Screaming Rebel
The Samaritan's Dilemma - Part 6
by Douglas E. Kulp
(codename.doug@gmail.com)

Synopsis:
Princess Nearleen was rescued from certain death in the nick of time. But how can you save some one who lost her soul?

The Samaritan's Dilemma, Part 6
When the Stars Have Voices

She looked out the massive bay windows, expecting to see the sea. All she saw however was a strange night sky with the stars moving away from them. She didn't even see any horizon.

"I don't understand, I thought you said we were on a ship? Where is the sea?"

"This ship is made to travel between the stars," Captain Ezekiel said.

"Than I am dead..." Nearleen said as she backed away.

"Trust me, you aren't dead," Ezekiel said.

"Only the Goddesses or the dead may explore the stars," Nearleen said as she continued to look out at the retreating streaks of stars.

And then she saw one star that didn't retreat. It seemed to turn and move closer towards them, like a commit. She backed away from the window even further. But Captain Ezekiel didn't show any signs of concern at all. As it closed, she began to hear it, with the light consisting of thousands of voices shouting in the distance.

"Is that normal?" she asked.

"Perfectly," he said, "This ship was built to ply the vast valleys of the dead and dominions of evil. As long as you stay on the ship, they can't harm you."

But the commit continued to charge at them, with the voices becoming louder and more audible. She could even make out some of the voices, her grandmother, her father, suitors who died in the war.

As it closed, the voices became defending. She tried to force them from her mind, but their whispers thundered to a painful level and she was forced to cover her ears.

Suddenly, the window exploded outwards, and a great wind filled the room. Theo ghost like hands began to blow into the room like trails of smoke. And still Captain Ezekiel showed no sign of concern.

Nearleen tried to run, but the ghostly hands proved to be quite formidable. They tangled up her legs tripping up her retreat and began to drag her out of the window and into the vast lands of the dead. She screamed as she was ripped away.

=/\=

Nearleen erupted with a defining shriek as she exploded awake. She sat up in bed and gasped in her panic, far beyond any state of rational. But her surroundings were dark and silent. She was alone again, in a mostly dark room that was only lit by a pale red lamp that had been placed above the door, giving her just enough light to see with, but not being so bright as to make it difficult for her sleep.

A wave of dizziness fell over here when she realized she was hipper ventilating again. She forced her self to breath steadily, and to cage the terrors conjured by her own mind. It was the same nightmare. Even though the dreams implications remained imprinted into her soul, its emendate impact on her heart began to fade into the silent darkness around her.

Even though she had no place to go, she could no longer stay where she was. Nearleen tossed aside her blanket, and stood up. And then something magical happened, the room lit up, as bright as day, making her question the hour of the day. The captain said that she was being watched at all times. But ever sense she was brought here, she had been alone, so how could this be? Never the less, the room always seemed to anticipate her needs. When ever she asked him a question though, he only gave credit to some being or deity known to him as "Technology." It was one of the many words her magic pendent could not translate for her.

There was an anti-chamber that consisted of a small water closet. Unlike her stay in the hell that was the Orion domain, this one offered some privacy and a small measure of comfort, and even water, though not enough to bath with. Just enough to wash one's hands and face with, and even then the amount of water was carefully rationed. The captain said they were on a ship, so perhaps they had to keep a tight rain on the use of water to preserve enough for the length of the voyage.

She placed her hands under the dispenser, wondering of the magic of the room would see fit to offer her another helping of water. It agreed. It closed off the drain of the basin, hummed for a moment, and then filled it with a about a handful of water, which she used to splash on her face. The water was hot, as if it had been taken off a fire, but not so hot to burn her self. Their seemed to be magic every where, and she had only been given a taste of luxury that was far beyond any pampering she ever received at home.

Perhaps that was part of the problem. Here she was, being waited on hand and food by magic beings that she could not see nor sense, even as every one else who had depended on her had died such a horrible death. Would they some how since that she did not belong here, and some how retaliate?

While Captain Ezekiel told her that their were "riggers of space travel" that she was not use to, some of which could present a grim end, he still assured her that a "Technology" named "Computer" would deny her access to any thing even remotely dangerous. This unfortunately did not set her at ease. Computer did not sound like a deity she would want to anger, but as yet she had not been given any means of appeasing or appealing to its benevolence. All though she had only met Captain Ezekiel, and Doctors Grim and Tanya who were charged with healing her, they seemed completely cavilers, even thoughtless towards the Great Computer.

When the magic has sensed she was finished with the water, it opened up the drain on the basin, and took the spent water away. She pressed her hands together in a respectful posture. "Thank you for the water, Great Computer," she offered. She may not know how to appease the Great Computer, but her mother said that basic civility is always appreciated.

She put on some of the basic clothing that they had offered her, and then put on the magic pendent that Captain Ezekiel had given her to ware so that she could understand what was being spoken to her.

She then went to the foyer of her room, and waited just before the door that led into the hall. There she steeled herself for her next big step. Would the Great Computer allow her to leave?

She stepped towards the door. The Great Computer sensed her desire to leave, and granted her request by pulling aside the door for her with a soft swoosh. She paused with uncertainty for a brief moment, fearful that it might slam closed on her, but it remained open. She stepped through into the foyer of her room, and watched in amazement as it close behind her. She again pressed her hands together to thank the Great Computer.

Perhaps that was why the crew seemed to cavalier to such an obviously powerful being. Just how practical was it to say a prayer every time you passed through a door or stepped into a room?

The ship was full of luxury; even the corridor was full of comfort and decadence. The floor was covered with a deep red, fur like covering, easing every step. The walls were made of a finally polished wood grain with polished steal trim. And there were pictures of stunning night time vistas of colored sphere, floating rocks, and far away suns. They only seemed to remind her of just how lost she felt.

She crossed the hall and was about to confront the same door that the Captain of the ship had brought her too, that contained the bay windows that looked out the back end of the ship and the many streaks of light that were retreating away.

But as she stepped closer towards the door, she thought she could hear the whispers speaking to her on the other side. Perhaps it would be unwise to tempt the reach of the stars, so instead she decided to check the other doors. Six others let too rooms very similar too her own, consisting of a foyer, bed chamber, and water closet, all though some held one large single bed rather than separate bunks.

But one door opened up into little more than a closet, one that was empty. This puzzled her as she stepped in; surly on such a ship, space was an equal premium. As she wondered inside, the doors suddenly closed behind her, trapping her inside.

"Hello," a voice said as a panel on the wall lit up, "where can I take you?"

She looked at the panel, placed just about at eye level height. On the other side was the face of a very beautiful, all be it an alien, woman with fair skin, long hair, and a dazzling smile. But something about this woman did not seem... real. She touched the woman's face, but even though she blinked in time, she didn't respond to her touch.

"Um, can you take me home?" she asked the woman meekly.

"I am sorry, that is beyond my ability. Where can I take you?" the woman said.

"Where can I go?" she asked.

The woman disappeared, and the panel was replaced by an animated diagram of the ships layout. About half of the area had been shaded gray, likely indicating that this where she would be denied passage. The white areas were explained with script that she could not understand.

"Well, I am hungry," Nearleen said.

"I can take you to deck four, aft section where the cafeteria is located. It will be the first door on your right as you step off the turbo lift," the woman's voice said as a room on the diagram was suddenly painted in green. "Do you wish to go to deck four, aft section?"

"Yes, I would," Nearleen said.

She suddenly felt the room shift, making her unsteady on her feet. She had no more than registered her balance when the doors opened for her again. Just outside, she saw another young girl with facial fetchers exactly like her own, dressed in a thread-bare maid's uniform.

The girl suddenly screamed and lunged at her, grappling Nearleen by the throat. But when she reached up to pry the girl away, her hands found nothing. Opening her eyes, all she saw that she was alone again.

"Please have a nice day," the woman in the window said.

Even more uncertain than before, she stepped back out into the hallway. But clearly a different hallway than the one she left. She saw the first door on the right and went to it as the woman had instructed her. Again the door yield for her, letting her into the room on the other side, and into a chamber of chaos.

Apparently, a number of the crew was already, all of them dressed in the same white uniform, with only subtle differences. And currently, half of them were arguing with the other half over something she didn't understand. They were yelling something about interfering, and a prime directive. Some of whom looked vary unearthly, even daemon like. What sort of place was this?

The room itself was slightly larger than the quest quarters with the window, and was mostly filled with five round tables, each with five chairs each. Along the far wall were several large oval shaped windows that showed the stars streaking past outside. There was also a large window connecting the galley to the dinning area that had a selection of meal options on display.

"Ah this is wonderful! Wonderful!" some one said as he appeared just on the other side of the galley. He quickly made his way though a door to greet her more directly. "What a present surprise to have you come to my kitchen. Given your trying ordeal, please permit me the privilege and joy of pampering you."

"What?" Nearleen said.

But he didn't hear her because the argument raging around her was too loud for her to speak over, especially with her demure voice. This one the ire of the chef who struck the first crewman with a damp dish rag.

"You brutes, your quarreling has generated a bad impression," he shouted. "Ba, let them quall, I shall take you to a better place."

With that, he gently took her by the hand, led her through the kitchen, and into a dinning hall. At last she found a place that was some what familiar. It was another room at the very aft end of the ship, with large windows looking aft of the ship, all though not nearly as large as the bay windows in the quest quarters. The room was dominated by a large polished wood table with twelve chairs placed around it, with only one chair at each end of the elongated table.

"How insufferably rude of me, I have not introduced myself," the cook said, "My name is Eneas Chappell, Chef for the crew and passengers of this sturdy and capable craft. And I will be happy to serve you today. And you perhaps have a name?"

"I am Princess Nearleen Oury'A, daughter to Queen Nearleen Zaymori," she said, "All though I suppose that means nothing to you."

"A princess? Oh no mon-charierie, that means a great deal to me indeed. This makes it a special honor; for you are the first royalty we have had onboard the Screaming Rebel."

With that, he stepped up to the table and pulled out one of the chairs, and motioned for her to sit down.

"What are you doing?" Nearleen said.

"Why, I am pulling out the chair for a most beautiful woman," Eneas said, "It is a Human custom for the men to pull out the chair for her, and to gently push her to the table when she is seated. Please, be seated."

She complied, sitting down in the chair. He then gently pushed her to the table. He quickly left and returned with table settings consisting of a crystal glass and silverware. While he worked, he continued to hum a pleasant yet energetic tune. He then did something else that was strange. He produced two candles, placed them on the table, and lit them with another magical device.

Nearleen was no stranger to candles of course. But Eneas didn't light enough candles to produce any sort of useful light, not that it was required for the room was magically well lit as it was, rendering the candles as little more than a decoration, which seemed kind of dangerous. "Computer, please play a random selection from Eneas' play list number four," Eneas said. There was a beep, and suddenly the air was magically filled with music that seemed to echo about the very air.

He disappeared again, only to return with a pitcher filled with water and another wonder; small cubes of ice.

"I have prepared something special, specifically for you, exactly what the doctor ordered," Eneas said, "If you will permit me just a moment; I will go and prepare it for you. In the mean time, enjoy the ambiance." He then retreated back to the galley, with the Great Computer closing the door behind him, and leaving her alone once again.

She found herself again looking out aft of the ship, and of the brilliant streaks, hypnotized by the passing of the stars. Could they truly be moving between the stars? Was what Captain Ezekiel said about going to another star true? All the times she looked up into the night sky and wondered of the possibilities, she never imagined her dreams were even possible, let alone that they might actually happen to her.

Then she thought heard someone behind her. But turning in her chair, she saw that she was still alone. So she turned back to watching the stars fly by.

She heard the sound again, loud enough that she leapt from her chair. She would have knocked it over except it was attached to the floor. But turning around, she still didn't see any one. It sounded like the sound came from the outside the window.

She stepped closer, thinking she might see something. But she didn't see any thing, not even a horizon. Bellow the ship as far as she could see were just more stars racing past. The only thing she could see were two massive booms that had a blue glow to them towering over the ship.

She heard the sound again, and it was defiantly coming from beneath the window. Pressing her face against the glass, she continued to look down to see if some one was just outside.

Suddenly three gaunt looking presents popped up and exploded through the window, sending shards of glass flying in all direction as they howled in rage. The impact knocked her backwards, and sent her scrambling away from the window as she screamed in terror.

The door opened and Enead rushed in. He wasn't alone, several other crewmen rushed in, answering the shriek. Nearleen managed to get back to her feet and took shelter behind Enead.

"Don't let them take me!" she shouted.

"Don't let who take you?" Enead said.

"The peasants in the window!" she said. But as she looked again, she saw that no one was there. In fact, the window was still intact and unmarred. "Some one was just outside."

"That's impossible," one of the other crewmen said, "No one can survive outside. It's a total vacuum, you would decompress instantly out there without a space suit."

"Decompress?" Nearleen said, "You mean you would die?"

"Yes, it's a horrible death," Enead said, "The walls and doors of the ship insure that inside is always pressurized. It's why they automatically open and close, to insure and monitor against even a slow loss in air pressure to space. Kyle is right, it is absolutely impossible for any one to be outside the ship.

She looked again. But instead of just seeing the stars, she saw the images of a number of people drifting outside, in agony. She screamed again.

=/\=

Nearleen was still shaking when Tanya stepped up to her.

"Here, this will help you relax," she said as she pushed some kind of magic wand to her arm. There was a soft hiss and the magic spell worked almost instantly, she could feel her mussels become soft and weekend, ending her shaking and calming her nerves. Tanya was ready and helped her to lean back against what she called a "bio bed."

"How... how did you do that?" Nearleen asked.

"The hypospray? It works by delivering drugs through an aerosupension delivery system, eliminating the need for needles," Tanya explained, "But you don't understand any of that, do you." Nearleen could only shake her head. "Can you tell me any thing about what is frightening you?"

"There... were people, some times they attack from outside the ship, some times they attack me from inside. But when I look again, they are always gone, like the ghosts I see in my dreams," Nearleen said, "I can hear them whispering, calling me home."

"What kind of people?" Tanya said, "Like us?" Nearleen shook her head.

"No, they are like me. But they aren't like me... I think they are... are... poor," Nearleen said.

"Poor? Do you see any one you recognize?" Tanya said.

"No, I recognize none of them," Nearleen said.

"They aren't the people, whom you were taken with, were they?" Tanya said.

"No. I would know them," Nearleen said, "Or at least I did know some of them."

"What do you remember before you were taken?" Tanya said, "Any friends or family?" Nearleen closed her eyes to concentrate, but she kept shaking her head as she became more and more frightened.

She could recall things and places; she could see the mountains and the sea, the tall and proud ships in the harbor, even holidays and parties. But she could remember little else, nothing that told her who she was, or where she came from.

"I can't remember any thing," she cried in a growing panic.

"Shhh, just relax and stay calm," Tanya said as she rubbed her shoulder in a soothing fashion, "It's OK, every thing is going to be OK."

"The dead are after me," Nearleen said.

"Shhh, no one is after you," Tanya said, "you are safe here."

"The dead are after me. The stars are where the dead reside. I hear them; I can't get away from their voices. Surly you of all people would know this. I should have died with the others, and now they are coming after me," Nearleen said with growing hysteria.

"Calm down," Tanya said as she gently pushed Nearleen to lean back into the bio-bed to relax. "I promise you, we will get through this. You're not alone any more, Nearleen. You have people who are fighting for you, I am fighting for you. You just have to trust me, and relax. Take nice, deep breaths. Just do what I do. Breath in..."

Nearleen finally relax against the bio-bed and took in a deep breath ash Tanya showed her.

At that very moment, the door opened and Captain Ezekiel walked and then offered Nearleen a very warm smile as he came up to her bed side.

"How are you doing?" he said. Nearleen sighed gently.

"I am doing better," she said.

"I thought that you might need some help, so I went to your room to get your angel," he said as he held up the frosted glass male angel for her to see.

"Thank you," she said as she smiled back from the gesture.

"I will put him right here on the night stand," Ezekiel said.

"We will be right back. I am going to go and discuses your treatment with Doctor Grim. I hope to have some answers for you when I come back," Tanya said.

She and Ezekiel left the treatment area and into Doctor Grim's office. Inside, Doctor Grim was sitting at his desk doing research on his computer terminal.

"How is she," Ezekiel said as he turned to look back at Nearleen through the office window.

"Don't answer him," Grim suddenly said as he turned around from his desk.

"Excuse me? As captain, I have a responsibility to every one on board my ship," Ezekiel said.

"As a Starfleet Captain, you do. But you aren't in Starfleet any more. Here, Nearleen has a right to privacy. In the event she is unable to make an informed decision regarding her welfare, the final decision regarding her treatment rest in the hands of her physician," Grim said.

"Now wait just a minute," Ezekiel said, "I have an obligation to the security of this ship and the stability of her crew. That means I have to know what her condition is."

"Why?" Grim said, "She hasn't shown any sign of aggressiveness or hostility, in fact quite the opposite. It's obvious that she doesn't represent a threat to the ship in any capacity."

"It's not you're decision to decide what dose and dose not represent a threat to this ship or crew. Every day the mater of the Prime Directive is debated, this crew becomes more and more on edge, and even hostile to each other. Nearleen's disposition could present an abrasive factor to the wellbeing of the crew," Ezekiel said.

"Unless I suspect you have an ulterior motive regarding her welfare," Grim said.

"Exactly what are you implying here?" Ezekiel said with a growing sense of indignity and frustration.

"I am not implying any thing, Captain," Doctor Grim said as he used his cane to stand up from his chair to confront Ezekiel. "You violated her quarantine," Grim said, "I suspect you have an agenda at work here that compelled you to make contact with her. Perhaps you feel that she may be able to enable your mission to Goggine. The consequence is that you may have irreparably crippled her psychological recovery."

"No he didn't," Tanya interrupted, "The point of putting Nearleen in isolation was to give her an opportunity to acclimate to a stable environment."

"You said that could take days," Grim said.

"If she had been abused for an extended period of time," Tanya said, "Studying her injuries, she couldn't have been abused for any longer than three weeks. In any regard, she is clearly able to interact with her environment. Right now, she needs interaction, as much as we can give her."

"What do you mean," Ezekiel said.

"She is having lucid nightmares, but she only has them when she is left alone. Right now what she needs is to be engaged with other people in order to better distract her from her trauma," Tanya said, "she is also experiencing a lot of anxiety from all of the advanced technology around her. She needs to be given an education so she can better deal with her environment."

"So she is from a less technologically advanced world," Ezekiel said, "Do you have any idea exactly how primitive?"

"She is primitive enough that it is safe to say that she is protected by the Prime Directive," Grim said, "We are prohibited from educating her about advanced technology, especially if she is to go home again."

"How do you figure that?" Ezekiel asked, "The Prime Directive speaks to protecting cultures and civilizations, not necessarily individuals."

"Besides, we don't have a choice. That sort of isolation is a form of abuse in and of itself," Tanya said, "She doesn't have a way of getting home, there is no telling just how long she will be with us."

=/\=

Nearleen continued to focus on her breathing as Doctor Tanya had coached her. But as time passed, and as she began to feel more at ease, she began to study the room in greater detail. At first, she began to become nervous that she had been left alone again. But she could still see Tanya, Captain Ezekiel, and Doctor Grim in the anti-chamber through the window talking to each other. She then turned her attention to the interesting artwork hung on the wall that showed very recognizable water colors of children playing with cute fury animals.

"You're telling me that she can never go home?" She heard Tanya shout from the other room.

"The law will not allow her to go home," Doctor Grim said, "She gave up that right the moment she was taken by the Orions."

She couldn't go home?

The news hit her like a blast of cold wind. And yet, she already knew this to be the truth. She was dead; it was only that these people interrupted her gurney to the green sun soaked fields. She was being tempted by a life that she no longer deserved to have.

With this realization, her fear returned, gripping her heart like a runaway stampede of horses. The whispers of the dead began to make them selves heard once again, sowly becoming louder and louder, until once again she was forced to clamp her hands over her ears in a futile effort to keep them out.

Suddenly, the voices fell silent when she felt a firm yet genital grip take her hand.

When she turned, she saw that the frosted angel had come to life. Even though his face was alien, his features were still very striking, and very handsome. His eyes were worm and compassionate.

"Be not afraid, for I am here to take you home," he said.

"Home?" He nodded softly.

"It is time to go home. You have only to take one more step, and the life that was your journey will be complete. You will find peace.

"But if I die here..."

"Shhhh, it is okay. I have spoken with the Goddess. You asked me to open the gates for the deserving and gentle souls whom you failed. She has granted your request, there is but one more deserving soul to bring home. The gates remain open... for you. Come with me, and I will take you home."

Nearleen pushed herself off the bio-bed, and left the sick bay. In a corner of the hallway, she found another one of the closets that served the great computer.

The vestige of the Great Computer once again appeared in the small window. "Hello," sh said, "where can I take you?"

"Please Great Computer, I want to go where I can leave this ship," Nearleen said.

"I can take you to the hanger bay, deck one, aft sections," the Great Computer said. It again displayed an animated diagram of the ship that showed her the location of the "hanger bay" and she felt the room shift slightly under her for a slightly longer trip. When the doors opened again, she found herself in a small room that was full of lockers. And directly in front of her was another door.

But stepping to it, the door refused to yield, offering her the same unpleasant buzz she heard with the guest quarters.

"Oh please Great Computer, I beseech thee," Nearleen said with pressed palms, "surly you are as wise as you are powerful. If this is so, than you know I do not belong here. I beg you. Let me pass." But the door still did not open, "Oh please great computer. This is a mater of life and death."

"-Beep beep- emergency override acknowledged," the Great Computer said. And with a grinding whoosh, the heavy door opened.

=/\=

"She is an individual," Ezekiel said, "The Prime Directive is not applicable in this case. You can't just impose your own interpretation on to the law."

"She can't be allowed to contaminate the society of her home world," Grim said, "The Prime Directive clearly prohibits us from even assisting some one else in doing the same thing."

"Bridge to the skipper," Lie said over the ships intercom.

"This is skipper," Ezekiel said as he tapped a wall panel.

"Skipper, did you order the shuttle bay door to be opened?" Lie said.

All three of them looked through the window into the sick bay to see the examination table unoccupied.

"Bridge, override the shuttle bay door, close it," Ezekiel said as he and Tanya rushed into the hall, "Nearleen is in there!"

=/\=

The bay was a long room that spanned the width of the ship. About a third of the space was taken up by a pod that looked something like a carriage, currently chained down to the floor so that it wouldn't move. Perhaps this carriage could also travel to the stars, like the launch of a ship.

But Nearleen did not care about such things any more. She was focused on the large door at the aft of the room. The controls for opening the door were simple enough, consisting of a safety latch and a large red lever. There was a snap as an energy field formed over the opening, along with the blearing of an alarm and fleshing red lights. But she wasn't frightened; in fact the aura of danger actually put her at peace as she watched the Great Computer opened the massive and clearly extremely heavy outer hatch, revealing the streaking stars on the other side.

It was truly an awe inspiring view.

Suddenly, the hatch began to close. She frantically looked around for something to jam into the hatch. She found a red cylinder of some kind mounted on a clip. Grabbing it, she scrambled on top of the carriage in order to reach the hinge of the hatch. But the force field prevented her from inserting it into the joint. She reared back and rammed it through the force field, and into the joint. The hatch clamped down onto the cylinder, and it exploded. And suddenly, the entire room seem to broil in its own kind of panic and alarm.

=/\=

Ezekiel and Tanya emerged from the tubolift on deck one, just in time for the lights along the shuttle bay to start flashing red and a new alarm sounding off. Both of them approached the door, but it refused to open for them.

"Skipper to bridge, report!" Ezekiel shouted into the wall com panel.

"Skipper, she has jammed a fire extinguisher into the joint of the hatch, and now the hatch will not seal," Lie said from the other end, "Even worse, the extinguisher is compromising the integrity of the atmospheric retention force field; it could fail completely at any minute. I have a two percent loss of pressure in the hanger bay and climbing. The main entry has been locked out."

"Override the lock out," Ezekiel ordered.

=/\=

"Override the lock out, eye eye," Lie said, "Teddy, get that door open. Mr. Stunn, drop us out of warp and bring us to a stop, and stand-by auxiliary atmosphere," she ordered as she took a hand peace from clip mounted on one of the consoles to make an announcement on all deck. "Attention all hands, hull breach in progress in the shuttle bay! This is not a drill! Hull breach in progress! Hull breach in progress!"

=/\=

Most of the crew had gathered at the cafeteria and were in the process of being served dinner when alarms and flashing red started to go to off in every room and deck.

"Attention all hands, hull breach in progress in the shuttle bay! This is not a drill! Hull breach in progress! Hull breach in progress!"

Every one instantly dropped what they were doing, even spilling their food as they each rushed to a nearby cabinet. With a practiced control, one by one they each one took an emergency life support belt and put it on.

In engineering, Natch and the two other technicians scrambled too help each other put on nine point life support harnesses and oxygen tanks, again with a practiced calm but with a clear demand for hast.

The same seen was being played out on deck one, just outside the hanger bay as Ezekiel and Tanya also scrambled to put on emergency life support belts from a nearby locker.

=/\=

It worked; the hatch could no longer close, even the force field was having difficulty. Nearleen could not go home. She stepped forward, and into the field. But it held and pushed her back. For of the arcing even electrocuted her. She this didn't weaken her resolve.

She forced herself back up to her feet and through herself against the field again. And again it held, throwing her back even further. But she could feel that it had a spongy consistency, she could force her way through it.

She managed to push herself to her feet again, and was about to make a running charge when her ears popped. The sudden change in pressure was painful and she doubled over. But she again forced herself back to her feet, and gathered her strength for one more charge against the field.

=/\=

"Come on, what's keeping you!" Ezekiel shouted.

The door suddenly opened. There was a sudden change in pressure and both of them were literally blown into the next room. As he scrambled to his feet, he could see that the retention field was sputtering, having difficulty maintaining the field's integrity around the jagged edges of the crushed fire extinguisher. He also saw Nearleen posed to charge the retentions field. If she hit it with enough momentum, than she would pass through. So he poured on the speed, and tackled her to the floor, just as she sprang from her crouch.

He then pulled her along, trying to pull her back towards the turbo lift.

Suddenly, the retention field failed, only for a moment. But that was more than enough to shift the air in the bay and dragging them closer to the field.

Nearleen began to scream in agony as the drop in pressure began to become painful as she was desperately gasping for air, and eventually passing out. The first thing he did was clip an extra life support belt around her.

The retention field continued to sputter on and off. His Starfleet training kicked in and he began to crawl across the deck on his stomach to minimize his wind load as he pulled him self across by hand while dragging a struggling Nearleen with the other, but without a better grip, it was all he could do to keep from being blown out into space.

As the air continued to get thinner, the alarms began to become quiet and Tanya's encouragement began to fade into the silence.

Just then, the engineering team showed up. They quickly threw him a rope and dragged him and Nearleen to safety. Their harness had radios, allowing them to coordinate. They quickly pushed the three of them back into the side chamber with the turbolift, and closed the door behind them.

There was a rush of air and sound as the pressure stabilized, and allowing the life support belts to turn off. Nearleen continued to gasp for air, but Tanya looked her over and realizing that she was now bleeding from her ears and nose as a result of the sudden pressure changes.

"We need to get her to the decompression chamber. Now!" Tanya said as she held open the turbolift door.

"You don't need to tell me twice," Ezekiel said as he scooped up the little girl and ran after her.

=/\=

Captain's log:

Damage to the shuttle bay was minor; Natch is tweaking the outer hatch as I speak. We should be back underway within a few moments.

As for Nearleen, she is now making a full recovery in the decompression chamber. At least she is making a full physical recovery, psychologically however, may be a much longer story.

The decompression chamber had a small window that showed the stars outside. This time, they had stopped and were just standing out there, twinkling, like a vast night sky.

Behind her, she heard the air lock hiss and click open. Turning, she saw Captain Ezekiel step in with a covered dish and a breathing mask exactly like her own that let her breath in the thin air. He was also carrying Enead's covered dish. The room was small, so he had to place it on a nearby shelf.

"Hi. The doctor says that you will have to stay in here for a few days so that you can better recover. And then there is Enead who is saddened that you didn't get a chance to enjoy your 'special meal'," he said as he lifted the cover from the plate. "Scalloped potatoes and ham, they are actually quite good."

Without a smile, she returned her attention back to the stars outside.

"I am not supposed to be alive," she said to the window, "Please let me go." Ezekiel took in a deep breath and released one of his trademark sighs as he saw down in a chair next to her bed.

"There was a time when I thought that too," he said, "I... use to be in the military, when my ship was attacked by some one shouldn't have been able to. I managed to beam... to get sixty seven of my crew to shore. But because of my own egotism and piety, I condemned forty four of them to death. In the end, they threw me into the dungeon, where I became weak and sick. I had resigned myself to death, and that resignation brought me a great deal of peace. And then I was robbed of my own death when my people found me and took me to safety again. It takes a lot of courage to let go of life in the face of certain death. I am beginning to learn that it takes just as much courage to let go of death in the face of certain life." Those last few words captured her attention because these seemed especially relevant.

"I don't belong here," she said as she turned back to him. "Every thing is alien to me. The Great Computer frightens me, and I do not know what I must do to appease him, or to not invite his anger. I am not sure I want too, if it means forgetting about the Great Goddess," she said, "All I want is to go home. But you won't let me; your law doesn't allow it. So I have nothing to live for."

"No one is asking you to give up the Great Goddess. In fact, if you want, I can use our... magic, to create any thing you desire to continue worshiping her," Ezekiel said, "And as for 'the Great Computer' is no deity; it's a machine that only doses what it is told to do. As for going home, I promise you; I will do what I can to help you get home; even if it means breaking the law. Any law that prevents you from going home doesn't deserve to be respected. But in the mean time, I need you to try and embrace life, even if it is this one. Can you do this?"

She didn't answer.

"Nearleen, as hard as it may seem, you are not alone. Every one on this ship is part family, and you are its newest member." She blinked and continued to study the stars.

"They are beautiful, aren't they," she said, "Looking at them like this, its hard to believe that my forbearers called this place the land of the dead."

"They are not entirely wrong," Ezekiel said, "space is an extremely cold place. Oh, I almost forgot, I have something for you?" With that, he started to fish in his pocket.

"Not another angel," she said.

"No, it's not another angel," he said, "It's something that is far more real." He produced a very strange looking object that was about as long as her finger that he had mounted on a small stand. It was sleek looking, but she did not recognize it."

"It's a model of the Screaming Rebel; I thought you might like to know what the ship you're on looks like. That it might answer a few questions. Maybe it will even become a little home away from home, if you let it." She looked at it, and decided that the gift was a nice one after all, and finally offered him a smile.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Ezekiel said. With that, he turned to leave the chamber, again leaving her alone again. She returned to looking out at the stars again. They looked different this time. Before, when they were moving so swiftly, it was hard for her to believe that they were the same stars that she saw when she looked up into the night sky at home. But with them so still, twinkling in the darkness, it was not hard for her not to see the same stars. And she wondered which one of the, might be the home of The Great Goddess.

Without warning, they suddenly began to move. There was a flash of light and the stars elongated into their moving streaks once again as they resumed their journey to where ever it was they were going.

For a brief moment, she thought she could here the whispers of the people whom she had left behind just outside, beckoning her to take her rightful place with them in the land of the dead. She ignored them, and instead held up the small model up to the window so that it seemed to be traveling through the stars with her. And suddenly, the whispers of the dead were not quite as loud as they were before.