Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

(Alright things are going too smooth. Time to shake it up. Lol)

Killian nodded when she repeated the word 'tomorrow'. That was if all went well. Pulling out a few pieces of paper he searched them for any kind of stamping. Something that would indicate it was possibly important. Then he looked up when she offered to teach him how to read. "I read numbers and a few words. Not enough to get through this." He could get through some simple things and usually enough to understand a very basic concept but, he didn't know enough words to move along in a smooth manner. "Besides we don't have time for me to learn tonight. Maybe some other time." Giving her a quick wink he jumped onto the bed and watched her pop up slightly. It was great having a bed big enough to do that. Otherwise the rest of the beds he grown up around were too small and he had to be careful.

They were barely through the sorting and Mike burst into the room with wide eyes. "Timo is gone!"

"Are you sure?" Killian was already getting himself off the bed. "He loves poking around the estate." The boy was certainly an explorer if anything. Timo was always finding something new or explaining some little thing that he noticed. "Lets spread out and look for him. Just be careful." Grabbing the box of papers, Killian grabbed it and headed back toward his room. He shoved the box under the bed and locked the door on his way out.

This was the worst time for the boy to go missing. Children around here were no different than he was as a youngster. All of them were brutal little beings and they would probably have Timo beat to a pulp with multiple broken bones in a matter of a few hours if they decided that he was too much trouble. "C'mon." Mumbling under his breath he pushed every door open on the floor and started to work his way through the house.

Andy called out for Timo multiple times. "Timo!" Working down through the house she met with Mike and the two of them shrugged. So far there was no answer. "Hey this isn't fun anymore. We're worried about you." The little lady nodded toward the back gardens. "Mike lets check out there." It was one of the few logical places remaining. The two of them barely set foot outside and some rustling sounded in the nearby brush. "Timo!"

Mike grabbed for the girl. "No something's wrong lets get out of here." Since the discovery of the bones in these people Mike had no desire to fight with them. Sharp punch to the face knocked him out. Andy would have screamed except it was cut short with only a short squeak sounding before she was silenced too.

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Andy woke up in a small cell. It was dark and she couldn't see much. "Hey...." Carefully moving from one side to another she finally bumped into someone. "Hey are you ok?"

A familiar voice grumbled at her. "Shhh....We need to figure a way out of this." Mike stood up and rubbed at his sore face. "They broke my nose I think."
 
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This place was just to cool to spend the entire time stuck in the honeycomb room. While the other adults seemed perfectly happy with that, Timo wasn't. He snuck out of the room while Mike and Kato were talking. The gardens were pretty but boring. He was much more interested in the other alien kids. Timo ran around the estate, following the sounds of laughter. He reaches a fence overlooking a sparring grounds where kids twice his size wrestled each other into the dirt.

His eyes widened in amazement. Each one was so powerful. He had no desire to join in but he began venturing closer to get a better look. Then something massive wrapped around his neck. He was lifted clear off the ground and brought face to face with annoyed looking guard.

Timo could only assume that he'd done something wrong. His legs kicked at the air, whimpering and saying sorry over and over again as the guard carried him easily. "I'll go back and I won't leave! I promise! I'm sorry!" The guard didn t respond and eventually time have up fighting. A moment later he found himself tossed into a cell with a bruised neck. He huddled in the corner, whimpering...mentally crying for someone to come save him.
***
Star ran around like a chicken with her head cut off. "Timo!" She paniked. What if merris had taken and killed him After all? She was outside on the road by the estate, calling for him. Heavy footsteps sound behind her. She spins and a massive hand wraps around her face.

Kato still couldn't move as quickly as the others and opted for searching for timo within the estate. He went upstairs calling for the boy. There was no response. He pulled back a curtain and peered out. Just below him was a garden where Mike and Andy were searching. Beyond the garden was the road where Star was searching. Only, she wasn't alone. One of the estate guards grabbed Star around the face she struggled in His grip then suddenly went limp. The guard hurried off with her as Kato pounded the window. "No!! Star!"

He looked down in the garden just in time to see another guard haul Andy and Mike off to god-knew where. Kato hurried down the steps. "Killian! Killian! They've been taken! Star, andy, Mike! The guards took them!"
***
"Andy? Mike? You found me! It's dark...." Timo whimpered from another corner of the cell.
"Damn..." Star sat up and rubbed her forehead attempting to relieve her new found headache. "Where the heck are we?" She felt a little body shift next to her then suddenly grab hold.
"Hey, timo. You're ok now bud. Don't worry, Killian's gonna get us out of this." She hoped...
 
Hearing the panicked voice calling his name was not a good thing. Killian darted out of the room and plowed right into the doctor. Fumbling a little he reached out and grabbed the doctor's hand as he flailed before he could fall back on the stairs. More than likely Kato's back was still healing a little bit. "Which direction?" Listening to the instructions he wrapped an arm around the doctor and started to haul him with. "I'm not leaving you here." Obviously he couldn't trust anyone to leave his friends alone and this was turning into a minor issue. Nerine had made sure that he couldn't keep an eye on them constantly and as soon as a prime opportunity presented itself they were snatched away.

Killian got started down the street and then a blast tore the ground in front of them. The two were blown back several feet and Killian laid on the ground stunned for a moment. After what felt like forever he sat up. "What?" Wincing he turned to see Kato covered in debris. It wasn't much more than dirt and little pebbles. Pulling the doctor off the ground he shook him slightly. "Kato, wake up!" Another blast hit the building behind them.

It was like they were thrust into another war zone. The captain laid over Kato for a moment while more debris fell. Finally the doctor appeared to be awake. Maybe dazed, but functional enough. "You keep an eye out for them and I'll keep us moving."

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Mike nodded grimly to the boy. "We found you." He didn't want to say what had happened because it seemed to only get worse. "Andy are you alright?"

The lady nodded and then remembered that they couldn't see her clearly. "I'll be ok. Its......EEEEE.!" A blast sounded and she jumped into Mike's arms. As soon as she realized where she was Andy carefully let her legs down one at a time and then another blast sounded. The man almost fell over with the sudden impact again. "Oh my gosh!" Screaming loudly she buried her head into the man's chest.

"Augh!" Falling back into the wall of the prison he noticed that even those were shaking. It wasn't a good sign at all. Someone was attacking the city and he didn't know who it was. Anyone crazy enough to go to war with these people had no sense whatsoever. That was unless they were divided among themselves and they fought. Somehow that didn't seem too unrealistic. Still if they were prisoners it didn't bode well. "Shhh...Everybody quiet." Mike tried to untangle the little blonde from his neck and strained his ears. There were foot steps. Far lighter than any of their captors.

A light shone into the darkness and a voice yelled. "Over here." Pattering feet sounded and whole bunch of chubby average sized looking people came to stop in front of them. "Poor things they must be starved." One of them nodded to the other and they began to unlock the doors. "Quick hurry out before the Chippequoti come."

Andy glared at the fat people. "What are you doing here?" It seemed that the fat people would be the last ones to wage a war on such warlike folk. "You probably can't even run at a decent pace." Instead she was shocked to find that all the little barrel shaped men and women could run just as fast as she could. There was an occasional murmuring and then they were ushered onto a ship. "You'll be safe here. There is a bubble around the ship. A shield. Whatever your want to call it. We've a few prisoners to release yet."
 
Star held Timo in her arms, curling over him protectively as the prison trembled around them. She couldn't imagine who would be crazy enough to attack the Chippequoti, but hopefully Killian would take the opportunity to rescue them. "Whoa!" Timo exclaimed as the fat people unlocked the doors and ushered them out. "More aliens!?" He asked in amazement. No one was able to affirm or deny that at the moment.
"You'll be safe here. There is a bubble around the ship. A shield. Whatever your want to call it. We've a few prisoners to release yet."
"Wait...." Star pauses at the ship entrance. "We have two more friends in need of rescuing. One is like us, tall thin man...the other is Chippequoti, his name is Killian. Please, get them both. They were at a mansion near the central gardens."

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

Kato's ears run as Killian shook him awake. He raised a hand to the back of his head, feeling the lump which was quickly forming. Killian pulled him to his feet, ordering him to keep an eye out for the others as they ran. It seemed rather obvious that's what he was going to do...
Kato allowed Killian to pull him along, keeping a sharp lookout. "I don't see any sign of them." He winced as the street across from them exploded. "Killian, we need to find a guard...see if we can get the location of a jail or something of that sort out of him."
 
One of the men shook his head at her. "No one is friends with a Chippequoti. It is simply not possible. They are wicked, vile creatures that ought to have been slaughtered before they could reproduce." Still it seemed that the woman was quite adamant. "Very well, we'll see what we can do." Toddling out of the ship at a remarkable pace for his shape he almost looked like the Michelin man running down the street. Only a few minutes later a female came in bearing a massive pack full of the little experiments. "Raided another lab. Looks like they tried to reverse engineer some of our...." Her eyes got wide when she saw the strangers. "You poor half starved things."

Mike stared with wonder as the next fat person tumbled into the ship. They were all a flurry and he wondered if they were really just built like that. All of them? They must have been stark mad or tremendously ferocious to think that they could just run into a city of Chippequoti like this. After several minutes he lowered his gaze.

Andy however couldn't help herself. She got up and peered at the little bag full of objects. "Would you look at that! They stole some of the parts right off our ship. Lousy bunch of jerks."

"Us!?" The woman and one of the men turned toward them. "We didn't steal anything off a ship. It was all in the labs."

"No I didn't mean you. I was talking about the Chippe whos' or whatever you call them." At that the little round faced people chuckled and resumed their examination of the latest discoveries of their opponents. It was always wise to make sure there wasn't a sign of any great progress. Otherwise they would have to call for back up and extend the raid.

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Killian growled at Kato. "I'm looking to but I don't see anyone either." They had all disappeared somewhere and he couldn't be sure where that somewhere was. What if they had all gone to hunker down? It didn't make sense. Then he saw a little blurb of a man dart by. Dropping Kato he started out after the man. "Hey!" Jumping over a heap of fallen blocks from a building he tackled the little fat man.

That face looked so innocent and Killian never saw the stun gun coming. Suddenly he tensed up and his muscles wouldn't let him move at all. Jaw clenching he grunted and convulsed. "Well that's what you deserve." Kicking the Chippequoti he peered about. The woman had said she had a friend and this one seemed a bit off in the head. He didn't act the same as others might have. In fact the fat man should have been dead. Instead he was probably bruised is all. "Just nod your head yes or no. Are you Killian?" Waiting for some kind of response he stared at the alien with some anticipation and then started laughing. "Oh I forgot you can't." Giving the Chippequoti another good zap he tied him up and started to drag him toward the ship.
 
Kato rushed after the man who was dragging Killian away. "Hey! You, let him go! What are you doing!?" He demanded.
The man explained then described the rest of his friends to him, promising they had them on the ship. With no other plan or place to go, Kato followed, doing his best to help carry/drag Killian the rest of the way. "You didn't really need to tie him up you know...well actually, after stunning him..." He glanced down at Killian, almost certain he saw murder in his eyes and revised his statement. "Uh, you may want to keep him tied up until he's around Star again."

Star paced at the entrance of the ship. What was taking so long? Finally Kato appears with another fat man, dragging Killian behind him. "Killian! Kato! What happened?" She demands.
"Uh, killian tackled him so the guy pulled a tazer out and stunned him." Kato explains as they pull him into the ship.
Star winces in sympathy and gets to work untying the ropes.
 
As his muscles slowly started to relax Killian worked at turning himself. With his legs tied up it was more like flopping around like a fish. Still he was doing his best to get free and then Kato came trotting behind like an imbecile. Of course he would be gullible and just believe the fat man was telling the truth. Why would anyone lie to numbskull doctor? Killian was sure that Kato wanted to hasten the process and just get rid of him since he picked Killian's feet up to speed up the process. Suspended between two people made it harder to fight. "You piece of shit!" Soon as he regained use of his vocal cords he started to yell at the doctor. Of course Kato was going to advise keeping him tied up. "You don't even know if she's on board." Struggling a little more he almost got his feet out of the doctors grip and then they started up a ship ramp. Wriggling harder he finally got dropped on the floor. "Ugh..."

Star came over to help untie him and Killian still glowered at the doctor and the fat man that carried him around. In fact he saw nothing but a bunch of little bubble people. Gradually his curiosity began to outweigh his anger.

Mike and Andy were sitting at a table full of food. Both of them were enjoying sandwich after sandwich. They were filled with a soft fluffy pudding type thing. It was sweet and filling at the same time, but irresistible. Andy took another sandwich and started to gnaw on it. "Oh now I know why they're this shape. I would be to if this was put in front of me everyday."

The engineer tried to hush her. "Shhh...Not so loud."

One of the people turned toward them "We're born this way and that's just the food that we like. Have to maintain the shape." Chuckling they served another couple of sandwiches onto the platter. All the friendly smiles stopped and wary eyes followed Star as she led Killian over to the dwarfed table. Everything felt dwarfed after he'd been someplace that was built for someone his size. Taking a seat at the table he quietly took one of the sandwiches and did his best to ignore the constant stares and occasional smirks. The food was good anyway. "Thank you." Almost growling the word he did his best to try and sound at least half way grateful. At least they were taking good care of the crew.
 
Star bumped Killian's arm as he glared. "Relax, and be nice. They did save us after all." She smiled at the woman next to her who kept piling food on her plate. She ate until she was full, but even then they continued to insist that she "the poor half-starved woman" continue to eat and get her strength back. She giggles at their jovial way, finally able to smile fully for the first time since arriving in this system. Her mind felt like it could finally relax. She leans on Killian's arm, watching and listening to them with a smile.

Timo was engaged in a lively conversation about the food with a nearby alien man who was telling him about the different sorts of foods they had and the things Timo had to try. Timo would, in exchange, tell about the food they'd had on the planet he used to live. "And Star, she makes the best food ever!" The boy declares happily. A wave of faces point at her and she flushes. "Um, yeah...I can cook...but half these things here I've never seen before so..." She chuckles.

Kato sat by Andy. She looked as if she were till trying to decide if she could relax these people. He glanced at Star, glad to see her smiling again so brightly. The worry lines around her face and eyes had faded and she seemed to be enjoying herself. If only...she could be on his arm, and not the monster arm that was Killian's.
 
The food was good and Killian noticed one odd little difference in the food they served him. It didn't have any of the yellow bead looking things on it. Frowning he watched the others eat the little yellow beads and lick their fingers off happily. Leaning toward Star he whispered in her ear. "What are those?"

Their hosts had impeccable hearing and one of them smiled at him. "They upset Chippequoti stomachs. Try if you like." They knew that his kind were hard headed and just to prove them wrong he would probably eat some. It was so entertaining to have one as a prisoner. One that was non-violent so long as he had a smaller human with him. That was the odd thing that they had observed. This one was different than many of the others and he was appeased far more easily. A broad grin spread even wider on the little bubble man's face when he watched the Cheppequoti try one of the sandwiches with the yellow beads. It was entirely predictable.

Killian snorted and traded sandwiches with Star. "It won't make me sick. I've never had a food do that before. Got guts of iron."

Somehow Mike had a feeling that these little bubble people had seen enough of Killian's kind to predict a few of these things. Still there wasn't any point in saying otherwise. Quietly he watched Killian eat one sandwich with the yellow beads then two and three and then he satisfied with proving them wrong or could be proving them right in a very real way.

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That night they were shown to a large room with a massive bed. Apparently the bubble people liked to sleep in groups on a bed. Instead of fitting 12 little persons on a bed they gave them their own room and Killian opted to take one of the edges. He didn't really want to sleep next to anyone, but Star. Andy took a deep breath and just chose a spot. Didn't matter where she was going to end up sleeping it would be next to one of the guys. Big communal areas like this was very strange indeed. Mike ended up sleeping between Andy and Kato. Crossing his arms over his chest he laid in the bed very stiffly almost afraid to move and then he heard the groaning start. "Good lord." Sitting straight up he peered across the bed at Killian and then laid down again. "You just had to prove them right didn't you?"

Killian pulled his knees up to relax the stomach muscles and then turned his head to belch. "Oooh." A little bit of chuckling started when he felt Star nudge him. "Sorry." Despite the stomach pain he kept on alternating between chuckles and belches till he was told to move to the floor.
 
Star peered over the edge of the bed at Killian who was laying on the floor and still belching. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?" She smirks at him. "You totally deserve this..." She poked him in the chest with a quiet giggle, then withdrew her hand back under her head, closing her eyes to sleep. Unfortunately none of them would be sleeping much tonight with his belching.
*************
Star stared out the window of the ship, holding a cup of warm tea in her hand. She'd woken up earlier than everyone else again, finding a cook in the kitchen who was already preparing breakfast for the crew. He offered her some tea and she'd gladly taken it. Despite Killian's noisy belching all night she'd managed to get more rest than she'd had the entire time they'd been with the Chippequoti. She turned her head as soft feet pattered up to her. It was one of the female bubble people, whom she'd learned were actually called Bippins. The woman was older, with soft wrinkles around her face and a short stature. Star had noted her at the head of the table during dinner. All the others had regarded with the utmost respect so she assumed she was some sort of wise woman or mother of the crew.

"You're the half-starved little star that's tamed the Chippequoti in our midst." The woman says to her, taking a seat in a nearby chair.
Star chuckles. "My name is Star, yes but I'm not starved, promise. As for Killian, he's my boyfriend. I haven't tamed him."
The woman chuckles in return. "Star...a strange name for a human. I am Netta." The woman puts hand to her chest and inclines her head at Star. "And that Chippequoti is as tame as they come. Not in all my days have I seen one quite like him."
"If you don't mind me saying, it seems like there is a bit of rivalry if not war between your people and them." Star notes.
"Oh yes." Netta waved a hand like it was no big deal. "We've been at war for centuries. The Chippequoti are quite determined to enslave the weak wherever they go. The bippen are quite determined not to be enslaved and rescue those who are."
Star nodded and and drank her tea.

"You look like one who's been through war herself. Rather recently I imagine." Netta says suddenly.
Star pauses mid-drink. "Uh..." She chuckles nervously. "What makes you say that?"
Netta chuckles. "You'll find that we Bippen are quite perceptive. So much so there is no lying here, because we can tell immediately if you are."
"Wow...that's impressive."
"And very useful." Netta nods. She stands and pats Star's hand. "Take this time to rest and gain some weight, little star. You'll find we are very good hosts and the rest of our people are very eager to meet another race of visitors from another system. Especially the little human with her tamed chippequoti."
"Killian is not my tamed chippequoti." Star protests.
Netta winks mischeviously. "Whatever you say."

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"I like these people!" Timo proclaims happily at the table. Most of the other Bippens had already gone to their work stations, but a few lingered watching them curiously.
"So do I." Star smiles. "Maybe we can actually rest and relax for a while without being worried about being stabbed in the back, or kidnapped, or killed or whatever else."
"A reprieve will most definitely improve everyone's health and morale." Kato states with a nod. "But we still know very little about these people. We shouldn't let our guards down yet."
 
Killian finally fell asleep shortly before dawn. His guts felt like mush by then and he was long past the point of laughing about all the belches that made Mike growl. It was several hours later and he woke up to find himself alone in the room. That wasn't so bad. At least it wasn't till his guts started rumbling and he needed the bathroom. "Awe...crap where is the bathroom?" Hopefully it wasn't a communal bathroom too. If these people liked to do everything together he was going to think that they were twisted. After a few minutes of pushing open ever door he found a bathroom and it was thankfully one thing that the bubble people did do in privacy.

The others joined Star in the kitchen shortly after she had finished talking with the woman. At first Mike didn't seem to know what the look on Star's face was for or why the woman was so fascinated with Star. They were just regular folk as far as he was concerned. Timo was bursting with glee like usual. It was good to see the boy back to himself instead of running around like someone was going to conk him out at anytime. Nodding he agreed with the doctor. "We could agree with that. I was ready for some hospitality instead of hostility."

Vigorously Andy nodded her head in agreement. "Oh I'll agree with that." She was more than ready for something nice. Sitting down she scarfed whatever they put in front of her. "I could grow fat eating like this all day everyday."

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After a few days on the ship Killian started to pay attention to whether his food had yellow beads or not. He had one repeat incident and that was enough. It was strange being in a ship full of little people like Star. They were always trying smear a salve on his stitches in his side. Though it was only tender the salve was nice and he let the ship doctor do as he pleased most of the time. That was until the doctor thumped his ribs with a little hammer. "Ow!" Jumping up he tore the hammer out of the doctor's hand and put the tool on the counter. "What the hell would you do that for?"

"I'd like to try running a series of tests." The little bubble man stood straight and tall though he warily eyed the Chippequoti in front of him. It was rumored even among the humans that the woman Star had tamed this one. They didn't use the exact phrasing but, they would speak about how the Chippequoti would do anything for her and how he was much more calm in her presence. "We have been working on a formula of bones for a while. I need a real specimen if you would be willing to give me samples."

Killian stared at the doctor. "I might but no more thumping on my ribs." Rubbing his side with one hand he growled at the doctor and started out of the room. The ship was in a bustle and he tried to squeeze against a wall to get out of the way of all the little bubble folk. They were barely making it past him in the hall cause they took up so much space with two abreast. Finally the hall was clear and he started to walk again when another bubble person showed up. Killian stopped and pressed against the wall again. The little woman chuckled and ran past him. What they were laughing about he had no idea.

"You have trained him well. Your Chippequoti is nicely mannered. He even makes way for us in the halls." The Bippen stopped next to Star to comment before taking her seat at the navigation pit. There was a requirement of a minimum of 4 pilots for the ship to ensure that all systems ran efficiently.

Finally making it to the pit Killian stood against the back wall to watch them land. He'd never seen a ship so complex in all his life. It was amazing how the people here were able to coordinate every last bit of the effort to the second. As they prepared to land there was a large crowd outside. All of them rolli polli too. If there was a time to feel out of place it was now.
 
Star had found herself in the navigation room the 2nd day after breakfast and was watching the four pilots work together with ease and perfect synchronization. It was rather incredible and she found herself asking a series of questions about how their piloting system worked. Eventually one of them offered to teach her, in exchange for stories about how she had tamed the mighty Chippequoti. Star laughed and agreed spending the majority of the next few days learning how to fly their ship in each of the different positions. In exchange she told their story, starting with how she'd tried to steal the ship from him then agreed to cook for the crew in exchange for not being locked up. She gave animated stories of the dangers of smuggling, of finding Timo who snuck aboard and convincing Killian to let him stay. Of stabbing him with a needle for being a jerk and tending to his various other battle wounds. They laughed with her for many of them, empathizing with the brute that she'd had to put up with until he'd become much nicer. She left out the part about nearly dying...downplaying it to a bullet wound that left her crippled for a little bit. That memory was still to tender and painful to tell in full.

In exchange for her entertaining stories, the Bippen shared their own crazy war stories. Each one was trying to out do the other in how well they could share said story. Star had to laugh at their many crazy schemes and clever tactics. Over the next few days she got to know the majority of the crew rather well and introduced them personally to each member of her crew, aside from Killian who insisted on being grumpy around the rolly-polly folk. She knew it was just his defense mechanism. He still wasn't quite sure how to relate to them. At night she slept next to Killian, tucked in his arms or pressed against his back. Timo would tease them in the morning about their "cuddling" and Star would point out he'd been trying to cuddle Andy as well. At this he blushed and stammered and that was the end of that.

On their fifth day on the ship, the Bippen home world came into view. Star's eyes widened in delight. She'd never seen a planet covered in so much water. There seemed to be one massive land mass that they headed towards. As they got closer a bippen tapped her on the shoulder. It was time for the professionals to take over. "You have trained him well. Your Chippequoti is nicely mannered. He even makes way for us in the halls." Star chuckles and stood. She wasn't sure if Killian had heard the rumor of her taming him yet. If not yet, he would soon. She found it hilarious, but doubted he would think so.

Star held Killian's hand at the entrance of the ship as the door lowered, revealing them. There was a collective gasp at the sight of Chippequoti on their home soil but with a prompting from Star he waved a hand and attempted a smile. The fear was replaced with a wary confusion. Immediatly the other crew members began exited the ship and began going through the crowd passing on the stories of Star taming Killian. That seemed to ease their fears. Timo and Andy appeared and most of the motherly women in the group immediately began worrying over their half-starved guests. Mike and Kato stood near the back watching warily for any sign of trouble. "Hmm, they seem more curious about us than anything else. Hopefully it stays that way." Kato murmers to Mike.
 
The Bippen seemed to be in a terrible hurry to usher their guests to the front. Still Killian hadn't spent enough time talking to them to know that there was a rivalry between their people and his. So far as he was concerned this was a random attack or some kind of personal affair. He wouldn't have dreamed it was an age old feud between the kinds. Glancing behind himself he growled slightly as they pushed at him to stand near the front.

Slowly the door to the ship opened and a loud gasp sounded all across the crowd that had gathered. Killian looked at Star and then around the group. He didn't know why they were so shocked. It couldn't have anything to do with him. Apparently they all seemed to know what he was since the cook had warned him about the yellow beads. A jab to his side made Killian jolt slightly and his hand came up in what might have been mistaken as a half hearted wave. This was the part where he was supposed to smile so he lifted one side of his lips and gave a lop sided grin. It wasn't particularly friendly but, he didn't like this in the least. "What are all these people doing here?" It was uncomfortable to walk through the crowds.

A few children shrieked as if he was a monster. Cringing slightly at the high pitched squeals he glanced at Star who seemed to be so much more comfortable. Looking behind himself he could see that the others were following. Then he heard whispers starting in the crowd.

"Look its the woman that tamed a Chippequoti." More whispers sounded in awe of the woman that stood at his side. If it was just awe of Star he wouldn't have minded so much, something told him that they viewed him as something next to animalistic. Yes, the Chippequoti were at times a little harsh but he could understand most of where they came from and if it wasn't for his crew he would have stayed there quite comfortably. It wasn't that hard to adjust to their way of life. When they reached a large building he saw a man standing on the steps waiting to greet them. Again something was mentioned about being tamed and this time Killian didn't hold back. "I was not tamed. She came to me as a crew member and there was a trial period for her to pass. Since then I've decided she's an equal." Almost snarling the words he looked at the man. "I don't know where you get the idea that I'm some sort of beast to be tamed, but it's not true."
 
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Star felt Killian tense beside her and he growled at his declaration, mainly at the man before them but also to the crowd that whispered around them. For some reason she hadn't him expected to react so violently, but now that she heard him she realized the statement was probably quite hurtful to his pride. She stood straight, holding his hand firmly. "Killian is one of the greatest men I know. He was great long before I came along and will continue to be great long after I'm gone. He is far from a monster." She declares proudly in his defense.

"Of course, my people didn't mean to be rude." The ambassador said nervously. "We have simply never met a ta...friendly Chippequoti that didn't wish to enslave us on sight. I'm Ambassador Tulin. Uh, please. Follow me." He led them into the massive communal building. There seemed to be many rooms connected one to another. In the center a large eating and to the side a recreational area with various forms of entertainment. "We were informed of your arrival and prepared quarters for you." He pushed open the doors to a large communal room with three beds. "We do hope you enjoy your stay with us and we look forward to learning more about your people as you learn about ours. I do have to ask that you do not leave this building without an escort however...for safety purposes. You understand."
 
Star's defense didn't seem to be all that helpful. Killian waited silently while she made it sound worse. As if she needed to add as an afterthought that he was truly not monstrous. The reaction of the ambassador only made it painfully clear that they really did view him as a beast of sorts. Nothing could be simple. One place there was a war and so they left only to go to a place where he would have been comfortable without his crew and now here where the crew was considerably more comfortable and he was feeling very much out of place.

Following the toddling figure into the building Killian walked through the first set of doors but, had to duck for the second set. Just slightly. No matter how hard the ambassador tried to sound like he didn't think of Killian as a monster the worse it got. The final instruction purchased Killian's complete attention. Turning around he peered at the man. "No one leaves without an escort or just me?" He had a feeling it was directed more toward himself. Momentarily the ambassador spluttered and then excused himself. The captain muttered under his breath. "I thought so." If they thought of him as such a dangerous being he was half tempted to give them reason to act like they were. Still that wouldn't be doing his crew any favors. If nothing else he was going to have to work extra had at not being the creature that they thought him to be.

Killian moved into the room with Star and sat on one of the beds. "Some of the most stuck up people I've ever met." There were a few times he'd caught them snickering over little things and whether it had anything to do with him or not it felt like it anyway.
 
"These guys?" Star scoffs. "The Chippequoti were the stuck up ones, not to mention ruthless. These people truly seem kind. They're just nervous." She stretched out across the bed with a sigh. "You do know they've been at war with your kind for centuries. That's why they're nervous. We just have to show them, you're different." She smiled at him.

Kato sat on another bed. "What's the plan, Captain? How long are we staying?"
"Forever!" Timo exclaimed bouncing on the bed and doing flips.
"You shouldn't do that, Timo. You could land on your head and hurt yourself." Kato warned. Timo didn't care.
 
Killian glowered at Star momentarily. "You just let the whole thing with my brother sour it.. They weren't that bad." She didn't really argue with him and instead mentioned a war that had been going on for some time. Taking a seat next to her he frowned. "A war? What do you know about it?" Maybe the bubble people would be able to answer a few questions.

While he was busy trying to think of what he did know about the Chippequoti Kato started to ask questions. Glancing at him the captain shook his head. "I don't know. Finding it doubtful you'd all approve of stealing a ship, so we'll have to stay here and work to pay for one." He was about to drift off into thought again when he heard Kato say something to Timo. Killian got up and walked over to the bed. Reaching out he caught Timo mid flip and started to carry him over his and Star's bed. "You're gonna have to sleep with us if you don't behave." He didn't really want the kid to sleep with him and he figured that the kid didn't want to sleep with them. So it should have been an agreeable arrangement.
 
"Buying a ship...what a novel idea." Star muses.

Timo yelped as he was snatched out of the air and giggled as Killian carried him upside down over to Star. "Really!? I get to sleep next to you and Star! Awesome!" Timo enthusiasm caused Star to till her eyes at Killian as if to say, now look what you did. "At any rate..." She continued, " We don't have any money or belongings to speak of. We really don't want to make enemies of the only race willing to host us so I do think finding a way to settle in and earning some money is going to be our best course of action. Maybe we can talk to the ambassador and see what he has available for us."

A knock sounds at the door and Star looks up. The older woman on the ship, Netta, came in with towels in her arms and a smile on face. "I've come for the little star. Oh, and you too, little female..." Netta gestures to Andy. "You can join us too.
Star gets off the bed, "Why? What's going on Netta?" She asks curiously.
Netta just smiles and gestures for them to follow. Star looks over her shoulder at the crew. "Be back in a few." She glances at Andy, "You coming?"

Netta leads her down stairs, towels still on her arm. "Netta..." Star chuckles nervously. "What's all this about?"
"Some of the women here wanted to meet the chippequoti tamer in person."
Star sighed. "I'm not is Tamer, Netta. He's my friend...boyfriend. He may have been a little rougher before me but he's always been essentially that way."
Netta didn't respond and pushed open a door. Warm steam hit her face, fogging up her vision momentarily. When she could see she found she was at the entrance of an elaborate communal bathhouse. "Oh wow!" Star gasps in awe of the place. They had a waterworks of pipes and fountains unlike anything she'd ever seen. The bath itself was a steaming pool covered in a bubbly blue-green foam. "Come, join us. The water will make you soft for your...boyfriend." The older woman giggles mischievously. Star flushed as the woman stripped right there and toddled into the pool to join the other woman already swimming around.

Star looked around for Andy. Either the girl had decided not to come or she was hiding behind the door, trying to decide what to do about the situation. Star shrugged. Either way, she wasn't going to pass up an opportunity for an elaborate bath like this. Despite all the eyes on her she stripped down to her underwear and slipped into the pool, sighing as the warm water reached her neck. All the tension seemed to melt from her body immediately. When she opened her eyes, the tension returned as several woman surrounded her and began asking questions one after another about her, Killian and the other members of the crew. She did what she could to answer them, remembering to portray Killian in the best possible light to ease their anxiety about him. Finally Netta pushes them away. "Ehhh, we bippen women could talk all day. Forgive our intrusiveness. We've simply never had anyone from another world before. Unless you count the chips, but they don't count."

Star chuckled, and scrubbed some of the soapy foam across her arms. "Its fine. This is a new experience for us as well."
 
The boy didn't give the desired reaction. Instead he was thrilled with the idea of sleeping with them. Killian blinked a few times and looked at Star for some kind of help. Of course she didn't do anything about it. Instead the woman seemed to give him the look like it was his fault. Maybe it was, but at least he tried to do something. Star was still keen on the idea of spending time here and it felt so odd. "Well I don't want to talk to the ambassador." All his grumbling was cut short with a quick jab from Mike.

"What else you gonna do? Stare him down?" That was the safest sounding alternative to what Mike knew could be the next answer.

Killian guffawed at the engineer and turned his back to him. "I wasn't talking to you." It was never so evident as now in his own mind that he really didn't have the skills to survive in an environment like this. He had no idea how to communicate effectively with these people. Didn't particularly like the bubble people and he hated the way that they stared at him. Personally he wanted to steal a ship and get out of here. No one had to say it. He already knew that they were going to end up talking with the ambassador again and more than likely this time Killian would have to try and keep track of his mouth. No more of those quips. that didn't go over so well.

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

Andy reluctantly followed after the other two women. It was more comfortable in general to disappear. Thankfully Star had taken the spotlight with her 'taming' of the captain. The story in itself was laughable. From what she'd seen there wasn't that much difference between Killian and the other Chippequoti when they were in a group. As an individual he picky about those he spent his time with and that was what made him seem to be tolerable. In the event that he had taken a disliking to any of them or thought of them as a threat he would have more than likely killed them a long time ago.

As they moved down the hall she became more comfortable and then it all washed away as soon as she came upon the giant communal bathing. She might have squeaked slightly in the back of her throat except that it locked up. The people around here had no sense of modesty. Slept together, ate together, now bathed together. Were bathroom the only place of privacy? They only had the waste pots and wash bins. Nothing more. So the only way to bathe was obviously going to be in a large group.

For the time she found that idea to be repulsive and so she waited for a few moments. Star kept her underwear on and perhaps that would make it more bearable. Andy decided that it was easy enough to wear the underclothes and so the bath would be much nicer. Besides the other women were far too intrigued with Star so she could bathe in peace and then get out. To strip she did want some privacy so she pushed open a door and stepped inside only to see it was the men's side of the bathing house. "EEeeaggh!" Bolting back through the door her eyes widened. After the reality struck her, she couldn't help laughing. Nearly doubling over she held her stomach and giggled uncontrollably. The men had been just as shocked as she had and the scream had only made it worse. Those who might not have noticed immediately took notice at her screech of shock. Sneaking over to a corner she stripped down and then scampered over to the water still bursting into random giggles.

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

One of the bubble men came to retrieve Mike, Kato, Timo and Killian. He glanced at them momentarily and then beckoned. "We'll need to have you all bathe." He hated to say it, but they really didn't like the way they all smelled like Chippequoti. The chips loved to douse themselves in oils from the trees and they just smelled like walking forests. Typically the Bippen's enjoyed drenching themselves in softer scents with extract of rose and delicate floral, an occasional dab of lavender was acceptable as well.

Mike shrugged. He never minded having to take a bath and he ushered Timo in front of himself. "Lead the way."

Letting the others take lead felt very strange for Killian. However, it was probably better to let them since the Bippens obviously didn't trust him. Arriving at the bath house Killian's eyebrows raised slightly. They were all stark naked and in the water together. He was open about some things and at times crude, bathing with a host of men was not on his list. It was obvious that they expected him to bathe and it would be impossible to avoid it at length. So it was better to get it over with. Killian stripped down waded into the tub with the other men. If there was one bonus to being a hated breed of men it was the fact that they gave him a wide berth. None of them seemed to want to bathe too closely to him.

A little idea started to grow in his mind. Perhaps being slightly volatile would serve a purpose. They would leave him alone and he wouldn't have to deal with them in large numbers. Close observance could be delayed if not completely prevented. Dunking his head under the water Killian quickly scrubbed down and got back out. The Bippen's seemed to think that lounging in the water was appropriate but, there was a difference between getting clean and just being lazy.

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

Back in the room Killian brought his arm up to his nose several times and sniffed. "What do they put in the water?" It wasn't a smell that he would have chosen for himself. "Makes me smell like a flower." Almost bemoaning the scent he wrinkled his nose. "What do you smell like?" Standing over Star he sniffed her hair. "Well it smells good on you." With some disgust he picked at the clothing they gave him to wear. While it was made specially to fit him he couldn't help finding it ridiculous. "This suit...."

Mike could hear all the complaining and he sighed. "Would you rather it squeezed everywhere?" Naturally that bought a few moments silence. "You don't like anything that isn't your idea. Well unfortunately there are going to be a lot of ideas that aren't yours."

Killian gave Star a pained expression. "The belt wraps around my side and it hurts. All the cuts from the fight had almost healed completely, but it was the best excuse he could come up with. I need my smuggler clothes back." He liked his vest and pants with all the pockets. It made things so much easier to pack away, steal, and transport. Besides he liked having all his tools readily available.

"Waaa waa." Mike rolled his eyes. "You're as bad as a kid. Just go change into the clothes. No point in bathing if all you do is put your same dirty old clothes back on."
 
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Andy's scream got Star's blood pumping. She stood straight up, looking for the girl and any potential danger. Andy was wide-eyed and shell-shocked for a moment before she began laughing. Star relaxed, realizing the girl must've just startled herself. That seemed to happen alot with her. When Andy finally got into the water, still giggling, Star prompted her to tell the story and ended up laughing with her. "I wish I could see the guy's faces when they realize it's a communal bath." She laughed at the thought.
She brushed the water and soapy oils through her hair, smiling mischeviously at Andy. "So, you and Kato...everytime I turn around you two are together. Anything going on there?"
*****
Star was brushing her wet hair when Killian came in, wrapped in a towel, bemoaning the smell of flowers in on his body. She grinned teasingly at him, looking up as he came over and smelled her hair, complimenting it her. "Thanks. I think you smell pretty good yourself."

He complained about the clothes and she looked down at her own outfit. Naturally, it hung too big and she'd had to use a belt herself to keep it from looking like a nightgown. She found it amusing how the bippens worried that they were on the verge of starving. How different the cultures around this galaxy were.

Mike have Killian a good lecture, fed up with his complaing. Tim raced into the room with naught but his underwear and launched through the air landing on the bed by Star with a massive bounce. "Timo! Where are your clothes?" She demands.
"They're too big! I kept tripping. I'm just gonna wait until my clothes are washed."
"You can't run around naked."
"They do!"
"That was a bath. Wear the clothes or no dinner."
"Awwwww...." Timo wines. "Mike...tell her its ok for me to just wear my underwear."
"Mike is on my side." Star smirks teasingly. "Listen to your mom."
Timo pauses all movements and crawls straight up to Star's face, his expression serious. "Your my mom?"
Star stutters, the momentary joke backfiring. "Well, kinda. Yeah. I guess."
"Does that mean killian's my dad?" Timo looked over at him excitedly. Before Killian could answer his young mind begins connecting invisible dots. "And that would mean Mike is my grandpa, and Kato is my uncle and Andy's my sister!" He grins, clearly very pleased with this development.
 
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