Star Trek: Uncharted

18 || The Black City

Captain Kirk and his crew entered the town outside the high walls of the city, cautiously moving through the quiet streets.

The black houses sparsely decorated the smooth, pale grey concrete.The space between the house was far from empty. Several benches, water fountains and long rectangular boxes filled with growing green and red plants decorated the concrete. Everything was perfectly angled, either a rectangular shape or a perfect square. The way things lined up was as if the city had been built with obsessive precision.

Several people passed along the concrete road, smiling politely at Kirk, but all the while casting wary glances at Dara and Idi.

Captain Kirk looked over at a water fountain, watching the crystal clear water flow out of the concrete spouts. He was parched. The little amount of water Dara had collected during the rainstorm earlier wasn't near enough, especially when split among four people, and they had spent a long day trekking through the wasteland.

A Caitian woman smiled and waved at Kirk as she passed by. A little girl sat on a bench by the fountain, playing with a doll. She watched as the ragtag crew headed towards the water.

Kirk pulled the sleeves of his long robe up before plunging his hands into the cool, clear water. He drank several handfuls before pouring the water over the back of his neck. Jaylah did the same. Dara filled her hide water container as full as she could.

Idi watched the little girl playing with the toy. The girl giggled as she looked at the strange little creature in front of her. Idi smiled awkwardly, waving his clawed hand.

"Anada! Come here!" A woman scolded, marching towards the little girl and grabbing her hand. She glared and Idi and Dara over her shoulder as she drug the little girl away. The girl looked back, watching Idi for a moment, flashing a small smile before dropping her doll onto the concrete.
She waved goodbye as she was pulled down the street.

Idi walked over to the doll and picked it up, his thin claws delicately touching the porcelain surface, careful not to scratch it.

Captain Kirk gasped as he finished gulping down another handful of water. "I never thought water could taste so good," He mumbled.

Jaylah looked around at the people. Some were watching them with a wary eyes, but the majority walked by as if they saw nothing. "The people are not good," Jaylah commented.

"Well we did sort of just stumble in on them."

A bald man with a dark goatee stopped in front of the fountain, glaring at Kirk and his ragtag crew. He was wearing a stiff uniform and he held an orange display in his hands.

"May I assist you with anything, sir?" He asked.

Kirk stood, the long sleeves of his thick robes falling back over his arms.

"You must have traveled very far.  I presume you're tired from your long journey."

Kirk nodded, uncertain as to why the man was offering to help them. "Yeah, that's uh...that's right. Just got into town a few minutes ago," He said, smiling politely at the man. "You wouldn't happen to know where we could get a bite to eat, would you?"

The man held his orange screen in his hand, entering typing something into the display. He turned back to Kirk. "There is a rations distribution center just within the city limits," He told Kirk.

Captain Kirk nodded. "Right, thanks."

"I am pleased to welcome you to our city. We gladly welcome all of the Great Leader's children. I must however, inform you that your slaves cannot enter the city limits," The man said.