Reflections of the Past

[Fox Smokey 0]

Smokey was writing his log of the events from the past day or so. He glanced around his cramped quarters, his mind drifting to wondering what the rest of the crew was up to. The Klingons were probably drunk and singing terribly out of tune. Mench was probably planning every meticulous detail of the next several hours. What Xandra was doing Smokey didn’t even want to guess. He sighed out loud. The last couple hours had been adventure-filled, to say the least. Frankly, Smokey felt lucky to be alive. Though, on the other hand, he had run into his fair share of trouble before his ‘stint’ at the orphanage. Street life was way worse than this gig was. At least here, he was guaranteed a shower (though the temperature fluctuated slightly) and food (if one wanted to call it that). The objective never changed though: survival. He fought then as he did now. Ferengi pimps, Federation security officers, even a few Klingon traders across the border; it didn’t matter. They were all the same to him: a means to survive. He’d hated the orphanage. Rules. Protocol. Manners. He didn’t follow the orders of someone he didn’t respect. That’s where Ducheuci differed. Ducheuci was the father figure Smokey had never had. Others would argue the validity of a Smuggler as a father figure. Of course, Ducheuci had called himself an ‘opportunist’. At any rate, it was a way to get out of the hell-hole that was the orphanage. At first, Ducheuci was probably just taking him on board his 1-manned freighter as a scapegoat, perhaps even a phaser shield. Over the three year period, something changed within Ducheuci; He started to care for this orphaned kid. Started to teach him everything he knew. Ducheuci had excellent piloting skills as a blockade runner, and certainly had been in his fair share of hand to hand combat situations. He also taught Smokey how to refine the skills the kid was fluent in for survival. Trust (no one). Mercy (is for the weak and the dead). Women (are trouble). Instincts (are everything). Smokey became more than simply an apprentice, more than a wingman. He became the son Ducheuci never had. When Ducheuci’s past caught up with him, and the Feds were breathing down his neck, he sacrificed himself to ensure Smokey’s escape. It was perhaps the only selfless thing Ducheuci had ever done. Smokey would never forget it. The escape pod had floated for days before he was picked up by the Qob. Mench reminded Smokey of Ducheuci, a leader without question. Some people just commanded respect, and the Commander was one of these people. Xandra reminded Smokey of trouble, simply because he was attracted to her. Pike just scared the hell out of him, but he would never let the Lieutenant see it. Sargh was a Klingon. No other descriptions were needed. As much as this made Fox laugh, the Qob became something of a Family. A backstabbing, selfish, murderous family, but a family none the less. Smokey couldn’t have felt more at home.