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"Lasting Impressions"Written By: Dragonmistress_7 Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Wing Boys.
Lasting Impressions Lasting Impression 11 Heero seriously wondered if the old man's plan was to walk them until they dropped dead. He'd been leading them through the desert for nearly an hour. "I can still see the shuttle," he heard Duo comment. "We're not getting anywhere." "The dunes make for more vertical movement than horizontal," Quatre observed. "They're massive" "This isn't how they normally travel," Trowa stated quietly. "See the openings in the sand? Underground tunnels." Already tense, Heero nearly jumped out of his skin when another of the little reptile people suddenly appeared from one of those openings. He spoke to the first in a harsh tone, gesturing at the group that followed. The first replied calmly. Whatever he said, it made the second angrier. An argument ensued. The outsiders stood around looking at each other and wondering what to do. The disagreement was obviously about them. Should they take a side? And if so, which one? For all they knew, the old one had been leading them to a stew pot and the new one wanted a barbecue. If Heero had to pick a side, he thought he'd go with the one they were already following. The second looked filthy and unkempt, and he seemed to be very angry at them for some reason. It was abruptly decided when the nasty-looking one raised his claws to take a swipe at the other. Quatre stepped forward and caught the swinging arm, baring his teeth in a clear warning. Both looked surprised, but the aggressor backed off. He snatched his arm away as though he'd touched something disgusting, though what could possibly be worse than him they didn't want to know. Their guide pointed again, this time to an opening in the next dune. This one was somewhat different than the others. It looked like the entrance to a classic Earth-style temple, at least in Heero's opinion. The little people were industriously cleaning the sand off of it, a fool's errand with the desert winds. Their guide made a croaking sound and the people scattered, leaving the hall empty. At the end of the tunnel, down many steps and past a heavy door, was a throne room. On the dais, a human-sized lizard creature, obviously female, reclined on a couch. Was this their queen? The small male fell on his face before her, croaking worshipfully. Then he began speaking his strange language again, acting out the scene that had transpired outside if his gestures were any indication. She looked at him for a long moment, thinking. Her voice was much softer than his as it filled the air. When she had finished, she waved him away. Still groveling, he left them with her. The lizard queen touched one of her necklaces and her image changed as though a hologram was being dropped. To the surprise of all, she looked… human. "Oh, goodie! It's people! Oh, what shall I do with you?" she said, almost giddy. "Um, excuse me, ma'am," Duo said politely, "but what the hell is going on here?" "Oh, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself. It's living among these little heathens for so long. My name is Dorothy and I am the Queen Goddess of this planet." "But- how?" Hilde asked. "You're human, aren't you?" "Of course! But with a little help from technology that is cleverly disguised as jewelry, I can look like most anything. I had to do it. Otherwise, I would have been the main course of their next feast. That was years ago. I've come to quite enjoy my position." She stood and eyed them carefully. "Of course, it is a bit lonely. That's the only reason I haven't already demanded to know why you've crashed my party." "Crashed would be the word," Heero said. "We were shot down by pirates. We would really appreciate it if you could ask your people to back off and let us make repairs. Then we'll get out of your hair." She smiled at him. "You are the captain?" He nodded, something in him not liking that smile. He could see in her eyes that he would not like her next words. "I would be happy to do as you ask in exchange for a favor from someone," she replied. "Who and what?" he asked. "Oh, any of you. You're all more than reasonably attractive. As to what, I should think it would be glaringly obvious what a lonely woman, who feels like a zookeeper all the time, would want when someone besides the animals shows up." "I'm not attracted to women," Heero said with a shrug. "I'm physically incapable of being unfaithful to my mate. My people mate for life," Quatre explained, "and I don't care if you're the local goddess or the queen of the universe, if you touch my mate, I will kill you." "What about you?" Dorothy asked, smiling at Duo. Heero took her by the arm and pulled her gently away, speaking softly and quickly into her ear. Once, she replied in the same low tone. Mostly, she listened for several long minutes. When he was done, she gave him a piercing look. "And you're serious?" "As God is my witness," Heero responded solemnly, "that is the truth." "Well," she replied briskly. "That won't do at all." Did that mean they were home-free? Somehow, Heero doubted it. His fears were confirmed when, hands on her hips, Dorothy rounded on Hilde. "Well, what's your excuse?" Hilde batted her lashes prettily. "No excuses here. The deal is, I have sex with you and you keep the locals out of our way while we make repairs and leave. Is that right?" "Well, there is one other thing you could do, just to be nice, but I won't make you." "Tell me," Hilde demanded. "All terms of the negotiation must be laid out first." "Are we negotiating? " Dorothy asked sweetly. Hilde grabbed the neck of her oversized shirt and pulled it down to expose her right shoulder. There was a tattoo on it of a black crown with a strange red jewel in the center. "Always." Dorothy blinked in surprise. "May I authenticate that, please?" "Certainly," Hilde said, and held still while Dorothy peered closely at it. "Oh, this is too much. How lucky can a girl get? Very well. I'll keep my people out of your way, or have them assist you if there's something simple enough that they can do it. If you need food, water, clothing, or anything like that, it will provided for you. The other thing was this: Pirates cause ships to crash here from time to time, but it's rare for the people survive. If they do, it's usually because they're difficult to kill or just too stubborn to die. For whichever reason, there is a Drakon who crashed here a few weeks ago and he's looking for a way off of this rock. If you are so inclined, you might take him with you. I'm certainly ready to see him go, since the locals think he's a demon. He's staying downstairs, if you want to talk to him." "You guys go talk to the Drakon. I'll finish up things here, and we'll get back on track," Hilde suggested. "Let's go, guys," Heero added, physically pulling the other three toward the door before they could protest. ~ * ~ |
