The Sustenance of Benefits

Posted on Mon 14th Jun, 2021 @ 6:51pm by Voareth Darqaron & Anne da Silva

1,151 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Waging Peace
Location: Shake and Slake Diner, Deck 1552
Timeline: MD-2, 1300 hours

From Anne scanning the area, Voareth caught on that patronage was dying down for the moment. Despite the incredible odds that anyone inside would have known Voareth, that she identified as Hirogen, that they even knew what the Hirogen wrere, anything, Voareth had decided to keep to herself. Now that the population inside the diner was becoming less than half it originally was, she felt more confident to speak more openly. “Nonsense. It is fine. You are curious. You meet lots of people from multitudinous sectors of space. It is part of the job to ask these questions.”

Voareth took a bite of the toasted cheese after dipping it in the sauce. She chewed intentionally, not automatically, savoring the taste behind closed eyes. She gave a nod of approval to Anne.

“Being driven from Hirogen space for starters.” But that was decades ago and Voareth was not sure she wanted to detail her exact age apart from her appearance. Not just yet. “And yes, it is in the Delta Quadrant. Many Hirogen are very xeno-intolerant. After leaving Hirogen space, I made my own way. Mostly I travel and look for work. Go where the solar winds blow, I suppose. Work has actually brought me here, to your station. That and a near derelict ship. I am in need of dilithium and a resupply. Luckily this place was nearby."

Anne smiled at Voareth and chuckled. "My job is making you welcome, serving you good food so you'll want to come back, and clearing away the dishes afterward. Nosy is just me." She filled a tall glass with some clear, dark liquid that bubbled with carbonation and billed it to herself before she mock-toasted Voareth with it and sipped from the glass.

Voareth nodded to her approvingly.

"Well, 109 is a good place to be, if you need resupply. I sometimes get pilots and freighter captains in here who need a place to hang out while their ships are being worked on. They generally have high praise for the docking bay crew. The only person who's ever had a complaint was one Ferengi."

That reminded Voareth of the Ferengi she was hunting. She needed to get back on his trail soon enough.

Anne excused herself for a moment to clear away someone empty dishes from the bar and then returned. "What sort of work do you do that takes you all over the place?"

Voareth was, again, glad the place was less populated than previous. Then again, from what she saw of the station, there were plenty whose professions they claimed were similar to hers. She never felt it became her to openly lie, save for the instance that doing so would prove to her advantage in a hunt, or a fight. This was neither.

“Spending many years in Hirogen space has turned me into a Hirogen actually. And we Hirogen all have but one job. We hunt.” Taking another bite of the toasted cheese, Voareth moved it about in her mouth before chewing, swallowing. “We live for the hunt and we die for the hunt. That makes me a hunter. To afford the necessities, I have turned my skills to bounty hunting many times over. Not just criminals on the run mind you, but sometimes items, salvage and the like. The lengths some will pay to have a job done will sometimes turn a small fortune.”

"Or collectors," Anne said with a nod. "You would not believe what some people will pay to get hold of rare art. Wanting a thing that much just astounds me."

And that was how Voareth saw the prey of her hunts; as things; as trophies just waiting to be claimed; as currency the value someone else has set. The xeno-intolerance mindset of the Hirogen made that a simple concept to adopt. Anything not Hirogen remained simply a thing. It was never a person and was never going to be. Aside from the constant reminders, Voareth needed only to look upon herself or look herself in the mirror to know that she was not, in fact, Hirogen.

“I have travelled far, deep and wide,” Voareth said. “The materialistic wants of others and the prices they are willing to pay no longer astound me. How is it that you came to take up residence here?” Voareth asked. “How widely travelled are you?”

"Not nearly as widely traveled as you are," Anne said. "I was born on Earth. I've lived in a couple of places there--a city called Manhattan in the north, and another city named New Orleans in the south. I've been to Earth's moon and its sister planet Mars. To get here, I traveled from Earth to Andoria, then to Efrosia, and then to here. It took me five weeks to make the trip because I spent a week skiing on Andoria. Their planet is in the middle of an ice age, so you can ski there all year 'round." She sipped from her drink. "To ski, you strap long, thin boards to your feet and use a pole in each hand to help you gather momentum. It's for downhill travel only."

Voareth was nodding her understanding. “I am aware of the activity. I once had to ski down the slope of a mountain to chase a prey on Kluflelglahlug Four,” and she pronounced that perfectly. She understood Anne never heard of the planet. “It is a planet, some years travel toward the galactic core, covered in crystalline salt. Wiping out is not advisable.”

But Voareth had heard of Earth. She knew very little about it, but knew it had some part to play in the Federation. It was near this Earth that a heinous crime took place, carried out by the Federation itself. And now Voareth knew just how close she was; five weeks, give or take.

“Once my business is done here, I may have to visit this Earth. I’ve heard it is quite remarkable.”

"Oh, parts of it are--the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Black Forest, Ayers Rock. I haven't personally been to many places, but I've looked through all sorts of travel books," Anne explained. "There's even an entire city carved out of rock, where people once lived a long time ago, and there's a cathedral carved out of salt in a salt mine. I want to see that someday." She looked at Voareth and leaned her head to one side. "You know--If we get to know each other better, why don't you come on with me to Earth, and I'll show you around? I have to take vacation sometime."

Voareth smiled at the prospect of not even having to find her way to Earth. Though the criminals were long dead, the organization was still very much alive and thriving even after its attempted genocide. “Once my ship is in order,” she said, “I will provide transport.”

 

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