Season 3 Episode 2 - The Price of Pleasure

[Odelot]

The Emerald Enclave Pleasure Resort, The Oasis - Room 942

Odelot had not been entirely sure that his transmissions were coming across.  It was possible he had bungled the tapping of the belt, or that something was blocking the signal.  Then, a loud, clear, and heroic voice came across.

"Odelot, I'm coming!" 

It was his Salad friend!  The... V-E-G-A-N.   Even thinking the word, he could only do so slowly and with apprehension.  Dihiq had claimed not to be a warrior, but now his bold Klingon warrior voice was declaring otherwise.

But that was not the only positive response.  Apparently, some of his friends had gone into motion rather than declare their intentions over the airwaves.  Aryn's voice came through the door.  She sounded... maybe drunk?  Maybe sad?

"D...dotelo, you b...bastard! You come out h...here! I kn...know you're in th...there." Aryn sobbed at the top of her lungs. "You...you promised me! Let me in!"

"Who... who the rutty hell is that?" the Orion woman demanded.

Odelot shrugged, "You not girl Dotelo thought coming in room," he offered, "Maybe let her in.  Or she make big noise to bring more people.  Dotelo think... If you want more people, you not be here alone."

The plasma torch's emitter wavered off target, and tears filled the Orion woman's eyes.  It was clear she was at the end of her rope.  Whatever was going on here, it was going very wrong for her.

Odelot wanted to give her a hug.

"Fine, let her in.  Slowly.  If you tell her I'm here, I'll shoot you both."  the Orion said as she retreated slowly back into the shadows of the dimly lit room, crouching behind an ottoman.

Odelot stepped back, and slowly reached out as he had when he'd first entered, finding the console.  He tapped the door-open icon, and the door retreated into the wall.  The resultant opening was like a glowing maw, spilling light from the hallway into the room.  The silhouette of his savior was cast in shadow across the rectangle of light.

[Aryn Corliss]

The Emerald Enclave Pleasure Resort, The Oasis - Room 942

Odelot had not been entirely sure that his transmissions were coming across.  It was possible he had bungled the tapping of the belt, or that something was blocking the signal.  Then, a loud, clear, and heroic voice came across.

"Odelot, I'm coming!" 

It was his Salad friend!  The... V-E-G-A-N.   Even thinking the word, he could only do so slowly and with apprehension.  Dihiq had claimed not to be a warrior, but now his bold Klingon warrior voice was declaring otherwise.

But that was not the only positive response.  Apparently, some of his friends had gone into motion rather than declare their intentions over the airwaves.  Aryn's voice came through the door.  She sounded... maybe drunk?  Maybe sad?

"D...dotelo, you b...bastard! You come out h...here! I kn...know you're in th...there." Aryn sobbed at the top of her lungs. "You...you promised me! Let me in!"

"Who... who the rutty hell is that?" the Orion woman demanded.

Odelot shrugged, "You not girl Dotelo thought coming in room," he offered, "Maybe let her in.  Or she make big noise to bring more people.  Dotelo think... If you want more people, you not be here alone."

The plasma torch's emitter wavered off target, and tears filled the Orion woman's eyes.  It was clear she was at the end of her rope.  Whatever was going on here, it was going very wrong for her.

Odelot wanted to give her a hug.

"Fine, let her in.  Slowly.  If you tell her I'm here, I'll shoot you both."  the Orion said as she retreated slowly back into the shadows of the dimly lit room, crouching behind an ottoman.

Odelot stepped back, and slowly reached out as he had when he'd first entered, finding the console.  He tapped the door-open icon, and the door retreated into the wall.  The resultant opening was like a glowing maw, spilling light from the hallway into the room.  The silhouette of his savior was cast in shadow across the rectangle of light.

[The Oasis - Room 942]

When the door began to open, Aryn stepped back from pounding on it, swiping at the real tears she'd managed to produce. She stepped inside, still hiccuping and sniffing, glancing around surreptitiously for the intruder. When Aryn didn't see her, she continued her charade.

Dotelo, why did you leave me? Did you have someone here? I thought I heard another voice. Aryn allowed anger to creep into her voice. Do you have a woman here? You're cheating on me, aren't you?

As her voice rose in volume and pitch, Aryn turned so that she was facing Odelot, close enough to mask her movements as she raised her eyebrows in question and used one finger to gesture about the room, hoping he would understand that she was asking for the location of the intruder.

[Volskene]

Unsurprisingly, nobody complained. Galanna rose quickly, and moved off in the direction of Theg, and the bar. Felicity began to follow, catching a look from Eastman as she shepherded a group of gamblers to the bar with the promise of some free booze. She began to follow, plastering a pleasant smile on her face as she approached the Tholian in their path.

"To the bar!" She called out, repeating the cries of a nearby reveler. "The next round is on the Tholian!"

Then, her attention was drawn away by the phrase "the next round is on the Tholian."
Tholian? Here? she thought, shocked. Tholia was on the other side of Federation space, and its people were hardly known for their exploration and voyaging.
"A tollian?" she asked, intentionally butchering the species name as she approached what must have been the non-humanoid in question. "Hell of a long tRip, no?"

Volskene glared for a moment at the Primary Medical Ruling Castemember. Next round of what?...

The Tholian's response was quick and agitated. "I must protest... I agreed to nothing of the sort!" Unfortunately, he was certain he was out-shouted by the throng of cheering humanoids. Certainly he appeared a fool as he stood there...

His attention turned to the stranger who had unsuccessfully attempted to pronounce his peoples' name, not that he blamed a humanoid for such a blunder. Still, her words stung him all the same as he was filled with fresh remembrance of his distance from Tholia... at that he simply stepped away and moved closer to the Primary Medical Ruling Castemember, as if searching for advice.

[Felicity Ellis]

[Rough Diamond, Bar]
Lt. Judy Eastman

Judy observed her little stampede rather proudly as she walked up to the bar. It certainly seemed to have caught some attention. To the bartender, she said, "a Round on me, habibi."

Then, her attention was drawn away by the phrase "the next round is on the Tholian."
Tholian? Here? she thought, shocked. Tholia was on the other side of Federation space, and its people were hardly known for their exploration and voyaging.
"A tollian?" she asked, intentionally butchering the species name as she approached what must have been the non-humanoid in question. "Hell of a long tRip, no?"

Volskene glared for a moment at the Primary Medical Ruling Castemember. Next round of what?...

The Tholian's response was quick and agitated. "I must protest... I agreed to nothing of the sort!" Unfortunately, he was certain he was out-shouted by the throng of cheering humanoids. Certainly he appeared a fool as he stood there...

His attention turned to the stranger who had unsuccessfully attempted to pronounce his peoples' name, not that he blamed a humanoid for such a blunder. Still, her words stung him all the same as he was filled with fresh remembrance of his distance from Tholia... at that he simply stepped away and moved closer to the Primary Medical Ruling Castemember, as if searching for advice.

[The Rough Diamond - Casino Bar]

"Bartender! A round of boude please!" She gave the suddenly very busy server a smile and a wave while she asked for the colourful liquor, traditionally served in a shot glass and set alight. It was sticky, it was intoxicating, but it was tasty and slid down the throat with ease. Volskene's protests fell upon her deaf ears; Felicity had a sneaking suspicion that the Tholian had access to more lines of credit than most of the casino's guests, and that was saying something. She had no idea why she thought this, but she enjoyed the mystique it added to the surly Tholian's persona.

Felicity nodded in response to Judy's observations. As soon as the other woman had joined them to make a weird little trio, Felicity passed her one of the shot glasses that the bartender had begun to line up on the tacky, gilded surface. "Indeed it is," she agreed as Volskene took a couple of side-steps closer to her. She would have to tread carefully with this introduction. Too much information would confuse Volskene, too little would leave him with questions.

"Specialist Volskene, may I introduce Zehava Meir. I met Ms. Meir this evening and she is fast becoming an ally amongst so many potential enemies." That was sort of true. Eastman was Meir for that evening, and Felicity had technically just met her. She'd have to explain her true identity to Volskene when they'd completed their mission, but she wanted him to know that Eastman was a friendly, one of them, without actually saying those words. And for Judy, she needed her to know that the same was true of Volskene, and so she continued, "The Tholian Assembly were generous enough to allow Volskene here to join my organisation for a time, so we might benefit from his expertise and unique... perspectives."

So much talking around topics and forced diplomacy was thirsty work. She knocked back her shot, and shivered, though that was partly prompted by the nearby Galanna, who was whispering once again in Theg's ear. Both of them turned to look at her little group, and she didn't believe their expressions to be friendly at all. It would appear that not only were they succeeding in beginning their distraction, but they were also drawing plenty of attention to themselves individually, too. She was keeping half an ear on Odelot's broadcast, and another on the conversations around her. She picked up another boude.

[Odelot]

The Emerald Enclave Pleasure Resort, The Oasis - Room 942

Odelot's mind felt overloaded with the layers of pretending that were going on.

Pretending had been fun at first.

He had pretended to be a rich man with pockets full of latinum, just going around and doing rich things.

Then he pretended to be a bad rich man, who was really a dangerous gun-runner.

But now he was pretending to be a bad rich man who had a drunk girl-friend.

He was pretending to the girl-friend that he was alone, but really he was only pretending to be pretending that, because really the girl was a friend who was pretending to be his girl-friend, and he had pretended not to be calling for help when he really was, and she was pretending to be drunk but probably she wasn't, and she was here to help him but was pretending that she wasn't.

Meanwhile, Odelot wanted the friend to find the other girl.  But he was pretending to the other girl that he was pretending to his girl-friend who was really his friend that the other girl wasn't there, when really she was hiding behind the ottoman.

"Dotelo is Tired!   Are you tired?  Maybe sit?"  Odelot's gaze briefly flitted over to the ottoman.

Behind the ottoman, the Orion woman crouched, shrouded in darkness and holding a phaser torch... while re-thinking the choices she'd made to wind up here.

[Judith Eastman]

[Rough Diamond - Bar]

It was obvious that Leanna wasn't going anywhere anytime soon as the man settled down next to her, clearly interested in some kind of deal. However she was more than capable to play him at his own game and besides it might be fun to let him ask all the questions and see exactly what he wanted.

When he then asked if she was here for the tournament, Lea looked at him and was about to answer him playfully when she heard the muffled scream and sound of running coming from her hidden communicator. She recognised the voice immediately but again she couldn't exactly go anywhere or check out what was wrong.

No she had to remain and recovered quickly from the unexpected scream in her ear as she gave Nick her full attention. " It's not really my thing, I'm here for a little fun and maybe play some blackjack " she said giving him her best smile.

[Rough Diamond]
Nick Dixon

Nick picked up something slightly off-putting from the woman in front of him. She seemed to react for only a moment to something he couldn't hear.
"Odd," he thought. She might've somehow been tied to the others. However, this time, he decided to keep testing the water.
"I've played a hand or two, myself," he answered her. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Many men buy women drink to flirt. Nick, on the other hand, liked to buy drinks for both genders as a way to ingratiate himself with possible customers.

*

Volskene glared for a moment at the Primary Medical Ruling Castemember. Next round of what?...

The Tholian's response was quick and agitated. "I must protest... I agreed to nothing of the sort!" Unfortunately, he was certain he was out-shouted by the throng of cheering humanoids. Certainly he appeared a fool as he stood there...

His attention turned to the stranger who had unsuccessfully attempted to pronounce his peoples' name, not that he blamed a humanoid for such a blunder. Still, her words stung him all the same as he was filled with fresh remembrance of his distance from Tholia... at that he simply stepped away and moved closer to the Primary Medical Ruling Castemember, as if searching for advice.

[The Rough Diamond - Casino Bar]

"Bartender! A round of boude please!" She gave the suddenly very busy server a smile and a wave while she asked for the colourful liquor, traditionally served in a shot glass and set alight. It was sticky, it was intoxicating, but it was tasty and slid down the throat with ease. Volskene's protests fell upon her deaf ears; Felicity had a sneaking suspicion that the Tholian had access to more lines of credit than most of the casino's guests, and that was saying something. She had no idea why she thought this, but she enjoyed the mystique it added to the surly Tholian's persona.

Felicity nodded in response to Judy's observations. As soon as the other woman had joined them to make a weird little trio, Felicity passed her one of the shot glasses that the bartender had begun to line up on the tacky, gilded surface. "Indeed it is," she agreed as Volskene took a couple of side-steps closer to her. She would have to tread carefully with this introduction. Too much information would confuse Volskene, too little would leave him with questions.

"Specialist Volskene, may I introduce Zehava Meir. I met Ms. Meir this evening and she is fast becoming an ally amongst so many potential enemies." That was sort of true. Eastman was Meir for that evening, and Felicity had technically just met her. She'd have to explain her true identity to Volskene when they'd completed their mission, but she wanted him to know that Eastman was a friendly, one of them, without actually saying those words. And for Judy, she needed her to know that the same was true of Volskene, and so she continued, "The Tholian Assembly were generous enough to allow Volskene here to join my organisation for a time, so we might benefit from his expertise and unique... perspectives."

So much talking around topics and forced diplomacy was thirsty work. She knocked back her shot, and shivered, though that was partly prompted by the nearby Galanna, who was whispering once again in Theg's ear. Both of them turned to look at her little group, and she didn't believe their expressions to be friendly at all. It would appear that not only were they succeeding in beginning their distraction, but they were also drawing plenty of attention to themselves individually, too. She was keeping half an ear on Odelot's broadcast, and another on the conversations around her. She picked up another boude.

Judy Eastman

Judy noticed the duo whose attention she'd managed to grab. Something about them seemed a little off, slightly different from the drunken gamblers all around the bar.
In a nice exercise of conservation of weirdness, even as those two grew more suspicious in Judy's eyes, the Tholian became less so. Still, Judy had to keep the distraction up, which wasn't going to be fun for Volskene.
"Volskene, okay. Nice to meet you," Judy said, her fake accent staying flawlessly in place (her trick was to pronounce the English words as if they were Hebrew). "Do you shake hands, oR what?"
On some level, playing the culturally insensitive schmuck made Judy feel bad. On another level, it was fun.

*
Dihiq
[The Oasis, Room 942]

After a moment, Dihiq continued his run, still panting, into Odelot's room. He flicked on the lights, tried to take in the image, and was thoroughly bamboozled.

"Ode... To... Dotelo!" Dihiq tried to admonish, but stumbled over the name. "What are you doing here?!"

[Aryn Corliss]

The Emerald Enclave Pleasure Resort, The Oasis - Room 942

Odelot's mind felt overloaded with the layers of pretending that were going on.

Pretending had been fun at first.

He had pretended to be a rich man with pockets full of latinum, just going around and doing rich things.

Then he pretended to be a bad rich man, who was really a dangerous gun-runner.

But now he was pretending to be a bad rich man who had a drunk girl-friend.

He was pretending to the girl-friend that he was alone, but really he was only pretending to be pretending that, because really the girl was a friend who was pretending to be his girl-friend, and he had pretended not to be calling for help when he really was, and she was pretending to be drunk but probably she wasn't, and she was here to help him but was pretending that she wasn't.

Meanwhile, Odelot wanted the friend to find the other girl.  But he was pretending to the other girl that he was pretending to his girl-friend who was really his friend that the other girl wasn't there, when really she was hiding behind the ottoman.

"Dotelo is Tired!   Are you tired?  Maybe sit?"  Odelot's gaze briefly flitted over to the ottoman.

Behind the ottoman, the Orion woman crouched, shrouded in darkness and holding a phaser torch... while re-thinking the choices she'd made to wind up here.

*
Dihiq
[The Oasis, Room 942]

After a moment, Dihiq continued his run, still panting, into Odelot's room. He flicked on the lights, tried to take in the image, and was thoroughly bamboozled.

"Ode... To... Dotelo!" Dihiq tried to admonish, but stumbled over the name. "What are you doing here?!"

[The Oasis - Room 942]

Aryn had indicated her understanding with a slight nod and was just attempting to figure out how to get around the back side of the ottoman where the (apparently quite small) intruder was supposedly hiding, when the strange, small, blonde Klingon burst into the room.

Turning on him, Aryn shrieked, Who are you? Why are you here? She whipped back around to Odelot. Exactly how many people are you seeing? I can't believe I believed you!

With another wail, Aryn began to lurch around the room, looking under furniture and slamming into things, working her way closer to the ottoman. When she got close, Aryn seemed to trip over her own feet and tumbled over into the side of the ottoman, her hope being that it would hit the trespasser and stun them.

[Leanna Mazal]

[Rough Diamond]
Nick Dixon

Nick picked up something slightly off-putting from the woman in front of him. She seemed to react for only a moment to something he couldn't hear.
"Odd," he thought. She might've somehow been tied to the others. However, this time, he decided to keep testing the water.
"I've played a hand or two, myself," he answered her. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Many men buy women drink to flirt. Nick, on the other hand, liked to buy drinks for both genders as a way to ingratiate himself with possible customers.

[Rough Diamond - Bar]

Lea soon realised that she couldn't afford to be distracted whilst talking to this guy especially if it ended up with him asking awkward questions. She could still hear the conversation going on from her hidden communicator but hoped it was under control as her new companion revealed that he had played a game or two before offering to buy her a drink.

" Maybe we can play a game or two later but I have to admit drinking is much more fun so I would love you to buy me one" she replied playfully hoping that the Phoenix still had a lock on them.

[Red Phoenix]

Their hiding place was working well to their advantage as the crew patiently waited for some kind of signal from the team on the surface. Oliver was at the point of almost pacing the length of the Bridge especially when Idris picked up the comm chatter from the transponders that had been given to everyone before they left.

It was frustrating to say the least that they couldn't help them not without blowing their cover or risk Lea and the others until the moment was right to extract them.

" Remind me to ask for double payment is Lea asks us to do this again"Oliver stated to the others not really meaning it but it was obvious he was angry and frustrated.

" Scratch that but we need to be ready and as soon as we have the signal, I don't care what it takes we're getting them out".

Idris merely scowled and acknowledged Winchester with a simple hand signal whilst the others nodded or spoke briefly each dealing with their own emotions over the whole incident, aware of how important it was not to screw up.

[Odelot]

The Emerald Enclave Pleasure Resort, The Oasis - Room 942

Sherri had seen the holos before.  Dramatic Comedies.  Comedy Romances.  Situational hi-jinks.    A series of errors and chance encounters with a procession of unlikely characters, each stumbling into the other and adding to the complexity of a scene until it whirled utterly out of control.  Such entertainment tickled the mind partly because it was so preposterous that it could never exist in reality.

And yet, here she was, tumbling onto the open floor after an ottoman careened into her diminutive frame, having been bumped by a raging woman scorned. 

Sprawled out on the floor, she found that the phaser torch had tumbled from her grasp.  She scrambled to claim it, but a size sixteen boot planted atop it, completely obscuring it from sight and grasp.

Bolting up from the ground, Sherri glanced around, assessing the scene.

To her left, a Pakled weapons smuggler, his giant foot planted on her only weapon.

To her right, his crazy, drunk girlfriend, tearing the hotel room apart in her fury.

In front of her, a Klingon... boyfriend?  He was dressed like a socially awkward Gigolo.

Choosing a path between them all, she sprinted in a zig-zag pattern hoping to make it through the door and exit this increasingly bizarre encounter with her green skin intact.

[Judith Eastman]

[Rough Diamond - Bar]

Lea soon realised that she couldn't afford to be distracted whilst talking to this guy especially if it ended up with him asking awkward questions. She could still hear the conversation going on from her hidden communicator but hoped it was under control as her new companion revealed that he had played a game or two before offering to buy her a drink.

" Maybe we can play a game or two later but I have to admit drinking is much more fun so I would love you to buy me one" she replied playfully hoping that the Phoenix still had a lock on them.

Nick Dixon

Nick nodded in acknowledgement. To him, Blackjack was but a means to an end, so he didn't mind not playing it.
"That's good enough for me," he said. "Bartender, I'll have a Long Island Iced Tea. The lady will have whatever she'd like."
A Long Island Iced Tea tasted nothing like actual tea, but it looked close enough for Nick to pretend. With all the punishment his taste buds have taken over the years, pretending wasn't too hard.

*

[The Oasis - Room 942]

Aryn had indicated her understanding with a slight nod and was just attempting to figure out how to get around the back side of the ottoman where the (apparently quite small) intruder was supposedly hiding, when the strange, small, blonde Klingon burst into the room.

Turning on him, Aryn shrieked, Who are you? Why are you here? She whipped back around to Odelot. Exactly how many people are you seeing? I can't believe I believed you!

With another wail, Aryn began to lurch around the room, looking under furniture and slamming into things, working her way closer to the ottoman. When she got close, Aryn seemed to trip over her own feet and tumbled over into the side of the ottoman, her hope being that it would hit the trespasser and stun them.

Dihiq

"I'm his... p-p-partner!" Dihiq screeched. "We, uh, we... w-w-work... together!"
Dihiq's pauses, really just a sign of his stutter and hesitation, made it look like he was pretending not to be Odelot's boyfriend. He wasn't aware of that convincing act, however, which fueled it by making him look more flustered. It was, in effect, enforced Method acting at its finest.

The Emerald Enclave Pleasure Resort, The Oasis - Room 942

Sherri had seen the holos before.  Dramatic Comedies.  Comedy Romances.  Situational hi-jinks.    A series of errors and chance encounters with a procession of unlikely characters, each stumbling into the other and adding to the complexity of a scene until it whirled utterly out of control.  Such entertainment tickled the mind partly because it was so preposterous that it could never exist in reality.

And yet, here she was, tumbling onto the open floor after an ottoman careened into her diminutive frame, having been bumped by a raging woman scorned. 

Sprawled out on the floor, she found that the phaser torch had tumbled from her grasp.  She scrambled to claim it, but a size sixteen boot planted atop it, completely obscuring it from sight and grasp.

Bolting up from the ground, Sherri glanced around, assessing the scene.

To her left, a Pakled weapons smuggler, his giant foot planted on her only weapon.

To her right, his crazy, drunk girlfriend, tearing the hotel room apart in her fury.

In front of her, a Klingon... boyfriend?  He was dressed like a socially awkward Gigolo.

Choosing a path between them all, she sprinted in a zig-zag pattern hoping to make it through the door and exit this increasingly bizarre encounter with her green skin intact.

Likewise, Dihiq's reaction to the Orion woman emerging was all organic. Not willing to let a potential witness escape, he lunged at her with a ferocious, high-pitched wail.
Unfortunately, Dihiq lost his balance, and ended up belly-flopping the green-skinned lady with his diminutive frame. For Dihiq, at least, it hurt.

[Leanna Mazal]

[Nick Dixon

Nick nodded in acknowledgement. To him, Blackjack was but a means to an end, so he didn't mind not playing it.
"That's good enough for me," he said. "Bartender, I'll have a Long Island Iced Tea. The lady will have whatever she'd like."
A Long Island Iced Tea tasted nothing like actual tea, but it looked close enough for Nick to pretend. With all the punishment his taste buds have taken over the years, pretending wasn't too hard.

[Rough Diamond - Bar]

Lea grinned at his response, glad that her plan had started to work in terms of distracting him by getting to drink with her instead. So when he ordered a long island iced tea and told the bartender that she would have whatever she wanted, Lea soon made her mind up.

" Raspberry vodka and lemonade please " she said still being her playful self.

The Bartender had been the one she was flirting with earlier so when her drink was poured, he doubled the measure before handing it to her.

" an extra special one for Maura"He said with a slight purr before making the long island iced tea for Nick. Lea responded to the bartender with a teasing bite of her lip as she then returned her attention to Nick.

[TRell]

[The Rough Diamond Casino]

Naira was helpless in that instant. She could do nothing more than to sit and listen in while one of her officers was in danger. The muscles in her back tensed as she heard to faint clicking in her ear of others acknowledging the call for help. She was unarmed and worse, with a medkit. Even if she could get up, excuse herself from the table and make her back back to their rooms, she knew that she would be of little help. She just had to hope that there were others close enough to make it there in time.

The decision weighed heavy on her mind as she locked eyes with her security officers, then turned back watch the crowd around them and the man tossing cards at their fingertips. Naira had to put on a fake smile and force a laugh as one of their tablemates attempted to lighten the mood with crude joke she had only just caught the tail end of.

[Rough Diamond]

T'Rell heard the distress call from the Pakled and the panic underlying it, and she turned her head towards the rest of the crew spread out among the crowd, her hand twitched towards the disruptor on her hips, just a slight movement, she heard crew members respond and she wanted to be among them, it was her job to protect them, it was also her job to ensure that the Captain and security chief kept up their cover, and no crime boss worth his latinum would allow his body guard to race off on another quest, she could only hope that someone else could get there or failing that she would ensure her full wrath would fall on the hapless assassin.  To make herself fell better at least a little she snarled savagely at the player on her left, no doubt making him wonder what transgression he had committed to earn the displeasure of the Caitian.

Quietly she offered encouragement to the Pakled over the com, it was less the words she spoke but the calming purr she spoke them with, it worked with most sentient species at least and currently it was all she could do.

[Aryn Corliss]

*Dihiq

"I'm his... p-p-partner!" Dihiq screeched. "We, uh, we... w-w-work... together!"
Dihiq's pauses, really just a sign of his stutter and hesitation, made it look like he was pretending not to be Odelot's boyfriend. He wasn't aware of that convincing act, however, which fueled it by making him look more flustered. It was, in effect, enforced Method acting at its finest.
Likewise, Dihiq's reaction to the Orion woman emerging was all organic. Not willing to let a potential witness escape, he lunged at her with a ferocious, high-pitched wail.
Unfortunately, Dihiq lost his balance, and ended up belly-flopping the green-skinned lady with his diminutive frame. For Dihiq, at least, it hurt.

[The Oasis - Room 942]

The second Dihiq landed on top of the Orion woman, Aryn straightened up, limping slightly from bashing her shin against the ottoman, and grabbed the weapon that had fallen to the floor. She gazed at it, perplexed, for a moment, realizing it wasn't a true weapon at all.

Tapping her concealed transmitter, Aryn broadcast, Situation contained. Our people are fine. She patted Odelot's arm, passing him to check on Dihiq and the captured intruder.

Aryn pointed the makeshift weapon at the Orion and said, Remain calm and he'll let you up. Then we can have a little conversation. Dotelo, would you block the door, please? She decided it would be best to stick with their pseudonyms for the time being.

Go ahead and stand up, if you would, please, Aryn said calmly to Dihiq. Internally, she was shaking. Of course, she'd practiced all kinds of scenarios in the Academy, and been through a few harrowing experiences since, but this situation took the cake. It had been stupid to go unarmed and she was lucky things hadn't gone worse.

[Naira]

[Rough Diamond]

T'Rell heard the distress call from the Pakled and the panic underlying it, and she turned her head towards the rest of the crew spread out among the crowd, her hand twitched towards the disruptor on her hips, just a slight movement, she heard crew members respond and she wanted to be among them, it was her job to protect them, it was also her job to ensure that the Captain and security chief kept up their cover, and no crime boss worth his latinum would allow his body guard to race off on another quest, she could only hope that someone else could get there or failing that she would ensure her full wrath would fall on the hapless assassin.  To make herself fell better at least a little she snarled savagely at the player on her left, no doubt making him wonder what transgression he had committed to earn the displeasure of the Caitian.

Quietly she offered encouragement to the Pakled over the com, it was less the words she spoke but the calming purr she spoke them with, it worked with most sentient species at least and currently it was all she could do.

[The Rough Diamond Casino]

The Bolian sat up rigidly straight and let his hand fall from Naira's lap, at the sound of the Caitian's snarl. His normally relaxed posture and confident demeanor were momentarily dropped as the instinct to pull away at the first sign of danger took over. Boref was not easy frightened. He worked in a dangerous profession, surround by criminals and with the constant threat the authorities coming after him, but what he did for a living stuffed his accounts with the latinum to hire body guards of his own and bribe his way into good standing with the Orions. However, he wasn't about to push his luck with a Caitian, not over this.

The thought of teeth and nails tearing into his flesh was not his idea of a pleasant experience.

Naira relaxed a bit as the Bolian pulled back, increasing the distance between them ever so slightly.

The dealer revealed his cards to the table and called on Boref twice before the Bolian tossed his own towards the center of the table and relinquished his chips.

"The tables don't appear to be on my side tonight. Come, join me for the auction," he lowered his voice as he spoke. "That's where the real action is." his confidence returned as he stood up from the table and gestured for the others to follow him towards the back room.

Naira stood up to follow and in doing so, she tapped her hidden badge so that the others may listen in.

[Odelot]

The Emerald Enclave Pleasure Resort, The Oasis - Room 942

Sherri had heard of Klingons and their warrior ways.  She had even seen a few Klingons among the clientele here, usually acting as bodyguards for important people.  She had never seen one fight, however.  It was startling to hear the high-pitched warrior scream.   To have the man lunge at her.  He had come upon her seeming as an uncoordinated child might, lunging at a pool in a failed attempt to dive in.

And yet one could not argue with results.  To her dismay, the Klingon crashed into her and pinned her underneath his powerful- if surprisingly lithe- body.

Odelot, meanwhile, lifted his boot so that Sherri's weapon could be collected by his rescuers, and then followed his orders and shut the door.  Stepping over to fill he doorway with his bulk, he made it unlikely that the Orion woman would be able to escape, even if she somehow got away from the savage and formidable Klingon martial-artist in their party.

Despair overcame Sherri's fortitude, and she began to weep.  Openly and shamelessly, she sobbed.  Her life had been cruel, and now it would end cruelly.  She had stood up for herself this final time, despite the lessons a slave's life had taught her.  A foolish hope.  Now that hope was dashed, as she herself surely soon would be.

"Please... don't kill me.   I'm just a slave.  I'm not a Security Chief.  I'm a slave they use in Information Technology.  I detected something here... and I investigated for them.  I thought... whoever is doing this, maybe I can blackmail them into taking me with them.   Away from here.   But I swear, I won't tell anyone about... any of this.  Whatever this is.  I don't care.  I just want to live.  Please!"

Odelot looked down at the green girl, crushed under the brave and powerful Dihiq, and felt sad.  He knew he was supposed to be a bad man who was very rich and sold guns to other bad men, but he did not feel like being bad right now.

He looked to his friends, a pleading in his eyes, under big bushy brows.