Unofficial Literary Challenge 27 - Prompt 3 "I am your Son" (modified)
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Pushing the hood of the long cloak from her head, Kathryn looked over the blue fruit and applied some pressure. The skin turned yellow where she squeezed the melon, then slowly reverted to blue when she released. Smiling, she looked to the vendor and nodded. The Ferengi grabbed the melon from Kathryn’s returning hand with a toothy grin and placed the fruit in a bag. Both exchanged the product for hexagon shaped cards.
Kathryn pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and turned away when she bumped into a small girl. “Oh, I’m sorry!”
The girl looked up. Slight ridges on her forehead strongly suggested she was Acamarian. Her dirty face was streaked with clean lines flowing from her eyes to her cheeks. A worried expression slowly transformed to joy. She then looked back into the shopping crowd.
Kathryn looked up. Nothing seemed out of place for a bustling marketplace. Then Nimbus III revealed its nature as a burly male Cardassian with a determined look on his face caught her attention. He was the only one who was sternly winding around intervening pedestrians and soldiers from the many races in the market with a fixed stare toward Kathryn. She knew there were a few choices available and Kathryn took the protector route: pretend to know the girl on the chance she needed help. The signs looked likely; truthfully keeping a distance from the girl may cause problems. When Kathryn looked back to the girl, she knew there were only seconds before the Cardassian reached them.
Under the cloak, Kathryn pushed up the sleeves of her Starfleet uniform, and then reached to the girl to give her an affectionate hug, smothering the child’s face into the robe. She hoped the bagged fruit in her right hand would serve as a one-time club if necessary.
The man stopped near Kathryn, his scowl fixed. “You there, let go of that little thief.”
The girl pushed away to look up at Kathryn again. “I’m so sorry mother! I was just trying to surprise you, since you love Regova Eggs!”
Kathryn was instantly relieved the girl played along, yet was also aware that without prompt, she played very quickly into the part. Kathryn also had to force from gagging at the thought of the 'delicacy'. She looked from the girl to the Cardassian and back, easily figuring out the peripheral story between the two, assuming it was legitimate. “It’s fine, sweet ... tee,” her mouth dried from the pause. “What happened?”
The girl started, “Well, I –“
“Stole an egg from my table,” interrupted the vendor, clearly still angry. “Wait, this girl is your daughter?”
Trying to avoid looking derisive, Kathryn replied, “Adopted. Regardless, I apologize for my daughter’s behavior. Can I pay for your loss?”
The Cardassian looked between the girl and Kathryn with suspicion. After a few more seconds, the Cardassian snarled. “Ten chips.”
Even though the Federation had no use for currency, Kathryn only had two chips in the local currency left and was genuinely surprised. “I could buy ten Eggs for that! Two chips.”
“That’s a fee to not report your child to the constable. You know the penalty for theft.”
Kathryn stayed friendly but guarded. “Sir, my child did break the law, but it was well-intentioned. We don’t have much.” She was starting to want to disengage from the situation but was committed to the game being played now.
The man looked around, crossed his arms and whispered. “Selling food is how I make a living, woman.” He looked down to the girl. “But living doesn’t always mean standing behind a cart of fruit.” He smiled mischievously. “There are other ways to pay, of course.”
Looking between the two with growing dread, the girl seemed to take the situation she put herself in more seriously. “M-Mom?” She kept playing along.
Kathryn's mood darkened. The vendor’s position obviously changed. “It’s okay, sweetie.” Kathryn pulled the girl to her left, and then looked side to side at the bustling crowd as she spoke. “It’s just a Regova Egg. I’m sure this fine gentleman is willing to negotiate a fair price.”
Looking around as well, the Cardassian nodded, “Indeed. We can discuss details in a more discrete location. Follow me.”
After he turned away, Kathyrn started to size up her prey while formulating a plan of action. She took another chance and showed the girl the sleeve of her Starfleet uniform, then put a finger to her lips. The girl looked relieved and nodded.
They followed the vendor around the crowd back to a stall where another Cardassian male was busy making a sale. He noticed the trio and nodded his head toward a nearby alley, where the first vendor started leading Kathryn and the girl.
Once they passed the vending area, Kathryn tapped her badge within the cloak and spoke to the vendor. “Bur’ar, was that your name? Is this alley the best place to negotiate for the food?” Kathryn hoped her Security Chief aboard Solaris above Paradise City would not diligently respond. She didn’t plan to need an escape from the surface and was asking a lot from the Klingon to play along in a rather dangerous game Kathryn had gotten herself in.
“I didn’t give you my name,” the Cardassian replied over his shoulder.
As they walked into the shadows between the two buildings, Kathryn could tell the alley ended in a dead end. She stopped walking and put a hand to the Acamarian girl’s shoulder. Depending on the next few moments, she may need to shove the girl out of harm’s way. “I think that’s far enough.”
The Cardassian stopped a few paces further and slowly turned to face Kathryn and the girl. “You think so?” He licked his lips.
Speaking slightly louder for Bur’ar to hear through the communicator under the cloak, Kathryn replied, “Look, we don’t want any more trouble. Take the chips and we’ll be on our way.”
The vendor chuckled and looked both ways along the alley, and then unzipped his tunic. “I said ten chips.” He reached into the shirt and pulled a short knife from underneath. “But there’s always room for negotiation.”
Kathryn started to worry Bur’ar had not received her attempt to communicate with him. It was a gamble. She gently pushed the girl away. “That’s not a good idea.” She decided to play her only hand and dramatically flung the cloak over her shoulders revealing her Starfleet uniform. Pulling down the sleeves filled her with more confidence. “I am Kathryn Beringer, Captain of the starship Solaris. I’m not here to cause an incident. We can quietly go our separate ways and forget all this happened.”
The Cardassian was surprised by the transformation initially. He slowly adjusted into a combat stance. “Feddie, you just made it worse for you.”
A shimmer from a transporter beam erupted behind the Cardassian, its blue and golden hue a giveaway from its origin while lighting up the alleyway. The vendor turned toward the light.
Kathryn took her chance, dropped the bag of fruit, and charged the Cardassian, leading with a front kick toward his torso. She connected as he returned his attention to Kathryn. With a grunt he was kicked to the ground in front of the coalescing figure and tried to stand before the it finished teleporting.
Bur’ar appeared, quickly realized he was in danger, and then took a few steps backward. The Cardassian swiped the blade trying to catch the Klingon’s waist but missed. He continued spinning to face Kathryn again and lunged.
An orange lance struck the vendor’s back and he crumpled to the ground before reaching the Captain.
Kathryn relaxed and nodded to her Security Chief. “Good timing Commander.”
Bur’ar looked around before holstering the phaser pistol. “My apologies for not coming sooner, I thought monitoring the situation was prudent.”
“Indeed it was.” She looked back where she left the girl. Kathryn saw her still cowering against the building and slowly walked to her with a hand reaching out. “I’m sorry about that. Are you okay?”
The girl’s fear ebbed. “Yes, I think so.” She accepted Kathryn’s hand and stood. “Thank you so much! I’m sorry to put you in danger like that.”
Kathryn smiled as she brushed a lock of hair from her face. She lifted the fruit bag from the ground and then handed it and the currency to the girl. “It seems you were lucky today. I wouldn’t depend on luck around here. Do you have any family?”
The girl nodded solemnly. “Only my brothers, on the outskirts of town.”
“We need to go,” interrupted Bur’ar. “What shall we do with him?”
Kathryn thought for a few seconds as she looked from the girl to the vendor still unconscious from the phaser stun. “Nimbus III will deal with him,” she snarled. Turning back to the girl, Kathryn asked, “May I meet your brothers?”
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Cast for crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Bur'ar - David Ramsey
The girl - Maisie Williams
Cardassian vendor 1 - Alexander Skarsgard
Cardassian vendor 2 - Male street extra 1
Ferengi vendor - Male street extra 2
