= Padassa Trading Station - Quorum Space (Romulan Annexed) =
= Harker's Personal Quarters =
After the incident with Rangi and having her taken to the cell,
Martin was surprisingly calm and Harker was watching him
carefully.
Harker sat at the table and waited while his food was
served. He looked at Martin who sat across him at the
decorated table. "Are you sure you're not hungry, Martin?"
Nicolas asked him nicely. "The chef can make you anything
you desire."
Martin shook his head and stared moodily at the intricate
pattern of the table cloth. He took the edge of it into his
fingers, looking at Harker now and then surrepticiously.
Harkers food had had been served and he was inspecting it.
Martin picked at a thread in the embroidered cloth,
determined not to speak to this horrible man.
"Nicolas sliced through a piece of chicken on his plate and
slowly took a bite. "Mmmmm," he said. He then sliced a wedge
of a fried potato took a bit. "Oh this really is delicious."
He continued eating for a minute or so and then stopped to
take a drink from his glass of wine. "You really should try
some Martin, just a bite," he suggested, taking his fork and
putting a drumstick in Martin's empty plate.
Martin was hungry...very hungry, for it had been sometime
since he had eaten anything. He eyed the chicken silently
then glanced at Harker who seemed to be ignoring him. The
chicken smelt inviting and Martin wanted it.
He pulled at the thread in his fingers and succeeded in
making a small hole. Harker was savouring his wine so Martin
decided he would take just a little bite...nothing
much...just a taste of it.He slid his hand over the ege of
the table towards the plate and touched the chicken. His
mouth watered.
Taking another drink from his glass, Nicolas glanced at
Martin. He pretended not to notice and turned his attention
to his own plate.
Martin furtively took a bite. Harker was right, it 'was'
delicious and he ate it, watching Harker all the time.It was
soon gone and he returned to plucking at the thread
undercover of the table edge but eyeing Harkers meal now,
wishing he had more for himself.
"So tell me Martin... that terminal we found in the chapel.
How does it work? It looks so old, I don't think I'd be able
to figure it out myself," Nicolas said. There was silence
for a moment and then Harker placed a baked potato in
Martin's plate.
The little boys eyes grew wide. This was too much to
resist. He picked up his knife and fork and began a clumsy
attempt to slice it.
"It 'is' old." he said. "Its very old."
He bit into the potato and looked across at the man opposite
him. " I can figure things out...my daddy taught me." he
said with a touch of defiance. It was good to know this
horrid man wasnt clever.
"Were you able to figure it out?" Nicolas asked curiously.
He already knew the answer; he had his people take it apart
and scan every byte to make sure Rangi hadn't submitted a
message, but the terminal's memory was wiped and there was
no evidence of any transmissions made. At least, that was the
official story.
"Yes." Martin said and chewed happily on his potato. He was
right, this man wasnt clever at all. " You dont know much do
you?" he asked, delighting in being able to be impolite. He
looked at the chicken on Harkers plate.
"Hmmm," Harker mused at Martin's question. He motioned with
a finger to a servant who brought over a covered plate.
Putting it down in front of Martin, the servant lifted the
lid to reveal a full meal, steaming hot. "Could you teach
me?"
Martin paused before answering, concentrating instead on
the food. After a moment or two he said:
" I can teach you how to play TacSim. Im really good at it."
He picked up a drumstick and bit into it.
"Excellent, I look forward to it," Nicolas smiled. The
servant came over again, this time with a large bowl of
chocolate pudding. "Finish your meal first, young man," he
added with a parental tone of voice.
Martin ate steadily as wafts of choclatey aroma drifted
across the table. It seemed the man wanted to be his friend.
" When can mummy come and have some dinner?" he asked
"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine," Nicolas said. "I'm
sorry that you had to see her treated that way, but I had to
in front of the Romulans. I couldn't otherwise... they might
have suspected that I wanted to help your mummy."
"Help her?" Martin looked up eagerly. "You want to help
mummy? We can go and get her then...you can tell the
Romulans to go away."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple Martin," Nicolas shook his
head. "You see, the Romulans can't know I want to help her,
otherwise they will hurt her. But the place I sent her to is
safe; she has a friend there who will keep her company and
she will sleep soundly tonight."
Martin frowned. " I thought the Romulans were your friends."
he ventured.
"I have to make them think we're friends," Nicolas said.
"So that I can help the Federation. That's where I come from
after all... I come from Earth."
Martins confusion showed in his expression. This was all
very complicated but Harker was smiling to him as though he
really meant what he said.
" I come from Earth too." Martin told him and at a signal
from Harker, the servant dished out a generous helping of
the pudding, removing the chicken plate and placing the dish
in front of Martin. The pudding oozed chocolate sauce and
Martin picked up his spoon.
This was just what Rangi liked and he could imagine what she
would have said if she had been there to share it. He dipped
his spoon into the sausce but looked at Harker thinking that
something wasnt right. Surely, he asked himself, his mother
would know if Harker was really a friend. She had recognised
him so perhaps what he said 'was' true yet Rangi had
distrusted him.
He dropped his gaze to the pudding and began to eat some
whilst Harker leaned back in his chair and sipped from his
glass.
= End Log =
Nicolas Harker
Federation Defector
Romulan Star Empire
[NPC by Bren]
-
Martin Guzman
Civilian Child
Starbase Unity
[NPC by Rangi]
