MSNPC Slek - Gorn, but Not Forgotten

[David H]

   ((The "Space Hulk" - Cargo Bay))

The Slek Gambit had been initiated. He'd sacrificed his beloved ship and crew and escaped with only a phaser blaster, a tricorder and a pack of latinum and supplies. He'd also invested time into securing transport for Starfleet's own MacKenna and Collins. He didn't have to save them, he could have left them to explode on the Fortuna, but ever the savvy thinker, the Ferengi DaiMon never knew when their paths might cross again, and he wanted to ensure they owed him a favour. He pointed the bulky phaser at the pair and said his farewells.

Slek: Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Starfleet. ::Beat.:: See you around...

MacKenna: Or not. 

Collins: Response

Slek: ::Tutting.:: Gratitude costs nothing, y'know! I could have left you on my bridge to be atomised. Luckily, I have the lobes to recognise future investments when I see them.

MacKenna: An investment in your demise. Go. While you still have the chance.

Collins: Response

Slek: I may not have shown it, but I have enjoyed your company, my dear. I do hope you survive this maze, and that you make it back to your precious Arrow.

He didn't. Part of him wanted to see them lost and stranded in this maze until thirst, hunger or madness took them. 

MacKenna: Stop your whining. I should kill you where you stand, but I have more important things to do. Go run away, do whatever you are going to do.

She shooed him away, like a Hu-mon would do to a naughty dog or other animal. Slek sneered a little but decided Fate would be better off dealing with these two horrid Starfleeters. 

His confrontation with MacKenna and Collins over, Slek scampered away as fast as his tubby legs could carry his portly frame.

The Fortuna was gone. A necessary sacrifice, he thought. Most of his possessions and rarities were safely on Ferenginar. He could buy a better ship soon. His most pressing task was finding Bregg's shuttle and retrieving the prizes he'd been commissioned for. 

Slek dodged between large cargo crates as he made his way to the landing site. The slippery moss coating everything on this ancient wreck was making it difficult for him to manoeuvre, but he pressed on. He just needed access to the shuttle's transporters now that he was within the Hulk itself. It was a simple mission, and only a fool could mess this up. 

He had no idea where Grixon was. There wasn't much use for a First Officer with no ship to command, and so he silently said his farewells to his former First and wished him luck. He would either die here on this pyramid or throw in his lot with the Starfleet scum. Probably the latter. Treacherous grub!

The sweat was pouring from him now as he moved faster. He passed a large open crate and stopped a moment to catch his breath. Ordinarily one would be shocked to discover a large ladybird-like bug emerge from it. Large and red, it was the size of his fist. Slek licked his lips and plucked the unwitting creature from its clutch on the container, before taking a large, hungry bite out of it like it was a rosy red apple.

Gulping down the sticky flesh and juice of the bug, he finished his snack before scurrying further into the cargo bay.

   ((Mini-Timewarp))

   ((Ferengi Shuttle - Cockpit))

He felt better now he had actual Ferengi duranium beneath his feet instead of that foul mulch. His stubby fingers danced across the globe-like consoles and sure enough the transporter beams engaged and deposited a vast container from deep within the cryo-stasis chambers in the dark depths of the Hulk. Slek rubbed his hands together in glee as he approached the massive trunk. It almost filled the entire cargo section of the craft, but he caressed the stony workmanship of the container, and dusted off a thousand years worth of dust and grime from the viewport.

Slek grinned like a Cheshire cat. His toad-like reflection peeked back at him, as the soft turquoise light from inside the pod glowed serenely. Inside the stasis pod were eggs. Gorn eggs, to be precise. All fertilized and frozen for centuries, ready for the great thaw on the new Homeworld. Slek had no interest in any bio-engineering escapades the Hegemony might be up to with these subspecies' eggs. He only cared about his money. And his fee's had just doubled! This expedition had cost him a ship and crew, after all.

He returned to the flight seat and powered up the impulse engines. He was about to engage when a blip on his scanners caught his attention. Ah, another little prize for the collection. This one is not in stasis. Curious. Engaging the final transporter beam he scooped the egg from the Throne Room and in seconds it was reconstituted in the co-pilots seat. He gave it an affectionate pat before launching his shuttle back into the vast depths of space.

   ((Another Timewarp - Deep Space))

Slek had made a rendezvous with his contact in the Hegemony, and all he had to do was wait for the Gorn battleship to arrive. The new terms of his contract - his fees, overheads, expenses and levies - had all been agreed with by the Gorn, and he squealed with delight at their acceptance of his terms when he showed them his cargo.

He'd been waiting for several hours and he was beginning to tire. For a cargo as precious as this he thought the Gorn would have already left the Ithassa Region by now. Time was money! As the old Ferengi saying went.

The egg next to him shuddered slightly. Slek thought it was the first signs of fatigue creeping up on him, but he examined the egg closely as it rumbled and shook in the seat. His eyes bugged out as a large flake of shell cracked off and hit the deck with a smash. Moments later, the egg had been made short work, and a tiny, miniature Gorn sat in his co-pilot seat, covered in embryonic goo and blood.

Slek tittered nervously as the large yellow eyes of the baby scanned the new room it found itself in. Expecting to see its parents - an adult pair of Gorn willing to nurture it and guide it - instead it saw the fat jowls of DaiMon Slek. It's yellow, predatory eyes narrowed as its primal instinct, honed for millenia, took over.

The Ferengi DaiMon glanced cautiously over to where he'd laid his phaser blaster. It sat harmlessly on top of one the computer terminals across the cockpit. Did he have enough time and stamina to race across the tiny room and defend himself before the predator struck? Or would he find himself now the first meal of a new subspecies of Gorn he'd unloaded from the "Space Hulk"?

Slek: Oh, #$%@!

~Fin?~

MSNPC DaiMon Slek

Former Commanding Officer

What Was Once the FMS Fortuna

Simmed with great relish by:

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Lt. Commander Maz Rodan

First Officer

USS Arrow, NCC 69829

C237708DW0

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