<USS Avalon> Learning to Live (part one)

(This is in multiple parts because it is long, and would not fit in a single 
AOL email window)

Learning to Live
by
El-Kainah Ngaio

       To look at him, if done quickly, one might think he was a descendent 
of one of the remaining North American Indian tribes.  But a deeper look would 
reveal that he was not even human.
       When El-Kainah was a child, perhaps 10 his family packed up and went 
on a trip to Castal.  But while on the way their transport was attacked and the 
crew was killed by a band of space pirates.  Being members of a telepathic 
species El-Kainah's parents were spared but his three sisters and himself were 
sold to the Orion Syndicate as telepathic children who had already begun to 
develop their abilities.  Apparently the pirates were not interested in having 
to 
care for small children.
       The man who bought El-Kainah was furious to find out that he had been 
swindled because unlike his older sisters, El's abilities had not manifested 
themselves yet.  He put a contract out on the band of pirates that sold 
El-Kainah to him and they along with his parents were slaughtered.  A message 
to 
those that would try to defraud the Syndicate.
       El's master didn't really want to wait around for his abilities to 
"activate" but neither did he want to lose such a potentially profitable 
opportunity.  It could be quite handy to have a telepath that could go in and 
take 
initial meetings to see if he was being set up by some world or another's 
security forces.  Maybe they would activate soon.  The pirates did say he was 
nearing 
adolescence, El's master thought.
       El was a fast learner and quickly picked up the idea of what his 
master wanted him to do.  But it didn't last.  His master lived in a violent 
world 
and was killed by a rival in the Syndicate and El was taken by the murderer.  
This new master was not interested in waiting around for however many years it 
would be for El to be a full telepath and able to help his business dealings. 
 He didn't want the burden of caring for a child El's age either.  He was 
scheduled to have a meeting near the Breen Confederacy and while in the system 
he 
dumped El on an inhabited planet.
       There, he managed to survive for over a year on his own.  He picked 
through people's garbage for clothes and found what berries and roots he could 
to eat.  There wasn't much and the planet's climate was harsh.  The winters 
were cold, easily below minus 17 degrees.  And the summers were as hot as the 
winters were cold.  Easily over 37 degrees and it then it would drop to nearly 
freezing at night.
       It was late in his second winter there that some one finally found 
him.
=/\=

       Andropo was an old man but his wife, Xethia was a young beauty.  Many 
of the other farmer's wives were jealous of her beauty and the farmers were 
jealous of Andropo.  He too was a farmer and she would help him tend the land 
they owned.  They were successful but had no children yet.  Xethia and Andropo 
were both Betazoids and strong telepaths.
       There had been a storm during the night the night before and more snow 
was expected later that day and into the night.  Andropo wanted to take 
advantage of the all too brief break in the weather to check his fence-lines 
and 
make a quick trip into town for supplies.  He worked quickly knowing that the 
weather was not going to stay quiet forever.  The fences were fine so he went 
to 
check on the barn.  He found the doors closed but tracks near the door that 
he couldn't identify.  He opened the door to look around and at the same time 
did a quick inventory of the animals inside.  They were agitated but nothing 
too serious was wrong.  He blamed the approaching storm and since he saw 
nothing 
else out of the ordinary he chalked the unidentified tracks up to some sort 
of beast looking for shelter from the weather.
       It was getting late by now and he still had to get to town and back.  
He was about half way there when the snow began to fall so he started to 
hurry, knowing that once it started it wouldn't take long for the weather to 
become 
fowl.  He somehow managed to get to the store in town and start back for the 
farm, despite the shopkeeper's warning to stay the night, before the storm 
began in earnest.
       Before he was able to get back to the farm however, the snow was 
falling and the wind began to blow something fierce.  Andropo could barely see 
a 
quarter of a meter in front of him and the wind was howling like a Rectyne 
Monopod.  He knew he was near the farm but could not yet see the house.
       Xethia was worried.  Her husband should have been home hours ago.  She 
could hear the wind blowing and the snow and ice hitting the windows and 
doors of the house.  She had gone out before it became bad to gather some wood 
for 
the fire and to check the barn and animals.  To make sure they were safe and 
the barn was locked.  But she went to check it again for some reason.  She 
bundled up and headed out into the storm.  She trudged her way to the barn and 
found it again locked.  She could tell the animals were agitated again but made 
her way back to the house.  That is when she saw her husband trip over 
something in the path.  She hurried to him, rolling him over and helping him to 
his 
feet.  "Be careful, husband, " she said.  "You don't want to get hurt."  She 
looked down to see if she could see what her husband had tripped over and 
gasped 
at what she saw.
       There, in the snow, laying face down was a boy.  Andropo followed his 
young wife's gaze before looking back to the house.  Andropo was nearly frozen 
by now.  It had taken nearly four hours to complete a twenty minute journey.  
The boy looked very thin.  The clothes he had on were rags really.  They were 
worn through in spots and nearly so in others.  He reached down and touched 
the boy's body.  He could feel the bones near the skin.  The body was cold but 
he couldn't tell by touching it if he was alive or dead.  
       They were about to leave him for dead so they could save themselves 
from the still falling temperatures, when Xethia spoke again.  "I can feel him 
-- he is alive."
Andropo took the boy in his arms.  There wasn't much too him by now and he 
and his wife took the boy into the house.

       Andropo and Xethia carried the boy's frozen body into the house, where 
they dragged a couch in front of the fire.  There they placed him and took 
off the cold rags that barely covered his body.  The boy's eyes were closed but 
they could tell by looking at his face, that they were sunken in a bit.  His 
cheeks were hollowed too.  When they took what passed for the boy's shirt 
Xethia gasped again.  His ribs were prominent.  His abdomen sunken nearly to 
his 
spine.  His arms were spindly and his legs equally so.  "No wonder he fell 
down."  Andropo said to his wife.  "There is nothing to this boy."  Xethia was 
busy 
bringing over blankets and sweaters, and anything else that would help to 
warm up this poor boy that was unconscious on her couch.  As she arranged the 
blankets on the boy she spoke.  "Andropo, get a pan and some water.  We need to 
thaw his extremities.  And call to town, see if Doc Rekab can come out in the 
morning.  Even with his vehicle he won't be able to get here tonight.  Not in 
this storm."  
       Andropo did as his wife instructed.  He brought her the water and 
helped her soak some towels that she then wrapped on the boys hands and feet.  
He 
was still unconscious but his skin was beginning to return to its natural 
color from the cold dusky color it had been when they first brought him in the 
house.  He nodded at the good sign from the boy and went to make his call to 
the 
doctor.  It was in the middle of that call when from the other room he heard a 
shriek.  It wasn't a shriek from fright.  It wasn't even a shriek from his 
wife.  It was a shriek of pain from the boy.  He quickly thanked the doctor and 
closed the comm call before running into the main room where the boy was still 
screaming in agony.  
       His wife was trying to reassure the boy that the pain would subside 
and unfortunately was necessary.  All Andropo could do was look at the boy's 
hollowed face.  He could tell the boy was crying but there were no tears from 
his 
eyes.  The poor boy was so malnourished his tiny body couldn't make any 
tears.  Finally he spoke to his wife.  "Is there any soup left from tonight?  
It 
might help in warming him."
       She nodded to her husband.  "I'll get it.  Stay with him."  She said 
as she pushed down on the boy's forehead so that he would stay lying down.  
Andropo quickly took her place at the boys side while she got the soup from the 
kitchen.  Each of them was able to sense from the other the concern and 
curiosity they felt about this boy.  Andropo flicked what passed for this boy's 
boots 
and said aloud to the boy and to who ever else happened to be listening.  
"That solves that mystery.  I thought it had just been some sort of wild animal 
looking for a place to get out of the storm.  Looks like it was you."  He 
smiled down at the boy warmly.  "You should have just knocked on the door, 
Young 
One.  You could have stayed on the couch in here last night."
       Unfortunately El-Kainah didn't hear any of the old man's words.  He 
had slipped back unconscious.  The pain of his thawing hands and feet knocked 
him out.  When Xethia returned with the soup, she found them like that.  
Andropo 
sitting on the edge of the couch trying to shuck off his coat and scarf.  The 
boy asleep in the blankets.  His hands and feet still wrapped in wet towels.  
She smiled at the site.  She had taken the opportunity to hang up her coat 
and put away her boots while she was in getting the soup for the boy.  She 
decided she better let her husband do the same now.  "Go on husband."  She 
said, 
"Go take off those wet things before you catch your death.  I can only care for 
one nearly frozen boy at a time."  He chuckled at her but agreed and so went 
in to remove his wet clothes and put on some warm dry ones.
       "Your turn wife."  He said when he returned.  "Go on, now.  I'll watch 
over him.  You need to change your clothes too.  I can't care for two nearly 
frozen children either."  She smiled at him both of them knowing that he could 
if he had to.  When she returned a few minutes later she found her husband 
pouring a small amount of broth down the boys throat.  She smiled at the site 
but before the boy could say anything he slipped back unconscious. 
       They took turns sitting with him through that night and most of the 
next day.  It wasn't until nearly dark that either one slept any.  And the only 
reason they were finally able to do that was because Doc Rekab had arrived by 
then and there were three of them keeping vigil over the boy.  The boy still 
hadn't been conscious for more than just a few minutes by the following 
morning.  He hadn't had anything to eat except a few sips of broth when he was 
awake. 
 The doctor was keeping vigil over the boy when he finally did open his eyes 
and manage to stay conscious for more than just a few minutes.  The doctor was 
examining him with a tricorder when he saw the boy's eyes open.
       "Well, look who's awake, " he said.  "We were plenty worried about you 
Young One."  The doctor spoke gently.  He too was a colonist here.  Most of 
the people on this planet were.  Some were from as far away as Pacifica and 
Bellatrix others were from as close as Izar and other planets nearer still.  
But 
none of them had seen this boy before.  His picture wasn't in the colony 
records and no one matching his description was reported missing in any of the 
cities or towns on the Continent.  Xethia had been doing some research to try 
to 
find out where the boy belonged.  
       Andropo heard the doctor talking and went in to check on the boy.  It 
was the doctor though who spoke first.  "Well, he's awake now, 'Dropo.  I 
think to stay too.  He is still pretty weak from the hypothermia and a lack of 
food.  But his fingers and toes are functioning normally despite a case of 
frost 
bite.  Your wife did well with warming them.  It probably saved him from 
loosing a finger or two.  Definitely saved his toes eh?"  The doctor sort of 
tousled the boys hair a bit before continuing.  "Best thing to do for him now 
to let 
him rest.  And eat."  
       The old farmer smiled gently.  "Thank you Hiram.  Is there a 
particular regiment we should follow for him.  Get him ready for normal meals 
gradually.  That sort of thing?"  
       The Doctor just chuckled a bit.  "Your wife already asked me about 
that.  I gave her a list of things that should be gentle enough on his system 
for 
the first week or so."  The Doctor stood up and started to move to get his 
coat nodding to the boy and the farmer.  "I'll come back in a couple days to 
check on the boy.  In the meantime, he should be OK.  If there is a problem, 
though, go ahead and give me a call.  I can't promise to be right out.  We get 
another storm like we got two nights ago, and I won't be able to come out right 
away but I will be out as soon as I can get out."  And with that the Doctor 
left.  
       Xethia came back into the room then and looked over the pensive boy 
lying on her couch.  She spoke slowly trying to project reassuring feelings and 
images.  "You gave us quite a scare there Young One.  Can you take some more 
broth?"  El nodded still being quite hungry, and she helped him drink down some 
of the broth.
       She smiled at the amount of broth he was able to take.  "Good boy.  In 
a few days you'll be able to hunt up a Snow Buck.  And we'll have enough meat 
to supply a small system of planets."  Her words and thoughts were 
comforting.  It had been a long time since El had been able to feel another in 
his mind. 
 It was something he had missed.
       Andropo came back in from feeding the animals then.  He smiled at the 
boy as he hung up the coat he wore.  "You look strong enough to hunt a Snow 
Buck."  The boy smiled at the old man and chuckled a bit.  Xethia giggled a bit 
as well knowing she had just said the same thing.  ~~We were just discussing 
that, Husband.~~
       Andropo chuckled a bit.  "You had us worried that first night we found 
you.  Do you have a name?"  The boy nodded weakly.
       "El-Kainah."  The boy said nearly as weakly.
       Xethia came over and spoke.  "Well, El-Kainah, I am Xethia and this is 
my husband Andropo.  And more than that can wait."  She lifted his head so 
she could offer him more broth.  "Take a bit more broth and then you get some 
sleep.  We can talk more after you rest a while."  He took the broth and laid 
back down.  And before Xethia had gotten off of the edge of the couch he was 
back asleep.
=/\=
       El-Kainah couldn't tell how long he had been asleep when he opened his 
eyes the next time.  It had been two years since he had slept in anything 
that resembled a bed.  And for now this couch was close enough for him to 
consider it a bed.  It had been dark when he fell asleep and it was still dark. 
 He 
raised up a bit his bare chest coming uncovered as he did.  He wanted to see 
where his benefactors were.  Where they still keeping an eye on him?  Or did 
they think he was out of the woods enough to leave him alone to sleep?
       He slipped from the covers on the couch walking toward the fire at 
first feeling the warmth on his uncovered body.  Where were his clothes he 
wondered?  He looked over and saw a set of clothes over a chair but they 
weren't 
his.  They looked to be his size though.  He didn't just want to put them on 
not 
knowing if they were for him.  If they had been in someone garbage that would 
have been one thing.  In the garbage they were clearly something that the 
previous owner didn't want any more.  These, they could belong to one of the 
children that lived here.  He hadn't seen any but that didn' t mean there 
weren't 
any here.  
       He decided to just wrap one of his blankets around his waist.  He 
could here the wind outside.  The snow and ice was hitting the house like tiny 
pebbles.  He went to a window to look out.  There looked to be more snow this 
night than there was the last time he saw outside.  He shivered with the cold.  
He heard something from a room near him.  He turned to go investigate what he 
had heard.  When he got to where the noise was he could better identify what it 
was.  It was Xethia's voice but she wasn't really saying anything.  They 
weren't words really.  Just sounds.  He looked in the open door and found she 
and 
her husband in the throws of passion.  He blushed knowing this was something 
that was private and quickly turned to go back to the couch.  But it was too 
late.  She had seen him and Andropo had sensed someone else near by.
       As El quickly went back to the couch he could hear her say.  
"El-Kainah.  Are you all right?"  He turned and looked at her standing in her 
door way. 
 She had covered her self in a robe but wore nothing beneath it.  Her face 
still flushed from what she had been doing just a moment before.  Her breath 
was 
quickly recovering but as Andropo appeared behind her equally concerned about 
the boy he was still breathing rather heavily.
       "I'm sorry.  I didn't know."  He blushed deeply again looking at the 
floor.  "I heard something and went to see what it was." 
       Andropo chuckled a bit.  "Well, you saw what it was all right."  
Xethia elbowed him in the stomach and he let out a grunt.
       "Stop it 'Dropo.  He is embarrassed enough."  She scolded her husband. 
 "It's O.K. El-Kainah. You didn't know."  She turned and grabbed a blanket 
and wrapped it around her shoulders coming over to the couch.  "We thought you 
were asleep. You had been for the last 23 hours."  She smiled gently her body 
was returning to normal.
"Dropo, he must be hungry get him a bowl of soup.  Get all of us some.  We 
need something to fight off this chill."  
       Andropo did what his wife instructed and fetched some soup for all of 
them.  When he got back with it his wife was asking, "Why were you out in that 
storm the other night, El-Kainah?"  The boy just nodded in thanks for the 
soup that was set before him and sipped it slightly.  He took a bit of a ragged 
breath and told them both the story.  When he finished he said, "I don't know 
if my sisters are still alive or my parents."  He began to sob quietly the pain 
fresh in his heart.
       Andropo reached over and tousled the boy's hair a bit.  "You must be 
pretty smart and awfully tough to survive two winters here on your own.  But if 
all you have eaten the past two years is what roots and berries you could 
find, its no wonder you are so thin eh?"  He looked at his wife.  "What do you 
think Xethia?  Do we send him back out when he's well enough?  Or should we let 
him stay?"  He chuckled a bit knowing the answer.  "I could use the help in 
the fields."
       Xethia nodded.  "It would be nice to have some extra help.  And he 
will need to be educated in the ways of telepathy.  And other things."  El was 
just looking back and forth between the two adults.  He wasn't sure he wanted 
to 
stay but he knew he didn't want to go back out on his own.  So it was agreed 
between the three of them.  El-Kainah would stay.  He would earn his keep 
through helping 'Dropo in the fields and around the farm.  Xethia would see to 
enrolling him in the school in town and she and 'Dropo would help him learn to 
use his telepathic abilities.
Life on the planet for El-Kainah went on and began to develop into a routine. 
 He was enrolled in the town's school and quickly moved to be near the top of 
his class.  After the first anniversary of his being found in the snow by 
Andropo and Xethia his telepathic abilities started to develop more strongly.  
His new family helped him to understand how to use these abilities and when it 
was or wasn't appropriate to use them.  El-Kainah even began to see Andropo and 
Xethia as his father and mother. 
       After about two months of him sleeping on the couch 'Dropo finally 
finished a room that he had begun for the boy.  And El-Kainah moved into it.  
       A few months later Xethia became pregnant.  Andropo was strutting 
around the farm like a rooster patrolling his harem of hens.  But like much of 
the 
happy times in El-Kainah's young life, this did not last.  A few months 
before the baby was to be born, a planet near by was overrun by the Breen and 
their 
new Dominion allies.  Once word of this reached their colony the residents 
including Andropo and his now pregnant wife, were worried that their colony was 
next.  And with good reason.  A meeting was held and Andropo took his family 
to attend.  It was decided that any of the women and children that wanted to 
leave would be able to do so.  It was further decided that a citizen militia 
would be created to help repel any invasion by the Breen.
       But what chance did a small militia have against the Breen Army, let 
alone a Breen Army reinforced by the Jem'Hadar?  Tensions on the planet were 
high and most of the children from El-Kainah's school class left with their 
mothers.  Then one day the teacher announced that he was suspending classes 
until 
further notice
Andropo and his wife were arguing that day when El-Kainah came in the house.  
"I will not abandon you to defend our home alone."  Xethia sobbed.  
       Andropo growled, "I will not have you endanger our child by remaining 
here when Breen arrive.  It is too dangerous."  He turned to her and pulled 
her to him in an embrace.  "It is going to be too difficult for you to fight 
them soon.  You need to be able to look after El and the baby."  
       "O.K. I will take them, " she relented.  "And you will join us soon?  
I don't want to have to raise your child alone."  
       He nodded.  "As soon as I can I will come to get you.  There are 
planets near by that the Breen won't be interested in.  They want this one 
because 
of the winters here.  But on (Some planet?) the winters are mild.  We would 
have a longer growing season."  He chuckled trying to reassure her but they 
both 
new that he would not be joining them soon if he would be able to join them 
at all.
       El-Kainah and Xethia were booked aboard a transport as mother and son 
that would take them to the near by planet that Andropo had mentioned.  It was 
a tearful good bye for every one.  
       There were hundreds of people on the transport.  All of them fleeing 
from the expected Breen invasion.  Xethia sobbed most of the way there.  
El-Kainah sat quietly trying to act like he was an adult even though he was 
only 16.
       There were some men.  Some of them old, but most of them were in their 
late teens and early twenties.  Old enough to be on their own, which most of 
them were, but young enough so that they did not yet have careers or families 
of their own.  These were the men that came to try to talk to Xethia.  
El-Kainah would stand and move towards them if they went near to the woman he 
had 
started to call "Mom."  Most of them would laugh and say something about him 
being so small.  And then say something to her.  One of them said, "Its going 
to 
be a long time before your husband is around again.  If you need any help 
getting to sleep, or staying warm at night, or anything.  Just give me a call." 
 
And then he laughed wickedly as he leered at her.  El-Kainah, again, was a 
bright boy, and knew what the man was talking about.  So he leapt at the man 
knocking him down.  And almost as quickly the man's friends were pulling El off 
of 
their friend.  And as each of them held an arm the man slugged El, square in 
the stomach, doubling him over in pain.  He went to his knees, coughing and 
choking.
       "Stop it."  Xethia screamed.  "Stop it all of you.  El-Kainah, sit in 
your seat. You boys."  She whirled on them.  "You leave us alone.  Go back to 
your cabins.  Come near us again and I will call security."  They scurried off 
leaving El to gasp and cough for another few moments before he could make it 
to his feet and then to his seat.  
       He sat holding his stomach battling the tears that wanted to come but 
he refused to allow to do so.  He listened to Xethia scolding him in with her 
mind.  "That was foolish, El.  They could have seriously injured you."  She 
smiled a little bit softening her tone.  "Besides, I am going to need 
protecting 
much more later on."  She chuckled lightly and El-Kainah laughed as well 
knowing that she was right.  
       She was right.  When they arrived at the planet, the passengers were 
separated into groups by a group of people in uniforms.  The planet's Interior 
Ministry had been warned that the transport was coming.  Word quickly spread th
at people were not being admitted to the planet unless they had either 
someone to meet them or had verifiable evidence that they were here on business 
or 
were here on holiday.  Xethia informed El that when asked he was to say that 
they were there on holiday.  El kept an eye on the men that had been trying to 
approach Xethia through out the trip and many of them were being separated out 
because they had no verifiable business dealings.  Most of the passengers were 
being sent off with them.  
       The Interior Ministry's office of Planetary Security was conducting 
checks on those that were saying they were there on business or on holiday.  
Checking reservation lists with lodging establishments in the finical and 
recreational centers of the various cities.  The process was slow.  When they 
finally 
got to Xethia and El-Kainah they were being just as thorough but they were 
promising to do the checks required and release them once they had the 
verification they needed.  
       So it was that the mother and son were sent to a camp for refugees.  
The Interior Ministry had done their checks and found that Xethia and her son 
had no reservation at any of the recreation centers.  The men from the 
transport were there too.  They kept trying to harass Xethia and El-Kainah kept 
trying 
to protect her.  There had been a few small skirmishes between El and the 
men.  Some times they would get the better of him, but more often, the camp 
security guards would step in.  
       On one such occasion, Xethia had been out looking for work, but most 
of the jobs were controlled by the various gangs that controlled parts of the 
camp.  The man that had propositioned her on the transport, and El had 
attacked, was a part of one of these gangs, the Nikaari.  He was powerful in 
the 
Nikaari.  He heard of Xethia's search for employment and said, "I can offer you 
a 
job.  But you must first convince me that you are qualified."  He laughed as he 
said it making it clear that he was once again trying to get Xethia into his 
bed.  El had gone with her and again attacked the man who proceeded to beat 
him up.  But they weren't in a Nikaari sector at the time, so guards quickly 
came to the fight.  And as the Nikaari were lead away the man looked at El 
coldly 
saying. "You had your chance Boy."  He turned to Xethia.  "You too Woman.  No 
one refuses the Nikaari.  No one."  And he and his two Nikaari friends were 
lead away laughing.  They spent two days in a detention cell before they were 
released.
Life in the camp proceeded that way for months.  It was a difficult life.  It 
reminded El of his life before he was found that cold night in winter three 
years ago.  Not enough food, scavenging for clothes.  Medical attention for 
only the most severe cases of illness.  Xethia was allowed to see a doctor once 
a 
month because of her pregnancy, which was now half way over.  But she was 
underweight.  El-Kainah was out one afternoon looking for some food for them to 
eat when he didn't come back to the mother's and children's dorm.  She informed 
the guards that her son had not returned yet and needed to look for him.  
They agreed that she would be readmitted if with him if she was back by the 
time 
they locked the doors for the night.  In just three hours.
       El-Kainah had been searching for hours for some kind, any kind of 
food.  There were bushes scattered around the camp that had edible berries on 
them.  And out near the fences, there were some Yankarish trees.  The roots of 
the 
Yankarish tree were full of nutrients that could be digested, and tasted 
pretty good too when stewed.  The only problem was that those trees were in the 
Nikaari zone.  The Nikaari were the most powerful gang in the camp and fiercely 
protective of any thing in their territory.
       The Nikaari were still angry that El-Kainah and his mother had refused 
them.  And the man still held a grudge, not only for what happened on the 
transport but he also blamed El for his spending those two days in detention.  
It 
didn't take him long to spot El-Kainah near the fence digging for the Yan
karish root.  And it wouldn't take much for he and a few of his Nikaari friends 
to 
drag him away from the view of the guards in the watch tower.  So that is 
exactly what they did.

To be continued.....

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