"Changing Fate"

[Col. C.E. Harper 0]

"Evali."

 

She turned to face the source of the voice, a man standing in the doorway to the devastated bridge. He looked grim. Her heart tried to leap into her throat and sink to her toes at the same time. "Petin?"

 

He would not meet her eyes, staring intently at a splash of blood on the deckplates. "Two of our people in quarantine have begun to show the Change."

 

Suddenly it was hard to breathe. The air was fine a moment ago, her brain insisted. There was no reason why it should burn her throat and lungs now. "Who?" someone asked. The speaker sounded very calm, she noticed. Then she realized it had been her own voice.

 

Petin shifted uncomfortably. "Orik, and..." He shifted again, raised his eyes to hers. "I'm sorry, Evali. The other one is Evana."

 

She crumpled against the console, clinging to its twisted frame hard enough to leave dents in her palms, and wondered what had happened to the ship's attitude stabilizers, that it should suddenly be spinning. "No..."

 

"I'm sorry," Petin repeated. There was an uncomfortable silence. "Uh, do you want us to..."

 

With an effort, she pulled herself upright, breathing deep. "No," she said, in a voice that shook too much to be convincingly firm. "It is my place to do it; I will come." She passed a hand over her eyes, stinging and blurred no doubt from the fumes and smoke on the bridge, and found wetness on her cheeks. Ah.

 

T'Loren, whose head had come up at the word 'quarantine', stepped closer and put a hand on her arm, "Excuse me, but you have people that are ill? First, is this contagious? Are my people in danger? And second, perhaps we can help..."

 

Evali managed a shaky smile for the alien woman. "It is only contracted through prolonged physical contact with the Changers," she explained. "Your people will be fine... you all wear much protective gear anyway." She eyed the woman's armor, a little curious but not in the mood to ask questions now. "And it is kind of you to offer, but there is no cure, only release." She took a shuddery breath and straightened her shoulders. "If you will pardon me now, I must go do for my sister."

 

T'Loren stepped further forward, undertstanding the form of 'release' referred to, and blocked her way. "Wait.. If what you say is true.. this may be the last of your race, you owe it to yourselves to at least let us try. We aren't from around here... but perhaps there is something we have learned in our corner of the galaxy. After all, what can it hurt?"

 

She hesitated. It would be a wonder, true, if these strangers could offer a cure, but if they failed, the consequences would be unthinkable. "Would it... take long?"

 

Paradox shrugged her ignorance, "I'm a Marine, not a doctor. But again, what harm can it do? We can beam them over, in quarantine, and let our doctors take a look. It's safe for our people and yours would be no worse off. I can contact the ship immediately..."

 

Biting her lip, Evali nodded. "Very well. But... if they cannot help... if the Change comes in earnest... We will release our loved ones while they still are our loved ones. You understand?"

 

Day nodded, "If it comes to that, and I sincerely hope it won't, but if it does, you have my word that I will help you. But only if we

cannot help them." Reaching up, she tapped her comm badge for the second time in mere hours, "Paradox to Medusa. Quiet channel, please." She didn't want too many ears listening to spread wild rumors.

 

"I'm in the Ready Room, Paradox," Harper's voice said. "What's the problem?"

 

With a brief sigh of relief, she spoke, "We have a quarantine situation here. Apparently, there is more to the Soltans than meets the eye..." Day filled her in on the current situation, then finished with, "I hope we can help them.. It also might be the key to defeating them and finding a way back home."