"Predators"
Stardate 35675.5 (Earth date, 4 September 2358)
Jikuril-sul trade district, Verex IV
Snow swirled around the feet of the slender young girl as she pulled her thin cloak tighter. The cold bit into her face and her fingers ached as the icy wind howled through the narrow alley way. The rough, thin cloth provided scant protection from the winter storm.
The Green Orion girl was just one of thousands of H'lajmoi - abandoned children that roamed the dirty streets of Jikuril-sul, the main settlement of the outcast world, Verex IV. Unlike many of her unfortunate peers, she had managed to survive by her wits and her ability to avoid the roaming gangs of murdering rapists and cut-throats that ravaged the dreary town. Against all odds, she had lived to see her tenth year.
Glancing furtively around, she began to rummage through a waste bin - hunting for any leftover food or useful bits to take back to her hiding place, a cast off cargo bin partially buried under a mound of debris. She was wary because the falling snow diminished sounds and she depended on her keen hearing to provide warning of approaching danger. She did not want to be out in the storm, but her meager food supply was nearly exhausted and she was afraid she might get snowed in for days. At least the snow partially covered the horrible smell of the waste bin.
A furry hri'gun, one of the local rodents hissed at her as she reached for some fruit scraps. With quick reflexes, the girl threw a stone secreted in her hand, felling the hri'gun. With a satisfied smirk, she grabbed the small creature by the tail and bashed its head against the wall. She didn't want the hri'gun to wake up and bite her. Stuffing the rodent into a sack along with the fruit, she turned to leave the alley.
Only to spy three figures blocking her way.
The girl froze, hoping that she would remain unseen in the shadows, but her ten year run of luck deserted her.
"Hey Bikku, look what I found!" exclaimed the first figure - a young, Green Orion male with the ritual scars of a gang initiate under his left eye. A second figure came out of the gloomy snow fall. He was much larger than the first - another Green Orion male with teeth filed to razor points and a slashing scar that bisected the space formerly occupied by his left eye. Bikku grinned a predatory grin.
"Girlie, girlie - what are you doing in my alley, little girlie?" queried Bikku in a high-pitched tone that belied his mass and the bunched muscles of his arms.
The girl moved backward, her eyes darting left and right seeking an avenue of escape. Unfortunately, the third male had moved quickly to block the other end of the alley. He remained silent, but the leering smile on his ugly face spoke volumes and made his sick, deadly intent all too clear.
She moved backward until her back pressed against the rough stone wall of the building. Under her cloak, she readied the small metal knife she had fashioned. The cold metal gave her scant comfort, though. She knew the three would quickly over-power her and . . .
She would not think about that. If she were to die, well . . . that was that, wasn't it? Maybe she could inflict some scars on them first.
Her focus was so intent on the three thugs that the voice of the fourth figure made her jump.
"You boys must be three bad slis' jaka to threaten a puny little girl like that," came the voice. The tone was calm and quiet . . . amused somehow, but something about the voice made the girl's hackles rise in a way that the three thugs had been unable to do.
The first Green Orion, the one the girl thought of as "Skinny," turned quickly - obviously caught off guard and wary of this new interloper.
"You have three kimas to walk away, slis' pul! Find your own H'lajmoi or you can die here and now. Go!" blustered the skinny Green Orion.
The hard snowfall made it difficult to see this fourth person, but the girl could tell he was well-built. It was also apparent that he was not at all intimidated by the three thugs.
"Well now," chuckled the interloper, "you've got me scared. In fact, I'm so scared, I don't seem to be able to move. Why don't you come over here and give me a push, so I can be on my way."
"Cut him, Leka!" growled the scar-faced Bikku, "Slice that Red slarndra so we can do the girl!"
Leka's lips pulled back into a feral grin and he pulled a slender blade from his jacket and advanced on the Red Orion who stood, seemingly aloof as to his impending death.
With a howl, Leka lunged forward with his knife, thrusting at the mid-section of the Red Orion. . .
. . . who easily side-stepped the clumsy attack and grabbed the smaller Orion's arm, twisting it back sharply until a sickening crack sounded forth and Leka fell to the ground, screaming in agony. The Red Orion picked up the discarded blade and tossed it aside, before facing the remaining two thugs.
"Why don't you two boys go find someplace to play with yourselves before someone else gets hurt?"
Bikku, who nearly matched the Red Orion in size pulled out a much larger blade, more of a short sword, and began to approach the interloper warily, smart enough not to repeat Leka's rash onslaught.
For his part, the Red Orion stood casually, his cloak flapping in the snow-filled gale, his yellow eyes glowing in the murky light of the alley.
"You're gonna hurt for that, slarndra. I'm going to slice you up into little pieces and feed them to the hri'guns," murmurred Bikku with menace.
The girl glanced right, hoping the third thug was distracted and she could run away, but her luck had not improved. She saw that he had moved even closer to her, cutting off any avenue of escape. He had pulled his own knife with a nasty looking serrated blade, and he shifted his gaze between her and his advancing cohort.
Bikku held the sword before him and swished it menacingly at the Red Orion. The interloper did not retreat, but simply circled sideways, maintaining his distance.
"Gonna cut out your heart, slarndra! Gonna cut off your stones and stuff them down your throat!" breathed the hulking Green Orion. With a quick lunge, he stabbed his sword at the Red Orion . . .
. . . only to find his blade parried by a menacing looking knife that had magically appeared in the hand of the interloper. With speed that was astonishing for one his size, the Red Orion grabbed the sword-wielding arm of Bikku and shoved his own blade through the Green Orion's throat.
With a rattling gurgle, Bikku collapsed into the snow, his body jerking spasmodically before remaining still. Steam rose from the snow as blood poured from the mortal wound.
The third thug roughly grabbed the girl and pressed his blade against her neck.
"Back off, or I cut her throat!" The girl could smell the thug's fetid breath and felt the spray of his saliva on his ear. There was a tremor of fear in his voice. She tried to wriggle loose where she could use her own make-shift knife, but her assailant's grip around her midsection was too tight.
The burly Red Orion advanced slowly, wiping the bloody blade across the arm of his cloak. He stopped a few meters away and regarded the thug and the girl. She noticed for the first time that he wore some sort of uniform under his outer garment.
"You're not going to do anything to that girl," the Red Orion said quietly, "because, if you do, I will carve you apart. . . slowly. And I happen to know that I can cut on you for at least twenty mekimas before you lose consciousness, maybe longer."
The girl felt the thug tremble and heard his throat click as he swallowed. The pressure of the blade against her throat increased.
"Sh . . . she'll be dead before you can touch me!" he rasped.
The Red Orion sighed. "See . . . that's where you're wrong."
Before the girl could register movement from the Red Orion, she heard a sudden hiss then a loud thwock! near her ear. The blade against her throat dropped away and her assailant slumped lifelessly into the pile of snow-covered garbage.
The girl gaped down at the thug, who now had the handle of a very large knife protruding from his left eye. The right eye was still open wide in apparent surprise.
She turned quickly and stared at the burly figure who walked up to her. He glanced at her with a slightly bemused expression before placing his boot on the dead thug's chest and pulling his knife free. He again wiped the blade clean of blood and gore before sliding it into a hidden fore-arm sheath with a barely audible snick.
The burly figure walked back over to the first assailant, who was still writhing in the snow and moaning as he sought to cradle his broken arm. The Red Orion knelt next to him and said something in a voice too low for the girl to hear. She saw the thug nod vigorously before he scrambled to his feet and stumbled quickly away into the frigid gloom. Her rescuer stood and turned his attention once more to her.
"Are you alright?"
The girl nodded but did not speak.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The girl hesitated. Now that the imminent threat had passed, she only wished to slip away to her hiding place and remain safely anonymous. She sidled down the wall toward the opposite end of the alley, planning to make a run for it.
"I'll bet you're hungry." The Red Orion made no move in her direction and his voice remained conversational - neither pressing nor threatening. Her stomach growled suddenly, over-ruling her reticence.
"I'm headed to my mother's place for a visit," he continued, "She makes pretty good ghujil stew and there will be enough to share if you want some."
The girl regarded the big man with wide eyes, suspicion momentarily trumping her hunger.
The big man shrugged. "Suit yourself. Oh, you won't have to worry about Leka - I don't think he'll be staying around here." He turned to walk away.
"K'lira," she suddenly called out. "My name is K'lira."
The Red Orion stopped and turned. "Okay, K'lira - the offer still stands. Do you want some stew or not?"
She found herself trotting up to follow the big Orion, stopping just outside of easy reach. Old habits and suspicions die hard. Her gaze fell on a shiny object on his chest. She pointed at it.
"What's that?" she asked.
He glanced down. "That's my combadge. It let's me talk to my ship."
Her eyes widened. "You have a ship?"
He resumed walking and the young girl followed along at a slight distance. He chuckled. "Well, it's not my ship, exactly. I serve on a ship called the Bluefin."
"Bloophin? What's a bloophin?"
He shook his head, smiling. "You sure are full of questions. Come on - let's get moving - I'm freezing my . . . nose off out here."
She moved quickly, trying to keep up with him through the heavy snow drifts. K'lira's amazing resilience allowed her to set aside the terrifying experiences of a few moments earlier, her initial fear now replaced with a child's curiosity.
"So, what's your name?" she asked. She watched with fascination as the Red Orion pulled a cigar from his cloak and lit it.
"Solly," he replied as he blew out a plume of noxious Ferengi tobacco smoke. "Less talking and more walking, K'lira - we still have a couple of klemaats to go."
* * *
Stardate 35675.5 (Earth date, 4 September 2358)
Jikuril-sul trade district, Verex IV
Snow swirled around the feet of the slender young girl as she pulled her thin cloak tighter. The cold bit into her face and her fingers ached as the icy wind howled through the narrow alley way. The rough, thin cloth provided scant protection from the winter storm.
The Green Orion girl was just one of thousands of H'lajmoi - abandoned children that roamed the dirty streets of Jikuril-sul, the main settlement of the outcast world, Verex IV. Unlike many of her unfortunate peers, she had managed to survive by her wits and her ability to avoid the roaming gangs of murdering rapists and cut-throats that ravaged the dreary town. Against all odds, she had lived to see her tenth year.
Glancing furtively around, she began to rummage through a waste bin - hunting for any leftover food or useful bits to take back to her hiding place, a cast off cargo bin partially buried under a mound of debris. She was wary because the falling snow diminished sounds and she depended on her keen hearing to provide warning of approaching danger. She did not want to be out in the storm, but her meager food supply was nearly exhausted and she was afraid she might get snowed in for days. At least the snow partially covered the horrible smell of the waste bin.
A furry hri'gun, one of the local rodents hissed at her as she reached for some fruit scraps. With quick reflexes, the girl threw a stone secreted in her hand, felling the hri'gun. With a satisfied smirk, she grabbed the small creature by the tail and bashed its head against the wall. She didn't want the hri'gun to wake up and bite her. Stuffing the rodent into a sack along with the fruit, she turned to leave the alley.
Only to spy three figures blocking her way.
The girl froze, hoping that she would remain unseen in the shadows, but her ten year run of luck deserted her.
"Hey Bikku, look what I found!" exclaimed the first figure - a young, Green Orion male with the ritual scars of a gang initiate under his left eye. A second figure came out of the gloomy snow fall. He was much larger than the first - another Green Orion male with teeth filed to razor points and a slashing scar that bisected the space formerly occupied by his left eye. Bikku grinned a predatory grin.
"Girlie, girlie - what are you doing in my alley, little girlie?" queried Bikku in a high-pitched tone that belied his mass and the bunched muscles of his arms.
The girl moved backward, her eyes darting left and right seeking an avenue of escape. Unfortunately, the third male had moved quickly to block the other end of the alley. He remained silent, but the leering smile on his ugly face spoke volumes and made his sick, deadly intent all too clear.
She moved backward until her back pressed against the rough stone wall of the building. Under her cloak, she readied the small metal knife she had fashioned. The cold metal gave her scant comfort, though. She knew the three would quickly over-power her and . . .
She would not think about that. If she were to die, well . . . that was that, wasn't it? Maybe she could inflict some scars on them first.
Her focus was so intent on the three thugs that the voice of the fourth figure made her jump.
"You boys must be three bad slis' jaka to threaten a puny little girl like that," came the voice. The tone was calm and quiet . . . amused somehow, but something about the voice made the girl's hackles rise in a way that the three thugs had been unable to do.
The first Green Orion, the one the girl thought of as "Skinny," turned quickly - obviously caught off guard and wary of this new interloper.
"You have three kimas to walk away, slis' pul! Find your own H'lajmoi or you can die here and now. Go!" blustered the skinny Green Orion.
The hard snowfall made it difficult to see this fourth person, but the girl could tell he was well-built. It was also apparent that he was not at all intimidated by the three thugs.
"Well now," chuckled the interloper, "you've got me scared. In fact, I'm so scared, I don't seem to be able to move. Why don't you come over here and give me a push, so I can be on my way."
"Cut him, Leka!" growled the scar-faced Bikku, "Slice that Red slarndra so we can do the girl!"
Leka's lips pulled back into a feral grin and he pulled a slender blade from his jacket and advanced on the Red Orion who stood, seemingly aloof as to his impending death.
With a howl, Leka lunged forward with his knife, thrusting at the mid-section of the Red Orion. . .
. . . who easily side-stepped the clumsy attack and grabbed the smaller Orion's arm, twisting it back sharply until a sickening crack sounded forth and Leka fell to the ground, screaming in agony. The Red Orion picked up the discarded blade and tossed it aside, before facing the remaining two thugs.
"Why don't you two boys go find someplace to play with yourselves before someone else gets hurt?"
Bikku, who nearly matched the Red Orion in size pulled out a much larger blade, more of a short sword, and began to approach the interloper warily, smart enough not to repeat Leka's rash onslaught.
For his part, the Red Orion stood casually, his cloak flapping in the snow-filled gale, his yellow eyes glowing in the murky light of the alley.
"You're gonna hurt for that, slarndra. I'm going to slice you up into little pieces and feed them to the hri'guns," murmurred Bikku with menace.
The girl glanced right, hoping the third thug was distracted and she could run away, but her luck had not improved. She saw that he had moved even closer to her, cutting off any avenue of escape. He had pulled his own knife with a nasty looking serrated blade, and he shifted his gaze between her and his advancing cohort.
Bikku held the sword before him and swished it menacingly at the Red Orion. The interloper did not retreat, but simply circled sideways, maintaining his distance.
"Gonna cut out your heart, slarndra! Gonna cut off your stones and stuff them down your throat!" breathed the hulking Green Orion. With a quick lunge, he stabbed his sword at the Red Orion . . .
. . . only to find his blade parried by a menacing looking knife that had magically appeared in the hand of the interloper. With speed that was astonishing for one his size, the Red Orion grabbed the sword-wielding arm of Bikku and shoved his own blade through the Green Orion's throat.
With a rattling gurgle, Bikku collapsed into the snow, his body jerking spasmodically before remaining still. Steam rose from the snow as blood poured from the mortal wound.
The third thug roughly grabbed the girl and pressed his blade against her neck.
"Back off, or I cut her throat!" The girl could smell the thug's fetid breath and felt the spray of his saliva on his ear. There was a tremor of fear in his voice. She tried to wriggle loose where she could use her own make-shift knife, but her assailant's grip around her midsection was too tight.
The burly Red Orion advanced slowly, wiping the bloody blade across the arm of his cloak. He stopped a few meters away and regarded the thug and the girl. She noticed for the first time that he wore some sort of uniform under his outer garment.
"You're not going to do anything to that girl," the Red Orion said quietly, "because, if you do, I will carve you apart. . . slowly. And I happen to know that I can cut on you for at least twenty mekimas before you lose consciousness, maybe longer."
The girl felt the thug tremble and heard his throat click as he swallowed. The pressure of the blade against her throat increased.
"Sh . . . she'll be dead before you can touch me!" he rasped.
The Red Orion sighed. "See . . . that's where you're wrong."
Before the girl could register movement from the Red Orion, she heard a sudden hiss then a loud thwock! near her ear. The blade against her throat dropped away and her assailant slumped lifelessly into the pile of snow-covered garbage.
The girl gaped down at the thug, who now had the handle of a very large knife protruding from his left eye. The right eye was still open wide in apparent surprise.
She turned quickly and stared at the burly figure who walked up to her. He glanced at her with a slightly bemused expression before placing his boot on the dead thug's chest and pulling his knife free. He again wiped the blade clean of blood and gore before sliding it into a hidden fore-arm sheath with a barely audible snick.
The burly figure walked back over to the first assailant, who was still writhing in the snow and moaning as he sought to cradle his broken arm. The Red Orion knelt next to him and said something in a voice too low for the girl to hear. She saw the thug nod vigorously before he scrambled to his feet and stumbled quickly away into the frigid gloom. Her rescuer stood and turned his attention once more to her.
"Are you alright?"
The girl nodded but did not speak.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The girl hesitated. Now that the imminent threat had passed, she only wished to slip away to her hiding place and remain safely anonymous. She sidled down the wall toward the opposite end of the alley, planning to make a run for it.
"I'll bet you're hungry." The Red Orion made no move in her direction and his voice remained conversational - neither pressing nor threatening. Her stomach growled suddenly, over-ruling her reticence.
"I'm headed to my mother's place for a visit," he continued, "She makes pretty good ghujil stew and there will be enough to share if you want some."
The girl regarded the big man with wide eyes, suspicion momentarily trumping her hunger.
The big man shrugged. "Suit yourself. Oh, you won't have to worry about Leka - I don't think he'll be staying around here." He turned to walk away.
"K'lira," she suddenly called out. "My name is K'lira."
The Red Orion stopped and turned. "Okay, K'lira - the offer still stands. Do you want some stew or not?"
She found herself trotting up to follow the big Orion, stopping just outside of easy reach. Old habits and suspicions die hard. Her gaze fell on a shiny object on his chest. She pointed at it.
"What's that?" she asked.
He glanced down. "That's my combadge. It let's me talk to my ship."
Her eyes widened. "You have a ship?"
He resumed walking and the young girl followed along at a slight distance. He chuckled. "Well, it's not my ship, exactly. I serve on a ship called the Bluefin."
"Bloophin? What's a bloophin?"
He shook his head, smiling. "You sure are full of questions. Come on - let's get moving - I'm freezing my . . . nose off out here."
She moved quickly, trying to keep up with him through the heavy snow drifts. K'lira's amazing resilience allowed her to set aside the terrifying experiences of a few moments earlier, her initial fear now replaced with a child's curiosity.
"So, what's your name?" she asked. She watched with fascination as the Red Orion pulled a cigar from his cloak and lit it.
"Solly," he replied as he blew out a plume of noxious Ferengi tobacco smoke. "Less talking and more walking, K'lira - we still have a couple of klemaats to go."
* * *
