Dreams of the Past
Posted on 12 Oct 2020 @ 2:55pm by Lieutenant JG Samantha Cavendish
Mission:
M1 - Emergence
Location: Samantha's Cabin
Timeline: MD4 - early
1420 words - 2.8 OF Standard Post Measure
It was dark in the small cabin on the crew deck. Samantha had fallen into a deep and restless sleep, despite working to almost exhaustion.
And found herself deep within the past as soon as she fell asleep.
It had been 2 years of freezing cold, and bitter deaths. Two years for Samantha as she struggled to keep herself sane, two years of barely edible food and water and struggling to keep others alive. It was morning, her guess probably march now on earth, 2385. Not sure of the date. Samantha stood at the mouth of the ice caves looking out over what, if it had been anywhere else, any time else, and she had been warm, would be a wonderful snow covered vista. This sucked. Samantha wondered how much longer she could keep going. It was harder at night to curl next to the next person for warmth, harder in the morning to eat the minimal food they were given. Harder to... have the will to survive.
Stamping her feet and rubbing her arms Samantha turned back into the caves and sighed. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never... Rescue. It was a dream Jacques Hammond, the former XO of the Jean Luc spun for them each day. Maybe he believed it but she didn't.
For a year Jack had chased leads and done things he wished he hadn't even known about let alone done and in the end it had cost him his cover with the Orion cell he had been in cover with. He had been forced to kill the 12 man team to get out alive but he had gotten the information. Now aboard the USS Keller, a Galaxy Class cruiser on his way to a Breen planet in the middle of no where. A ball of rock and ice where more then 700 people had been imprisoned. Even after a year of gathering evidence the council had then spend too long getting the Breen to admit they even had them.
Jack now stood in the 10 forward lounge and looked out the window as the white ball grow bigger, he had been thrown from the bridge by the Captain in command after he (jack) had made a few remarks about his mother. The man had insisted on running a 3 days sensor scan at the edge of the system just to make sure they were alone as agreed. Idiot had been on of the words used along with a few more colourful ones. "I wonder if he is still annoyed?" he asked himself.
"Carter, get to the transporter room if you want to go down" well there was that answer. He wasn't the first to beam down to the planet but he would be next. In his thick over coat and bundle of blankets he carried he stepped upon the transporter pad.
Samantha was half way back to the camp when she heard the whine of a transporter. Thinking it was the guards, and knowing that if she was found alone.. it would be bad, Samantha dove behind an ice column, but she was slow, and as people appeared, they most certainly saw her slim form dive for cover.
Carter had indeed seen her, he started making his way towards her when their Marine escort stopped him and asked Jack to wait while he checked it out. They were in combat armour that protected them from the cold and any weapons fire. Looking back at this encounter sending a Marine that had a passing resemblance to the Breen guards might not have been the best idea but at time time it had seemed the best course of action.
Samantha curled up shivering against the ice column trying to make herself smaller, She ducked her head to her knees and prayed as the heavy footsteps came closer and closer still.
The Marine was sweeping the area looking for what ever it had been he'd seen. It wasn't Breen and he was sure it had to have been one of the prisoners but they had gone, He was no sign of whom ever it was and his heat vision was messed up. He glanced back at Carter and shrugged "No Breen here" he said.
Nodding Jack moved forward, he moved around the rock in a wide arc leaving plenty of room. "Hello" he said loudly, "I'm Jack... Jack Carter we're here to help. He could have been talking to a local monkey for all he knew.
Samantha's head flew up in shock. Jack? Really? Scrambling to her feet, shod in torn and worn boots she skidded around the pylon and stared in disbelief. "Jack?!" She got out through shocked lips. Her gaze found him and she was running towards him gasping out his name.
The wind and snow made it hard for him to hear her but they were clearly human and their slight build suggested a female. She was running towards him, the Marine brought his rifle up but Jack waved him away.
Samantha all but jumped the last few meters unable to contain her surprise and joy and disbelief. "please be real" she whimpered as her arms wrapped around him tightly.
She had bowled him over and he flopped on to his back with her falling on his chest, "Samantha?" he asked looking at her, she was thin and dirty but could it really be her, " I thought you were dead"
She shook her head her eyes closed. After a moment of hugging him tight, she sat up, straddled him and slammed her fist into his chest. <"You're Late!"> She said in his native tongue. "What took you so long!?!" Tears rolled down her face.
He bundled her up, sitting up and pulling her to him. He didn't tell her what he had gone through, he had had the scares removed, the ones that could be seen anyway and this wasn't the time. "I'm here now" he whispered and kissed her cheek.
Samantha shuddered. "Good... h-how did you find us?" She whispered as she tried to get her mind around the fact that they were here, and they were going to be rescued.
He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around them, his coat would keep his ass warm while they sat on the snow and the blanket would keep her close to him and warm. "After the Breen stamped down on Orion activities in their boarders the Orion's, they had being gathering dirt on them. I managed to my hands on some information about some starfleet prisoners being held in Breen space. I found you"
Samantha took a steady breath. "The .. others... they a-all believed Starfleet would find us... I wasn't sure .. i admit." She looked at him. "I... there are only 211 of the Jean Luc's crew left... they... will want to see you..."
"There is a ship in orbit and a dozen teams are already on the planet" he told her "They are being rescued now, you need to come back to the ship with me so that i can keep you safe"
"ok" Samantha said softly. "I don't think I'd let you leave me here anyway." She gave a small shy smile. <"Good to see you Big Brother">
<"And you little sister"> he gestured for the Marine to help them up and then he called for a transport. The two of them were stood together wrapped up in a thick blanket snow swirling around them. He looked into her face taking in all the details like it was the first time they had met.
Samantha clung to him in silence as they were beamed up to the rescue ship. The tears had left grimy streaks on her face and she really was having trouble believing this was happening. She kept her eyes focused on his chest as they appeared on the transport Padd. A real ship. No dream.
A Medical crew rushed in and tried to take her away from him, "No" he said, his voice full of steel. He put his arm around her waist and lead her towards the doors. He would have to leave her again, but not yet, not until he knew she was safe.
Samantha just let him guide her to where she had to go. Her grip didn't loosen. At all.
Sam sat upright in her bed. It had been months since memory dreams had swamped her. Why were they coming back now?
