Chapter 7

 True to his word, Capt. Rogers didn't mess with the rations and conserved most of the ship's power so they could all be diverted to heating the ship and keeping the replicator running. O'Brien's successful installing of the solar panels also helped out a great deal, as the two suns on this particular planet were keeping the ship well powered throughout the day. Yet one thing the two of them noticed was that it was never getting dark. The twin suns in the sky made it near impossible to sleep since the night never came to them, like ever. The lack of darkness was starting to get on O'Brien's nerves.

 "The last time it was even remotely dark was during the storm," She noted, as she was tempted to kick the fire but good judgement got the better of her. 

 She was using the fire to boil some water to make her own coffee as she wasn't a fan of hot liquids that were prepared artificially. Rogers let it go as he also enjoyed a homemade cup of java, and knew that letting her have this was his way of picking his battles.

 "We'll be alright," Rogers noted, "We'll just cover up the windows with something solid and try to make the inside of the ship as dark as possible."

 "Hold on," O'Brien said, as she noticed something. "We've got movement again."

 It had been a few days since the kids has dropped by to share a meal with them, but one of them had finally reemerged from the forests. He slowly approached the fire and smiled at O'Brien. The child started to speak to them, but it was still in a language neither of them could recognize. Every time the child spoke, Rogers tried to get the ships computer to try to find out what language it was through a universal translator. It was of no use, as the machine was also unable to detect what dialect that was being spoken by the boy.

 "Sorry, kid," O'Brien said, "We don't have a clue what you're saying."

 "I think the feeling is mutual," Rogers noticed, "He has no clue what we're saying too."

 The young boy still ate with them that morning, enjoying the breakfast Rogers has prepared. He found the hot coffee rather strange but watched with awe as the two people he was with slowly sipped away their drinks until the hot liquid was gone. After they had eaten, the boy got back to his feet and motioned to them.

 "What does he want?" O'Brien asked.

 "It looks like he wants us to come with him," Rogers said, "Back to where he came from."

 "Are you sure that's wise?" O'Brien said, as she seemed fearful.

 "Well, it might be better if we go to them," Rogers suggested, "Or he'll bring his people to us, and the less people who know where our ship is the better.

 "Alright, I can dig that," O'Brien said, "But we'll need to pack up. There's no telling how long it might talk to walk to wherever this kid calls home."

 "Sounds like a plan," Rogers agreed, "We'll take a few days worth of food with us, and something to sleep in. Standard equipment for survival on new worlds. Hopefully we'll get a warm welcome." 

 "What about the ship?" O'Brien inquired.

 "I'll lock up," Rogers informed her, "Just remember where we parked."

 Once they were packed up, Rogers and O'Brien followed the kid as he led the way. Thankfully for the two of them, it only took a few hours to make the trip. The small he was leading them to was a lot closer, as the strolled towards what looks like a village that depended on agriculture more than anything else. There were vast fields of various crops, animals that were being left out to pasture and workers picking harvests from the field.

 As they walked closer to the village, the two officers could tell that every person they passed by was stopping to stare at their new visitors. Rogers had dealt with enough locals on other planets to know what this felt like, but this was different for various reasons.

 "Now I know how your friend must have felt," O'Brien said, "Being in an area completely void of technology."

 "It's a little different here," Rogers replied, "In the techless colony, the people are capable of using the tech but refuse to. Here, however, that tech has never been invented. I cannot begin to tell you how many laws we are breaking by making first contact with these people."

 "We didn't choose to be here," O'Brien reminded him.

 "That might be a good defense," Rogers said, as she was making sense, "But we need to be careful what we show off. Use a little tech as possible. Is that understood?"

 "Understood, Captain," O'Brien said, as she knew full well what he was referencing.

 As they were entering what would be the core of the village where most of the locals homes were located, it was evident that they were drawing everyone's attention. Most of the villagers stopped working and stared as they just strolled on by, following the young man as he continued to lead them to the center of town. As they were passing by a bunch of women to appeared to be hand washing what appeared to be linens, A tall male emerged from one of the larger homes and appeared to be shouting at the women. Clearly he was ordering them to get back to work, but one of the old ladies pointed to their two visitors. The man took notice as well, and started to walk up towards the two officers. He was shouting something in that language they couldn't understand, but he was also carrying a weapon. A long piece of leather that looked like it was half belt, and half whip. As he was shouting at the two of them, he appeared to be more angered by O'Brien's presence as he walked closer to her and even cracked his whip like tool to get her attention.

 "I don't need to understand him to know what vile pig he is!" O'Brien called out.

 O'Brien backed away from the aggressive alpha male, trying her best not to engage. Yet that only angered the man further as he appeared ready to attack her. Before the man got a chance to get any closer to her, a bright beam came out of nowhere and knocked the aggressive man clean off his feet. O'Brien turned to face her commanding officer.

 "What that really necessary?" O'Brien called out, after watching her Captain blast the man off his feet when his blaster. "What happened to using as little tech as possible?"

 "I had it set to stun," Rogers informed her, "I think having a woman kick his ass might have been a bigger hit to his ego, so I decided to step in."

 "So, you get to be the hero?" O'Brien asked.

 "I am your superior," Rogers corrected her, "I'm merely showing them our hierarchy."

 Without warning, even more men started to run over. They were all armed with spears, and more of those weird whips. The boy who was with them stepped forward and tried to speak with his elders. And while some of them were appearing to listen, a few of the others ran off. A few moments later they returned with another man, who looked different and clearly looked like he didn't belong amongst the locals.

 "Hello there," the man called out, waving at them with a grin on his face. "From the uniforms, I believe you are members of the Rocket Patrol?"

 "We are," Rogers called back, "I'm Captain Rogers."

 "What are you doing out here?" The man asked.

 "We're not entirely sure," Rogers answered, "But we could use your help."

 "I'll do what I can," the man replied, "Come, let's get you out of the suns."