Post 473: The Kindness of Strangers

Stardate: 71005.2230
Title: The Kindness of Strangers
Author: Lt. Commander Lair
Scene: USS Alchemy, Sickbay
Time: Following "Battle of the Sexes"
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"Lair to Salvek."

[Salvek here,] Salvek's eyes never moved from the girl restrained by the forcefield as he answered the hail. [Is everything all right, my wife?]

*She is the leader's wife,* Maffe thought to herself. *He speaks to her without affection in his voice, but also without disdain. What kind of male is this Sal-vek?*

"We're all just peachy. Reece's pieces are being put back together, Grace has a hairline fracture of her jaw and cheekbone that the EMH is tending to as well, and I think Ensign Biggs just accidentally violated the Prime Directive by replicating some food for a. . .guest."

[I see. I will join you momentarily. Salvek out.]

"I didn't mean to," Simon began, but Lair dismissed his words with a wave and then put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'd have fed her too, Simon. We just have to contain the situation."

"What else can your computers make?" Andara Maffe asked, peering into the replicator panel as if it held the answers to all the problems in her universe. "Clothing? Shelter?"

"Let's talk about that after Commander Salvek gets here," Lair said, gently ushering the woman away from the replicator. "Tell me, please, how many of you are there on our ship?"

"I sent at least a dozen of our fastest, strongest people to raid your ship," Maffe looked somewhat embarrassed by this fact now. "My apologies," she seemed to be asking with her eyes if she could refer to Kellyn by some title or name.

"Lair Kellyn."

"My apologies, Lair Kellyn. Honestly, we did not expect to find anyone alive after surveying the damage from the outside."

"But you found at least two people alive before you began looting." Another voice spoke now, contradicting her. A male voice.

Maffe jumped as she saw a tall, thin man with dark hair and pointed ears standing behind her where there had been no one previously. "But how did," Her words died as she also took note of the "blue being" that had been described to her earlier, and saw that young, headstrong Vran appeared to be in custody of that blue being.

"Vran, are you injured?"

"No, Andara, they did not harm me. They put up some kind of invisible walls around me, I could not climb them and I could not escape. I am sorry." The girl spoke for the first time since she'd been caught, and she lowered her eyes. "I have failed you."

"No, no," Maffe consoled her gently. "We were not prepared to find so many people here."

"Whom," Salvek asked, turning to Maffe and discerning that she was the leader of this group of thieves, whoever they were, "are you, Madame, and why were you stealing from our vessel?"

"We are only trying to survive, Com-," She stammered over the unfamiliar word, "Comm-ander Salvek. We did not mean to take anything you could not do without. We have so many to clothe and feed, and I see now that you have the ability to do all of that by means of magic beyond my mind's ability to comprehend."

"Magic?" Salvek's eyebrow shot upward.

"That would be the Prime Directive issue that I warned you about," Kellyn whispered softly. "She witnessed a replicator in use."

"That cannot be helped now." Salvek did not bother to ask who, or how, or why. He knew they had bigger problems. "I would like to help your people, in any way that we may render aid for your emergency needs. But first I would appreciate some information from you."

"Please, I will speak to you, but the sun will be setting soon," Maffe warned. "The surface temperature at night is not survivable here. We must be allowed to return to our shelter. Or is your ship able to withstand such howling winds and snow?"

Salvek looked at Lair, who bit her lip, considering. Knowing that she had an opinion to offer, and also knowing that she'd been talking with this woman longer than he had and seemed to be in control of the situation, he waited for her to speak.

"You have safe shelter from the elements?" Lair asked.

"We have tunnels below the surface, the caverns beneath are where we live," Maffe was worried about telling them this, but seeing how powerful their technology was, she thought it likely that they knew this already and that they were testing her honesty.

So she took a calculated risk and decided to trust this Lair Kellyn, who had earlier vowed that her mate, this Salvek, could be trusted as well. "I will take you there, and we will allow you shelter for the night, if you promise me that there are no other ships following you here that mean us harm. That you are alone on this, Al-che-my. That your landing here was an accident?"

"It was an accident," Kellyn replied, with equal honesty. "There is one other ship following us, our home ship. It is called Independence, and this vehicle belongs to it. But I promise you; both as a female and as a mother myself that we mean you no harm."

Hearing this, Maffe's expression changed, reflecting her relief. She nodded as Kellyn continued on. "We were conducting tests on this new ship when we crashed here. Independence is coming here to hold talks with the government on Yensul IV. They have asked to become part of the Federation."

"The Federation!" Maffe's eyes grew wide, "I have heard of this great Federation of planets, from the elder matrons who have now gone to be with the Exulted Ruler. That it helps those who are oppressed, and afflicted. I have heard of this, fleet of people who are the champions of those with no voice." She reached out and grabbed Kellyn by the arm, "Are you telling me that you are people of this fleet?"

"We are Starfleet officers," February Grace spoke up, reaching out to offer a hand in friendship to Maffe now, sensing that she was more at ease listening to the women than the men. "If we can help you, we will."

"Then I will help you." Maffe replied. "Come, we must hurry. You must wear much warmer clothing if you are going to survive the trip below ground without your skin being bitten by the wind."

"Frostbite?" Dabin Reece groaned, as the EMH bound his ribs around the middle with bandages. "Dude, can't I just sleep here?"

"I am sorry, Lt. Reece," Salvek replied. "It appears we are all going to be taking," he paused, waiting for the woman to state her name.

"I am called Andara, because to my people it means 'one who leads," she replied, "But my name is Tybelle. Tybelle Maffe."

"We will be appreciatively," Salvek stressed the word, "accepting the Andara's generous offer of shelter for the night. We will conserve power to the ship, then come back and start working again by first light."

"Andara Maffe," Kellyn began again, "We will need to use our special technology to obtain enough cold weather gear for our people. If we do this, and we also create some extra emergency provisions for your people, you must give me your word as their leader that you, and your young friend here, will not tell them where it came from. It is the policy of our Starfleet not to expose unfamiliar cultures to this type of technology before they are ready."

"I give you my word," Maffe replied, "Who am I argue, when I am witnessing a miracle before my eyes?"

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Lt. Commander Lair Kellyn
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Independence/USS Alchemy