Derelict

By THE Xenomorph

I own only the character of Vile.

Star Trek Voyager is © Paramount

Aliens vs Predator is © Fox

No Rest for the Wicked

It was a few days after Harry and I first started training our potential recruits. The end of the first day had left a bitter taste in my mouth as only Lieutenant Ayala seemed to understand just how dangerous the kainde were. It made me wonder what would have happened had I not decided to check out their first attempt. It wasn't a pleasant thought process to have in my head as I checked several settings on the plasma relays, but thankfully I was pulled from that by Lieutenant Carey standing right behind me. I curled my tail blade close to his neck, he was used to it as my greeting for him.

"Back off." I growled.

"Are you messing with the relays?" He ignored my threat.

"B'elanna told me they were off." I shrugged.

"Could you stop for a bit, we're trying to recalibrate." He simply walked away after that.

I sat the pad I had been using to the side and growled as I leaned against the console as I watched Carey begin his routine of talking to everyone at every station. It went on long enough that I simply left engineering and went to the mess hall.

"Good morning Vi..." Neelix stopped talking when I glared at him and simply grabbed a cup and poured a thick shake.

"What's this?" I grunted with a sniff.

"My latest wonder." My stomach began to quake in fear. "A bacon malt milk shake."

"Bacon..." I turned my head. No one else in the mess hall had one. I was the default test subject for his newest creation it seemed. "Well it's meat..." I grabbed it and downed it as fast as I could. Then I began to gag it down.

"Not good..." Neelix winced.

"Oh god..." I coughed. "It's like sandpaper and ice cream."

"To much malt." Neelix nodded to no one.

"Water..." I demanded. He brought a pitcher and a cup. I took the pitcher. "How did I avoid your terrible cooking for so long?"

"I am a good cook." Neelix said with every sign of being offended.

"Very occasionally, yes you can be." I winced. "Just get me something with meat that isn't in liquid form."

"Ok, party pooper." Neelix smiled, I just glared at him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Tom Paris slapped me on the back as he sat down.

I growled

"Right, no touching." Tom said, his smile as always, ever present. "So, did you hear?"

"Hm?" My mind was else where but Paris was a good source of information so I was listening.

"Anderson was using the training program without permission." Tom said. "Tuvok was not happy."

"Computer, locate Harry Kim." I sighed.

"Harry Kim is in the turbolift directed to the mess hall." The computer's voice chimed.

"Oh goodie." I gave a deep yawn, "Must be looking for me."

A few moments later Harry entered the room and approached me with a look of frustration.

"You told him?" Harry said as he saw Tom sitting next to me.

"She's out." I said.

"Yup." Harry nodded, "Worse I think she broke the program."

"Motherfucker." I growled. "How?"

"The xeno matricies aren't responding." Harry sighed.

"Maybe the ghosts in the machine are messing with them." I sighed, referring to the data based life forms.

"They're gone." Harry said.

I stopped for a moment. There had been little to no contact with another ship other than the yautja. "Well shit I hope they don't copy any data."

"I hope so too." Harry sat next to Tom.

Then Neelix returned with a plate that had one of the thickest sandwiches I'd ever seen. His smile was that of a triumphant cro-magnon hunter returned with a kill that he felt should impress the entire tribe. I simply stared at the sandwich for a moment before I began the very fast process of devouring it.

Neelix's face was priceless. "No, no! Savor it!"

"Hungry now. Stuffing face." I continued to rapidly shove the food down my gullet. It was gone before he could protest further.

"I'm a little hurt there Vile." Neelix sighed.

"Right..." I rolled my eyes. "Harry, Tom. I think we have work to do."

"We can handle it." Harry said, "Right now we need Anderson not pissed at us."

"And you want me to play diplomat?" I blinked as both gave a nervous nod.

"Flores will let you in." Harry admitted. "She's kinda locked herself in her quarters."

"She's acting like a child." I snorted, "Let her."

"Vile, please." Harry gave me a look that was some where between a plea and a demand.

"All right I'll talk with the tantrum girl." I sighed.

I made my way to a Jeffery's Tube in the hall and made my way to the crew dorms. When I got out I was surprised to see Naomi standing there. She wasn't smiling, but did immediately hug me as knelt down to her. There was silence as we both accepted each others apology.

"Get going kiddo, I got work to do." I rustled the young girl's hair.

"Flores is locked out." She jerked her head down the hall. "I'm going to get Tuvok, but I heard you in the tube."

"Why?" I asked. "The whole ship is a giant intercom." I said as I she lead me to Flores and Anderson's dorm.

"Because I didn't want her to hear me cussing." Flores seemed to growl at me. Then she returned to pounding on the door and screaming. A smell of copper seemed to come from the room, great she probably fused the door controls.

"Why does everyone on this ship seem to loose their mind every other week?" I sighed as I pressed the intercom on a nearby terminal. "Vile to Tuvok."

"Yes, Mr. Vile?" His calm voice answered.

"Anderson. Dorms. Stupidity." I sighed.

"Mr. Vile, I need more information than three cryptically strung together words." Christ he was gonna make me explain it all.

"Anderson's locked Flores out of their dorm. Think she fused the door control, I can smell the copper."

"Mr. Vile, door controls are not fused."

"Then what's that coppe..." My hands hit the door and pried them apart before I finished, What I saw when I got inside was enough to stop me cold and turn to Naomi. "Get to your mom, now!" Naomi nodded and ran off.

"Is that?" Flores was looking straight at the image of the one thing she feared the most lying dead next to a gravely injured Anderson and a lamp post half melted as well as their furniture. "But how?"

"Vile to Captain Janeway."

"How can I help Vile?" Janeway asked.

"I don't know when and I don't know how, but there's kainde aboard." My mind went to the thought of Naomi walking the halls alone, because I told her too. "Flores! Go keep an eye on Naomi!"

She barely nodded before she was off.

"Tell me you're making some sort of sick joke." Janeway's voice was edged with fear.

"Doc!" I ignored Janeway, "Transport Anderson to Sickbay, kainde wounds."

"Understood." The Doctor said just as red alert came over the ship.

How the hell did one get on the ship? I asked myself as I stalked down the hall, knocking on every door and prying them open when ignored or it was empty. Doors could be repaired after all, death was significantly harder to remedy.

"Vile, there's an unknown biosign in the Jeffery's Tubes." Janeway's voice came over the com.

"Not me Janeway." I snorted as I spotted a Jeffery's Tube not far from me. "Who else is in them?"

"4 biosigns." Her voice was stone. "We can't lock on transporter, something else is blocking it."

"You're flushing the tubes?" I asked as I approached the hatch.

"Safest bet, all hatches are sealed."

"Won't work." I grunted as I forced the hatch open.

"Vile!" She yelled.

"Not leaving them to the Hive." I growled. "Not letting that happen again!" I got into the tube and slammed the hatch shut. "If I'm not out in ten minutes, flush it. Means we're all dead."

"I thought you said that wouldn't work." Janeway argued.

"Won't kill it, will remove the corpse." I grinned as I scrambled through the lengths of the Jeffery's Tubes.

"Vile, this is Lieutenant Junior Grade, Kim." Harry's voice was calm and level. "The trainees and I are coming to join you."

"Harry." Janeway's voice cut in. "What are you doing?"

"Captain, he needs the help." Harry argued, "He can't get everyone out in ten minutes by himself. Working as a team we can." Janeway was silent for a moment before Harry continued. "Plus we all need the experience."

"Be careful, all of you." She seemed to put a point on the end of those words. I got the feeling she was warning me not to do something stupid. Like that would stop me.

"Vile, meet us in Cargo Bay 1, we'll use the Tubes there." Harry said.

"Let's have some fun." I chuckled and scrambled to the hatch in cargo bay 1. The group was waiting, no armor and only the barest of weaponry that would be effective against the the kainde.

"Let's go get our friends, shall we?" Carlson had the plasma projector already to go and for a moment we shared a wicked smile.