Star Trek Aerglo: The First Adventure & The Early Years

<Part 2>

Day 1, several hours after the crash. . . 

Tasha was the first to regain consciousness. Opening heavy, aching eyelids, she squinted as bright light met her eyes. Forcing her eyes open more, despite the pounding working its way up the back of her head, she spotted a ragged gap in the side of the shuttle, bringing with it a hint of fresh air and the smell of growing things.

The whole shuttle was nearly upside down, pressing Tasha against her restraints and leaving deep, painful marks across her chest and neck, and the only thing keeping her from breaking the restraints and falling on her face was a blackened control console, which had pinned her legs back to the wall.

It was difficult to think, and the first though she had was: I probably have a concussion. Looking around helped to clear the fog, and suddenly a thought cut across the mist like a knife: where is Wilson? Did he survive? Her Starfleet security training kicked into gear, and she rubbed her face, banishing the dullness lurking behind her eyes. Unbuckling the straps holding her in, and groaning as the pressure against her skin was removed, she wiggled out from behind the console, and slid down to the ceiling, which was now the floor.

When her eyes adjusted to being away from the light, she saw Wilson lying at an awkward angle on the floor, right behind where his chair would have been. The force of the crash had broken his restraints and sent him tumbling to the floor. She kneeled down beside him and felt for a pulse, and let out her breath as she found his heart pumping and his chest rising and falling softly.

Deeply unconscious, the last thing Wilson remembered was his superior officer's face, and her warm, courageous features. He had no idea how badly injured he was, or if he was still alive. After a few minutes, he felt a hand on his neck, and groaned, attempting to open his eyes. Moving his head slightly, he winced as a bolt of pain shot through his body and intensified in his right leg.

"Lieu. . . Lieutenant?" He whispered, trying to keep the whimper out of his voice. The mere sound of his own voice was sending thrills of fiery white-hot pain through all his nerves, and he bit his tongue to keep from crying out.

 Tasha heard the whisper, and put her hand on the side of his face, feeling his feverishly hot skin. If he already had a fever, she must've been unconscious for far longer than she had previously thought. Some sort of infection from the alien planetoid might've set in his wound.

"Shhh, don't say anything." She cautioned, but he opened his mouth to speak again.

"How. . . how bad do I. . . look?" He croaked, his lips twitching upwards in a smile as his eyes finally focused on her. Somehow, to him, she looked just as beautiful as she did before the crash happened. Her hair was wild, and her eyes. . . he'd never seen anyone with such depth there before. It was like looking at a deep ocean with currents beneath the surface.

"Not too bad for a guy who just survived a shuttle crash." She smiled gently back at him, her finger absentmindedly caressing the side of his face, feeling for more injuries. "Do you feel like you broke anything? I need to make sure I can move you if we have to evacuate the shuttle. I don't want to aggravate any injuries you may have."

"My leg." He whispered through clenched teeth, holding the pain at bay. "It hurts. . . it hurts like hell." He couldn't figure out how Tasha could remain so calm and gentle and sweet in such a scenario. Tasha growled softly, unaware of the thoughts running through her companion's mind. First aid was not her strong suit, but she figured she'd have to manage this time around. She'd taken a mandatory field First Aid in the Academy, but hadn't used the training in years. She usually left that sort of stuff up to Beverly.

"Alright then, let me see if I can find the shuttle's first aid kit. It should have something useful in there." She patted him very gently on the shoulder, and clambered up and over the seat to get into the back of the shuttle.

Wilson relaxed the best that he could, closing his eyes and letting the tense, bruised muscles in his back uncoil. The thoughts that instantly ran to meet him were that of his companion, and he smiled as he heard her curse softly as she rattled around, trying to find the medical kit. This had been his very first shuttle mission to a briefing unfortunately, but she had given him a warm feeling inside; he felt happy and safe in her company.

Climbing back over the overturned seat with the extracted med kit, Tasha sat down next to Wilson's leg, examining it carefully. Creating a clear space around them, she could definitely tell where the bone had snapped, probably caught on something as he fell during the crash.

"Hold on, this may hurt." She warned, rolling up the fabric of his uniform, displaying the unnatural lump halfway down his shin, and raw, broken skin. Without further ado, she took a firm hold on his ankle and gave a sharp yank backwards, bringing the bone back into place.

Wilson gave an agonized scream, causing Tasha to flinch violently. He gritted his teeth as best he could before starting to feel a little better.

"That. . . that was an understatement." He tried to joke, and gave a pained smile. Tasha reached into the medical kit, pulled out a hypo and applied it to his neck with a soft hissing sound.

"I should have given this to you first, I'm so sorry." She stuttered sheepishly, feeling even more guilty now. "I'm not the best at first aid, and never did have the best bedside manners." Taking several pieces of plastic from the shattered helm chair, and a strip of cloth from the shredded leg of Wilson's uniform, she created a splint around the newly set limb.

"There, primitive but effective." She stated, sitting back on her heels and looking down at her companion. "Now, let's. . ." She was cut off by a cracking sound, and her head shot up, looking around. There was nothing, and then the sound came again. All of her instincts screamed for her to run and get out of there, although for what she didn't know. But, in situations like this, it was better to err on the side of caution rather than something worse. Wilson's eyes widened at the sound, and he struggled to his feet, although he didn't know how he was able to do it. Fear and adrenaline probably had something to do with that. Gasping slightly at the pain, he hoarsely finished her sentence.

"Let's get out of here." Tasha nodded, just as she noticed one of the bulkhead walls was getting very, very hot at an alarming rate. Not stopping to think about it, she slipped an arm around Wilson's waist, levering his arm over her shoulders, and supported him as they made a break for the door. It was getting stifling in the shuttle, and sweat dripped down into both officer's eyes, partially blinding them as they stumbled out, towards the trees. Several more cracking noises came from within, then without warning the shuttle exploded.

The force of the explosion knocked both Tasha and Wilson off their feet, and Tasha instinctively shielded her officer's face and as much as she could, the scorching heat of the burning craft making her skin crawl. To her surprise, she felt Wilson move underneath her, and a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her away from the shuttle.

Wilson had only one thought burning brightly in his mind: get Tasha to safety. He didn't heed the burning, fiery pain tearing through his leg. Dragging her along, he felt her other arm grip around his shoulder with equal strength, helping him crawl inch by painful inch towards safety.

Their ragged breathing was lost in the sound of the roaring fire, devouring what was left of the shuttle. Reaching the base of a towering tree covered in red bark, Tasha felt herself drift in and out of consciousness, followed by an excruciating pain slicing across her left shoulder. The last thing she remembered, and felt, was Wilson holding her close to his chest before the world turned black and the pain consumed her senses.