"Chains Cannot Hold Captive Dreams, Hopes and Shillians"
(Previous Post: "Romance On The High Seas")
---
Stardate: 61037.2000
The disbelieving eyes of the town's folks had been replaced by the dancing lights of the stars overhead, yet the calmness that had descended on the Chief Science Officer and the other three captives had done little to ease their troubles. From the first time they had been placed on display the Shillian woman had noticed the way that she and the others had drawn the curiosity of the masses. As much as they feared the Cats the news of Humans having been captured had created a curiosity that had paled in comparison. There had been something truly strange about the way the other races had looked at the captured quartet and the Shillian scientist had been nearly certain that fear had been what she had recognised in many of the eyes that had been trained on them.
From her cage the Shillian had been able to keep watch over the battered Enaran Marine but her inability to reach out to Pravat and his lack of response to her calls had only served to worry the scientist more. The occasional twitch or moan had indicated that the Marine had survived his confrontation against the much larger Broot, but the Shillian had been unable to assess the extent of the internal injuries Pravat had received from his brawl.
Despite the fact that the main market square had long been vacant the Shillian had still felt the stare of several sets of eyes on them which had insured that the Chief Science Officer could do nothing but remain captive of her bonds. It had been clear that every precaution had been taken to insure that none of the four *Humans* would be able to escape, but that had been the one important flaw in their thinking; not all of them had been *Human*.
The shackles that had been affixed to the wrists and ankles of the scientist had been set to their tightest but that had done nothing to hold the Shillian when her body began to undergo the type of transformation that only the members of the nearly extinct race could do. At first the changes had been almost unnoticeable but seconds later only a small Shillian primate could be found where the Chief Science Officer of the USS ANUBIS has been. The bars of the cage that had held the Shillian woman captive had been more than adequate for someone of her size, but for a much smaller animal such as the primate the space between the vertical bars had been ample to grant the small creature the freedom it desperately sought.
Logic had dictated that the small primate seek refuge in the nearby shadows and leave the area only to return when aid would have been found, but instead the Shillian Monkey secretly made its way to the cage of the Enaran and easily climbed within. Directed by her training as a Starfleet Officer and her personal feelings for Pravat, the Shillian in her polymorph form sat on the floor of the cage and studied the unconscious Marine.
The breathing she observed had been laboured but the simple fact that Pravat had been breathing had filled the small primate with a joy that could not be contained within the small form. The Chief Science Officer had wanted to do so much more but the Shillian knew that her time in the form she had taken had been limited so having gathered the information that she had wanted the small creature quickly made its way back to the first cage from which it had originated. The thought of escaping had remained in the head of the transformed Shillian woman for only a few seconds, having been dismissed the moment she imagined the sort of retribution that might be unleashed should three captives be found instead of four.
The heart of the small Shillian primate skipped several beats when, as it made it ways between the bars of the cage, it felt someone taking a solid hold of it. The natural reaction would have been for the primate to scream but the fear of the noise attracting more unwanted attention had kept the creature from screeching.
When the Shillian animal noticed who had taken a hold of it though, the primate felt a chill run down its small spine even though the face of the person having grabbed it had been a familiar one. The ILO said nothing and just glared at the Shillian in a way that had clearly conveyed the displeasure of the woman. It had been clear that Enaii had not cared for this little gallivanting about and that had been all the reason the Shillian had required to wish to be back into the safety of the cage where she had been placed.
The Chief Science Officer once back inside of her cage resumed her position and made certain that the shackles would be back where they had been. When the return transformation had been completed though the Shillian noticed that something had changed in her cage, something minor but something that could and certain would come to play a vital role should another confrontation come to pass.
With limited range of movement the Shillian had to work harder than she had cared for to bring the small blade left behind by the ILO to a more secured location, one that would enable the scientist to take hold of it and keep it unseen until such time as it would be needed.
---
"To see the world in a grain of sand, 2006 post #279
Setting: CABRY III, City of Xian-Fer, Market Square
Jessica Solarik { maya_992003@yahoo.com }
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
