Path of Destiny - Chapter 9
The Path of Destiny
Chapter Nine
Part One
Jinix – Dwelling
Ryvinia gazed at nothing in particular as she sat on the
couch, still a prisoner of Drayce. She still had no idea what Drayce wanted
with her or what his plans were. Her thoughts then turned to Malcolm. She
wondered if he was aware of the fact that she was missing. If he did, did he
care? Did anyone care? She shifted. It was ridiculous to think like this. She
never let her feelings surface before. Why was now any different? Why did she
allow her defenses to drop where Malcolm was concerned?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Drayce strode into the
room. He pulled her to her feet, releasing her hands. Ryvinia studied Drayce,
his features revealing nothing.
“I have a small task for you to perform, Counselor,”
Drayce said, his voice deceptively soft.
Ryvinia lifted her chin up in a defiant manner. “I will do
nothing to help you, Drayce!” She snapped back, trying to hide her fear
of him.
Drayce’s eyes narrowed dangerously, as he grabbed her chin
roughly with his free hand. “Do not play me for a simpleton, Counselor!
I can find your niece. Do you truly want her death on your conscience?”
Ryvinia swallowed nervously. “No. No. Please do not hurt
her. She is just a young girl.” Her eyes grew moist.
“Then I strongly suggest that you cooperate.” He tightened
his grip enough to hear the counselor whimper slightly. “For I tire of your
games.” Malice laced his tone.
Ryvinia bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.
“What do you want of me?”
Drayce relaxed his grip slightly, as a smile spread over
his face that had no warmth in it whatsoever. “Very smart,” he replied. “You
will produce six citizenship identifications: three male and three female. I will
warn you, any attempt to contact anyone...well, you know what the consequences
will be.”
Ryvinia merely nodded. “But these papers will require an
image.”
“You will have images.” He pulled her towards the door.
“Come. Let us get started, shall we?”
Ryvinia merely allowed herself to be led out into another
room, where she saw Drayce’s personal guards: Myrek and Jeyzen.
“Jeyzen,” Drayce began, seeing the younger man look back
at him attentively. “Place the counselor at the computer.” He pushed Ryvinia
over to Jeyzen, who caught her by the arm. “If she produces anything other than
the citizenship identifications, inform Myrek.” Drayce smiled wickedly. “He
will know what to do.”
Jeyzen bowed slightly. “Yes, my lord Drayce,” he replied.
Ryvinia looked sharply at Myrek, who merely smirked
maliciously at her. She swallowed nervously as she allowed Jeyzen to pull her
over to a computer terminal, seating her on a chair roughly. Jeyzen seated
himself right next to the counselor, who began to work on the task that was
demanded of her.
Drayce smiled in satisfaction then turned to Myrek. “Is
everything in order?” He questioned.
“Yes, my lord,” Myrek replied.
“Good. I will be in my chambers. Inform me when she is
finished.”
Myrek nodded. “As you wish, my lord.”
Drayce smiled and strode out of the room.
Ryvinia felt very uncomfortable with Jeyzen so close to
her, looking over her shoulder, as he scrutinized everything that she did. She
could feel his breath on her shoulder and for a few split seconds, she wished
that it were Malcolm sitting next to her. But that most likely was not meant to
be. With a heavy heart, Counselor Ryvinia did as Drayce demanded.
Part Two
Passageway/open area
Jonathan Archer flinched slightly as a blast whizzed over
his head, then returned fire. He swore softly to himself. He wondered who was
firing on them.
“Sir,” It was Malcolm, who was on the other side of the
corridor.
“What?” Archer wanted to know.
“Think that whoever it is might listen to reason?”
“I don’t know...but it’s worth a shot. I just hope our
help will get here soon.”
“So do I.”
Obi-Wan did not have to use the Force to sense the
animosity that was so clearly evident. He put up a mental shield against the
pure innate hate he felt. He inched up closer to Archer. “Captain...I do not
believe that our adversaries will listen to reason,” the Jedi apprentice said
quietly.
Archer looked over his shoulder at Obi-Wan. “Why?” He
wanted to know.
“I feel such hate coming from them.” He suddenly tensed,
seeing a figure run towards them. His hazel eyes widened upon seeing that it
was a female Exoian in a pale green jumpsuit, firing at them.
The shots were coming dangerously close to Archer and
Malcolm. Obi-Wan leapt forward into the open area towards the female,
deflecting the rapid-fire blasts to protect his companions.
The female Exoian saw Obi-Wan deflecting her blasts. She
concentrated her fire on the youth, who countered each blast flawlessly. One of
the deflected blasts hit the woman in the leg, causing her to fall down to her
knees. She dropped her weapon, grabbing her thigh, as she glared at Obi-Wan and
let loose a few Exoian curses.
The firing stopped momentarily. Suddenly, five more
Exoians, two female and three male, began to move towards Obi-Wan, obviously
not threatened by the teenager.
But before they moved any closer, there was a shimmer of
lights that appeared between the wounded female and her obvious companions.
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn rematerialized, not at all
disoriented from the transporter for he had prepared himself through the Force.
He looked through slightly narrowed eyes at the attacking Exoians with one hand
on the hilt of his lightsabre.
“Your choice,” Qui-Gon said to them in a tone that brooked
no argument.
The remaining Exoians looked at each other, obviously
debating, then turned tail and ran down a side corridor.
The wounded female stared in disbelief. “What are you
doing?” She screamed. “Are you insane? He is only one man! Do not leave me
behind!” She started to reach for her dropped blaster.
Qui-Gon whirled and strode over to the wounded female,
kicking her blaster out of reach. She glared at him, then instantly paled upon
seeing that it was a Jedi, a master most likely. She shrunk back slightly at
his approach, realizing that she had been captured.
“Master!” Obi-Wan said, approaching Qui-Gon, turning off
and belting his lightsabre.
Qui-Gon smiled at his Padawan, then looked up to see the
rest of the group approach with weapons trained on their prisoner.
Part Three
Passageway
Exoian page Sedona made her way back to the intersection
where Jedi Knight Krysira Antilles had been injured. However, she did not know
which way the others had gone. She looked straight ahead, then to the left,
trying to decide which way to go. Finally, the young teenager walked straight
ahead.
She continued to walk along, following the occasional
turns in the corridor. The corridor then split into a ‘Y’. She paused, then
went right, unaware that a panel silently closed the opening a few seconds
after she entered.
Sedona walked along until she came to an intersection. She
went to the left, but found that it was a dead-end. She retraced her steps to
the intersection, then went to the right.
She walked on for a while following the occasional turns
in the corridor. She saw no sign of Captain Archer or the others. Sedona had
the sickening feeling that she was lost. She tried not to panic. She reassured
herself that this passageway had to lead somewhere. She hoped that it would
lead her to the others...soon.
Part Four
Jinix government center – corridor
Lydda continued racing down the corridor screaming
hysterically. Her screaming attracted two guards that were entering the area.
Both men looked up just as Lydda ran towards them. The bigger of the two guards
caught a hold of Lydda, who screamed and struggled in the big guard’s arms.
“Take it easy,” the guard shouted over Lydda’s screaming.
“We are here to help you!”
However, Lydda still continued to scream and cry,
desperately trying to get away, but in vain. The guard was too strong for her.
The guard looked over at his partner. “Better contact
Healer Gadi and see what they can do about this,” he yelled. “Please...calm
down! Nothing is going to happen to you!”
His partner nodded and moved around the corner where it
was somewhat quieter, but not by much. He got out his communicator and turned
it on, pressing a white button. “Connect me to Healer Gadi,” he said.
“This is Healer Gadi,” the reply came back a few moments
later. “What is the problem?”
“One of the maintenance technicians is extremely
distraught over something and we are unable to calm her.”
“Where are you?”
“At the intersection of corridors Six and Seven.”
“I will be there immediately.”
The connection was closed. The guard turned off his
communicator, then went back to assist his partner. He saw that the woman had
slumped to the floor and was no longer screaming, but was now wailing
uncontrollably. His partner looked a bit embarrassed holding the older woman.
He gave his partner a sympathetic smile.
“Healer Gadi is on his way,” he told his partner.
His partner merely nodded, growing uncomfortable holding
this woman who had latched onto him.
Part Five
Passageway/catacombs
At this point, Sedona found herself in the middle of a
large catacomb area. She shuddered involuntarily. She cringed upon seeing
cobwebs and an occasional small furry rodent creature that scurried away at her
presence. There were very old caskets lined up along two of the larger walls.
Sedona felt shivers up and down her spine as she looked around the otherwise
nondescript area.
It finally occurred to Sedona that was she horribly lost.
Her eyes brimmed with hot tears. In her impatience to find her kidnapped aunt,
she failed to use sound judgment and disobeyed Healer Gadi. She knew that she
would get a stern reprimand from not only Healer Gadi, but from her aunt as
well...if she found out.
Despite the overwhelming fear that she was feeling, Sedona
knew that there was only one course of action: call for assistance. It was hard
to concentrate in such an eerie, frightening place, but she had to try.
She took out her communicator, switching it on.
“Lonan...this is Sedona,” she said in a trembling voice, hastily wiping the
tears that were now streaking her cheeks.
“Sedona! Are you all right? Where are you?” Lonan’s
concerned voice burst back.
“I am afraid that I am...lost. I realized that I did not
head in the same direction as Captain Archer and the others. I do not know how
to return.”
There were a few moments of silence. Sedona became
worried. “Lonan?” She questioned.
“Sorry for the delay, Sedona.” It was Hoshi’s voice that
answered her.
“Ensign Sato?” The female page sounded surprised.
“I have an idea to get you out of there, but I need to
contact Enterprise from the conference room. Keep your communicator
open.”
“But...I do not understand.”
“You will. I’ll explain everything later. Keep your
communicator open, stay calm and stay put.”
“As you wish, Ensign Sato.”
“Good girl. I’ll be in touch shortly.”
Sedona sat on a slab of stone that she dusted off the best
she could. She held her communicator, unaware that a pair of glowing red eyes
was watching her.
Lonan escorted Hoshi and Chelz down the corridor towards
the conference room. The teenager looked extremely worried.
“I should look for her,” Lonan suggested.
“Perhaps it is best for you to follow your own advice,
Lonan,” the Exoian woman told him.
The youth looked confused. “I do not understand.”
Chelz smiled gently. “It is dangerous.”
“Oh!” He blinked, then felt his cheeks grow warm with
embarrassment. “Yes, of course. You are correct. It is just that I want
her...safe.”
“And we will get her back, Lonan,” Hoshi assured
him.
“How?”
Hoshi merely smiled. “You’ll see.”
Part Six
Enterprise – Sickbay
“Trip?” Krysira questioned in her soft manner.
The handsome chief engineer turned back to the gorgeous
Jedi Knight. Looking at her, Trip somehow knew what she was asking, even though
he didn’t know exactly how he knew. “Yeah...Qui-Gon knows,” he replied softly.
Krysira merely nodded.
Trip looked slightly puzzled. “That doesn’t surprise you,
does it?”
“No,” she replied. “I knew that it would only be a matter
of time before Qui-Gon figured it out.” She paused. “Captain Archer is quite
intuitive himself.”
Trip stared into those beautiful silvery/blue eyes for a
few moments before speaking. “He figured it out too, huh?”
“Yes.”
Trip snickered softly, as he adjusted the bed into a more
sitting position. “Doesn’t surprise me. We’ve known each other for a few years.
He’s my best friend.” He sat on the edge of the bed with one hand propping him
up on the opposite side of the bed, leaning over her a little, while his other
hand tenderly touched the nearly healed wound, then stroked her hair softly. “I
hope I didn’t screw your life up, Krys.” His voice quavered slightly.
Krysira laid a slender hand on the bare part of his chest,
giving him a tender look. “Your actions have been nothing less than exemplary,
Trip.” She paused. “The Force brought us together and allowed us to share our
love. So...it seems that our being together is the will of the Force. I see no
other explanation.”
Trip nodded. “Do you think that other Jedi, other than
Qui-Gon, will feel the same way?”
Krysira shrugged a little. “We shall see.” She fingered
the open part of his tunic. “But this will be discussed when these series of
conflicts with Drayce has been resolved.”
“I know that, sweetheart, but I don’t want our
relationship to hurt your status as a Jedi. I know how much being a Jedi means
to you.”
Krysira saw the deep concern and respect in Trip’s dark
blue eyes for her and it gripped her heart. Her hand rested back on his partly
bared chest. “But you mean a great deal more to me, my love.”
Trip felt his heart tighten in his chest, realizing what
Krysira’s statement meant. She was putting their relationship above her Jedi
status. He blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. He gave her
look full of passion, as he leaned down to kiss her, when he suddenly felt a
cold wet nose and a warm wet tongue on his chin. He jerked back a little to see
that Porthos had come up between them. The dog whined a little, tail beating
against Trip’s side.
“Uh! Porthos!” Trip grumbled, as he wiped his chin with
his sleeve. He then picked up the beagle, setting the dog on the floor.
Krysira saw the comical expression on Trip’s handsome
features, as he reacted to the dog’s sudden interference of the kiss and she
could not help but laugh softly.
Trip shook his finger at the dog. “Get your own girl!” He
told Porthos, who sat on his haunches and whimpered, giving Trip a soulful
look. “Don’t give me that look!” He tapped his chest. “She’s mine!”
Krysira laughed a bit harder at the scene.
Trip turned back and stared at Krysira. “You do
laugh!” He exclaimed, surprised.
She caught her breath and calmed herself before speaking.
Her eyes still twinkled in amusement. “When the situation requires it,” she
told him.
He made a face. “Yeah...at my expense,” he pouted in a
mock fashion.
She slipped her arms around his body, gently pulling him a
bit closer. “My love,” she soothed.
Trip grinned. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I don’t mind. You
have a beautiful laugh.” His arms slipped around her, gently, easing her even
closer to him, as he leaned down to kiss her.
The Force swirled through them, intensifying the already
fervent kiss.
They finally broke the kiss, resting their foreheads
against each other, enjoying this time alone.
The sound of the doors to Sickbay caused the couple to
release each other, but held hands nonetheless.
Doctor Phlox entered Sickbay and walked over to the bed,
checking the bioscan. He smiled at the young woman. “How are you feeling?” He
questioned.
“Quite well, actually,” Krysira replied.
“The bioscan says the same thing.” He looked pointedly at
Trip, who released Krysira’s hand, moving aside to allow the doctor to check
his patient. He folded his arms across his chest.
After about five minutes, Phlox straightened and looked at
Krysira. “Remarkable. I can find nothing wrong with you,” he replied, smiling.
“You are medically cleared to leave Sickbay, but I do want you take it easy for
at least an hour or so.”
Krysira swung her legs over the side, as she stood up,
grabbing her utility belt. “As you wish, Doctor Phlox,” she replied, deftly
putting on her belt. She then looked at Trip. “We should rejoin Captain Archer,
Qui-Gon and the others,” she suggested.
Trip nodded, when the intercom burst to life.
“Archer to Tucker,” Archer’s voice came over the intercom.
Trip went over to the intercom, pressing a button. “Tucker
here,” he replied. “Are you and the others okay?”
“We’re all fine, Trip. Qui-Gon arrived just in time. We
captured one of the people that were attacking us. We’re heading back to the
government center to interrogate her." He paused. “How’s Krysira?”
“Doctor Phlox just cleared her, but wants her to take it
easy for an hour or so.”
“That’s good news.” He paused again. “Give her a tour,
Trip, then join us. We’ve got things under control here for the time being.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Archer out.”
Trip shut off the intercom, then turned to see Krysira
standing next to him. He smiled gently. “Well...let me show you around Enterprise
before we go back down,” he said with a smile on his face, happy that he would
have a bit more time to have Krysira to himself.
Krysira returned the smile, then looked at Phlox.
“Thank-you, Doctor Phlox,” she said.
Phlox grinned. “My pleasure, Krysira,” he replied, then
watched with interest as the couple headed out of Sickbay to see Trip take a
hold of Krysira’s hand, just as the door closed after them. “Interesting,” he
commented aloud to himself, then proceeded to clean up the area.