<USS Avalon> "If You Want a Taste of Freedom, Keep Going" (Moreya, the Tibon Children)
- From: Jamie Lawson <ayeshalan@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:28:24 -0800
"If You Want a Taste of Freedom, Keep Going"
(Moreya, the Tibon Children)
2009:11:23
When Moreya woke, she was still lying on the floor of the Sickbay supply
closet. Though her wrist chronometer indicated she had only slept about two
hours, she felt fully refreshed. As she rose and programmed the replicator
for a fresh uniform, she recalled some of the emotional impressions she had
picked up when she had first entered the overcrowded and chaotic Sickbay.
Some of them were strange, as she considered them now. They were, on the
surface, immature minds -- childish.
The *Avalon *had no children aboard. At least, it wasn't supposed to ...
She slipped into the fresh uniform, giving herself a few gentle shakes to
get the form-fitting material to settle into place. Then she slipped out of
the closet and headed for one of the side rooms, where she thought these
visitors might be found.
Dominiq, the eldest, was now awake, keeping watch over the others as they
all slept. He kept shields tight around them all to protect them from overly
inquisitive minds. He made note of the approaching female in uniform and
tightened them even more, preparing himself to defend them in their slumber
if she belonged to Taggert.
Moreya stepped just inside the door, picking up the suspicion and fear from
the sole young man who was awake without need to resort to empathy. She
stood still, slowly raising her hands and speaking quietly. "I mean no
harm," she said. "My name is Moreya. I am Science Officer of the Avalon.
I'm also a doctor, if you are in need of healing."
Dominiq shook his head, then responded silently, ~*Our needs are being met,
thank you*,~ though his expression registered the barest hint of pain, and
the paleness of his countenance was still quite apparent.
She blinked slowly once or twice, surprised to hear the words in her mind
but not her ears, then said, "I am a Deltan. My species cannot read
thoughts, but we can sense emotion -- and sensations, including pain. I can
see from your face you are being stoic and brave. I can help you, if you
wish. And I assure you, I would not let you come to any harm, at anyone's
hand."
The tiniest little red haired girl with arched brows and upswept ears
reminiscent of those of Vulcan sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Niqi?”
she asked. “What’s wrong?”
The elder boy smiled slightly, putting an around the child. ~*Nothing,
Sariah. Go back to sleep.*~
“Who's she?” she demanded with a frown. “How come she’s in here?”
He actually grinned at that, glancing apologetically at Moreya. ~*She’s
visiting, Sariah. Her name is Moreya. Now go back to sleep.*~
"Your name is Niqi, then?" Moreya asked softly, after the girl's eyes had
closed once more. "They found you and your companions on the planet below?"
~*Dominiq*.~ he corrected quietly before nodding. ~*We were found aboard the
shuttle just prior to the storm.*~ Better half the truth than none at all,
he supposed.
Moreya considered, putting together the facts of their original orders, the
retrieval of survivors from the *Resurgence*, the dispatch of the team to
the planet below, and the confrontation with the Breen. The conclusion was
stomach-churning, but it tallied with some of the more alarming reports
she'd been gathering from what she liked to call her grey-matter sources.
"You ...." she began, still speaking softly. "You, and your companions, are
the so-called 'bio-weapons' we have been ordered to retrieve." She continued
before he could say anything. "Do not be afraid. I will not allow you to
be returned to Vega Prime."
Dominiq sighed, then nodded again. ~*Officially, I am called prototype 58.
Tibon are soulless creations … not truly life. We do not warrant names.*~ He
gave looked around at his companions. ~*S’Lena and T’Leara disagreed.*~
"Soulless? Not truly life? Is that what they told you?" Moreya clamped
down hard on the outrage that suggested it would be much better if she were
to start screaming and beating on the nearest bulkhead, rather than standing
still and continuing this conversation. *By all Nine Gods, someone will pay
for this*, she thought, remembering only belatedly that Dominiq could
probably "hear" her. Not that she really cared. "S'Lena and T'Leara were
correct. Anything that lives has a soul."
~*For this, S’Lena died, and T’Leara was first almost killed, then banished,
her reputation destroyed.*~ He shook his head, then warned her very quietly.
~*Assisting us rarely ends well.*~
"I do not fear monsters. Least of all the sort that can do what has been
done to you and still claim that they have a soul, while you do not. You
will be free of them." The ferocity in Moreya's voice was in sharp contrast
to its low volume. "I swear to you by my own offspring that shall now never
be born, you will be free."
Dominiq looked at her quizzically, trying hard to fathom why she should be
so moved, but didn’t respond as the youngest boy shifted and began to sob.
Quickly, he moved to his side. ~*Peace*,~ he whispered silently. The boy
calmed at once, smiling slightly as his nightmares fled.
Moreya took several deep breaths, trying to still the rage in her heart.
All too easily, it could flow beyond her own body and affect these little
ones who deserved it least. *Peace indeed*, she thought. "Something
confuses you," she said to Dominiq after a moment.
He shrugged, uncertain how to say it. ~*So many from your vessel are willing
to risk his wrath to help us. Why?*~
"Most of us believe that all sentient beings are entitled to certain basic
rights. It is one of the core principles of the Federation itself. What
has happened to you is contrary to any number of laws, principles, and
beliefs -- the very first of which is simple common decency."
Dominiq listened closely, but in the end he just seemed more confused.
Moreya thought for a moment. "May I sit down?" she asked.
Dominiq nodded toward a chair nearby where the rescued marines had rested
not so long ago, before he and Luca had surreptitiously moved them into main
sickbay.
"Let me ask you a question," Moreya said as she settled into it. "Tell me a
little about what S'Lena and T'Leara told you, that got them in so much
trouble."
~*They spoke of choices, and of the value of life … all life…*~ Dominiq
answered cautiously. ~*including ours.*~
"*Yes. And it seems to me you are having a difficult time believing this,
am I correct? Such a thought is contrary to all that you have been told and
known since you ... came to awareness. Is that so*?"
He shrugged. ~*Some life has value...S'Lena's life...it had value. Yet they
took it. T'Leara's had value. Yet, failing to take it outright, they did all
they could to destroy it. And ours...*~ Again he shrugged. ~*we are not
true life. We are constructs....Tibon. We were made to be used and
discarded. We were not made to have choices.*~ He looked down at the floor.
~*But ... they are alive ... and their lives do have value ... to me. And...
*~ He shook his head. ~*They are not just weapons. We are not just weapons.*~
He looked back up at her again, a desperation in his expression. ~*Are we?*~
"You are most definitely *not *just weapons," Moreya said, her voice quiet
but firm. "The very fact that you can consider the question is proof of
it. I understand that it is confusing to you, that you are told life has
value, and yet lives you care about have been destroyed. Consider this ... I
would suggest that those who insist that you have no value as living beings,
do not believe anyone else's life has value either."
"It has been our experience," the eldest girl spoke up, "That all claim to
revere life, but few truly do."
Moreya turned to face the girl who had spoken. "Forgive me for waking you,"
she said. "Your experience has been largely correct, I'm sad to say.
However, it would seem that some of those few, at least, are aboard this
vessel. What would you have us do?"
“Do you have any chicken?” The youngest girl piped up again, clearly
determined that the answer to that one question could solve all the problems
of the universe.
"I think I can manage that," Moreya said, turning back to face the girl
with a warm smile. "Any particular kind you would like?" She looked at the
others. "Are the rest of you hungry?"
“She likes fried chicken.” A youth who seemed to hover slightly above the
deck answered. “She’s probably not so much hungry. She just really likes
chicken.”
“I prefer it raw,” the older girl answered. “Have you a place to hunt?”
“Tiata,” the boy Klingon looking boy about her age protested. “Must you?”
“Can I have pudding?” the youngest boy asked quietly. “I like pudding.”
~*There is no nutritional value to pudding, Dra'El,*~ the eldest responded.
“Do you have any good for you pudding?” the youth amended hopefully.
Moreya laughed, a joyous, infectious sound, as she walked through the
children toward the room's replicator unit. "You are indeed all children,
nothing less," she said. "Now let me see if I can take your requests in
order -- please be patient with me!
"Fried chicken. One leg, one thigh, one wing," she began, addressing the
replicator. When the plate appeared, she pulled it out and handed it to the
girl. "I'm afraid we have no place to hunt your food," she said to Tiata.
"But if you do wish it raw, you can specify that when you ask the
replicator."
She turned to Dra'El, getting down on one knee so she could look at him
straight on. "As a matter of fact, I have a bit of a weakness for pudding
myself," she said with a conspiratorial grin. "There are a few things in it
that are good for you, and I have a recipe which adds a few more good
things. I wouldn't suggest you live on this, but it's good as a special
treat."
She stood up and addressed the replicator again. "Briusil pudding with
zerpanos milk," she said, presenting the small dish that appeared to Dra'El
with a smile before turning to the others. "Anyone else hungry?"
The hovering youth nodded. “I’d like pie please.”
“Luca,” the Klingon looking male replied.
“What?” the hovering youth replied. “If she can find good for you pudding
surely she can find healthy pie. Right?” He looked at Moreya hopefully.
“We should all eat,” Tiata stated flatly, as if to leave no room for
argument. “Desserts are fine, but something more healthy and lasting than
pudding would be preferable. Dra’El, you may have that, but you will eat
some chicken first. Luca, pie is fine, whatever kind you would like, but you
will have chicken also. Giani and Dominiq will have something without meat,
but filling and nutritious. I am open to suggestions. I will have raw targ
heart, please.”
Niq seemed to frown pensively for a moment then asked, ~*How much raw meat
can one make at one time?*~
Tiata looked startled, "I am not that hungry..."
~*No ... bear with me... Please ... if you could tell me this ... is it
possible to make ... oh say...*~ he glanced to Giani, ~*one hundred sixty?*~
Giani nodded. "Give or take..."
~*One hundred sixty pounds of raw meat ... and find an empty cryotank
somewhere aboard the ship that cannot be tracked?*~
Moreya looked from one to the other, trying to follow the conversation.
Even though the children were making an effort to project their thought so
that she could hear it, she was having trouble making sense of it.
"Any of the replicators could produce what you need," she said, "and if we
do not have an empty cryotank aboard, we could easily fabricate one. That
would make it particularly difficult to track, actually. Could you explain
to me what you have in mind? I am functioning with a less than ideal amount
of sleep, and it seems to be affecting my wits."
Niq smiled softly. ~*Forgive me. I shall attempt to explain. We are
attempting to prevent Admiral Taggert from reacquiring one other item he
procured without its owner's consent. We have managed to disable the
tracking utilities within the gestational units, but the cryotanks were not
reprogrammable. One was damaged, thus its contents, the ‘research material’
it contained, now walks safely among you.*~
He nodded toward a young blond man who was at that moment being escorted
back into Sickbay by a striking blue skinned red-head. ~*I do not believe he
would dare reacquire it openly. Yet the other remains in stasis. It is our
intent to attempt to remove it to someplace less obvious. But we must move
quickly. Admiral Taggert’s ship has already identified the signal of the
cryotank aboard your vessel.*~ He looked to the others. ~*Can you acquire
and maintain him while we replicate the correct quantity of replacement
material?*~
They nodded in unison. Luca opened a hole, expanding it slowly, carefully
with his right hand. With his left, he seemed to reach through and guide a
floating, frozen male of apparently human origin through. Tiata focused
carefully on the man, holding tightly to Dra’El and Sariah’s hands,
channeling their abilities together into one powerful entity in an effort to
sustain the life-preserving stasis of the man that now seemed to float
before them.
The man was tall and painfully thin. His dark curls obscured the better part
of his visage, but what could seen of his face appeared pale, fine-boned and
delicately sculpted. His left leg appeared to have been seriously injured,
the damage consistent with a disrupter blast. He wore the uniform of a
Starfleet engineer, and his pips indicated he held the rank of Lieutenant.
~*Quickly*,~Niq urged Moreya, who was momentarily frozen, trying to
comprehend the spectacle that was unreeling before her eyes. ~*We must
replace him with something.*~
“I think one hundred fifty pounds would be enough,” Luca advised them. “I
don’t think he weighs much more than that at all.”
Niq nodded. ~*Even better. How quickly can it be replicated?*~ He asked
Moreya hopefully. ~*We’ve sadly little time before the notice he is gone.*~
"We should also figure out where to put that," Tiata growled, indicating the
man floating in front of her. "I think maintaining him in this manner just
might attract some attention."
~*Agreed*,~ Niq laughed, amused by her surly manner.
Moreya took a deep breath. She was already beginning to think again, a plan
of action forming in her mind. "I will have the meat for you in one
minute," she told Niq, "quite literally." She faced the replicator, gauging
the size of the dispenser port. "Pork, raw, sixty-eight kilos total, in
seventeen kilogram lots." With a hum, the first lot appeared. Moreya
scooped the block onto the floor, and reached up to scoop out the next as it
appeared.
She looked toward the young man, floating in the air. "Yes, we need to take
care of that as well. Just a moment." She scooped two more lots of meat
onto the floor, then tapped her combadge. "Moreya to Biolab Three."
"Biolab Three. Ensign Herta speaking."
"Have you taken any damage? And do you have one of our cryotanks
available?"
"Yes to both. Damage is minor, though." The answer was prompt but Moreya
could hear the suppressed curiosity in Herta's voice.
"I'll explain later, I promise," she said. "Get that tank activated.
Program for one human. Call me when it's done." Without waiting for the
reply, Moreya tapped her combadge again. "Transporter Room."
"Transporter Room, Ensign Fielding."
Moreya's eyes widened a bit. She recalled that Fielding was one of the
survivors of the Resurgence. He must have stepped in to assist the Avalon's
crew during the battle. "Ensign, I need an intraship transport, and I need
it precise to ten centimeters or so. Can you do that?"
The reply came without hesitation. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. Stand by." Moreya turned to Dominiq. "As soon as the cryotank down
in Biolab Three is up and running -- which should be a matter of two or
three minutes at the most -- we'll transport the Lieutenant here into it.
We can do the same for getting the meat into the old tank, save you some
effort."
Niq nodded, drawing a slow breath. ~*Thank you*,~ he whispered. ~*I fear we
are yet weakened.*~ Closing down to the others, he admitted to her alone, ~*it
is perhaps for the best. To be without these things would be better I think.
We could have lives if we were not … like this.*~
"I think you are right about that," Moreya said quietly. "For this moment,
however, we must do our best to keep you out of Taggert's hands, so that you
have a chance at it." She tapped her combadge. "Moreya to Fielding."
"Fielding here."
"Locate the signal from the cryotank in Sickbay."
"Got it."
"Lock onto the 68 kilogram mass directly next to me, and beam it into that
cryotank."
"Aye, ma'am. Energizing." The pile of meat next to Moreya shimmered and
vanished. "Done. May I --"
"Yes, Ensign, but later. Get a lock on the cryotank in Biolab Three, and on
the adult human male in the room with me."
"Aye, ma'am." There was a momentary pause, barely long enough for Moreya to
draw a breath. "I have both coordinates locked."
"Good. Keep that lock and stand by." Moreya cut the channel, and almost
immediately the chirp of an incoming signal sounded in the room. "Moreya
here."
"Herta. The cryotank is up and running. May I -- "
"Yes, Ensign, but later," Moreya said again. "The occupant will be beamed
into the tank momentarily. Keep an eye on him and I'll be there shortly.
You know nothing about this to anyone else for now." She cut the channel
and called back to the transporter room. "Mr. Fielding -- transport the
adult male human into the cryotank in Biolab Three. Do it now."
"Energizing ... got it!" There was no mistaking the triumph in Fielding's
voice, and Moreya herself couldn't help but grin.
"Well done, Ensign. You didn't do this. Please make sure the logs so
state."
"Aye, ma'am. You should be aware that a ... uhm, a VIP transported aboard a
few minutes ago. I believe he was headed for Sickbay."
“So what do we do now?” Luca whispered, looking exhausted as he hovered a
foot above the floor. “I can’t open a way far enough to keep us safe. We
can’t get away.”
"Don't be afraid," Moreya said softly. "We're not done yet. Fielding," she
called over the still open comm link. "Think you can handle one more bit of
intraship transport?"
"No problem, ma'am."
"Good. Get a lock on all the life-forms in this room -- except me -- and
prepare to transport them to my quarters. On my mark?"
"Aye, ma'am. Locked and loaded."
Moreya chuckled. "You've got the soul of a rogue, Ensign."
"You have no idea, ma'am."
"I can't wait to hear the story," Moreya said. "Stand by." She turned to
the children. "You'll be transported to my quarters in a moment. Make
yourselves at home -- that includes getting your dinner out of the
replicators. I am going to convince the Admiral that none of you made it
off the planet alive. Any questions?"
"Why?" Tiata asked, clearly confused by the woman's willingness to help.
"Because you deserve to be free. I know it doesn't make sense right now,
but please trust me."
Niq nodded, sighing tiredly, drawing the others close to him. ~*We will.*~
"Good!" Moreya smiled. Closing her eyes for a moment, she envisioned them
all in a gentle, loving embrace, letting that emotion flow from her and into
them.
Then she opened her eyes and activated her comm. "Fielding ... mark."
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