A/N: This story was once called "Take Me There," and posted sometime in either 2008 or 2009. I can't remember. The story was about Cheyenne and Brax if that sounds familiar. I accidentally deleted the story back in 2011 and decided to completely revise the story and start from scratch. I published it again in 2012 and sort of gave up on because of writer's block. This story has been with me for ten years now, and I always seem to go back to my characters Brax and Elli (formerly Cheyenne), and I just need to finish their story. So I am revising it once again, and updates will be slow, but I will finish it.

Prologue: Part I

A Girl Without A Home

"Elli!"

The young girl omitted to give him a response. He waved his hands in front of him to gain her attention.

"For the love of the stars," he let out a growl of frustration and bounded over to the child, "Elli!" he shouted again, peering down at her with his arms crossed.

Elli was sitting against a large metal crate and bobbing her head with her tablet propped against her knees. Her large vintage headphones covered the top of her long flaxen hair as she scrolled through the device. A shadow loomed over her, and she glanced forward to see a pair of dark boots tucked in navy pants. She slipped the headphones off as she slowly looked up to see her father staring down at her with a scowl on his face. He ran his hands through his red beard, a look of tiredness reaching his blue eyes.

"Sorry," she lamented quietly, her head sinking into her shoulders under his blazing stare.

"How many times have I told you not to put that so loud? I didn't give you those so you could drown me and the world out, Elli."

"I know, dad, I'm sorry."

He proffered his hand to her, and she placed her smaller one in his, and he pulled her to her feet, "I need your help, kiddo." He pointed to some supplies, "Pack those in that crate over there," he pointed to the crate next to the one she was lounging against.

"Okay," She put the tablet down to move the supplies. Her dad was a smuggler and a damn good one. He smuggled federation weapons, and some weapons were earth weapons that dated back two hundred years. It was pretty amazing that he was able to get his hands on such old weapons. But he was a collector, mostly vintage earth collectibles. One of his favorites was a vintage guitar. Elli wanted to learn how to play it, but her father would rarely let her touch it.

"Are these going to Teegan?" She queried as she placed a few cases into the crates.

He looked at her, as he adjusted the settings on a few disrupters, "Yes, after that we'll go to that station you like, the one with the loud music."

A smile reached Elli's eyes, and her lips tugged up into a wide grin, "Really?" she asked, bouncing on her toes.

He watched her bounce with zeal at the prospect, "Of course, Kiddo," he chuckled, as she skipped with a handful of supplies and dropped them into the crate.

After a moment of packing supplies her father nodded for her to sit down and strap up, "All right, it's time to head out. Now, remember, when we get to Teegan you have to stay on the ship."

"I know, because of the Astri," her voice was low, fear filling her big pale eyes. Elli feared the Astri, but not as much as the citizens of Teegan feared them. Astri were terrible creatures that fed on the flesh of living beings.

"That's right. I'll deliver the supplies to the rebels. Once I'm paid, I'll head right back. I want you to have the ship started and ready to take off, understood?"

"Right," she gave him a firm nod. She always worried about her father when they went to Teegan. The planet was at war with alien invaders that were let in by some of their own people. The invaders also brought in the Astri to use against the rebels. The streets of Teegan were no longer safe, therefore the rebels stayed below ground in bunkers that were disguised by their sewage system. The technology on Teegan was very similar to that of the 21st-century which was probably why her father was so drawn to it. He had a thing for the 20th and 21st century and judging by his collection it was obvious.

"Why do we supply the rebels with weapons?" Elli asked, glancing up at her father.

He stopped what he was doing, his eyes flickering up to meet hers. He worried his bottom lip for a moment before letting out a sigh, "Well, because they're defenseless."

"I know but I thought it wasn't the Federations job to interfere-"

"I do what I do because I feel it's right. This is my job, Elli. I'm a smuggler. I can careless about the Federation," He cut her short, "get those loaded," he nodded towards the few cases of weapons left.

Elli's shoulders slumped, and she tore her gaze from her father before moving to retrieve the cases. Her father hated Earth. At least that is how she saw it. Ever since her mother died, her father took her away and left Earth and never looked back. They lived on the ship and went from station to station, to planet to planet. Elli really didn't have friends which was frustrating at times, but she was starting to get used to their gypsy way of life.

After the journey to Teegan, Elli's father found her fast asleep in her bunk. He hated to wake her, but he needed her at the controls while he was away, "El, get up," he murmured, shaking her gently.

Elli groaned, pulling the covers over her head, "go away," she slurred, her voice breaking from sleep.

He sighed, grasping the covers and pulled them away from her, "I said get up."

Elli pulled herself up, shooting a glare his way, "fine," she complied, climbing down from her bunk and following her father to the main controls.

"All right, kid. You know the drill. Sit here, and wait for my return. I'll contact you when I'm ready for us to take off. Stay inside and keep the locks on. I don't want anyone entering this ship."

"Dad, I've literally been doing this since I was eight, and I'm twelve now, I think I got it," She rolled her eyes to only earn a scowl from her father.

"Just making sure," he said as he leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. Elli watched as he walked away to start unloading the cargo. She sighed, leaning back into her seat and drawing her knees to her chest. She glanced out the window. She could barely see anything through the dense fog that hovered over the ground.

"Dad, maybe you should wait. It's really foggy out right now." She shouted to him, her eyes never leaving the window.

"I can't, I'm on a tight schedule. I can't risk getting caught," he called back to her as he rustled through the cargo.

Elli frowned, resting her chin on her knees as she stared out into the eerie fog. She swallowed a lump in her throat from just thinking about those horrible creatures. Last time they came, it was two years ago, and Elli was nearly killed by one of them. She still had nightmares about their large fangs and their giant claws that dug into her skin. She found herself massaging her arm, feeling the scar that left there.

"See you in a few hours, stay inside!" Her dad called just as he finished unloading the crate of supplies. The hatch closed shut, and she quickly reached out to the console, locking the ship. She stayed like that for how long she didn't know. She kept her arms wrapped tight around her legs and her knees pressed against her chest as if to protect herself from everything around her.

"Carry on my wayward son..." she sang softly to herself, recalling some of her father's favorite classical songs.

"There will be peace when you are done-" she jumped just as a shadow swooped by the window. She quickly pushed a button, watching as covers slid over the windows. "Please hurry," she murmured to herself, hoping her father wouldn't be too long. She hated Teegan. She just hated it.

Elli opened her eyes, her head pounding and her pulse throbbing throughout her body. She sat up straight, realizing she fell asleep. She untangled herself and moved to look at the console. She was asleep for a few hours, and her father had yet to return. She knew not to contact him, just in case. She felt her heart begin to pound and her breath thicken in her chest as her anxiety levels began to rise. She wanted to cry, but she was too petrified to do anything. She just sat there waiting for him.

But he never returned.

Ten Years Later

Prologue: Part II

Elli was lying in her bed, her pale eyes staring at the ceiling above her. She counted every little line and every little flaw that covered it.

She remembered that day well. The day her father died. The rebels eventually found her after her ship was attacked. She was able to save a few of her father's favorite things but she had to abandon the ship and leave with the rebels. Their leader took her in, trained her to fight and ever since then she's been fighting their war, a war that continued for how much longer she dreaded to know.

"El, you sleep entirely too much."

"That's where you're wrong, Cal, I don't sleep enough," she said, sitting up to look up at her foster father. He was older now, grey hair and tired eyes. He smiled at her, taking her hand in his.

"One day, child, you'll sleep without a fear in the world," he assured her, although doubt flickered behind his eyes.

"Perhaps when I'm dead then," she stood up, her hand slipping from his as she moved to take a look at her reflection in the mirror.

Her pale blonde hair was long and fell into loose curls. She kept part of it tied back with a few braids will the rest hung over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were blue with a trim of brownish gold around the pupils and her face gave off an orange hue from the amount of dirt that covered her.

"You're young, Elli. When this war ends, I hope you are still young. Do not give up, not now."

She turned to look at him, her eyes mirroring his. The same tired reflection, the same pain and suffering that was weighing on them both. "I'm hope you're right, Cal."

"Me too, El. Me too."

"Although, perhaps that doesn't matter," she said, her eyes searching his face before she continued, "I was thinking of returning to my father's old ship. I know it's probably falling apart but I did see it the other day. It's still there."

"You want to leave?" His eyes widened and his mouth opened with surprise.

She nodded slowly, "I know it's probably not salvageable but I was hoping to try and fix it, then I can go home."

"But this is your home, Elli."

"I love you, Cal. You've been like a father to me. You helped make me strong after my father died. You gave me a home, a family and I'll never forget that. But the Federation is my home. My father may have hated to call it that, but I never did. I want to return, I want to go home."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. Do you know how dangerous that is? You don't even know if the ship works. I'm not going to risk the lives of my men so you can trek across that wasteland at the small chance you can fix your father's ship. It's suicide! That place is swarming with the enemy."

Elli swept towards him, her steps fueled by rage, "My father risked his life so that your people could have weapons to fight your God-forsaken war. My father died doing that for you! He risked his life every time he came here for you!"

His shoulders sunk and he stared up at her with heavy lids, "I won't argue with you anymore, Elli. I won't help you do this."

"I don't need you to help me. I'll do it alone."

He stood up, his tall form looming over her. "Not by yourself, it's too dangerous. I-" He shook his head, his eyes full of panic, "I forbid it!"

"You may have raised me for the remainder of my childhood, Cal. But don't think for one second that you're my father!" she spat before turning on her heel and grabbing her weapon and leaving the compound.

Cal stared in the direction she left, his chest feeling heavy with every step she took away from him, "No, but I do love you like my own," he whispered to himself, his heart aching from her words.

Prologue: Part III

Elli trudged through the abandoned street. Leaving the city was the easy part, it was walking through that toxic desert to get to her father's ship that was difficult.

Elli's staff was strapped to her back as she weaved through the safest corners of the city. She paused just when a commotion reached her ears. She crouched and slowly moved to the corner of a building to look around it. Starfleet officers stood with their hands up, surrounded by the enemy. Starfleet! That was her ticket out of this hell hole and back to Earth. Unless they were killed, of course then she would probably be stuck here forever.

She immediately crept around the building, keeping a stealth position as she snuck behind the enemy. She pulled her staff out and dived, sliding towards one of the soldiers. Her leg caught his, knocking him over just as she hit him across the head with her staff. She jumped to her feet, engaging in combat with a few more. One soldier grabbed her, pulling her down but she grabbed his weapon from his belt and fired, shooting him point blank in the stomach before flipping over another soldier and throwing him down as she tangled her legs around him. She landed on her feet before firing at another soldier. Once they were dead, she turned to the Starfleet officers, a broad smile on her face.

"I am so happy to see you," she said, tossing her staff behind her and the gun on the ground.

"Do we know you?" One of them asked. He was a tall man with brown hair and a nicely groomed beard. He wore a red uniform and stood in front of the others.

"Not really, but I'm hoping to leave with you."

"Are you the one who sent out the distress signal from a Federation ship?" He asked, looking at her curiously.

Elli's eyes widened. "I sent that signal out ten years ago!"

"Who are you?" He asked, giving her a once over. She appeared human, but then again some aliens did look human.

"My name is Elli Grant, I-" her lip trembled some, her mind starting to process what was happening, "I'm human. I've been stranded on this planet for ten years."

The man's eyes flickered in surprise, and he moved closer to her, "Ten years? You must have been a just a child."

"I was twelve. I've been living with the rebels on this planet. My father was a smuggler, he supplied them with weapons. He was killed and his ship badly damaged. I never thought I'd see Starfleet officers here, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you." she smiled again, relief reaching her watery eyes.

He listened to the girl ramble, a small smile reaching his face, "My name is Commander Riker, of the starship Enterprise, is there some sort of war taking place?"

She nodded, "Yes, it's been going on for nearly twenty years now. We should really get out of the streets," she said suddenly, her eyes glancing around their surroundings, "it's not safe."

"I'll explain more once we're inside, then I can get my things," She said, turning around for them to follow her.

Riker and the team followed behind her. He smiled at the fact that the girl was so sure she was leaving with them. Then again, she was human and taking her with them was probably the best thing to do.

Elli felt her heart ache at the thought of leaving Cal and her friends behind. That was the one good thing that came from all of this. Friends. Elli never had friends while traveling with her father but she knew despite those sentiments, this was her path. She believed it was fate that the Enterprise found her. Cal knew her father's ship was unsalvageable. Hell, she knew it too, and now she knew for sure she could leave and the reality of it was settling in. But this is what she wanted.

She wanted to leave, and that's what mattered. Teegan wasn't her home.