[Planet Hadallion, Bifra Team]
Nitka didn't know how long she really slept- it was an uneasy sleep. She would wake up constantly; half the time she wondered if the Nausicaans had found them and the rocky floor of the cave did little to help that process. The seventh time she stirred awake she noticed Bifra and Mullen were gone. Sitting up she looked at Sokan who was idly tapping on a tricorder "where are Bifra and Mullen?"
Sokan didn't even look up from his work "they are mapping the immediate cave area." He set the tricorder down and began tapping on a PADD "and they are also attempting to locate any sources of water."
She popped open her canteen and took a small sip mindful of their dwindling supplies "how long was I asleep for?" Nitka asked. She picked up a wafer and took a small bite of the thing, the chalky flavor having long ago given way to the taste of grit and sand that lingered in her mouth- even after drinking water.
"Sixteen hours."
Nitka's eyes widened "what- sixteen hours?" She looked around, that couldn't possibly be right! The whole time it felt like she had only slept a few hours "that can't be possible. I kept waking up the entire time…are you sure?"
"Indeed." Sokan said "you appeared uneasy; Bifra administered a sedative to ease your rest."
"That bastard!" Nitka gritted her teeth. She was sure he did it to keep her quiet rather than out of the kindness of his heart. Oh well, I'll have to get him back later. "Have we heard anything from the other teams? Any contact with Captain Zar?"
"There has been no communication." Sokan confirmed what Nitka expected. She sighed, dug her thumb in to the course rocky soil that covered the cave's floor. It felt hopeless. The sound of hurried footsteps caught their attention and Nitka's eyes darted towards the small frame that led into their little niche. Bifra stumbled in, panting heavily "you won't believe this!"
"Believe what?" Nitka asked standing up. Behind him Mullen entered with someone halfway slung over his shoulder- the other half of the person was slung over a rough looking man who Nitka immediately recognized as Doctor Barstowe- she then realized the person who was slung over their backs was Captain Zar. Nitka drew in breath almost in disbelief "Doctor? Captain?" She looked at Sokan, who even for a Vulcan appeared mildly surprised by their new guests.
"Stop yapping cadet and give us a hand." Barstowe and Mullen made their way to one of the softer patches of ground and gently set Zar down. The Captain looked dazed and whispered incoherently. The lantern that lit the room bathed the Captain in a light shade of blue making her look dangerously pale. Several streams of blood were trickling down her forehead. "Do you have your medical equipment?" Barstowe looked at the cadets. Nitka nodded quickly and darted to her pack pulling out the medical kit. Barstow cracked it open and pulled out the tricorder scanning the Captain "not good, not good at all. She's bleeding internally."
"Isn't there something you can do for her?" Bifra asked kneeling down to get a closer look at Zar "we all have first aid training, maybe we can help you Doctor?"
Barstowe grunted "with what tools?" He shook his head "the bleeding is too serious. If we were aboard the Talladega I could treat her- or even if we had the equipment at base camp, but with just a generic medical kit? There is nothing I can do other then make her comfortable." He frowned and slid a vial into a hypospray and pressed it against the Captain's neck.
"So what happened?" Nitka asked, her eyes hovering on the injured Captain who gasped for breath.
"What happened?" Barstowe gritted his teeth and then sighed "damn Nausicaans, they must have noticed us out here. Before we realized what was happening they had us surrounded. We got into a firefight with them. Lukewan was killed by one of those stinking monsters. The Captain was stabbed twice but I managed to take out three of those bastards. We barely got away from the camp with our lives before the rest of them arrived. After I got us out we made our way south and into the large ravine. There were several caves so I took one of them and followed it until I ran into you all."
"Ugh…" The Captain groaned and tried to sit up but Barstowe immediately restrained her by pressing a hand against her abdomen "stay still- do you want die faster?"
"I'm dying- it doesn't matter whether it's now or later but" the Captain winced "I feel like shit." She smiled, forcefully, and looked at the cadets surrounding her "I'm sorry cadets. I should have done a better job making sure we accounted for all possibilities- it seems I made a very big mistake." She took in a deep breath "so, how long do I have doctor?"
"Awhile longer if you just keep still." Barstowe grunted and pressed the hypospray against her neck again "the Nausicaans managed to sever one of your arteries- I was able to patch it up a bit but you're still losing blood."
"How much have I lost?" She looked at him, her eyes were dull- it almost seemed like she was nearing the edge of her life. Nitka felt her chest tighten and slid back a bit not wanting to accept their current circumstances. She also felt awful for hating the Captain… she felt trivial and silly.
"Too much." Barstowe frowned.
"Is there anything we can do?" Bifra asked "can we get down to the campsite and get some of the medical equipment back?"
"With what? Your hand phasers? Cadet- if you go back there you'll end up just as bad off as the Captain, if you're lucky you won't end up dead like Lukewan." Barstowe shook his head "no, we will wait. The Talladega should be back within the next couple of days."
"The Doctor is right. All of you should stay here where it's safe. We are Starfleet officers- we knew what we were getting into when we signed the dotted line." Zar grinned "anyways, look on the bright side. You'll all get a passing grade-" she coughed and blood dotted the edges of her lips. "I'm dying, unfortunately." She looked at Nitka "Cadet- I have to ask something of you. It is very important but I will understand if you don't want to."
Nitka looked up at her "what is it Captain?"
"I want you to save Zar."
"No!" Barstowe slammed his palm into the cave floor creating a small cloud of dust "I am not taking that damn worm out of you- if I did, Elaris you would surely die and I am not killing you! Not to mention Cadet Korialis is only half trill- the human half of her physiology may not be compatible with Zar- if I did this I could end up killing all three of you. No, I won't." He looked at Nitka "tell her no Cadet."
"I'm already dead." Zar coughed again "I can't even feel half of Zar's memories- our connection is fading with each passing second." Her eyes locked on Nitka "I can't force you." She smirked weakly "obviously, in my current state. However, trust me when I say that as a half trill and half human you should be fully compatible for hosting a symbiont. Zar has over a dozen lifetimes of memories- such a thing is much more important than one or two people. Your father is joined so I believe you have some idea of what I'm talking about."
"Say no cadet." Barstowe reiterated.
"Shut up Barstowe- damn it. As a doctor you most of all should realize the futility of denying mortality. Zar is too important to die on this damn rock with me." Zar went through another fit of coughing; blood began dripping from the edges of her mouth "will you help me Cadet? Save Zar?"
Nitka stared at the Captain. Me take a symbiont? No- I don't want a symbiont…but if I don't Zar will die. She bit the edges of her lip and looked up at Barstowe who wore the most dejected and despairing expression. Nitka knew then that there was no hope for the Captain. If she didn't agree then Zar would die along with her. Closing her eyes she sucked in a lung full of the dry acrid cave air "I will save Zar."
[To be continued…]
Ensign Nitka Zar
Assistant Engineering Officer
USS Charon
