Kidnapped drabbles
Jan. 16th, 2007 03:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Spoilers for the end of Courting the Ice Princess. Set in
maderr's Kidnapped 'verse.
---
Royal Exile
The cool water of the pool was soothing and refreshing all at once. He glided from one end to the other effortlessly, darting around plants and twisting every which way just for fun, content to simply relax in his native element. Every time he came down here and immersed himself in the water Ekaitz felt a wave of gratitude that he'd somehow managed to find a place on the one ship in space that boasted its own pool.
It wasn't like being home would have been, but then, 'home' hadn't really been home for a very long time. With every passing day Ekaitz was starting to think of Eliv as home less and less. There was nothing for him on his homeworld now, and everything on the Ice Princess.
A ripple on the water alerted him that he was being watched. Ekaitz rose to the surface, blinking to find Jei regarding him dubiously. "You have no idea how much you freak me out when you do that," the Avarri stated solemnly.
Ekaitz blinked and swam over to the edge near his lover. "Do what?" he asked.
"Stay underwater for so long." Jei made a face. "It's unnerving."
Laughing, Ekaitz reached up with wet hands to pull Jei's face down for a kiss. "My planet is entirely covered in water," he explained when they parted. "There are floating facilities for visitors and such, but the Elivin people all live underwater. I spent the first eleven years of my life without ever breathing air."
Jei considered thoughtfully. "Must make it tricky for your people when practically every other race breathes air..."
Ekaitz shrugged. "You've seen how I end up carrying bottles of water everywhere. I got used to having to make do."
"Yeah..." Jei frowned. "I keep meaning to ask about that."
"That?"
"You and... well..." Jei hesitated. "You kind of get weird whenever you or anyone else mentions your homeworld."
Wincing, Ekaitz settled back into the water some, trying to decide how much he was willing to share. Did it still hurt? He considered the question carefully, realizing that with Jei's presence so close, so comforting, it really didn't hurt so much. Not anymore.
Shrugging as nonchalantly as he could manage, Ekaitz said, "Nineteen years ago I was exiled from Eliv. If I ever return, I'll be put to death immediately."
Jei's crimson eyes widened. "What? Why?"
It didn't hurt. It didn't. "I..." Ekaitz hesitated. Explaining the banishment to the High Chancellor had been one thing. Explaining it to Jei was harder than he'd expected. "I lost a challenge. By our customs, that made me outcast."
"Challenge?" Jei looked puzzled. "What kind of challenge?"
Steeling himself, Ekaitz drew in a slow breath. "I challenged my cousin for the throne of Eliv."
Jei blinked several times, then gaped. "You... throne... cousin? Your cousin is the King of Eliv!?"
"Actually, he's still the Crown Prince, but my Uncle isn't doing so well..." Ekaitz shrugged as casually as he could manage. "And technically we're no longer related, as I'm in exile now."
"But..." Jei looked rather spectacularly overwhelmed. Even moreso than when the High Chancellor had permitted him to stay on board. "But how did you... why did you... You wanted to be King?"
"Not... exactly." Ekaitz winced. "It wasn't so much that I wanted the throne as I didn't want my cousin to have it. He's lazy, selfish, and arrogant, and will make a horrible King. Unfortunately, he also cheats."
Jei blinked. "Cheats? So..."
Ekaitz nodded. "He cheated, so I lost. But I still lost." He shrugged. "Our laws are less forgiving of potential challengers who lose their challenges than they are of spoiled princes who fight unfairly."
"But..." Jei blinked again. "But... you can't just... He can't..." He sighed in frustration. "Isn't there anything you can do?"
Ekaitz shook his head slowly. "I tried, and I failed. Perhaps someone else will see what he is like and be able to depose him. But it is out of my hands now, unless it somehow becomes a threat to the Infinitum Government." He smiled briefly, somewhat coldly. "If the High Chancellor so orders it, I will face him again, and this time I am not obliged to fight fairly."
Jei hesitated. "If... if it did come to that... would you still..."
"My place is on the Ice Princess," Ekaitz said firmly, reaching up again to caress Jei's cheek. "With you."
Smiling a bit, Jei leaned forward with the obvious intent of stealing a kiss, then yelped as Ekaitz pulled him into the water. The Avarri flailed wildly for a moment until Ekaitz managed to get his arms around Jei's waist, supporting him.
"You... you... you..." Jei sputtered. Ekaitz silenced him with a kiss.
"Don't protest, or I won't show you how we Elivin do certain... things..." he slid his hand between Jei's legs, "In the water..."
Jei bit back a soft moan and leaned into his touch, though his shoulders remained a bit tense. "Just promise you won't let me go under..." he managed to gasp out.
Ekaitz smiled and kissed him again. "I promise." His eyes danced. "My word as a prince on it."
Jei shook his head slightly, though he submitted willingly to the kiss. "That's really going to take a while to get used to."
Chuckling quietly, Ekaitz murmured, "You have all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."
Birds of a Feather
The tension on the bridge was so thick it would take a thermal-slicer to cut it. Everyone who could possibly find reason to be elsewhere had done so, and those remaining were very carefully looking anywhere but at Tau Ceti. Meeting the Gremlin's eyes when he was in one of his furious snits was always dangerous.
The source of the problem was sitting in his chair very studiously studying his console and trying hard not to feel absolutely miserable. It never seem to fail that whenever Meiki was left alone for more than ten minutes, he broke something. That, inevitably, meant that Tau Ceti had to come fix it, and thus set everyone on edge.
Every time it happened, Meiki apologized. Every time it happened, Tau Ceti completely ignored him in favor of correcting whatever had gone wrong this time. It was hard on Meiki, who tried so very hard to be friends with everyone, but it hadn't gone without notice that Meiki was the only one the Gremlin treated in such a manner. Anyone else would have been subject to a scathing tirade with dripping insults before Tau Ceti went to work. Meiki got... nothing.
A few of the crew had tried asking Meiki, who didn't really understand that he got special treatment. No one dared ask Tau Ceti.
Nervously the Draconis shifted, then cleared his throat. "Um, Captain? Incoming call from the Ice Princess..."
Ekaitz nodded. "Put him on."
The High Chancellor's head and shoulders filled the screen. "Captain Kai," he greeted, then his pale brows arched slightly as he took in the unusual green presence swearing quietly at electronic components. A moment later his eyes fixed on the orange Draconis trying desperately to disappear into his chair. "Ah. I see Meiki broke something again."
Ekaitz smiled faintly. "I'm convinced that one of these days Tau Ceti is going to make the entire ship Draconis-proof."
"Draconis-proof, yes," the High Chancellor chuckled. "Meiki-proof, no."
"You have a point," Ekaitz laughed. "I guess there's something Tau Ceti can't do after all."
Tau Ceti patiently ignored everything but the task at hand, knowing full well that Pyotr would gently tease him later about Meiki's constant accidents and Tau Ceti's remarkable tolerance for them. They both knew why; the only reason Pyotr could get away with teasing at all was because he shared the sentiment.
He still vividly remembered the sunset Draconis's first day on the ship. Pyotr had actually sent a message to warn him, though he hadn't understood why until Meiki actually arrived. He'd been bouncy, bubbly, cheerful, outgoing, and Tau Ceti had wanted to strangle him. No one should be that perky all the time, especially not a big orange lizard. He'd said as much to Meiki before storming off to put in a call to Zero so he could curse Pyotr out in every conceivable manner.
Pyotr had known. He always did. There was no way he hadn't done it on purpose, giving Tau a brilliant, hyperactive Draconis and knowing that there was no way the Gremlin would be able to refuse. From the moment he'd seen the scales, he'd known he was trapped.
Draconis. Genetically-engineered to be living energy supplies. A race of artificial creatures that had vastly outstripped their original design and were now the subject of fierce debate within the IG. Debate over whether the species would live or die.
Tau Ceti furiously wrenched a panel into place, his searing hatred focused on nebulous groups billions of parsecs away. How dare they so calmly pass judgment on a living, breathing species? How dare they think they had the right to decide who lived and who died? It wasn't right. His own people were facing extinction within the next few generations and battling as hard as they could to stay alive. The Draconis were thriving - or at least, until some idiot somewhere decided they didn't get to live anymore.
He slammed the casing back into its position with more force than was strictly necessary, sitting up and looking out over the bridge at where Meiki was looking up at the screen and listening to the conversation between his captain and the High Chancellor. Tau Ceti's lips tightened imperceptibly as he stood. Whatever decision the fools on Zero reached, at least one Draconis would be safe. The Ice Princess would never give him up.
Only Pyotr noticed his gaze, so no one else knew what the barely-there smile that briefly flitted across the High Chancellor's face was for. Just Tau, and he scowled darkly as he gestured rudely at the screen before stalking off. They both knew it didn't mean anything, just as they both knew that if Pyotr asked, Tau Ceti would allow a second, a third, a tenth Draconis on his ship.
There was absolutely nothing he could do to save his own people from extinction. The same would not happen to the Draconis.
Even if one Draconis in particular did find new and unexpected ways to break things every week. Or less.
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---
Royal Exile
The cool water of the pool was soothing and refreshing all at once. He glided from one end to the other effortlessly, darting around plants and twisting every which way just for fun, content to simply relax in his native element. Every time he came down here and immersed himself in the water Ekaitz felt a wave of gratitude that he'd somehow managed to find a place on the one ship in space that boasted its own pool.
It wasn't like being home would have been, but then, 'home' hadn't really been home for a very long time. With every passing day Ekaitz was starting to think of Eliv as home less and less. There was nothing for him on his homeworld now, and everything on the Ice Princess.
A ripple on the water alerted him that he was being watched. Ekaitz rose to the surface, blinking to find Jei regarding him dubiously. "You have no idea how much you freak me out when you do that," the Avarri stated solemnly.
Ekaitz blinked and swam over to the edge near his lover. "Do what?" he asked.
"Stay underwater for so long." Jei made a face. "It's unnerving."
Laughing, Ekaitz reached up with wet hands to pull Jei's face down for a kiss. "My planet is entirely covered in water," he explained when they parted. "There are floating facilities for visitors and such, but the Elivin people all live underwater. I spent the first eleven years of my life without ever breathing air."
Jei considered thoughtfully. "Must make it tricky for your people when practically every other race breathes air..."
Ekaitz shrugged. "You've seen how I end up carrying bottles of water everywhere. I got used to having to make do."
"Yeah..." Jei frowned. "I keep meaning to ask about that."
"That?"
"You and... well..." Jei hesitated. "You kind of get weird whenever you or anyone else mentions your homeworld."
Wincing, Ekaitz settled back into the water some, trying to decide how much he was willing to share. Did it still hurt? He considered the question carefully, realizing that with Jei's presence so close, so comforting, it really didn't hurt so much. Not anymore.
Shrugging as nonchalantly as he could manage, Ekaitz said, "Nineteen years ago I was exiled from Eliv. If I ever return, I'll be put to death immediately."
Jei's crimson eyes widened. "What? Why?"
It didn't hurt. It didn't. "I..." Ekaitz hesitated. Explaining the banishment to the High Chancellor had been one thing. Explaining it to Jei was harder than he'd expected. "I lost a challenge. By our customs, that made me outcast."
"Challenge?" Jei looked puzzled. "What kind of challenge?"
Steeling himself, Ekaitz drew in a slow breath. "I challenged my cousin for the throne of Eliv."
Jei blinked several times, then gaped. "You... throne... cousin? Your cousin is the King of Eliv!?"
"Actually, he's still the Crown Prince, but my Uncle isn't doing so well..." Ekaitz shrugged as casually as he could manage. "And technically we're no longer related, as I'm in exile now."
"But..." Jei looked rather spectacularly overwhelmed. Even moreso than when the High Chancellor had permitted him to stay on board. "But how did you... why did you... You wanted to be King?"
"Not... exactly." Ekaitz winced. "It wasn't so much that I wanted the throne as I didn't want my cousin to have it. He's lazy, selfish, and arrogant, and will make a horrible King. Unfortunately, he also cheats."
Jei blinked. "Cheats? So..."
Ekaitz nodded. "He cheated, so I lost. But I still lost." He shrugged. "Our laws are less forgiving of potential challengers who lose their challenges than they are of spoiled princes who fight unfairly."
"But..." Jei blinked again. "But... you can't just... He can't..." He sighed in frustration. "Isn't there anything you can do?"
Ekaitz shook his head slowly. "I tried, and I failed. Perhaps someone else will see what he is like and be able to depose him. But it is out of my hands now, unless it somehow becomes a threat to the Infinitum Government." He smiled briefly, somewhat coldly. "If the High Chancellor so orders it, I will face him again, and this time I am not obliged to fight fairly."
Jei hesitated. "If... if it did come to that... would you still..."
"My place is on the Ice Princess," Ekaitz said firmly, reaching up again to caress Jei's cheek. "With you."
Smiling a bit, Jei leaned forward with the obvious intent of stealing a kiss, then yelped as Ekaitz pulled him into the water. The Avarri flailed wildly for a moment until Ekaitz managed to get his arms around Jei's waist, supporting him.
"You... you... you..." Jei sputtered. Ekaitz silenced him with a kiss.
"Don't protest, or I won't show you how we Elivin do certain... things..." he slid his hand between Jei's legs, "In the water..."
Jei bit back a soft moan and leaned into his touch, though his shoulders remained a bit tense. "Just promise you won't let me go under..." he managed to gasp out.
Ekaitz smiled and kissed him again. "I promise." His eyes danced. "My word as a prince on it."
Jei shook his head slightly, though he submitted willingly to the kiss. "That's really going to take a while to get used to."
Chuckling quietly, Ekaitz murmured, "You have all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."
Birds of a Feather
The tension on the bridge was so thick it would take a thermal-slicer to cut it. Everyone who could possibly find reason to be elsewhere had done so, and those remaining were very carefully looking anywhere but at Tau Ceti. Meeting the Gremlin's eyes when he was in one of his furious snits was always dangerous.
The source of the problem was sitting in his chair very studiously studying his console and trying hard not to feel absolutely miserable. It never seem to fail that whenever Meiki was left alone for more than ten minutes, he broke something. That, inevitably, meant that Tau Ceti had to come fix it, and thus set everyone on edge.
Every time it happened, Meiki apologized. Every time it happened, Tau Ceti completely ignored him in favor of correcting whatever had gone wrong this time. It was hard on Meiki, who tried so very hard to be friends with everyone, but it hadn't gone without notice that Meiki was the only one the Gremlin treated in such a manner. Anyone else would have been subject to a scathing tirade with dripping insults before Tau Ceti went to work. Meiki got... nothing.
A few of the crew had tried asking Meiki, who didn't really understand that he got special treatment. No one dared ask Tau Ceti.
Nervously the Draconis shifted, then cleared his throat. "Um, Captain? Incoming call from the Ice Princess..."
Ekaitz nodded. "Put him on."
The High Chancellor's head and shoulders filled the screen. "Captain Kai," he greeted, then his pale brows arched slightly as he took in the unusual green presence swearing quietly at electronic components. A moment later his eyes fixed on the orange Draconis trying desperately to disappear into his chair. "Ah. I see Meiki broke something again."
Ekaitz smiled faintly. "I'm convinced that one of these days Tau Ceti is going to make the entire ship Draconis-proof."
"Draconis-proof, yes," the High Chancellor chuckled. "Meiki-proof, no."
"You have a point," Ekaitz laughed. "I guess there's something Tau Ceti can't do after all."
Tau Ceti patiently ignored everything but the task at hand, knowing full well that Pyotr would gently tease him later about Meiki's constant accidents and Tau Ceti's remarkable tolerance for them. They both knew why; the only reason Pyotr could get away with teasing at all was because he shared the sentiment.
He still vividly remembered the sunset Draconis's first day on the ship. Pyotr had actually sent a message to warn him, though he hadn't understood why until Meiki actually arrived. He'd been bouncy, bubbly, cheerful, outgoing, and Tau Ceti had wanted to strangle him. No one should be that perky all the time, especially not a big orange lizard. He'd said as much to Meiki before storming off to put in a call to Zero so he could curse Pyotr out in every conceivable manner.
Pyotr had known. He always did. There was no way he hadn't done it on purpose, giving Tau a brilliant, hyperactive Draconis and knowing that there was no way the Gremlin would be able to refuse. From the moment he'd seen the scales, he'd known he was trapped.
Draconis. Genetically-engineered to be living energy supplies. A race of artificial creatures that had vastly outstripped their original design and were now the subject of fierce debate within the IG. Debate over whether the species would live or die.
Tau Ceti furiously wrenched a panel into place, his searing hatred focused on nebulous groups billions of parsecs away. How dare they so calmly pass judgment on a living, breathing species? How dare they think they had the right to decide who lived and who died? It wasn't right. His own people were facing extinction within the next few generations and battling as hard as they could to stay alive. The Draconis were thriving - or at least, until some idiot somewhere decided they didn't get to live anymore.
He slammed the casing back into its position with more force than was strictly necessary, sitting up and looking out over the bridge at where Meiki was looking up at the screen and listening to the conversation between his captain and the High Chancellor. Tau Ceti's lips tightened imperceptibly as he stood. Whatever decision the fools on Zero reached, at least one Draconis would be safe. The Ice Princess would never give him up.
Only Pyotr noticed his gaze, so no one else knew what the barely-there smile that briefly flitted across the High Chancellor's face was for. Just Tau, and he scowled darkly as he gestured rudely at the screen before stalking off. They both knew it didn't mean anything, just as they both knew that if Pyotr asked, Tau Ceti would allow a second, a third, a tenth Draconis on his ship.
There was absolutely nothing he could do to save his own people from extinction. The same would not happen to the Draconis.
Even if one Draconis in particular did find new and unexpected ways to break things every week. Or less.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 11:43 pm (UTC)If you ever get around to writing Ekaitz's return to his homeworld it should be interesting. Returning home always is.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-17 12:06 am (UTC)Back to the first: now we see why Ekaitz was exiled - and we get to wonder if the Elivin king's death will lead to a new fic - but I wonder if Jei has told the story of his past to Ekaitz. Not that I think Ekaitz would need to hear it... you know, like as a condition of the relationship. But after Ekaitz sharing his past, maybe Jei might share his. Also, about his name... I don't remember his longer name, 'cause, you know, it is longer, but I wonder if he'll want the crew to start calling him that, or if he will embrace the nickname as who he is now, not just his 'whore name,' or whatever.
*glomps*
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-22 06:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-17 02:14 am (UTC)Meiki is like a small child who hasn't yet grown into stability. Who knows if he ever will but it would be interesting to see him as a parent to a little someone just as hyper as he is. The mother's curse is,"may you have children just like you", would so be just revenge. Tau would go crazy.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-17 07:04 am (UTC)Awww, Tau Ceti is the protector of Meiki, even though the poor Draconis probably has no clue. Too cute!
Did I mention that I love your drabble-moods? :D
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-17 03:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-18 03:12 am (UTC)I less than three you.
Poor Ekaitz. You do realize it completely rankles that his asshole cousin is getting the throne. >_> *pets Ekaitz* I do love his assertion though that he has Jei and that he's not going anywhere. *squeals happily* And I love Pytor even more for seeing fit to rescue all these misfits and give them a place to belong. That just makes me melt into a happy puddle. ^__^
And I LOVE seeing the Draconis thing from Tau Ceti's POV. *_______* That was just an awesome touch, taking the dwindling number of gremlins and Tau's experience and then seeing through his eyes how really pointless and wrong it is to try and eliminate the Draconis. ;_;
Gyah! *tackle glomps*
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-18 04:22 am (UTC)The Tau one had me soooo horribly sad. ;___; A tearjerker but in such a good way. It's soooo lovely sad and poor Tau. I love that he's so enraged by the Draconis thing and it makes absolute wonderful, horrible sense. They both knew it didn't mean anything, just as they both knew that if Pyotr asked, Tau Ceti would allow a second, a third, a tenth Draconis on his ship. That in particular. ::loves:: SOOOO DELICIOUSLY SAD AND GOOD. (and we're very lucky the rest of teh bits are so fluffy. ::grin::)
As for the water one. ::purr:: "Don't protest, or I won't show you how we Elivin do certain... things..." he slid his hand between Jei's legs, "In the water..." That's just evil. ::grin:: I want to see how they do certain things in the water. ^__~
Though of course I did like the royalty-evil cousin-cheating-exile thing too. ::grin:: (And you know it's true because plot I love more than smut most of the time. ^__~)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 03:44 pm (UTC)And we see more of Tau Ceti's motivations! Although it seems that his tolerance worries Meiki more than a bit of shouting would, my poor baby.
...Huh. I can actually kind of picture Tau Ceti going on a rescue mission to save the draconis, in true crazy style...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:06 pm (UTC)I wouldn't put it past him if things didn't work out for the Draconis, but all will be fine. ^.~ You'll see.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:08 pm (UTC)Again, with the taunting. -disaproves of, in a friendly manner-
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:19 pm (UTC)Oops. Sowwy. ^^; She's writing it now?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:23 pm (UTC)And I hope she is - reading all your Kidnapped-verse things has restored all my impatience about those stories.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-13 06:40 pm (UTC)