Ghost of a Chance - Mark Garland [42]
"But no one made contact with them?" Janeway asked.
"No, our people stayed well away from them. When no one came out or went in for one full day, some of my people went closer. My own brother was among them."
Nan Loteth paused as the pain in his thoughts seemed to touch his face.
Janeway remembered her first vision clearly enough. She waited for him to go on.
"When they were almost close enough to touch the sky-boat, burning light came in streams from the boat's hull and struck down all who stood there. Some say they heard the screams of the dying in the village itself."
"Phaser fire," Janeway confirmed, hearing her voice crack. She could feel the Drenarian's pain and fear. She had been there, after all. "I saw them, the bodies of your people. I wasn't sure it had really happened. I had hoped that..." She fell silent and stood just looking at Nan Loteth.
"That would seem to verify that the cruiser is at least partially operational," Tuvok correctly noted. Janeway kept her attention on Nan Loteth.
"I went to the site," he continued. "A few of the men lay there still moving, some moaning, where they had fallen. Then the moaning stopped.
The ones who had stayed back among the trees told us what had happened."
"You had to leave them there," Janeway said, nodding. "The bodies of the dead."
"We dared not go too close for fear we too would be burned."
"It was the only logical decision you could have made," Tuvok assured him.
"So you've stayed away since then?" Kim said, nodding in anticipation of the answer.
"No. We attacked the people of the boat from the trees at the edge of the clearing," the Drenarian said to everyone else's surprise, "but our weapons were of no use against them. We wounded a few of them, I think, but they set the forest ablaze, and we were forced to move away.
After a time, we returned home.
We thought they would come for us, and we have waited, ready to fight them however we can. So far they have stayed near the hills."
"And so much for the Televek's story about mounting a rescue expedition," Kim muttered darkly.
"We are not creatures of war, Captain," Nan Loteth said in a supplicating tone. "We have been at peace for five generations now.
Our leaders have joined in a pact that has allowed us all to prosper.
We do not have great armies to fight these demons.
That is why the Jun-Tath have sent you to us."
"An interesting theory," Tuvok commented, his eyes wide.
"You still took quite a chance approaching our shuttle like that, after what the Televek--the demons--did to you," Janeway said.
"Your vision of our landing must have been a very clear one."
"As was my own vision of you, Captain. And your two companions.
That is why you were brought to my house. The Jun-Tath have chosen me to speak with you, I think. It is my great honor."
"And mine," Janeway reciprocated, trying out a smile of her own; it didn't hurt as much as she thought it might.
"Do you have anyone watching the sky-boat?" Tuvok asked.
"Yes, but few would survive an attack if it came." Nan Loteth sighed, and the lines in his face seemed to deepen. "Since the first attempt, a few of our bowmen have fired on the demons again, but now our arrows only bounce off their clothing."
"Light armor of some kind," Kim speculated.
"Your people are very brave, my friend," Janeway said, thinking of the Prime Directive, then trying not to, at least not for the moment. "And we intend to do whatever we can to help them stay that way. I promise you that."
Nan Loteth nodded, then turned and started out the door. The four of them made their way into a little yard between two houses where a flower garden now shriveled and died under ash and dust.
Janeway could easily imagine how fine it all must have been. She noticed that the sun was low in the sky and that the shadows were growing long. The group moved on, around the corner