Star Trek Hunter
Episode 7: The Great Mushroom
Scene 4: Night Life in Porte Abello
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7.4
Night Life in Porte Abello
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The Hunter's crew were out sampling the night life in Porte Abello. There was no other life on Pillo to sample. Even though their planet was not much further from its sun than the Moon from the Earth, no one on Pillo ever saw their sun. They lived under an unbroken canopy of mushrooms that drank radiation from the brown dwarf star, broke it into thousands of different colors, and sent them - primary, pastel and fluorescent - in thin, individually colored strands to the ground below, which was covered with another mossy version of mushroom that pulsed with ever changing arrays of colors that responded to people who walked over them, leaving a trail of brief, brightly colored footprints within a vast pulsating carpet of color.

There was no keeping either these brightly colored strands or the carpet out of any buildings - not that there were many. Bars, food courts, offices, residences were tucked into various spaces among the giant stalks of enormous mushrooms. Somehow between space and the layout of the mushrooms, these uses were able to coexist within a single, sprawling city of more than a quarter million humans, denobulans, andorians, bajorans, and many others - all of them bathed in the light of millions of tiny, brightly-colored glowing strands that left dark corners everywhere but conspired to provide a comfortable general illumination.

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"Lots and lots and lo-o-ots of nausicaans," observed Belo Garr, just a little loudly so his companions could hear him over the pounding music.

"They have to spend their winnings somewhere," Belo Rys half-shouted. "Apparently they really like that mushroom wine."

"They're not the only ones," Garr said. "But I've gotten a whiff of it. I think I'll pass."

"That would be wise." Ensign Tolon Reeves was new to the squad and was still working on developing his rapport with them. A few wrestling matches with Garr and Jarrong had helped break the ice. Tolon was dark-skinned, shorter, heavier and much older than his new charges. They had found quickly when wrestling him that he was both tremendously strong and an expert wrestler.

"We don't know exactly what effects that wine might have," Tolon continued. "I examined some of it and there are a lot of chemical variations I simply haven't seen before." Although, like the tactical squad members, Tolon was part bajoran, his sing-song accent betrayed his many decades in Bangalore, India.

"Maybe that wine is the reason for everyone around here getting spooky visions," Jarrong opined, having to speak even more loudly as the music seemed to be in a mood to compete with a roaring warp engine.

Tolon looked at her. "Well, we have no reports of the nausicaans getting premonitions. Either they are immune to these effects or they are being uncharacteristically secretive about it."

"I'd count that as a blessing," said Garr. "Pirates with premonitions - I'd prefer not."

"Most nausicaans are not pirates and the vast majority of pirates are human," said Ensign Tolon, managing to make himself heard over the music while speaking quietly. "Let's avoid painting with an insufficiently detailed brush."

That statement earned him four confused looks.

"You four are..." Tolon Reeves started, then he started over: "Well, let me put it this way... I rely on you to notice the fine details. If a fight gets started the last thing I want you to do is jump to the wrong conclusions because a nausicaan is involved. You need to get these things right before they happen. Open mind, open eyes." He emphasized the last statement by widening his eyes, which drew a quick laugh.

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At that moment two nausicaans stood up, turning over the table they had been sitting at, throwing drinks, cards and chips across the floor and all over the three humans who had been sitting across from them. One of the nausicaans stepped easily over the overturned table, single-handedly lifted a fairly large man by his collar and threw him halfway across the room.

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"And sometimes things are exactly as they appear," Tolon concluded.

"Should we intervene?" Belo Cantys asked.

"We're guests in this bar… I'm sure there is a local… oh crap…" Tolon did not have to explain his last exclamation - his squad quickly noticed what he had noticed. There was only one thing in this bar larger than the nausicaans. He had been sitting nearby, but most people seemed to have mistaken him for a half-wall or perhaps a refrigerator.

Commander David Pepper rose from his chair, walked up behind the nausicaans and said, "Hello, boys... Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The nausicaans were both clearly in the mood for a fight and both sized up their new opponent appreciatively. They were almost as tall as the 7-foot giant, but the two of them together were probably only slightly larger than him.

Then Pep started to dance - an odd combination of boxing moves with something like belly dancing. And he was good. And probably a little drunk. His enormous body bent, ducked, slided, shuffled, bobbed and weaved with unexpected grace, evading his opponents' attempts to strike or grapple him.

Somehow it worked. The nausicaans - who were evidently a little drunk themselves - threw punch after punch, boxing the giant in from both sides and managed to not land a single blow - although they did manage to slam their fists into each the other's at one point.

It was a good thing no weapons were allowed in the bar - nausicaans were fond of swords and were quite skilled with them.

After a few minutes, Pep said, "Aw, fellows..." His enormous fists came up with surprising speed and accuracy to deliver a right jab to one and a left jab to the other of his opponents at almost the same moment, causing both to topple to the floor. One was unconscious, the other semi-conscious - moving but not getting up right away. "And I was hoping for a challenge… No hard feelings, fellows. Thanks for the dance!"

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Tolon Reeves was smiling. "Our commander just became welcome in every nausicaan home and camp on this planet."

"By clobbering two of them?" asked Jarrong.

"Oh yes. And he'll probably have to fight every single one of them, now. There are few things nausicaans like better than a good fight," Tolon responded.

"Note he did not say a fair fight…" Garr observed.

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