Innocents

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 2:59am by Lieutenant Krysia Kaleri-Smith & Lieutenant Alexandra Alves MD & Katya
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:43pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Pandora/Paradise

ON:

Krysia was hovering in front of the replicator waiting for a well earned chocolate mousse to appear. She’d heard about cravings when pregnant and she most definitely had one for anything chocolate. The mousse appeared moment’s later and she was just savouring the first mouthful when she heard a familiar notification sound from the computer.

The screen lit up with an incoming transmission from Paradise Outpost. It gave no clear indication of where on the station the call was coming from, or who was sending it.

Signing Krys sat down in front of the screen and tapped it to open the channel. She was starting to think the universe was playing practical jokes where getting some peace was concerned.

On screen was the unmistakable face of Chief Katya. Though she was clearly hiding in a small cupboard somewhere. She had managed to create a secure location in order to communicate with the Pandora by hiding in her pantry and using the console inside. It was the only way she could discreetly make contact without being interrupted by her Breen oppressors.

"Lieutenant Kaleri." She greeted Krysia in a hoarse whisper.

“Katya.” She nodded, finding herself speaking just as quietly as Katya had to her. “What can I do for you?”

"Ah Kaleri. Finally." Katya managed a smile. "I have tried so many times to get the right person. I wanted to thank you for trusting Del’al and helping to free him."

"I'm glad I could help" Krysia smiled. "What about the children? What's happening with them?"

"Ah, yes. I hope you can appreciate the... performance I needed to display." Katya said with a hefty sigh. "The children were orphaned by the Breen take-over of the station, their parents were brutally murdered. The Breen have been after them ever since. I've known where they are, but couldn't let the Breen find them. Our traders have been keeping them hidden all this time, I believe you were close to finding them in the toy store? We keep moving them so they avoid detection, but they are safe."

"It's no wonder the traders were so protective of them. I'm glad that they're safe." Krysia smiled warmly. "I was suspicious as to why the guards would go after children with weapons at least now I know why."

Katya nodded, her bright orange hair swaying with her head movements, but her face was still serious. "But we have another problem. The younglings are so traumatised by their situation, they've stopped talking. Not a word. They may speak to Del'al but it's too dangerous for him, the Breen still watch him every second. I was hoping you could help us out? I may be able to find a place on Paradise for you to meet with the kids and find out some things."

"I'll do whatever I can, provided Captain Temple approves." She offered a smile. "Do they know anything about the Breen that could be of use? I don't want to endanger them."

"I mentioned in our previous meeting that the younglings have a hiding spot somewhere in the station." Katya replied, "We believe the Breen are after them because they know where it is, too. The Breen must be using that location for something. If you can speak to the children and find out where it is, I am certain it will help both Paradise and the Pandora."

Krysia nodded. "Very well. I'm willing to help, have you spoken to Captain Temple regarding this?"

"We will make arrangements." Katya replied. "It's too risky right now, come a little later tonight? Bring one other person if you need."

"Very well" Krysia nodded. "until tonight." The channel closed leaving Krys to decide who to take with. She tapped her comm badge. "Kaleri to Alves. I need your company tonight, I'll explain when I see you."

Alexandra was still busy with all the hush going on regarding the murders and the Breen, and appreciated every moment she was able to spend outside sickbay or the medical lab. "Krysia?" she answered on a curious voice, when the counselor contacted her. "Anything I can do for you." she said "Just tell me where and when to meet."

"My office in a couple of hours please" Krysia didn't want to say too much over an open comm channel. "I'll explain everything then."

[3 Hours Later]

It was late at night on Paradise. Most of the usual activities were quietened down, Madame Kroll had performed, the light show had gone off without a hitch. Visitation on the station certainly hadn't diminished despite the two shocking deaths so far, but it had caused some unease amongst the usual revelry and excitement of Paradise. Some were beginning to wonder if it was such a neutral, safe zone after all.

Katya had followed through with her plans to smuggle Kaleri and Alves onboard the station, the same way she had done for Captain Temple. She had Del'al escort the two down the back alleys of the Entertainment district and finally to the service tunnel behind the Parlour. Del'al had been silent for most of the trip, he felt Katya was taking too big of a risk by bringing the Counsellor and Doctor back to the Station, but he was still just as eager to see this occupation come to an end.

"Here." Del'al whispered as they approached a small inlet. "Wait here and I will have the younglings brought to us."

Krysia nodded and looked at Alexandra. "Thank you for coming with me, I thought having a doctor with me could prove useful. Plus I think the younglings will find females more comfortable to be around than strange men they don't know.

The doctor nodded in agreement, as she contemplated the situation. "I'll do my best." she said, thinking about all those horrors those children probably had to endure. As a mother, she felt devastated just by the thought of them hiding alone in the midsts of a Breen occupation.

"Since I found out I'm pregnant I feel more....maternal I guess." Krysia smiled. "I just want to help these children and do whatever we can to help Katya while we're at it."

"I know how you feel.", Alex nodded gently, "It's always the innocents who suffer the most."

After a few moments, there was movement in the tunnel. Finally, two little orange-skinned alien children appeared. Their faces betrayed their fear, even if they remained silent themselves. They walked towards the Starfleet officers holding hands together for protection - as they had done since losing their parents. Del'al was behind them, weapon at the ready and a hessian sack slung over his shoulder, though he was watching intently for anybody else that may have seen them. Finally he holstered his weapon and nodded to Kaleri and Alves, dropping the sack to the floor.

"Here they are." He said.

Krysia smiled as she looked towards the children. "Am I glad to see the two of you! I thought we'd never find you!" She could see and feel the children were afraid so she gently knelt down infront of them. "We won't hurt you, we're here to help you. Talk to us."

The two children just stood in their places, not really responding to Kaleri’s words. After a moment of staring back in silence, the girl turned to the boy. She broadcasted an image of friendship and warmth across to him, as if to say they could trust the Starfleet officers. The boy took a step back and recalled the scary guards reaching out to them, holding their parents hostage. Screaming, crying. He wasn’t so trusting. In reply, the girl looked to Del’al, and broadcast a memory of him helping the pair to escape from the Guard’s clutches. If Del’al trusted the humans, they could too, she thought in reply.

Krysia watched the interaction with interest. "They're broadcasting to each other" she looked at the young girl as she moved to sit on the floor to be more at their height. She hoped changing to telepathy would help but focussed her contact on the girl rather than her terrified brother. I know you're afraid, my mind is open you can read my intentions.

Alexandra stood there, watching in silence, as the children communicated with each other telepathically. They looked so frail, and so torn. She watched as Krysia sat down to the floor, trying to reach them, and picked up a tricorder from the medkit she was carrying. "No physical damage, except for a few bruises." she said, as she hovered the instrument over the children, keeping a polite distance from them. "However, I believe, the mental damage must be much more substantial."

Krysia switched back to verbal communication. "Show me" she looked at the small girl. "Show me what they did to you, what it is you're so afraid of."

Del'al leaned over and looked intently to the girl, knowing she could read his thoughts. She looked concerned to him and back to her brother before giving a solemn nod. She walked over to Kaleri and held her hand.

Immediately Alves and Kaleri were taken to a happy scene, from not so long ago. The boy and girl were running through the busy streets of the station. There was life, fun, and joy around them. Paradise was still free. Other vendors smiled as they passed, the older female from the toy store waved, Del'al laughed after he almost tripped over them as they scampered through. From here they diverted off the main path and down an alleyway behind the Parlour. After checking the coast was clear, the boy moved a grate out of the way and they climbed through into a secret tunnel. After a few minutes they came to a small recess, their hideaway. Here is where they pretended to be space pirates - or the police, depending on the mood - and protected their "gold". Hours and hours spent on make-believe games in their special place. However, one day when they started walking through the tunnel, they overheard voices up ahead. Indistinguishable voices, but mean nonetheless, and they were in the hideaway! The girl could pick up on their thoughts - weapons, armies of soldiers, a fleet of ships arriving. The Monsters were planning to invade. The younglings tried to run, but they had been noticed. The Monster appeared, with their weird metallic faces, bright green eyes, and long snouts. The stuff of nightmares for any children.

Fleeing, the girl and boy managed to escape the clutches of the Monsters and hide, but they didn't give up looking. The Monsters started ransacking businesses, interrogating the traders, overturning carts, and searching every where they could. The Monsters were hurting people, rounding them up, and demanding answers from them. The younglings tried to reach the Tavern where their parents worked, but the Monsters had got there first. They watched from a hiding place as their parents were brutally beaten, the Monsters demanding to know where the children were. When the parents couldn't - or wouldn't - give an answer, they were summarily shot dead. The younglings watched as their parent's lives were horrifyingly extinguished in a storm of phaser fire. The boy and girl began to cry and would have been caught had Del'al not found them first. He rescued them and took them somewhere safe.

The Monsters decided to claim the Tavern and Del'al was left with no place to go himself, but he stayed true to his promise to protect the younglings. In the months that passed, he would continue to help them as much as possible. As would the other traders on the station, helping to conceal their presence from the Guards, give whatever food they could, try to find a way to smuggle them off Paradise. This was their existence now, orphaned and hunted, with no way out.

After a few moments, Del'al cleared this throat and said, "As you see, they have been through hell on this station."

Krysia wiped away a few tears as she remained at the children's height for the moment. "No child should go through that! It's not surprising the two of you are terrified." She looked at the children then back at Del'al. "What would you like us to do? I can try to get them aboard our ship, if they want to go?"

"We can protect you", the doctor nodded in agreement with the counselor. What she just witnessed was undescribable by words. It was comparable to the horrors she saw during the Beta Haldor IV disaster, when the USS Ranger crew helped evacuating that colony. "And we can make those monsters go away. I promise."

"They have family, scrap traders, but they can't get access to station due to all the traffic." Del'al explained. "I have seen you people... transport. Out of the air? If you can get the children off the station, it will be our great happiness."

Krysia stood and looked at Del’al. “Give us a minute to talk?” She moved away, motioning for Alexandra to follow. She kept her voice low as she spoke. “This maybe my hormones talking here but I’m not willing to leave these children here Alexandra. What do you think? Can we get them safely back to the ship and keep them hidden from the Breen?”

"Your hormones are telling you the right thing.", the doctor nodded with a slight smile, "We can't leave them here. But we need the Captain's approval to bring them on board."

“Agreed” Krysia nodded and smiled before turning back to Del’al and the children. “I’ll contact the Pandora. I’ll need to speak to Captain Temple.”

"There is one more thing." Del'al said gravely. "The hideout where the kids would play? It was being used by the Breen for their plans, but it's been abandoned in the past day, since the murders. I just went in there to see if I could find anything, and I'm concerned."

The alien held up the hessian sack from the tail end and tipped its contents onto the floor. It was a mixture of junk parts, welding tools, what appeared to be a shell casing, and spent plasma fuel cells. In normal circumstances, these items would appear to be the contents of an Engineer's bottom drawer, but Del'al's face showed his true worry.

"A plasma bomb." He spoke without being asked. "I believe the Breen have been building one and plan to detonate it."

Krysia looked at Alexandra in horror. “We have to get back to the ship and warn the Captain!” She turned to Del’al. “The children can stay with me until we can reunite them with their family, but we have to go now!”

"Right.", the doctor nodded firmly, "There's no time to waste."

Krysia turned to Del'al and the children. "We need to get back to the ship, will you..." She looked at the children. "Trust us to look after you until we can get you to your family? You can stay with me until then."

As the Starfleet officers prepared to beam back to the Pandora, the youngling girl ran into Del'al's arms and hugged him tightly. She didn't want to let him go. Following her lead, the boy did also.

"It's okay." Del'al smiled bravely, fighting off tears. "I will see you both soon. We just need to get rid of those monsters first, okay?"

The two children nodded sullenly, wiping their orange cheeks as Del'al stood back. He nodded to them, trying to be as assured as he could so as not to worry the children. Even though he had no idea what the next few days would bring, or if he would ever see the younglings again once they were reunited with their family. At least he had kept his promise to protect the innocent kids and get them off the station; Del'al was relieved that he had been able to fulfil his mission.

Soon, Kaleri and Alves moved forward and held onto each child's hands. With a simple command back to the Pandora, they all disappeared into the swirling blue lights, leaving Del'al alone in the tunnel.

OFF