Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 6: Perpetual Change
Scene 11: Playthings of the Gods
6.11
Playthings of the Gods
Lance Corporal Petra Spitze was never so afraid to walk into life and death situations. This was much more intimidating. She drew a deep breath, straightened her uniform and placed her hand on the access request panel.
“Enter!” came General Krank’s voice. It sounded unchanged. Spike took another deep breath and walked in to find the ancient klingon in full armor, as always, a holographic Tri-D chess set frozen in mid-game from their most recent game. A game that had been interrupted by the Q Asylum incident.
Instead of sitting at the game table, Spike took up a firm stance, took another breath as if to speak, and then had no idea how to start.
General Krank remained seated at the gaming table.
After a few moments of silence, he prodded her with a polite klingon greeting: “What do you want?”
Spike rolled her head, popping her neck nervously, took another deep breath: “I’m remembering things… Did we… Were we…” She gestured with both hands, pulling them apart, then putting them together and lacing her fingers, then pulling them apart only to bring them together and lace her fingers in a different pattern. “You know…”
“Copulating?” Krank asked.
Spike made a few more frustrated gestures, then sighed. “Yeah… Copulating…”
“Yes. For an indeterminate period of time,” Krank replied. He was enjoying Spike’s discomfort just a little. “It was glorious…”
Spike couldn’t argue with that. But she had come loaded for klingon, ready for a fight and she would not be denied. “I will not marry you. I don’t care what your traditions require, you understand?”
“I was not going to ask,” Krank replied. “What makes you think that I would want to marry you?”
Spike was stunned. “But… Your traditions…”
“You know far too little about our traditions. I have been married and, even though my wife is dead, by our tradition I am still married. I am not required to take a second wife. You have the right to demand that I marry you, and tradition would require me to comply and make you my second wife,” Krank explained. “But I can make no such requirement of you. And even if I could…”
“You wouldn’t want to?” Spike was, oddly just a little hurt.
“You must understand, Spike,” Krank replied. “I could not in good conscience press for marriage based on this experience. First, because while you and I remember it, it never actually happened. And even if it had, it was not of our volition. We were made to be the playthings of gods long gone mad.”
Spike relaxed visibly, relief washing over her.
She settled down at the gaming table to complete their game. It took about five minutes before Krank announced, “Checkmate in three.”
Spike laid her king over, but kept her finger on the piece. There was a bit of a wicked gleam in her eyes. “It really was glorious…” She maintained aggressive eye contact with the ancient general for a few moments, something that made neither of them uncomfortable. Then:
“Do you think we might become the playthings of gods again?”
Krank reciprocated her aggressive stare… A low growl began deep in his throat…
Perpetual Change