Title: Thursday's Child
Author: Sita Z
Rating: T
AN: Thanks to everybody who reviewed the prologue!
Gabi (Danke nochmal für den Hinweis. Hat ja zum Glück noch geklappt mit dem Ändern), Cha Oseye Tempest Thrain (thank you! I know I should -not- be asking this in an Author's Note, but what about your Summer Camp Sequel? -stares at you with big puppy dog eyes- ), Roaring Mice (somehow I always end up writing these angsty things ;-)...), The Libran Iniquity (Yes, I can see where you got confused... anyway, here comes the Aktualisierung, extra für dich!), Exploded Pen (That's right... sad to think that sometimes that's not enough), JennMel (thank you :-)!), volley (thanks! Yes, I promise I'll update regularly, not least because I need another dose of reviews every three or four days ;-) ), Luna ( Your review gave me quite a start. I'm glad to hear everything turned out alright for your family. Your comment is a great compliment, thank you! ), firebirdgirl (thanks! I'd love to get your opinion on the next chapter!), stage manager ( okay, here goes...)
Please keep the feedback coming!
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Chapter 1
"I am in your debt." Senator V'Lin bowed his head deeply, the gesture accompanied by an exaggerated flourish. Malcolm knew that he hated having to say these words to an offworlder, and therefore made sure that everyone assembled in the hall heard the sarcasm underlying his "thanks". "I know there's nothing I can do to repay the kindness you have shown me and my family."
No, I bet there isn't. Malcolm kept a straight face, as if he hadn't noticed the senator's mocking tone. "I am honored, Senator."
"We are the honored ones, K'tar!" The Senator placed an ironic emphasis on the title. "You saved our lives."
Malcolm sighed inwardly. Playing the role of a security guard assigned to protect the Senator's family, he had been able to gather the information the Vulcans were so eager to get, and in less time than he had thought it would take. No problems there; despite the corruption and the intrigues going on in the Kareedian government, the Senator went to no trouble at all to keep secret things secret, and discussed confidential matters at a public banquet as if the idea of an unwanted listener had never crossed his mind. Unfortunately, though, one of the unwanted listeners had been his own personal body guard, who was going to pass on the information to Kareedia's sworn enemy in only a few days. But first they had to get over with this parody of a farewell ceremony. Malcolm straightened his posture when the Senator came towards him to touch his shoulders in the Kareedian gesture of honoring a guest. He was wearing the traditional body armor of a Kareedian soldier and so he didn't feel it when the Senator's heavy hands came to rest on his shoulders, but he still had to force himself not to shrink back. The man's breath was hot, and smelled slightly of last night's alcoholic excesses.
"It is true, we cannot repay your kindness - " - and what a pity that is , Malcolm thought - "but custom requires that we present you with a gift, to thank you for your services and show you our appreciation."
Malcolm's heart sank at these words. He wanted nothing to do with any gift Senator V'Lin might have in store for him. From what he knew of the man, it was probably a box of poisoned candy, and a cheap one to boot. All he wanted for the man was to remove his fat hands and allow him to leave so he could get back to the meeting point where Archer was waiting to pick him up.
"Senator..."
Finally, V'Lin let go of him and stepped back. "K'tar, I am sure you are aware of the fact that in our culture - " again he stressed the word deliberately- "it is considered an insult to reject a gift. It brings shame over both the giver and the receiver."
Okay, okay. Malcolm didn't need the Senator's meaningful look to get the unspoken warning; if he refused to accept the gift, whatever it was, he would humiliate the Senator in front of his entire household. And V'Lin, he had come to know, didn't take kindly to being insulted.
"Again, I am honored by your generosity, Senator." Now give me that blasted candy and let me go.
V'Lin turned and clapped his hands. "Bring him in."
Malcolm's head came up sharply. Him! He watched two of the Senator's servants leave the room, and suddenly realized that he didn't really want to know what - or who - they were going to come back with. Inadvertently, he caught the Senator's eyes, and saw that the man was wearing a thin smile Malcolm didn't like at all. Maybe he should change "poisoned box of candy" to "poisonous snake"; the ominous "him" V'Lin had referred to might as well be the Senator's pet cobra. Which, by the way, V'Lin would gladly watch as it devoured his hated alien bodyguard in one big swallow.
For God's sake, get a grip, Malcolm told himself. A few weeks in this madhouse, and you're already starting to think like them.
, Malcolm told himself.He looked away from the Senator, and put on a - hopefully - indifferent expression as he waited for his "gift" to arrive. Whatever it was, it was certainly not a deadly predator waiting to tear out his throat. Even Senator V'Lin wouldn't attempt a murder that obvious.
When the servants finally returned, Malcolm saw that his gift was indeed not a snake. Nor was it the box of candy that the cynical voice at the back of his mind had suggested. It was a man. He was about Malcolm's age - it was the first thing Malcolm noticed - and he was not Kareedian. In fact, he looked human; his tan suggested that he spent a lot of his time outside, and his dark blond hair was tousled, as if he hadn't combed it in some days. He wore a ragged version of the usual Kareedian servant attire - drab trousers and a matching shirt - and even though he never raised his eyes as he was led into the hall, Reed could see that he was scared.
Malcolm glanced away from the man and back at the Senator, not sure what to say. V'Lin's unpleasant smile broadened.
"As you can see, K'tar, he looks like one of your own kind. I am sure that you will find his services all the more... enjoyable."
He turned and barked something in Kareedian that the translator didn't pick up. The man, however, seemed to have understood. His eyes still fixed on the floor, he came to a halt in front of Malcolm and sank to his knees, arms crossed behind his back. The Senator smiled.
"The similarities are astounding, indeed."
While Malcolm was still shocked by the nature of his "gift", he slowly came to understand what this was all about. It wasn't by coincidence that the Senator had chosen this man to be "given" to him in a public ceremony. By presenting him with a slave that looked like "one of his own kind", V'Lin wanted to show him - and everyone else watching - what he and all other offworlders were really good for. This gift was as much of an insult as sending him away without so much as a "thank you" would have been.
Malcolm considered quickly. Rejecting the gift, though probably the "honorable" thing to do, was not an option. As the Senator had not-so-subtly mentioned before, such an action would be considered a serious insult, and would give V'Lin every right to react accordingly. And taking a look at the silent man kneeling before him, he realized that it would be more than cruel to leave him with these people. If there was even the slightest chance to free at least one of V'Lin's unlucky servants, then he wasn't going to pass it up.
He straightened himself. "I thank you for your thoughtful and generous gift, Senator V'Lin." Stressing the word, he looked hard at the Senator to let him know that he was very aware of what was going on. "I do not deserve the honor bestowed upon me."
V'Lin's lips twitched. "Oh, I am sure you do deserve it, more than anyone else." He paused, so the hidden insult could sink in. "Well, K'tar, I am afraid it is time to say farewell. If you wish, my guards can accompany you to your flitter."
Malcolm shook his head. "Thank you, Senator, but that won't be necessary. I'll be fine."
"As you wish." V'Lin turned to the audience and clapped his hands once again. "The ceremony is over, and the K'tar wishes to leave. You can go."
Obediently, the people filed out of the room, not wasting another look on the alien soldier their master disliked so much. Malcolm looked back at the blond man who was still kneeling on the marble floor. He had not moved during the entire conversation, not even when V'Lin gave his household staff permission to leave. As much as Malcolm wanted to tell the man that he was free to go, he knew that doing so would destroy the image of the profit-seeking alien mercenary he had so carefully constructed. Still, he wasn't sure what to say to the man, how to address him. They hadn't even told him what he was called. In the end, it was the Senator who saved him.
"You can get up now," he said to the servant, nudging him with his foot. "Take your master's belongings and go."
Malcolm realized that the order was indirectly directed towards him, even though V'Lin had addressed the servant. The Senator wanted him out of his house. Slowly, the man got up, but to Malcolm's surprise he just stood there, making no move to follow V'Lin's order.
"Well?" The Senator's voice grew impatient.
For the first time, the man opened his mouth. His voice sounded slightly hoarse, and he looked at the floor in front of V'Lin's feet as he spoke. "What about my children, sir?"
Malcolm took a sharp breath at these words, but if anything, the Senator showed only mild irritation.
"What about them?"
At that, the man raised his head to look at the Senator. Malcolm could feel his despair as he spoke again.
"I... I can't just leave them behind, sir..."
Malcolm expected the Senator to get angry, but V'Lin didn't. In a cruel sort of way, he seemed to enjoy toying with the man's feelings, seeing how far he would go in his desperation.
"Why not?"
The man swallowed hard. "They're very young, sir... they need me..."
The Senator smiled his thin smile. "Do they, now? Well, you don't have to worry about that; I'm going to sell them first chance I find. They'll be well taken care of."
All color drained out of the man's face. In one swift movement, he dropped back to his knees and grabbed the front of the Senator's robes in a plea of despair.
"No! Please, no, I beg you-"
"Oh, shut up!" V'Lin seemed to have enough of his little game, and pushed the man away with his foot. "Now get up and do as you're told, or I'll-"
"Senator." Malcolm had a hard time keeping his voice as cold as he intended. "I wasn't aware that the man has children."
"So what? It doesn't matter." For a moment, V'Lin's carefully hidden antipathy showed clearly on his face. Malcolm found that he couldn't care less.
"I think it matters to him," he said, pointing at the man on the floor. "I do not approve of families being separated."
V'Lin's lips pressed together in a thin line. "Never would have put you down for the sentimental type, K'tar. Does this mean you are rejecting my gift?"
Malcolm's mind raced. If he said yes, he knew he was going to be in serious trouble. There was no way V'Lin would let him go after he'd insulted him in such a way, and he was putting his mission at risk with every second he remained in this house. Still, playing master to a slave in order to maintain his image was one thing; separating a father from his children was another.
"No, Senator," he said, deliberately ignoring the first part of V'Lin's statement. "In fact, I'm asking you another favor. Would you have the man's children brought here?"
The Senator seemed genuinely surprised. "Why would you want to see them? They're just two dirty little things, and they'll kick up one hell of a fuss when they find out that he's going to leave."
Malcolm saw a flash of anger cross the blond man's features, and spoke quickly before the man said anything he was going to regret.
"Please, Senator."
"Oh, for... very well." Angrily, V'Lin motioned at a servant standing next to the door. "Get them."
The servant hurried to obey, and for the first time, Malcolm addressed the man that had been "given" to him. "Get up."
He tried to sound gruff, but the man didn't seem to notice or care. As he got to his feet, his blue eyes locked with Malcolm's, and Reed saw the silent plea in them.
I'll do everything I can, he promised, equally silently, even though he was beginning to doubt that his decision to have the children brought here had been such a good idea, after all.
V'Lin maintained a disgruntled silence until the door of the hall opened again. The servant was back, followed by two children who looked with wide eyes at their surroundings as they timidly stepped into the hall. The older child, a girl, seemed to be about eight or nine years old, whereas her brother didn't look older than four. At first sight, Malcolm would have never guessed that the blond man was related to them; their skin was the color of creamy coffee, their hair black and curly. His doubts were erased, however, when the children caught sight of their father.
"Daddy!" They sped towards him, ignoring the presence of both V'Lin and Malcolm. The blond man squatted down, holding his arms open.
"Hey, you two!"
His face lit up in a smile, and Malcolm was surprised what a difference it made. Smiling, the man looked confident and happy, and it suited him a lot better than the look of the frightened, submissive servant. It looked right.
Both of children clung to their father and he hugged them back, letting no sign of anxiety show.
"Hey, you're going to crack my ribs!" he laughed, and the children giggled in response, tightening their grip on his midst. Malcolm smiled involuntarily as the man made a show of pretending that they were actually breaking his ribs.
"Ow, you're killing me!"
"So, why did you want to see them?" V'Lin's voice brought him back to the present. He bit his lip. Yeah why? Malcolm was very aware of the blond man's eyes on him as he spoke.
"I was wondering... how much do you want for them?"
Both the Senator and the man stared at him, the latter's eyes widening as he realized the implications of Malcolm's question. Then, V'Lin laughed.
"Oh come on, K'tar. You can't be serious about this. You have no use for them at all, and-"
"How much, Senator?"
V'Lin's smile vanished. "Why do you want to know?"
Malcolm looked him straight in the eyes. "Because I intend to buy them."
The Senator crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And if I said that they are not for sale?"
"Then," Malcolm said slowly, never taking his eyes off the man, "I'd remind you of a day one week ago when you would have been shot if it hadn't been for my intervention. As far as I know, there is a Kareedian custom saying that if another person saves your life, you must give them a gift-"
"I have given you a gift-"
"-a gift of their own choice." Malcolm paused, silently thanking Hoshi that she had prepared him so thoroughly for this mission. Additional cultural knowledge did come in handy. "And I choose this man and his children."
V'Lin stared at him, the lines around his mouth hardening. Malcolm realized that this was no longer a game; he had questioned the man's honor.
"You would quote the law to me, demand that I give them to you?"
Malcolm refused to lower his eyes. "Yes, I would."
The Senator spat on the floor in front of Malcolm's feet. "You have no honor, K'tar, none of you offworlders do! I offer you a generous gift, and you-"
He took a deep breath. "Leave my house. Take your slave and the two brats and go. I want nothing to do with you, and I regret that I ever allowed you to come near my family in the first place. Now get out of my sight."
"As you wish, Senator." Malcolm kept his face calm and indifferent, even though it was hard for him not to grin. V'Lin knew that he had lost; he couldn't refuse Malcolm's request without compromising his personal honor, and by threatening that he wasn't going to sell the children he had wasted the chance to take Malcolm's money for them. He had underestimated his alien bodyguard, and he was well aware of it. The only thing left for him to do now was to play the offended host, and throw Malcolm out of his house. Not a very satisfying option for someone who had just lost a considerable sum of money.
The man and his children had watched the exchange silently, and Malcolm saw the father clutching his children tightly, his eyes bearing the haunted look of someone who has just woken up from a nightmare. It touched something within Malcolm, and he quickly turned away.
"Come," he said, not looking back as he walked towards the huge double doors at the far end of the hall. His luggage - a single bag with his clothes and personal items - was still where he'd left it when he had gone to attend the farewell ceremony. He bent down to pick it up, and almost bumped into the blond man who had been about to do the same. For a brief moment, neither of them moved. Then Malcolm stepped back, ignoring the surprised look in the blue eyes.
Watching the man lift up the bag, he mentally kicked himself for his stupid mistake. Carrying luggage was a servants' job, and no Kareedian master would ever dream of doing it himself. Malcolm cast a quick glance over his shoulder and found to his relief that the hall was empty except for the guards, who, as usual, kept their eyes straight ahead. Thankfully, the Senator had not been here to watch his little lapse. The only one who had noticed was his new "servant", and except for the brief flash of surprise the man never let on that he found something strange about Malcolm's behavior.
The little boy tugged at his father's sleeve. "Where're we going, Daddy?"
"I don't know, Sammy."
Malcolm noticed that both the man and the girl had thrown him brief, anxious looks when the child had spoken, as if they expected him to disapprove. Sammy, however, had no such inhibitions, tugging even harder at the man's sleeve.
"Are we going to fly in a flitter?" he asked excitedly. Despite his good intentions to stick to his role, Malcolm smiled down at the little boy.
"That's right," he said. "Let's get going, shall we?"
"Yay!" The boy practically hopped up and down with enthusiasm. "Did you hear that, Sara? We're gonna fly in a flitter! We're-"
"Sammy," his father admonished, giving Malcolm another nervous side glance. The fear Malcolm had seen in his eyes when V'Lin had threatened to sell the children was still there; fear that Malcolm might suddenly change his mind and decide to leave them behind, after all.
"Let's go," he repeated, knowing that this was the best reassurance he could give. For now, it was necessary not to do or say anything that might give away that he wasn't your usual Kareedian master.
They left the building, Sara and her father following him silently down the stairs that led to the huge courtyard in front of the Senator's villa. Sammy circled them like an excited puppy, commenting on everything that caught his interest.
"Look what the water's doing, Daddy!"
"That's a fountain," his father said, catching the boy by the back of his ragged shirt a second before he toppled headfirst into the basin. "You don't want to do that, you'll get yourself all wet."
Like her brother, Sara eyed the fountain with great interest, but then she threw Malcolm a brief glance and looked back down at her feet. She was clearly afraid of him.
Finally, Sammy's father managed to pull his son away from the water, and they continued their way to the back of the yard where Malcolm had parked his flitter. Sammy's eyes widened.
"Is that your flitter?" he asked Malcolm, his eyes still fixed on the huge, streamlined craft. Malcolm smiled. The boy's excitement was contagious.
"Not exactly," he said. "I've rented it for the time of my stay, and I've got to give it back when I - when we leave."
"What's "rented"?"
"Sammy." The blond man took his son's hand, and gave Malcolm an apologetic look. The little boy didn't seem to mind that no one answered his question, and climbed inside the flitter the moment Malcolm opened the hatch.
"Look, Daddy, there're chairs in here! Can I sit up front? Please?"
Following his daughter, the man started to climb inside as well. "Where do you want me to put the bag, sir?"
Malcolm closed the hatch behind himself. "Put it down somewhere over there. Thanks."
A moment's silence followed, and Malcolm cursed inwardly. Mistake number two. Masters didn't thank their servants.
Once he had the three of them safely settled on the seats behind the pilot chair (Sammy had agreed to move to the back, on the condition that he got the seat next to the window), Malcolm bent over the controls to get the boosters started. Concentrating on his task, he tried to ignore the weirdness of the situation - in fact, he had been doing so ever since the ceremony. It seemed that things were slowly slipping out of his hands, and there was nothing he could do but stand by and watch it happen. Sure, he had completed his mission, had not been caught and identified as a spy working for the Vulcans, and no one had dragged him off to rot in jail. But this had never been part of the plan. His orders had been to interact with as few Kareedians as possible, avoid any personal contact, and interfere with no one's business but his own. The Vulcans had been rather emphatic on that point, and Malcolm could just imagine what they were going to say when he returned with his very own personal slave and two children in tow. No, this had not been part of the plan, and Malcolm had no idea what he was going to do with the quiet man and the two children who seemed to accept the idea of him being their master without so much as a question. He hadn't foreseen this, and things that couldn't be foreseen or planned tended to make him nervous.
Still, the Vulcans could hardly expect him to leave the children behind, could they. Malcolm held on to that thought, reassuring himself that this had actually been his only choice. The right choice. And the fact that the human conception of "right" didn't always agree with the Vulcans' opinion on that matter couldn't change that. You just didn't leave children behind. For no reason whatsoever.
"Daddy..." A whisper stirred him out of his thoughts, and Malcolm realized that this time it was the little girl who had spoken. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he pretended not to listen as she continued.
"Daddy, you're going to stay with us, aren't you?" Her thickened voice told Malcolm that she was on the brink of tears. "They- they said something about-"
"Hush, honey." In the rearview mirror, Malcolm saw the man pull his daughter close. "Everything's okay. I'm going to stay with you, and I'm not going to leave you. Ever."
Sara looked up at her father. "Promise?"
"Promise." He smiled, and they both turned to Sammy who was excitedly pointing at something outside.
"Look at the houses, Sara! They must be a million meters high!"
The girl smiled at her brother, though a little shakily, and nodded. "I bet they are."
Malcolm was surprised and touched. He wouldn't have expected this kind of "adult" reaction of most teenagers, let alone a child of her age. Punching away at the navigation controls with a little more force than necessary, he decided that there was no way he was going to leave these people behind, Vulcans be damned. But he was going to have to be very careful about his next steps. As an undercover agent, he was always in danger of being caught, and he wasn't going to endanger three more people by letting them in on the situation. Even - and Malcolm sighed inwardly at the thought - even if it meant that he had to play the role of the master a little longer than he had originally planned. Except for the fact that he not planned any of this, of course.
Malcolm looked in the rearview mirror and found that the man was watching him. Just as well. At least he wouldn't have to address him as "Hey you", or whatever it was that the Kareedians usually called their servants.
"You look human," he said without preamble, hoping he was doing this right. He wasn't really sure how the man expected to be talked to. "Where were you born?"
"On Earth, sir," the man said, and suddenly Malcolm noticed that the UT was still online, but not translating anymore. The man was talking English - in a slow, careful way, making sure he picked the right words - but it was English nonetheless, with a faint, drawling accent that Malcolm recognized but could not quite put his finger on. Malcolm didn't know why he was so surprised - "Sara" and "Sammy" were human names, after all, and V'Lin had been right when he had said that the man looked like "one of his own kind". They were a long way from Earth, but it wasn't as though the crew of the Enterprise were the first humans to be out here. The first ones to be out here of their own free will, but that was another matter.
"And the children?"
"They weren't born on Earth, but they're human as well."
Malcolm nodded, digesting this piece of information, then, wondering why he hadn't thought of this before, he threw a brief glance over his shoulder.
"What's your name?"
The man hesitated. "I... I don't really have a name, sir."
Malcolm startled. "You don't have a name?"
"I don't know, sir. I don't think so." The man met his eyes. "Back where I lived before, everybody called me Sev."
TBC...
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