Posted by Lieutenant Jasmine Wynter (Chief Medical Officer) in Mundai Colony - A need to get away

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Maxwell Wynter (Chief Engineer / 2nd Officer) in Mundai Colony - A need to get away

Posted by Lieutenant Jasmine Wynter (Chief Medical Officer) in Mundai Colony - A need to get away
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Original Post - https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf1/manhattan/notes/43195/

Snip
Back in her room.....

Jasmine rolled over to her side clutching the pillow tightly to her body. The tears, once started, were hard to stop as she thought of Max and what he was enduring. The pain he must be going through having so many questions and no answers had to be unbearable. She would trade the rest of her life for a single moment with him to hold her so she could explain. Images flashed in her mind, some imaginary, some real, of Max pacing their quarters yelling at her and then holding her. Fighting to bear the reality of her situation, Jasmine focused all her energy on a single thought. Max holding her in bed after they had spent the night together. The way he brushed the hair off her face. The way he stroked her cheek and kissed the tip of her nose just before he said I love you was both painful and comforting at the same time. It was all that she had to hold on to however, until Max arrived to take her home. No matter what Rag or Sarton said, Jasmine knew Max would never stop looking for her, that he would see through their lies.

“Dr. Wynter,” Cade said gently opening the door to her room. “There has been an accident. We need your help.”

No matter the hell she was currently in, Jasmine could not fault Cade for anything. He was just as much a prisoner as she was. “What kind of accident,” she brushed the tears from her cheeks.

“There was an explosion in the arrival station on Mundai. Many people were hurt. We…I need your help,” he said averting his eyes slightly. Jasmine might not be Mundain but she was in a higher social situation than him.

Her mouth made a small curved shape about to say his name before she was interrupted.

“Get your tiny Hooman butt out of bed and to work, wooman,” Came the voice of Rag from further back in the warehouse. “No breaks today, there is a lot of work to do and very little time.” Behind him, workers began to unceremoniously move the beds of Cades people out of the way as many injured Mundain citizens began to be wheeled into the warehouse. Many of them were not moving.

“Stop it. Don’t hurt them. They are people,” Jasmine adjusted the arm of one of the patients on a bed that Rag had shoved hard enough for it to crash into the side of the wall gently. Squeezing the hand gently she adjusted the blankets holding the embrace a second. She might be a part of the problem now but that didn’t mean Jasmine couldn’t work towards a different solution

“Profit,” Rag sneered and looked at Jasmine without a single care for the people that were hurt.

“They are not profit. They are people. You can not make money off the dead.” Jasmine licked her lips and decided now was as good a time as any to pressure Rag for her release.

“Yes you can. It’s simple. Take the parts you can out of the dead ones and put them in the living ones. The more living ones that leave here, the more we charge for saving them, their medical insurance will cover it and pays for each organ harvested and transplanted. Don’t worry, I have more stasis containers coming for the organs that you can’t use, we aren’t going to waste them. Make sure you record everything and scan the ID cards on them, we charge a funeral service to the families of the dead ones. If any of the living don’t have medical insurance, sedate them and put them into a coma. They can pay off their medical bill by entering our business as growing containers for more organs, it’s a win-win for all really.” Rag’s mood was unusually good today despite the tragedy of the explosion and the crying of the dying. It was clear the man had no concern about their wellbeing in the slightest.

“I will not violate my oath. I am over. I am done,” Jasmine yelled. “You don’t need them but you need me and unless you start doing what I say then find yourself another doctor because I will not be your butcher.”

Ignoring anything and everything that Jasmine said, Rag chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Listen wooman, you better get to work. They are waiting for you.” Raising his hand, Rag pointed his finger at a child in one of the beds. The child was crying and smeared in blood, with no sign of his parents anywhere. They were likely among the dead or dying lying in other beds. “You aren’t going to let it die when you can save it, are you Doctor? Do you want that child to suffer?”

Unsure what Rag might do, Jasmine moved rapidly across the room picking up the small child. The sobs were clearly due to pain but not the physical kind. Rag was going to win this fight and all the subsequent ones until Max arrived. Rag could do anything to her. Jasmine would endure. Hurting these people were her achiles heel. Rag new it and until that changed, Rag would own Jasmine.

Rag looked at her, the look on his face smug and confident. It was clear that he expected Jasmine to do her job and clear that he knew she would. He began to walk to the exit and paused beside a body. It was still breathing, but along with the marks of being trampled by the crowd also showed a phaser burn from a weapon discharge that had stunned the person. “Savages,” Rag muttered. “When will they ever learn how to be civilized?” Looking back to Jasmine as he reached the exit, he called out one last time before he left. “Better move those recycled old timers out of the way and make room for the new blood. Nobody likes it when they out stay their welcome.”

“How can you live like this,” she said pure anger in her voice. It was an unbridled rage that made her hands shake. The only thing preventing her from attacking the man was the small child in her arms. “I am not going to let him hurt you,” she kissed his head gently as affection soothed the child slightly.

Once again Cade’s hand fell upon Jasmine shoulder. “This is the world we live in,” he told her, “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else other than helping these people. I’m here.”

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Ella’s residence
=============

Jasmine Wynter CMO

Max stepped inside from the balcony and looked at Ella once more, for a while he had been watching the vehicles and sirens as they raced all over the city from the direction of the spaceport, his shirt laid over a chair and his phaser on the table as he worked on cleaning a number of small cuts on his chest and shoulders. Once they had cleared the service exit they had still needed to get through the crowds gates and fences and to the car park next door. The crowd of people hadn’t made that easy, and blows were given and received. “They are thinning out. There aren’t as many sirens now,” he told her and closed the door to the cold air outside.

“That is only because they are in silent mode,” Ella replied in a soft tone. It was not because she was scared. It was because Ella knew there was no way to change the reality of the situation. “Luckily they are targeting the other section of town.” Moving to the kitchen area, she made Max something warm to drink.

Looking back over the city, Max paused for a few moments before looking back to Ella. “How do you know that?”

“Because they would already have us in custody if they weren’t” she replied bringing the two steaming mugs over to the handsome man. “You will be safe here,” she promised giving him a weak smile.

Pausing in his work, Max picked up a cloth and wetted it, then picked up the sterilizing agent that Ella had in her medical cupboard. Walking over to her, he knelt down beside her as she sat on the chair, a cup of what passed as coffee in front of her and he began to clean the wound on her temple. He was an engineer, not a doctor and his touch was far from gentle or practised. If it had been for a different reason his touch would have been much different, but for this, the rough hands of an engineer would have to do. He was worried, about Jasmine and about what was going on here.

She didn’t tell Max to stop as he treated the small cut. Ella liked being this close to Max. She knew she shouldn’t but she did. It wasn’t that Ella was in love with Max or planning some scheme to sweep him away from his wife. She was just loving the attention and envious of it. It was the good kind or envy that re-enforced her conviction one day someone would love her as Max seemed to love his wife. Ella tried not to wince as he dabbed at the wound with a bit more pressure than needed.

“Ella, what happened at the spaceport? Why was there an explosion and why did you not want me to be known to the authorities?” His voice was calm, but it was firm. “Before we got out you mentioned something about me not being from the Authority. What is that?” Max kept working as he spoke, both of them had many small cuts and bruises.

Lt Cmdr Wynter, CE

Lt. jasmine Wntwri Continue it (wow if this sign off didn’t indicate I was sleep posting nothing ever will ) :P

Taking the small cloth from his hand, Ella exchanged it for the now luke warm beverage. “I think you need to sit,” she let her eyes meet his. The man had such an intense gaze. Right now it was critical and firm. While his tone and touch were gentle, Ella didn’t need years to understand Max’s patience was reaching an end. She didn’t fear this would lead to violence of aggression. Ella was scared Max would leave and try to find his wife on his own.

“Really? That bad huh?” Max forced a grin, then moved to the chair next to Ella’s and rubbed the back of his neck as he could feel the tiredness creeping up on him. He hadn’t slept for days it felt like, not since he had left the Manhattan in pursuit of Jasmine. Not since he had tracked her to Mundai, not since he had been too late to stop her from getting shot. Definitely not since he had taken out his frustrations on the Ferengi that took her, or the shuttle ride to the city. The coffee in his hands felt warm, but it didn’t feel real. It felt of relaxation and gentle days with Jasmine in their quarters, spending time together and laughing. For a moment, Max considered that those days may never happen again. “Go ahead Ella, tell me what is going on.” He made no move to drink the coffee.

“There are two divisions on Mundai: The faithful and the devout. The sound like synonyms but far from it. The faithful are the ones that follow the devout. Their ideology believes that the greatest gift they can give to the universe is to help others. They follow their faith with almost a fanatical devotion that borders on suicide. Nothing will alter their perspective that life above all else is about sacrifice. The devout believe in the greatness of the Authority. The Authority is the our reigning political body. Their goal is to better Mundai’s devout pursuing science, art, and culture.” Taking a long sip of her coffee, she paused on the synopsis of Mundai culture.

Lt. Jasmine Wynter (wide awake posting)

“Alright, so who are the faithful? You said they follow the devout, who support the Authority. It doesn’t sound like the Authority cares too much about the faithful so why do they follow the devout?”

Ella hung her head for a second looking at her own cup of coffee. Living her life was one thing. Explaining it was another. She had to get the words correct or Max would not trust her or worse hate her. Running the tip of her tongue over his lips to moisten them she stole precious seconds to think. “The Authority is not blind to the…concerns of the faithful. In fact, the faithful are the ones that put the Authority into power. The Authority needs the faithful more than the devout to keep our planet functioning. They can get a bad reputation depending on who you talk to. You must have that situation. Where the ends don’t always meet the means with the most palatable avenue.” Ella was speaking in riddles yet she had to. Max seemed honorable but the Authority did not send in their henchmen when rooting out dissenters.

Ella felt her skin break out in goosebumps mainly from fear. She had already said enough to be asked to visit the Devotion Headquarters. She did not know Max well enough to gauge his temperament. Was it exhaustion or frustration that caused the man to gaze so deeply into his mug. Laying her hand on his arm Ella held her breath. He didn’t have to answer the question in her mind. Even if he did, Maxwell Wynter did not have to answer honestly.

The thought of questioning his integrity vanished as his eyes met hers. Max was a good man. In this moment, Ella had one thought: All I want is to see what you look like when you really smile.

” You said something about me not being from the Authority in the space port, I can promise you I’m not.” Max had noted the apparent fear with which she had spoken of this Authority in the space port, and he had seen how she almost had to physically will herself to trust him from moment to moment like he might not have been who he said he was. All in all, it was beginning to leave Max with a deep sense of dread in the pit of his stomach, which wasn’t helped by the exhaustion that his mind was now accepting was in fact real and not just an annoying emotion.

Lt Cmdr Wynterm CE

Squeezing his arm Ella took a chance. Her mother had always told her to take a chance on people. For the multitudes of people that would steer you wrong, there was the one person who did have your best interests at heart. Max did not have Ella’s best interests at heart here in her living room. Max was only thinking of his wife but Ella could have his. Getting up she walked to her closet and pulled out a box. Digging through it, Ella yanked a bottle and two glasses. “I need something stronger,” she set down the glasses. Pouring the drink her hand shook some letting a few drops splatter on the wood surface of the coffee table.

“We are not the indigenous race on Mundai,” Ella began to tell the real truth of life in the sparkling city. “Centuries ago when we settled here as colonists there was another race. They were a peaceful people willing to share everything. The helped my people live and thrive here. I say my people because all of the Mundain’s you will ever see are from the devout.” Gesturing to herself Ella suddenly felt dirty. She struggled to keep her gaze on Max’s face. Ella shivered feeling the revulsion that would soon shine in Max’s eyes. “I am not a true devout. I don’t believe in the Authority and I am ashamed to say that I once did. People can change and I,” she began to talk but froze hearing the sounds of sirens echoing on the road below. Her face went white and her throat dry. If she had made a mistake about the handsome man next to her, Ella could not fix it now.

Pursing her lips, she let out a long controlled breath steadying her nerves. “I trusted you in the spaceport. I need you to listen to me now. Don’t say a word until the end.” Then you can arrest me , she added silently to herself.

“The faithful are beyond peaceful or pacifists. They are living martyrs for our society. The Devout have enslaved them. That is why you don’t see them in the streets or in the city. A hundred years ago we had a war with a neighboring planet. The death toll was emended but the casualties were catastrophic. The indigenous people would not fight but they did aid in the war effort by literally giving their bodies and souls to Mundai. Our doctors found that while we were two entirely separate races the faithful had a unique DNA allowing for them to be compatible organ donors with just about anything that has DNA.” Ella paused in her story to pour another drink. If Max was an operative of the Authority she had given him her death warrant on a platter. Her hands shook as she brought the drink to her lips.

The information she was sharing was a state secret. The thought that she, a lowly greeter at the spaceport could know this seemed laughable yet she did know it. ”So as the wounded came home, the faithful served. They allowed the devout to harvest,” she felt sick and choked back the bile rising in her throat, “what was needed to save the lives of the men dying in the war. Lungs, kidneys, eyes, livers.... all of it could and was used by doctors to save the lives of injured soldiers. That was how the indigenous people became the faithful. Because they faithfully Served the people of Mundai. After the war it never stopped however. Our planet is like any other number of worlds. Our vistas or beaches can be found a number of places but what can’t be found elsewhere in the delta quadrant are cities With the promise to heal what ails you. I know what happened to your wife,” she paused looking at Max. “I knew the second you said she was a doctor. What I don’t know is how to help you.” Ella paused here letting Max absorb all she had said. it was a lot. He would have so many questions. Ella just hoped she had the answers.

Jasmine Wynter CMO