New Paris at Night, part 4

Posted on Wed Sep 15th, 2010 @ 2:54pm by Commodore Samantha York & Colonel Damon Raine

1,003 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Peace, or Something Like It
Location: New Paris, Turkana IV
Timeline: Current

ON

[OLD]

"Absolutely. I've been pretty blown away so far, kind of intrigued to see what else we might find."

[NEW]

They walked for a bit until they found a street that led back in the direction of their room. This one was much darker. There were no streetlights. The few windows that lined the street were barred. Several of them were boarded up and appeared abandoned.

Even the ambiance of this area was somber. It was quiet, too. Until Sam stopped. "There's a fight up ahead," she said. The harshness of the argument penetrating her telepathic shielding. She moved ahead cautiously. "Let's see what's going on."

Damon was hesitant to move forward if she was right. He was armed and trained to fight, but he also knew that he was no super hero. If things got out of hand Sam and his life could be in real danger.

"I don't like this Sam." His concerns voiced themselves. "If there is an issue we should let the authorities take care of it."

"You're probably right," she admitted. "Can we get a little closer -- just to see what's going on?"

He looked around for a moment trying to decide the best course. In the end he looked back to her and nodded. "Fine, but I want you out of here at the first sign of trouble."

She slipped her hand into his. "Okay. I will follow your lead."

The two walked quietly along the side of the street until they could hear the sounds of raised voices. Sam looked at Damon. "What do you want to do now?"

He shook his head, unsure of what to do. He wasn't a fan of getting involved right now, but he was also morally bound to help people...or stop them from hurting others.

"We can at least assess the situation," she said. The rounded a turn in the street and saw a group of teens brandishing knives and yelling at each other. Four females stood to the side, urging them to fight.

This is where Damon didn't want to be. He wasn't sure what he should do and considering local customs and laws, he wasn't sure what he could do. His version of self-defense might likely be very different from theirs.

He looked back to see where Samantha was standing, getting his bearing, and dropped his hand to his side where the TR was resting in it's holster.

"HEY!" He yelled in the most authoritative voice he could muster. His fingers gently undid the clasp binding the pistol. "I need everyone to take it easy and back away from each other."

Most of the group seemed to be startled by the sudden arrival of a foreigner. A few, however, looked over with nothing but contempt for the intrusion on their business.

"This doesn't concern you hrovin. Leave before it does." One of the older teens said as he waved the knife at the new arrivals.

Damon wasn't sure what a hrovin was since his universal translator didn't translate it for him. Considering the young mans stance and the venom he put into the word, Damon was sure that it was probably a good thing that he didn't understand its meaning.

Sam stood next to Damon, wishing there were more than just the two of them right now. "Go home," she said in her most authoritative mother voice. "I'm sure your parents -- or Captain Danjou would not be happy to find you out here." She wasn't sure which name made the most impact, but several of the teens began to look a little uneasy. Sam cheated a bit. She used her telepathy and her empathy to augment their trepidation. Even the girls began to look hesitant.

Three of the teens who were in the back to begin with, slowly backed away down a side street. Sam nodded to Damon. "I don't think any of you want to mess with him, either. Starfleet Marines. They fight to win. And they almost always win."

"Just like angry Betazoid women." He said loud enough so that only Samantha could hear.

Damon could see that the group's resolve was beginning to fail. He started slowly walking towards them, all the while his hand was lifting the bind and lightly started to grip the weapon at his side.

It was a scare tactic to be sure, he was betting on Sam's comment about the Marines taking effect on them. Fortunately it started to pay off as some of the more sensible girls in the back started talking in hushed tones and urging the others to bail.

Finally, after sensing that the group was dissolving around them, the teens brandishing knives traded insults one last time before putting them away. With their backs turned to each other, they left in opposite directions.

Damon relaxed slightly as they left and let out a slow whistle. He shook his head and clasped the bind over his pistol once again.

Sam came up behind Damon and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting against his back. "This angry Betazoid woman is very happy that's over. Although the lot of them need to be scared straight. That sort of behavior leads to nothing but trouble." She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I think, after that, I'm ready to go back to the room."

She knew she'd done a foolish thing, standing up to them, but she didn't want to walk away knowing there was a good chance some of them would most likely have been seriously hurt -- or killed -- if they'd done nothing. And she had full confidence in Damon and his abilities. She hugged Damon tighter. There was no way she would stand by and let him get hurt, either.

"I'm ready to go back to the room," she whispered. And spend some time just holding Damon.


OFF

Commander Samantha York
Commanding Officer
USS Calypso

Major Damon Raine
Marine CO
USS Calypso

 

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