Shorter Than I Thought

Posted on Fri 23rd Jul, 2021 @ 7:43pm by Voareth Darqaron & Renato Solis

1,908 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Waging Peace
Location: Refugee Processing Deck 2245 Section 441-T
Timeline: MD 2: 0940

{Brown Sector- Refugee Resource Center "RRC")

Passing into an open area, Voareth sought out her Ferengi prey to no success. Them being of short stature was proving to his benefit for the time being. Voareth stretched out with her empathy to see if she could notice anything but became awash with many a varied feeling. Most of it was of hopelessness and destitution; the usual. She did feel a strong desire to help others, especially the hopeless and the destitute. That feeling was weak among the crowd, so very few, perhaps only one person was emanating this feeling. Voareth had used her empathic abilities many times to aid her in hunts. Sometimes though, and this was one of those times, she used it to help track down the individual wanting to help others. Perhaps she could get some information from him.

She slowly made her way through the crowd, stepped around people, bumped plenty of elbows, and made her way to a tall and dark man. He was not talking to anyone and his attire seemed to almost blend into the background.

"Sir,” she said, “might I make an inquiry of you?”

Her voice was a shiver of malice and ill intent. Renato felt her empathic presence, attuned for emotional echolocation rather than passive listening it was a predatory take on what was usually pacifistic talent. He was almost afraid to look, but there was a steel to him most wouldn't realize from looking. Losing everything several times over and surviving made for a resilient spirit, so he suppressed the urge to flinch under the withering gaze she gave him.

He expected something nine feet tall, but saw only her. Her mental profile was huge, intelligent, and had definite telepathic skill. The woman before him didn't match her mental patterns, it was something she was doing purposefully like an operating system on top of her natural hardware, but both of them running. He knew to be afraid, this was one of the ones you meet from time to time that life tells you to be safe and back away slowly.

"Well, let's be properly met, I am Renato Solis, pleasure to meet you." He spoke calmly as they were jostled by passersby. Any tension was well hidden, but certainly felt deeply.

There was not much pleasure to be had, she felt. And Renato seemed to have let a miniature span of eternity stretch on between her words and his response as though waiting to see if it was truly him she was speaking to, waiting for a knife in the back, etc. He certainly seemed one well familiar with loss and through that loss, she still felt the feeling and desire from him to help others. Voareth felt that perhaps not all hope was lost in him and the people spread about the area. Perhaps there was a little pleasure to be had after all.

“Darqa,” was the name she opted on. She looked away from him briefly to scan the area again. But not for too long as to make it obvious that she was looking for someone. “Just Darqa.” Her sharp amber eyes reconnected with his.

No. It was not ‘just Darqa’ and he could tell it in the inflection of her voice. That was all she was willing to give and Solis accepted that at least. Her voice contained an accent foreign to his ears. Her words, what little she had spoken thus far, illustrated a level of education possibly beyond the years her appearance would otherwise suggest. Given her telepathic, more like empathic, abilities on top of her humanoid semblance, it all made sense if she were El-Aurian. But her mental stature of someone, or something, far taller with the added evidence of foreign characters tattooed across her forehead, concluded that she had arrived from some far off place. Renato noticed her headdress for the brief stretch of eternity that she looked around. The beads were diamonesque in nature, but not quite that. The headdress as a whole glimmered differently than any similar jewelry he had perused in his past. And she was not scanning for exits or for information displayed about. This ‘Darqa’ was looking for someone

As she moved, Renato recognized a hint of perfume which seemed to have been masking something else not prevalent among humans and El-Aurians of this region of space. She carried no weapons, at least nothing obvious. Solis saw an air of confidence about Darqa that made him believe that, though unarmed, she did not see herself at a disadvantage should trouble ensue. Being new to the area, she had no enemies. Not yet.

Darqa may have arrived with refugees, and may very well have been one (in definition alone) but Solis saw no sign that she was a refugee in the truest sense. Not a refugee the likes of that vast majority that passed through the station. And given the socio-political status within and without SB109, this was fertile ground for anarchists, criminals, bounty hunters, head hunters, pirates, drug runners, distributors of other contraband, especially for those who come from far off regions of space. Their allegiances would, therefore, be few to none. They would bring with them new elements to an already unstable situation. Not to mention whatever could have been following behind.

“I find myself in need of quarters,” Voareth said. “For about a sevennight. I also require a resupply of dilithium for my vessel. Can you assist me or point me in the right direction?”

He allowed a chuckle to rise, trying to settle his elevated emotions. There was a predatory element to her that pushed on his senses relentlessly, it made him want to be combative and aggressive in reply but knowing oneself is to control oneself. So he merely said, "Well I guess I have a new doorman for the week. Darqa, all are welcome, I am glad to have your business. One week boarding, food is included, we do have a resource center to get you connected to whoever you need on station, I got a guy in Fuel who can supply you at a good rate, he is looking for a new Kelbonite supplier if you know anyone by the way."

“I do not, but my eyes and ears are always open,” she said and Solis could tell that she spoke the truth. She did not know anyone. And her eyes and ears were always open.

His sense blanched at her intensity, Renato hesitated to continue but the words had to be spoken for the spell to be cast, "...There are families here, so we ask no weapons in public areas, or to be powered within the premises, other Starbase rules apply of course as well. Please refrain from becoming truly intoxicated, and remain to your room if choosing to do so. Lastly, we are a refuge for everyone. This is a safe place, for everyone. If you need help, you find it here."

“I thank you,” she said with a nod. “If you need something, well something tells me you will know how to find me,” she said with a smirk. Darqa did not seem to type to smile that often. If Solis was reading her right, a smile was reserved for tense and violent situations. Otherwise, it nearly seemed to cause her pain to produce a simple smirk. “As soon as I get what I need,” she continued, “I shall be of no more trouble.”

"No trouble, I am sorry if I seem pained. Your telepathy is interacting strongly with mine.” As he was speaking and explaining, the empathic feelings emanating her from diminished. He could see her actively suppressing her feelings. She was predatory, but with a sense of kindness. “It's empathic but not like I've ever known, provoking an odd feral response in me I can't rantionalise. Are you El-Aurian if I may ask?" And then the empathic adverse interaction exploded almost to the point of causing him to lose himself. There came a sense of deep offense, anger, oppression, and then a feeling of understanding and forgiveness. His previous reading of her mental state categorizing her as a predator nearly nine feet tall, heavily clashed with everything he knew of El-Aurians. He understood all too well that her being El-Aurian, physically and biologically, was an obvious fact but he could tell that Darqa felt she could not have been more truthful with her following words.

“I am Hirogen.”

Relief swept over Solis.

“I understand if you have not heard of us,” she continued. “We have no presence here.”

Not yet.

He trusted his instincts fully now. This was a killer. He had research to do.

"No presence except for yourself though. I mistook biological identity for self identity. It won't happen again.”

“It happens more often than you know.”

“Would you like anything to eat or drink, or start your process of connecting to station resources?'

“Resources can wait. I first require sustenance, so the location of your eateries please. And then, a schematic of this station. I like to know my bearings. Whatever is made available to the public of course.”

"Of course." He moved like one would move in a cage with a wild creature, but he needed to get information, "The Station has a visitor account system, its fast enough to get you input and we can get all of that ready for you. Or we can send a welcome packet to your comms for learning at your own pace?"

He hoped she would reveal her comm codes, as he could use that to unravel a great deal more. This mystery was a fresh one, and it was dangerous. The best kind really, he enjoyed the thrill of trusting a hunch. This "Darqa" was a killer, chasing her prey. "Hirogen" was an unfamiliar species, but deduction told him they were likely a predatory race who participated in trophy hunting, or other sadistic pursuits. Never had his "all are welcome" routine made less sense, but his sense said the families were safer for her presence, not the other way around.

“Sending what you have to my comms will prove adequate.” She raised her PDA. “This is not yet communicating with your station’s computer. “Once I acquire one of those,” she looked about and motioned toward several spread about, all with PADDs in their hands, “I will be able to communicate more freely. Once I have one, will I be able to look you up? I will be able to forward you my comm codes.”

Renato managed not to smile, "I can get you one of those as well, I am an administrator here. Let's just handle all of your stuff once your settled in, I'll bring you a padd to interact with your own, that way you wont need to change your systems. Federation handshake protocols usually exchange data constantly but if you prefer to close your network its not a problem. Go to 221-B MY Community Center is well known you cant miss it. It'll smell of pie, and yes you can have some. Kya will put you in a suitable bunk, she's like my sister and cohort so introduce yourself and eat hearty.

Voareth nodded to each of his instructions in turn. “I shall do as you ask. I thank you Mr. Solis. I will certainly be in touch.” With that, she backed away, turned and was off.

 

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