Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of the characters created therein.
First Impression, Chapter 12: This Station Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us
At first it was quiet, a sort of scuffling against the walls, a quiet bump…but Una awoke with a start at the unmistakable sound of a nearby footfall. Her eyes snapped open and she assessed the situation quickly. Jack lay about a meter away, his back to her. Someone was behind her, moving around.
She twisted abruptly and snaked out a hand, grabbing a thick booted ankle. A quick tug dislodged it from the floor and sent its owner down with it.
The Orion guard it belonged to looked none to pleased and was on his way up again—and he was not alone. Two other Orions and a Nausicaan were converging on Jack and Una.
"Jack!" Una hissed at her companion. He did not stir. "Jack!" she tried again, louder this time. She threw an empty ration pack at him but he didn't move. Was he dead? Had they strangled him in his sleep? Had she let that happen? She felt an instant surge of adrenaline on his behalf.
One of the Orions lunged for her but she darted easily out of his grasp. The Nausicaan had unholstered a phase pistol and was taking aim. She kicked it away from him and followed it up with another to his chest. He reeled backward into a bulkhead.
The Orion she had first downed was limping slightly and leaned over Jack. She tried to get to him but was pulled backward by something that constricted her airway. Another Orion had lashed a whip around her and was pulling her toward him. Choking, she tried to grasp it and gain some leverage.
A flurry of activity momentarily stopped Whipping Boy's pull on Una—Limpy was not leaning over Jack anymore. He was splayed on the ground with a sharp shard of glass protruding from his chest. Jack was on his feet and grappling with the third Orion, a muscular bald man with a leather cap. Cappy punched Jack soundly in the face, bringing him to his knees. Cappy gleefully put Jack into a headlock and began to choke the life out of him.
Una was in a similar situation as Whipping Boy resumed dragging her in. Una quickly changed tactics and rushed her opponent, startling him and putting him off balance. She took the opportunity and dove at him, taking him down.
Jack, meanwhile, was still in a headlock but had managed to maneuver the Orion around slightly. The Orion did not notice that he was now just meters away from one of the labs many protein synthesizing stations—a series of projecting probes attached to the wall of the station. It was half hidden by vines and plantlife but it was just what Jack needed. He pushed off the ground with all his strength—which the Orion, assuming he was human, has grossly miscalculated—and launched himself and his attacker back into the wall. His aim was dead on and the Orion let out a strangled cry as he was impaled. He went slack, releasing Jack.
He got up and shook his head to clear it, gasping for breath. The Nausicaan had not noticed that the other Orion was dead yet—he was dancing around trying to get a lock on Una as she fought the third Orion.
"Una!" he shouted. The Nausicaan whirled and Jack let loose his anger. He flew at the monstrous form, grabbing the pistol and hitting him hard enough to send him across the room. He landed in a crumpled heap in a large flowering plant—a study of contrasts.
Still angry, he pulled the Orion off of Una and soundly punched him in the face. Obligingly, the Orion went out like a light.
Jack leaned over and pulled Una up.
"You okay?" he asked gently, looking her over. She was huffing and puffing and had a bloody lip but she looked otherwise fine. There was a cut on one of her arms—a shard of glass had somehow cut through her sleeve and was now lodged in an angry wound below her shoulder. "We'll have to get that out," he observed.
"What the hell was that?" she snapped, bringing his attention to her face. She did not look happy, he was surprised to find. She looked downright mad.
"What the hell was what?" he asked, beginning to be very annoyed.
"THAT," she nodded toward the Orion. "First you play dead and let me do all the work, then, when I've taken care of it, you march in and play hero."
"Taken care of it? He was going to kill you! I saved your life! And you might notice that I technically beat all of them." The nerve! The ungrateful, unappreciative nerve!
"I had it under control. I'm no damsel in distress!"
"No, but you are quite a bitch." With that, he yanked the shard out of her arm.
She cried out and went down on her knees, her forehead beaded in sweat. She looked like she might be sick. He threw the glass aside and marched out, his anger unabated.
Una leaned forward until her head rested lightly on the cool deck of the lab. She was seeing stars but the pain was slowly receeding. Jack had left, which was fine with her—she really didn't want him to see her like this.
She had been so relieved—too relieved—when he had come to life as the Orion leaned over him. She hadn't realized how upset she was at the thought of his death and it was frightening to her. She was very confused by this. When he pulled the last Orion off her she was grateful, but somehow she couldn't say it. This man could not become meaningful to her—he was likely a criminal and would endanger her mission. He would probably be arrested if he escorted her anywhere near her ship.
It's the heat of the moment, she told herself. Don't feel guilty for snapping at him. It revealed his true nature—remember that. The throbbing in her arm was a sharp reminder. Something else was bothering her, but she couldn't quite get a fix on it…She sighed and gave herself to the count of 20 to get up.
The ungrateful…ingrate, he stewed. How dare she! He had only been concerned for her welfare. Well, he wouldn't make that mistake again. Deep down he wasn't so sure about that. He pushed aside that thought, along with the one that told him he should go and make sure she was okay.
She can take care of herself. Una would be the first person to tell him that.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. What had happened in there? One minute he was fighting a smart fight, the next he was out for blood. Why? Una was right—she had been in control of her fight with the Orion. His brain had told him not to take the chance, though—to make sure she got out of it alive and unharmed.
She is not the girl you saw in the studio, he chastised himself. Don't be ridiculous.
His thoughts were gratefully interrupted by more footfalls coming down a nearby corridor. Footfalls and…something being dragged?
All mental advice forgotten, Jack looked back where he had left Una. He could not see her in the lab but he knew she was still there. There, and injured. He got ready for a fight.
It never came.
"Look what I brought you, human!" Garat bellowed. "Consider it a present." The huge Klingon erupted through the nearest door and deposited a mass of green flesh at Jack's feet. Another Orion.
"I found him in a ship outside. Who have you dishonored this time, my friend?"
Jack smiled broadly at his Klingon counterpart. Garat was working for the High Council on the same problem that Jack was. Months ago they has simultaneously discovered one another and decided that sharing information on the quiet might make both their jobs go much easier.
"Oh, you know. The Orions. The Nausicaans. Everybody."
"Is this your friend?" a voice asked. Una stood in the doorway, her hand over her upper arm. Jack felt immediate guilt and regret as he noticed a swath of blood across the fingers closed over the wound.
Garat looked from Una to Jack, then back again. Jack shifted uncomfortably and avoided his friend's eyes.
"I did not realize you were not alone," he said to Jack.
"Is that a problem?" asked Una. She wanted to be snappy but her arm hurt to damn much.
"No….no. You are injured."
"Yes," Jack went to her side. "We should get it cleaned up. And we should get out of here. There will likely be more where that came from," he nodded to the unconscious Orion. He placed a hand on Una's shoulder but she shrugged it off, refusing to meet his eyes as she headed for the docking ports. Jack put up both hands and backed away with a "whatever" look on his face.
Garat took all this in and smiled to himself.