Derelict

By THE Xenomorph

I own only the character of Vile.

Star Trek Voyager is © Paramount

Aliens vs Predator is © Fox

Drunken Advice from a Monster

I crawled out of my alcove later that night. Seven and Icheb were regenerating, a state I wished I could emulate as they told me they were incapable of dreaming. I ignored the thought as my headache from earlier was not going away. An entire day of sleeping did nothing and I wasn't sure if it was the bulkhead, the drink or the lack of food that did it. Time for the professional's opinion.

I groaned as I got on the lift. I ran into two the Delaney sisters. Twins that I had only met in passing. They looked concerned and one asked if I was all right. Her sister told her what had happened and they both giggled before apologizing and wishing me luck in getting rid of the headache.

Then I stopped at the turbo lift and a very unintelligent idea came to my mind as I ordered it to Deck 2. From there I made my way to a Jeffery's tube and into the mess hall where I "acquired" a bottle of the fruit drink that Neelix had made. What I hadn't predicted was my name literally being on one, while another simply read "mine". Sometimes one had to admire Neelix. Rarely, but it could happen. I turned around and grabbed the bottle with my tail, then went to Sickbay through the tubes.

I came out with all the subtlety of a normal kainde. Well a slightly hung over one anyway. That meant that I surprised B'elanna as she stood at the Sickbay's console without the Doctor insight. She turned to look at me and guilt covered her face.

"This isn't what it looks like." She said defensively.

"What's it look like?" I asked, honestly confused. "The Doc in the holodeck?" He was often there during the evening shift."

"Not exactly..." She said as she fiddled with the console. "You're not going to stop me are you?"

"With what?" I held up my claws. "These can't exactly tap on those console's safely you know that right? Plus I just wanna get drunk, care to join me?"

"I'm pregnant." She crossed her arms with a glare.

"Oh..." I blinked. "Right. More for me." I said as I sat on a table. "I'll just wait for the Doc."

"You're really not gonna let me do this are you?" B'elanna scoffed.

"The hell are you doing?" I asked with a snap. "I just came for some headache relief, not a bigger headache." I caught a glimpse of the console, the Doctor's matrices. "REALLY?"

"I want what's best for her." B'elanna said.

"And fucking with the Doctor is gonna get that?" I rolled my eyes.

"He won't listen to me!" She snapped with a hint of a growl.

"If he's not listening then maybe you're being ignorant." I shot back, then rolled the words over in my head. Yup, no sense. I opened the bottle and began to drink.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" B'elanna looked more confused than I felt.

"I dunno, what're you trying to change?" I asked.

She punched up a display and a baby girl was displayed in a hologram. She pointed to the forehead ridges on the holo-child. "She will be mocked and tormented."

"Well if she's anything like you she'll break their arms." I snickered. She didn't laugh and I realized she was serious. I put the bottle down for a moment. "And the Doctor?"

"He says it's to dangerous, that I could do more damage to her." She rubbed her shoulders as she sat on the table across from me. "I just want her to be safe. I mean wouldn't you take the chance to be one hundred percent human again, even if there was a risk?"

"Hell yes." I said, "But I've had more than my fair share at this rat race we call life." I touched my claw to her stomach. "This one's just starting the first journey."

"First journey?" She looked confused and I couldn't blame her. I was letting their stories go at every corner it seemed.

"A race I once met, they called being born the First Journey." I said. "Point is I'm capable of gauging the risk and reward on my own desires and experiences. This one ain't." I tapped her stomach, "Which means you have to gauge what's best for her."

"I am." She said.

"Bullies were that bad?" I grunted as I grabbed the bottle and leaned against a wall.

"I am not doing this because I had a hard time." She snorted. "I mean..."

"You don't want her to picked on, yeah I get that." I yawned. "So what are you going to do?"

"I want the ridges removed." She snapped.

"You really think that's gonna stop kids from being dicks?" I asked.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Kids are cruel little monsters for the most part." I laughed. "Hell you ALL lucked out that Naomi's such a nice kid. Icheb to, little bastard..."

"You have a point?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." I said as I got up and went back towards the tube. "All I know is that changing the Doc won't help your kid in the long run. Now, I'm gonna go find Neelix and we're gonna get smashed. Please make sure the protocols for dealing with stupid drunks are left intact." With that I vanished into the tube and promptly smashed into another metal thing.

(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)(8)

"Ohhh..." I woke up the shuttle bay aboard Neelix's ship. He was passed out on his console and I noticed both of our bottles were at his feet. I decided to let him sleep it off and stepped outside and stretched. That was about the time I noticed Tuvok coming towards me.

"Mr. Vile." He said sharply, as always. "I require your cooperation."

"Lemme go see the Doc first." I yawned. "Got a huge headache."

"That is what I require your assistance for." He explained.

I let my shoulder's sage and just sighed. "She futzed with the Doctor, didn't she?"

"You were aware?" Tuvok seemed legitimately surprised as we made our way to the turbolift.

"I know she was fiddling with him..." I shook my head. "Can't remember why. Much." I leaned against the inside of the lift.

"I hope the consumption of alcoholic beverages does not become a problem." Tuvok said with a glance.

"Tuvok, my head is pounding and the guy that can fix me is unavailable." I let my look linger on him. "Do you really want to get into a debate on alcohol versus synthohol with me right now?" The lift stopped and I squeezed out into the hall and made my way to the Sickbay where several of the security team had gathered. No weapons buy they looked unhappy.

"He physically sealed it." Carey sighed.

"Aren't you engineering?" I said as I lightly cracked my neck.

"I moonlight." He admitted.

"Well step back moon-boy." I dug my claws into the small crack where the doors met. I pushed to separate them and I heard the folding and bending of metal as the door fought back against me. I smiled as I felt the metal give without me needing to force too much of my own strength into it it. I wasn't at my full strength, but just feeling something pulse through me was enough to restore me mentally. I felt the metal dig back and cut my talons and the leaking blood loosened more metal. Then the door gave way. B'elanna's eyes met mine and I simply walked away. This was her problem and she didn't need me here. Besides the headache was going away.

A few days passed before I saw B'elanna again. She sat next to me as I sat in the mess hall with a small glass of my new favorite drink. Tuvok had yet to try and get me into that debate I mentioned and I was glad. Alcohol just tasted better.

"So..." B'elanna smiled. "We chose a godfather."

"Yeah, Doc told me. He's pretty happy." I yawned as I sipped the glass.

"You must really like that stuff. Even Neelix won't touch it anymore." She laughed.

"He shouldn't have had a bottle and a half of the stuff." I chuckled, still staring into the light specked darkness.

"I guess I owe you an apology." She said. "You offered some kind of advice."

"I was drunk."

"But you opened up to me and I brushed it off." She said. "For that I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "You were in the middle of a mental crisis, I was drunk." I tapped her stomach. "Just keep that one in mind from now on."

"Oh I was and I was projecting so bad it's not even funny." She admitted.

"Aww, wish I could have seen that slide show." I laughed as I took my eyes off the black for a moment.

"What're you looking for?" She noticed my eyes finally coming away.

I openly hesitated. "Fear."

"The Hirogen know better than to mess with you now, so don't worry." She smiled. "So how are you feeling anyway?"

"Doc says another few days and I can get back to scrambling through the tubes to fix all your problems and yell at people for being in my way." My eyes wandered back to space.

"Good, I'm going to need the help." She smiled. "Think you can deal with Carey giving you orders?"

I shrugged. "Moon-boy knows what he's doing."

"Well I guess that settles that." She smiled and went to stand, but I stopped her.

"If something comes after me." She sat back down. "They won't be very forgiving and they won't give second chances."

"Ok..." Great, I put her on edge.

"Don't be a hero with them."

"Who?" She asked.

"You're better off not knowing." I sighed. "Just trust me, please B'elanna. You've been a friend."

"All right. You just let me know when to hide." She smiled with a small bit of worry.

"There's no hiding." I said, my mind now focusing on the darkness. Something was coming and fast. They were coming. The kainde in me could feel it, it wanted to fight. The human though, wanted to run and hide. Both were terrible ideas.