Chapter 14 added on 2 August 2000
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: R
B'Elanna returned her smile with a smaller one of her own. The Klingon asked if EnNokkia was participating in the tournament, but the pretty Nokk said no, in a disappointed tone. She was not allowed to because of her delicate profession as an artist for the House, though she did practice the combat skills. And from the looks of her, B'Elanna surmised, she must practice a lot. EnNokkia complimented B'Elanna on her formal presentation to the House, for which B'Elanna flushed. The lieutenant told her about the similarities between her own Klingon culture and the Nokk's. Just then, Edyn returned from speaking to a member of another House in order to get the scoop. He informed her it was time to return to LenNokk and finish presenting herself. EnNokkia asked to accompany them, and B'Elanna welcomed her. Once again they walked through the throng of people, and B'Elanna wondered which one of these warriors was going to be her opponent that night. Edyn led her to a corner where the competitors were being measured and examined. A graying Nokk waved her over as several warriors looked on, all sizing her up. They seemed to loom above her as the older member measured her height, arm span, and leg span.
The last thing he did was tell her to undress so that she could be weighed. Huffing for a moment and sparing a withering look at Edyn, who by then found himself drooling, B'Elanna stripped down to her Star Fleet issue sports top and briefs. Luckily, she had changed into the conservative undies this morning. EnNokkia eyed her appreciatively, unbeknownst to the half-Klingon, who was more nervous that a group of males had congregated around her space. The Klingon's lean muscles flexed and contracted before EnNokkia's very gaze. Physique was valued greatly in Nokk society, as it honorable to keep oneself fit for service to the House if ever one was called to arms in defense of the it. The gray-haired Nokk began laying the weights to the counterbalance of the scale. He got up to five tenokks before he squinted at her in confusion.
"Is there something wrong?" B'Elanna asked pointedly, her hands on her hips.
"No, of course not," he answered the warrior quickly.
The wrong thing to do was make a comment on a female's weight, he had learned over the years. His partner, a more elderly female, urged him to get on with it, as the young woman couldn't be in her underwear all day. He laid one more tenokk and a couple of rems onto the scale, and finally the balance began to move and level off. The elderly Nokk recorded the weight measured on a tablet, and gestured for the lieutenant to get off and dress. Even Edyn seemed a bit surprised at how much the compact beauty weighed. B'Elanna scrambled back into her clothes, a little self conscious by the way the warriors alternated between looking at her and whispering among themselves.
It was time to once again, to stand before LenNokk, and during the next trial, she had to be extremely confident. The Klingon found herself under the scrutiny of the House of EnNokk, with EnNokkia joining her family's side.
"You will now demonstrate your worthiness," commanded LenNokk.
A small twenty by twenty foot space was cleared and several youthful EnNokk members stood impassively within it. One of them held a thick, square, wooden board between his hands. B'Elanna understood she was expected to break it during her exercise. She removed her short coat, shook out her limbs and stretched her supple body a few times. She gave Edyn a steady look as he stood to the side, and he clasped his hands together in what looked to be a gesture of luck.
B'Elanna began a series of Klingon katas she learned and practiced in front of her mother, after her brief stay at the Klingon monastery. She had kept practicing them all throughout her life because she had gotten into fights often, and wanted to defend herself from the more discriminating inhabitants of Kessick IV. Star Fleet self-defense would have been improper to use under the circumstances. When one of the members of the square moved in to attack her, she parried the blows and quickly brought him down with grappling, not wanting to harm the young bloods. They moved out of the way once they were defeated.
Edyn looked on with beaded sweat trickling down the sides of his face, worried that the young woman would misstep, but she never did. His heart was filled with admiration as her slick body countered every attack smoothly, until she, at last, reached the wooden board. B'Elanna hesitated for a brief second, not knowing what type of wood material it was constructed from, but only for a second before she split it with one blow of her closed fist in a reverse punch. Her knuckles came away unscathed save for a small scratch.
LenNokk was suitably impressed with the display of power and grace. "You have much skill. I believe you will be a competitive opponent."
Another Nokk warrior stepped forward to address his leader. He was about 6'1" with a deep reddish brown hair, and dressed somewhat formally, his bare arms ornamented with golden bands that clenched at his powerful biceps. The Nokk had a no-nonsense intensity about him, accentuated by the small scars all along his oval face and cleft chin, no doubt from many fights.
"You are allowing her to challenge, Great EnNokk? What about my brother? He was due for his chance of receiving honor from our House," the Nokk claimed, his green eyes flashing.
"Jae'Nokk, your brother cannot challenge this cycle of the moon, because I intend for YOU to be our champion. You brother is not ready yet, at least, not to challenge this warrior," LenNokk stated with authority.
Jae'Nokk was about to reply, but thought the better of it. It was not wise to confront the leader of the House, no matter who his mother was. Instead, he directed his condescending glare towards the half-Klingon.
"I will meet you in combat tonight. Do not waste the opportunity," he advised, his tone dripping with acidity.
~~~~~~~~
Seven examined the droid's optic circuitry distractedly. She had been waiting for B'Elanna to return for the past two hours, but still, the half-Klingon did not appear. Dannan sat at his work table, fashioning a new transceiver for one of the D2 droids that had arrived that morning for repairs. He noticed the Borg's restlessness, and tried to reassure her.
"Don't worry, Ani. She'll be back soon," he told her, twisting the the knot of wires between his fingers.
"I fail to see how you can remain calm. We both disagree with her method of obtaining the credits. There is still time to prevent this from proceeding further," Seven urged. She moved her chair closer to Dannan's. "Bey respects you, Dannan. She will listen to you if you tell her not to fight."
"Perhaps. But it's not just me that she has made her decision against. She chose to ignore your requests, and that demonstrates to me how resolved she is," he said, looking straight into the Borg's eyes. "Bey is concerned for your well-being. And no amount of arguing or pleading from me or Moka will change her mind."
Seven looked away, blushing at the man's words. Dannan noted that his words had achieved the right effect, seeing as how the pink had risen on the young woman's cheeks. Dannan pushed the wires back into the opening and tapped the panel back in place. Seven stood up and walked away, gazing out into the streets from the window.
Dannan continued, "Which is why I will no longer openly oppose her decision."
Seven turned, frowning. "Please explain?" she asked.
"To do so would cause her distress, and would divert her attention away from what she needs to really concentrate on. We must put her mind at ease," Dannan explained. "She must know she has our full support."
Seven nodded. "She will have it," declared the ex-drone. "However, I must tell you I will do what I have to, to insure Bey's safety as well."
Before Dannan could question what she meant by that particular statement, the shop door opened, and Edyn and B'Elanna entered. The ratty-faced dealer strolled into the room, beaming from ear to ear. B'Elanna trailed in after him, and was greeted by the subtle smile on Seven's face. Seven's eyes lighted when she saw her lieutenant approach her side.
"How did it go?" Dannan inquired, as he took Edyn's hand in a grasp of greeting.
"Fantastic. Bey made a big impression at the presentation." He continued, "At least, I found myself admiring her attributes."
Dannan elbowed him, as B'Elanna gave him a dirty look, which Seven mirrored.
"As well as LenNokk,...the entire House of EnNokk." He couldn't resist adding, "...and their young mistress, EnNokkia." He grinned impudently at the fiery warrior, whose eyes suddenly shot wide open.
Seven quirked her brow with the last statement. Stepping close to Edyn, she said, "Perhaps, you should tell us exactly what happened."
~~~~~~~~
The wind had picked up that day, and many of the inhabitants of the planet were left trying to find shelter. People walked around with their cloaks held up to their noses as they moved through the streets, as stall owners continued to peddle their merchandise to anyone wandering around. Two figures made their way to a make-shift tent that housed an open bar. They were glad to be finally out of the sandy storm, and sat down at a free table. Kal and Orn took off their cloaks and shook off the sand that had been trapped in the folds. A waiter came by and took their orders for food and drinks. Kal leaned back in his chair, and glanced around the tent for people he knew. A mixed group of aliens took up several benches in the middle, and it looked as though they were gambling. The roll of dice could be heard in between the ruckus of laughter and swearing. Kal grabbed his beer once it had been placed in front of him, and started to guzzle it down. He was done quickly, and ordered another one before the waiter even finished setting the plates.
A thin, young Nokk ran under the tent, huffing and puffiing, apparently from the exertion. In his hand, he held a roll of paper, which he lifted high before the crowd in the tent.
"I have the list!" he exclaimed excitedly, waving it around like bait to predators.
One of the members of the crowd, a tall fella with a webbed neck, narrow face and mustard-colored skin, came forth and took the paper from the young man's hand. He unrolled the list and glanced over it, immediately smiling. He patted the Nokk on the shoulder, and led him towards the tables. Kal recognized Wex, the man now holding the list, another fellow Mewk whom he had served with on another ship several years ago. The man was crafty, and had a good sense of where the money was and how to get it.
"Here it is, my friends. The list of competitors in the Nokk tournament, their names, identifying descriptions, and measurements. There seems to be only a few non-Nokks entered into the tournament this moon," announced Wex. He leaned over and murmured something to the young Nokk, who quickly brought over a standing board, and proceeded to copy the competitors, their statistics, and their opponents onto the board.
Kal put down his drink, and told Orn, "I'll be back. I need to say hello to an old friend."
Kal sauntered over to the table where his friend sat reading off the names of the contestants. The rowdy bunch of aliens were already talking about the fighters, and who they thought were going to win. Money was starting to jingle in their pockets, and soon, the betting would begin as well.
"Wex!" the gang leader shouted out.
The bookie turned to see who yelled out his name, and grinned when he saw his former shipmate amongst the crowd.
"Kal, you old scamp. What are you doing on this forsaken planet?" Wex asked.
"Repairs to my ship. It's a long story," Kal muttered, not wanting to mention his embarrassing incident with the two escaped females. "So this is what you've been up to."
"Aye, I carved out a nice little niche for myself here," the other Mewk agreed. "What about you? You want to place a bet?"
"Humph.... Maybe, if you've got some insider's info I could use," Kal hinted.
"For you, of course. It looks to me like there's an interesting match between a young Nokk, and a new alien warrior. The Nokk has been 5 to 1, and has a mean streak to him. Could be interesting to see who wins, 'cause his opponent's a female. The statistics are skewered towards the Nokk, but I'm betting on the female."
"Let me see," Kal asked, holding out his hand for the list. Wex handed him the paper and pointed out the statistics for both the warriors.
"Those betters are ignoring the fact that the female weighs like a middle class fighter. There's got to be something different about this alien," reasoned Wex. "There's no way she could weigh that much without something peculiar about her anatomy."
'Peculiar, alright. Brown skin, dark hair, forehead ridges, 2.25 metros tall,... I know exactly who you are.' Kal thought to himself, almost crumpling the paper in his fists, already planning his revenge.
To be continued....