Post 478: Mothers and Daughters Part One

Stardate: 71008.1500
Title: Mothers and Daughters Part One
Author: Lt. Commander Lair Kellyn
Scene: Camps beneath the surface of Yensul V
Time: Following "Women and Children First
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At last they reached the camps, and Kellyn's mind instantly flashed back to her own childhood. Mental snapshots of similar spartan underground living conditions. Sleeping on the ground, with large central fires the only source of heat. Scarce food, and clothing that never quite fit and was never warm enough.

She tried to shake the images from her head but before she could, they registered on her face as an expression of horror.

"Our way of life here is embarrassingly primitive," Tybelle spoke softly, indicating the broken down women and ragged children who gathered around the flames. They huddled together closely, trying to warm their bones. "I wish that we had a more welcoming shelter to offer your crew, Lair Kellyn."

"Oh, no, no, please." Kellyn put her hands on Tybelle's shoulders. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. On the contrary, you should be proud. You have kept them alive. You have seen to their needs as best you can with love and compassion," She stopped, feeling a lump in her throat that prevented her from saying anything more.

"I have done my best," Tybelle shrugged. "Though it never seems nearly enough."

"We should not make them wait for food any longer," Salvek said, interrupting their reverie. "May we offer them food?"

"Please." Maffe responded. "If you'll just show me how to prepare the meals?"

Salvek called for all the members of the Alchemy's crew and Maffe's band of would-be thieves to come forward and assemble the rations. Each backpack carried at least two dozen meals ready for reconstitution.

They were contained in packaging designed to heat them up when the seal was broken, but in this extreme cold it would not be enough to properly warm the food. Salvek set about figuring out how long they should hold them over the fire to heat them through without scorching the contents.

They rigged up a system for boiling the pouches in water and within a short period of time, hot meals were being distributed among the eager and amazed women and girls, one small camp at a time.

It was in the final camp that they finally located their missing Tactical officer. Lt. Commander Maak was sitting by the fire, telling a story of battle to a group of adolescent girls who were hanging on his every word. The smell of roasting meat filled this particular cavern, and Salvek shook his head. Leave it to Maak to hunt up an animal that was suitable for food, even on this lifeless world, and share it with his hosts. The man was quite simply one of a kind.

After being assured of Maak's safety, Salvek returned to the main encampment. He found his wife in deep conversation with Maffe, and decided to leave them be for the moment. He sat down by the fire next to Xhian, and the two began discussing what they had discovered about the damage to the Alchemy and how they might best set about repairing it.

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"What were you thinking before?" Maffe asked Lair at last, as she finally accepted a packet of food for herself knowing that all the others had been fed.

"When I first saw the camp?"

"Yes."

"I was thinking that it reminded me of my childhood." Kellyn answered truthfully.

"Surely not! You are Federation. You surely have never seen living conditions this. . .humble."

"My home world, Bajor. . . has only just joined the Federation. It was occupied by a hostile alien force for the better part of the last century. My people were scattered across the quadrant, refugees without a home, without a life. But not everyone fled the planet after the Cardassians came, some stayed behind to fight for our freedom."

Dark memories flooded Kellyn's consciousness once more and she felt as if she was telling someone else's life story instead of her own as she related her experiences to Maffe. "My parents were part of the resistance. We lived in caves, underground, on mountaintops. Anywhere we could run. Hide from the Cardassians and then strike at them every chance we got."

"It sounds as if your childhood was very," Maffe paused, not wishing to offend with the wrong choice of words. "violent."

Kellyn took a long drag from her bottle of water and cast her gaze toward the glow of the fire.

"It was."

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