Showdown

Posted on Tue Mar 12th, 2024 @ 12:39am by Captain Mira Rodale & Commander Kevin Lance & Lieutenant Tracey Walker Jr
Edited on on Tue Mar 12th, 2024 @ 2:22am

Mission: Thunderdome
Location: Paarthian settlement
Timeline: Present

on:
{Paarthian settlement}

Once the fight was over, Mira postioned her back to Kevin's as someone walked to them. The man had been about to grab her, but she had seen him on a reflective service close by.

Her hand was instinctively on her sword. It was the same place she has carried her mek'leth for the last four years. She was quick at it and confident in the move.

The Paarthian grinned. "Are you any good with that?"

Mira narrowed her eyes. The Paarthian rules were very clear. She could talk with him because he spoke to her directly, but Kevin was with her, so she didn't have to. It wasn't her job or responsibility to answer him. "My Alpha wants to speak with the Alpha of this settlement." She stated Kevin statement from earlier.

His eyes roamed over her, but he nodded. "Then he has found me. Rok" Mira took a step out of Kevin view of the leader, but she made sure there was no other threat around them.

"I yem Kiven Lanse and yass, I's from da sooth," Kevin addressed Rok and gripped his forearm in the standard Paarthian greeting between males. It was a contest of strength as each compared there grip and forearm strength. It lasted almost a full minute, then Rok released his hold first.

Rok was older than either Kevin or Mira. His muscles were well-corded from extensive use. Kevin was a good three inches taller than him, but he walked with a balance that indicated he knew how to fight.

"Welcome to Tumbleweed," Rok replied, "I see that you are making friends." He indicted the tough that Kevin had knocked out.

Kevin shrugged, "I's tried to bee a gud guest but he wass determened." Kevin followed Rok up the steps of the house on to the broad porch with Mira and Vaytoc close behind.

Rok pushed through the double doors into a large vestibule. "WOMEN!" he shouted, "We have guests." He turn into an even larger room with three chairs arranged around a short table in front of a fireplace. A fan spun lazily above the table giving off a gentle breeze the mitigated the heat of the day. The fan appeared to be driven by a rope that came in from the outside, through a wall, wound around the fan and back out the way it came.

Rok indicated one of the chairs as he sat down in another. Kevin took the que to seat himself. On the floor around the chairs cushions were scattered. Kevin suspected that he knew what they were for.

Before he could speak, three women bustled into the room. One carried a tray with a pot and six cups which she set upon the table before withdrawing. The elder of the two remaining women settled herself on a cushion next to Rok. The younger woman pour a greenish liquid from the pot into two of the cups.

Mira was torn between standing behind Kevin to watch their back or sitting on the cushion by Kevin's feet. Technically, Kevin hadn't told her to sit, so she stood guard quietly at his back.

Rok picked up one of the cups and Kevin followed suit. The liquid was cool but bitter and had a taste that defied description. Rok took a long sip, appearing to savor the drink, then nodded to the younger woman who poured three additional cups, then took her place at Rok's side.

Rok considered Kevin and then said critically, "You must be a cruel dom to keep your woman standing."

Kevin was surprised by the statement, then it occurred to him that he was not fully playing his role. "Itz our costume in de sooth to wait fer de host to offer a seat," he explained lamely. Rok cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. Kevin turned and motioned for Mira to sit.

Mira quickly set on the cushions her back against Kevin's chair. They were a great deal of rules and customs she was trying to remember. A drink could be offered to her by one of the women, but she couldn't drink it unless Kevin told her to. She briefly wondered if it was even safe to drink.

Rok took another long sip of his drink then indicated to his women that they could take a cup. Kevin mirrored his host and Mira took the cup from the table.

"So what would you have of me?" Rok asked conversationally.

"My able to spick yoose tung iz poor," Kevin confessed, "I shell tell me pet wont to sez."

"As you wish," Rok replied.

While maintaining his attention on Rok, Kevin switched back to Federation Standard and said to Mira, "Ask him what he knows of the encampment on the edge of the jungle to the west."

Mira nodded her head, her black eyes resting on Rok's neck as she spoke, " My Alpha and his men are merchants from the south. The caravan was attacked by Elionians. The Group made our way to an encampment on the edge of the jungle to the west, but they are no longer there. He wants to know what happened to them. They were.... profitable."

[Outside]

Shortly after Commanders Lance and Rodale went inside, two of the guards wandered too close to the truck where Trace and Geneva were waiting. They didn’t say anything but their appraising looks at Geneva made Trace want to step into their path. He was about to do so when a quick glance from Thorne reminded him of his supposed role. She hopped down from the truck and stood in their path.

“Well well well, what do we have here?” The bigger one of the two gestured toward Trace. “Your Alpha is a poor one, I could protect you better than he could.”

Geneva stood tall, her heart racing. Best to show confidence, she thought. “You have it wrong, Northerner. I’m the Alpha. Best you leave this alone or you’ll be picking your teeth up out of the dirt.”

The big one’s grin vanished. If she was the Alpha, that meant that she was a highly skilled warrior to compensate for her size. Still, those curves beckoned him. He decided he would risk it, since she was such a lovely specimen.

His hand darted forward and seized her by her threadbare tank top, his other hand drawing back to slam into her face.

A loud crack split the air and his drawn back fist wouldn’t move. He felt a sting in his wrist and looked up to find it bound by the business end of a whip. He turned and saw the dom holding the other end of the whip, his other hand pointing a revolver at his co-conspirator.

Geneva smirked, then sauntered forward and patted the big one on the cheek. “Now run along or I’ll have my dom riddle you and your friend with holes.”

{Rok's Residence}

"The Feders were profitable for us as well," Rok replied to the question that Mira had translated from Kevin, "They arrived about five years ago, from the south like yourselves, with many questions. They were annoying at first, but started sharing knowledge about how things were done before the Fall. Sometimes they showed us ways of doing things that were better than many of the elders remembered. It helped us to increase the amount of food we could grow and switch people from agriculture to more technical pursuits. It also helped us meet the tithe demanded by the Grendaas."

Kevin had looked towards Mira at Rok's implication of the science team sharing technology with the Paarthians but she kept her head down, she expression unreadable.

"Ask him who the Grendaas are," he told Mira. She relayed the question in the Paarthian tongue.

"Has tale of their infamy not penetrated the Great Jungle to your lands?" Rok asked rhetorically before continuing, "Elbere Grendaas is a powerful warlord to the east who has ruled with an iron fist ever since the Fall. His domain extends, I am told, from the Great Jungle to the Coastal Lands in the east and the Blackrock Mountains in the north. The Grendaas prey upon the smaller settlements, like Tumbleweed, extracting a heavy tithe that takes us close to the edge of extinction. The assistance of the Feders allowed us to not only survive the tithes but to flourish as well."

"Wot sorda tides?" Kevin asked directly. He noticed that the young woman kneeing next to Rok was looking at him with interest. She immediately dropped her head and eyes when he turned his head towards her.

"Mostly food and raw materials," Rok answered, "but hardest was the impressment of younger males. A third of the maturing males were taken to swell the ranks of the Grendaas' horde." That would at least partially explain the high percentage of women working in the farm fields.

Kevin rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Without looking at here, he addressed Mira, "I am not getting the impression that Rok's people are responsible for the attack on the scientists. Ask if he thinks the Grendaas are responsible and why they would destroy the encampment now."

Mira did ask the question in their native tongue.

Rok nodded, "If not the Elionians, then it must be the Grendaas' horde."

Mira frowned, then looked up at Kevin. "This is bad they broke the prime directive. We don't have enough people to up against a massive group. The longer they stay on this planet, the more damage that will be done."

“Agreed,” Kevin nodded.

“One thing that was odd about this tithe,” Rok continued, “They had one of the Feders with them pointing out pieces of equipment that had been constructed with the help of the Feders. The Grendaas horde took those things over food and other useful trade items. It will hurt our ability to feed ourselves between harvests and provide a proper tithe next year.” He motioned for the young woman to refill the cups.

“Ask Rok where the Grandaas can be found,” Kevin told Mira.

Mira groaned they were so getting over their heads on this one. This is when she would sit back and say hey let's call the Captain! But nope, she was it. Her eyes lifted. "Where is the Grendaas' horde?"

Rok laughed his eyes, going to Kevin's. "If you go after the horge, you should leave your woman here."

"Rok, I asked where the Grendaas' horde is? Not if you had accommodations. " Mira's eyes for the first time since meeting him was not meek and docile.

Rok's eyes widened as he pulled out the map. Mira stood and cracked her neck. They hadn't altered enough people for this scale of operations. Mira's eyes meet Kevin's, "Get the coordinates." She wanted out of this camp. "What else can you tell us about them?" she asked Rok carefully.

Rok fixed Mira with a lethal stare. "There are lots of them, they are well armed, and they don't take kindly to uppity females." The older woman fidgeted with her cup but the younger stared at Mira in open horror.

Kevin placed his hand on Mira's shoulder. "Den we will bodder yoose no firther, " he said keeping all hostility out of his voice, "Coom aloong pet." He rose abruptly to gain a positional advantage should Rok get violent.

Mira nodded her head to Rok "This Uppity female is an Alpha Dom and I stay with him because a choose to. Now thank you for your hospitality may the old ones bless you." Vaytoc stood and leisurely stretched. His has rubbing on Mira leg before he hissed and left with her.

As they walked out one of the guards started to comment about being the one to protect her. She hauled off and punshed him knocking him out cold and kept walking.

Kevin was so surprised that he stopped dead in his tracks. He wasn't so distracted, however, to notice several males, including the three thugs from before, take notice and start closing in Mira and Vaytoc. Sensing a narrow window to descalate the situation, he quickly caught up to Mira. Grabbing her firmly by the upper arm he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear, "Dunt imbarrass me! When whee gets home, yoose will bee poonished!"

The display satisfied most on the men, who returned to their work, but the three thugs followed them to the gate. Kevin kept up a rapid pace with long strides, particularly dragging Mira and Vaytoc along with him.

As they exited the gate and approached the truck, Kevin slowed his pace and allowed Mira to regain her footing. The thugs stared sullen at the from the gate.

"I think that we have worn-out our welcome," he said to Trace and Geneva, "Did you have any trouble?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Geneva replied brightly.

"Good. Let's get out of here."

Mira let herself be pulled until the truck bed. Vaytoc settled in watching her. Mira frowned at the image Vaytoc was sending her "No I didn't really plan to murder them all in thier sleep! You should know me better then that fur ball." She put her hand to her chest seeking the peace her symbiont had been giving her. "I don't like any of this." She waved a hand to the land.

:off

Lieutenant Tracey Walker
Chief Engineer
USS Chuck Norris

and

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

and

Commander Mira Rodale
CO
USS Chuck Norris