Progress

by Terri Osborne

  The Dreman continued to make a sound that was somewhere between a dull roar and a clogged, four-hundred-year-old sewage drain.

  That would be, “No.”

  As Liankataka inhaled rather audibly, Gold made a mental note to see if Pulaski had discovered a cure for snoring among the Dremans five years before. If anything, the guardian’s mate would probably be grateful.

  It was at that point that his throat chose to remind him of its occasional need for such things as water. The merest thought of raising his voice above a whisper only brought on the urge to cough. The pain he could resist. The coughing, however….

  A coughing fit racked his body, only serving to leave his throat rawer than it had been before. Sounds of sleepers awakening reached his ears. He tried to apologize, but before he could get the words out, another cough hit. Damn the pain. I need a drink.

  His entire body shuddered as he slowly moved onto his hands and knees and crawled the few inches to the pool of water. Cupping his hands, he dipped them into the lukewarm pool and lifted them to his lips. It was almost like drinking liquid sandpaper, the dust was so thick, but it was fluid, and that was all that mattered.

  Handful after handful of water began to sate his thirst, but it reminded him that he still hadn’t allowed himself to indulge in any of the food that Jakara had so graciously split with them. His stomach growled as he dragged himself back to where he’d been laying.

  “Captain, are you all right?” Liankataka asked. The Dreman had propped himself up on his elbows, and Gold could see the concern in his features, even in the low light.

  “Just thirsty,” Gold said, cringing at how scratchy his voice must have sounded. “I’m sorry I woke you.” Gold hesitated, then asked, “How can you remain so calm, Guardian?” Gold asked. “Does this happen that often here?”

  The guardian smiled. “I have faith in my people, Captain. We run emergency response drills twice a year so we can be prepared for anything our mines wish to do. I trust that my people are prepared.”

  Finding his ration of food, Gold tore a small piece off of the bread, and a two fingers’ width piece from the dried meat. It’s probably not kosher, but I’ll talk to Rachel when I get back about the kashrut laws in a situation like this. The bread was dry, but had a honey flavor to it. Mixed in with the honey was a surprising mild nutty flavor. It reminded him of some of the honey-wheat breads that Rachel made. The meat, on the other hand, was both salty and spicy at the same time. It tasted almost like turkey marinated in garlic. In any other instance, he would have found the taste quite welcome, but as soon as he swallowed the last morsel of meat he would allow himself for the time being, he was crawling back over to the water.

  Gold checked the chronometer once again. Eighteen excruciating hours had passed since the collapse.

  He glanced over at Kajana. The woman’s arms were still wrapped tightly around her legs, but she looked as though she’d fallen asleep in that position. “Kajana?” he asked. “Kajana, can you hear me?”

  Liankataka reached around and put a hand on her arm. That was enough to cause her to flinch.

  She raised her head to them, and there was wildness in her eyes that Gold didn’t like. “Be careful. She doesn’t look herself.”

  Liankataka backed his hand away, apparently noticing the same thing. “Kajana,” he whispered. “Kajana, I know you’re frightened.”

  “I’ve seen this before,” Gold said. “Kajana, are you afraid of closed spaces?”

  The light from the tricorder hit her tear-stained face. She looked at him, but somehow seemed to be looking through him. The strained expression she’d worn since they first discovered the trapped miners’ existence lessened just a bit. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “It’s okay. So am I,” Gold said. He’d seen panic attacks like this before during the Cardassian War. There were times when being able to identify with someone helped. “Have you eaten anything yet?”

  She shook her head.

  “Where is your ration?”

  Kajana retrieved the small packet of food from under her bent knees. She raised her eyes back to him, and Gold could see the pleading in that gaze. She was frightened beyond her capacity to cope and wanted help getting through it.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Let me help.”

  As he dragged himself back to his hands and knees, Gold was surprised to discover that the pain in his ankles wasn’t quite as severe as it had been just a few minutes ago. It was probably a bad sign, but he was grateful for the temporary respite from the eye-crossing agony. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, David.

  He slid into a sitting position beside Kajana, holding out a hand toward the bread. “Trust me.”

  With a trembling hand, she handed him the small chunk of bread. Gold broke off a small piece and handed it back to her. “Eat this,” he said. As she slowly put it into her mouth and began chewing, he reached over and took a slice of meat. He tore off a small portion and handed it to her. “Now this. Eat it slowly.”

  Kajana was beginning to remind him of Eden when she’d gone through a bout of progressively nasty nightmares shortly before her thirteenth birthday. While Kajana chewed, Gold reached his arm around her shoulders and held her as she ate.

  “Guardian?” Eijeth called out from the level above. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” Liankataka replied. “Our lovely companion is a bit frightened, however. Captain Gold is tending to her. How are our diggers?”

  “Getting back to work, sir,” Jakara said.

  While he had yet to actually meet the man behind Eijeth’s voice, Gold found that he liked Jakara. There was something old-fashioned about the man. From the way he’d been openly willing to share his only remaining food with them and the way he’d dove into the digging work, Gold didn’t think there was a selfish bone in Jakara’s rather sizeable body.

  As the sound of pebbles falling into the water once again filled the cavern, something occurred to him. “Where is the air coming from?”

  “What?” Liankataka asked.

  “The air. We’ve been down here almost a day, and the air hasn’t gotten stale yet. Somehow, we’re getting air down here.”

  “The tube,” Kajana whispered.

  “What?”

  Kajana raised her head from Gold’s shoulder, nervously licking her lips. “The tube. It runs down the mineshaft in a corner on the floor.”

  Gold gently patted the side of Kajana’s head, urging her to place her head back on his shoulder. He made a mental note to ask Jakara to see if he could find the pipe when the burly Dreman took a break.

  At least he had an answer to that question. The eight million more that were going through his head, however….

  Chapter

  14

  Latik Kerjna, Drema IV

  Capital Square

  Day 2

  Sarjenka was still running when she reached Federation’s triage site. Three small temporary shelters were set up in front of a raised platform. Off to her left, she could see another small structure with what looked to be a transport ship beside it. She’d never actually seen one in person before, but she thought she’d caught sight of something similar flying over the area the afternoon before.

  She stepped closer, wondering if anyone was actually there. There was sufficient evidence that someone had been there at one point, but that was meaningless to her right then. She needed someone there now.

  That was when she caught the aroma of something that smelled absolutely heavenly floating on the breeze. It was a little like jeeka sausage, but a little more sweet-smelling, and it was accompanied by an aroma not unlike toasted keena bread.

  “Hello?” she asked, raising her voice in an attempt to be heard over the few meters between where she stood and the source of that magnificent aroma.

  A quick, building whine greeted her, and before she knew it, she was staring at the business end of some kind of weapon. It was held in the hands of a large—very large—human wearing a unif
orm that was a wonderful shade of gold, with black sleeves and pants. She didn’t know much about human physiology, but from what little she’d discovered, this one looked to be male. She’d never seen skin as dark as this human’s on anyone before. For that matter, everything about him was dark, including his eyes, which had yet to waver from where she stood. “I-I-I am a friend.” Holding up both hands to show she did not carry a weapon, she stared into that suspicious glare and said, “I’m looking for a healer.”

  The weapon lowered slightly. “Healer? I thought your people had doctors?”

  “Yes,” Sarjenka said, giving a quick nod. “But my people don’t know how to treat injuries like this.”

  The suspicious look slowly faded from the human’s face. “And you thought we would.”

  “Yes. Please.” She hoped she didn’t sound too desparate as she said, “It’s my father.”

  Moving the weapon to his right hand, he retrained it on her as his left hand touched a piece of jewelry on his uniform. “Xavier to Pulaski. I’ve got a native out here who’s asking for a doctor. Says her father’s injured.”

  “Tell them my father found the bomb.”

  That got a raised eyebrow out of Xavier. “Did you hear that, Doc?”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “Got it. Xavier out.”

  No sooner did the words leave his mouth than a human woman stepped out from behind the shelter. She, too, wore the uniform of the Federation, but where Xavier’s was gold, and Tucker’s had been red, hers was blue. She had short, curly, gray hair; pale skin; and a friendly expression. Something tingled in the back of Sarjenka’s mind. She knew the feeling too well. The woman—Pulaski, she assumed from the conversation—was familiar, but she couldn’t place where or when they’d ever met.

  “Yes?”

  Under normal conditions, she would have greeted the human healer with the usual leevka fingertip greeting, but having a weapon pointed at her hardly made these normal conditions. Sarjenka decided propriety would have to wait. As she could see no sign of recognition from the woman, she tried to push the feeling of familiarity from her mind. Right now, she had more important things to deal with. “Please. We require your assistance. My father is seriously injured. Our healers don’t know how to help.”

  “You said he found the bomb?”

  Sarjenka nodded. “When it exploded, it amputated the hand and most of the arm he held it in. He has lost more blood than our healers can handle. The best we can do is patch up his wounds and hope for the best. Can you help him?”

  So much for that needle in the haystack.

  Katherine Pulaski stared down at the young woman, trying desperately to keep the sense of recognition from seeping into her expression. The features had lengthened slightly as she’d gotten older, and the girl had grown about a half-meter in the last five years, but Pulaski was certain it was Sarjenka. It was an odd sensation, the thought of the child whose memories she’d taken now coming to her for help. But she needed help. Her father needed help. And that was what they were there to offer.

  Still, the idea of treating a severely injured bomb victim without a full sickbay to work in wasn’t something that filled her with hope. From what Klesaris had told her of the Trosper, the sickbay of the Oberth-class ship might be sufficient for what she needed, but it would be a borderline scenario at best. Even the most up-to-date upgrades she’d seen on a ship of that class had been ten years out-of-date. If we could just get him to the station…

  “I can’t be sure,” Pulaski said, knowing full well how evasive she sounded. “Nobody found his arm?”

  Sarjenka shook her head, the girl’s shoulder-length, red hair showing only the slightest flecks of gold.

  “How severe are the burns?”

  Sarjenka’s expression sank. “Bad. Very bad. I’m only an apprentice healer, but I can tell they’re beyond our capacity to treat to recovery. It’s up to him. He’ll bear the scars for whatever time remains to him.”

  Pulaski frowned. She hadn’t thought about trying to attach a synthetic limb to a Dreman yet, especially not one that had also endured severe burns. She wasn’t even sure it was possible, as their vascular system was just different enough from a human’s to make it difficult to be sure the connections would work properly.

  The dermal regenerators would get a workout, but it might be worth the risk, if she could just examine the patient. “Where’s your father?”

  Sarjenka smiled more broadly than Pulaski would have thought the girl capable. However, she’d seen smiles like that before. It was the look of someone grabbing onto hope for dear life, but not sure whether that lifeline was covered in thorns.

  Pulaski also clung to a hope: the hope that she would be able to fulfill the girl’s wish.

  Chapter

  15

  Latik Kerjna, Drema IV

  Central Hospital

  Day 2

  “These burns are bad, but if it’s any consolation, I’ve seen worse,” Katherine said as she gently peeled back a burn gauze from Sarjenka’s heavily-sedated father’s remaining arm and looked at the damage with a distasteful expression.

  The woman reached into a small pouch she’d referred to as a medkit and pulled out a gadget. Sarjenka stared as she adjusted a few settings, then began running it over the surviving arm.

  “You’re a healer?” the woman asked, sounding genuinely curious.

  Sarjenka wanted to ask what that had to do with her father’s condition, but somehow managed to restrain her tongue. Instead, she said, “I’m studying to be one, yes….” Her voice trailed off as she tried to remember what the dark-skinned human had called the woman. It hadn’t been Healer. It had been something else. After a few seconds of fighting with her memory, it came back. “Yes, Doctor.”

  The human woman smiled, kind and benevolent. “You may call me Katherine.”

  “I’m Sarjenka.”

  An odd sense of relief appeared in Katherine’s eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sarjenka.”

  Katherine delicately removed one of the burn gauzes from Eliatriel’s remaining forearm. The skin was still heavily blistered, but it appeared that Healer Drankla had been successful in removing all of the bomb fragments from his skin. What if there are more under the surface?

  Almost as if she had been reading Sarjenka’s mind, Katherine pulled out a small unit that had a visual display, extracted something from it, and began running the object over her father’s arm. “It appears that your surgeons got all of the shrapnel. I’m not sensing any inorganic objects under the skin.”

  Sarjenka stared at the small unit Katherine held, trying to figure out why there was something so familiar about it.

  Katherine moved from her father’s arm to the rest of his body. “Did you know there was a small fracture in his fifth cervical vertebra?”

  Sarjenka shook her head. “No. What is that you’re holding?”

  The woman opened her palm to reveal a small, cylindrical unit that barely fit in her hand. “This? It’s a medical scanner. It’s designed to run several kinds of medical tests and give diagnostic readings of almost any body process. I can have all the important test results I need in a matter of seconds.”

  A seed of hope began to plant itself in Sarjenka’s heart. She hadn’t questioned the decision to find a Federation healer when Drankla hadn’t been able to handle the level of damage, and now she was seeing proof that she’d been right. The corners of her lips turned up in a small smile. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” Katherine asked.

  “Helping. I feel he will be safe in your hands.”

  At that, Katherine’s expression turned serious. “I may need to take him back to the space station, Sarjenka. I can do the preliminary treatments here, but major dermal regeneration is something this field team just isn’t equipped to handle.”

  She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of her father going away to recover, but it was better than the alternative. “Do whatever you need to do, Doctor.”


  Before she could get another word of gratitude out, the door to Eliatriel’s room opened. Sinterka leaned in, his expression somber. “Sarj? Do you have a minute?”

  She didn’t like the look on his face, not one bit. “What happened?”

  “They need you at the pithead.”

  Chapter

  16

  Latik Kerjna, Drema IV

  Pithead, Dilithium Mine Alpha

  Day 2

  When Sarjenka arrived at the pithead, she was surprised to see that several healers had come, including Drankla. The senior healer’s gold hair was matted with perspiration, his white robes soiled with the green dust of the mines. Healer Nekara looked the same, as did the others.

  Federation officers were also milling about the scene, although she wasn’t sure precisely what they were doing. A tall female with a blue uniform, long red hair pulled up on the back of her head, and a friendly face seemed to be telling them what to do. Still, Sarjenka was curious about every box, crate, and gadget she saw.

  But she couldn’t shake that nagging familiarity about some of the equipment.

  “Sarjenka!”

  Sinterka’s voice brought her back to reality. She walked over to where he stood near the pithead itself, with Drankla and Nekara between him and the enormous funnel-shaped hole that had formed around the collapse.

  “Tell her,” Sinterka said, his voice insistent. “Tell her why we need her.”

  Drankla and Nekara exchanged a look, almost as though they were trying to figure out who would start. They pulled her from her father’s bedside for this?

  “Would one of you please tell me?” she asked, growing impatient.

  Finally, Drankla pulled himself up to his full height and said, “The Federation engineers aren’t sure how stable the area is. They’re trying to decide if they want to pack up and retreat to Capital Square now. Weight is an issue. We need someone small and light to go into the mine and check on the people down there.”