"Darkest Hour" Collab. LegacyCloud & Ann Carise

It was the darkest hour of the day.

This was the time when the rotation of Nimbus III placed Paradise City furthest from the sun. This was the time when the thugs prowled the streets looking for victims to bully, when the drunkards pounced on one another within the walls of the bar. This was the time when the stim-dealers whispered to their clients in the shadowed alleyways, when the raiders feasted on their daily spoils in desert camps.

This was the time when it happened.

By all accounts it was a rather ordinary night. The teenaged girl known to her friends as Ann wandered through the city, looking for salvage like she had many nights before. She didn't always come here at so late an hour, but night was no stranger to her. She knew of the dangers lurking in it, but also of the opportunities that came with it, the shroud it provided for those who wished to take whatever they wanted.

The thought had crossed her mind, but she didn't come specifically with the intent to steal anything. Most of what she took was broken down junk anyways, but in a place where one often barely had enough to eat, people could be very protective of junk. Of course, most of these people didn't know how to use old machinery like Ann did, which is why she took them anyways.

She found what she was looking for, a pile of various objects at the end of an alleyway between the city walls and a row of structures. Much of the pile was completely useless- broken hyposprays, bent pieces of metal, PADDs too smashed up to repair or reuse. Ann did come upon some things of value though, such as a worn-out communicator and a handful of computer components.

As she dug through, she began to notice something odd. She knocked a small bolt down through the cracks of the pile, and suddenly everything shifted slightly. Puzzled, she threw a heavier piece of metal into the cracks. Something pushed outwards, and several of the objects clattered as some force pushed them off the pile. This revealed an object of roughly ovuloid shape, which looked less rusted than everything else.

Though she had little idea of what it was, she knew it was likely something of value. Without hesitation, Ann reached forwards with both hands to grasp the object, but as she came into contact the invisible force flung her back. Unprepared, she landed hard on the ground. She stood up just as quickly as she fell, more interested than discouraged.

"Eviess, I think I found somethin'!"

"Woah!" Eviess exclaimed as she watched the older girl fly through the air. The young teenaged Romulan trotted up to Ann's side to better see in the dim light that her friend was as unhurt as she was undeterred.

"Wha' was dat?" she asked of Ann whilst cautiously looking around the rooftops and alleyway end to ensure the ruckus hadn't alerted anyone to their presence. Satisfied their presence remained undetected, she looked up at Ann; eyes wide with excitement and curiosity at finding working tech. Sharing this cursory glance for a moment, she followed Ann's eyeline back towards the junk pile while the older girl was seemingly trying to figure out a way to try again.

"I dunno," Ann replied, dusting herself off as she made her way over to the device once more.

Bending down, she picked up one of the pieces of junk, a palm-shaped piece of rusted metal. She threw her arm back then hurled the metal with all her strength at the ovuloid object. It bounced off at an angle, flying across the air until it slammed against a wall and clattered to the ground.

"Think it's some kinda repulsor device," she concluded following her latest test. "Seein' how it's in this pile o' broken stuff an' I get thrown back when I touch it, I'll guess tha' it ain't supposed to push everythin' away."

Ann walked back up to the pile, very slowly moving her hand towards the object. As she got close, she felt an opposing force trying to push her away, similar to what one would experience when attempting to push two repelling magnets together. It appeared that the force being exerted on her was related to how hard she pushed on the device or how fast she reached for it; by moving slowly she managed to get her hand almost onto its surface. That should be close enough for what she had in mind.

"Hey, ya still got tha' old sonic driver I lent ya to fix the water pump?"

Eviess blinks a few times at Ann trying to comprehend what she's planning, but quickly regains herself and starts patting down her pockets, "I know I got it somewhere..."

Cursing under her breath in Romulan, she spins on her toes and drops to her trusty satchel which she sets about rummaging through before finally giving up and dumping the contents all over the dusty alleyway.

Sure enough, in amongst the pile of random tools and collectibles she was hoarding was the sonic driver - the sight of which drew a satisfied grin from the young girls lips, "Yay!" she squels with delight as she bounds over to Ann, driver in hand. "Watcha gonna do wit dat now?" She asks tilting her head sideways in curiosity as she hands Ann the driver.

Ann retrieved a rectangular device from her own pockets, a tricorder of antique Klingon design with a cracked casing that had been sealed together by a greenish substance. She ran the scanner over the ovuloid object as she accepted the sonic driver with her other hand.

"Thanks," she smiled. "Gonna see if I can shut down wha'ever's makin' this thing act the way it is."

Looking back to the tricorder, Ann tapped at some of the buttons with the hand holding the driver. She stared idly for a moment before turning back to her friend.

"Yup, definitely some kinda repulsor device. Haven't seen anythin' like it before, but it ain't the first time I've found malfunctionin' alien tech. Just needs a lil creativity is all."

She handed the tricorder over to the young Romulan. "Any ideas?"

Eviess blinks a few times before realizing that Ann might actually be seriously asking her for inspiration. Stifling a big laugh, she simply shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked back at Ann with a coy expression while resting a hand on her hip, "Sorry, guess I musta missed tha' day at street urchin engineerin' academy!"

Ann chuckled, "Well, I got an idea, but it ain't the best. Worth a try, though."

Holding the tricorder in her gloved right hand, Ann waved the sonic driver over one side of the ovuloid object, occasionally stopping to adjust the driver.

“I think with a bit o’ trial an’ error I can find a spot an’ hit it with the right frequency so the repulsor shuts down, but I’m gonna have to keep the driver on tha’ spot to make it stays down.”

She continued this for a few minutes until the tricorder emitted a sharp noise like a beep- the device was so worn out that the sounds were distorted. Ann laid the tricorder softly on the ground as to not break it further; even with the cushioning of the sand it may not survive the impact.

Freeing up her hand, she reached towards the object, her other hand maintaining the sonic driver on the position where the tricorder had beeped. Ann moved slowly but no force resisted her this time until and her glove made contact with the repulsor device. She ran her hand down its surface.

“Yes!” Ann exclaimed happily. It was just a temporary solution, but it allowed her to move the object, which was good enough for now. She reached into her pocket, taking out a small cylindrical object with a conical point on one end, and a sphere on the other. She shook it slightly before pressing the button on the body of the object. A small drop of greenish substance fell to the ground beneath, sizzling for a second before immediately fusing into something solid.

“Need a lil help here,” she looked to Eviess. “Can’t hold the driver’s position while we move the thing so we’re gonna have to attach the driver to it. Find somethin’ long enough so we can glue the driver to it an’ then glue the other end to the repulsor.”

"On it!" She squeaks excitedly turning around to scan the alleyway for anything useful. Squinting in the failing light she disappears around a corner rummaging around for something useful.

A few moments later she reappears, her small arms overburdened with an assortment of junk which she promptly dumps to the ground just behind Ann, dropping to her knees as she sorts through her veritable treasures.

One by one, pieces of junk are launched back over her shoulder before she stands grinning, "Here y'are!" She proudly exclaims handing Ann... a stick!

"Thank ya," Ann accepted the stick, loosening her grip on the sonic driver and transferring the stick to that hand. Holding the driver by the bottom, she placed the tip of the glue device at where the top of the driver and the stick met and squeezed the button. Once again, the greenish substance oozed out, sizzling for a second before solidifying, fusing the driver and the stick together.

"Really hope this thing is worth it cause I'm gonna need to find new casin' for this driver once this is done," she muttered as she worked.

Reaching forward, she re-positioned the glue dispensor to where the stick and the ovuloid object met, gluing them together as well. Slowly, she let go of the driver, now firmly attached to the repulsor device using the stick. She touched the device with her hand again, and still no force resisted her.

"Got it!" Smiling, she hefted the repulsor device with both hands and turned to face Eviess (and the way out of the alley).

"C'mon, let's bring this back. By the looks o' it, it's got some good stuff inside."

"Yay!" She grins "Y'think there's somethin' worth while in there? Sure would be nice to eat t'morrow!"

As she speaks, Eviess promptly gathers up all her things previously dumped all across the dusty ground and stuffs them all back into her satchel.

"That was awesome how ya made it work, ya real smart'un Ann!" she smiles happily up at her friend as they leave with their well earned prize.

“This is just a quick fix. The hardest part’s takin’ it apart an’ either fixin’ it for good or diggin’ out the good pieces without breakin’ the thing. But we’ll do tha’ tomorrow mornin’, yeah?”

Ann led on as they made their way out of the alley. Before they could reach the exit, two figures began walking in. Under the cover of night it was difficult to see who they were, but they were certainly quite tall and heavily built and appeared to be armed.

“C’mon Eviess, let’s go another way.”

Ann hurried back towards the end of the alley where the junk pile laid, knowing that there were some roof tarp supports that they could use to climb up above the buildings. However, as they approached, two more figures hopped down from the rooftops. One of them was a human male about Ann's age, the other a slightly younger Andorian zhen. These two Ann recognized; they were also street kids that she had known for quite some time.

“Char, Zerao, fancy runnin’ into ya,” Ann greeted them, still carrying the repulsor device. “These fellas with ya or-”

She froze as Zerao, the Andorian, drew a hand-crafted pistol and pointed it at Ann. Char brandished an old rusted mek’leth. Ann turned back towards the exit of the alley to see not only that the two figures from before (now recognizably Orions) had gotten closer, but that another two had begun making their way in as well.

Ann shook her head. “Don’t do this.”

“Sorry buddy,” Char replied; perhaps there was a hint of sympathy in his voice, but it was far from distinguishable in this atmosphere. “Ain’t got a choice.”

The two Orions closest to them moved behind Ann and Eviess, each holding a disruptor pistol at the ready.

Eviess trembled as she watched the different figures appear all around them, though it was from a cold night. The girl was young, but not so naive as to see this for anything but what it was; and the frightened the life out of her.

As the Orions closed in behind them she found herself pulling closer to Ann's side, clutching her arm tighter and tighter as the fear seemed to take the very breath from her body. She dare not move, she couldn't manage anything more than slowly looking up to Ann; an expression written across her face that left no need for words. She was powerless, and the older girl was her only hope of salvation; this they both knew.

Ann looked at Eviess, her expression serious, as if silently warning her about something. Her hand shifted slowly along the device; the alley was dark enough to conceal the movement from the other street kids in front of her, and completely blocked from those behind her. She listened to the Orions' footsteps, waiting for them to get closer.

One of them pushed a disruptor against Ann's back. This was her chance. Her hand darted to the sonic driver still attached to the repulsor device, dialing it up to the highest frequency. The device whirred and suddenly sent a massive force pushing in all directions. Ann slammed into the Orion behind her before he could open fire, and both were swept off their feet. The force knocked the disruptor out of the Orion's hand, and the weapon landed not too far from the two. Both turned their gaze to it almost immediately.

Before Eviess realized what Ann's look was telling her exactly, she found herself being hurled through the air and bouncing unceremoniously off the adjacent wall.

She landed with a thud against the dirt and quickly looked around, her young eyes well trained to the dark, were easily able to make out the form of one of the Orions slowly getting back to his feet from behind where she had been standing. Acting on instinct, she ran towards him as he regained a still wobbly footing and swung her foot forwards and upwards with all the adrenaline fueled energy her young muscles could muster.

Had there been enough light in the alleyway, she would have seen the Orion giant go slightly crosseyed before collapsing into a ball on the floor. Eviess stood hands on hips as she proudly looked down upon the result of her successful kick to the happy sacks.

But before she could turn to see if Ann noticed her triumphant moment, Eviess felt herself being ensnared and hoisted up into the air as another came from behind her - wrapping huge arms around her tiny body and lifting her clean of the floor. She screamed and flailed her legs but to no avail. Devoid of options she desperately looked around in hopes of seeing that Ann was faring better still.

Still on the ground, the Orion crawled for the disruptor pistol that had been knocked out of his hand. Having not been surprised by the repulsor, Ann reacted faster, immediately grabbing the Orion’s arm with both of her hands, preventing him from retrieving his weapon. The Orion did not attempt to break free, instead swinging his other fist towards Ann.

The blow connected with her face, loosening her grip and knocking her onto her back. The glue dispenser dropped out of her pocket and suddenly an idea sprain to her mind. Ann grabbed the dispenser without hesitation, turning onto her side towards the Orion, who was just an inch away from his weapon.

Aiming the glue dispenser above the Orion’s hand, she emptied its contents. The Orion yelled in pain as the greenish substance seared through his skin and flesh. He instinctively recoiled and grabbed his wounded hand with his other and the glue solidified just in time, fusing both his hands together.

Ann seized the disruptor pistol, instantly discharging the weapon at the injured Orion. He fell to the ground, unmoving but still in one piece. Realizing the disruptor was set to stun, she increased the setting to maximum as she got to her feet. Two other Orions were standing, one holding Eviess while the other pointed her weapon towards Ann.

The Orion hesitated, probably unable to figure out who won the struggle between Ann and his comrade due to the darkness. As Ann stood up it was clear that she was smaller than any of the Orions, so he opened fire, but it was already too late. Ann had more than enough time to react and sidestepped the bolt, returning fire indiscriminately. None of the shots hit their target as she was too unfamiliar with the weapon to have any degree of accuracy, but the sheer number of bolts forced the Orion running to find cover.

The Orion who had grabbed Eviess backed away as well, taking the young Romulan girl with her. Ann tried to line up a shot, but they kept moving and she was too unconfident with the weapon. Just then, she heard something behind her and spun around, coming face to face with Char and Zerao.

“It’d be better for all o’ us if I don’t have to hurt ya,” the young human male raised his mek’leth.

As Ann turned to face Char and Zerao, the usually tranquil night was broken by the shrill cries of Eviess calling Ann's name as the Orions carried her away.

Kick and flail as she might, the young girl could not overcome the powerful grasp of her captor. Soon enough, even her screams for help fell silent as there was nobody left nearby to hear them - not even her dearest friend, Ann...

Ann fired three bolts at Zerao. None of them hit their mark, but it forced her to move, causing the shot from her handmade pistol to go wild. Char took the opportunity to swing his mek’leth, but Ann expected the attack and stepped back out of reach of his weapon. Zerao raised her gun for another shot, but Ann charged her before she could aim properly, pushing her across the alley and into the wall.

Zerao managed to hold on to the pistol, though she was stunned by the attack, giving Ann the advantage. She grabbed the Andorian’s hand, slamming her elbow against the wall and loosening her grip, causing her to drop her weapon. Using her other hand, Zerao grabbed Ann as well, attempting to wrestle her away, but Ann was by far the more experienced fighter. She drove her knee into the Andorian’s stomach, then taking hold of her antennae, smashed her head on the wall. Zerao slumped to the ground, dazed.

A few disruptor bolts flew down the alleyway, narrowly missing Ann. Char shouted something at the Orions about almost hitting him, alerting Ann to his presence. She turned just as Char made his way over, her sudden movement luckily saving her from Char’s slash, which only inflicted a cut on her right arm. She yelped from the pain, taking a step back and finding herself backed against the wall.

Char swung his mek’leth for another attack, but did not notice the disruptor Ann had pointed right at him. He stopped mid-attack, his face filled with shock as his torso began disintegrating. Rapidly the rest of the body broke up as well, and in a second the human that had stood before was no more. His mek’leth fell soundlessly into the sand.

The Orion hurt by Eviess had recovered, and two of them were firing on Ann. She shot back, but it was clear that this was a losing fight, as the third Orion could draw his weapon at any moment. Ignoring Eviess’ cries, Ann darted across the alley, firing non-stop to cover herself. As she reached the tarps, she hoisted herself up to the rooftops.

The Orions kept firing even though she was out of range for them to hit reliably. Ann just ran, not looking back, sprinting across the roof, jumping to the next and the next, eventually making her way back to where she stored most of her goods. Hastily, she gathered up everything of use that she could find, though she left Eviess’ belongings untouched. She threw it all into several satchels as well as one large bag, and come sunrise she slung the bag over her shoulder, making for the gates of the city.

For the longest time, she didn’t look back.

---

Ten Years Later

Ann knew she couldn't run from the past forever.

However, when she decided to visit Nimbus again, this was not quite what she had expected. Facing old memories was one thing, but facing people from the past was another.

In short, Eviess had apparently escaped captivity and became the caregiver of a band of street kids. Ann never found out how exactly she broke free though, as their reunion was cut short by the arrival of more slavers. Eviess gave her life holding the line so the children could escape, something that Ann had not been able to do.

"Y'know I been mighty worried 'bout ya since tha' funeral," Lennie sat beside Ann on the bed as they reminisced about the past, and about recent events.

"I'm alright,” Ann replied. “Ain't the first time somethin' like tha's happened.”

"I know, an' I also know Eviess was a special case."

"Yeah,” Ann gave a soft sigh. “Tha' she was. Ain't the first time I thought I got somebody back only to, well...not to. But I feel like for all the good she's done, she deserves to be livin' this life more than I do.”

Lennie leaned in, wrapping an arm around Ann’s shoulder. "Oh sweets, don't ya be sayin' such things now!"

"I ain't sayin' I wish it was me instead o' her. I wish nobody had to go through wha' either o' us did."

"Well, I agree wit' ya on tha',” Lennie nodded. “Ain't right for folks t'suffer any what y'all did."

“An' I know I'm different now, or least try to be. But I wasn't when I first got outta the wasteland. But Eviess, despite all tha's happened to her, she still decided to do good, y'know?"

"Some folks just got a natural way about 'em sweets, you ain't so different as y'might try 'n think."

Ann shrugged, "Well now I'd be willin' to die for these kids, 'specially if I knew 'em as well as Eviess did. Wouldn'ta stayed and fought if I wasn't. But back then, I know I didn't have much o' a choice, but I coulda done somethin', distracted 'em, slowed 'em down for Eviess to run...”

“And gotten both yaself and Eviess killed in th'process, like we said before,” Lennie joined in as Ann’s voice began to trail off. “An’ then...who would I have t'help me sortin' out my clothes now?”

Ann smiled, and Lennie gave her a gentle peck on the cheek. “Sorry, just a little inappropriate humour to draw out that beautiful smile.”

The past was behind her, and as much as it may haunt her, there was nothing that could change it. Now that she was out of the wasteland, a future awaited her- a future in Starfleet with new friends and duties, with more people looking to her than she ever had before.

"I guess there's no point thinkin' 'bout wha' would happen if the past went differently. Just tha' now I made it out an' Eviess didn't. I gotta live up to her somehow."

"I think ya already do sweets. I mean...ya like a role model f'them kids."

Ann chuckled, "Ya makin' me sound like some kinda schoolteacher."

"Settin' 'em an example 'o what they can achieve too. I can't think o' no better way to honour Eviess memory than tha'."

“Yeah…”