=/\= SD 240604.22, Trill Homeworld =/\=
The lights of some unseen energy shone down on a pallid face of apprehension and hidden uncertainty. Just as they shown on the young Trill, they shown on a man who'd seen the faces of the past. A man who had seen the centuries of old through the eyes of more than nine ferrymen, right up until his sudden and violent end. There were so many life lessons that probably could have kept the more villainous emotions at bay, but Landon apparently lacked them. His face turned to the side as he looked upon the cold remains of the man beside him. The white hospital beds held them next to one another before the surgery was to take place, and Landon was about to receive a gift and a burden. Few Trill had the joyous pleasure and stony determination to reach this point. Landon had his doubts about himself, but there were those who would disagree with him.
"Protect our flank!" An explosion ripped across the rocks near Taylor's head as he spoke. He cringed and wiped some blood from his brow. "We have to maintain this position or the enemy will push us too back to maintain a stable defense!" Several other marines near him nodded and resumed
firing into the mist. Taylor needed to check on the repair team taking care of the damage to his troops transport. He hurried along through the trees, keeping his phaser rifle aimed and ready. Every crack of a twig or rustle of the canopy made the hairs on his neck strike out like knives. In the distance he could hear weapons fire and trees falling in the battle, a scream every now and then. The attack had come from nowhere. They were on mission when someone fired tricobalt devices in their path. Really, they were lucky they weren't incinerated immediately. The concussive explosion tore through their engines like butter and sent them careening to crash on the surface of this marshy planet. Taylor didn't know how long repairs would take, but he was banking on just long enough for them to evacuate back into space before more of these attackers came to help their angry friends. He wasn't in charge, not really. Their commanding officer was injured and unconscious on the transport. He was just the runner, keeping information going. Communications didn't seem to work here, so it was necessary to have someone keeping everyone up to date, and Taylor volunteered. He didn't mind, he liked a good fight.
SNAP
"Sweety come to dinner!" She said loudly. Calling out into the sunlit field. The man Ehryn called her love, was ju-
SNAP
Grecan felt the tinge of happiness slip into his heart as he looked down on the blades. They were a gift from Drehj. He marveled in awesome fascination at their beauty. Cold. Deep. Deadly. He felt comfor-
SNAP
A hand pushed against his face, crushing him against the wall. Every muscle in his body was begging to be set free, but he couldn't get a good hold. There was no getting out of this. "Stop! Please!" He cried. But his assailant wasn't letting up. Another strike pounded against his side. The crushing force vibrated up through his ribs, and one gave way under the blo-
SNAP
The crack behind him made Taylor whip around and catch an enemy soldier coming in behind him. As quickly as he saw him, the soldier rolled and shot three charges into the trees as Taylor threw himself to the ground, then opened fire and caught the bastard right in the gut. Taylor sighed as he held still for a few more moments. But it didn't help him. He distinctly saw 5 more coming right for him, at a jogging pace. Taylor could either bolt the 400 yards to the ship or stay put and hope against reason they wouldn't see him. Neither choice really appealed to him, and he cursed the federation for being so kind and generous, placing him in this damned situation. So he decided to hop to his feet and run, at full spe-
SNAP
Landon rubbed his kid-brother's head under his palm, messing it up hopelessly, smiling mischievously as it was tossed about his head. "LANDON! AW WHAT?! Stop! Come on! XID'DGAI!" Tristan's arms shot up to defend his precious hair-do. That morning's ritual must have taken him more than an hou-
SNAP
Blue blurry flashes shot past him in the forest. They ripped open the sides of trees and made chips of wood explode into his path. Catching a foot by a tree he spun around and layed down several shots and a wide beam phaser blast into the woods behind him. Taylor heard several yells and screams coming from where he had just fired. Satisfied he'd gotten some of them he turned sharply to continue running.
A second later a surge of cold froze his entire body. He tensed up in every muscle he had. Staring him in the face was a grotesque creature, and it smelled like something burnt and rotten. Also, in his hand was a knife that he'd plunged into Taylor's chest.
The world began to blur. Then he started to fall back, his legs giving out from under him. Taylor screamed in his head to get up and run, but he felt so cold and so tired. The blur suddenly shimmered to a blue haze that skittered all over. A transporter.
And then the world fell out.
---- ~ -----
A world of air rushed into Landon's lungs as he shot up, a sudden and treacherous gasp the only thing he could hear as his eyes shot open. Reality and dreams throbbed just beyond him. Pulsing and fighting for control of his attention. His hands immediately snapped to his chest, clutching it desperately, trying to remove the knife. The knife. Where was the knife?! The waking world smashing into his own in a thunderous explosion. Fast. So fast. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt every second tick off like an eternity of some alien world he didn't understand. Sight. Smell. Sound. Taste. Touch. And something ...else. Something else was here! It was all a thousand times more bright, intense, loud and unbelievably irritating as any other time he could remember. He could practically feel the different patterns of air in the room brushing against his skin... and the strange lingering intuition that someone else was here...
The room was dark except for a small light in the corner, which illuminated a smaller box of personal belongings. Wait...
Footsteps... He could hear them. He recognized them. 110 meters away. 106. 95. He could count the distance without even thinking.
He shot out of bed and took a fighting stance he could neither name, nor remember learning. Yet it felt as natural to him as standing.
"Landon!" Someone called, as the lights came on. The figure of a man appeared in the doorway. It was sharp and clear, this being. But he couldn't quite make him out well enough to name him. He knew his name though. He did... Who was he?
"Yju'da! Neixuingya eas illth'jxi!" Landon hissed. His fingers clenched tightly around his sweating fist. This wasn't happening right. He knew he should know what was going on. He knew what should be happening... but he couldn't name it. WHO ELSE WAS HERE?!
The man had the features of someone he knew. Someone he felt like he could trust, but he was just so confused. Where was he? Where was his family. "Landon! It's me... Greg. Calm down. You're fine. You're on Trill. They brought me here because your joining took, but the melding didn't go as they expected. You're experiencing something known as uh," he paused for a moment, thinking, "...y'djai... or something weird like that. I don't speak Trill so whatever, but come on, man. You're Landon. You're fine. You got our of surgery four days ago." His expression was expectant, as if he thought somehow his words were going to help. But Landon couldn't understand what language he was speaking in.
Landon's lips pressed together. Greg. He knew Greg. Yet he knew this man too. Greg was a man he'd traded with over the past 4 yours on the USS Ferragut. They'd taken his ship in. Helped make repairs. Wait... no. In the Academy? He went to the Academy? Starfleet...
His features softened and his guard dropped. This was Greg. It was 2406. But... it was 2279... he could remember it like yesterday... his dry lips parted and his scratchy voice managed to say the only thing he could remember. "...greg"
It was all he could manage before the pulsing senses in his head overtook him. Pushing him back into the dark.
=/\= END LOG =/\=
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Ens. Landon Neyes
Chief Engineer
USS CHARON
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