Turkana 4. An earth colony. Colonized around 30 years ago. But had already fallen. The government had dissolved and there was no one in control. The people had been left to fend for themselves. As it had been a patriarchal society, the men had managed to take control. Through gangs.
Doctor Katherine Pulaski didn't look too much into the USS Résolute's visit here. She wondered why she was involved in one of the few away teams beaming down to the colony as the only assistance requested was to provide some resources to the only center that actively tried to help the people here.
But here she was. Chief Medical Officer of a Star Fleet ship. Beaming down to a forgotten colony. Just look around, record what you see and remember they are not part of Star Fleet. This planet left the Federation. So she took the barest of equipment. Hell, it was just her and a few security officers.
Dr Pulaski hated transporting. No she detested it. But she did not always have a choice. Here she materialized in an alley. In a very wet and filthy alley.
Then she heard it.
The screams. It sounded like a little girl. And it cut to her core. Ripped through her soul like nothing she'd heard in medical practice had done before.
Dr Pulaski could not ignore it. Whatever Star Fleet ordered. So she ran. Towards those screams.
And what she saw stopped her in her tracks.
A young girl. Some eight to ten men. Boys when looking closer. Around her. On top of her. In her. And she screamed. She kicked. She punched. As much as her little body could do. But they were still on top of her, in control. What appeared to be clothes strewn about, torn and ripped.
Dr Pulaski cried to them, "go, get off". But it was ignored. Their pleasure from this was far too much too be interrupted. She wasn't sure what she felt, she was normally calm and dispassionate. Rage. It was rage and it was beginning to burn.
Dr Pulaski looked to the security officer with her and ordered ,"stun him" pointing to the boy on top of the girl.
There was no question and the boy was stunned, falling limp to the side. Only briefly did the rest look up before they continued their assault on the girl. At the shout of pain that came from the girl, Dr Pulaski said "stun them all".
That did bring up the eyebrows of the young security officer but he complied, stunning all of the young boy gang. All of their bodies falling thankfully to the side.
It took a moment for the girl to stop screaming. But she did and when she realized she was no longer being assaulted and she curled up, tight into a ball. Dr Pulaski looked at her for only a moment before she said, "beam her directly to sick bay".
There was crinkling. There was fazing. There was disorientation. The faint feeling of nausea. But Dr Pulaski ended up in her sick bay. How she hated transporting. But on the floor in front of her was the girl. Curled up into a ball. Arms protecting her head and bottom. Eyes pressed shut. Making no sound. Her breathes were almost imperceptible as if she was trying not to breathe.
Dr Pulaski couldn't think why she wouldn't be screaming but then was glad she wasn't. She remembered the sounds. She didn't think she could take it. She crouched down and tried to approached the girl. And she had her first good look at her. And her heart stopped.
In the clean, glistening whiteness of sick bay, the girl was filthy. She was naked. She was skinny. So skinny. Her shoulder blades looked like they could cut through the floor. Her hair a short knotted mess. Dr Pulaski couldn't even determine the color of it. Her body covered in the dirt and grime that had appeared to cover the entire colony.
Blood.
The blood stood out. Bright. Fresh. Pungent. On her face that was tucked into her chest. Her hands. Her back. On her legs. In between her scrawny thighs.
Dr Pulaski pulled her outreached hand back and stopped. And her heart broke. Shit.
Without warning, the girl whipped her head up, eyes big glistening with tears. Blue eyes, Dr Pulaski unconsciously noted as she wobbled back on her heals.
The girl shouted something in a hoarse voice. Swivelled her head about quickly, looking, searching then shouted again. She flailed her arms and legs and stood up. She was not much more than five feet tall. And so skinny. She flicked her eyes and head around, looking, looking. Then she ran for the door. She stumbled a little as her right foot was injured. The door did not open for her and she spun around moving to the side so her back was to the wall. Protecting herself, Dr Pulaski thought. The girl's breathes were quick and shallow. Dr Pulaski could swear she could see the girl's heart beating right through her visible rib cage.
She's in flight and freeze mode, Dr Pulaski subconsciously noted. No fight.
Startling the doctor, the girl made a run to the other side of the room, to a counter that had a void underneath from the feet. The girl dropped to the floor, crawling under, folding herself up so she hid underneath and out of sight.
Then there was no sound. The girl was deathly silent.
She's used to hiding, Dr Pulaski thought, hiding so no one will find her.
The doctor sighed a heavy and sad sigh and stood up. Best to let her stay there and get used to her new surroundings first. If she tried to get her out, there'd be a fight. With a quiet gesture, Dr Pulaski motioned for the security officer to leave the room. She then looked back once and couldn't see the girl at all, walked out, dimmed the lights and made the room warmer. She also left her tri-corder on the med-bed, open, on and recording. Hoping to get an idea of the girl's physical health. It was already obvious she was damaged emotionally.
Dr Pulaski actually felt like she needed to protect the girl. Keep her safe. Save her. She had always managed to stay detached, unemotional towards her patients, towards people. Oh she was a great doctor, she just did not get involved. But this girl stirred her heart. And it was a feeling she was not familiar with. But she could not ignore.
She would save this girl.