Redivivus- Ch 6

Redivivus

By HopefulRomantic

Date: 3-4-08
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise is the property of CBS/Paramount. All original material herein is the property of its author.
Series Summary: The Reconnecting series is a reinterpretation of Season 4 that went AU shortly after Home. It focuses on the relationships of Trip and T'Pol and their extended family, and features characters introduced in Season 3, as well as original characters.

A/N: Thanks to pookha for her always-intriguing musings, which helped fill in some Skagaran backstory for me, and to my betas Stephanie and boushh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Six: Belonging

September 15, 2154
NX-02 Columbia
in the Expanse, orbiting planet designated DEL-0309-M

Lorian was roused from his meditation by the light touch of a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Karyn smiling down at him. “Your meeting with Captain Hernandez is in fifteen minutes,” she said.

He took a deep breath to regain full awareness. “She moved it up?”

“No,” Karyn replied gently. “You’ve been under for two hours.”

He looked at the wall chronometer in surprise. It had seemed like only minutes...and he was in no better shape than when he began.

“Another headache?” she asked.

He nodded. Ever since his growing empathic ability had begun manifesting through touch a month ago, he had been experiencing difficulty coping with the firestorm of emotions he was able to sense from others. In the last week, he had even begun picking up on emotions over short distances, if they were particularly vivid. Trying to maintain his still-fragile mental shielding was exhausting—and it made his head hurt.

Karyn moved behind him and started massaging his neck and shoulders. It felt wonderful. For a moment he allowed himself to relax into her touch...and almost at once, his fatigue began to overwhelm him. Errant emotions started to drift into his mind from all directions—

With an involuntary shake of his head, he dragged his shields back into place and refocused, until he could feel only Karyn’s calming presence. He clung to it like an anchor, steadying himself.

“How long do you think you can keep this up?” Karyn’s voice was mild, but he could feel her concern.

“I will have time to recuperate once our assignment here is completed,” he replied.

“Spoken like a true Vulcan,” she observed dryly.

Lorian sighed. “If only I were.”

“Excuse me.” Karyn wrapped her arms securely around him, resting her chin on his shoulder as she nestled her cheek against his. “I’m perfectly satisfied with you just as you are.”

He held onto her, comforted by the warm mental embrace of her reassurance as much as by the feel of her arms around him. “Still, it is unfortunate that my empathic talent is progressing more quickly than my ability to master it.”

Her lips brushed softly against his temple. “You’ll get there, love.”

They stayed that way, holding each other, letting a few minutes melt away with the meditation candle’s flame. Karyn’s breath caressed his cheek like a balm, her nearness soothing the pain in his head and the fatigue in his body. When they finally separated, he felt remarkably refreshed. He regarded his wife with an intrigued smile. “How did you do that?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Never underestimate the restorative power of good old-fashioned bonding.”

“Indeed. Perhaps I should meditate this way every morning.”

“Fine by me.”

They kissed each other, a slow, lingering communion that seemed to energize Lorian even further...as well as put all sorts of ideas in his head that merited more follow-up than present time allowed. Reluctantly, he drew away from her. “If we do any further bonding, beloved, I’ll be late for my meeting.”

She giggled. “Can’t have that.” She pulled him to his feet, and they left for the bridge together.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Captain’s Starlog, supplemental. Lieutenant Commander Ballard has set up shop in an old boarding house on the outskirts of North Star, large enough to accommodate his entire facilitation team, as well as their communications station, lab and vehicles. A permanent comm link has been established with Earth via Echo IV, and the outpost has been stocked with three months’ worth of supplies—more than enough to last until the first transports begin arriving from Earth. To help the population get better acquainted with their ancestral homeworld and its recent history, Ballard’s team has installed audio-visual databases—similar to those used at visitor centers and cultural landmarks on Earth—at a number of settlements.

-----

Captain’s Ready Room
NX-02 Columbia

Hernandez scanned the report with a thoughtful frown. “Am I reading this correctly?”

“The data is preliminary and partly anecdotal,” Lorian replied. “A complete survey will need to be made, but it appears that a significant number of the populace has no interest in relocating to Earth.”

Hernandez set her padd down, intrigued. “Explain.”

Lorian deferred to the officer sitting next to him: Charlie Ballard, the head of the team of scientists, sociologists and instructors that would remain on the planet to help the humans prepare for their transition to life on Earth. Ballard said, “Many of these people have remained as fiercely independent as their pioneer ancestors, who were abducted, lock, stock, and horses from their wagon trains as they were en route to the then-undeveloped American Southwest. After they regained their independence following the Uprising, they established homesteads on this frontier, much as their forebears had planned to do on Earth in the mid-19th century. They’ve put down roots here, put their hearts and souls into the land. They’re accustomed to the wide open spaces and self-sufficiency that this life affords them, and some prefer to keep it, rather than start over on another already-crowded world.”

“At least the task of transporting, repatriating, and mainstreaming several thousand out-of-step humans will be a slightly smaller logistical nightmare,” Hernandez noted. “How is the orientation going?”

“The databases are a big draw,” Ballard smiled. “The local teachers in each settlement have been very helpful, acting as liaisons, operating the databases, fielding questions and so on. Through them, we’ve received many requests for materials and training to take advantage of various technological advances in transportation and communication. There have also been a lot of inquiries about living relatives on Earth. The teachers have been given a number of family trees for tracing, which we’ve passed on to Dr. Ellis, our geneological whiz.”

“Very good.” Hernandez paused, pursing her lips wryly. “And have the humans found a...how shall I put it...a more enlightened perspective regarding other species?”

“To a certain degree,” Lorian answered. “The need for tolerance has been acknowledged, if not wholeheartedly embraced, throughout the settlements. After Enterprise departed last year, the residents of North Star instituted a number of laws that guaranteed the Skagarans certain basic freedoms. Several other towns have followed suit.”

Hernandez sat back thoughtfully. “What do the Skagarans expect to get out of this, I wonder, if anything? Have they talked to anyone yet? Made requests or demands?”

“My people haven’t mentioned anything,” Ballard said.

“From what I have observed, they still seem quite wary of confiding in humans,” Lorian noted. “Or Starfleet.”

“I’m sure they don’t miss the indentured servitude, or the middle-of-the-night lynchings,” Ballard muttered, shaking his head with disgust.

“I wonder how they’ll react when they realize some of the humans will be sticking around,” Hernandez said.

Ballard grimaced. “Something tells me they won’t be inviting each other to the Saturday night square dances any time soon.”

“What a mess.” Hernandez sighed. “We’ve been down this road before, too many times. There’s no just compensation for a people who have been oppressed for centuries, but we have a responsibility to try to set things right.”

“It would be useful to learn the Skagaran perspective on this matter,” Lorian said.

Ballard chuckled doubtfully. “It would be useful to get them talking at all.”

Hernandez smiled thoughtfully. “I’ll wager there’s one human they’ve been confiding in. More or less human, anyway.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

North Star

Bethany couldn’t stop marveling.

As she called up the next database entry on the request list—city life, again—she felt the same thrill as the big display screen lit up with those breathtaking views of Earth’s cityscapes and their wonders. Buildings high enough to touch the skies, cities that went on for miles, flying machines and ground vehicles that transported folks faster than the eye could follow. She never tired of watching the sights playing on the screen.

The little moving pictures on the data padd that Captain Archer had given her, those had been jaw-dropping enough. But this database screen that Lt. Commander Ballard and his people had set up in her schoolroom—it was like looking through a picture window, with Earth right on the other side, so close and crystal clear that Bethany imagined she could reach right through and touch it. It was like that book she’d read to the children by Lewis Carroll about Alice and the looking glass.

Folks had been flocking to town ever since word spread of the return of the Starfleet people and the installation of the Earth information database in the schoolhouse. Bethany had been practically living at the school ever since. She spent her days running the database and answering questions about Earth history during the Time Away. Then, come nighttime, after the humans had gone home, the Skagarans would drift in from the dark—nervous, frightened, needing to talk. What’s to become of us? they would ask. When the humans leave, will they take everything? As word had begun to spread that some of the humans would be staying on, the Skagarans got even more scared. What if Starfleet leaves us alone with the ones who stay on? This isn’t their world, after all. What if it goes back to the way it was before, after the Uprising? What if we lose the right to learn, to marry, to be whole people?

Bethany tried to reassure them, telling them that the Starfleet folk were here to help everyone, not just the humans. But it was hard for Skagarans to trust them. To a people who had been persecuted for centuries, humans were humans.

She had hardly seen MacReady at all for days. There were so many strangers in town, acting up, misbehaving. They were as bad as Uprisers. MacReady had hired on new deputies, but he still had his hands full.

It was past five, and the schoolroom still pretty busy with the curious and the just plain awestruck, when Bethany put on the database entry for modern-day ranching. As the vid’s narrator was talking about how the naturalist movement was the quickest to recover after the devastation of the third world war, Bethany spotted MacReady’s familiar black-clad frame in the doorway, silhouetted by the late-afternoon sunlight. She sidled over to him as the vid continued to play. “There you are, stranger!” she whispered with a smile. “Where’ve you been?”

“Busy,” he replied in the same low tone. “Lotta new folks in town today.”

She shook her head in sympathy. She knew that was his code for a lot of humans who ignored the signs posted at the town borders reading TOLERANCE LAWS STRICTLY ENFORCED. Funny how Skagarans could read the signs just fine.

“But what about today?” one of the onlookers asked aloud as the vid ended. He turned to Bethany. “Isn’t it all advanced now, like the cities?”

With a grin, MacReady waved Bethany away. She headed back up front. “The naturalists exist side by side with advanced technology on Earth nowadays. Both are vital and productive, serving the wants and needs of different segments of the population. There’s room for all views and all kinds there.” She started up the next vid, which was on medical advances.

As she returned to MacReady’s side, she saw that he was studying her. “You like it, don’t you?” he said.

“What?”

“Earth.”

Bethany smiled. “I’ve been teaching about it for most of a year. It’s starting to feel comfortable, like I know the place.” She looked at the display screen. “But it’s still a wonder to finally see it, really see it. Not just teeny little pictures of it. How about you? What do you think?”

“I haven’t had much chance to look at the stuff here...” MacReady nodded toward the screen, which was showing the gleaming glass and metal interior of a modern-day hospital. “But it seems a mite too noisy and newfangled for the likes of me.”

“Pshaw!” Bethany responded good-naturedly. “We’re all three hundred years out of date.”

“It’s not just that,” MacReady maintained quietly. “You’ve heard how some people are gonna stay on here? This world is just a better fit for them.”

She didn’t know why, but she felt disappointed. “You think you wouldn’t fit on Earth?”

“It’s not as if I were, say, a teacher.” He gestured to her. “You’ll always have a purpose and a place, no matter where you go.”

Bethany got the impression that he was sad, somehow, though he was trying to hide it. “Wherever there are men and laws, there’s a need for lawmen,” she offered.

MacReady took off his hat and fingered the well-worn brim. “Bethany, I’m forty-one years old. Look at the kids those Starfleet people have ridin’ shotgun for ’em. They’re younger, faster—they can fight like nothing I ever saw. What good is a flintlock when you can have a Colt?”

Bethany drew MacReady to a back corner of the room. “Mike MacReady, I’ve never seen you run from a challenge or a fight,” she admonished him quietly. “You’re as determined a person as—well, me. And just as stubborn. A peaceable planet full of new-fashioned gadgetry and newfangled people won’t be much of a stumble for you. There’s always private security, isn’t there? Somebody looking for experience and savvy rather than callow youth and brute strength? You could—”

“Woman, you are stubborn,” he broke in.

She saw that he was smiling a little, at least. That’s better.

“I suppose you’ll be on the first spaceship over there, won’t you?” he asked.

Bethany hesitated. She hadn’t told MacReady about her folks down in South Point—her mother teaching Skagarans openly now, after years of schooling them in secret, and her father, who had gone to live in Skagtown after being disowned by his family for falling in love with a half-breed and wanting to make a life with her. No one here knew of Bethany’s Skagaran blood. Casually, she shrugged. “I hadn’t really given it much thought.”

“What?” MacReady blurted, causing a few heads to turn their way. “You? Miss Positivity, champion of Earth? Isn’t this what you’ve been expecting? Planning for? Bags packed?”

She knew he was only half-teasing. “I have a purpose here,” she replied. “Teaching the children, educating people who’ve waited forever and a day for the right to learn—”

He scoffed. “You’re not the only teacher.”

She felt her dander rising at his attitude. “I don’t see any humans stepping up to do the job. And how many Skagaran teachers are there? Oh, that’s right—educated Skagarans have been against the law for three hundred years.”

“Starfleet’ll have teachers,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Skagarans don’t trust Starfleet enough yet,” she snapped. “Why are we fussin’ about this?”

“I just don’t want to see you throwin’ away your future!” he said, his voice rising.

“I wouldn’t be throwing it away!” she shot back in exasperation. “I’m a teacher!”

“You’re human!” he declared.

Bethany couldn’t believe what she was hearing. MacReady had defended Skagarans, protected them, done right by them for nigh onto a year. Did he still think of them as Skags? A lower form of life?

“Is that so important?” Her words came out sounding more wounded than she had intended. It surprised her.

He stared at her for a long moment. “Why the hell are you asking me that?”

At that moment, Commander Lorian entered the schoolroom. He pulled up sharply in the doorway, as if he’d collided with an invisible force. After taking a deep, slow breath, he quickly began scanning the room. It was then that Bethany noticed the display screen was conspicuously blank: the vid had ended. Even worse, more than a few people were casting curious glances at her and MacReady. Oh, lord. Their argument must have gotten louder than she realized.

When Lorian saw Bethany, he made his way over, calmly ignoring the stares of the onlookers. “Miss Dolan?”

Bethany was only too glad of the interruption. Putting a smile on her face, she turned from MacReady to the officer. “Good day, Commander. What can we do for you?”

Lorian nodded politely to MacReady before replying to Bethany. “Miss Dolan, Captain Hernandez would like to speak with you, if you have time to spare.”

“Of course,” she said smoothly. Craning her neck, she searched the crowd until she spotted Draysik up front, staring at her like the rest of them, a handful of pictures from the photo catalogue clutched in his hands. He had been a godsend these past two weeks, tirelessly helping her out here, as he had soaked up information about Earth like a sponge. “Draysik?”

Dropping the photos in the catalogue, he threaded his way through the crowd to her, eager as a pup. “Yes, Miss Bethany?”

“I need to go out for a while. Would you mind taking over for me?”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Sure! I mean, no ma’am, I don’t mind at all!”

“Good.” She squeezed his shoulder in thanks. Barely giving MacReady a glance—for, in truth, she didn’t know what to think of him at the moment—Bethany left with Commander Lorian.

-----

“The Skagarans are afraid, pure and simple,” Bethany said. She paced around the dining table of the converted boarding house, still too unsettled by her earlier conversation with MacReady to sit. “They think that when the humans leave who are leaving, Starfleet will abandon this world, and the humans who are left will take over again, just as they did three hundred years ago—another Uprising, with Skagarans all but killed off, or reduced to virtual slavery.”

“No,” said Captain Hernandez, seated at the head of the dining table. “Starfleet is well aware of the humans’ mistreatment of Skagarans over the centuries, and we wish to make amends.”

“That’s why we’ve asked you here,” continued Commander Lorian, sitting at Hernandez’s right hand. “You have the trust of these people. Doubtless they have discussed with you the issues they deem of prime importance to them during this time of transition. In addition, you offer the unique perspective of being part Skagaran yourself. You may know better than anyone what needs to be done to help correct the injustices perpetrated on them.”

“They just want the right to live as people,” Bethany said. “To be educated, to be able to call each other husband and wife, to own land, to be treated fairly. They need to know that the Tolerance Laws will be respected and enforced everywhere, not just here and South Point.”

“We’re committed to helping make that happen,” Hernandez said.

For the first time since she had arrived, Bethany relaxed a little, allowing herself a small smile. “That’s good to know.” Her smile grew wry. “It’ll be even better when the Skagarans see it with their own eyes...y’know, lawmen, schools, and suchlike.”

Hernandez returned her smile. “Understood.”

“There’s a powerful need for schools to teach Skagarans basic education, of course,” Bethany went on, “but I’ve been thinking on the idea of a school of higher learning, too...a college. A place for folks to learn what they need to move forward from here on in, instead of standing in the same place, the way they’ve done for the last three hundred years. And I don’t just mean Skagarans—this would be a school for anyone to attend.”

Lieutenant Archer was sitting on Hernandez’s left. Introduced to Bethany a week ago as a “distant relative” of Captain Archer, Karyn had the same quiet confidence as the captain of Enterprise. She grinned at Bethany now. “I think we may have our college founder right here.”

Bethany’s eyes widened. “Me?”

“You’re more knowledgeable about Earth than anyone else here,” Karyn reasoned. “You have a clear notion of the skills and knowledge that would best benefit Skagarans—and humans too, for that matter—so designing a curriculum is within your purview. And you’re a local. Skagarans and humans alike are familiar with you, even look up to you.” She turned to Hernandez. “She could work with Starfleet instructors until she trained her own.”

Bethany found an empty chair and sank into it. Her head was spinning. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Hernandez nodded thoughtfully. “The idea has promise.” She smiled at Bethany. “You come highly recommended. We’d be glad to give you any guidance you might need. If you’re interested, that is.”

“At least somebody’s asking me.” Bethany put a hand to her chest; her heart was pounding. This was an exciting, terrifying, wonderful prospect—more than her parents had ever dreamed for her. Hell, she’d get them in on it too—drag them up here to help her put it together, to join the teaching staff. They would be in hog heaven. Bethany found herself nodding, even though she was still more than a little trepidatious. “Okay,” she told the captain. “I’m in.”

-----

Lorian and Karyn escorted Bethany out of the boarding house. Unlike her earlier lively brainstorming with the Starfleet personnel, the schoolteacher was now unusually quiet. Whether her pensiveness was due to the new responsibilities she had agreed to take on, or something else, was uncertain.

As Lorian opened the door for her, Bethany brushed briefly against him. He let her exit ahead of him, then murmured in a low voice to Karyn, “I sense disquiet in her.”

“About the college?” Karyn whispered back. “I think she’ll do fine.”

Lorian shook his head. “I doubt that’s the problem. It is the same emotion I sensed at the schoolhouse. Not concern...it feels more like heartache.”

Karyn nodded, then moved ahead, falling into step beside Bethany. The teacher was walking with her arms crossed over her chest, her head hung low.

“How are things going in town, with the database and all?” Karyn asked.

“All right, I guess,” Bethany answered quietly, without looking up. “Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

Bethany shook her head. “It’s nothing. Really.”

Karyn merely continued walking along with her, as Lorian trailed behind them. After another pause, Bethany said, “Just something somebody said to me a bit ago, comparing humans to Skagarans.”

“Lorian tells me there are a lot of strangers in town,” Karyn commented. “There are bound to be some less-than-enlightened people.”

“Folks who look down on Skagarans, I don’t pay them much mind,” Bethany said with a dismissive shake of her head. “But this man...” Suddenly, she looked terribly sad. “I thought he was different. I thought he’d changed.” She looked down at her feet as she walked on. “Surprised me, is all.”

Karyn glanced back at Lorian, who raised an eyebrow. That, and the compassion she felt from him through the bond, confirmed what she suspected: this man was the reason for Bethany’s heartache. She had affection for him.

“He lives in North Star?” Lorian asked her.

Bethany nodded. “Sheriff MacReady. He’s been their protector...and my friend.” Emotion was palpable in her voice now.

“Bethany...he sounds like more than a friend,” Karyn said gently.

Bethany stopped and stared at her, clearly taken aback. “Oh lord, I never thought of him as...” Then she sighed. “But I guess it wouldn’t have stung so, unless it were true.”

“Does he feel the same way about you?” Karen asked.

“I haven’t the vaguest notion how he feels,” Bethany answered with an ironic laugh. “It’s work enough to get him to string a sentence together with me, much less speak his heart.”

“I gather he has no knowledge of your heritage,” Lorian said.

“Nobody knows,” she replied. “I’ve been hiding it most of my life. My parents wanted it that way, so I’d have a chance at a better life—a chance to give others a better life.”

Lorian pondered in silence for a moment. “From what I have observed, the sheriff is a staunch defender of all Skagarans.”

Bethany threw up her hands in frustration. “That’s why this doesn’t make any sense!”

“Perhaps there has been a miscommunication due to this insufficiency of information,” Lorian concluded.

She blinked. “You Vulcans sure have a way of takin’ a step back to get a look at a thing, don’t you?”

“Dispassionate analysis is a hallmark of my people,” he acknowledged.

“What your parents asked of you is understandable,” Karyn said. “It’s given you a chance to help others. But sometimes secrets can obscure more important truths.”

Bethany looked from one to the other. “So you’re saying I should ‘fess up to him?”

“It can’t be any worse than you already think it is,” Karyn pointed out.

Bethany sighed. “That’s true enough.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bridge
NX-02 Columbia
Orbiting planet designated DEL-0309-M

“Captain,” Delgetti said from Tactical as Hernandez and Karyn exited the turbolift. “A ship just dropped out of warp.”

“Let’s take a look at it, Lieutenant,” Hernandez said as the two women took their seats. The viewscreen lit up, showing the approach of a sleek, compact ship.

“It’s Xindi,” Delgetti reported.

Karyn was staring at the ship. “Xindi Primate,” she said. “A Councillor ship.”

Hernandez turned to her. “You recognize it?”

Karyn leaned closer to the captain, dropping her voice. “Councillor Mallora was in a ship like it when he found us.”

“Mallora? Degra’s successor, isn’t he?” Hernandez was impressed. “He found your ship?”

Karyn nodded. “We didn’t know about Degra at the time. We didn’t even know if they’d come to rescue us or vaporize us.” Karyn shuddered reflexively at the memory. “Those first few moments were awfully tense.”

“Perhaps they’ve learned something about that Illyrian ship.” Hernandez thumbed the comm panel on her chair. “Bridge to Lorian.”

“Here, Captain,” came a baritone voice behind her. Hernandez turned to see Lorian emerging from the turbolift.

“How did you...” Hernandez began. Then light dawned. She glanced to her first officer’s bondmate. Karyn shrugged a bit sheepishly. Hernandez turned back to Lorian. “Shall I simply dispense with using the comm altogether, Commander?”

“Not at all, Captain,” Lorian said. His expression was utterly serious, but his blue eyes twinkled mischievously. “Shall I dispense with acting on my own initiative?”

Hernandez arched an eyebrow in a picture-perfect imitation of Vulcanesque annoyance. His response was a tiny Lorian-smile.

“The Xindi ship is hailing us, Captain,” Yarrow said.

Hernandez gave Lorian a “saved by the comm” look before nodding to Yarrow. “On screen, Ensign.”

The viewscreen display switched to the interior of the Xindi vessel, and the personable ebony countenance of Mallora of the Xindi Council. “Captain Hernandez! We meet at last.”

“Greetings, Councillor Mallora,” Hernandez responded with a smile.

“It has been far too long since we’ve had the opportunity to speak with our Starfleet friends, and I—” Mallora peered past Hernandez. “Is that Captain Lorian with you?”

Lorian looked to Hernandez, who nodded. He nodded a greeting. “Commander Lorian now, Councillor. I serve as first officer aboard Columbia.”

Mallora nodded solemnly. “Ah yes, we were informed of your Enterprise’s demise upon her arrival at Earth. I am sorry.”

Without even looking, Lorian could feel all eyes on the bridge turning to him, could feel the waves of shock without needing to reach out to sense them. From Karyn, there was amused mortification. Hernandez was unreadable—she exhibited remarkable self-control—but he assumed she would be annoyed at the extensive paperwork that would doubtless result from Mallora’s unfortunate choice of words. Lorian maintained an expression of Vulcan calm as he replied, “She served us well.”

“True enough.” Mallora focused his attention on Hernandez once more. “Permission to come aboard, Captain? I have good news for you.”

“Permission granted, Councillor,” she replied. “We look forward to seeing you.”

The viewscreen blinked back to its exterior view—and an instant later, Orlov at the science station said, “Captain Lorian?”

“There was another Enterprise?” Delgetti added with interest.

Karyn swiveled around to face Hernandez again. “Looks like the security clearances of the bridge staff just took a big jump,” she murmured.

“As if we really could have kept this a secret,” Hernandez muttered. “What was the brass thinking?” She rolled her eyes. “Time travel gives me a headache.”

-----

From his seat across the conference room table, Mallora gave Lorian and Karyn a warm smile of congratulations. “Even in the midst of saddest tragedy, there can come unexpected joy. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together, and the blessings of Those who watch over us all.”

“Thank you, Councillor,” the couple replied in tandem.

“Now it’s your turn, Councillor,” Captain Hernandez said. “How have you and your Xindi brethren been faring?”

Mallora grew somber. “It was a dark time at first. We learned that Dolim and the Reptilians had plotted to seize control of the Council, with the Insectoids as their allies. Both were nearly thrown off the Council altogether. However...we were all humbled by the Guardians’ deception. Better to pull together and learn from our errors rather than be fractured by them. It was finally decided to give the Reptilians and Insectoids a lesser voice in the Council until they have earned the trust of the others once more.” He smiled faintly. “They are chafing under their probationary restraints, but behaving.”

Hernandez nodded. “A promising start.”

Mallora’s serious mien gave way to a more upbeat expression. “And now to the business at hand. We received a report yesterday from one of our communications trackers. A Xythian ship ran across the Illyrian research vessel Rykos in open space two months ago, while returning home from a cargo run. They found the crew alive and well, more or less, though thoroughly sick of Starfleet rations, I understand.”

“I’ll bet,” Hernandez chuckled with relief. “Thank God they were all safe.”

“The Xythians took the Rykos in tow and transported the Illyrians to their homeworld.”

“They’re home?” Karyn broke into a joyful smile. “That’s wonderful!”

The captain was only partially satisfied; unfinished business remained. “They still deserve our personal thanks and an apology, for a start. Councillor, if you have information on the location of Illyria...”

“I thought you might ask.” Mallora reached into a pocket and produced a small data rod. “Coordinates of the planet, along with a few particulars about the governing body, the High Chancellor, local culture, and protocols for visitors.”

Hernandez gave him a charming smile as she accepted the data rod. “Thank you.” She glanced at Lorian and Karyn. “Let’s just hope the Illyrians don’t shoot us on sight.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

North Star

Main Street was dark and quiet by the time Bethany approached the schoolhouse to collect her things. She saw light flickering through the window, though visitors were usually long gone by this hour. Draysik was probably waiting up for her.

She entered—but to her surprise, MacReady was the only person in the schoolroom. He was watching one of the database vids. She recognized it: parklands of the American Southwest. Folks had requested that one more than any other.

Hearing her come in, he glanced briefly at her before turning back to the sweeping vistas of cactus-strewn desert pictured on the screen. “That’s where they were when the Skagarans took them.”

“I know,” she said. “Is that why you’re here? To watch vids?”

He rose and shut off the display, leaving the room in darkness, except for the light of the single lamp on the desk. “Draysik wanted to wait up for you, but he was dog tired. I told him to go on home.”

Bethany crossed behind her desk. “You don’t have to look after me. I can take care of myself.”

MacReady clouded over. “I didn’t mean—” he began sharply, before stopping himself. Carefully, he began again. “I know you can. But you seemed disgruntled about somethin’ when you left. It felt like we were fightin,’ even though I don’t know what about.”

Bethany kept her eyes averted as she packed her carpetbag. “You’re the sheriff, Sheriff. You’re no stranger to disgruntled folks.”

“It’s different when it’s you.”

“Why should it be different?”

“Because it just is,” he said, sounding annoyed. “What did that Starfleet captain want?”

“She wanted to know the Skagaran perspective on this whole situation.”

“Why didn’t she ask a Skagaran?” he said dryly.

Here goes nothing. Bethany took a deep breath, then turned to face him. “She did. I’m Skagaran.”

MacReady stared at her—whether in shock or revulsion, she couldn’t tell. She looked away, shuffling several books between her hands. “Partly, anyway. My grandmother. My folks live down in South Point...well, the place outside South Point that used to be their Skagtown. They call it Dalee’ya now—that means ‘hope.’ My father educated my mother, and she passed on what she learned to other Skagarans, in secret. When I was born, my parents saw that I could pass for human, and they thought it was a sign that I was meant to do something more, maybe make a difference. They taught me all they could, and when I was old enough, they sent me away, here to North Star, to live as a human and do what I could to continue what they started.”

Finished, she finally ventured a look at MacReady. His face was an unreadable mask. She couldn’t help but think the worst. He sees me differently now, as someone...something...less.

After what seemed like forever, he spoke. “Well. That explains a few things.”

It certainly didn’t sound much to her like a vote of confidence. “Such as?”

MacReady shrugged faintly. “Well, you’ve always seemed different from other folks.”

Bethany shut her eyes as the hurt inside her flared up. She dumped the last of her things in her carpetbag. “I had no idea I was so inept at passing for human.” Her voice sounded snappish to her ears.

MacReady squinted at her in exasperation. “I don’t mean like that! I mean different like Huck Finn, in the way you look at things.”

That was something. But Bethany still felt self-conscious and confused, and the hurt hadn’t gone away. She picked up her bag. “Fine. Now that your curiosity has been satisfied, I won’t waste any more of your time.”

He looked baffled. “Now what the hell are you talkin’ about?”

“You should know,” she said impatiently. “You said it yourself—I’d be wasting my time if I stayed here to help the Skagarans, rather than going to Earth. You still look down on them. On me.”

“That’s not what I meant at all!” he retorted. He tore off his hat and slapped it angrily against his thigh, sending up a faint cloud of dust. “Confound it, woman, it’s hard enough talking to you when you don’t twist my words all inside out!”

Why wouldn’t he just say what he meant, for pity’s sake? Bethany wanted to scream. “Then kindly talk plain to me, because you’ve got me all mixed up!”

“Not half as mixed up as you’ve got me!” he fairly roared. Jamming his hat back on, he stalked past her, toward the door. “When you straighten your head out, give me a holler. I am done tryin’ to figure you out today.”

“Mike.”

He stopped, his hand on the doorknob.

“Tell me what you meant,” Bethany said quietly. “Please.”

Slowly, he turned back. Looking her in the eye, he said, “I don’t think Skagarans are a waste of time. I just don’t think it’s fair for you to give up your dream, is all.”

Now what the hell is he talking about? “My dream...?”

“Goin’ to Earth.”

She looked blankly at him. “Where’d you get that idea?”

He threw up his hands. “From you, dammit! You’ve been moonin’ about Earth for months!”

Oh lord, here we go again. “Well, yes,” Bethany admitted. “But that was to give myself the leverage I needed to keep on teaching the Skagarans. And to give folks a reason to better themselves, to make progress, not just keep doing the same thing they’ve been doing day after day, generation after generation. Earth is the future, and these people have to start catching up.”

She expected more fireworks. Instead, he looked almost...hopeful. “Then you’re not...?”

“Goodness, no. I belong here.” But then, as she watched a smile appear on his face, Bethany began to feel bent out of shape again. “Well, that’s a fine way to act, looking all happy-like,” she said indignantly. “Are you that glad I’m not going with you?”

His smile vanished, replaced by befuddlement once more. “Me? Go to Earth? Why’d you think that?”

She sighed. “We talked about it. This afternoon.”

“You did most of the talkin’,” he drawled. “Fact is, even if I lucked into a place where I was wanted on Earth, I don’t think I’d ever find anyplace there where I was needed. Here, it’s another story. Who knows what it’ll be like six months from now, or a year? I’ve been hearing talk from some of the Skagarans—they’re not exactly comfortable with the idea of a couple thousand independent-minded humans staying on here. I suppose there’ll be Starfleet people around, but the Skagarans need folks they can trust to look out for ‘em. This world isn’t much, it needs a lot of work. But it’s home. Hell, the only reason I even thought about leaving at all was because—”

Abruptly, he stopped and looked down, his black hat brim nearly hiding his face. He ran the back of his hand along his chin. The gesture had a sweetly nervous look to it.

Bethany’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be? She’d seen him defend the schoolhouse against half a dozen Uprisers, armed with nothing but his Colt and his determination to uphold justice...but now, in the lamplight’s warm glow, with no one else around but her, he looked nothing like that fearless paladin.

“Because...?” she asked, her voice hushed.

The hat brim rose, and she found herself looking into his sky-blue eyes. “Because I thought you were goin’ there.” The corners of his mouth quirked up in a faint smile. “I’ve gotten used to you.”

She crossed to stand before him, taking one of his strong, calloused hands in hers. “I’ve gotten used to you, too.”

“I’m glad we talked, then.” He cocked his head wryly at her. “And it’s safe to say I’ve done enough talkin’ to last me a good month.”

With a smile, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. His mustache tickled. “Then it’s settled.”

He slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “Talk less, teacher lady.”

Chapter 7

Return to Chapter 5

Return to The Reconnecting Series MENU page.

Back to Fan Fiction Main Menu

Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS!