated matter-of-factly.
Picard nodded, the shock of seeing the smoldering husk of his ship in the distance still fresh on his mind.
"We don't have an exact number of casualties yet, but we are thinking up to five hundred so far. We are still missing crew at the moment" Dr. Crusher said, giving Picard another vital piece of information.
"Alright," Picard breathed out a pained sigh, "have you been able to do a triage?"
"Yes, we've been able to triage most crew members affected by the crash." Dr. Crusher explained, "We've been able to separate out those who don't need any medical treatment, those who need treatment but not urgently, those who are needing urgent treatment," her voice softened to a painful whisper, "and those who are deceased."
"But we presently are having difficulties even getting the right supplies to treat the wounded crew." Worf piggybacked off of Beverly, giving Picard another glimpse at what was going on, "The med bays have been severely damaged in the crash, and we've sent a few commanders and lieutenants into the crash to try to salvage supplies."
"What have we salvaged so far?" Picard asked, his head spinning thinking about the vast amount of crew who are suffering and needing aid.
"We've got our hands on some hyposprays, pain killers, autosutures, bandages, and some emergency surgery kits." Data listed off, "but we are in need of some wound cleaning solution, surgical support frames, organ replacements, and basic medical tricorders and scanners." His voice and pale, ashen face seemed neutral, yet there was an underlying sense of urgency.
Doctor Beverly nodded. "We are unable to treat the more severe cases right now due to the lack of medical supplies, which has put us in a dire situation." Her tone shifted to an even more serious tone than before. "We are going to have many more deaths on our hands if we don't get those supplies."
Picard let that information sink in. His mind was still a bit fuzzy, but the direness of the situation called for that fog to be cleared as soon as possible. At this time, he needed to be the captain, not a patient. The crew needed him to tell them what to do, even if there was so much information up in the air. A calm mind was needed to clear the panic.
So Picard took charge.
He turned to Worf. "How many have been sent in to look for medical supplies?"
"A team of ten including Commander Riker are currently in the wreckage looking for missing crew and supplies."
Picard nodded, then looked to Dr. Crusher. "Dr. Crusher, do you have an estimate of the crew who are not in need of any medical attention?"
"Currently around three hundred or so crew members don't need medical attention and should be well enough to return to duty."
"Alright," Picard, "Do any of you know when Commander Riker and his team are going to return?"
"He should be back in the next thirty minutes," Data responded, looking into the distance at the downed ship, "He left fifty two minutes ago and is slated to return after an hour and a half has passed. It's a new protocol, since we want to make sure we don't have any accidents while looking for supplies to salvage."
"Good." Picard looked back to Worf. The Klingon squared his shoulders, sensing orders coming his way. There was always a distinct glimmer in Picard's eyes just before he was going to give a commanding officer (and friend) a task.
"Commander Worf, when Commander Riker returned, I would like you to collaborate with him to compile a team of about one hundred uninjured crew to make a salvage team." Picard took a deep breath, one that caused a little pain but was necessary. After all, he was a human and humans need to breathe."Your first priority is to salvage as much usable medical supplies as possible. The second priority is supplies that can be used for building temporary structure,"
Picard looked to Data, "Lieutenant Commander Data, I want you to be in charge of the distribution of building supplies from the Enterprise and the construction of temporary shelters."
"Yes Captain." Data responded, the metaphorical gears already turning in his android brain.
"I would like you to gather a team of one hundred and fifty crew or more for construction." Picard commanded Data.
"I will get to gathering crew immediately."
"Good." Picard lightly grinned, "And of course, Doctor Beverly, you are to keep up organizing the health team and giving aid to those who are injured, just as you were doing."
"That sounds good." Beverly responded.
The aura around the commanders had shifted from one of uncertain worry to one of certain readiness. A newfound sense of energy came upon the commanders, buzzing around them.
"Alright, as you were," Picard commanded.
The three nodded at Picard and went their separate ways. Data and Worf headed in the direction of the downed spaceship, and Beverly headed over to the nurse in the distance.
Picard huffed lightly to himself, knowing he was going right back to the musty tent and the almost annoyingly doting nurses. He knew it was in his best interest, but he would much rather be helping in the rescue missions, recovering building materials, and construction that was currently going on.
The nurse walked up to the captain and helped him to his feet, and aided him in the long, slow, and almost embarrassing walk back to the tent he would be stuck in for a while.
The next few days, or what was thought of as days on this planet, were full of a busy struggle against all the issues that plagued the downed crew.
More missing crew were found, and many of them had horrific injuries. Most were found inside the burnt out ship, unconscious or trapped in halls or quarters. Others were found pacing outside of the ship, wandering aimlessly among the red sands and rocky crags. Concussions, broken limbs, and gashes were prevalent with almost all crew, which was understandable. After all, it's kind of expected to see such injuries after the crash of a ship that was the size of a city.
Crew members who were relatively uninjured had been constructing basic shelter throughout those first days. The temp shelters were constructed with the fact that the weather was unknown to the Enterprise crew, since this planet was unknown to the Federation. The only observed weather at the moment was cloudless skies and light wind storms. Some people had even reported seeing a dust devil form on their walk back from the ship.
So the shelters were put up. Some of them were made using small, 'recycled' slabs of the Enterprise that weren't charred to a crisp. Those pieces were turned into mini, cabin-like buildings. Other shelters were made using thick cloth and metal poles to create large tents, like the ones that were created when the ship first crashed and shelter was needed for the injured.
But there were more problems starting to come up as the shelters were being built.
"It's becoming very difficult to construct shelters on the sands." Lieutenant Commander Data stated.
It was midday, and a group of commanders and senior staff were standing inside a small tent, passing a canteen of water around.
Pin points of sunlight were trickling through small holes in the tent, illuminating the crew inside. It gave them all a sort of heavenly glow, one not seen commonly on the Enterprise.
Commander Riker was currently in possession of the canteen. He was in desperate need of it, and no one would say otherwise. He was badly sunburnt and dehydrated due to working for hours outside constructing shelter and rescuing crew. Flaky, paper-like skin on his cheeks and exposed arms were peeling off.
"I second that, Lieutenant Commander Data," Riker agreed after taking a swig of water. He passed the canteen to Counselor Troi, who tried to pass it right back to Riker. He gave Troi a look, and she took a sip of the water and passed it to Captain Picard, who was sitting next to her.
"I suggest we try to find a more suitable place to construct shelter," Data suggested, "Somewhere that is not a desert."
"I agree," Doctor Beverly announced, "I've been treating way too many sunburns and faintings due to dehydration, which is putting a strain on my staff. We need to devote our energy to our critical patients, and every person who comes to us with a sun-related illness is making it harder to do so." Beverly gave Riker the side eye.
"I agree with everything you all are saying, but I need to remind all of you," Worf interjected, "We are on an uncharted plant, and we have no idea what the rest of this planet is like. For all we know, it can be all desert."
"You have a point, Commander." Picard said. He passed the canteen that he acquired to Worf, and nodded at the commander to take a drink. Worf looked at Picard with a questioning look in his eye. Picard shot in a commanding look and the Klingon took a sip of the clear liquid.
"I would like a team to be sent to scout out the land surrounding the camp and the Enterprise." Picard announced to the commanders. The commanders looked to their captain, already awaiting the next portion of information.
"Send out multiple parties to scout out the land, and set time constraints so we can determine if a party is in trouble if they don't return."
"I recommend that we also send them out early in the morning and later in the day, which are the coolest parts of the day. That is so we don't risk heatstroke or other heat and sun related health issues." Worf interjected professionally. Dr. Beverly smiled in agreement.
"Exactly." Picard smiled gently. "Let's get to it."
"Sir, a herd of creatures that resemble equines have been spotted by one of the scouting teams."
Picard turned to Lt. Commander Data, who seemingly appeared out of thin air. That android was one of the most stealthy people Picard knew, which was good in some circumstances. But at the moment Picard would have rather not have been spooked.
Picard was standing outside of the command tent, leaning on his cane as he looked off into the distance. As he healed from his concussion, his mind started to revert back to its pre-crash sharpness. Because of that, he was now able to process the crash and start pondering reasons that the crash even happened in the first place. He and other commanders and engineers worked on brainstorming causes when there was time, which there wasn't much of.
It was lonely moments of quiet like these that Picard was able to think.
Why did the Enterprise crash?
Am I responsible?
When is rescue coming?
Is rescue coming?
Can I keep everyone alive?
But this session of questions and few answers was interrupted by Lt. Commander Data appeared behind him, shocking him out of his thinking.
"Equines? As in horses?" Picard went from trying to wrap his mind around the crash to suddenly having someone start to talk about horses.
"The creatures observed look like Earth horses, but they have some very glaring differences." Data stated, moving from behind Picard to in front of him.
"And those are?"
"Some of the creatures were seen to have very large avian-like wings," Data said, "and many of them were seen with multiple spirling bony protrusions on their faces and heads, much like goat horns."
Picard raised an eyebrow, not sure whether this was a prank from the android or if he was serious about the claims. The android in front of him seemed completely serious, but he was known to try his hand at humor before. After all, currently everything was very somber and depressing, maybe he was trying to lighten the mood.
"Data, is this true?" Picard asked, his tone matching one of a mother trying to get the truth out of a lying child. It was a tone that seemed to work on most of the crew when Picard was trying to see past silly pranks and embarrassment-fueled lies.
"Yes, Captain." Data nodded, his blank expression not changing in the slightest. Picard looked over the Lieutenant Commander's expression again, still unsure of the absurd claim he was making.
"Ah." Picard remarked, finally accepting that this wasn't a prank or lie. His mind then went to work on trying to mentally construct these creatures using Data's description. The first image in his mind's eye was of a pegasus with a unicorn horn, a pegacorn if one may say. But Data had said that they had multiple horns, like goats and other bovines.
"Do you know where the herd is located? I would like to see them for myself." Picard exclaimed, almost excited to see these strange creatures. After all, Picard was a horse lover.
"The scout team encountered the herd almost five kilometers west from the main Enterprise crash site." Data stated, "you can authorize a team of scouts to go back to the last sighting of the herd."
"I'll authorize it," Picard nodded. His mind was back to work, putting two and two together, "The existence of these creatures can imply the existence of a water source in the area, or even the existence of a livable terrain somewhere around here."
"Exactly my thoughts, Captain." Data nodded, a small smirk appearing on his face. Picard softly smirked back.
The creatures were a sight to behold for sure.
It was a few days after the first confirmed sighting of the creatures, and another scouting team reported back to the camp saying the herd had moved closer to the crash site. A few days after that the creatures were reported to be right up next to the burnt up ship sitting in the red sands. The creatures were walking around the crash, seeming to investigate the strange technological being that fell from the sky. The creatures seemed curious, not at all fearful of the ship.
"Equine, yet not." Worf mumbled under his breath, seemingly un-audible yet audible to the small group in earshot. He, Picard, and Data were standing out in the open, perched upon a sandy hill. Far beyond the hill was the Enterprise, its hull sporting a red tint from the red sands which settled on it. And near the blackened sand where the Enterprise hit was the herd. The commanders were using a pair of salvaged binoculars to view the creatures. The creatures were standing in the shade, their heads lowered and wings spread. Some seemed to be napping, while others stood more attentive.
"Their behavior is much like prey animals," Worf remarked, "some grouped prey animals have a sort of system where some rest while the others keep an eye out for predators."
Picard nodded in acknowledgment.
"Worf is correct." Data agreed with the Klingon, "Many prey animals exhibit that type of behavior, yet some predator animals will do the same thing."
"So are these creatures predator or prey?" Picard asked, a pondering look adorning his facial features.
"We don't know." Data responded, "Earth's equines are prey animals, yet this isn't Earth. We can be dealing with a creature that is not like any we've dealt with."
Picard took Data's words to heart, and thought through the current information that they had about these creatures- which wasn't much.
Even though the crew was stranded on a strange planet with little to no progress on an SOS beacon, it was their job to explore strange new worlds, which includes engaging strange new beings.
"Have the creatures shown any form of hostility or aggression?" Picard asked.
"Nope." Data said, "There have been no signs of aggression in the herd."
"Yet we haven't seen them interact with creatures outside of the group, so we are still dealing with an unknown in that sense." Worf remarked.
"That's a very valid point." Picard said.
There was a few seconds of silence between the commanders before Worf spoke up.
"Captain," he looked to the distance at the creatures, then back at Picard, "May I suggest that we engage the creatures so we can glean more information about them?"
"That would not be wise." Data responded promptly, "If we are to engage with the creatures, we first need to show ourselves at a distance, then get closer and closer over time- to gain a sense of trust between the two parties."
"You both have very good points," Picard said, "We should try to engage the herd in the very near future, but we also need to be extremely careful to not cause any tension between us and the creatures. Engaging these creatures may aid us in finding a way to survive this environment."
"That is a great way to look at this situation." Data said gleefully.
The weather in the passing days became warmer, but not in a pleasant springtime way. The sands were like fire to bare skin, and the sunshine was not much better. Many of the estranged crew hid in makeshift tents and buildings, and those who couldn't cram into one of the structures used tattered uniforms or cobbled together lean-toos to get a little shade.
Yet there were still things to do. Many teams were sent out into the heat to try to find water, something that had grown scarce for the stranded crew. The teams would end up coming back after an hour, finding no water and emptying what little water they had in their makeshift canteens. In the next few days, less and less people went outside of the camp to find water or supplies, and dehydration was becoming very prevalent. Desperation was starting to set.
"Yet the creatures seem fine." Riker pondered out loud.
It was the middle of the day, and the heat was staggering. The commanders were standing under the shade of a tent, talking quietly amongst themselves. There was an air of desperation, one that in the past turned humans to murderer, cannibalization, suicide, and more. But the resolve of the commanders was strong, and Picard knew that. He was feeling the despair of being stranded, but he also felt some comfort in knowing that his commanders were feeling the same but we're not going to harm each other.
Instead of panicking, the commanders were brainstorming. That gave Picard hope.
"What do you mean by that, Riker?" Picard asked, picking up on Riker's utterance.
"I've noticed that every time I see the creatures they seem to be fine, not dehydrated or starving or ill." Riker explained, "I'm trying to figure out why."
Picard mulled over Riker's ponderings in his head, going over everything he knew about these creatures- which was very little.
"Captain," Worf said, directing Picard's attention to the commander.
"Yes, Commander Worf?"
"Due to Commander Riker's comments, I suggest that we engage the creatures," He paused, his mind already coming up with plans, "Sooner than later, sir."
"I second that," Commander Data seconded, "Even though the safer choice is to gather more information on the creatures before we approach them, the lives of the crew are at stake and we need to find some way to get water and food for their survival."
"Exactly." Counselor Troi nodded in agreement, "I do not know how long humanoids can go without water, since that's more up Doctor Crusher's ally, but I know that it's not long. Finding out where the creatures get sustenance and water may aid in our survival."
"There is still danger in approaching the lifeforms, since they may be dangerous and we wouldn't know. We haven't had enough time to observe the full range of their behavior." Data commented, "There are many risk factors of engaging these creatures, but the risk is worth it for the sake of the crew."
"You all have made very valid points," Picard said, facing the commanders.
Worf, Data, Troi, and Riker locked eyes with Picard, reading their captain like a book. They all knew by the look in his hazel green eyes that he had made up his mind.
"I am going to engage the creatures," He announced. He noticed that Data looked down at the hastily fashioned cane Picard was leaning on, but the android kept his mouth shut.
"I suggest you bring a small party with you," Worf said, keeping his eyes off of the cane, "For your safety, and to help glean more information about the creatures."
"Yes," Picard agreed. "I will have a small party selected, and we will depart later today as the temperature decreases."
"Sounds like a plan," Data nodded, "Captain, may I join your party."
"Of course, Data."
It was one of life's strange blessings that very few of the shoes the crew had were destroyed in the crash. Without the mostly intact shoes, those exploring the area around camp would have been miserable.
The reason that came to mind for Picard as simple. It was the sand that was being blown into his face and clothing. It itched like the dickens, and the heat that the sand carried with it was not pleasant either.
Yet it was no reason to turn around back to the camp.
After all, Picard, Data, and the handful of ensigns with them were almost to the crash site, the last place the creatures where seen.
There you are.