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STAR YAWNS 6
Logan is not my name
By David & Sabine Williams
Copyright 2012 David Williams
Previously on Star Yawns:
The Captain gave the order and Ensign Follicle fired at the Moronite pirates and moments after that they watched the ship blow to pieces.
The alien ship was still sitting in front of the entrance to the wormhole so when the ship exploded the wormhole became affected and immediately closed.
“ Well now that the fight is over let’s go home,” the Captain said, unaware of what had just happened, “ let’s make our way through the wormhole. Let’s make it happen Ensign Lid-Lidia.”
The ship propelled its way forward towards the wormhole’s coordinates but on arrival nothing happened.
“ Ensign Lid-Lidia, why didn’t the wormhole open up? We should be going through it right now.”
“ It doesn’t appear to be here sir.”
“ Mr. Sook perhaps you can take a look at this.”
“ The Ensign is correct Captain, the wormhole is no longer here.”
“ That’s absurd, we all saw it just a few minutes ago.”
“ It is not absurd sir,” said Mr. Base, “ the blast from the alien ship has caused the wormhole to close up. Perhaps it was also destroyed.”
The Captain thought he would take a different tack. “ Mr. Sook, according to your instruments how far are we from the Alpha quadrant?” The Captain was now looking very concerned.
“ We are approximately ten thousand light years from the Alpha quadrant.”
“ How long would it take at maximum warp?”
Mr. Sook did some quick calculations. “ If we were able to maintain warp factor twelve which is unlikely, it would take almost eight years.”
The Captain sat back in his chair staring at the screen.
“ Eight years at warp twelve? I think we had better come up with a course of action very quickly. Let’s rethink what we are going to do.”
Captains Log: Star Date 24.0912
After a battle with the Moronite pirates we have destroyed our only means of return to the Alpha quadrant. Mr. Sook tells me that it will take eight years to get back at warp twelve and the engines could never be expected to maintain maximum warp for so long. I have given the order to start on our trip back and to maintain warp nine point five. Along the way we will stop at a planet that is not far from here. Hopefully we will find fresh food and minerals to help maintain our ship and ourselves over this long journey.
Mr. Sook had been studying his computer and he had noticed a few things about this planet.
“ What can you tell us about this planet Mr. Sook?” the Captain asked.
“ It is an M class planet with an oxygen and nitrogen atmosphere. According to my instruments the temperature can be extremely warm during the daylight hours and exceptionally cold at night. One thing I might add though Captain. I detect no warp capabilities whatsoever. The towns I have seen put me in mind of Earth during the late 1800’s.”
“ Are you thinking about the Prime Directive?”
“ That is what I had in mind sir.”
“ Have you any information yet on the appearance of the people on this planet?”
“ Yes Captain and I will relay the information to the Doctor so he can make temporary changes to the members of the landing party in look and dress.”
It was an hour later when the beaming party materialized on the planet’s surface. There was the Captain and Lieutenant Beani-Poohs, Doctor Flusher and Mr. Base, Commander La Trenne and Yeomen Amenity. Everybody had had their faces surgically changed to look like the local aliens and everybody was wearing clothing and hats similar to the indigenous population.
The first thing Mr. Base did was pull out his tricorder and scan the area.
“ Have you noticed anything of interest Mr. Base?”
“ Yes Captain. I have noticed that this area is prone to having earthquakes so we will have to watch our step.”
“ We will most likely not be here very long. I think we should spread out and some of us can collect local fruit and vegetables and some of us can locate the minerals that we need.”
Beani-Poohs smiled at him. “ May be part of your team Captain?”
He smiled back at her. “ Of course you can, we will look for edibles. Doctor, you and Yeoman Amenity will accompany us. Mr. La Trenne, you and Mr. Base will search for the minerals. We will all meet back here at these same co-ordinates in two hours.”
Commander La Trenne and Mr. Base trekked up to some caves near a cliff top while the others walked in the opposite direction and found an orchid with lots of fruit that was growing. The orchid was a wild one and didn’t appear to belong to anyone so the crewmembers started filling up bags that they had brought with them and had them beamed back to the ship.
Suddenly there was an earthquake and the ground started opening up. Beani-Poohs screamed as she grabbed hold of the Captain and they both took hold of a small tree. When it was over Yeoman Amenity was nowhere to be seen.
“ Doctor can you hear me?” the Captain yelled.
“ Yes I hear you,” the Doctor’s voice responded. He appeared before them, flickering for a few moments.
“ I am sorry, it appears my program was slightly affected by the quake. Are you both alright?”
“ Yes, we are fine, just a little shaken. Can you see Yeoman Amenity anywhere? I don’t know what happened to him.”
“ When the ground opened up the Yeoman fell into the fissure Captain. I observed his exact position. He is only a short distance from you.”
They walked over and looked down into the open ground. They could clearly see the Yeoman lying face down at the bottom of the ten-meter drop.
The Captain hit his COM badge but there was no reply. “ It seems that we are out of communication.”
“ What will we do?” Beani-Poohs asked worriedly.
“ We will make do with what we have. I’m glad we brought along some equipment. I have a rope, I’ll lower you down Doctor and then you can put a rope on him and we’ll bring him up.”
The Captain lowered the Doctor down. Being a hologram, he was very light. At the bottom he felt for Yeoman Amenity’s pulse.
“ I’m afraid he’s dead Gus!” the Doctor yelled, “ there’s nothing I can do.”
Suddenly the ground started to rumble again. The Captain pulled the Doctor up just in time as the ground closed back up again.
* * * *
On the cliff face Mr. La Trenne had been walking around near the edge while Mr. Base was looking for minerals inside a cave. As the ground started to shake the cave started to fill up with rocks as it caved in. On the outside Mr. La Trenne lost his footing and tumbled down the side of the cliff hitting his head badly on a rock at the bottom.
As he fell he lost his Com badge, his phaser, his tricorder and even his hat. He now lay at the bottom of the cliff knocked unconscious.
He came to some time later and he felt extremely sick and very thirsty from the heat of the day.
He looked up at the cliff and was puzzled. He didn’t recognise this place. He groaned as he groggily sat up and slowly felt his muscles. Nothing was broken. He was dusty and his head hurt. He looked up at the cliff. He must have fallen, there were no ropes or anything and he seemed to be alone.
He grabbed a rock and pulled himself to his feet and took a few steps. He could walk. He supposed that was a good thing. He must have come here for a reason but he couldn’t remember what it was.
Slowly, a sound began to permeate through his grogginess. He began to recognise the sound of water. There was a waterfall nearby and he knew that he needed a drink.
***
Inside the cave Mr. Base struggled to free himself from the fallen debris. Usually he was very strong but something was wrong, the rocks had damaged his arms and they were both useless. He would have to rely on his legs to free himself. Logically he knew that this could take him some time…
***
The Captain and the others rallied themselves and walked out of the orchid and back to the designated meeting location. There was no one else there.
“ The others must have been affected by the earthquake,” the Captain said, “ we will wait here for ten minutes. If they are not here by then, we shall have to formulate a plan.” They all sat down and waited. The Captain periodically tried to contact the ship.
***
Mr. La Trenne walked for more than ten minutes towards the sound of the water and a few moments later he walked into a clearing and there he could see a small lake with a waterfall that fed it. There was a sandy beach, which made it easy to get access to the water.
He fell gratefully to his knees and dunked his head under the water, it felt so nice and cool and the day was so hot. He felt the top of his head and it felt like there was a lump the size of a Trick-osh egg and it was very sore. He couldn’t remember how he knew about the Trick-osh fowl of the Omedian planet group but he did know that the eggs were very large.
On bringing his head out of the water he noticed his reflection and studied himself intently. It was the face of a stranger. He was beginning to feel a little concerned now, but it was probably a good idea not to panic. He was alive and relatively unhurt and perhaps there was someone looking for him. If he were just a little patient, perhaps it would all come back to him.
There was a slight cough and he realised that he wasn’t alone. There was an old man sitting about fifty meters away and the body of a man lay on the ground.
La Trenne wondered how he had not noticed them earlier.
“ Who are you and what are you doing here?” called out the old man.
La Trenne just stood there trying to think, he couldn’t remember.
“ Are you going to answer?” the old man persisted
La Trenne felt like he was straining his brain, but his mind was a blank. “ I’m trying to think, I can’t remember my name.”
“ Well, what are you doing here then?”
“ I don’t know that either. All I know is that I hit my head and it’s very sore now.”
“ Come over here and sit down and I’ll get you a cup of gulag. That might help you remember.”
La Trenne walked over and sat down, while the old man poured some steaming brown liquid into a cup and handed it to him. It didn’t smell like anything he could remember and it tasted even stranger. The closest thing he could think it smelled like was old socks, but his memory was probably not accurate in this regard.
“ What happened to him?” asked La Trenne looking at the body lying on the ground.
“ He fell down this cliff during the quake. He was killed instantly because he never moved after the fall and I felt his pulse and he has none.”
“ Do you know who he is?”
The old man walked over to the body and turned him over and then started going through his pockets. “ You know, he look’s a little bit like you, kid.”
La Trenne stared at the mans face and remembered his own reflection in the water. “I don't think so,” he replied
“ This is one way to find out who he is,” the old man said.
He put his hand into one of the pockets and pulled out a large sum of money and proceeded to stuff it into his own pocket. Then he started to look through a bag that lay beside the body.
“ There is the name Logan on this bag, perhaps it was his name.”
La Trenne stared at him. “ Logan!”
The old man turned around. “ Do you know him?”
“ No, I never saw him before.”
“ Then why did you say his name like that?”
La Trenne was trying to remember. “ His name sounds like my favorite jam. I remember that I like loganberry jam.”
“ Jam? What’s that?”
“ I don’t know, I just remember that I like it.”
“ That’s some convenient memory that you have, kid.”
“ If that came back to me, I’m bound to remember more as the day goes along.”
The old man looked at the sky and started to pack up his gear.
“ Well the day’s part way gone already so we had better be going. It will be night in a few hours and it gets bitterly cold at night. We should get ourselves to Bitter Creek, that is the closest town to this location. If we are to make it there before dark we had better make tracks. As my old pappy used to say, you’re burning daylight, kid.”
“ You think I should accompany you?”
“ Well, what else can you do? Have you any ideas of your own? This is the best plan. It can be dangerous while traveling alone and it makes sense for us to join forces, at least until we get to town."
“ How far is it to Bitter Creek?”
“ It’s about twelve to fifteen kilometers. A good stretch of the legs.” He threw Logan’s bag at La Trenne. “ You might as well keep this, he won’t be needing it now.”
La Trenne caught the bag and it was heavy. “ What’s in here?”
“ Just clothes and few other things you might need, including a weapon.” He also handed him Logan’s hat. “ Here, you’ll need this so that the sun doesn’t burn you.”
“ Should we bury him?” La Trenne was staring at the body.
The old man snorted. “ Why should we? He’s no relation of ours, let the animals and birds have him.”
“ We can’t just leave him.”
“ Look kid, we have no shovels and there are no rocks to cover him. Plus it’s too hot to dig, even if we had shovels. Let it go. We have to be on our way now.”
A few moments later La Trenne and the old man walked off towards Bitter Creek.
* * * *
The Captain finally made contact with the ship.
“ It’s good to hear your voice Captain, “ said Mr. Sook, “ We were worried about you.”
“ Mr. Sook will you send down to the planet about ten crew members? We will need more people to help conduct a search. Both Mr. La Trenne and Mr. Base have not checked in and we have had a bad earthquake. Yeoman Amenity was killed I’m sad to say and we will need to beam his body back up to the ship.”
“ Aye, aye Captain, I am sorry to hear about the Yeoman and I will send down the crew members you require momentarily.”
“ While you do that, please beam us down some water.”
“ Aye aye sir!” Mr. Sook signed off. It arrived almost immediately and they gratefully drank the cool liquid.
Approximately fifteen minutes later ten members of the crew materialized including Sub-Commander Kazzie-Spockers.
After greeting one another they fell silent as the Captain issued orders.
“ Now I want you all to use your tricorders and find our missing officers. They were looking for minerals when the earthquake hit so they might have been looking in caves and near rock formations. We will need to find them quickly. It will be dark soon and at night the temperature can drop rapidly. So fan out and let’s find them. For you who have no facial changes made, I want you to be careful not to encounter indigenous people.”
The Captain turned to Beani-Poohs. “ You can beam back to the ship if you want.”
“ I’m alright Captain, I would prefer to stay here and help find our missing crew.”
“ Are you sure? It’s dangerous here and you had a close call.”
“ So did you, Gus.”
“ That’s different.”
Beani-Poohs frowned. “ How is it different? I am an officer and I am part of the landing party. Why on earth would I go back to the ship?”
“ Now, don’t get emotional.”
“ I beg your pardon Captain,” she interrupted icily, “ but is this because I am a woman? There are other crew members here who are women and you aren’t sending them back to the ship.”
The Captain sighed, “ I’m not sending you back…”
“ I have never asked for any preferential treatment just because we have a relationship…”
“ We don’t have
a relationship, “ he said patiently, “ we are engaged…”
“ … And I won’t let you keep me out of things either. I am part of the landing party and I am staying. Now where do we start?”
He sighed again, “ I was just …I thought perhaps you may just want to return to the ship and help co-ordinate things from there, I wasn’t trying to insult you. There is no need for you to be so emotional about it…”
“ I am not emotional, my response was as indignant as anyone else’s would be and for the record, I would be quite emotional if I was back onboard the DVD with no word on how you were doing. I would prefer to stay here. In situations like this I don’t want you to treat me like your fiancée but a fellow officer.”
“ Noted, Lieutenant.” Before he could say anything else Kazzie-Spockers walked up to them.
“ So which way did Commander La Trenne go, Captain? I am here to help find them, if I can.”
The Captain turned to her with a measure of relief. “ I believe he and Mr. Base went north.”
“ Then lets make a start.” She walked towards the steep incline that led to the cave.
* * * *
“ So what were you doing at the waterfall?” La Trenne asked the old man.
“ I was having a rest before I had to walk back. I have been away from Bitter Creek for a while. I was visiting a friend who lives quite a distance from here.”
“ So what is your name?” La Trenne asked.
“ Most people call me Ganmor.”
“ What do the others call you?”
The old man gave a crack of laughter, “ A pain in the neck usually.”
They trudged along for a few more minutes before the old man spoke again.
“ Have you had any luck in remembering your name yet, kid?”
“ No, I still have no idea what my name is.”
“ That must feel strange.”
“ It does, yes. It’s like a thought that is just out of reach. You can almost see it in your mind… but it’s like a door that won’t open.”
“ Well, you just have to be patient, kid, and maybe it will come to you.”
“ Maybe.”
It was just getting dark when La Trenne and the old man walked wearily into the town. La Trenne was very tired and his head still throbbed a little but he looked around him with interest. He had a feeling that he had never seen a town quite like this one.