CHAPTER
ONE
The
storm had passed, only a few drops of water fell from the trees, and the sky
was now clear of any cloud. The light from the setting sun gave a slightly
blood-red tint to the whole forest, the sky had turned from the bright
light-blue it had been a few minutes before to an impressive mix of dark-blue
and different shades of purple. The melodious voices of the birds that had been
singing were slowly disappearing as the forest became darker and darker. Soon
there was nothing to be heard besides the wind blowing through the trees. And
suddenly, the sound of a horse galloping through the woods could be heard. The
lonely rider that was on the horse was Captain Alan Kline.
The
horse--known as Tom--was his own; he had left him at a friend's house when
Kline had had to go with Team One. He was glad to be able to spend some of his
free time on Earth with his old friend.
Rear-Admiral
Patrickson, the Starfleet Intelligence officer in
charge of Team One, had recalled the crew of the Valiant to Earth for
some free time while the ship underwent the extensive refitting of some of its
systems, and the addition of a few more little gadgets straight from Starfleet
Intelligence's experimental technology area. But somehow, Kline had the feeling
that there was another reason Patrickson had asked
for Team One to return home. The Valiant had already been refitted a few
times in different starbases, and it had only been
one or two months since Team One had beamed aboard.
He
shrugged off his suspicions and closed his eyes, confident that his horse
wasn't going to gallop right off a cliff, and relaxed. The wind blew in his
face and the smell of wet wood and grass filled his nostrils and he let the air
come out his mouth. A small smile appeared on his lips, he tried to remember
the last time he had felt so perfectly relaxed and couldn't...It had been too
long since he had been so free from any preoccupation. He opened his eyes again
and noticed that they had now exited the forest and were
moving across a large green plain that stretched out for kilometers. He slowed
Tom down by placing his hand on the right side of the horse's neck while he
gently pulled on the reins. Tom slowed to a trot and Kline made him turn
towards a nearby river. The water was flowing at high speed due to the recent
rain shower. Tom lowered his head and drank thirstily from the river, Kline hopped off the horse and rinsed his hands in
the water.
Suddenly,
he heard a strange noise behind him. Kline swiveled and came face to face with
a large black horse. The captain was so startled that he stepped back and
slipped on some wet dirt, his hands swung around in circles, grabbing
hopelessly at the air. He fell into the river and was pulled a few feet under
water. The current was powerful, but he could swim against it. His head emerged
from the water and he sucked in a quick breath of air, his hands darted out and
grabbed the solid ground, and he tried to pull himself out of the water.
Then,
a pair of hands grabbed his right arm and pulled. He looked up, startled, and
saw a woman with long black hair and blue eyes to whom the hands belonged. He
used her support to pull himself entirely out of the river and lay on his back,
letting out a large sigh of relief. The woman bent over him and studied his
face with a mix of curiosity and worry on her face: "Are you all
right?" She asked.
Kline
gargled something unintelligible and tried to clear his throat.
"Sorry
about that." She said, helping him to sit up. "I'm rather un-concentrated
when I'm riding...I guess my horse came here, wanting to drink and bumped into
you."
Kline
blinked the water out of his eyes and said with a small smile: "It's
okay...No harm done."
"Really? You're soaked!" She said, grabbing a
large coat from a bag that was attached to the saddle of her horse and throwing
it on the shoulders of Kline. "There. Is that better?"
Kline
stood up: "Yes, thanks."
It
had become dark, the sun had disappeared behind the horizon and it was now
becoming more and more difficult to discern things.
"Considering
it's my fault you fell into the river." The woman said. "Why don't
you join me for dinner?"
Kline
blinked: "Uh…I don't want to…"
"Shhhh..." She placed two fingers on her lips.
"You're not intruding or anything...I'd enjoy some company."
Kline
decided it was probably no use to argue with this woman so he nodded and she
smiled: "Good." She said. "I'll make a fire."
* * *
Kline's
clothes had dried, even though his shoes made squishing sounds when he walked
with them. The woman, who had presented herself as Anna Ridley, had made a
large fire and had cooked a soup that she had made out of some provisions she
had brought with her. Kline put down the bowl besides him when he had finished
and said: "That was delicious, thank you."
She
smiled: "It was the least I could do."
Tom
and Anna's horse were standing next to each other a few meters away from the
two humans. They seemed to be talking to each other, although they didn't make
a sound.
"So
where are you from, Alan?" She had insisted that they use first names to
speak to each other, Kline had accepted.
"I
lived in
"Starfleet?" She stared at him. "You're a
Starfleet officer?"
He
nodded.
"Well,
that must be the reason why I've never bumped into you before." She
smiled.
"And how about you?" He asked. "Do you live
here?"
She
nodded: "Ever since I was a little girl. I learned how to ride when I was
six and I've been doing it ever since."
"Do
you have a particular profession?"
"I
usually shift between riding contests and botany. I sometimes work in the
public gardens with the city's embellishment organization."
"I
see..." Kline said. "So you're the ones responsible for that
exquisite garden in the center of the city?"
She
nodded: "Yes, I helped design it."
"That
is impressive work." He said.
"We
decided that
They
said nothing for a moment. They listened to the sounds of the night, the night
birds, the nearby river...And suddenly, a bizarre chirp.
Kline
blinked, surprised to hear the sound. He put a hand down his pocket and took
out his communicator: "This is Kline." He said.
"Captain,
this is Rear-Admiral Patrickson."
"Yes, admiral."
"You
are urgently required to come aboard McKinley station."
Kline
sighed inwardly: "Aye, sir."
"Sorry
to cut your leave so brusquely, captain. But we have something that needs you
and your team's immediate attention."
"It's...All
right, sir. Can you beam me up?"
"As soon as you’re ready."
"And
can someone beam my horse to the refuge?"
Kline
could hear Patrickson's surprise, even over the commlink:
"Uh...Of course, captain."
"Thank
you." He tapped his commbadge to cut the commlink and kneeled next to
Anna. "Sorry. I'd love to have spent some more time here, but Starfleet
calls."
She
smiled: "That's okay; I'll probably see you here on your next
vacation."
"I
hope so." He smiled back at her then tapped his commbadge. "McKinley
station, Two to beam up."
Kline
and Tom the horse dematerialized, leaving Anna alone.
The
woman pulled a small transmitter from her pocket and activated it:
"They're on the move." She said.