Distant Shores - Marco Palmieri [127]
However, after years of legal battles, it seems that the families of the prisoners have reached the point where no one will listen anymore. Now, unable to avail themselves of further appeals to the judiciary, they’re taking their battle to the court of public opinion.
The condition of these prisoners is not being reported in the local media, only the complaints of the families, but I suspect that has more to do with the rather militaristic manner in which the prisoners are being guarded than anything else. Armed guards, electrically charged fences around the camp, filthy conditions, isolation-the only thing missing is torture. An Akritiri prison camp would be like a vacation spot compared with where these men are being held.
I took the liberty of doing some research into these men’s stories. They were all captured during conflict between the two protectorates, and were accused of a bombing near the capital building. They were found guilty, but the families are claiming that information was ignored during the original trials.
The newly elected protector for Terrina appears to agree with them. She is a strong-willed woman, with a tremendous amount of support from her electorate. I have a feeling that if she’s willing to go to war to get the five prisoners released, the population of Terrina Protectorate will be right behind her.
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- Stardate 53501.3019027778
Day 58 on Tahal-Meeroj
I should note for the record that the dwelling Darek offered me is lovely. Considering how much I had to fight the captain for a place to store items on Voyager, I’ve come to appreciate such luxuries as spacious accommodations.
The apartment has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen I suspect Mr. Neelix might envy, and a living room the size of the mess hall on Voyager. From what I’ve been able to determine, such a dwelling appears to be the standard size for buildings in the capital city.
Mareeza Tabreez’s condition is improving by the day, as is the condition of the fetus. The oligohydramnios would have been easy to treat if I’d had proper equipment. As I don’t, it forced me to improvise. Apparently, my previous belief that any competent physician would have devised the same clinical solution was in error. Dr. Ruaal is thinking I might have invented a brand-new technique.
If she only knew it was really a variation on a five-hundred-year-old Vulcan treatment.
I have spent far more time inside the hospital than I probably should these last few days. Between my daily workload in urgent care, making sure Darek’s injuries were being properly attended to, and time in the maternity ward checking up on my two favorite patients, it has been busy.
“Favorite patients?” Hmm. That might be the first time in four years that I’ve used those words and meant them.
There is something oddly charming about the young woman. She has lovely hair the color of a rich chocolate; hazel eyes that seem to dance; and a grace and beauty that I think even Danara would have admired. She also has that same intelligence and that wonderfully inquisitive nature that I always admired-and, I must admit, miss-in Kes.
I haven’t asked Mareeza about the child’s father yet. As she never mentioned a mate in her life, I presumed that there was none. Judging by her reaction when I suggested that there was a risk of her illness damaging the baby, I believe she may not have even realized she was pregnant.
Darek has invited me to his home-which happens to be in the tallest building he owns-to participate in one of his Sky Ship viewing parties. He says that he intends to have one as soon as possible after he’s discharged. When I informed him that the knife wound took a section of his stomach with it, and