Marooned - Christie Golden [43]
Hrrrl's ears twitched, betraying his discomfort with the revelation. "It is not something we Sshoush-shin are proud of, but it is a part of our history and we will not deny that it happened. The guards were heavily outnumbered. They barricaded themselves in the control center, far beneath the surface of Mishkara. They could and did defend themselves, and have done so to this day. The prisoners fled, out into the harshness that was Mishkara. We have divided ourselves into sects, small groups that cling to life. We trade with a few, but many we avoid. We cannot afford to let hostile strangers into our midst."
The eyes crinkled, and Hrrrl cocked his furry head. "You have passed our inspection, as I said. We saw the bright green streak of plasma against the skies, and knew that another ship had been disabled by the ion storm. We sought you out. Had we not approved of who we found, you would have been driven away."
"We were lucky indeed," said Janeway, sincerely. It wa" easy to believe that this harsh planet was brimful with hostile life-forms.
She took a deep breath, again feeling that light headedness that she was determined to overcome. "Hrrrl, may we ask a few questions?"
He spread his arms wide. "What we know, we will tell you."
"You say the guards-Sshoush-shin guards-still live at the ruins of New Hann. How do you know?"
"Over the years, a few of our scouts have seen them emerge from the broken dome. We think they need to forage for food, just as everyone must, now. But now that you mention this, they have not been seen for a while." He shrugged his massive, furry shoulders. "You must forgive. There is little way to reckon days here. We have no seasons, only the swirling, green skies."
"I understand." Once, these people had been perhaps almost as advanced as humankind. But now, even more abandoned than Janeway, they had had to choose survival over sophistication. "How is it then that your generation understands ships and technology?"
"You are not the first to crash since the dome was shattered," replied Hrrri. "Always, since we first fled into the wilderness, there have been interlopers with new technology. Many come thinking to exploit Mishkara's wealth, but the guards have other plans. The pulse, though, renders everything useless, at least for a time, if it is not protected by being hidden away deep in the earth."
"The soil and rock of Mishkara shields technological devices from the effect of the ion pulse?" queried Tuvok. "Yes.
"That's good to know," said Janeway. "Once Paris and Torres have effected repairs, maybe we can enlist the Sshoush-shin in temporarily burying it beneath the rocks and soil."
Hrrrl nodded. "We could help, yes. Now, Janeway, we have told you of our history. Tell me of yours."
Janeway paused, thinking how best to approach this. Finally, she sighed. "Hrrrl, much of our recent history is tied in with yours."
Before she embarked on the tate of Aren Yashar's betrayal and Voyager's subsequent chase to Mishkara, Janeway told him a little bit about the Alpha quadrant, and how Voyager and her crew were trying to get home. The furry alien leader grew pensive as he listened.
"Home," he echoed. "It seems that many are striving for it, doesn't it?"
Janeway nodded. She then told Hrrrl and the rest of the Sshoush-shin, who crowded forward eagerly, ears pricked attentively, to listen, of Kes's abduction. Janeway spoke more quietly of the cautious voyage through the graveyard of dead ships.
"On the station, Aren Yashar spoke of an insectoid race called the Thatli. Believe me, I don't have any difficulty suspecting that everything Yashar utters is a