To First Blood

Posted on Wed Apr 23rd, 2025 @ 5:33am by Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acainus & Ensign Kash th'Kaasniik

2,713 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Character Backstories
Location: Salan Oasis, Akadia
Timeline: 2386, (After Conflict of Interest)

Kash walked with Osirin at a brisk pace through a neighborhood that was tucked away behind the cafe. As they approached the courtyard where the fight would take place, Kash struck up a conversation again. "You seem pretty... uh, what's the word I'm looking for... maybe cavalier about this. Does this happen a lot?"

"To me personally? One, maybe two other times in my life. And it's always been just to first blood. It can turn more serious. This time is one of the more serious times. It won't be to the death of course, but he not only questioned my honor, he questioned yours. I won't put up with that shit."

"How do you know which is which? I didn't hear much being said back there," Kash asked.

"He called you... well let's just say a very unflattering name."

"Maybe I'm the one who should be fighting then," Kash suggested though he spoke in a mild-mannered tone. "It is my honor that was disrespected."

"That is certainly your choice. should you care to assert it. He is far more likely to fight dirty and push it to be more than just to first blood. But I'll be your second if it comes to it. What do you want to do?"

"What will stop him if he takes it beyond first blood?" The Andorian asked.

"I will," Osirin replied pulling his weapon from its sheath. He held up the razor-honed blade, "Permanently."

"What are the consequences here if something like that happens?" Kash asked. "Will there be a trial?"

"I doubt it would come to that if I'm being honest, but yeah there would be. I'm not worried about that though it would clearly be self-defense, or I guess technically defense of others. His family could pursue a civil trial, though I doubt they'd want to endure the shame if it came out he acted without honor."

Kash hesitated in his reply. "If Starfleet weren't here, I'd fight in a heartbeat. But this is second contact, and we shouldn't risk an incident. I don't think my supervisor would be happy if he knew I was even involved in something like this."

Osirin nodded slowly, keeping his attention on the Andorian. "I know the feeling," he replied drawing out each word."

He was being one hundred percent honest with Kash. He did know the feeling, knew the weight of disappointing his superiors, his family, the one he had once loved. It weighed on him sometimes, if he were being honest with himself, why he was constantly getting himself involved in situations like this.

"This is my fight," he said with conviction. "I appreciate you were willing to fight it for me, but I'm not going to ask you to do that. I don't want you to sacrifice your career. I wouldn't do that to someone I'm falling in love with."

Kash had previously been anxiously filling in silence with questions about the fight, rules, and what to expect from the people here. Now he looked at Osirin in silence. He was trying to find the words to say next when a rude voice interrupted them.

"I didn't think you'd actually show." Elan postured himself several meters away. He'd brought a few friends with him who snickered and laughed amongst themselves at his comment.

Osirin's expression shifted and it wasn't subtle. He cut his eyes from Kash, who looked temporarily speechless, to Elan

"Oh," he said his voice bordering on seductive, "I can understand why you would think that, you're thinking of how you would act."

"You really should learn to mind your manners. You are a guest here, and so far you are not making a good impression," Elan replied stepping forward.

Osirin's tone turned from seductive to cold and hard as a blade appeared in each hand. "If I am a guest here, that would make you a host and you're doing a piss poor job of hospitality. Now, are we going to stand her pontificating, or are we going to get down to business?"

As Osirin talked Elan continued to close the gap between them. Kash's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward as well, taking a defensive posture next to Osirin, his senses on alert, not just for Elan's support than they could see in front of them, but for any lurkers that may sneak up from behind, his antennae twitching and turning instinctively at the heightened tension.

When Enan was close enough that Osirin could almost smell his breath he seethed, "You know what you did to make yourself unwelcome here. Then you had the indignity to challenge one of your own in defense of an outsider. A p'tah. Yeah, we're going to do this."

"Ishis, are we ready?" Enan called out as he took a few steps back, careful not turn his back on Osirin or the Andorian.

A tough, but feminine-looking woman stepped forward holding two sheaths up by the straps. Each one contained the curved blade of the jambia.

Osirin didn't move yet. Instead, he raised his mental shield. He wasn't the most powerful telepath, though he wasn't the weakest either. On the other hand, even the most powerful telepath would have a tough time penetrating it.

He extended himself trying to pick up on any emotions or thoughts from his antagonists.

"Two of you and one of me?" Osirin queried. Perhaps you should get a dozen more of your friends. Assuming you have a dozen friends, it might improve your odds."

"They are just here to show their support for Salan Oasis," Elan jeered, then gave Ishis a nod of the head and she tossed the sheathed jambias to the ground and took a step back.

Ishis gave a modest head bow, then spoke, her voice deep and melodic. "Would you like to pick your blade, or did you come with your own?"

"I brought my own," Osirin replied keeping his voice even, despite his heartbeat rising dramatically. He let the blades drop from the sheaths inside his sleeve into his hands. "Let's get this over with. My lover and I have things to do this afternoon."

He took three steps forward and swung for Enan's chest, He could have gone for the face to disfigure. It was within the rules. though barely, but he wasn't that kind of man. He truly did just want to end the battle as quickly as possible.

Enan started a jog backwards, giving himself time to make his own blade ready while evading Osirin's attack. Once Enan had his sword out he charged back at Osirin in a full run swinging the blade out in front of him as he yelled angrily.

It certainly appeared as though Enan wasn't just going for first blood but for something more permanent. Osirin could sense that there was real anger behind the words, that his fellow Akadian wasn't just trying to fake him out.

Osirin twisted away at the last minute, the other's blade catching on and slicing through his shirt, without nicking his arm."

"Not good enough," he said readying for another attack.

"Let's see what you can do." Enan began circling Osirin, occasionally taking a step forward, then pulling back, studying Osirin's movements.

Kash was studying them too, as well as watching Enan, and Enan's friends. He was sensitive to any rise in tension and even the subtlest of movements and was on high alert and ready to act, but he held his position, knowing that this was Osirin's fight.

Osirin raised his mental shield. It reduced his ability to sense Enan and his pal's thoughts, but it meant that unless any of his opponents were very strong telepaths, they wouldn't be able to detect his. In his mind, it was a fair trade-off.

Then he moved forward quickly aiming a strike at Enan's solar plexus.

Enan simultaneously jumped back from Osirin's strike and swung his own blade out in front of him in an upward motion, blocking Osirin's attack. He then advanced and attempted to attack Osirin on the left.

Enan may have been an entitled asshole, Osirin thought, but he was an entitled asshole that knew how to fight His counter-attack almost knocked Osirin off balance. If he'd been a fraction of a second slower, it would have. Which gave him an idea. He pretended as if it had, even letting a little bit of feigned fear escape his shielding. He twisted to the right, hoping that Enan would overcompensate.

When Osirin twisted to the right, Enan's momentum was already in play, carrying him a few steps past Osirin so that his back was turned toward Osirin. Enan went to spin around before Osirin could catch him with his blade, but was caught off guard when the blow didn't come.

Osirin aimed another strike at his compromised opponent. Even as he was about to deliver the blow, he reconsidered and reached out a foot to trip him instead. It wouldn't draw blood, but if he fell it would do something, in Osirin's mind, even better, it would humiliate him.

Osirin wasn't trying to be a dick, at least in his own mind, he only wanted to provoke Enan to do something crazy.

As Enan spun around, his foot was caught up on Osirin's ankle, which stopped his feet from moving where he wanted despite his body's forward momentum. The move knocked Enan to his knees, almost causing him to fall to his face had he not caught himself.

Enan laughed as he picked himself up off of the ground. It was a laugh that was impossible to read, without Osirin's empathic senses in play, but he could tell it was dangerous. Kash's antennae let him see Enan's body temperature rise as the man measured up Osirin as an opponent.

~I may have just fucked up~ Osirin thought to himself while returning Enan's smile in kind. Neither of the Akadians was letting the smile reach their eyes.

"There's no shame in giving up now," he said, his tone soothing and mocking at the same time. My kicking your ass in front of both your friends, your only friends will be a lot worse."

"It's cute that you think the words of a p'tah fucker mean anything to me," Enan growled. "Show me what you got already."

Osirin's complexion turned an interesting shade of ocher. He lunged at Enan's vitals as if he were reckless, Then he pivoted on his heel and aimed at his upper chest instead.

Enan was swift with his blade and still light on his feet. Although there was no blow to block as Osirin faked a jab to his gut, Enan's blade was already in motion, moving upward to protect his chest and face, and he made bold contact with Osirin's blade with his one swift movement.

Ishis heard the sign and approached the odd-looking blue-skinned man that Osirin had brought to their place and took a swing at him. She was armed, but she didn't draw her weapon yet. She wouldn't unless she needed to. Ishis wasn't trying to hurt the alien, so much as rough him up a little, and see if she could distract Enan's opponent.

Kash felt her movement in the air and reacted before she could strike, reaching out and grabbing her arm by the wrist. He gripped her left arm firmly in his left hand and pulled her closer to his face. "What are you trying to do?"

She twisted her body underneath his grip and grabbed his bicep with her right hand, preparing to free herself, as one of Enan's larger friends came up from behind, prepared to attack. The Akadians clearly did not know much about fighting an Andorian, as Kash did not have to turn around to know precisely where the brute was. Kash turned himself around, dragging Ishis with him, so that the Akadian almost attacked his own instead of Kash. Kash let the woman go and threw her toward her ally.

Osirin caught the altercation in his peripheral vision. Had Kash not been so good at deflecting it, Ishis's duplicity might have been successful. Keeping his blade up to guard against another attack, he swung his fist at Enan's nose. There was nothing in the rules preventing it, first blood was first blood after all, and besides, Enan and his allies had blatantly cheated.

Osirin's first made contact with Enan's nose, the force knocking him back just long enough to regain his bearings and charge. But instead of trying to attack with his blade, Enan went for Osirin's throat with the heel of his left hand, stepping his right foot behind Osirin's left in an attempt to take Osirin to the ground.

Enan's move was unexpected, even though Osirin's senses told him something was up. He twisted away, but wasn't fully successful. The blow should have crushed his larynx, but instead it caught the side of his neck. The trip maneuver worked even better, and Osirin felt himself falling backward. He was, however, able to grab Enan's wrist and pull him down on top of himself.

Enan wasn't able to keep standing once Osirin's weight started pulling him down, so he shifted his focus to disarming Osirin once he landed, wanting to take a blade to the gut while they were on the ground. Enan tossed his blade out of arm's reach. When he landed, he struggled to maintain a dominant position on top of Osirin as he grabbed for the wrist and hand that Osirin held his jambia in.

Under other circumstances, Osirin would have found the situation vaguely sensual, but these weren't different circumstances. He reached his free hand to Enan's "You've lost asshole, you're bleeding. It's getting on me. Do the honorable thing and give up."

Enan let up on trying to get Osirin's weapon and reached up and touched his nose with the back of his hand, and saw the green drops on the back of his hand. He started to sit up, like he was getting off of his opponent, but instead he drew his hand back and punched Osirin in the jaw.

"Yeah, it's over," Enan jeered, as he went to stand up.

Osirin slowly rose to his feet as well, rubbing his jaw as he did so. He held out a hand. "Well?" he questioned.

Enan spit on the ground in between them. He muttered for Osirin to watch his back as he brushed past him on his way out of the courtyard.

The larger male who was with Enan followed immediately, keeping an eye on the outsiders as he walked. Is his, fully aware of who was watching was in less of a hurry as she walked up to the blue skinned alien who had come to her sacred home.

She looked Kash over, starting with his feet, and letting her eyes wander slowly up. She put a hand out to feel his bicep, the corners of her mouth turning up in approval as her eyes drank him in.

"I am starting to understand what your friend sees you," she told him, her voice low and sultry. "I wouldn't mind challenging you to our own little friendly row, just see what happens. Your boyfriend could come watch."

Kash stood still, unimpressed, and starting to feel uncomfortable, the latter of which made Ishis laugh.

"Maybe next time, then," she said, stepping away. "Good luck out here, boys. You're going to need it." She continued along the path that Enan had taken, exiting the courtyard, and Kash followed her until he got to Osirin.

Once she was out of earshot, Kash finally spoke. "Are you okay?"

Osirin grinned at the Andorian rubbing his jaw. "I'm feeling pretty good. I think the entire village will leave us alone. Perhaps that's too optimistic, but now the worst we can expect is for them to whisper behind our backs."

"Are you ready to go?"

Kash nodded. "Yeah. Let's get out of here."

---

Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acaincus
Mission Advisor
USS Astrea


Ensign Kash th'Kaasnik
Operations
USS Astrea

 

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