Season 3 Episode 2 - The Price of Pleasure

[Derek Black]

However at the sight of another familiar face, one that had been missed, she smiled and went over to him.

" Well hello Stranger, its good to see you again".

[Red Phoenix - Mess]

The small lounge quickly grew more crowded as other crew members started to file in as ones and twos. To his mild amusement, most were strangers or new acquaintances, though he smiled when Felicity walked in and joined the 'popular' table. Derek wasn't alone for much longer though, as a familiar woman approached.

"Leanna." Derek rose from his seat to give her a warm hug and greeting. "I didn't know they had shanghai-ed you into this little trip as well." He motioned for her to sit down, glancing over at the increasingly boisterous Pakled who seemed to regale equally in everything from lettuce to hair. Decades of instincts made Derek's old Chief's hackles rise when he heard Flick referred to by name repeatedly, but he forced himself to turn away. She didn't seem to be taking offense to it, nor was it his place to say anything nowadays. New kids, new Starfleet, I suppose. "How've you been? And Ariana, is she well?"

[Naira]

Aryn listened gravely as Naira laid out her concerns and expectations and nodded at the conclusion. Understood, Captain. I...don't think it will be an issue. Alec can do what needs to be done. That's how I ended up here and he ended up on a prison planet. He let himself get captured to allow me to escape. What I've learned of him since he arrived here, I believe he would do the same for anyone he was responsible for, not just me. He's just that kind of person. She offered a wry smile.

I'll swing by our quarters and pick him up on my way to the briefing.

[Captain's Office]

Naira nodded and stood silent as the woman left the office. She took a moment to reread her orders for at least the dozenth time, and took a deep breath before leaving the office.

She pulled the belt tighter around her waist, further securing her robe, before making her way towards the mess hall. It was silly, but wearing the simple garment helped her to retain a feeling of dignity. Addressing a room full of fellow Starfleet officers in what was essentially a glorified set of undergarments was a nightmare she hadn't had since her final days at the Academy. She could picture it now, standing before the small crowd, she'd try to share her thoughts or opinions, but because of her ridiculous outfit, she was laughed and gawked out. Each time the dream was a little bit different, her speech would differ, the location would change, but each time the results had been the same. Unlike her dream though, she wouldn't be able to run away or wake up from this.

[Mess Hall]

With another deep breath, Naira entered the mess hall to see that most of the crew looked to be present. Good, she thought. Now I won't have to repeat myself.

She noticed Commander Ellis, Lieutenant Corliss and T'Rell were gathered at one table with some others she recognized only by the picture provided in their files. They seemed to be involved in conversation and a shared meal, quite literally as it appeared as if a couple of them were attempting to share utensils. Dr. Black was speaking with a redheaded woman at another table and at yet another, Malcolm and Lyric looked to be locked in some sort of awkward exchange that seemed oddly fitting knowing the personalities of the two of them.

"Excuse me, everyone," she said as she cleared her throat. "If I can get everyone's attention here for a moment." She waited for the chatter of several voices to die down before continuing. "I want to start off by thanking all of you who agreed to join us on this mission, especially our civilian hosts and guests. What we are about to do does not fall under the normal duties that you signed up for. What we've asked of you is not an easy task. We don't know what sort of danger we might be walking into down there, but what we do know is that we have received trusted information that a known arms dealer is working out of this resort and he is said to be in possession of some highly destructive weapons and knowledge as to the movements of several Starfleet vessels."

She let this sink in for a moment as she caught her breath.

"We have been asked to discreetly apprehend this individual before he can sell his weapons and knowledge to the highest bidder. At this time, we can't expect to trust anyone on the planet. It is likely that everyone we encounter down there may work for the Syndicate in some capacity and they no more want to be exposed for harboring this criminal than Starfleet wants it known that have ordered this mission."

She could have continued on, discussed the careful understanding Starfleet had with the Syndicate. She could have explained how the two groups went out of their way to avoid each other in order to maintain the delicate balance in the region. Starfleet didn't want to start a conflict with a secretive, underground criminal organization anymore than the Syndicate wanted to divert operations away from their profitable schemes and seedy business dealings to fight a much stronger opponent. Many lives would be lost, profits would plunge, and as much as she hated to acknowledge it, entire civilizations that relied on these illicit trade routes would suffer.

"I'm glad to see everyone has had a chance to rest and eat, it may be some time before we get another chance." She lifted her chin up as she attempted to glance over the room, scanning each and every face for the one she was looking for. There. The redhead she had noticed earlier had to be Ms. Mazal. While the woman looked to have changed both her hair and eye color, there was no mistaking familiar high cheekbones and the angle of her jawline.

"Ms. Masal," she called out, "would you mind checking in with our pilot to get a final estimation on arrival time?"

Then, she walked over to the table where her First Officer sat, surrounded by a group of fellow officers. She smiled at each of the gathered before bending over to whisper into Commander Ellis' ear. "I don't see McIntyre among those gathered. Would you like to check that he isn't getting an early lead in drinking before stepping foot on the planet."     

[Leanna Mazal]

[Red Phoenix - Mess]

"Leanna." Derek rose from his seat to give her a warm hug and greeting. "I didn't know they had shanghai-ed you into this little trip as well." He motioned for her to sit down, glancing over at the increasingly boisterous Pakled who seemed to regale equally in everything from lettuce to hair. Decades of instincts made Derek's old Chief's hackles rise when he heard Flick referred to by name repeatedly, but he forced himself to turn away. She didn't seem to be taking offense to it, nor was it his place to say anything nowadays. New kids, new Starfleet, I suppose. "How've you been? And Ariana, is she well?"

[Red Phoenix - Mess]

When Derek recognised her before getting to give her a warm hug and greeting, she smiled and appreciated both the hug and greeting,returning it as he spoke and she answered him. " Well I don't know about shangai - ed as I own the Red Phoenix " she replied before Derek then gestured for her to sit down. As she did she noticed others arriving including Malcolm, Lyric as well as Aryn and Alec and it was good to see them all even if it took some getting used to not seeing them in uniform.

It also seemed as though their new Pakled officer was quite entertaining judging by the conversation coming from that table and despite what they were about to do it made her think of family and how nice it was to be social. Pieter then appeared with one of her favourite meals and she thanked him as Derek then asked after her and Ariana.

" I must admit its good to see you as you've definitely been missed " she said " As for me, I'm doing okay, busy as usual and I'm about start medical training with Lunn, as for Ariana, she's doing really well and by  the time we get back she should of returned to Columbus with my mother as they've been living on Argellian Nine as I moved them to safety after the station was attacked although that's nothing new " she said her tone light and playful especially at the last part of her comment.

"Ms. Masal," she called out, "would you mind checking in with our pilot to get a final estimation on arrival time?"

Leanna's attention soon turned towards Captain Naira when the CO entered the Mess and began speaking to them all regarding the reason why they were here and why they had been tasked with this mission by Starfleet. The Betazoid understood the importance and the potential dangers involved and yet knew she had to be part of it to not only bring down the Arms Dealer who could cause unimaginable chaos and damage to the area and in some ways finally put a line underneath her past.

However when the Captain then spoke to her after realising it was her due to the changes she had made, Lea immediately responded to the request.

" Certainly Captain" she replied as Naira then moved off towards the table where Flick and the others were sat.

However before Lea could check in with the Bridge, Oliver entered the Mess, clearly keen to check upon their guests especially one in particular and Lea had to stop herself from grinning especially at the way he then ruffled his hair.

" Hotshot when you're finished, do we know our ETA?" she asked then introduced him to Derek.

" Derek this is Oliver Winchester, Captain of the Phoenix " she said as Oliver then realised who spoke and managed not to blush as he answered his boss.

" Pleased to meet you Derek and whatever Lea tells you its all lies "He replied jokingly then continued." Actually that's the reason why I'm here, S'Ree will have us at the resort within the hour ".

Lea wasn't entirely convinced that it was the real reason why he was here but decided to let him off this time as she spoke. " That's great, once the Captain has finished speaking with Flick, I'll let her know".

" I'll be going back shortly but first I need to see Pieter about the supplies he needs". With that Oliver left them and made a beeline for Pieter but not before passing Flick's table.

Shaking her head slightly, Lea turned her attention to Derek. " He may have an eye for the ladies but I wouldn't be without him".

[Felicity Ellis]

[Mess Hall - Red Phoenix]

Felicity arched a brow at Dihiq's super cool response, and the confidence he seemed to suddenly display when T'Rell arrived. It could possibly be attributed to the beer he was putting away at a decent pace, or maybe he had been a little bit better of late. Mentally, she was already composing a letter to Lieutenant Eastman. She smiled as she picked at the little section of meatloaf that Odelot had separated out for her, eventually locating a chunk of meat underneath all of that gravy. She speared it with her fork and answered the very friendly Pakled.

"Many of our crew went to the academy on Mars, too. I went to medical school, but then I specialised and became a psychologist, mainly because I'm obsessed with all things related to the mind and how it works." She popped the morsel into her mouth then and chewed, her expression thoughtful. She listened as Odelot spoke easily with T'Rell, and then proceeded to also introduce her. The exchange between the Pakled and Dihiq too, was interesting. The young Klingon seemed perfectly keen to accept Odelot's overtures of friendship, he even reciprocated them.

"A fine compromise," she said once she'd swallowed her food, referring of course to their meatloaf friends versus salad friends discussion. At Aryn and Alec's approach, she looked up and grinned broadly.

"Hi guys, of course, welcome to the party." There was a ghost of a cheeky glint in her eye; after a quick scan of the room she could see that their little part of the Mess was quickly becoming the most boisterous. If she noticed Aryn's stumble, she didn't let on either. Her brows shot up and she stifled a chuckle as Odelot took charge of the introductions again.

"I am Flick, Odelot." She leaned forward a little in earnest, her hand gesturing toward herself. "Humans sometimes give what we call 'nicknames' to each other. They're usually a shortened version of their name, or a moniker given out of affection. So in this case, 'Flick', is short for 'Felicity Ellis'." She offered a little shrug. "It's easier to say I guess, and it's what all of my friends call me." Except Xander, she thought, he usually insisted on using her full name. Likely because he knew it annoyed her when he did.

A hush fell over the Mess Hall then as the Captain cleared her throat and began to speak. Though Felicity had already been aware of much of what Naira was saying, she gave her complete attention regardless. Once the Captain had finished and approached, Felicity cocked her head to listen as the other woman leaned over to whisper in her ear. A look of understanding passed over Felicity's features immediately. "On it," she murmurred in response. Moments later, she'd pushed her chair back from the table and made to leave. "If you'll all excuse me, duty calls." She gave a casual wave and stepped toward the exit, though not before she caught sight of the passing tall drink of water that was Captain Dimples.

"Captain Winchester," she greeted Oliver with a cheeky grin, emphasizing the fact that she was using his full, proper name, and not the nickname he pretended to hate. Once she passed she caught Leanna and Derek's eyes, and gave them both a wink before she swept outside and into the corridors beyond. She made a mental note to ask Lea if she ordered all of her staff out of a catalogue, because they were all ridiculously attractive, and to catch up properly with her former Chief later, hopefully over a sociable drink or two.

[Passageways]

She recovered her commbadge from where it had been secreted inside her bodysuit and tapped it.

"Commander Ellis to Lieutenant McIntyre. You're missing all of the fun, McIntyre, where are you?"

Please don't say at the bottom of a bottle.

Without waiting for a response, Felicity set off toward the crew quarters.

[Aryn Corliss]

Red Phoenix - Mess Hall

Soon, a new woman came, and she brought her husband.  "Hello Aryn and Alec!  I am Odelot.  This is Dihiq!  This is Felicity Ellis!  Who is Flick?"

Before anyone could answer, he looked down at his plate.  "Odelot is sharing meatloaf with Dihiq and Felicity Ellis.  I do not have enough for you.  Do you want something Blue?"   He picked up his mug, which was quite substantial in size, and held it out.  "It is Blueberry.  Blueberry Smooth!  There is enough for all to have some!"  He glanced to Dihiq and added, very quietly, "It is V-e-g-a-n."

Well, he thought so, anyway.

[Red Phoenix - Mess Hall]

Aryn was slightly taken aback at the onslaught of words spilling out of the Pakled's mouth. She managed to latch on to the parts that needed response, though Flick took care of explaining her own nickname before Aryn could.

Odelot, nice to meet you. Ah, thank you for the offer, but I think I'll eat what I've got. Looks like you've already shared out most of what you have. She said this with a friendly smile, hoping to not offend the Pakled.

At Flick's affirmation, Alec and Aryn sat next to one another, tucking in to their trays of delicious-smelling food.

[Mess Hall]
Dihiq was pleased that his offer of friendship had been accepted, if not with joy. He was less pleased at the appearance of Aryn. Eastman had mentioned someone of that name, and asked him to say hi. But first, the blue had to be consumed or not. Dihiq downed another beer, more Dutch courage, and then accepted it.
"I'd love to try some, if we can have another straw."
You had to be sanitary when sharing food. The danger of getting various diseases from mouth to mouth via utensils was a rare thing that Dihiq and the witch agreed upon.
Then, he turned to Aryn.
"Aryn Corliss, by any chance? My boss asked me to say hi if I saw her."

Yes, I am, Aryn answered the diminutive Klingon. Who is your boss? she asked, trying to think whom she might know that he worked for.

Alec smiled and nodded greetings around the table, but remained largely silent. He listened intently to Captain Naira's briefing on the mission, understanding her concern about having civilians along, but resolute in his desire to be helpful. He knew it would be difficult for him if Aryn were in a tight spot, but as an El-Aurian and as a doctor, he'd long ago learned to put aside his own feelings when necessary and do what was necessary to preserve the most lives. He'd had to do so more times than he cared to remember.

[Judith Eastman]

[Red Phoenix - Mess Hall]

Aryn was slightly taken aback at the onslaught of words spilling out of the Pakled's mouth. She managed to latch on to the parts that needed response, though Flick took care of explaining her own nickname before Aryn could.

Odelot, nice to meet you. Ah, thank you for the offer, but I think I'll eat what I've got. Looks like you've already shared out most of what you have. She said this with a friendly smile, hoping to not offend the Pakled.

At Flick's affirmation, Alec and Aryn sat next to one another, tucking in to their trays of delicious-smelling food.

Yes, I am, Aryn answered the diminutive Klingon. Who is your boss? she asked, trying to think whom she might know that he worked for.

Alec smiled and nodded greetings around the table, but remained largely silent. He listened intently to Captain Naira's briefing on the mission, understanding her concern about having civilians along, but resolute in his desire to be helpful. He knew it would be difficult for him if Aryn were in a tight spot, but as an El-Aurian and as a doctor, he'd long ago learned to put aside his own feelings when necessary and do what was necessary to preserve the most lives. He'd had to do so more times than he cared to remember.

[Mess Hall]

Dihiq tried to think of a way to introduce the witch to someone she seemed to like, which wouldn't alienate Aryn but would also paint the evil New Yorker in her true colors.

"My boss is Lieutenant Judith Eastman of the Tempest, better known as the wicked witch," he said. He thought it was a smear of her, but it really just made him look petty.

He helped himself to his salad. It was delicious to him, like most salads. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce all diced together had a sort of simple beauty to them.

The captain's speech made him almost choke on his salad. He was horrible undercover and horrified of Orions and the Syndicate, both because of how Jada seemed to fear them and because Jada herself was fearsome.
"Uh-oh," he muttered under his breath, shaking as he did.

[Odelot]

Red Phoenix - Mess Hall

Straws!

Odelot leapt up with surprising speed and then tramped off to the utensils station, seizing a handful of straws and tromping back in a flurry of impressively sized and enthusiastic movement.  It was a Pakled storm, but thankfully there were no casualties.

He was a little bit out of breath by the time he got back, and held out straws for everyone to take.  But not everyone was a taker.

Well, it happened that way sometimes.

"Flick is funny," Odelot observed, "Like someone is hitting you with their finger."

Soon, another woman entered the room and asked for everyone's attention.  It looked like the show was starting.  Odelot wondered if she would sing.

Sadly, she did not sing.

It was several words in before Odelot realized that this woman was giving some kind of mission briefing.  And it was almost by the end when Odelot realized that this woman must be The Boss.  It was hard to tell who the bosses were, because almost no one was wearing the uniform clothes with the rank dots on them.

Some of what she said Odelot already knew.  He knew he was supposed to be someone else.  That's why he was wearing ordinary utility overalls of the sort popular with Pakled.  Really, Odelot was still being Odelot.  But he was being Odelot from before he was Starfleet.  It was a cunning plan.

After the mission speech was over, and Felicity Ellis also Flick meandered off, Odelot heard Dihiq say his boss was a witch.

"She can make magic?" he asked, amazed.

[Naira]

[Mess Hall - Red Phoenix]

A hush fell over the Mess Hall then as the Captain cleared her throat and began to speak. Though Felicity had already been aware of much of what Naira was saying, she gave her complete attention regardless. Once the Captain had finished and approached, Felicity cocked her head to listen as the other woman leaned over to whisper in her ear. A look of understanding passed over Felicity's features immediately. "On it," she murmurred in response. Moments later, she'd pushed her chair back from the table and made to leave. "If you'll all excuse me, duty calls." She gave a casual wave and stepped toward the exit, though not before she caught sight of the passing tall drink of water that was Captain Dimples.

[Mess Hall]

Naira waited for the other woman to leave before taking Felicity's place at the table.

"I want to thank you again for joining us," she said to the two men she had yet to officially meet. "I know this all must be very out of the ordinary to the both of you, but I'm hoping that you can lend us your unique set of skills in order to help us with this mission. Crewman Odelot," she turned her head to the side get a better look at him. "I've heard you're quite the skilled engineer. I've heard, if there's something that needs to be taken apart or reassembled, you're the person to go to."

She then shifted her hips in her seat, to turn and face Klingon. "Cadet Dihiq...am I saying that correctly? I apologize if I got that wrong. Other than a few choice swears, I'm afraid my Klingonese isn't very good."

Looking at the man, she couldn't help but notice his somewhat smaller features than what she might normally see when looking at a Klingon. She remembered his file had said he was still fairly young, but she had a feeling this was something else. She silently studied his features for a moment. He appeared to fully developed cranial ridges. His eyes were evenly spaced apart. To her trained eye, she couldn't detect any noticeable indications that he was anything other than Klingon, yet she had this feeling.

Perhaps it was due to her extensive research into hybrid species, Klingon hybrid species in particular of late, that the question bounced around in her mind.

"It's rather uncommon, but I must say inspirational, to meet a Klingon science officer. I know the Empire doesn't seem to hold much value in the field of science, but I must say I'm curious to see where your career goes. It is my understand that you have experience working on weaponry? I'm hoping you can work with us to track down these weapons and assist Odelot here," she turned and smiled at the Pakled. "with disarming them."     

[Judith Eastman]

Red Phoenix - Mess Hall

Straws!

Odelot leapt up with surprising speed and then tramped off to the utensils station, seizing a handful of straws and tromping back in a flurry of impressively sized and enthusiastic movement.  It was a Pakled storm, but thankfully there were no casualties.

He was a little bit out of breath by the time he got back, and held out straws for everyone to take.  But not everyone was a taker.

Well, it happened that way sometimes.

"Flick is funny," Odelot observed, "Like someone is hitting you with their finger."

Soon, another woman entered the room and asked for everyone's attention.  It looked like the show was starting.  Odelot wondered if she would sing.

Sadly, she did not sing.

It was several words in before Odelot realized that this woman was giving some kind of mission briefing.  And it was almost by the end when Odelot realized that this woman must be The Boss.  It was hard to tell who the bosses were, because almost no one was wearing the uniform clothes with the rank dots on them.

Some of what she said Odelot already knew.  He knew he was supposed to be someone else.  That's why he was wearing ordinary utility overalls of the sort popular with Pakled.  Really, Odelot was still being Odelot.  But he was being Odelot from before he was Starfleet.  It was a cunning plan.

After the mission speech was over, and Felicity Ellis also Flick meandered off, Odelot heard Dihiq say his boss was a witch.

"She can make magic?" he asked, amazed.

[Mess Hall]
"Yes, I can."

Judy had spent time mostly in the back of the Mess Hall, away from Dihiq, quietly reading over a cup of coffee and observing her idiot subordinate. However, the repeated mentions of her drew her closer, until she was right behind the Cadet. In her elegant but comfortable lavender jacket and dark slacks, and with her greying hair and proud wrinkles, she was a stark contrast to just about everyone else in the room.
"I can do all sorts of magic. I can cook, and I can make joy disappear."

Dihiq was stunned. He instantly recognized the sound of the witch's voice, her light accent (especially evident on the word "sorts", with a distinctive R that was both there and not there), and her intonation. He looked up to see her distinctively long nose, grey eyes, and the latest incarnation of her ever-changing hairdo; the young Klingon's features were depressed into a look of horror and gloom.
"Wh-wh-why are you h-here, m-ma'am?" Dihiq asked, horrified.
"My expertise was wanted, apparently," she said. "Or maybe I'm just old and close to death, so I'm less of a loss."
She sat down next to the understandably unnerved Cadet, and looked at the table. There was the Pakled, not a refined creature but a rather cute one. There was Aryn, and then there was an assortment of young people.
"Does anyone have thoughts on what I should eat?" She asked the table at large.

[Mess Hall]

Naira waited for the other woman to leave before taking Felicity's place at the table.

"I want to thank you again for joining us," she said to the two men she had yet to officially meet. "I know this all must be very out of the ordinary to the both of you, but I'm hoping that you can lend us your unique set of skills in order to help us with this mission. Crewman Odelot," she turned her head to the side get a better look at him. "I've heard you're quite the skilled engineer. I've heard, if there's something that needs to be taken apart or reassembled, you're the person to go to."

She then shifted her hips in her seat, to turn and face Klingon. "Cadet Dihiq...am I saying that correctly? I apologize if I got that wrong. Other than a few choice swears, I'm afraid my Klingonese isn't very good."

Looking at the man, she couldn't help but notice his somewhat smaller features than what she might normally see when looking at a Klingon. She remembered his file had said he was still fairly young, but she had a feeling this was something else. She silently studied his features for a moment. He appeared to fully developed cranial ridges. His eyes were evenly spaced apart. To her trained eye, she couldn't detect any noticeable indications that he was anything other than Klingon, yet she had this feeling.

Perhaps it was due to her extensive research into hybrid species, Klingon hybrid species in particular of late, that the question bounced around in her mind.

"It's rather uncommon, but I must say inspirational, to meet a Klingon science officer. I know the Empire doesn't seem to hold much value in the field of science, but I must say I'm curious to see where your career goes. It is my understand that you have experience working on weaponry? I'm hoping you can work with us to track down these weapons and assist Odelot here," she turned and smiled at the Pakled. "with disarming them."

"I'm a linguist, like my supervisor," Dihiq said, motioning at the seemingly-forgotten middle-aged menace. Both seemed equally surprised that it was the young Cadet rather than the distinguished linguist, freelance economist, and (school board) political powerbroker that got the attention. Judy, of course, was too old to care, but Dihiq wasn't.
"C-captain, did you m-mean to t-talk to my b-boss instead?" Dihiq asked, trying to cover up an incident that really wasn't there.

[Odelot]

Red Phoenix - The Mess Hall of Friendship

Joy was a Happy Feeling people had, Odelot knew.  Joy was also sometimes a person.  Odelot was pretty happy, so he knew Judy was not talking about the feeling.  That meant she must be talking about the person.

He looked around.  No one named Joy was here, as far as he could tell.

"You did a Good Job!" he commended the witch.

The Boss Lady came up, and Odelot knew she must be the Captain.  She seemed very nice, and said many good things to Odelot.

He nodded, "Yes!  Odelot can take apart anything!"

He did not immediately mention about putting things back together.  Whether this was an oversight or a confession was unclear until he continued,  "The Yadyam has pieces from TEN SHIPS on it!  And on Mars they told Odelot, 'I have never seen someone make repairs using these parts before.'  I will always remember, they were so nice to me on Mars."

When the Captain said nice things to Dihiq, Odelot decided to point out something she overlooked.  "Dihiq is eating Salad.  It is mostly green.  You are green.  You and Dihiq are friends!"   He paused, then, realizing an unfortunate implication only after he'd spoken.  He added, "Dihiq will not eat you."

It was best to clarify such things.

When Dihiq said something about being a linguist, Odelot squinted for a moment while he thought about what that meant.  "That means you have the best words!  Odelot does not.  I am very smart.  But words are hard sometimes."

Had there been an anthropologist or xeno-neurologist on hand, they might have been able to comment on the fact that Pakled tended to have an underdeveloped Broca Region of the brain, reducing their ability to express complex ideas.   Since there was no such person immediately apparent, Odelot's own explanation would have to suffice.

"If Dihiq is good with words, he will be smart, too.  And he is Klingon.  Klingons know weapons.  They have very good weapons.  You will see!  Dihiq will be good.  He will be the best at the mission.  We are friends.  We will do it together."

You had to stick up for your friends, even when they didn't stick up for themselves.

Odelot did not say anything about what Judy should eat.  He was running out of food.  Maybe she would take Dihiq's salad...

[Lyric McDaniels]

[Red Phoenix - P-ways - NPC Post as Rixxy and Malia]

Rixxy took the bright red lollipop from her mouth and studied it intently, unsure of the flavor. Ever since the human Halloween holiday, she'd had a wicked sweet tooth. An assorted bag of treats from the replicator had helped, but she still couldn't identify some of the strange human flavors. Since this one was red, it was most likely not the 'blu-raspberry' she had grown fond of, even though raspberries were not a blue fruit. She heard someone behind her clear their throat and hurriedly shoved the candy back in her mouth, biting it into pieces with a hard crunch. She shoved the remaining stick in a pocket to hide the evidence before spinning around to address the person.

Malia held a hand to her mouth, stifling a sharp bark of laughter before speaking. "Jeez Rix, you don't gotta hide your candy habit from me. We've known each how many years now?" She sidled up to the Klingon, and lightly poked at a pocket where another candy wrapper was sticking out.

"Too many years," Rixxy grumbled thickly, chewing quick to finish the remaining crunchy, sticky candy bits in her mouth. She handed her friend the packet of rainbow chewy sweets, which Malia tore into eagerly.

Between chomps she managed to ask, "So how'd you managed to get mixed up in this Starfleet business? You think poking at the Syndicate is a good idea after what happened back in Epsilon-Indi?"

The Klingon adjusted the weapons belt on her hip, perfectly nonchalant. "Well you know Lea. Living on the Starbase we're always hipdeep in their shenanigans. Of course I'm not worried about the Syndicate. After a few pulled strings, they ended up owing me." She rolled her shoulders in an elegant shrug, that was belied by the darkening of her face. "Toze realized after some... convincing, that he was entirely in the wrong, pulling that double cross on me. I told him right off people aren't cargo. You know how I feel about the Orion slave trafficking."

Malia gave a quick nod. "Oh yeah, I definitely wish I could have been a fly on the wall when you got a hold of him again."

Rixxy grinned suddenly, which wasn't much better than her angry glower, in all honesty. "The important thing is that I'm owed a favor, and I intend to collect in full." The seriousness of her words was eased by the chocolate drop she popped in her mouth afterwards, breaking the tension again.

[Four of Twenty]

"Excuse me, everyone," she said as she cleared her throat. "If I can get everyone's attention here for a moment." She waited for the chatter of several voices to die down before continuing. "I want to start off by thanking all of you who agreed to join us on this mission, especially our civilian hosts and guests. What we are about to do does not fall under the normal duties that you signed up for. What we've asked of you is not an easy task. We don't know what sort of danger we might be walking into down there, but what we do know is that we have received trusted information that a known arms dealer is working out of this resort and he is said to be in possession of some highly destructive weapons and knowledge as to the movements of several Starfleet vessels."

She let this sink in for a moment as she caught her breath.

"We have been asked to discreetly apprehend this individual before he can sell his weapons and knowledge to the highest bidder. At this time, we can't expect to trust anyone on the planet. It is likely that everyone we encounter down there may work for the Syndicate in some capacity and they no more want to be exposed for harboring this criminal than Starfleet wants it known that have ordered this mission."

[Mess Hall]

In a quiet corner, the latest Cadet assigned to the Columbus sat by himself. This was far from his first mission. But, it was his first official mission for Starfleet. Assigned to Operations on the station, Four of Twenty found it to be a rather cozy position to climb the ranks. His first mission being an opportunity to showcase the recommendations his instructors had written for him. To show why he was a member of the coveted Red Squad.

But, he would not let his ambitions override smart decisions. This wasn't the Romulan Star Empire. He would get nowhere by acting recklessly No. He had to play things smart. The Federation wished to work as a team. He would have to find a balance between the warrior he was within the Star Empire, and the drone he was within the Collective.

His thoughts drifted back to the Columbus. Being no longer integrated within the Collective, and with his homeworld of Romulus obliterated, the space station would have to suffice as his new home. As a Cadet, he wasn't given much information on the mission before they departed. He wasn't sure how long they would be gone. So, he put Spooky, his black cat, in a boarding house until he returned home. Admittedly, however, he found himself missing the creature. Strange to think he could begin to get so attached so quickly.

His thoughts were distracted as the Captain spoke up. Black eyes focused on her as a finger rested on a bit of cybernetics that circled around his left eye. A rather serious expression crossed his face, his brain beginning to run through the possible scenarios. An arms dealer with knowledge of starship positions? Thi was a rather troubling ordeal.

If he had sensitive material, it meant that he somehow had access to classified files. Perhaps he was an officer that had played double agent. Or had gained the information through thievery, extortion, or straight up torture. The fact that this dealer was to be apprehended spoke greatly towards the knowledge that they held.

Or it spoke on the Federation's soft attitude towards their secrets leaving their borders.

Had this been a Romulan affair, the Tal Shiar would have certainly been handling it instead of the military. The arms dealer would have been eliminated, as would anyone associated with them, including potential buyers. But, that sort of Scorched Earth policy was what made the Tal Shiar the proverbial boogeymen both within and outside of the influence of the Star Empire.

As the Captain began to make her rounds, speaking with the various officers and crew members assembled, Four shifted back in his seat. He took a sip of his iced green tea as he closed his eyes. This sort of mission was clandestine, something dangerous. Everyone here probably hoped that things wouldn't turn ugly, but he knew there was a good chance it would.

Dressed in fine Romulan silks, he looked the part of a seedy individual who would be interested in purchasing dangerous weapons. What the Syndicate just might discover was that he was a dangerous weapon. Under his jacket, two curved blades rested in holsters, pressed against his lower back. Comfort combat grips. An edge that was a few micrometers in thickness. These blades could cut through flesh like a hot knife through butter with the slightest of pressure.

Of course, he would refrain from drawing them unless he or one of his crewmates were in danger. Romulans weren't violent creatures, like Klingons. No. Romulans were apex predators, but played moreso as opportunists. The point was to capture this arms dealer without a drop of blood being spilled. It was best to plan along these mission perimeters.

However, one always had to have backup plans in case the original plan fell apart.

[Naira]

[Mess Hall]
"Yes, I can."

Judy had spent time mostly in the back of the Mess Hall, away from Dihiq, quietly reading over a cup of coffee and observing her idiot subordinate. However, the repeated mentions of her drew her closer, until she was right behind the Cadet. In her elegant but comfortable lavender jacket and dark slacks, and with her greying hair and proud wrinkles, she was a stark contrast to just about everyone else in the room.
"I can do all sorts of magic. I can cook, and I can make joy disappear."

Dihiq was stunned. He instantly recognized the sound of the witch's voice, her light accent (especially evident on the word "sorts", with a distinctive R that was both there and not there), and her intonation. He looked up to see her distinctively long nose, grey eyes, and the latest incarnation of her ever-changing hairdo; the young Klingon's features were depressed into a look of horror and gloom.
"Wh-wh-why are you h-here, m-ma'am?" Dihiq asked, horrified.
"My expertise was wanted, apparently," she said. "Or maybe I'm just old and close to death, so I'm less of a loss."
She sat down next to the understandably unnerved Cadet, and looked at the table. There was the Pakled, not a refined creature but a rather cute one. There was Aryn, and then there was an assortment of young people.
"Does anyone have thoughts on what I should eat?" She asked the table at large.
"I'm a linguist, like my supervisor," Dihiq said, motioning at the seemingly-forgotten middle-aged menace. Both seemed equally surprised that it was the young Cadet rather than the distinguished linguist, freelance economist, and (school board) political powerbroker that got the attention. Judy, of course, was too old to care, but Dihiq wasn't.
"C-captain, did you m-mean to t-talk to my b-boss instead?" Dihiq asked, trying to cover up an incident that really wasn't there.

[Mess Hall]

A linguist? Well that was certainly unexpected, but at the same time it piqued her interest.

"I apologize for the mistake. I guess I must have confused your file with someone else's. In any event, I'm sure we could find a way to put your skills to good use."

Naira had not noticed the older woman who had quite literally snuck up on them from behind, until she was standing over them. It was unnerving. What more, the cynical way in which she chose to speak, seemed to have a noticeable impact on the cadet. She could see the way in which he tensed up under her watchful gaze. Where moments before he had exhibited a level of confidence and ease as he spoke with his fellow officers, he now spoke with a stutter and deferred comment to the woman he identified as his superior.

It was not all that uncommon that she encountered cadets who stumbled over their words in fear of being put on the spot or over the possibility of embarrassing themselves in front of a superior officer, but his transformation between confidence and fear was so rapid that she could only come to the conclusion that the older woman had something to do with it.

"You must be Lieutenant...Eastman?" Naira asked. "I saw your name mentioned in the cadet's file. I didn't realize the Tempest would be sparing two science officers to help us with this mission. Perhaps you would be so kind as to lend your talent with languages to observe the goings on of the resort staff and other guests, so that you might report back to us."

Naira chose not to respond to the mention of the woman being old or near to death, assuming that like another older individual she knew, talk of death was used as a way of gaining attention or trying to guilt her.

"You won't have long to eat, but I was informed that a meal was prepared that should meet the needs of most everyone on board. We also have some emergency rations if you would prefer those."

Finally, she turned back to look at the Klingon, still noticeable tense. It was likely she was going to have to separate the two of them.   

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Mess Hall - Red Phoenix]

Lyric had to step quickly past the freighter's door as it slid closed behind her. She had been following along, a half step or three behind a large, bulky alien. With luck she'd avoid having to talk to even more people she didn't know. She had managed to get into the mess hall and no one had noticed.

The Changeling went to put her hands into her sleeves, stopped herself, and realized she wasn't in uniform and could do so. Still, it felt strange. This entire mission did. Why was she selected for this? She didn't even know what sort of clothing was appropriate, her idea of civilian clothing was a creamy oversized bulky wool tunic sweater with leggings and boots. Lyric was no undercover operative. When the chief engineer had told her to report to the Red Phoenix in civilian clothes, she had held up the spanner she had currently been holding, as if to say, No, I am only the engineer! It hadn't worked.

She was surrounded by the unfamiliar, not a feeling she had ever liked. Had she been able to cry, Lyric McDaniels would have.  It was one of the purely human things she just couldn't manage. She limited herself with a very human-like swipe of under her nose with her sleeve, a habit she had picked up from other anxiety ridden people on the Columbus. She wished she was back there.

She spotted Malcolm in his workout outfit, seated at a table, wolfing down hunks of meat and vegetable dripping with butter. He seemed to be enjoying it, although it was simpler fare than some of the fancy meals he usually ate. Eating was another thing she couldn't do, something that set her apart from the solids. But still, she needed him... someone familiar amidst all of this unsettling newness.

"Hello, Malcolm," Lyric said in a tiny voice that barely carried over the commotion of trays and conversation. "I see that you're, uhm...may I sit? I mean, if it's not too much trouble..." She bit lightly at her full bottom lip, worried that she had overstepped herself again with him. They hadn't talked much lately and sometimes he tended to be a bit standoffish.

Great, good job, she told herself. Had she the capability, she'd have blushed. Lyric hugged herself about the waist and waited for his answer.

[Mess Hall - Red Phoenix]

Adeyemi looked up, a piece of tuna speared on the end of a knife. He immediately rose, ever the consummate, old fashioned gentleman.

"Please, sit...Lyric." He said. He had been about to call her Miss McDaniels, but he recalled how his being formal made her uncomfortable. And right now she didn't look like she needed any more of that.

She did look like she needed a hug, though. Lyric was short but had a sublime body, large eyes, long hair, and full lips. She was very pale. As he always did, Adeyemi arrested the more primitive urges he experienced when he laid eyes on Crewman McDaniels. A lustful thought was just as much as a sin as a lustful act.

"How are you liking the journey thus far, Lyric?" Adeyemi asked. Pieter was all about burning clean, and had included a large portion of tuna fish with curry mayonnaise on his tray. The security chief dug into the cold server fish and covertly studied the Changeling's astonishing dark eyes as he did so.

[Judith Eastman]

[Mess Hall]

A linguist? Well that was certainly unexpected, but at the same time it piqued her interest.

"I apologize for the mistake. I guess I must have confused your file with someone else's. In any event, I'm sure we could find a way to put your skills to good use."

Naira had not noticed the older woman who had quite literally snuck up on them from behind, until she was standing over them. It was unnerving. What more, the cynical way in which she chose to speak, seemed to have a noticeable impact on the cadet. She could see the way in which he tensed up under her watchful gaze. Where moments before he had exhibited a level of confidence and ease as he spoke with his fellow officers, he now spoke with a stutter and deferred comment to the woman he identified as his superior.

It was not all that uncommon that she encountered cadets who stumbled over their words in fear of being put on the spot or over the possibility of embarrassing themselves in front of a superior officer, but his transformation between confidence and fear was so rapid that she could only come to the conclusion that the older woman had something to do with it.

"You must be Lieutenant...Eastman?" Naira asked. "I saw your name mentioned in the cadet's file. I didn't realize the Tempest would be sparing two science officers to help us with this mission. Perhaps you would be so kind as to lend your talent with languages to observe the goings on of the resort staff and other guests, so that you might report back to us."

Naira chose not to respond to the mention of the woman being old or near to death, assuming that like another older individual she knew, talk of death was used as a way of gaining attention or trying to guilt her.

"You won't have long to eat, but I was informed that a meal was prepared that should meet the needs of most everyone on board. We also have some emergency rations if you would prefer those."

Finally, she turned back to look at the Klingon, still noticeable tense. It was likely she was going to have to separate the two of them.

[Mess Hall]
"The Tempest is in the middle of a refit, so my department has personnel to spare," Judy said, alluding to the fact that she wasn't just a science officer, but the chief science officer.
The process by which she selected the two officers to send was better left unmentioned. When asked initially for one, she chose Dihiq, to "let him spread his wings" (read: get him out of her hair). A week later, when she was asked for a second officer, she'd already allowed most of the decent candidates to take leave, so she had to do it herself. Explaining this would, however, probably make the presumed captain even less fond of her.

To the instruction, she responded rather positively. "I'll keep my ears open," she said.
This convinced Dihiq that she wasn't about to murder him for all the slander he'd dished over the past few minutes, and his posture visibly relaxed.
"I would add," she added, as Naira was fixing to leave, "that Cadet Dihiq seems to do well with technology, especially of the unfamiliar kind. I guess it's his agile young Cadet's mind."
She harkened back to the time-travel incident to pull out the only compliment for Dihiq that she could think of, and delivered that compliment as sincerely as she could. To be nice to an idiot like Dihiq was certainly not easy, but Judy thought she was doing a rather good job of it.

Again, Dihiq relaxed a little, as it became more and more evident that he was not about to be handbagged. Judy left the table for a moment, and then returned with a burger and fries. He could be seen tensing up a bit at the sound of her footsteps, and then relaxing when she didn't address him by name, but instead placed the fries towards the center of the table.
"This is far too much food for me. Help yourselves," she offered them to the group. It's not that Judy was a diet freak (she enjoyed quite a few treats, and balanced that out with a routine of exercise), but the burger was rather bigger than she thought it would be.

Dihiq, while initially hesitant, shotgunned another beer and then grabbed a fry. It tasted good, as if the witch had some dark magic touch that made food taste better.
"Thank you, ma'am," he said, at a tone that indicated the booze was now enough to overcome his fear of the wicked witch of the Eastman.
"You're welcome," Judy answered with a smile. She wasn't necessarily happy that Dihiq was happy per se (she hardly cared), but that he no longer looked scared of her.
Judy finally put down her handbag, and looked across the table at Aryn.
"Aryn, long time no see," she addressed the El-Aurian.