Chapter 3 - Someone Young And Smiling
Mei-Wan stood in front of a set of doors on Deck Five. They opened and a short, sandy blonde haired girl, with a smile as wide as a full moon greeted her with a shout.
"Mei!" The eleven year old grabbed Mei-Wan's arm and pulled her into the Zachary quarters. "Are we really going down to the planet?"
Mei-Wan couldn't avoid the infectious glee of the girl or returning her happy smile. "Yes, we are."
Zachary walked in wearing his uniform and a smirk. "But only if you behave, Cindy."
The girl turned to him. "I will Dad, I promise." Cindy Zachary looked back to Mei-Wan and rolled her eyes.
Mei-Wan understood how she felt. She remembered being told many a time to "behave" or "not to get into trouble" and the constant "don't touch anything," but like Cindy she knew that was the only way you discovered anything interesting.
"Thanks again, Mei," Zachary said to her.
Mei-Wan did her best to appear friendly. She still wasn't used to a non-murderous Duncan Zachary. "No problem. We'll have fun."
Cindy smiled.
"Not too much, I hope." Zachary grinned.
***
A few minutes later, Mei-Wan and Cindy were on their way down a corridor toward Shuttlebay One.
"I did some reading up on Dalvanax," Cindy told her.
"And what did you learn?" Mei-Wan asked with a pleased look.
"They've only had warp drive for seventy years and the food is really good."
"Nothing about archaeological sites?"
Cindy grinned wide and pulled out a small PADD from her knapsack. "I've got two hundred picked out."
Mei-Wan laughed. "That's quite a few."
"We don't have to go to all of them on the first day," Cindy replied with a smile.
They approached a set of doors which parted as they neared them. A few moments later, Mei-Wan and Cindy made their way across the football field sized hanger to a shuttle where Todd Nakano stood with a woman in a command division uniform and an older man in civilian dress.
"Are we late?" Mei-Wan asked as Todd noticed them.
He smiled. "No, you're on time. I came down early to get a chance to catch up on Federation politics with the Ambassador."
The gray-haired man turned about and smiled wide at Mei-Wan and Cindy. "Well," he began with a distinctly southern accent. "I see Starfleet is recruiting them young these days."
The woman next to him turned around. It didn't take Mei-Wan long to place the shoulder length blonde hair and angular features even before the four rank pins told her who it was. Though she was older than the photographs Mei-Wan had seen, Captain Larissa James was no less beautiful. The passage of time had left its mark in her eyes, but Mei-Wan suspected that was more a result of the experiences which had filled that time.
"This is Cindy Zachary," Larissa James carefully articulated. "She's the daughter of our science officer."
Cindy stepped up to the captain and the Ambassador. He extended a hand to her.
"I'm Bartholomew James, but you can call me Bart, little lady." His smile widened to the proportions only available to those special few who make it their life's work to be one of those most dreaded of creatures: a politician. "So are you planning on joining Starfleet when you grow up?"
Cindy nodded. "Yep, I'm going to be an archaeologist like Mei."
The Ambassador's expression faded a bit. "Not a starship captain?"
The young girl shook her head. "I want to have fun instead."
Captain James sighed. "Well... before I get depressed about my lack of fun, perhaps we should go."
***
The shuttlecraft Slayton took a carefree course through the space above the atmospheric blanket of Dalvanax Two. Todd Nakano sat in the co-pilot's seat while Captain James made a slight course correction. Mei-Wan and Cindy sat in the passenger seats behind them listening to Ambassador James tell tall tales about his days as a starship captain.
Mei-Wan, however, was only half-listening. She found it difficult not to stare at their captain. She'd had so many questions about the woman who first stole Jack's heart, but never imagined she'd have an opportunity to learn about her first hand. Mei-Wan kept telling herself this wasn't the same person. The woman who Jack had loved, died during an ambush by Orions twenty years ago.
Suddenly Mei-Wan realized there was an opportunity she was missing. Despite Jack not being in Starfleet in this reality, he might very well have still gone to the Academy. "Captain, the other day someone mentioned a man named Jack McCall who went to the Academy around the same time you did. I was wondering if you'd ever met him."
James turned in her chair and thought a moment. "No, I'm afraid the name doesn't sound at all familiar to me." She smiled. "Is this someone Todd should be worried about?"
Todd Nakano chuckled. "There goes that dream of a great life I had."
Mei-Wan frowned. "No, uh... he was someone Hank Evans mentioned in connection with an adventure he'd been on once and I thought you might have known him."
Larissa shook her head. "You have to be careful of Hank's stories. Sometimes that's all they are."
"I'm surprised at you, Larissa," Ambassador James said. "Hank was the best tactical officer I ever had. He knows the difference between fact and reality."
"Come on, Dad," Larissa said with a frown. "He does tell some pretty tall tales."
Todd checked the shuttle's velocity as the first effects of their entry into the atmosphere produced a slight jolt. "I think I've heard the name Jack McCall somewhere before. Why are you interested in him, Mei?"
"Uh, he just sounded like a larger than life character and I wondered if Evans was making him up, or only embellishing a little." Mei-Wan didn't like lying to these people. A part of her wanted to shout as loud as she could about who she was and why she wanted to know about Jack McCall.
But she wondered how Todd knew about him. While it was at least a good sign, she knew she'd have to be careful not to arouse Nakano's suspicions. Mei-Wan figured discussing her "husband" probably wouldn't go over very well.
"Speaking of mysterious men," Ambassador James began.
"Here it comes," Larissa whispered to Todd who responded with a grin.
"When is my daughter going to find herself one?" the ambassador asked with a sardonic smile. "I would like the opportunity to see some grandchildren before I die."
Larissa kept her eyes focused on the shuttle controls. "I'm a starship captain, Dad."
"So was I, but I managed to have you."
From the look on Larissa's face, Mei-Wan could tell this was a painful subject. More than painful--- there was a sadness to the captain, almost a mourning. This Larissa James had never known Jack McCall. He had been the only man she had ever loved back in Mei-Wan's timeline. Here, without Jack, she had apparently never found love.
A loud chirping sounded from the shuttle controls.
"If you don't mind, Dad, I have a ship to pilot," Larissa stated as she buried herself in the task at hand.
The shuttle lurched sharply as the atmosphere outside thickened.
Mei-Wan leaned back in her seat. She glanced at Cindy to make sure she was okay, but instead of being afraid, the young girl appeared to enjoy the ride. I'm glad someone likes it, she told herself.
She closed her eyes and did her best to think of something other than the turbulence. Her mind drifted back to Jack. Despite a lack of time, Mei-Wan had managed to do a little research into the timeline she and Hank found themselves in. Unfortunately, nothing she had seen appeared any different than the history she remembered. But with the flashbacks she was having she wondered if her own memories could be trusted any longer.
She saw Nakano look back at her a moment. She returned the smile he gave her. He was an easy man to like. Mei-Wan couldn't imagine what her sister and parents had against Todd.
What her sister and parents had against him?
She had to be careful not to get too comfortable in the role she played as the woman these people knew. Mei-Wan Lau and Mei-Wan McCall were two different people and she intended to get back to her own life as soon as she could.
***
The zephyrous air of Dalvanax Two provided a tenuous mist of dust and sand to persistently irritate Mei-Wan, Todd, and Cindy everywhere they walked. However, neither the dust, nor the haze overhead did anything to keep the system's sun from attacking them with its scorching heat. Its victory complete upon the thirsty landscape, it worked its essence-sapping ways upon the organic life walking amidst the crowded streets of the city, Filbana.
Mei-Wan took another cool drink from the bottle of water Todd had purchased for her at the spaceport just after they had touched down. The wetness felt good as it went past her lips and into her mouth. Even Hel'yra hadn't been this depleted of moisture. While many of her archaeological travels had taken her to such barren worlds, Dalvanax was one of the few to support a thriving culture.
However, none of what ailed Mei-Wan seemed to affect Cindy's enthusiasm in the least. The lively sand covered streets with their endless variety of shops, merchants, and open air eateries more than kept up with the young girl's insatiable curiosity. While the two historical sites Miss Zachary had insisted they visit had been less than awe inspiring, the large crowds, sounds, and energy of Filbana's street life continued to captivate her.
The captain and her father, the ambassador, had missed out on the Cindy Zachary tour of the city due to pressing business with the leaders of Dalvanax. Cindy had at first appeared rather hurt they weren't joining them, but she accepted Larissa James' assurances they'd try to catch up later in the afternoon.
Mei-Wan watched Todd point to a nearby food vendor whose rickety three wheeled cart belched a steady flow of smoke from its oversized grill. She was hungry and while she worried about what might pass for food on such a depleted world, her stomach had no such reservations.
"You want something to eat, Cindy?"
Distracted, the girl turned. "Huh?" Cindy looked up, not to Mei-Wan, but glancing about in an attempt to get her bearings. She looked down at the PADD she had brought along. Her brow knotted as Mei-Wan stepped next to her.
"Looking for something?"
"One of the places I'd researched was supposed to be somewhere around here, but I can't find it." Cindy touched a control on the device, bringing up another set of diagrams. "I hope they didn't change the layout of the buildings."
Mei-Wan glanced around at the nearby structures. If she had to guess it didn't appear as though anything had been moved, changed, or even cleaned in a thousand years. The walls of most of the buildings in the area all had the same uneven coloring, no doubt the result of constant abuse from the sand being blasted at them. "I think it's safe to say nothing has moved in quite a while."
Cindy shrugged her shoulders and pushed through a crowd to a get a better view of the end of the street.
"Hey," Todd blurted as he came up to Mei-Wan. "I'm starved. You and Miss Junior Adventurer mind if I take care of my rumbling gut?"
Mei-Wan smiled at her rugged looking companion. "Sure, but we better hurry before she finds whatever it is she's looking for."
Todd grinned. "You and Duncan have created quite a monster in that girl." He walked over to the orchid-skinned, long faced vendor who gave him a casual glance, but perked up when Todd pointed at the broiling meat he was preparing. Todd held up three fingers and the Dalvani male came alive as he began preparing for a sale. "It's good to encourage kids," Todd said, returning to Mei-Wan. "But don't you think she should be playing with others her own age instead of tearing around this place with us?"
"How do you think I spent my childhood?"
Todd smiled wide. "Now I know she's in trouble."
Mei-Wan turned to keep a watchful eye on Cindy while Todd did the same with the vendor preparing their food. She ran a hand through her hair, still not expecting the shortened length. She could tell all the moisture had vacated her hair early in their three hours on the surface, leaving it little more than a dangling dry mop hanging on her head.
Cindy marched back to Mei-Wan. "I want to go look down by that corner," she said, pointing toward an intersection. "That okay?"
"You've got your comm badge, right?" Mei-Wan asked.
Cindy nodded with a grin.
"Just don't go any farther than the corner, alright?"
With another nod, Cindy took off.
An amused chuckle left Todd as he watched Cindy scurry away. "I can't wait till we have our own."
Mei-Wan looked to see the status of their meal. "Our own what?" she asked absently.
Todd grinned. "Kids."
Mei-Wan did her best not to react.
"You know, the little people that grow up." He placed his hand on her stomach. "They grow in here for nine months. Certainly you've heard of the concept of reproduction."
The food vendor passed Mei-Wan her sandwich. "Yes, I've heard of it."
Concern replaced Todd's happy expression. "You aren't changing your mind, are you?"
Mei-Wan took a bite. "About us and kids?" She came up with the safest answer she could imagine. "No, of course not."
Todd's smile returned as the vendor handed him his own pita-like pocket of bread with a steaming collection of meat and what appeared to be vegetables nestled tightly inside. "You had me worried for a minute." He took a bite and a pleased moan sneaked past his meal. "After Cindy's last visit I couldn't get you to shut up about kids. Are you having second thoughts?"
"Not second thoughts," Mei-Wan replied. She wanted to put some emotional distance between her and Todd, but she had to do it in a way that wouldn't raise his suspicions. "It's just it's a lot of responsibility."
Todd wiped his mouth, leaving a frown behind. "That sounds like Li-Na."
"Thanks a lot." Mei-Wan took a bite of her own food. She could tell by the way Todd said it, he meant it as a jab. "I hope I'm a little more relaxed about life than she is."
Todd grinned past his sandwich. "Hard not to be."
Cindy galloped back up to them. "I found it!"
Mei-Wan tried to hand the girl a wrapped sandwich, but Cindy Zachary was far too excited to consider food. "How about lunch first?"
"But he said we have to come now!" Cindy tugged relentlessly at Mei-Wan's arm. "They'll close in an hour!"
Todd laughed as Mei-Wan gave him a look that said, "Help!"
"Come on, Mei! This place is great!"
Mei-Wan finally gave in to Cindy's insistence. "Okay, but exactly where is it we're going?"
Todd reached over to give Mei-Wan a kiss before she was dragged off, but she hesitated for a split second and the opportunity was gone.
Todd watched Cindy and the woman he loved disappear around a corner while the vendor pestered him about paying. He slid a handful of coins over to the Dalvani. While the purple skinned man counted the money, Todd finished his sandwich.
***
Mei-Wan, Todd, and Cindy gazed in wonder at the ornate ceiling above them. Seventy feet up, a series of paintings depicted a battle between beings Mei-Wan had never seen or heard described. The artwork itself was stunning in its use of color and form, but that alone didn't account for its draw. Each section froze a moment in time which stirred something deep and primal in the heart and minds of all who viewed it. Taken as a whole, it was both frightening and reassuring at the same time.
"I told you it was great," young Cindy whispered.
Todd gave a quick nod while his eyes remained fixed on the circular ceiling. "Even I'd have to admit that."
Mei-Wan took a moment to look about the rest of the large circular structure. A few robed figures kneeled in front of what appeared to be an altar at the far side of the hundred foot wide chamber. Thick columns reached from ground to roof every twenty feet or so around the circumference, giving support to the curved ceiling overhead. However, only the artwork above had bright color to it. The walls were of a dull stone color, seemingly just as blasted by sand as the outer walls of every other structure in the city.
"Ah, you must be the one the girl spoke of," said a voice from behind Mei-Wan.
She spun about to find another of the purple-skinned Dalvani, but this man had a wild head of gray hair, matched by a full beard. While he wore more modern clothing, there was an aspect of this being which made him fit in the place far more so than the robed worshipers.
"I am Urim, the curator of this temple."
Mei-Wan offered her hand which he eagerly shook. "Mei-Wan..." She almost said "McCall." "Lieutenant Mei-Wan Lau."
Urim made a half grin. "Lieutenant Commander Todd Nakano and Cindy Zachary. Yes, she told me. I checked with my government to make sure of your identities while Cindy brought you here." He took a step toward Mei-Wan. "You are the Chamberlain's chief archaeologist, correct?"
"Yes, I am," Mei-Wan replied rather cautiously.
Urim's face broke into a full smile. "Excellent!" He turned and walked briskly away. "Come; I've waited for someone like you for a very long time."
***
The three from the Chamberlain followed Urim down a claustrophobic stone staircase illuminated only by the lamp he carried in his left hand. Mei-Wan couldn't be certain, but it felt so far as if they'd gone down at least three hundred feet with only darkness ahead of them.
"I know you of Starfleet have much more sophisticated instruments than we do, so I'd hoped you could answer some of the questions I've had about this place."
Mei-Wan gave a quick glance back to Todd and Cindy. The child's face was full of excitement, which she had expected. Todd seemed irritated by the trip they were taking, but not concerned.
She looked forward again. "Why not ask your government to invite a Federation science team here?"
"No, they'd never agree to such a thing." Urim stopped a moment to increase the brightness of his lamp, then resumed the trek downward. "My society has made great strides in putting the religious superstitions of our past behind us, but too many are still governed by them. Unless it was absolutely necessary, any such officially sanctioned mission would be seen as another attempt to discredit the old beliefs."
"Won't our being here cause trouble?" Todd asked.
"No. As far as anyone knows, you're simply tourists who stumbled upon an old temple, and I, as the curator, am giving three curiosity seekers a guided tour." Urim faced Mei-Wan. "However, I did make sure this place would be found on a list of archaeological sites when our societies started their cultural exchanges."
They stepped out of the narrow stairs into a small ten foot wide chamber. In the lamp's bouncing light, Mei-Wan noticed Urim appeared much older now than she'd at first thought. If he'd been human, she'd have said he was sixty or seventy years old.
"What sort of beliefs was this temple connected to?" Mei-Wan asked as Urim went to a notch in the wall.
"This is the sanctuary of the Keepers Of Light." Urim reached into the notch, probing it with his hand. "They are what I have read you would refer to as an apocalyptic sect." His hand caught something and he gave it a sharp tug. "They believed history would end in a great battle in which all truth would be revealed. Unfortunately, this idea became widespread one hundred years ago and in the end led to the war which devastated so much of our world and nearly exterminated my people." He gave another sharp tug and a twist. "Which is another reason I'd rather this place remain as secret as possible."
A section of the stone wall slid open with a loud rumble.
Todd gave Mei-Wan a quick glance. She caught it just as he smiled. His eyes were so warm and inviting that she no longer wondered why the Mei-Wan of this reality had fallen in love with him. She doubted it would take long for any woman to fall under his spell.
Cindy followed Urim through the opening into the next chamber.
"Here we go. Off on another adventure," Todd whispered to Mei-Wan.
She gave him a wary look. "I doubt there'll be much adventure in an ancient temple chamber."
"Whenever you're around, it's always an adventure, Mei." Todd gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's one of the reasons I love you so damn much." He walked past her and through the opening.
Mei-Wan closed her eyes, caught up in the moment. Why does he have to be so nice? This would be so much easier if he were a total ass like, her thoughts paused. She chortled. Kyle Hoffman. But then she would have had the experience of waking up to find herself in bed with Hoffman, something she was glad hadn't happened.
Mei-Wan stepped into the next chamber just as Urim activated a set of lights strung around the outer wall of the circular room. It's walls, however weren't made of stone, but of some metallic substance that while corroded in some sections, still had retained most of its luster for however long it had been here.
"The outer stone walls I have dated to somewhere in our Vulnasic Age, roughly thirty thousand years ago. However, the metal walls in this chamber were far beyond the technology of the time." Urim made adjustments to several of the lights which were dimmer than the others. "So far I have been unable to date the metal."
Mei-Wan pulled her tricorder out and began scanning. "Perhaps I can help with that."
Urim smiled excitedly. "If what I suspect is true, my people may have achieved a level of technology beyond even what we have now somewhere in our distant past. This would have immense implications for our society."
Todd stepped over to Mei-Wan. "You know there is the Prime Directive," he said with a subdued voice. "I really wouldn't like you to get caught up in a mess, Mei."
"They are a warp capable civilization which the Federation has relations with." She made an adjustment to the scanning device in her hand. "These people have the right to know about their past."
A grin came over Todd's face. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
Mei-Wan frowned and pointed the tricorder to another section of the curved wall. She couldn't find any seams in the metal which was strange for a room with the thirty foot diameter and ten foot height this one had. She also couldn't get any clear indication of what the metal was composed of.
Her eyes snapped wide. "Oh my god..." erupted from Mei-Wan as a breathless whisper. Her tricorder finally gave her an age for the walls. She had only encountered such a number once before in her career.
Shaken, she turned to Urim. "How old is this system?"
He took several steps toward her, worried by her expression. "Our best estimates are somewhere in the six to seven billion year range. Why?"
"What is it, Mei?" Todd asked, trying to get a good look at the tricorder display.
Mei-Wan swung the tricorder about to scan more of the walls. "Cindy, did you happen to bring an ultraviolet light source in your knapsack?"
The girl quickly dug into the pack and a moment later brought out a small, four inch long tube. "I always do, Mei, just like you told me."
"Good girl." Mei-Wan walked toward a section of wall offset one hundred and twenty degrees from the entrance they had come through. "Can you bring it over here, please?"
"What have you found?" Urim asked as he walked up to her.
Cindy handed the ultraviolet unit to Mei-Wan who pointed it at the section of wall. A few moments after activating the device, a set of square-angled glyphs began to glow in an eerie purplish light on the wall.
"I knew it!" Mei-Wan nearly shouted.
"Holy avatars of Kulsna!" Urim blurted out as he took a step back. "It's true! We did possess great technology."
"Not your people, Urim." Mei-Wan approached the wall cautiously. "But a people much older."
"Aliens?" Urim inquired, his expression nearing a grin.
Mei-Wan smiled as she reached her hand out to the wall. "Not exactly aliens." She wasn't sure if this mechanism would work the same as the last one, but she didn't see any trouble in finding out.
At the moment Mei-Wan's hand touched the wall just below the glowing runes, a section of floor in the center of the room raised up six inches from being flush with the floor. All of them turned to the sound of metal grinding upon metal, the result of aeons of slumber.
Mei-Wan held out her tricorder, hoping it would record something she had only seen once before.
She was not to be disappointed.
A light emanated from the raised three feet wide circular section of floor.
"Mei..." Todd started, but didn't get the chance to finish.
A figure took shape upon the round pedestal. It was semi-transparent and very much humanoid. The female apparition smiled and began to speak. "Cemefwo murujekwo go..."
Urim's eyes went wide, but not due to fear as many of his people might have done, but from the pure joy of discovery. "There are legends of voices being heard in this temple, but I always assumed they were only that--- legend."
Todd stared at the holographic recording, trying to place the species. "Exactly how old is this place, Mei?"
She smiled. "About five billion years."
"Wow!" Cindy blurted out. "That's really old!"
Todd shook his head. "That's not possible. No mechanism... no power source could survive that much time. Who is she?"
"Ever hear of the Ancient Progenitors?"
Todd frowned. "Very funny, Mei."
Mei-Wan finally remembered who it was she was talking to. It made sense that her other self would have talked about the Ancient Progenitors from time to time. At least she hoped that was the reason for his reaction.
She stopped and turned to the figure which transfixed the others' attention. A series of words had caught her ear. Fada loleo? Mei-Wan repeated in her mind as she tried to remember enough of the Ancient Progenitor language.
"This machine?" Mei-Wan murmured. "What machine?" She looked back to the wall with the glowing text. The few glyphs which had first appeared were now joined by whole paragraphs of them, flashing by at incredible speed.
Todd nudged her. "We really should contact the ship about this."
"Hmmm?" Mei-Wan replied, only half listening.
"Mei? What is it?"
She watched as the text slid over to one side of the wall, and in the area it had vacated, a series of circles formed and flashed. Mei-Wan reached towards them, but Todd grabbed her hand before it could touch the wall.
"What are you doing?"
"Let me go!" she demanded, pulling away from him.
"What the hell's the matter with you, Mei? You have no idea of what that will do!"
She caught herself before she slapped him. This was the man Mei-Wan Lau was in love with, not just some guy grabbing her. She took a deep breath and composed herself. "It's most likely the system to access more recordings. She..." Mei-Wan pointed to the figure behind them. "She mentioned something about 'this machine' and I'm guessing this might be a data storage system, some information repository of some kind." She stepped closer to Todd. "Just imagine--- all the knowledge of the original humanoids. Think of what that could mean to the Federation."
Todd considered her words. "But Mei, what about the Dalvani? They'd have a right to this knowledge. Do you really think they're ready for it?"
Mei-Wan glanced over at Urim who was still fixated with the female figure speaking a language he couldn't begin to understand. He was probably one of the more enlightened individuals of his world. She hadn't considered the impact upon his people, but in the face of the possible boon to the Federation, she couldn't stop now.
She looked at Todd. "We'll have to leave that to the captain. I'm a scientist. I can't walk away from this."
Todd's eyes narrowed. "Wait a second. How do you know what she's saying? The last I knew, no one had ever heard one of the Progenitors speak in their own language."
Mei-Wan looked down at the tricorder. She'd have to come up with an answer and quickly. "Uh, there was a paper published a few months ago on some of Professor Galen's research. He had come across some fragments of a language, but at the time, wasn't sure it was theirs. Hearing it now, I knew that's what it was."
Todd nodded slowly, evidently satisfied with her answer.
Mei-Wan moved her hand toward the wall again. The glowing circles rotated about one another rapidly now. The moment she touched the spot in the center, a loud rumbling filled the chamber.
"Uh oh." Mei-Wan spun about and saw sections of the floor begin to drop away.
Todd grabbed both Cindy and Urim and pulled them toward the wall just before the floor slid outward, leaving only five feet of floor around the rim of the chamber for them to stand on. A bright light shot out of the open floor and filled the room. Mei-Wan turned away to protect her eyes from the intense brightness.
A moment later, everything went dark.
Only the sounds of Mei-Wan and her three companions filled the totally pitch black chamber.
"Mei?" Todd said softly.
"Yes?" she asked from the darkness.
"Next time, we do it my way, okay?"
