Chapter Six
Shran paced his quarters on his ship. He fingered each of the artifacts, grinning evilly to himself. He carefully scrutinized every piece and began to laugh almost manically. One after the other, he continued his examination of his precious artifacts. Afterward, he sat down at the table they were lying on and tapped his blue fingers, laughing some more.
"Captain Archer was a fool to ever believe these belonged to the Andorians. They will fetch a high price back home," Shran laughed.
***
The priest ran around, frantically searching for the artifacts high and low, in cabinets and under tables. He cradled his dark face in his hands and tried not to cry.
"This is terrible! Awful!" he shrieked and ran out of the hut.
Panic ensued as soon as word got out about the missing treasures. Knowing how their king would react to the news, people frantically tried to find places to hide. They didn't care when a woman was shoved to the ground, writhing in pain as she was trampled over by her own people. A few minutes later, the only visible person was the woman, lying motionless on the ground.
The priest left the treasure room and looked about for his king.
"Highness!" he yelled out.
A much larger man appeared from a nearby hut. He glared at the little priest and then the woman on the ground.
"If she's alive, take her out of the street," he told someone who happened to peer out of another hut. "If she's dead, throw her from the trees. We don't need to smell rotting flesh."
The fearfully person did as he was told.
"Priest?" the king asked the man across from him.
"The artifacts…"
The king's gold eyes seemed to flash as an unpleasant look settles across his already disgusting face. "Spit it out!"
"They're missing."
"So are the women," the king replied.
Neither sounded gruff, for their voices were more like scratching nails on chalkboards. To humans the sound would be ear splitting, but to them it was normal.
The king slowly walked up to him and flashed a shiny knife. He placed the knife alongside the priest's neck.
"I suppose you have an explanation for losing the gems of mine."
The priest only had time for one gulp before the king slit his throat. Blue blood oozed out of his neck and he fell to the ground. Then the king walked back to his hut.
"Throw him over!" the king yelled to his subject, who had finally shoved the woman over the side.
The onlooker gulped and followed orders.
***
Hoshi entered the bridge quietly and sat down at her post. She still had some bruising that was noticeable and she didn't think she would be the same ever again. All she wanted was to bring bodily harm against her attackers.
Their contorted, dark faces swam through her mind like frightening clowns. Their screechy voices reminded her of a horrible childhood nightmare. Hoshi tried to shove them out of her mind as she realized her name was being called.
She looked over at who made the sound. It was Captain Archer, who also had a hand on her shoulder and was giving her a comforting look. Hoshi could drown in the concern from the number of people who cared for her. It was a wonderful feeling.
"We won't be able to attack them, you know that, right?" he asked.
The thought didn't comfort the linguist.
"But Captain, they're evil, terrible people," she argued.
"I know, but we can't afford a confrontation, Ensign."
Captain Archer just lost major brownie points, Hoshi thought to herself.
Hoshi gave him a searching look, her dark eyes pleading. He sighed and lowered his head.
"What do you think about the artifacts?"
"They're neither native to the aliens nor to the Andorians."
Archer was taken aback. "How do you know?"
"I got a good look at them captain. They don't belong to either race. They both had to have stolen them or the Tralk found them on some sort of expedition," Hoshi explained. "I'd rather the Andorians have them."
"We've got to figure out who the real owners are," Archer replied. "And if it wasn't for the Andorians' lies we would have never come here in the first place."
Hoshi turned around just as he was going to walk away and grabbed his hand. She shook her head.
"If we go back there, I want to go and I want us to bring phase pistols," she said very coldly.
Archer nodded but gave her a warning.
"This isn't about revenge ensign, remember that," he said sternly. "You are a Starfleet officer first and Hoshi Sato second."
Shran paced his quarters on his ship. He fingered each of the artifacts, grinning evilly to himself. He carefully scrutinized every piece and began to laugh almost manically. One after the other, he continued his examination of his precious artifacts. Afterward, he sat down at the table they were lying on and tapped his blue fingers, laughing some more.
"Captain Archer was a fool to ever believe these belonged to the Andorians. They will fetch a high price back home," Shran laughed.
***
The priest ran around, frantically searching for the artifacts high and low, in cabinets and under tables. He cradled his dark face in his hands and tried not to cry.
"This is terrible! Awful!" he shrieked and ran out of the hut.
Panic ensued as soon as word got out about the missing treasures. Knowing how their king would react to the news, people frantically tried to find places to hide. They didn't care when a woman was shoved to the ground, writhing in pain as she was trampled over by her own people. A few minutes later, the only visible person was the woman, lying motionless on the ground.
The priest left the treasure room and looked about for his king.
"Highness!" he yelled out.
A much larger man appeared from a nearby hut. He glared at the little priest and then the woman on the ground.
"If she's alive, take her out of the street," he told someone who happened to peer out of another hut. "If she's dead, throw her from the trees. We don't need to smell rotting flesh."
The fearfully person did as he was told.
"Priest?" the king asked the man across from him.
"The artifacts…"
The king's gold eyes seemed to flash as an unpleasant look settles across his already disgusting face. "Spit it out!"
"They're missing."
"So are the women," the king replied.
Neither sounded gruff, for their voices were more like scratching nails on chalkboards. To humans the sound would be ear splitting, but to them it was normal.
The king slowly walked up to him and flashed a shiny knife. He placed the knife alongside the priest's neck.
"I suppose you have an explanation for losing the gems of mine."
The priest only had time for one gulp before the king slit his throat. Blue blood oozed out of his neck and he fell to the ground. Then the king walked back to his hut.
"Throw him over!" the king yelled to his subject, who had finally shoved the woman over the side.
The onlooker gulped and followed orders.
***
Hoshi entered the bridge quietly and sat down at her post. She still had some bruising that was noticeable and she didn't think she would be the same ever again. All she wanted was to bring bodily harm against her attackers.
Their contorted, dark faces swam through her mind like frightening clowns. Their screechy voices reminded her of a horrible childhood nightmare. Hoshi tried to shove them out of her mind as she realized her name was being called.
She looked over at who made the sound. It was Captain Archer, who also had a hand on her shoulder and was giving her a comforting look. Hoshi could drown in the concern from the number of people who cared for her. It was a wonderful feeling.
"We won't be able to attack them, you know that, right?" he asked.
The thought didn't comfort the linguist.
"But Captain, they're evil, terrible people," she argued.
"I know, but we can't afford a confrontation, Ensign."
Captain Archer just lost major brownie points, Hoshi thought to herself.
Hoshi gave him a searching look, her dark eyes pleading. He sighed and lowered his head.
"What do you think about the artifacts?"
"They're neither native to the aliens nor to the Andorians."
Archer was taken aback. "How do you know?"
"I got a good look at them captain. They don't belong to either race. They both had to have stolen them or the Tralk found them on some sort of expedition," Hoshi explained. "I'd rather the Andorians have them."
"We've got to figure out who the real owners are," Archer replied. "And if it wasn't for the Andorians' lies we would have never come here in the first place."
Hoshi turned around just as he was going to walk away and grabbed his hand. She shook her head.
"If we go back there, I want to go and I want us to bring phase pistols," she said very coldly.
Archer nodded but gave her a warning.
"This isn't about revenge ensign, remember that," he said sternly. "You are a Starfleet officer first and Hoshi Sato second."
