Bekka led the parade proudly down the corridor, with Kronk in tow and Thra’ssk oddly bringing up the rear. Kronk was baffled by the officer, who walked the entire ship with him like he owned the place, now dragging his feet. Running through everything he had seen so far, he finally spoke out. “So, wait…is Engineering on Deck 5?” he asked, as Engineering and the bridge were really the only two things he had not seen yet.
“Yup!” Bekka announced with glee.
“And Engineers are paid the most…” Kronk repeated.
“No, they’re paid the most consistently. Security gets a bigger bonus when they go on away missions, but if they’re stuck on the ship with nothing to do, Engineers will rack up way more than them on a day-to-day basis.” Bekka continued to explain.
“Hazzard pay…” Thra’ssk snarled.
“Is there something wrong with engineering?” Kronk inquired, trying to formulate just what he was about to walk into. His running theory was that the environmental controls were lower than the rest of the ship to compensate for overheating engines, which would have explained why a cold-blooded Gorn would have been so apprehensive.
Bekka giggled at his question, shaking her head as they once again reached one of the exterior stairwells. Thra’ssk pushed ahead, finally taking the lead as he grumbled, “Gormesh…”
As Thra’ssk passed the pair and headed down the stairs, Bekka stepped next to a visibly confused Kronk, “Gormesh is the Ship Master, our version of a Chief Engineer. He rules Deck 5 like his own private kingdom; he won’t let anyone who’s not an engineer set foot down there. Doesn’t want them ‘touching his stuff’.”
“He’s a fucking lunatic…” Thra’ssk snapped as he trotted down a flight of stairs.
“He’s a savant. A genius-level intellect when it comes to engineering and repairs, but not much else. He’s highly… eccentric. And if you can’t tell, our Thra’ssochist and Engineering masochist don’t like each other much.” Becca followed up as she walked side by side with Kronk, taking his arm in her own as they descended Decks 3 and 4.
The Gorn officer spun around, his claw raised in the air, pointing right in Kronk’s face. “Deck Five is out of rounds to you. You never come down here unless the Captain or Matron orders you to do so, and if that’s the case, then they clearly want you dead. The engineers will not rother you, but that maniac will seriously hurt you if he catches you trespassing. The captain only tolerates his antics recause of how useful he is at keeping the ship running, I would have spaced him years ago.” He declared in a very serious tone.
“We used to have this game, where we would send new recruits to run through the deck to try and touch the warp core and make it back in one piece. But the Captain made us stop after the third incident of Hegh’bat.” Bekka admitted as they reached the landing for Deck 5.
Kronk froze. Were they messing with him?! Was this the Klingon version of hazing the new guy? The Chief Engineer couldn’t be –that– unhinged, could he? “What…if there is a security incident? Or a boarding party?” Kronk asked, as most of his training today had revolved around security response to locations around the ship.
“The engineers handle their own, and if someone’s stupid enough to invade on Deck five…may the gods have mercy on their souls, for they will not find an honorable death down here.” Thra’ssk shuddered as he turned to press on into the exterior corridor. “If some cosmic horror vents all the atmosphere from the ship, and Deck 5 is your only means of egress, then these exterior halls are your only option. If you see space outside the windows, you’re relatively safe. Just don’t doddle and leave quickly.”
As they carefully walked down the exterior corridors, Kronk still could not shake the idea that they were messing with him. The deck seemed quiet, warm. He could hear the distant voices of workers on the deck somewhere, but could not for the life of him see anything other than the exterior windows. Yet an odd creaking sound froze Thra’ssk on the spot, and Bekka’s hand tightened around his arm.
“He knows we’re here…” Thra’ssk said with a low growl.
“HeehehhehhHEHEHEheheHHEHEHEEHehheheee!” Maniacal laughter filled the hallway, echoing off the bulkheads as if coming from near and far. Thra’ssk took a step back, as his head spun around on a swivel, trying to locate the source. Even Bekka’s carefree attitude faded, as cracks of concern washed over her face, pressing her body closer to Kronk’s
“Figured you’d bond with the convict, you sentimental Gecko.” The voice mocked, still reverberating from every direction.
“He could be anywhere…” Thra’ssk stated.
“Crawlspaces, there are tunnels all through the ship, all connecting back to Engineering. That’s how the engineers make repairs so quickly. And Gormesh is freakishly fast in them…” Bekka explained, as her eyes began to dart at the various access panels in the floor and ceiling.
“Did you have fun sharing prison stories with your new friend…” the voice called out, somehow sounding even closer now. The Trio in the hallway now stood with their backs against one another, as they slowly turned to scan the area.
“I will RIP your throat out, FREAK!” Thra’ssk roared at the taunt.
“Hehehehehe, he looks soft…I bet he tastes tender as well…” the voice continued to goad.
The tension was starting to get to Kronk. Maybe this was real…maybe they shouldn’t be here. His eyes were darting all around, up and down, trying to find where the voice of Gormesh was coming from, and that’s when it hit.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kronk saw one of the wall vents silently lowering. Had he not been so twitchy, he might have missed it. Before he could call out to the others, he could see the image of a face emerging from the darkness within. A bone-ridged face with jagged mouth pincers, snarling from within the dark, rushing out with speed, Kronk had no choice but to react.
Just as fast as Gormesh emerged from the vent in the wall, so too did Kronk’s fist fly out to meet him. The resounding -KRACK- snapped Thra’ssk and Bekka’s attention as they watched the Barzan clock the Naussican Engineer across the face, sending him tumbling to the ground. The other two were frozen in shock, not expecting that from a new recruit.
Gormesh, however, rolled into his fall and fell against the opposite wall, a bit dazed, but still locked in on his assailant. One of his lower mouth pincers was bleeding, as blood dripped from his mouth and onto the floor. Reaching out with his hand, the Naussican got to his feet, a sinister grin plastered on his face. “Oh….THAT’S how we like to play?! Excellent!”
Kronk was frozen in shock at what he had done, and did not know how to react to striking a superior officer, let alone on his first day. The chaos unfolded at light speed as Gormesh lunged at the Barzan. Bekka, quick to react, had pulled at his arm away from the Naussican’s reach, as Thra’ssk roared and grabbed the engineer, throwing him across the hallway.
“RUN!” Thra’ssk yelled out. Bekka wasted no time, continuing to pull Kronk in the opposite direction back towards the stairwell they had come from. Looking back, Kronk could see Thra’ssk and Gormesh viciously lashing out at one another. “Shouldn’t we help him?” Kronk called out as he and Bekka moved towards the stairwell.
“No, they fight like that every week! He will be fine, WE won’t be if Gormesh gets free, so MOVE!”
===================
The pair had rushed back to the Qav’tach on Deck 2, not stopping to catch their breath until they were back at their table. Their drinks and plates were still there waiting for them.
“What the shit was that newbie?!” Bekka was finally exasperated.
“I don’t know! He came out of nowhere, and I just reacted!” He sputtered, flustered by the whole situation.
Bekka erupted with laughter, as if he had just told the funniest joke in the quadrant, drawing the attention of various other crewmen.
The doors slid open, and Thra’ssk entered, still tall, still stoic, with blood dripping from the side of his face. The Gorn crossed the room and settled back down in his seat, as if he didn’t just finish fighting off a crazed maniac three decks below them.
Bekka took notice of his wound and continued laughing, “What happened?” She wheezed.
“Bastard had a spanner on him.” He commented coldly, taking a deep swig from his flagon.
The Orion erupted into amusement once more, as Thra’ssk rolled his eyes, “Told you that was a bad idea…”
“I didn’t know he was going to deck him in the face!” she exhaled, hardly able to maintain her breath from the laughter.
“Can someone tell me what is going on?” Kronk pleaded.
But his beckoning fell on deaf ears, as the doors to the Qav’tach were thrown open to their fullest, a bruised and red-lipped Naussican stood in the doorway fuming. Kronk began to rise from his seat, but a large claw held him back down. “Relax, he won’t do anything here.”
Gormesh locked onto the Trio and strode across the bar, as several crewmen hurried to get out of his way. He walked right up to Kronk, getting right into the Barzan’s face, who managed to hold his ground and looked him dead in the eyes.
“That….was a Good hit…” He nodded to his own words, taking a step back, he held out a hand to Kronk, who hesitated for a moment, looking to Thra’ssk and Bekka for a moment, before feeling confident enough to accept the handshake.
The two stood there, shaking hands for a moment. “Now, stay the fuck out of my Engineering.” The Naussican snarled, grabbing Kronk’s forearm firmly and pulling him in. Gormesh’s knee shot up, catching Kronk in the gut as the hit knocked the wind out of him, dropping the Lieutenant to his knees. “That was for the cheap shot…” The Engineer commented, as calmly as ever, before wandering off towards the bar away from the table.
Bekka watched the event unfold in a continuous wave of euphoria, as Thra’ssk made no reaction to it all, continuing to nurse his drink. Kronk did his best to keep from losing the contents in his stomach as he managed to crawl his way back onto the table. “What…the fuck?” He spat out as the air returned to his lungs.
“Well, you did sucker punch him.” Thra’ssk stated, matter-of-factly.
“Right…” Kronk admitted, feeling that a hit for a hit was probably the best outcome he could have hoped for. “So, was all that a setup? Is he not crazy or something?” he asked, taking a sip from his own cup to settle the pain in his abdomen.
“Oh no, he’s still batshit crazy, just not as bad as we made him out.” Thra’ssk admitted.
“We like to tease the new guys, you’re the first person to swing first and ask questions later! So kudos to you! Already making a name for yourself.” Bekka praised, tapping Kronk on the shoulder with a playful punch.
“Seriously, though, don’t go on Deck Five; it will piss him off, and he will violently chase you off.” Thra’ssk added.
“Gee, Thanks.” Kronk agreed, raising his glass in a cheer.
Before he could bring the drink to his lips, the ship just stopped moving. No one made a move or a sound, or even a breath, as a chime echoed through the ship’s intercom system.
“yaHraj tIgheS”
The words came from a deep, commanding voice. In unison, everyone set their drinks and food down and rose from their seats. Kronk knew these words, ‘To your stations’, and he could only assume the voice that spoke them, by the actions of everyone around, was from the Captain himself.
“Come, it’s time.” Thra’ssk spoke as he quickly wiped away the blood from his face and followed the crowd out of the bar. The Koraga was waking up, the captain had made his call, and all were expected to answer.
[To be Continued]
