by Alys Landale
“Rune,” she called out in a small voice. “Rune are you here?”
She really didn’t want to be alone right now. Not after that dream. After checking all of the rooms, she gathered that Rune hadn’t come back yet.
The thought of going back to her bedroom wasn’t at all what she had in mind. There was no way she would go back into that room alone right now.
*I’ll just go find Rune,* she thought. *This base isn’t that big. I won’t get lost this time.*
Her memories turned back to her last stay here. She and Rune had somehow gotten separated and she had ended up lost and alone down one of the empty corridors. She had stayed that way for almost an hour before Rune had realized she was lost and then found her.
Now, as she left her cabin, she prayed to the Spirit. *Okay, if it’s not too much to ask, please don’t let me get lost this time.*
Admiral Paris was walking down one of the base’s hallways toward the briefing room. He had become sidetracked earlier when one of Picard’s crewmen had asked him to help them with a few problems. Now he was late for the meeting and trying to hurry up.
Both Federation and Resistance leader were meeting to make the final preparations for the battle in a few days. Being the highest-ranking Starfleet officer here, he needed to get down there.
As he turned the corner, a faint sound of footsteps behind him, caught his ear. He chose to ignore it though. There were plenty of people on this base. He need not pay any attention to just one.
Xara looked around at the vast maze of corridors. Despite her best efforts, she had managed to get lost... again. She felt her breathing increase as she saw that no one was around. She didn’t want to be alone. Not now. Not after that...that nightmare she had earlier.
*No, I’m not going to panic,* she told herself. *I just need to find someone and they can get me to Rune. There’s no problem.*
But even as she kept telling herself this over and over again, she felt fear sneaking up behind her. She needed to find someone now.
Footsteps caught her attention. She heard a low hustle coming from ahead of her. Her eyes lit up as her would be savior walked just beyond her range of vision. Quickening her pace, she tried to find the direction the footsteps were coming from.
After turning a corner, she saw the back of someone. It was the man from the Alpha Quadrant; the one they said was Rune’s father. She stood there waiting for him to notice her, but he just kept on walking. Her eyes began to brim with tears as she thought of being alone again. Breaking out into a run, she struggled to catch up.
Owen noticed that the footsteps behind him had become more rapid. Someone was running after him. He had no idea who would be coming after him at this hour, so instead of calling out to them, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned around.
He didn’t see who was trying to catch up with him, instead, he felt them. Looking down, he saw the small figure who had just run into his lower legs. The little girl slowly raised her head up to look at him.
Owen’s face was much sterner than anyone Xara had ever seen. He looked down at her with a slight bit of anger tracing his features. She just stared up at him in hopes that someday her voice would come back to her.
*Why can’t children be more responsible?* was Owen’s first thought. He had a meeting to get to. He didn’t have time for this. But after a few seconds his anger began to dissolve as he saw the look of fear on Xara’s face. He could take a few seconds off of his busy schedule to see what was wrong.
“Is something wrong?” he asked. His voice seemed impassive even to himself.
Xara sniffled for a second, and then responded. “I... I had a bad dream.” she said. “I need to find Rune.”
The admiral felt his mask begin to break slightly. “‘Rune’ can’t come right now. He is presently involved in a meeting. Let me take you back to your quarters and I’ll tell him to come check on you later.”
Xara felt her eyes threaten to water over again. She usually prided herself on her ability to control her emotions, but she just didn’t want to be alone right now.
She wrapped an arm around the Admiral’s leg. “Please, I don’t want to be alone.”
The Admiral looked down at the child. He had no idea what to do. After a few seconds of silence, he finally said. “Come now, I’ll take you to your quarters.”
He could feel the little girl’s tears soaking through his uniform’s pant leg. “Please,” she whispered again.
All of his barriers broke down after this. Reluctantly, he agreed. “Alright, I suppose I can stay with you for a few moments.”
She let go of his leg backed away. Wiping her eyes, she looked up at him. “Thank you.”
He didn’t know how to respond so he said nothing. He was about to lead her away when she raised her arms up to him. It was then that he realized that she wanted him to carry her.
He sighed but conceded. This was practically a first for him. He had only held Tom a few times when his son was a baby, but after he hit a year old, he refused to do so. His belief was that Thomas needed to grow up strong and the way to do that was by learning to do things for himself.
As Owen took the little girl in his arms, he felt her wrap her arms around his neck. It was strangely reassuring to have someone place so much trust in him. He paused for a few minutes as Xara made herself comfortable and then he began walking towards her quarters. It only took a few minutes before he was there.
Walking inside, he carried Xara back to her sleeping quarters. The little girl seemed to panic briefly. She gripped his hand tightly as he laid her down in bed.
“Please, don’t leave.” She begged him. After taking a look into her tear filled eyes, he couldn’t say no.
“I won’t leave,” he told her.
She seemed to relax some after that and finally calmed down. Owen found a chair next to the bed and sat down in it while the little girl fell asleep once again. A few loud sobs, aftereffects of her crying, punctuated her otherwise silent repose.
He shifted uncomfortably. It soon became apparent that she was deep asleep again. His thoughts shifted to a similar situation years ago.
It was just he and his son. Tom had had a nightmare and was seeking comfort. He could still hear the fear in his son’s voice back then. He could see the tears welling up in his cerulean eyes and the faint marks of those that had already fallen down his six-year-old’s face.
*Can I stay with you tonight,* Tom had asked. *Please, I don’t want to be alone.*
Owen closed his eyes. Xara had been just like Tom, searching for anyone or anything to offer comfort and reassurance. But what had Owen said. He shook his head as the memories came back.
*You’re a Paris, son. You can’t let childish dreams make you run away crying. Face your fears and go back to bed.*
Tom had just stood there. Indecision wavered over his face. He took one last chance and asked in the same small voice Xara had used, *Please.*
Owen had merely lifted a finger and pointed towards the door. Forlornly, Tom had conceded and walked away back to his room. After that, Tom had never come to his father to seek comfort again.
Owen ran a hand over his face as he realized all that he had done. But it didn’t matter now. Tom remembered nothing of any of it. But that seemed to hurt him even more that all the rest.
He looked down at the child. Her breathing had returned to the regular deep breaths of slumber.
*I could just leave now.* he thought to himself. If he was lucky, he could still make the meeting. He then looked down at the child on the bed. She had been so trusting in him, yet she didn’t know him at all.
He gave a deep sigh. *I can stay here a little while longer.* he told himself. *Just a few more minutes won’t hurt anything*
Owen leaned back in his seat. As the minutes, then later, hours passed, he remained there at Xara’s side. Before long, the morning began to peak around the doorway and stare at the silent pair in that room. Xara still slept peacefully now that she had someone to watc
h over her, and Owen sat beside her with his eyes half open, keeping guard over the sleeping child.
Two Days Later...
B’Elanna attached the Maquis pen to her collar. Today was the day. Today, all of their planning would be realized. Today they would attack the Empire.
She pulled her uniform jacket on and slipped out of her cabin. She would of course, be serving on Voyager, but Tom on the other hand...
*He’s a good captain.* She told herself again. *No, he’s a great captain and we need him to take his own ship instead of simply being Voyager’s helmsman.*
Even as she repeated this in her mind over and over again, she still felt a nagging little voice telling her that she was wrong.
The two of them needed to stay together throughout this.
*Oh stop it B’Elanna,* she thought. *You’re letting your fear influence you.*
The hallway was empty as she made her way towards Tom’s quarters. Almost all of those in the Resistance had taken their stations in their respective ships. Paris’s ship would be ready to leave soon, and both Voyager and the Enterprise were prepared to leave as well as all of the other Federation vessels
She finally made it down to his door. B’Elanna entered Tom’s quarters quietly. What she heard was a standard argument
Xara and Paris had been having for the past few days.
“I’m coming with you,” the little girl demanded. From where B’Elanna stood in the doorway, she could see the resolution masking the little girl’s features.
Tom sighed. “Xara, it’s too dangerous. You’ll stay on the station until we return.”
Xara stood up straighter as if to challenge his order. “I will ‘not’ stay here. I’m going with you Rune, and that’s all there is to it.”
Tom raised a hand to his head. Despite all of his arguments, the child had been dissuaded by none of them. He now wondered if the only way to get her to stay here was to give her a sedative. Of course, he would never do that, but he had to make her understand the dangers that they were all facing.
“Xara, listen, you ‘can’t come.’ There will be no more arguing. You have to stay here.”
B’Elanna chose this moment to make her presence known. “You know we’ll be back really soon,” she told the little girl. “You need to stay here.”
Xara looked to the floor. There was no way she could tell them her reasons for wanting to go, but she did know one thing; she HAD to go.
She looked to the ground. There was no way either of them would let her tag along. With a long sigh, she conceded. “Okay. I’ll stay.” she said in a small voice.
Tom knelt down beside her. “Now don’t worry. We’ll be fine and you’ll be safe here. I’ll have people come and check on you all the time. We’ll be back before you even realize we’re gone.
Xara nodded reluctantly. She wrapped her arms around Rune and whispered into his ear, “Be careful.”
He nodded. “I will.” He then added with a smile, “And you keep out of trouble while I’m gone, alright.”
A small smile threatened to surface on her lips. Tom took that as a good sign. He then got up and turned to B’Elanna. “I take it everything’s ready.”
“Yes, all ships are in position. We’ve contacted the Dezorisians and they’re waiting for our signal.”
“Good,” he said and then turned to Xara. “I’m going to leave now. If you have any problems, just call one of the crewmen still here. They’ll be able to get you whatever you want.”
She nodded once again and silently watched as Tom exited the room. He seemed a bit hesitant to leave her as well, but he did. Xara stared at the door long after he had left. Once she had gathered that he was at least halfway to his ship, she finally moved from where she was standing.
*If they won’t take me with them, I’ll just have to take myself.* she thought.
She walked over to a nearby computer terminal and entered a long series of commands. “I hope this works,” she muttered. She had been told what to do last night; she just hoped Aria knew what she was talking about.
After a few seconds, the computer’s voice filled the room. “Internal base sensors are off line. Internal Resistance vessels’ sensors are off-line. This will remain for 1.3 minutes. Transporters are enabled. Designate transport area.”
She smiled. It worked. Taking a Padd that she had kept from Deep Space Nine, she said, “Transport to Rune’s vessel, the Hedar.”
A few seconds later, her surroundings began to vanish as the transporters whisked her away. Her last coherent thoughts were. *I told you I was coming, Rune.*
Tom stepped onto the bridge of his new ship, the Hedar. Usually he hated having to go into battle with an unproven vessel.
For almost his entire time in the Resistance, he had commanded the Jihaid, but now that it was gone, he had no choice but to take a new ship.
Today’s date loomed in his mind. *Perhaps it isn’t gone just yet,* he thought. His beliefs that this mission would succeed were bordering on failing. Memories of a past mission made him believe that for whatever reason, they wouldn’t be able to capture Takma today.
But they had to try. He turned to his helmsman. “Take us out.”
“Aye, Sir,” came the reply.
Tom sat down in his chair. This would probably be the last time he would be able to relax for quite a while.
“Mr. Baytart, take Voyager out.” Janeway ordered.
She felt Chakotay put a reassuring hand on hers. This would all depend on timing as well as Tom’s ability to do what he had claimed. A small miracle was also required as well.
“All of the vessels have engaged their cloaks,” Harry said.
Janeway nodded. Tom would take the lead in this mission. After a signal from him, they would all go in. Then all Hell would break loose.
“Keep our course as plotted,” she told Baytart. She then squeezed Chakotay’s hand. “Let’s just pray that this works.”
*
Takma’s vessel slowly dropped out of subspace. She could feel the drops of blood trickling through her fingers from where she had been clenching her fists. Her eyes saw nothing except the anger she was feeling inside.
Slowly unclenching her fingers, she let her nails slip out of the wounds on her palms. She turned to one of her drones. “This is the ‘second’ time we have been knocked off course. If there are no more delays, I want us back in subspace now!”
Her voice was nothing short of threatening as her words hung in the air. The drone paid no attention to her frustration and replied, stoically, “This vessel does not meet the power requirements to enter subspace at this moment. We must dock and refuel, then we shall be able to proceed.”
The Parvanian’s jaw clenched at this news. “Another setback,” she muttered. “Where is the closest Imperial station?”
“Base Deknoks in the Tetari Sector.”
“Fine, take us there.” She ordered. She leaned back in her seat. Kail knew better than to say anything when she was in a mood like this. Despite the deviousness they had been partners in; he fully realized that she would chop his head off in a minutes notice and adorn her quarters with it.
She waited until her breathing had returned to normal before she returned to the General. “I’m beginning to think that I should have let Rune remain dead. He would not have caused such ‘problems’ if I had just ridden myself of him.”
Kail said nothing. His eyes remained on her however. He waited until she had cooled down some more before he attempted a conversation. “It doesn’t matter. Soon we will be on our way again. Landis is in the Alpha Quadrant. What more can he do?”
Takma stared at the General for a while. “I suppose you have a point,” she said. However, she wondered. If Rune had gotten back to the Alpha Quadrant sooner than she had, how fast could he return to the Empire?
*
“How are we doing?” Paris asked.
Danag looked up from his controls. “We’re approaching Base Deknoks.” he said. “We should be there in
five minutes.”
Tom nodded. Through their main viewscreen, they watched as an Imperial vessel flew by them. “Have we been picked up on any sensors?” Tom asked.
Danag shook his head. “No, we still haven’t been seen.”
That was good news. The cloaking devise they were using was similar to what had been on the Jihaid; however, Seven of Nine had added a few Borg algorithms into its system. Not even a Borg cube would be able to pick them up now.
Tom got out of his chair. Soon they would begin with their plans. All they needed to do was get within transporter range of the station and the rest would fall into place.
“Danag, I want you and Sargon ready to leave in five minutes. Make sure you bring all of the necessary equipment.”
Danag nodded. He took a deep breath. Soon the action would begin.
Xara kept close to the wall as she traveled through the ship. She listened closely for any movement and then peeked around the corner. No one was there. So far so good. She hadn’t been noticed yet, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be until it was time for her to make her move.
*Be brave,* she told herself. *Aria was brave. Rune is brave. B’Elanna is brave. You can be brave, too.*
Despite all the times she told herself this, she was still scared to death. Aria had instructed her of what she had to do, but that still didn’t add to her courage.
She slipped around another corridor and made her way into the shuttlebay. Footsteps behind her told her that someone was coming. She had to act fast.
Running over to one of the shuttles, she quickly keyed in an access code and entered it. After relocking the door, she went to the back and lifted up on of the cargo bins. It was about four feet in diameter so she had plenty of room to fit inside.
Closing the lid securely over her, she prayed that this was going to work. *Aria, I know you told me that the Spirit would be with me through this, but can’t you just come along as well?*