Summary:
Taking place before Chiana arrives on Moya.
Chiana finds a rather unexpected bond to a Nakik

by
ChianaGray
1/22/02
 
 

"Don't look now," the young man narrowed his eyes as Chiana came to sit around the small cauldron with the others. "It's you again."

Chiana said nothing, glowering as she pulled what looked like a boiled, hairless rat out of the stew and slapped it into her bowl. She curled her lip at him as she pulled a back leg off and began to eat. "Speak for yourself Tavirs. You do anything else in this pit besides become an ass?"

Tavirs snorted as he shook his head. "I'm not the one who stowed away on a ship headed straight for Akir. Did you even know where this was going before you boarded?"

"I - so I was in a crate in the cargo hangers," Chiana shrugged as she chewed, tossing a leg bone back into the small cauldron. "I couldn't hear where it was going. I'll just get my hands on some money and catch a real ride out of this - Akir."

"I just hope whatever you're running from is allot frelling worse than what you're going too," Tavirs smirked to himself.

Chiana glanced away with a roll of her eyes. She had been doing well enough though it was getting only harder and harder just to get by ever since she and Nerri split. She didn't want to admit she stowed away on this dump to get away from Salis. It seemed like the very microt Nerri had left the Nebari official was in her shadow trying to catch up with her. She couldn't tell what was more frightening, being alone without Nerri, her very last link to family much less anyone she could really trust or having Salis breathing down her neck like a dark reminder of the greater good. She felt like she was really in deep dren this time ... maybe.

She felt the ship beginning to land and smiled to herself as she planted her bowl into Tavirs chest and stood. "Later Tavirs!"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved at her as she slipped towards the bay doors in anticipation of their opening. "Half an arn from now you'll be wishing you were still here eating this dren Chiana! C'mon, stay, take the ride back to Donlath, it's no great loss. Just stay out of the crates this time!"

Chiana eased through the bay doors as they opened and bounded across the landing pad into a massive square shaped tunnel of black stone.

She slowed as she came through the slightly crowded passage, gazing over the few ships at open docking bays where they were being unloaded of their cargo. She spotted one that was PeaceKeeper, unloading large capsules. PeaceKeeper's weren't exactly her most ideal to catch a ride from but at least this time she had the time to look for something and find out where they were going. The PK could offer a much better trip with real food, comforts, if she could talk the captain into it ...

A small smile crossed her lips as she moved in towards the open bay. She saw only a blur of movement before something about a cats size landed on her chest and clung to her. She threw out her arms, sucking in her breath in the initial shock as a handful of youths came running straight for her. They plowed her down as two of the older boys tried to snatch the creature by its tail and legs and yank it off of her. Its claws dug into her as it screeched. Chiana screamed as she kicked one of the young men away. She whirled to her feet, backing away as she tried to pull at the small creature. It clawed franticly up to her shoulder inside her coat as the youths watched Chiana jump and cry out in a rather comical fashion.

A pipe came swinging for the bulge in her shoulder. She shouted as she grasped it before it could strike her, the pipe slapping hard into her palms as she gaped at the young man swinging it. She literally hissed at him as she shoved the pipe back into him, sending him to the ground. She hung on to the pipe, wild eyed as another young man stepped in, swinging it at him.

"Just back the frell off!" She shouted, shifting uneasily as they encircled her.

"We were chasing that Nakik!" The young man she knocked down protested as he stood.

"Well, now that he's down my frelling shirt you can forget it!" Chiana tocked her head as she moved as if to swing at him again.

"Go," the one who seemed to be the oldest of the bunch ordered as he rested his hand into the other youths chest.

"But Dyru!"

"You heard her Nobas," he narrowed his eyes as he pushed Nobas back. "She said back the frell off. Let's just get going before the authorities think something's up."

Chiana lowered her head, daring to look from the corners of her eyes to where Dyru was indicating as the youths slipped away faster than the ship rats. The PeaceKeeper guards seemed less than concerned as they turned back to their cargo bay. She followed the PK, pursing her lips as she smacked at the bulge on her shoulder. The creature whimpered as it crawled to the small of her back and clung there, its claws biting into her flesh.

Chiana was more afraid of wasting any more time as she came along side the captain in the bay. She watched him mildly as he slid his ident chip through a pad of official whatevers.

"I'm not buying," the captain stated as he looked up from what he was doing at Chiana. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he tugged at his black gloves. "You're Nebari, what are you doing on this planet?"

"I thought someone like you could use some company on your way back," Chiana smiled to herself as she moved closer into him from behind, drifting her fingers up his arm.

"Could I?" The captain wondered softly as he turned to her. "And where am I going?"

"My way?" Chiana lifted her eyes up to him with a wry smile. "I can help you ... make the journey more relaxing."

The captain smiled back as he took her hand off his hip and held it. "You must be pretty desperate to get off this planet to tangle with me young lady. Unfortunately, I do not leave for two more solar days. If you're still here then, I'll give you transport to Agrunan, it's along our route."

"Two days is such a long time to spend all by yourself on this planet," Chiana commented softly as he began to escort her out of the bay. "I can keep you company while - while your waiting."

"Unless, or until a better transport offers itself ..." the captain smiled lightly as he touched her chin. "I'm in no business of accepting passengers, Nebari. If you're here in two solar days the offer will still stand, no time before ... and ..."

He creased his brows sharply as he opened her coat, the bare smile crossing his face again as he reached in and pulled up a long tail of copper fur. "Get rid of the Nakik by then?"

Chiana watched him return to his business, swallowing lightly as she tried to think of where she might eat or hold up for two solar days if any of the other cargo ships had captains with this much starch in their uniforms.

"You're not really going to go with captain Kurith are you?"

Chiana's lips parted, her eyes widening as she turned her head to Dyru. "Are you still here?" She asked in surprise as she began to make her way down the passage again.

"You can't get on that man's ship," the young man insisted as he followed her. "You'll never see Agrunan, not unless he sells you there."

Chiana stopped, licking her lips as she turned around to him. She searched his eyes as she narrowed her own. "You got any better ideas? Or, are you just after this creature that stuffed itself down my shirt to get away from you?"

"What are you going to do with it?"

Chiana barked her laugh as she tocked her head. "Maybe I'm gonna pry him off and let him claw on you for a while ... Is there anywhere I can get out of this dren?"

Dyru nodded as he moved closer to the passage way wall and slid the grating away from what looked like an access shaft. "You can stay around us until you get a transport from one of these cargo ships, I can find you a better captain."

"What's that going to cost me?" She asked without hesitation as she peered doubtfully at the access. "A scared drenless Nakik?"

"Just keep it," he sighed as he looked up at her more seriously. "It's just safer to have numbers than go around asking these drannit heads for anything. Face it Nebari, right now you look more like you were dragged through a boiler room than - company."

"Right," she nodded slightly as she watched him move into the access. She touched her back, shaking her head as the Nakik made a whimpering sound, clinging into her again. "Fine, fine ... we'll go in."

***********************************

Chiana paused in the hatchway into a large, dimly lighted room if it could really be called one. Young dirty faces watched her with interest, collecting around her as she found a place to sit down and moved to take her coat off. The Nakik followed the movements of her coat as if trying to bury itself into the warm, protective folds. She bundled him up into it as she set her coat to her side, trying to find a way to keep him in the safety he felt there and get a look at his face at the same time.

"What're you doing in there huh?" She asked quietly as the small creatures head finally came out as she held out a food cube from her stash. The black and copper furred creature had a kind of pudgy little face with long haired ears that fanned out from its head. He sat in a very humanoid fashion, grasping the food cube with a small hand of stubby fingers.
The Nakik sniffed the cube with his wet, black nose, taking a small nibble as he adjusted in her coat to sitting cross legged. He blinked several tears from his jade eyes as he chewed and then wiped one eye with the back of his hand.

"Are you keeping him?" A youth asked as a few of them bolded around her to get a better look at the creature.

"He seems almost hooman," Chiana awed as she attempted to scratch beneath his hear, smiling as the Nakik leaned his head into it with a purring sound and began to pat her wrist. "I should let him go, where - he belongs here right? Where do Nakik's stay?"

"They just hide everywhere," the youth shrugged. "I'd let him go on the top side, no one could catch him there."

"Nakik's don't like anyone," Dyru stated as he came to them and sat down. "They don't just jump on people and become their instant pet."

"He's not my pet," Chiana protested as the Nakik crawled into her lap and began to wrap her coat around himself, sniffing at the others and grabbing their fingers as they reached out to pet him. "Why were you chasing him? Couldn't you see how scared he was?"

"Well," Dyru looked away as he half shrugged. "They fetch a price. Besides, who cares about a Nakik being scared? It's only an animal."

"Yeah," Chiana sighed as she searched Dyru's eyes. "What do animals know about being scared ..."

"I saw a swarm of Nakik's get into a cargo carrier once," a youth spoke up, looking wide eyed at Chiana.

"Yeah I saw them too!" A second piped in. "It was a shipment of something they liked so they just got into everything, the captain thought he was under attack and started shooting them. There were so many of them we didn't want to try to catch them cause they scratch and bite and throw rocks. They're really smart too."

"You give a Nakik a stick it'll try to hit you with it too." The first youth added as Chiana began to chuckle, brightened by the curiosity the Nakik was brewing among them. "It was a shipment of some food they just couldn't resist, there were Nakik bodies and food everywhere."

"It was the smell," a third stated over Chiana's shoulder. "They liked the smell and it was Tanot roots."

"No it was Luxan Safroks!"

"They bit that captains fingers off ..."

"No they didn't," Dryu snorted. "Nakik's don't bite."

"I saw a Nakik shoot a pulse pistol! They can bite!"

"Well, this one's not biting right?" Chiana asked as the Nakik placed its small hand on her shoulder and stood, gazing the others over as he sniffed. "He seems to be just as curious of us. I don't think they'd throw things at you if you didn't try to chase them. Just show me somewhere we can let this one go back to his friends. He's not any harm to anyone, he just wanted to be left alone."

"It's your Nakik," Dyru shook his head with some disbelief as he stood.

***********************************

Chiana followed Dyru through the tunnels, not minding the group that followed even though the youths were unusually quiet. It was almost eerie, reminding her of the same kind of foreboding silence when she ran the streets on Nebari Prime. She kept most of her attention on the Nakik, amazed with the little creature as it walked with her as if he were nothing more but just a two foot tall version of the rest of them.

"Hey," Chiana smiled, crouching down as they came to a pause in a crossway. The Nakik looked to her, blinking his jade eyes as he gazed deeply into her own. He slowly came into her same crouch. Chiana raised an eyebrow as she touched her nose. The Nakik tilted his head as he touched his. She chuckled as she swayed her head, narrowing her eyes as she took his hand. "I'm almost afraid to ask how sentient you are."

"This way," Dyru muttered as he turned. "Be careful, if the West group finds us here they'll pound us."

Chiana followed him as many of the others rushed ahead, slipping one by one into a narrow crack through the pipes that lead into a cave mouth. She followed out, blinking slowly as she was met by the rays of an early morning and a cool wind. The youths could barely suppress sharp yips of their pleasure as they ran and chased each other through tall weeds and leaped into large pool springs amid the jagged black rocks. She could scarcely believe life actually found a way to spring up in such a place.

Chiana moved along the rocks cautiously, stopping when the Nakik bounded ahead of her and straight for a brush of weeds beyond them. She watched him go with a solemn expression until her eyes caught on three young teens racing after the Nakik with sticks.

"No!" Chiana shouted as Nobas and the two others caught up with the Nakik. The Nakik screamed as they began to beat on him with the sticks. Chiana dashed for him, screaming out as Dyru came from nowhere and grasped her, holding her back as Nobas pulled the Nakik into the weeds. "No! Stop! You've got to stop them!"

"Chiana!" Dyru shouted as he pushed her. She fell, gasping as she hit the rocks. She looked up at him pleadingly. Dyru shook his head as he stared back haggardly. "You don't understand ... we have to eat. It's - it's not as if we were being cruel ..."

Chiana said nothing as she gained her feet and ran.

"Chiana wait!"

Chiana made her way back into the passage of the cargo bays and into a ship that looked like it had been abandoned for some time. She sat down in it's near empty cargo hold, resting her hands on her knees as she stared out at nothing as if dazed.

*********************************

Chiana appeared again around a large crate, watching the PeaceKeeper cargo ship carefully until she saw its captain wander into his ship. She stepped out, tocking her head to one side as she came to a sudden pause.

"You should have let me find you a better transport," Dyru stated as he stepped around. "I could have at least done that for you."

"You really don't want me to follow this guy," Chiana barely smiled as she turned her gaze to Dyru. "What do you care? Your stomach is full right?"

"I didn't know Nobas was even with us," Dyru sighed as he stepped closer. "If you had gotten in the way they would have just beaten you off."

"Yeah I kind of had that impression when you were going to hit the Nakik while it was hanging on me."

"Stay long enough for me to find you a better transport."

"I don't think so," Chiana tried to swallow back the tears she felt and then laughed uneasily as she twisted around. "Besides, my chances are the same as the Nakik's. Only difference is ..."

Dyru touched Chiana's shoulder as she stared off at the ground as if in awe of it. "Maybe, that there aren't enough people like yourself ..."

"Yeah," Chiana muttered quietly as she looked away and began to walk to the ships open hatch. "Sure."
 
 
end