Just a Little Taste
Sep. 2nd, 2018 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamer...I, uh.
I knew I was forgetting something. Namely, I was going to post the next chapter of Shadowed Suspicion last Friday. Hopefully I'll remember (& have time!) this Friday. My schedule's nuts this week, including probably not 8 hours of sleep between tomorrow and Tuesday's work, which is why I'm going to post for tomorrow as well.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Star Trek (the 2009!movie verse) Vampire AU
Summary: Liodinu (Leonard) and Jim flirt. And play their little game, trying to find out what exactly each faction (Starfleet, the Strigai) want.
Word Count: 1062
Rating: Gen
Still, I gotta learn to trust my crew. This isn’t Tarsus. These are Starfleet people, and I need to realize that dangers come with all the beauty and wonder of exploration. Particularly for my security teams.
It’d be easier if I didn’t feel them die.
Still, my insight’s telling me the dangers here are all mental, not physical, and at least Spock’s beginning to listen to me (it’s not ‘logical’ and he’s started looking into quantum physics as an explanation for this particular Silvan gift, but my hunches really do tend to pan out) and trust me on that front. Which is why I took Spock and the member of my security team with the strongest telepathy (luckily she joined after that mess with Gary). Given that our preliminary contact indicated that their powers are mostly telepathic, I’m banking on their being able to resist whatever gets thrown at them. I don’t think they’ll do much as spies, but then, I’m aiming to play this game my way, not their way.
And it’s a game I know how to play, whenever I’m feeling famished. They’re having some kind of festival, and I just find somewhere quiet and make them come to me. It’s pretty effective when food is the only thing on the menu.
I feel the presence before I see him. Liodinu, I think they called him. The guilt is rolling off of him in waves. There’s other things—an inner strength, protectiveness, fear (which doesn’t feel like it’s all due to me, though I suppose me showing off might be a little over the top), cynicism, a wonder he tries hard to conceal—but it’s almost drowned out by the guilt.
“Odd for a pretty Captain like you to be on his own, isn’t it?” he asks softly, flashing his fangs a little as he asks—and given the accompanying feelings (dread, reluctance, excitement, a little lust) I get the feeling he’s actually attempting to seduce me. Apparently fangs are considered sexualized. Another reason I probably should keep ‘em sheathed.
Not exactly the approach I’d expected them to take, and given the cocktail of emotions he gave off, I’m only going to give a little nibble, not bite down. I don’t like playing with anyone who doesn’t necessarily want to be there.
I give him a conspiratorial wink, feel his hunger grow, and, well. Someone who’s attracted to me, but doesn’t necessarily want to get intimate. I can play this game, too. “You obviously haven’t heard Spock bitch about all the times I wander off during away missions, then.”
That startles a laugh out of him. He relaxes a little, exactly where I want him—nothing like that. They might not be used to speaking casually, even in relative solitude. “I’d be interested in hearing about that.”
“Well, there was this time on Janus 6. Turns out the miners there had found a sentient species and were using it as slave labor, causing deaths as a result. I’d heard a scream, thought it was one of my crew members and ran off before Spock could catch me.” There’s true engagement in the story, so he follows the gist, anyway. “I ran into one of the aliens, and if not for the empathy I would’ve been melted like the others. Broadcast just enough of my emotions to convince it I wasn’t a threat; Spock managed to work out a new working situation with the mining colony.”
Liodinu doesn’t get to smile enough, I feel. He’s smiling now, fangs poking out just a little. “I—I don’t get the fascination with space,” and he was going to use a harsher term, now, wasn’t he? “…but it’s interesting hearing about these other worlds.”
I smirk. “You don’t get out much?” He bites his tongue with one of those fangs, drawing blood, and my eyes. Pretty much what he was going for. “Come on, you can be honest with me.”
It seems his mission wins out over his reluctance to speak, because he’s not worrying about manners when he speaks next. “Damn it, I’m not a tom-fool exposin’ myself to all that disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence,” he exclaims and blushes prettily.
I make sure to show my teeth when I smile back, and—yeah, well, I’m definitely going to have to warn the others against showing their teeth in public, if that’s a typical cultural response. “You didn’t hurt my feelings. Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile. It’s not the life for everybody.” I do feel a little disappointed, though. “I’m guessing you can’t tell me much about Strigai tech, though.”
An expressive eyebrow travels skyward. “Are you really that interested in technology?”
“I read all the speeches you gave on Strigai advances in medicine that the Marroi gave us access to—that’s your equivalent of journal articles, isn’t it?”
Liodinu’s eyes dull a little. “I wouldn’t know.”
I shrug. “Fair enough.” Even if it’s not really fair at all. “Well, maybe you’ll get the chance to learn. Being part of the Federation includes learning more about your fellow Federation members. An exchange of technology, ideas, knowledge.”
“I was told,” the brunet begins, “…that your people are forbidden from interfering in other cultures. Is that true?”
He’s asking for more than just curiosity, I can tell. He’s oddly tense, for one thing. “The Prime Directive, yes, but there are exceptions.” I move closer and watch his pupils dilate as he shifts. “The thing is,” I whisper into his ear, “…your government is looking to become a member of the Federation, which means we’re within our rights to ask for changes to your society if there are incompatibilities between your culture and the ideals of the Federation.”
That sudden burst of hope from such a short distance away is almost overpowering. I shiver. “Why don’t we take this conversation to the shuttle,” I suggest louder, so that we could be overheard.
He smiles, and I reach out and grab his hand and lead him from this place.
I knew I was forgetting something. Namely, I was going to post the next chapter of Shadowed Suspicion last Friday. Hopefully I'll remember (& have time!) this Friday. My schedule's nuts this week, including probably not 8 hours of sleep between tomorrow and Tuesday's work, which is why I'm going to post for tomorrow as well.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Star Trek (the 2009!movie verse) Vampire AU
Summary: Liodinu (Leonard) and Jim flirt. And play their little game, trying to find out what exactly each faction (Starfleet, the Strigai) want.
Word Count: 1062
Rating: Gen
Spock wasn’t too sure about my plan to use myself as bait, but then, he really seems to dislike every time I put myself in harm’s way. I’m more worried about my crew, since I can handle myself—they really haven’t encountered a Silvan before, even though technically speaking I’m kind of a ‘half-breed’.
Still, I gotta learn to trust my crew. This isn’t Tarsus. These are Starfleet people, and I need to realize that dangers come with all the beauty and wonder of exploration. Particularly for my security teams.
It’d be easier if I didn’t feel them die.
Still, my insight’s telling me the dangers here are all mental, not physical, and at least Spock’s beginning to listen to me (it’s not ‘logical’ and he’s started looking into quantum physics as an explanation for this particular Silvan gift, but my hunches really do tend to pan out) and trust me on that front. Which is why I took Spock and the member of my security team with the strongest telepathy (luckily she joined after that mess with Gary). Given that our preliminary contact indicated that their powers are mostly telepathic, I’m banking on their being able to resist whatever gets thrown at them. I don’t think they’ll do much as spies, but then, I’m aiming to play this game my way, not their way.
And it’s a game I know how to play, whenever I’m feeling famished. They’re having some kind of festival, and I just find somewhere quiet and make them come to me. It’s pretty effective when food is the only thing on the menu.
I feel the presence before I see him. Liodinu, I think they called him. The guilt is rolling off of him in waves. There’s other things—an inner strength, protectiveness, fear (which doesn’t feel like it’s all due to me, though I suppose me showing off might be a little over the top), cynicism, a wonder he tries hard to conceal—but it’s almost drowned out by the guilt.
“Odd for a pretty Captain like you to be on his own, isn’t it?” he asks softly, flashing his fangs a little as he asks—and given the accompanying feelings (dread, reluctance, excitement, a little lust) I get the feeling he’s actually attempting to seduce me. Apparently fangs are considered sexualized. Another reason I probably should keep ‘em sheathed.
Not exactly the approach I’d expected them to take, and given the cocktail of emotions he gave off, I’m only going to give a little nibble, not bite down. I don’t like playing with anyone who doesn’t necessarily want to be there.
I give him a conspiratorial wink, feel his hunger grow, and, well. Someone who’s attracted to me, but doesn’t necessarily want to get intimate. I can play this game, too. “You obviously haven’t heard Spock bitch about all the times I wander off during away missions, then.”
That startles a laugh out of him. He relaxes a little, exactly where I want him—nothing like that. They might not be used to speaking casually, even in relative solitude. “I’d be interested in hearing about that.”
“Well, there was this time on Janus 6. Turns out the miners there had found a sentient species and were using it as slave labor, causing deaths as a result. I’d heard a scream, thought it was one of my crew members and ran off before Spock could catch me.” There’s true engagement in the story, so he follows the gist, anyway. “I ran into one of the aliens, and if not for the empathy I would’ve been melted like the others. Broadcast just enough of my emotions to convince it I wasn’t a threat; Spock managed to work out a new working situation with the mining colony.”
Liodinu doesn’t get to smile enough, I feel. He’s smiling now, fangs poking out just a little. “I—I don’t get the fascination with space,” and he was going to use a harsher term, now, wasn’t he? “…but it’s interesting hearing about these other worlds.”
I smirk. “You don’t get out much?” He bites his tongue with one of those fangs, drawing blood, and my eyes. Pretty much what he was going for. “Come on, you can be honest with me.”
It seems his mission wins out over his reluctance to speak, because he’s not worrying about manners when he speaks next. “Damn it, I’m not a tom-fool exposin’ myself to all that disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence,” he exclaims and blushes prettily.
I make sure to show my teeth when I smile back, and—yeah, well, I’m definitely going to have to warn the others against showing their teeth in public, if that’s a typical cultural response. “You didn’t hurt my feelings. Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile. It’s not the life for everybody.” I do feel a little disappointed, though. “I’m guessing you can’t tell me much about Strigai tech, though.”
An expressive eyebrow travels skyward. “Are you really that interested in technology?”
“I read all the speeches you gave on Strigai advances in medicine that the Marroi gave us access to—that’s your equivalent of journal articles, isn’t it?”
Liodinu’s eyes dull a little. “I wouldn’t know.”
I shrug. “Fair enough.” Even if it’s not really fair at all. “Well, maybe you’ll get the chance to learn. Being part of the Federation includes learning more about your fellow Federation members. An exchange of technology, ideas, knowledge.”
“I was told,” the brunet begins, “…that your people are forbidden from interfering in other cultures. Is that true?”
He’s asking for more than just curiosity, I can tell. He’s oddly tense, for one thing. “The Prime Directive, yes, but there are exceptions.” I move closer and watch his pupils dilate as he shifts. “The thing is,” I whisper into his ear, “…your government is looking to become a member of the Federation, which means we’re within our rights to ask for changes to your society if there are incompatibilities between your culture and the ideals of the Federation.”
That sudden burst of hope from such a short distance away is almost overpowering. I shiver. “Why don’t we take this conversation to the shuttle,” I suggest louder, so that we could be overheard.
He smiles, and I reach out and grab his hand and lead him from this place.
