After a half hour of uncomfortable silence, neither of them could take it anymore. This was getting ridiculous. They were adults and perfectly capable of conducting themselves as such. At the moment they only had themselves to depend on for survival so it was imperative they work together. Whatever they might feel, it was unimportant and they needed to let it go and just deal with the situation at hand.
Both of them turned, ready to discuss the matter, but before they could, the silence was broken by the sound of footsteps coming from one of the tunnels. Archer quickly grabbed the Xindi weapon he had confiscated and Danaë armed herself with her phase pistol. Ready to defend themselves, they watched the two tunnels intently. They expected to see Xindi reptilians or insectoids, but to their surprise four men appeared. They were humanoid, but clearly different in species. Their skin was pale white with almost a transparent look in some places. Their eyes were large and black. Their faces, while similar to humans, were long and narrow with high cheekbones and bald elongated heads. They were relaxed in their demeanor, which could not be said for the two humans, and dressed in layers of robes with a thick cummerbund at the waist. The fabrics of their robes were comparable to silks and brocades and embroidered in gold and silver. For a moment the two humans could almost believe they were staring at Persian princes. One of the four stepped forward, his robes were encrusted in fine jewels, identifying him as the leader. He gestured a greeting then began to speak.
"You are not Xindi," his voice was smooth and deep.
"No. We're humans and we're from Earth. We were brought here as prisoners," Archer explained. "Who are you?"
"I am Xipilli and my people are the Gintare. We live in these tunnels."
"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer," he responded in introduction. "And this is Lieutenant Danaë D'Arcy. We fell down the hole while trying to escape from the pahua," he told them, pointing to the opening above his head.
"You're hurt." Xipilli pointed out, noticing the blood and wound on Archer's upper arm. His dark eyes then looked about the cavern but saw no evidence of food, water or anything that could dress their injuries. "Where are your supplies?"
"We don't have any. We escaped with only our weapons, scanner and database," Archer answered. Xipilli took a leather bota bag that hung from a long strap from around his neck and held it out to the captain.
"It is water. Drink and refresh yourselves." At this Archer took it and after opening the spout handed it to Danaë before refreshing himself. "Come with us and we will give you food and shelter."
"We need to get to the facility that houses the magnetic field controls. It has to be shut down so we can contact our ship."
"I understand," Xipilli answered. "And we can help you get there, but for right now you are clearly in need of food and rest." He motioned to the tunnel behind him and cautiously the two officers followed.
"Do you trust them?"
"I don't see where we have much choice," Archer replied.
They followed Xipilli and listened as he told them about his people. The Gintare had existed in these caves for thousands of years. They were a race of farmers, though Archer and Danaë could not imagine how that was possible beneath the ground. It seemed that the subterranean plants they cultivated had more in common with earth's mushrooms and seaweed than in the vegetation growing above them on the surface of Dyfed. They also learned that their host had nine children with great hope for more. Polygamous, he had four wives and with the exception of his youngest bride, they had collectively given him six sons and three daughters. Among his people, his was considered a small family.
Talking with Xipilli they discovered that the Gintare knew of star ships and interstellar travel as well as various technologies from other cultures that had come to the planet before, but did not believe in partaking themselves. The Xindi had only arrived in the last year looking to mine kemocite for a project they were developing. Seeing the Xindi Reptilians, the Gintare had wanted no part of them and remained safely hidden below, silently keeping watch. The Reptilians managed to construct a building, but at great cost of life and limb to the Pahua. This proved to be too much and any hope of mining here ended, much to the relief of the Gintare. Instead they made a prison out of the outpost for holding captives until they could be moved again and added the magnetic field to ensure they couldn't escape.
Archer told Xipilli about the Xindi weapon and what they were using the Kemocite for. He then told him about the seven million lives that had already been lost and how they were attempting to build a larger weapon to finish the job. Xipilli narrowed his eyes at the idea.
"They seek to try and change the future by using the very hate they fear," he said to himself, then continued to guide them.
The captain and lieutenant continued down into the tunnels, uncertain of how deep they were going. To the humans every tunnel looked the same and at times they wondered if they weren't going in circles. One thing they had noticed was the deeper they went the more they saw the glowing quartz in various sizes, shapes and colors. The white ones proved to be the most illuminating. Entering one tunnel, Xipilli immediately warned them of loose rocks and unstable layers. This proved to be prophetic as some of the stones began to fall from their precarious positions. Archer quickly pulled Danaë out of the way and covered her with his own body.
"Are you okay, Dani?" Archer asked as he gently brushed the dirt and debris from her hair and face.
