Chronicle of the Guardian: Precursor
By THE Xenomorph
I own only the character of Vile, Catlina Flores and the Scions
Star Trek Voyager is © Paramount
Aliens vs Predator is © Fox
Preparation
I was in the holo-deck when we docked with the viidian space station Treemus. I wasn't even aware of it until Janeway came over the com systems and announced it and the week of R&R the crew would receive while I recovered from my now truly and totally imminent surgery.
"Still time to change your mind." Harry smirked at me. The scars from the acid burns he had received were still present and nothing the Doctor could do was able to properly regenerate the tissue. That left Harry with a small streak etched into the right side of his face, something he still didn't seem comfortable with, but never complained of.
"Ah, come on J.G." Chell smiled at us as the simulation of our planned prep-room whirred to a stop. "What'd I touch?"
"Nothing." I said. "This program was set to deactivate upon docking." I said with a smile. "Get out of here, you all need a break."
"Says the guy about to go into brain surgery." Harry shook his head and sat his pad down. "Good luck, you're not allowed to die on us."
"Not gonna happen." I snorted. As the two left the holodeck.
I waited until they were both gone before I spoke again, an order to the computer. "Bring up program Vile-Redundancy-Alpha."
A console shimmered into existence and I walked over to it without a second thought. I scanned the templates and programs I had been making privately in the last few days. They weren't anywhere up to what I wanted, but they contained instructions on how to train against any yautja incursion against the ship. I made sure to include clan markings so my clan wasn't lumped in by accident. If I survived the surgery I would be able to continue working on them, if not I left instructions for Tom and Tuvok to perfect them. The beeping of the ship's coms began in the background, but I ignored it as I continued my programming.
"So this is what you've been doing." The Doctor appeared in the holodeck.
"Most people knock or use the door chime." I said, slightly annoyed.
"I've been trying to get you on the coms for five minutes." The Doctor returned my own tone. "They need to speak with you."
"I've still got time in here scheduled, and it's for training purposes." I grumbled.
"Are you leaving instructions?" He asked.
I stopped my typing and looked to the Doctor. "You know I am."
"Then it can wait, Doctor's orders." The Doctor smiled.
I scoffed with a deep barking laugh, "When have I ever listened to Doctor's orders?"
He looked almost hurt, "Once or twice, but you really should listen more often."
"Give me a minute Doc, I need to finish this last coding." I reluctantly acquiesced.
"I'll be waiting in sickbay." He smiled and vanished.
I went back to my programming and finished the line that had been bothering me. Then I saved the program and shut it down.
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"Anderson, no. Just no." Catlina Flores shook her head at her roommate who was currently breaking her orders to rest just to clean a few dirty spots on the rug.
"I just said he might appreciate it." Anderson gave a wicked smile.
"I am not doing that." Flores sighed. "Besides he's probably have an aneurysm and drop dead."
"Oh come on, he's a mutated S.O.B., but he's still a guy." Anderson scoffed.
"Whom I'm still getting to know!" Flores balked at her friend. "I am not greeting him in a teddy."
"Oh you're such a prude." The blonde rolled her eyes.
"I am not!" Flores snapped, "This is freakishly odd for the both of us, we're taking it slow."
"Oh, all right..." Anderson wobbled back to her bed and wiggled onto it with a huff. "Party pooper."
"This from the woman who impressed said mutated boyfriend of mine by bludgeoning a xenomorph to death." Flores rolled her eyes. "Lydia, you wouldn't have fun riding on a comet."
"Hey that's not true." Anderson snapped back this time. "Comets can crash into things." Her wicked smile returned followed by a small wince as she moved her leg just slightly wrong.
"You are so insane." Flores sighed in defeat as she went to leave. "I'll be back after wishing him luck on the surgery."
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"Mom, we're going to be late." Naomi said from her chair in the living quarters her and her mother shared.
"He's not gonna leave without saying goodbye to one of his favorite people." Samantha Wildman laughed from the bathroom.
"I know and I don't want him to be late because of us." Naomi's need for urgency became more apparent to her mother and the elder finally relented with a deep sigh.
"Let me finish and we'll go."
"Ok." Naomi's voice chirped happily.
A few moments later Samantha Wildman walked out and held her hand out for her daughter.
"Shall we?"
"We shall." Naomi's smile grew as she took her mother's hand. "Are you going to be there?"
"No, Vile made it pretty clear only the Doctor and the viidians would be allowed to do this." The ensign grumbled.
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"Okay..." I checked my room over for the last time before I turned to leave. The room was still mostly empty, but I was determined to make it my own. "Time to go." I wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but it felt justified. "I'll be back in less than a day. I will rest for however long the Doctor tells me too and I will not rip off anyone's face of my own volition." The last part was fast becoming a mantra for me.
The door chimed, I stayed still for a few moments before Janeway overrode the door and walked in with a smile. "Nervous?"
"I'm letting people clone my brain tissue to put it back in my head." I laughed, a bit more darkly than I meant to. "Yeah, I'm a little nervous."
"Well you can trust the Doctor." Janeway smiled.
"The Devil could trust the Doctor." I snorted. "It's the Saalmdir's people I'm worried about."
"They won't take your DNA." Janeway said with what I perceived to be confidence. "Saalmdir has promised that."
"Saalmdir is one man." I sighed. "I trust him, but don't be surprised when we get a message begging for help from him because his government got really happy at the possibility of a bio-weapon."
"Well that will be on them then." Janeway said.
"And me." I said. "I don't have to go through with this, leashes aren't that bad."
"You'd go mad in a week and have turn around." Janeway gave a light smile.
"I'm serious." I said, unsure now if I really wanted to do this.
"It's your choice Vile and no one would blame you for being skittish around the viidians, but you know as well as I do that medication will only take you so far." Janeway leaned against the archway of the door.
"If they don't destroy it..."
"We'll do what we can for those we encounter." Janeway said. "But I won't be an extermination squad for their mistake."
"You wouldn't have to be." I stood up. "The clan would relish the hunt."
"And you would be punished." Janeway rolled her eyes.
"He wouldn't kill me." I smiled, "The old hunter's fond of me and knows I'm needed."
"You are really a glutton for punishment, literally." Janeway shook her head and motioned for me to take a step out. "The first step is always the hardest."
"Tell me about it." I grumbled as I took the first of many steps to have my brain purposely cut into.