= Padassa Trading Station - Quorum Space (Romulan Annexed) =
Rangi pressed flattened hands against the door and gave up,
releasing a long breath of frustration before turning away
and looking at the small cell with what could only be
described as despair.
The guards had thrown her inside and before she had time to
regain her feet, the door was locked and despite her calls
and her beating her fists against the door, there had been
no responce at all.
The room was small and quite dimly lit by an inadequate
overhead light with bare walls and floor. In opposite
corners were low seats, square and uncovered, too small to
be beds, yet the only 'furnishing' inside.
Along the centre of the floor was a thin black line which,
Rangi saw, ran up the walls and across the ceiling.
{Force field?} she wondered and tentatively took a step
forwards, holding out her hand.
She recoiuled immediately, shocked at the sudden harshness
of the bite on her finger tips. It certainly was a
forcefield.
She sat down on the seat her thoughts full of martin and
where Harker had taken him.
For the first time since she was in the cell, the door in
the opposite section opened and a figure was shoved inside.
He stumbled against the wall and then collapsed on the floor
in a heap. From the tattered and torn Starfleet uniform he
wore it was clear he had been held captive for a long time.
Rangi had leapt to her feet and stood staring down at the
crumpled form on the floor.
"Are you alright?" she asked slowly and moved as close as
she dared to the invisible barrier. "Can you hear me?"
At first she got no response and it wasn't clear if the man
had heard her in the first place, but then there was a
slight stirring and he managed to sit up. Moving into the
light, it became clear his face was swollen and his eyes
were closed, but there was no mistaking who it was.
"Your voice... your voice sounds so familiar," he managed to
say, speaking slowly and with strain. "What did you say your
name was?"
"Major Varis" Rangi breathed his name, hardly believing who
she saw., then regaining herself she answered. " I'm Rangi
Summers....Major...what's happened to you?"
"Summers," Liev whispered the name. It didn't seem familiar
at first, but then something dawned on him. "You have a son,
Martin?"
" Yes I do." Rangi replied and he turned his head in her
direction as though to look at her but his eyes were sealed
shut by the swelling around them. " You helped us...Shane
and me...you remember Commodore Guzman?...you helped us with
the legal aspects of Martins adoption."
He coughed heavily and the sound of it was a clear
indication he had a lung infection. Taking a rasping breath,
he asked, "Is it really you, Rangi? You're not just a trick
of my mind? I've been I remember you now... it seems so long
ago that I knew you."
Rangi moved as close as she dared to the force field. "Yes
it's me." she replied, frowning now as she saw the sorry
state that he was in. " How long have you been here?" she
asked.
"I don't know how long I've been here," he said as he leaned
his head back against the wall. "I've lost track of the
days, and every time they take me to the machine things get
so much more confusing."
"What machine?" she asked already knowing she wasn't going
to like the answer.
"They put it in my head," Liev said. He moved forward a bit
and turned the back of his head into the light, and at the
base of his skull was a small circular implant that looked
like a small plug. "When I'm in it, they make me relive my
memories, and it's so real..."
His fingers, boney and shaking, pointed to the implant which
was easy to see. It was perhaps two half an inch in
diameter,
embedded into the bone with a shaved area around it.It had
been done with great precision.
"There are others here too, others like us," he continued.
"From the Federation, from Starfleet... even Klingons, I've
seen.
This was chilling news for it meant that Harker and whoever
he was working with, must have a wide plan but before she
could ask more about it, Liev turned his sightless eyes
towards her again.
"How is Bren?" Liev suddenly asked. "Does he miss me? I miss
him... it's been so long since I've seen him."
There was a sudden life in his voice and an eagerness and
for a second or so, Rangi didnt know how best to answer.
"He's well." she said " He's away on Chimera."
Liev waited for more news and knowing the truth had to be
told Rangi said:
" Your place was taken by an imposter. I met him..I thought
it was you..in a turbo lift but he was a Chameloid. Major,
for however long you've been here, the imposter was living
on Unity. I don't know if Bren suspected anything but I
can't think that he did. I'm sorry."
Liev nodded his slowly and remained quiet for a few moments,
frowning. "I feel very tired now, do you mind if I go to
sleep for a while? Will you still be here when I wake up?"
"Ofcourse i don't mind." she said feeling a great sense of
helplessness wash over her. " Try to rest and yes, I'll be
here when you wake up."
He turned away, took a short step then knelt down stiffly.
She stood watching him, assessing him, but she powerless to
help him at all. The forcefield barred her from physical
contact and there was nothing to make his part of the cell
anymore comfortable than her own.
He lay down on the cold floor and didn't say anything
further. The only sound he made was the sound of shallow
breathing.
After a while Rangi moved to the small platform amd sat
down. She continued to watch Liev, listening to his breaths
which were interrupted now and then by a rasping cough but
he remained curled up on the floor in a foetal position ,
his back turned to her and as the hours passed, noone came
near.
= End Log =
Commander Rangi Summers
Medical Advisor
-
Major Varis Liev
JAG Officer
[NPC by Bren]
-
1st Task Force, SSF