This is an AU Tag
to the episode listed below. Not sure that it really fits with the earlier part
of the episode but I couldn't leave our favourite Captain unconscious on the
floor of the missile room. As usual I don't own this show,
I've just taken them out of the box to play with for a while.
Nightmare
– Tag
By Kara H.
Lee
stared as the figure of Jim Bentley metamorphosed into some hideous alien
creature. There was an explosion and he
was alone, exhaustion seeping into every limb he sank back onto the deck of the
missile room.
Two
figures shimmered into existence, a man and woman both with dark hair, the
first took one look at the Captain and swore – at least Lee thought that they
swore, Then one of them dropped to
their knees beside him and began speaking, “I’m just going to treat your arm,
everything’s going to be all right.”
He
stared up into the deepest violet eyes he’d ever seen and fervently wished that he had the
energy to respond. Half-opening his eyes
he could see a bright spinning cylinder being moved up and down his torso and
he heard a soft female voice talking, but he seemed not to be a part of it.
“Nasty
shoulder wound....severe mental trauma, if you can capture the K’tov I’ll treat this Terran.”
A
figure appeared over the other’s shoulder, “On my way, V’tani,
he won’t get far.”
It
turned and he thought he caught a laugh in the voice as it replied, “Not
without the titanium he won’t. By the Stars of Andros-”
“Hah,”
there was another word, probably a curse and Lee heard her – was it a her - laugh softly.
The standing figure laid a hand on her
shoulder, “The Terrans have a good word for the K’tov – Nithing.” Then they were alone and she was smiling down
at him, “Are you feeling a bit better? I
am V’tani, my colleague is Cr’ian.” She laid cool fingers on his wrist and said,
“I think you’d be much better off in your vessel’s Sickbay-”
Lee
managed to dredge a smile from somewhere and then suddenly he was lying on a
gurney and the woman was standing next to him, her hand still encircling his
wrist, “That was not fun,” she said, carefully laying it down on the blanket,
“I dislike intra-ship transports, so much can go wrong.”
“Shouldn’t
it be intra-boat?” he asked sleepily.
“Intra-boat?”
she smiled down at him.
“Submarines
are called ‘boats’ not ‘ships’,” he murmured, forcing his eyelids apart he
muttered, “I’m sorry, I’m just so tired-”
“That’s
all right, Captain,” V’tani replied, “go to sleep.”
“Will
you stay?”
“For
as long as I can,” she promised.
VTBOTS
Nelson
stared at the scenario in front of him.
Whatever mechanism Bentley had used to show the crew what was happening
on the Seaview was still operating so they’d seen the arrival of the the two strangers, their treatment of Captain Crane and now
he was looking at this alien in Sickbay.
“Chief, Kowalski,” he said, “how’s the door
coming?”
Ski
looked up, “Still nothing sir, not even lasers work on it.”
“Sir,”
Chip said quickly, “the screen’s fading-”
“Sir,
the door’s coming unstuck.” Ski said, “we’ll be out of
here in no time!”
Nelson
nodded and then said, “Jamie get up to Sickbay and see if this alien is still
there – take an armed escort if you need-“
“Not
in my sickbay, Admiral,” Dr Jamieson said firmly, “anyone who heals is not a
menace to society – and don’t you think it might create the wrong impression if
we burst in there all guns blazing?”
“All
right,” Nelson sighed, “but I want to speak with her.”
“I
will ask her,” Jamieson replied, “under the Geneva Convention-“
“She’s
not even human-“
“That
doesn’t matter,” Jamie stood his ground.
“All
right, all right,” Nelson waved him away, “ask her.”
The
door to Sickbay opened and V’tani stood up, So this is how it was going to end. She
thought, either death from one of their
many weapons, or dissection at one of their laboratories. Swallowing the fear she felt she began to
recite the old prayer in her head, Stars
of Andros, protect me on the path I must take; guide my feet to take the right
road, the straight road – ease my passage into Starlight; that I may sing your
praises into the Heavens- and stopped as she came face to face with one
man.
“I
am Dr Jamieson,” the man said holding out a hand.
“V’tani,” she replied bemusedly, copying his gesture and
being startled when he took it and shook it gently. “Now, how’s our Captain
Crane.”
“I
think he will be all right after a long sleep,” V’tani
replied, she
sat down on the hard chair next to the gurney and put her head in her hands,
she was suddenly very tired. To her
surprise, the man moved around the gurney and then he was kneeling in front of
her, “Are you all right?” he asked gently.
She
looked up and managed to smile, “Just tired. I’ll be all right.”
“Mmmm,”
he cleared his throat, “I’m not very conversant with alien physiology, but I
know when someone’s exhausted. I’ll find
you a pair of pyjamas and then I want you to get into one of the racks.”
“Racks?”
she frowned at him and he smiled, gesturing to the beds that lined sickbay he
said, “We call these ‘racks’.”
“Oh,”
she said, and then managed a wry grin, “another submarine joke?”
“Submarine
joke?” he raised an eyebrow.
“You
call them boats, not ships,” she replied.
“Yes,”
the Doctor smiled, “you promise to stay here?”
“You
have my parole,” she replied. The Doctor
stood up and walked to the door, opening it he spoke quickly and quietly to
someone and then returned to her, “It shouldn’t be too long,” he said gently,
“how are you feeling?”
“Like
a wrung out Shar’toth,” she replied absent-mindedly,
and smiled wearily at the Doctor, “I am sorry, Healer, sometimes I use archaic
phrases.”
There
was a soft knocking on the door and the Doctor went to the door returning with
a pair of clean white pyjamas. “Here, go
change in my office while I examine my Captain.”
When
she emerged from the office Doctor Jamieson smiled at her, “Come along, Miss V’tani. We’ll talk
later.”
She
remembered him pulling the sheets back and as she snuggled down into bed, she
felt him pull the bedrail up behind her and then felt a gentle hand on her
shoulder, “Go to sleep,” he said.
Is that an order?
She thought drowsily and suddenly she was asleep.
“Jamie?”
a familiar voice rasped, and Will turned away from the sleeping woman to gently
lay a hand on his Captain’s arm, “It’s all right, Lee, you’re safe.”
“B-Bentley,”
he whispered.
“I
think he’s been taken care of,” Jamie replied, “are you thirsty?”
Lee
nodded and Will held a straw to his lips, he sucked
gratefully, and then looked around, “What about V’tani?”
Will
stepped back so that Lee could see the figure in one
of the racks, “Asleep. And you should be too.”
Lee
managed a half-smile and then closing his eyes dropped back into slumber. Then after leaving one of the corpsmen on
duty he went up to make his report to the Admiral. “They’re both fine – well Lee’s fine – the
young lady, I’m just trying gentle treatment at the moment and letting her
sleep. When she wakes up and she’s had a
coffee, then I’ll bring her up to see you.”
Nelson
grimaced and then nodding, waved him away. Captain Crane had been moved to one of the
other racks and was deeply asleep. The woman meanwhile was just stirring, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the
bottom of one of the other bunks. Slowly
she eased herself up into a sitting position, “How do you feel, Miss V’tani?” Jamie asked gently.
“Much
better, thank you,” she replied, “how’s your Captain?”
“He’ll be fine in a day or two,” Jamie
replied, “my thanks for treating his arm.”
“My
pleasure,” V’tani replied, “now you’d better get
someone down here to put irons on me and take me down to the brig.”
“But
you gave me your parole before I fetched the pyjamas for you,” Dr Jamieson
said “So I’m assuming that you’ll stay
put while I find you some clothes.”
V’tani
managed a faint smile and said, “You’re very kind.”
“Hmmm,”
Dr Jamieson said, “Sit with the Captain, I’ll be back soon.”
She
was sitting beside Captain Crane when a familiar voice said softly, “V’tani?”
“Captain,”
she turned to look down into familiar amber eyes, “how do you feel?”
“A
lot better now,” he smiled, “I owe you.”
“Not
really,” V’tani sighed, “we should have been able to
stop him. He could have destroyed you
all-”
“But
why the Seaview for God’s sake?”
“Ah,
now that we can explain,” V’tani replied, “it’s to do
with the titanium hull. We use titanium
as fuel – the creature you
knew as Jim Bentley was going to blow up the world and after your
submarine had been destroyed, use it as fuel for his vessel.”
“What
about the crew?”
“You
would have all been killed,” V’tani said, “I don’t
know how. He probably intended to
vaporize every one of you.”
Lee
swallowed, “I did stop him didn’t I?”
“Yes,”
V’tani assured him, her hand cool on his arm, “and
when you destroyed that missile it alerted us to the K’tov’s
whereabouts – you helped us capture him.”
“I
could ask ‘Why me?’” he muttered, “but I doubt I’d get an answer.”
“Not
one you’d like,” V’tani replied, she managed a rueful
smile.
He
managed a wry smile and then said, “I thought you’d have left by now?”
“I
think your Admiral will want explanations,” she replied, “I would not worry,
Captain, I am in no danger.”
She
looked up as Dr Jamieson stepped into the room, “Miss V’tani,
I’ve some clothes for you if you’d like to get dressed in my office – and then
the Admiral would like a word.”
“Not
without me!” Lee sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bunk.
Jamie
sighed, “Will you let me examine you, Captain, while Miss V’tani
changes in my office.”
“Actually,”
she replied, trying to suppress a grin, “It’s
Commander V’tani.”
“Commander?”
Lee queried.
“Well
our word is T’lek’na,” V’tani replied, “it translates roughly as ‘Commander’.
Since I am to face your Admiral I should like to do so with my rank.”
“You
won’t face him alone,” Lee said firmly.
“I
told you, Captain,” V’tani smiled, “I am in no danger whatsoever, you
have no need to protect me.”
“But
I should like to hear your story,” Lee said firmly.
“And
I’m damn sure I want to hear it,” a new voice said and they both looked up to
see Commander Morton leaning against the bulkhead.
“You
have an audience Commander V’tani,” Dr Jamieson said,
“now go and change. We’ll still be
here.”
She
gave them both a grin and then retreated to the doctor’s office. When she emerged, Lee was buttoning up his
own shirt, “Are we both ready?” Chip asked and when they nodded smiled, “Right,
Commander V’tani, if you will accompany me, Admiral
Nelson would like to speak with you.”
V’tani
nodded and was surprised when he fell into step beside her, “I never had the
chance to thank you for saving Captain Crane’s life,” he said.
“Actually,
it should be us that apologise to you,” V’tani
explained, “if we had been faster then he wouldn’t have been able to escape us
and gain access to your submarine.”
“You’ve
stopped him, right?” Lee asked quickly.
“We’ve
stopped him,” V’tani confirmed.
“If
you’ll come through here, Commander,” Chip said, “there’s a flight of stairs
down to the Control Room, I’ll go down first-“
V’tani
nodded, suddenly nervous, she took the stair rail, feeling it slide beneath her
damp palms, and slowly began to walk down the stairs. To her surprise he was waiting for her at the
bottom, “All right?” he asked as she stepped off the bottom stair.
“Better,”
she replied, turning to look back up the stairs to where Captain Crane was
coming down, “I don’t like spiral staircases much. Fell down one when I was a Sta’ka.”
“Huh?”
the blond looked bemused.
“Oh,”
she looked thoughtful for a moment or two, “The equivalent rank would be Ensign.”
Commander
Morton nodded and said, “Follow me.”
As
V’tani walked around the corner she stopped, staring
at the window, “By the Stars of Andros!” she murmured. “What a view!” She was staring out of the herculite windows at a deep blue ocean,
thousands of tiny glittering fish swam past, not even seeming to notice the
submarine.
“A
lot of visitors say that,” another voice said, and V’tani
looked up at another man, her mouth suddenly went dry and she realised that
this was an extraordinarily powerful individual, “I’m Admiral Nelson,” he said
slowly.
V’tani
swallowed again and then she bowed and with the first two fingers of her right
hand touched her forehead, her lips and her heart. Then she straightened up and violet eyes met
bright blue ones.
Aware
that something had happened, Admiral Nelson managed a taut smile, “Please, Miss
V’tani, sit down.
I asked to speak with you.”
“I
understand that, Admiral,” V’tani replied, “which is
why I volunteered to stay behind.”
“So your people know that you’re here?”
“Certainly,”
V’tani said softly.
“As I told your Captain twice,” she smile at
Lee Crane, “I am in no danger.”
“Tell
me why this ‘Jim Bentley’ wanted our submarine,” Nelson said slowly.
“It’s
the titanium hull,” V’tani replied, “our ships use
titanium as fuel – ‘Bentley’ stole a ship and escaped to earth. As far as we can ascertain he planned to fire
a missile which would alert other ships to the Seaview’s position, the Seaview
would be fired upon – he hoped destroyed and her crew killed. Then he would return to his own craft,
stationed nearby and use the destroyed submarine to fuel his own vessel.”
“And
what about you?” Nelson asked.
“We
call ourselves Enlev’Na,” another voice said and
Nelson turned to see another dark-haired figure materialize next to the
periscope island. V’tani’s
face lit up, “Cr’ian! I was fine-”
“Captain
D’aruth is becoming impatient.” Cr’ian
replied, he looked hard at Nelson and the others. “Did they harm you?”
“Far
from it,” V’tani said, standing up and looking around
at all the men, “I was treated with the utmost courtesy and civility. Perhaps they do have merit after all.”
“They’ve
a long way to go, Kelest’na.”
“Yes,
but there is hope.” V’tani
said.
“My
compliments, Admiral, Captain, Commander,” Cr’ian
bowed to them, “You have my gratitude and respect.”
“Goodbye,
Captain. It’s been a real pleasure.” V’tani smiled,
and then with Cr’ian vanished in a shower of golden
sparkles.
Admiral
Nelson sighed and laid his pen down on the desk, “Well that seems to be
that. You’d better get us under way,
Captain. Back home to Santa Barbara.”
“Aye,
aye sir,” Crane said as he turned away.
“There’s
just one thing,” Nelson said, waving his pencil at Morton.
“Sir?”
Morton asked.
“What
the hell are we going to write in the log?”