Max's POV

The images materialized slowly.....like bubbles surfacing from the darkness of a bottomless pit.

Surrounded by chaos.

I stood on the bank of a river whose waters ran crimson with blood. On the other side, a long, slim man stood, wholly covered in black. A sea of corpses lay at his feet.

Time is running out, Max. He whispered. His voice seemed eerily famaliar.

Do it fast. He whispers.

I strode forward, but the water is too deep to traverse. The stench of death hung everywhere. The corpses lying at my feet writhed in agony, burnt, mutilated, twisted. Their mournful cries echoed across the water.

"Who are you??" I shout, but my voice makes no sound.

The man removes the mask from his face. He was strikingly handsome, younger than he looked. His eyes shone with happiness, and his brown hair had been cropped short. A deep scar ran across his left eyebrow, yet it didn't deter the soleful smile from his face.

I knew him. He was my mentor. My captain.

Steve.

His face revealed nothing as he looked at me. His eyes bore at me as if clinging to my very soul.

"I am life." He whispered.

Suddenly, without warning, a dark colossal image materialized in the sky above him- a fearsome being with fiery blue eyes and a scarred purple face. His right hand adorned a golden gauntlet which was studded with six shining stones. His eyes stared blankly at me. It was him, Thanos.

"And.....I am death." His voice boomed.

Without warning, I began radiating a golden aura....brighter and brighter. My entire body vibrated intensely,and then in a sudden rush of thunder, I exploded into a million shards of light.

I bolted awake, shouting.
The room was bright. I was alone. I was sitting on my bed, my pulse racing, as I tried to identify my surroundings. The stars shining brightly outside my window offered a  breath-taking view of the outside.

The door slid sidewards, and Jim's second-in-command, Spock walked in calmly." We heard you screaming, Mr. Hunter. Is everything all right?"

I nodded, still catching up my breath." Just a nightmare."

He nodded." We are nearing our destination. The Captain wants you on the bridge." He walked off.

I walked up to the basin and splashed my face with cold water. Wiping myself dry, I put on my jacket and strode off towards the elevator.

"What's the situation?" I ask as I reach the bridge. The crew were busy monitoring the skies for alien activity while Tania was busy steering the ship. Jim waved at me from his seat and beckoned me to come over.

" We've reached Dronto and made a list of all the things we require. All we need is someone to go down there and do the negotiations. You and Uhura will accompany me." I shrug." Fine by me."

"Spock, you're Acting Captain till I return. Let's go."

The three of us walked towards the warp core. Standing on the platform, I instructed the technicians to warp us down to the surface. I turned to Uhura." You're armed, right?" She nodded.

"Energize."

We beamed onto the surface, and found ourselves on a beach. Shedding our jackets, we walked towards the city.

"The main hub is underground." Jim explained as we enter a cave." To protect themselves from invaders, the inhabitants of the planet built a large catacomb of tunnels."
I suddenly cried out as steam erupted from under my feet. Jumping backwards, I saw the steam erupting from a small hole in the ground.
" Be careful." Uhura warned." This steam is hot enough to melt your skin."
"Yeah, no kidding." I grumbled.

By the time we reached the underground city, I'm totally hot and sweaty. Damn, I would give anything for a nice cold shower now. Specially if she will be with me...

Stop!

This wasn't the time for this. We needed supplies,and here I was thinking of someone else. I zoned out what Jim was saying as I remembered the moment on the cliff on Lyra, when I held her close to me.

"Has anyone told you that you have really beautiful hair?" I asked as I played with her curls.

She laughed as she shook my hand away." You're ruining the moment, idiot."

But since then, Tania had remained a little quiet and distant. I wondered why.

".....and so that's what we do. Right, Max?"

"Huh?" I broke out of my reverie, staring at Jim.

"I said that I'm going to pick up provisions and supplies. You and Uhura order our weapons. Don't worry, the owner is a friend. We'll regroup on the beach, okay?" I nod.

A cool breeze blows through the spacious area. Although the sides are lined with shops and there is a huge number of people gathered, the air isn't stuffy at all. The floors are made of marble and I can't see the ceiling,since the city is so large. Pillars support the whole structure from crumbling down.

The area to our right is reserved for restaurants, and the market area is filled with a teeming populace of various species I can't recognize.

"How much further?" I ask Uhura. She beckons towards a large grey building in the distance. As we walk silently,I try to start up a conversation with her.

" Why are we exactly here? This place is risky enough to get us caught."

"This market is literally built for the underground. Murderers, cutthroats, pirates, rebels- all find refuge here. Trust me, there are bigger fish than us."

"So Jim thinks we'll find the weapons we need here?"

" Yes."

"What is your position actually, amongst the crew?"

"I'm a lieutenant. And an expert in xenolinguistics."

"Xeno-what?"

"The studying of alien languages."

"Okay, so-"

"What's with all the questions, huh?" She stopped and turned at me." Are you intentionally trying to get on my nerves?"

I raised my eyebrows." What's wrong with making conversation?"

She glared." In case you haven't noticed, I'm not in the mood to make conversation." She huffed and strode off towards the building.

Damn. I thought as I caught up with her. True definition of grumpy.

-----------------

"Welcome, Nyota!" We heard a shout of happiness as we entered the armoury. Looking forward, we saw a little fellow sauntering towards us. His face was wrinkled with age, his hands shook, and he wobbled on one leg, yet the playful gleam in his eyes made him look much younger. His white hair hung carelessly over his face.

"Welcome welcome!" He smiled as he wobbled up to us." My word, how big you've grown!"

Uhura smiled." A pleasure to meet you too, Norman." She shook his hand.

The old man turned to me." And who might you be?"

" Uh, a friend."

" Any friend of Uhura's a friend of mine. My name's Norman Hakiapulos. Pleased to meet you." I gave a polite smile.

" So what will you have? Tea? Coffee?"

Uhura smiled and shook her head." We're short on time Norman. We need weapons."

Norman scratched his beard."You've come to the right place. Personalized or ship?"

"Pulse cannons and missiles. And a laser artillery weapon if you have."

"Done. Any more?"

"Do you have the latest stun bombs? And a railgun? Or even a photon...."

I zoned out as the two of them started an eager discussion regarding weapons. It seemed that the old man had most of he weapons we needed. Leaving them to continue their discussion, I left the armoury to get a drink, and found a local bar nearby.

"A tequila, straight shot." I informed the Hondurian bartender, who snorted in reply.

Looking around, I felt at ease for the first time in weeks. This place was peaceful, away from the fighting outside. This is a place where people come to escape the hustling of everyday life, and to savor the moment. 
I was quietly sipping my drink when suddenly I felt something cold against the back of my head." Don't try to move if you value your life." A raspy voice spoke from behind. I didn't resist when he took my blaster from my holster and checked my pockets.

I turned around to face the cold barrel of a gun. Three men, huge and fearsone in features stood in front of me. The largest of them, probably the leader, was aiming at me.

"Give us all your money if you wish to live."

I shrugged." Sorry pal, I don't carry money."

With a swift kick, I knocked the gun from his hand. As it flew in the air, my face made sweet contact with his jaw. A loud CRUNCH! and he stumbled backwards, clasping his broken jaw. Before I caught the gun, one of his minions punched me in the face. I fell backwards, and soon there was a shower of punches and kicks at me. My attempts to resist were futile.

As I nearly blacked out, I heard a shout. My attackers were ripped off me and I lay gasping for breath. My attackers were busy fighting with someone else, my saviour, who seemed to be easily unmatched by his attackers. I caught a glimpse of the fighter, and shock ran through me.

Uhura.

I watched how she landed punches and kicks at her attackers with ease. They simply couldn't get near her, she was slippery and fast as a chameleon. She finally emerged the victor, while the other men lay in the ground, groaning in agony.

She turned to me." Honestly, Max, I turn my back for one second and you manage to cause trouble?"

I laughed but grimaced at the pain." You can say I'm attracted to trouble."

She hauled me to my feet." This is the last time I'm saving your ass. Now please try and stay in my sight."

I stumbled but balanced." What about the weapons?"

"They are being delivered. And you lot,"she angrily gestered to the men lying in agony." Stop pestering and harrassing people and try to earn a livelihood honestly. Or else I won't be so mercilful next time."

As we walked towards the beach, she supporting me, I mentally noted never to get on the bad side of Nyota Uhura.

Wow. 1713 words. Longest chapter ever.
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