Spock's daughter

II 21

[In the Cave]

There was some light, water dripping and mosses growing. Lil scanned the rocks then moved a few to reveal a power cable and a flashing light.

"Lil."

"Hey guys. Come here. You've got to see this."

"How are you feeling, Lil?"

"Fine. This is an active power system. It must've been built by the colonists", Lil said.

"We'll send somebody down here to study it more closely. Right now we've got to get you back to the ship", Chakotay added.

"No, no. This is the source of the gallicite readings. These conduits are covered with gallicite plating. It's exactly what we need. And I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, we know that. Now you must tend to yourself. You're experiencing a condition known as Pon farr."

"Pon what?"

Lil was confused.

"Your emotional balance has been disrupted. You may not be in control of your more aggressive instincts", Tuvok explained.

"I lost my temper for a minute, that's all. Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"Please, come back with us to the ship", Tuvok pleaded seriously.

"Just leave me alone", Lil hissed.

A figure forward from the rock face, then more. They are armed.

"Who are you? What do you want?" (Ishan)

"My name is Chakotay. I assure you, we have no hostile intent."

"She does", Ishan pointed to Lil.

"Lil, please."

"She is suffering from a chemical imbalance, which is affecting her behavior", Tuvok told them.

"An imbalance? Is it contagious?" Ishan wanted to know.

"No. However, she does need our assistance."

"We'd be glad to take her and leave your territory." (Chakotay)

"Not before you tell me why you came here."

"We only came to find some gallicite. We thought this planet was uninhabited."

"Then why are you carrying weapons?"

"It's standard procedure for any mission into unfamiliar territory."

"Let me see one", Ishan demanded.

Chakotay gave him his hand phaser.

"And what is that? Some sort of scanning device?"

"Yes. It's called a tricorder", Tom said.

"But it didn't detect any lifeforms here?"

"No, it didn't."

Ishan returned the phaser. Then something beeped.

"What's that?" B'elanna asked.

"Seismic alert. That wall is unstable. Be careful."

"Watch out", the alien warned.

The alien grabbed Lil, and she attacked him. Tuvok discovered that his phaser does not work, and another alien put its rifle to his head. Icheb stepped forward and grabbed Lil's shoulders.

"Lil, don't! Lil!"

The ground shook. Icheb fell, and Lil got the rifle off her attacker, who fell to the ground then disappeared. Icheb and Lil were alone.

"There must be a hidden door, some kind of a passageway."

"I'm not picking up anything like that. Or any life signs."

"Then you're using it wrong."

"Yeah, that must be it. Or else these aliens are generating some kind of interference so we can't detect them. We have to get out of here before they come back."

"We can't leave Chakotay, Tuvok and B'elanna."

"If you have any ideas how to find them, I'm listening! We have to get back to the ship and get some help, for them and for you."

"Why does everybody keep saying there's something wrong with me? Even you?"

Icheb sighed.

"I'll try to explain it to you, but we've got to get moving."