Lian
Captain Rose approached Jemma cautiously, she seemed to be the exact opposite of Morse in more than just her small stature and dark brown hair, she was obviously inexperienced and nervous. She smiled and Jemma was reminded of a high school student walking up to receive their diploma.
Jemma almost felt bad for her and yet she was kind ofrelieved to see her after the entire ordeal that had drained her physically andemotionally, she didn’t have to worry about Rose manipulating her or hurtingher, Rose seemed rather innocent and uncontaminated by the politics that ragedin this corner of the universe.
Rose held a hand out, “Dr. Simmons, I can’t imagine whatyou’re feeling right now or what you’ve been through but I want you to know thatI’m going to get you home and that you are welcome and encouraged to use everyresource available on this ship. You will not be going through this alone, ourdoctors and our counselors will be with you to help you deal with everythingand so will my crew and I.”
Jemma wanted to cry that was so kind and civilized but shesmiled and shook the captain’s hand, “Thank you, captain Rose, but I just needsome rest, I think.”
Rose nodded, “Of course, I’ll have someone show you to your quarters immediately.”
“And if it’s not to much trouble, could I have a room with a double bed so that Nueh’nah could stay with me?” Jemma mentioned it as she felt the tug on her sleeve from the girl behind her who had been incredibly silent through this entire thing.
The young captain nodded, “That’s no problem at all, get some rest doctor Simmons, I’m sure you need it.”
She instructed her commander to escort the women and amoment later a woman in uniform with an impressive physic, strong arms and dark skin came up and introduced herself, “I’m commander Morales, come with me, please.”
Jemma didn’t say anything but she and Nueh’nah followed closely to the commander as she led them through the ship that, although was just as beautiful and impressive as the first time Jemma saw it, seemed empty and all to quiet without the passengers on board.
“If I may ask--” The librarian cut in on the silence as they walked through the ship, “What happened to Captain Morse?”
The commander paused as if she didn’t want to say, but she told Jemma anyway, “She was taken into custody by O’Nanh galactic security, it’s a shame really, I thought she had really turned a corner.” Morales looked back at her.
It didn’t take them long to get to the room, apparently they wanted Jemma and Nueh’nah to be close to the bridge and the captain’s quarters, the commander stopped in front of the door and it slid open but Jemma didn’t go in, instead she asked,
“What is--” She stopped, not wanting to say the name, “What is Ward going to do with the pirates?”
“He’s going to take them to O’Nah, where they’ll be jailed and, if they’re lucky, put on trial. After that the judges will determine what happens to them.”
“But what if they escape before they get to the planet?” The librarian continued to question her,
“They won’t be able to, even if they escaped they would be in the middle of O’Nahn territory, even if they’re good, they’re not good enough to fight off an army. And once they’re on the planet, chances are, they won’t even see the light of day. Don’t worry, you’re safe, they’re never getting out again.” The commander assured her.
Jemma was thankful for how sweet everyone on this ship was being, even if their concerns were misguided, so she faked a comforted smiled and nodded to reassure the commander that she was feeling safe. Morales seemed satisfied with herself and gestured politely to the room and Jemma and Nueh’nah stepped inside.
“Try to get some rest, Dr. Simmons. You are completely free to go anywhere you want to on the ship, but you don’t even have to leave your room if you don’t want to, just tell the computer who you want to speak to, Doctor, counselor, captain, an officer, and they will be with you very shortly.”
Jemma pulled her arms around herself and smiled, “Thank you, Commander Morales, you and your captain have been so kind to me.”
The commander saluted and stepped away, letting the door slid shut, leaving the two women alone in the bright and vacation like room. Jemma turned away from Nueh’nah and took a deep breath, a second later she put her hand over her face and let out a small sob, she tried to hide it in her hands, not wanting this young girl who had been through so much feel like she had to comfort a woman who was older than her, but it escaped nonetheless and the girl noticed immediately.
Nueh’nah walked behind Jemma and hugged her, resting her head on her back. The librarian turned around and pulled the young girl close, putting her chin on top of her head and rocking back and forth, trying to choke back tears. Nueh’nah cried too, although she didn’t know why she was crying.
After a few minutes Jemma took a deep breath and stepped back, wiping her face and apologizing to the girl. “I am sorry your friend’s are not here.” Nueh’nah said with lack of anything better to say to comfort the doctor.
Jemma chuckled, “Thank you, sweetie.” Then she added, “What is the Naht'Wuna word for ‘love’?”
Nueh’nah thought about it for a moment, “Wuh'Eh'Lif or Loh'Fi, one means ‘what we live for’ and the other is a chemical mixture.” Then she asked, “Did you have that with the Captain Skye?”
Jemma laughed and nodded, settling down on a bed and staring at the floor with a slightly sad look on her face, she nodded, “Yes, I did...”
“Which one?”
“Both?” Then she shook her head and stood up suddenly, “What am I doing? Just sitting here wallowing in my self pity? I need to do something, they need help.”
Nueh’nah looked around, confused as Jemma began to move quickly through the quarters, pulling out a bag and stuffing it with clothes and then pulling maps off of the computer. She stopped when she realized that Nueh’nah was staring at her and her eyes fell to the girl’s arm.
“Sweetie, you’ve got a cut on your arm, here let me clean that.” The girl put her arm up and the librarian immediately began to wash and clean her injury. She seemed to be in a hurry but she was still very gentle.
She looked up at the younger girl, “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to, I’m sure I’m about to do something very dangerous and very stupid. This ship will take you to earth, my best friend Fitz will take very good care of you, I promise.”
Nueh’nah shook her head, “I’m staying with you. I’ve been in danger before. I’m not scared.”
Jemma seemed to pout for a moment but then she stood up and pulled the girl close in another tight hug, “What would I do without you?”
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Skye groaned loudly, “Ugh.. What the fuck happened?” She tried to sit up but a hand on her shoulder kept her down. She looked up directly into Trip’s face and squinted at him in confusion.
They were back in a cell, this time being monitored by three guards who never took their eyes off of them, she was lying on the cold floor, her head in Trip’s lap, they were surrounded by bloodied bandages and small medical supplies.
“Easy,” he said, holding her down, “I’ve patched it up with stitches and they shouldn’t take very long to fuse your skin back but I don’t want you moving until I’m sure they’ll stay. Plus you’ve lost a lot of blood.” He explained glancing at the used bandages.
Skye’s eyes moved from the floor around them to Trip’s face, the right side of his face was bruised and he had a black eye, she cringed, “God, Trip, I’m so sorry.” She reached up to touch his face and he moved in away with a sigh.
“I’m fine, Skye, plus I didn’t get it nearly as bad as you did, you had a punctured lung and internal bleeding, I had to do surgery with a pair of tweezers and what I’m pretty sure was a butter knife.” One of the guards shushed them angrily and they lowered their voices, “All the while the guards have been breathing down my back.”
Skye smiled up at him, “I’m lucky you’re the best.”
He chuckled, “Yes, you are.”
“What about the dynamic duo? Are they okay?”
Trip shifted slightly and the captain cringed, “Yeah, they’re alive. Ward put them in hyper sleep, and the minute you can walk they’re probably going to do the same to us.”
Skye groaned, “I hate hyper sleep, it’s terrible, I always have to throw up for ten minutes after I wake up and half the time I get a case of amnesia to go with it.”
“You know they’re probably going to kill us, right?” Trip asked, getting straight to the point and ignoring Skye's grievences about Hyper sleep.
Skye gave a quick nod, “Yup.”
“Torture?”
“Most likely.”
“Trials and justice be damned?”
“Always.”
Trip sighed, “Why did I feel the need to move my ass out of Jupiter...”
Skye shifted so that she could look up at him, “Because you wanted to make the universe a better place.” She reminded him.
He huffed, “And look where that got me.”
Skye looked away from him and her face fell, “Did they already drop Jemma back off at the Mockingbird?”
He nodded, “Yeah, and apparently everything went smoothly. Ward’s pretty happy with himself and I’m sure Morse is too.”
She didn’t respond immediately and Trip went on, “At least she’s safe Skye and not in the same position that we’re in.”
Skye nodded, “Yeah, I’m happy about that... and I hope she has a wonderful life. I’m just happy I got to know her before I died.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Trip put a comforting hand over her forehead, “Hey, maybe we’ll just get some prison time?”
Skye laughed, “Now whose being the positive one.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to take your mind off of your long lost love.” He looked up and his eyes went wide, “Quick, pretend to be unconscious, I don’t want to go to hyper sleep yet.”
Skye rolled her head and tried not to think to hard about their situation lest her tears give her away to Ward or the guards. She meant what she had said about Jemma, but at the same time some selfish part of her just wanted to be laying in her arms right now and not light years away from her.
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Jemma glanced around the corner, looking for anybody that might see them; all she saw was an empty hallway. She gestured for Nueh’nah to follow and then they snuck through the ship as quietly as they could. They were lucky, or perhaps unlucky that there were no passengers at the moment because the halls were extremely quiet and empty.
They were moving to the shuttle dock, Jemma had something close to a plan but mostly her only goal was to get off of this ship without anybody noticing. It took them a while to get to the ship’s shuttle dock mostly because of their pacing and also the fact that it was on the other side of the ship and they couldn’t use the main lifts without running into someone.
Once they got there and the doors opened, Jemma was afraid that there would be a lot of personnel in the shuttle bay but in actuality it looked empty like the rest of the ship.
The shuttles were all lined up in pristine condition, they could be used both for emergency evacuation and for leisurely outings for the more high paying guests. They could hold up to 30 people if necessary.
Nueh’Nah pointed to the one farthest away from the door, a black shuttle with gold trimmings, it was probably reserved for the platinum paying customers.
“What about that one?”
Jemma looked up at the large shuttle with the almost ostentatious designs, and she glanced back at the girl, “The most expensive one? Are you sure?”
Nueh’nah shrugged her shoulders, “If you’re going to steal something, you might as well get your risk’s worth. Jhit'Wuh'uc.”
Jemma looked genuinely impressed, “You’re really getting the hang of this pirate thing aren’t you?”
She nodded, “So are you.”
The librarian chuckled, and shook her head, “I can’t believe I’m doing this… But alright, lets take this one, I’ll override the codes if you’ll ready the docking door.”
It only took her a minute to override the shuttles security and the door slid open revealing an extremely luxurious interior. It was large and open inside and the seating was soft and comfortable. She looked around the cabin for a moment, noticing a small cove next to the pilot seat. She opened it to find a gun inside, probably a need to know weapon only for in the case of emergencies.
She opened it up; It was empty. She shrugged her shoulders but put it under her belt nonetheless.
She moved to the exit, “Nueh, how’s it going with the—“
“Dr. Simmons, what is going on?” Captain Rose approached the shuttle looking alarmed but not angry. She was alone and she didn’t have a weapon on her.
Jemma sighed, she really didn’t want to have to do this, “I’m so sorry, Captain Rose..” She lifted the empty gun with one hand and tried her best to look confident and threatening, a feat which really wasn’t that easy for her.
Rose put her hands up, still looking utterly confused, “Dr. Simmons, what on earth are you doing?”
Jemma sighed, she felt a lot guiltier than she probably should have, “I’m going to have to commandeer this shuttle, okay? I don’t want any trouble, now please, stay back.”
Nueh’nah walked up after she was finished getting their escape ready, she stopped as she saw the captain. Jemma gestured for her to get on the ship and she slid inside behind the librarian, letting her deal with the problem.
“Why are you doing this?” The captain seemed hurt and Jemma groaned, holding the gun up as best she could.
“I’m sorry, okay, I really, really am, you’ve been so lovely to us and I am so thankful for that but I have to take this shuttle and handle some unfinished business. I really am sorry to do this to you. I’ll bring it back if we live, okay?”
“But, why?” She persisted.
“I don’t know, okay, everything’s confusing and I don’t know exactly what I’m doing but you’re going to have to let me go.” She stomped her foot to make it more final.
She stepped back into the shuttle and closed the door, running to the controls and sending the ship out of the dock as fast as she could. “We need to get out of here before they send someone.” She said, rushed and nervous as she flicked a few switches on the main console.
“I do not think we need to worry about that.” Nueh’nah said, pointing out the small window on the side of the shuttle.
Jemma stood up and looked out the window, Rose had shut the dock down after them and there were no signs of alarms anywhere on the ship. Jemma frowned, “That lady is too lovely for this part of space, isn’t she?” The woman looked at the younger for confirmation and Nueh’nah nodded adamantly.
They went back to sit at the controls, “What are we going to do now?” The Naht'Wuna asked.
“I don’t know—“ She pulled the chip out of her pocket, “But I think I know someone who will.”
She plugged the ship into the main console, it lit up and beeped, they paused and looked at each other. “Alecta, are you there?” Jemma tried.
Then a voice spoke through the intercoms, it was similar to Alecta’s but it was absent of all the unpleasant static and raspyness, making her voice sound smooth and rather soulful. “Where is Helen? Why are you here and where am I?” She spouted off, annoyed.
Jemma quickly recapped everything that had happened to the AI while she stayed silent, “So now we need to help them and get them back, do you have any suggestions?” Jemma finished.
The AI all but growled, “I suggest we throw Ward to the pits of hell. Ugh, If I had a physical form...”
Jemma and Nueh’nah cringed, she sounded utterly enraged, “Well, yes I would like to do that as well but we need to get everyone back, until then, what do you think?
“I know where to go.” Is all she said in reply and a second later the shuttle had altered course.
“Where are we going?”
“A little planet called Lian.”
The AI didn’t explain further and she refused to speak for the rest of the journey, but she had taken control of navigations and they were moving at the highest speed possible.
In the end, it only took them about twelve hours to make it to the planet that Alecta was talking about, she was right, it was very small and it had the benefit of natural sunlight.
When they landed, they could immediately see the green rolling hills and the various wildlife feeding on the plants. With that and the mild temperature, the place looked like paradise, the shuttle automatically stopped in the middle of a small field, just a few meters away there was a house.
It was two stories tall and it looked like it had been built with the natural timber and resources of the planet. It had a simple white fence around it and it looked just as blissful as the rest of the planet.
“What is this place? What are we doing here?”
“Talking to someone who is going to help us kick Ward’s ass.”
“And who is that?” Jemma asked, continuing to look around astounded at the natural features of the planet.
“Just go up and knock on the damn door.” The AI practically sighed out, Jemma shrugged her shoulders and led Nueh’nah outside the shuttle.
They walked slowly up to the door of the pleasant looking house; Jemma glanced back one last time at her companion before she lifted her fist and knocked three times on the wood door.
She had barely moved her hand away before the door flew open and suddenly Jemma was face to face with the barrel of a gun. She gasped and took a step back but the person stepped forward.
“Who are you and what are you doing on my planet.” A stern woman’s voice asked on the other side of the gun.
Jemma gulped and took a closer inspection of the woman holding the weapon in her face. Realization dawned on her and she was simultaneously hopeful and terrified at the same time.
She tried to keep herself from shaking but she took a step closer and held her head up high, she knew if she said the wrong thing she would be shot immediately and without question.
“Captain May? Captain Melinda May? My name is Jemma Simmons and I’m here because of your daughter.