J-Tube Rats

[Rachel E Garrett 0]

"J-Tube Rats"

 

So she was a J-tube rat. So fine. What_ever.

 

But she was weird and she knew it. These people weren't weird. They didn't want to live in the J-tubes. Well, she didn't either; she just liked hiding in them sometimes. And sleeping in 'em 'cause they were warm and cozy and you could hear the engines hum if you put your ear just right on the decking. But that was beside the point.

 

She, Scott, and Caelan were hunched together at an access junction on deck 98, just outside the main cargo storage area, facing about twelve people who had apparently been living here, for how long they had no idea. Rachel was dumbfounded. These people didn't like living down there. They were hiding. From what? They were living in a J-tube when they could be on the station getting help from medical and getting food and clothes and everything given to them from the Federation or whoever. So… why were they hiding?

 

And they looked horrible, backed up against the far end of the J-tube where security had trapped them with a forcefield. They were huddled protectively around their children as if they were all about to die. What clothes they had literally hung off their emaciated bodies. They were filthy, and when one of them turned away from Rachel she could see their bones. He – or she – Rachel wasn't sure – had long gashing scars down and across the back, and some on the arms and legs. Their hair was matted and caked with something Rachel decided she probably didn't want to know about. And their eyes. She'd never forget their eyes: wide, terrified, squinting against the light like animals caged in darkness for days… months… years?

Gees…

 

One of the security guys said some of the people were Bajoran and some were human – Terran maybe. But it was hard to tell as thin and dirty as they were. He said they looked like they had been slaves somewhere.

Slaves?

 

Lt Cdr Shepard told them to move down the tunnel so they could get to sick bay, but they wouldn't move. Why? Didn't they know they were being helped? Didn't they know they would be okay, that Rachel and everyone else was there to help? Chief Shepard set a transmitter between Rachel and the… people?… hiders?… stowaways? "Get these people to wait here," he said; then he ducked out of the tube. Rachel glanced at them, then at Scott and Caelan. She figured the people sure weren't going to run away; they didn't want to. And anyway, where would they go?

 

So she sat. And waited.