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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: C01: S [D01|[0940] - Shipping Out
Last post by P.C. Haring -
[ Lt Kestra Pren | U.S.S. Mary Baldwin ] Attn: @RyeTanker‍  @Hans Applegate‍ 

Kestra had known there might be a detour on her way to the final destination.  Captain Lau had alluded to the same when he picked her up on starbase, but she had not expected they would be hitting a Romulan weapons research station.  Given her history, she had been briefed on Romulan Thaloron technology and how it had almost destroyed the Enterprise-E.  But she hadn’t truly expected she’d ever come face to face with the technology.

Quietly, she stood in the corner of the room while Lau briefed her and the crew on the details of the mission, Kestra let out a quiet sigh.  What she wouldn’t do for her war time Rapid Response Unit.  If she had that team still at her disposal, they could have made mince meat out of the facility and no one would have been the wiser.  But that would never happen.  From her own fire team, Amado was a Captain now, Galbraith was dead, and Labonne had resigned the service after the death of her father.  The rest of her unit had been long since re-assigned and scattered.  At least officially.

She suspected the RRU still operated in secret, especially given the endorsement she had received from Admiral Anderson.  But in this moment, at this place, that was neither here nor there.  She could only work with what she had available to her, and she had technically been placed under Lau’s command for the duration of this trip.

Kestra listened as Lau finished up, asked what she needed to ask, and returned quickly to her quearters when he dismissed the meeting.  Even though they were still eight hours out, Pren found herself already falling into her familiar habits. 

The duffel came out of the closed where she had stowed it and she began unpacking.  The personal items she had brought with her, as well as the things she had specifically set aside for when she finally met Lt. Suder were grouped together, along with the isolenear chip that stored the replicator patterns for her wardrobe.

At the bottom of the large duffel lay what she sought. 

It had been difficult for her to properly pack her tactical vest.  Common sense told her to store it in the replicator files she brought with her, but superstition had won out.  That vest was hers.  It had seen her through the war, through her special assignments, and to put it into the replicator for storage felt like destroying it.  Even though the wear and tear the vest had seen would be preserved, it just didn’t seem right.  At some point, she knew she would have to retire the vest.  It simply would reach it’s end.  But even then she would not discard it as it had been with her since AR-558.

Setting the vest on her bed, she turned back to her bag and pulled out the lock box that contained her phasers.  The type two holstered onto her belt, and she snapped the type one around her ankle.  The combat knife she left on the bed next to the vest.

Finally, she realized, that she needed to have Lau assign her a rifle.  Early and premature, yes.  But she would need time to disassemble it, check it, and adjust it to her preferences.

Perhaps a bit much, all things considered, but this, was who she was.  Years ago she had shipped out to the Dominion front.  Today she was shipping out to the USS Theurgy by way of a Romulan weapons research lab.  Yet no matter the assignment, the old war soldier that was Kestra Pren could not, would not, let go of her rituals. 

After all, as they had served her so well in the past, and given the chaos she knew was sure to come, why should she?

-FIN
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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH. 3 S [Day 01 | 1315] Growing New Roots
Last post by P.C. Haring -
[ Lt. Reggie Suder | Shuttle craft Faraday | IKS Kolath landing bay ] @absinth‍ 

Reggie chuckled at the gesture and turned her attention away from the conversation and back to the controls.

“Shuttlecraft Faraday to IKS Kolath, requesting departure clearance.”

[Standby Shuttle Faraday]

Reggie was unsure as to why the Klingons were keeping them from launching.  Her sensors did not indicate anything that would be immediately in her flight path nor did she detect any other threats.  But in her experience, especially in matters that were not considered critical, she found Klingons could often be a little lax in their protocol.  She did not sense anything wrong per se and since she was in no real hurry for now, she was content to sit and wait.

“What exactly is this  ‘prototaxites stellaviatori mycelial network’?  I’ve heard the reference here and there,” she said referring mostly to her academy days when she heard it mentioned once or twice in the science labs, “but I know very little.”

Then her basic science caught up with her.  “Wait… Mycelial..  Is that related to Mycelium… as in Fungus?”
3
Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 19 [1430 hrs] A Quick Course in Cardiovascular Acceleration
Last post by P.C. Haring -
[Lt Reggie Suder | Lower Gymnasium Locker Room | Deck 14 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @RyeTanker‍ 

Never before had Reggie seen such a response in her partner this early into their play and through the erotic senses, it thrilled her that she had her found her way into Zark’s pleasure.  She gasped as much from the momentary loss of breath as her back slammed against the locker, as from the unexpected, but welcomed aggression from her partner.  She felt the firm Andorian hand guiding her and did not hesitate when her fingers were invited to play with Zark’s breast. 

Her head swam with incoherent thoughts, but she heard enough to understand Zark’s wish to do this somewhere else.  Gently she let go of the Andorian’s antenna and reached up over her head, fumbling for her combadge which she had left on the shelf of her open locker door.  Her hand clasped around the delta but released it just as quickly, her head throwing back and a low but distinct moan escaped her lips.  She felt the Andorian on her and willed Zark to impose her dominant strength on her and take her for her own. 

Reaching again for her combadge she lost her balance, their weight shifting.  Suddenly the tension of the bra strap over her right shoulder released.  Whether the strap had broken, or simply come undone, Reggie neither knew nor cared.

Through the soup of feeling and emotion, she found enough coherence to activate her badge.

“Site…to site transport…for two”  she gasped through ragged uneven breaths.  “Jeffriees tube junction…” she gasped again as her own sense of self began to slip away.  “Twelve alpha….  Energize.”

Somewhere, in the recesses of her mind, she knew Twelve alpha… a six way junction…two vertical, four lateral, ladder, and enough room to stand or lay as the mood struck them.

Her last coherent thought left her as the transporter beam took them.
4
Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: D03 {2330 hrs] - …and Party Every Day
Last post by P.C. Haring -
[Lt. Regiene “Reggie” Suder | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88‍ 

At once Reggie felt both crushed and uplifted.  Given how much time had passed and the nature of their chance meeting in the closed public baths, Reggie had not even expected T’Less to attend the event.  The Betazoid had held even less expectation that the Vulcan would stay the night to wait for her, especially given just how raucous the night had been and how she knew that must have grated on the Vulcan’s sense of logic and decorum. In that regard, she felt uplifted. 

At the same time, she also knew just how much an effort this must have been for T’Less and while Reggie had caught herself eying T’Less more than once during the course of the evening, she had not truly expected her to stay and wait.  Surely they could have caught up elsewhere after the show, or even elsewhen if necessary.  As such she hadn’t paid the Vulcan much attention during the course of the night.  Between her sense of responsibility as hostess of the event and well just the sheer fun of it all she immediately felt guilty that in her zeal to entertain all her guests, she had inadvertently neglected the one that, if she were being honest about it, meant the most to her.

“You would not have been interrupting,” Reggie offered, her voice quiet, reserved. “To be honest, I didn’t expect you would even show up to say nothing about staying through the evening.”

She slid her self onto the bar stool, the leather of the pants that shaped her butt squeaking ever so slightly against the leather of the barstool seat. Immediately the Orion who had been tending bar, served up a Risian Mai-Tai.  Reggie nodded in acknowledgment remembering that she had asked her to keep her hand full with the drink for the duration of the night.

“I’m glad to be wrong,” she said to T’Less  “Hasn’t been a day gone by since that exam when I haven’t thought about you.”

The drink in her hand provided ample enough distraction to keep her from saying what had come her mind next.  She took a sip and as the she swallowed the simulated alcohol, she also swallowed down the questions that burned so heavily on her mind for almost eleven years , the same questions that haunted her, that needed to be asked, needed to be answered, but to do so now… here… would only make things worse.

“How have you been?”

It was a dumb question, Reggie knew.  But it was also the only question that seemed appropriate.
5
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 5 S [D02 | 0740 hrs.] We The Disgruntled
Last post by Dumedion -
[PO2 Kino Jeen | Galli Forum | vh’Jann | Romulus] Attn: @P.C. Haring @Griff @chXinya @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]
Blue eyes, one brighter than the other, traced up along the contoured edges and curved high-rise buildings. The tallest ones, near the tight-packed city center, stood half-obscured by the misty clouds and gray rain, but patches of veiled blue shone through the soft deluge; a promise of better weather to come. The non-com’s features softened then, her gaze locked heavenward. The fact of the matter was, she didn’t want to be on Romulus. Kino wanted to be out there, with Reika; to know she was okay.

Be safe, her lips moved silently, almost imperceptibly. Distant thunder shook her back to the present with a blink. Focus, the Trill chided herself as a brow twitched at the Vulcan’s suggestion for the group to split up. The non-com considered it as their tech expert worked. If they were all familiar with the cities layout, they could cover more ground and potentially avoid unwanted attention. However, after weighing the cons, Kino shook her head subtly, uncomfortable with the risks. Her eyes narrowed at Ravenholm’s quip and suppressed the instinctive reaction to check her ears. Jeen bit back the snappy retort on the tip of her tongue and re-focused her attention on their surroundings instead. 

“I’d advise against it, for now. Best we stay together until we find a base of operations, transport, get the lay of the land,” the non-com murmured without looking at any of them, her voice barely audible over the rain. “Worst case scenario; we split and scatter only under duress,” her head nodded to the speaker square. “Rendezvous back there if we can, bug out to the Allegiant if we can’t.”

When Ravenholm announced she was finished, Kino kicked off the wall she’d been leaning on to casually walk out into the rain, her eyes constantly in motion. “Shouldn’t linger then. Let’s take a walk, stay casual, keep our ears open,” she shrugged. “Not much of a crowd around the speakers, but we can try there, or hit the market?” 

The rain decided to let up then, as bright beams of sunlight glittered in the air. Kino waited for someone in the group to make a call, while she slowly turned in casual vigilance. The rain-slick structures around them took on new shifts of color in the sunlight; subtle at first, then brightly shimmered in various hues of green. It was beautiful, in a way, but also bleak and dark as only densely packed centers of civilizations tended to be.

Towers rose above lesser kindred, which squatted atop mounds of their lesser kin, which in turn were crushed into a labrynth of massed habitation towers, industrial complexes, trade centers; all built atop the other, linked and threaded with endless avenues, alley-ways…

Movement caught her attention, in the shadows of one.

The Trill’s eyes met those of a Reman, blinked, then turned back to the group with a forced smile.

“Que the creepy attention we didn't want," Kino drawled sarcastically. "We’ve been noticed. Let’s move.”

“Havrannssu abhor daylight,” the pilot, Lillie, Kino reminded herself, whispered after she drew near - having also noticed the Reman, apparently. “This is known. Being there, at this hour...its odd. He looked wounded, too - perhaps..." the Romulan's voice trailed off. Kino couldn't read the look in her eyes to be sure, but it sounded as if the pilot was suggesting they try to help him somehow.

The Trill shook her head and gently pulled the pilot into step alongside. “Yeah, I saw. Looked like someone did a number on ‘em, but that doesn’t mean squat – Lorad’s lived through shit that would kill you and me ten times over,” Kino muttered as they walked, making their way towards the throng of people in and around a multi-street marketplace, lined with stalls of merchants flogging their wares. “Could be nothin’,” the Trill shrugged, “could be trouble we don’t want. Either way, we should be able to lose him in the crowd,” Kino guessed, with a glance to Lillie and the others.

[Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier...]

The blood in Tiramek's throat gurgled as he struggled to gasp in much needed air. The bastards had thought they'd ended him, but Remans were notoriously difficult to kill. There had been no official insignia on their clothes, nothing to connect them to either Donatra or Tal'Aura, but Tiramek knew the thugs had to have been working for either one of those bitches.

With a taloned hand clutched over the wound in his side, Tiramek used the other to brace against the alley wall, pulling his weakened body back to its feet. If they'd managed to determine his role in the reunification movement enough to get a hit on him, then it was likely the movement itself had a mole. Which made it equally likely that the very head of their movement, the senator himself, could be a target.

Tiramek groaned, spitting out blood and bits of his own cheek he'd bitten during the assassination attempt. He had the advantage here. They thought he was dead, meaning they wouldn't be watching their backs before reporting back to their handler. Glancing at his chronometer, Tiramek swore. He'd been out for twenty minutes. While his injuries subdued his normally heightened senses allowing for superior tracking, Tiramek took comfort in knowing he'd managed to plant a tracker on the ankle on one of his attacker's during the ordeal, and wounded the other with a slice across the face before going down.

Not knowing who in their own movement was the mole meant he would have to attempt this counter measure alone. Tiramek groaned again, feeling another rush of blood seep at the edges of his side wound. First, he'd need to get patched up, then...

Tiramek narrowed his gaze, staring at the small group mingling at the end of the narrow alley. Standing in the shadows, it'd be easy to miss Tiramek, just as it'd be easy to miss the alley itself. However, as the rains subsided, finally, to give way with the bright sun, he could easily see them and in the next few moments a strange smile cracked the serious lines of his face as he realized this group could prove most useful.

Having friends in high places meant he was never without means of bribery. Not wanting to draw more attention to himself, Tiramek managed to convince a young shop girl to be his tail on the group with the intention of telling them where to meet him. It'd taken some convincing that his ominous "or else you've been had" was meant for the group and not for the girl and under any other circumstances it may have been comical how their discourse turned sideways but soon enough she understood and trotted off after the group.

Tiramex turned away and still using the alley wall to bolster his weight, fairly slid back down the length of it, further into the shadows of the shanty side of the city where he knew he could find resources and rest. At least until his next move…

[Meanwhile, near tertiary entrance to vh’Jann Trade District]

As for the girl, she was delighted to have made a decent amount for acting as courier and was looking forward to the sweet steamed bun reward she promised herself once she delivered the message. Eagerness emboldened her as she weaved in and around the crowd, in dutiful pursuit. They moved like tourists; at weird times, at an odd pace, like they were utterly lost or didn’t care where they were going. Once close enough, she tugged on the hem of the blonde woman, the most normal looking in her eyes, but drew the attention of all four nearly instantly; she wasted no time and delivered her message in a rapid spill – without a care for its comprehension – then darted away, faster and lither than most would expect upon seeing her.

Kino arched a brow as she drew close to Lillie. “Uh, the hell was that about,” the Trill asked, somehow blending concern with amusement. The only true Romulan among them frowned as she met each of their eyes in a glance that could have meant anything, but to Kino, it looked a lot like fear.

"Roughly translated, the girl said: ‘there's a bar in the shanty town called Tholob. If you want support for your work and protection from the watchers, you should go there within the hour. We may have similar interests to support one another. If you aren't there, you've been had.’ Which means, well, we might be already."

Kino grunted a curse under her breath then quickly reigned her attitude in – it wasn’t helping. They were all on edge, and now wasn’t the time to fly off the handle. “Could be a trap; certainly sounds like a trap – perfect bait, and all,” Kino offered neutrally, then returned her attention to the crowd to watch and wait for them to decide how to proceed.

OOC: Our new (maybe?) friend, Tiramek, written by @Ellen Fitz  - thanks for the collab and inspiration, as always :)
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Main OOC Board / Re: Main OOC Thread
Last post by Pierce -
I'm on a work trip the 12th thru 16th and don't post typically on Fri thru Sun. But should get some written during the work trip.
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Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 15 [0823 hrs] Starships Aplenty
Last post by tongieboi -
[ Ensign Joseph Adams |Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Pierce ]

Whistling at the sight of the Constitution class, he instinctively took a few steps forward. Brown eyes taking in the sheer size of the vessel. Even though their own vessel was many leagues as large, he still felt dwarfed by the Constitution.

"Wait, don't tell me...Top speed of Warp 7, about 23 decks, right?"

Opening his eyes and looking toward Lauren for approval, until his eyes fell on the uniforms as the doors opened, chuckling a little at the mannequins in the red uniforms, posed as if performing standard duties. He took to examining the red fabric closely. A hand lightly brushing across one of the mannequin's shoulders as if brushing lint from the holographic recreation.

"Oh, I remember these from my old posters! They used this uniform for ages... 80 years if I remember rightly. Yes, we might as well be authentic."

He agreed with a small nod, still grinning. his eyes now once again glancing over the starship interior as he sauntered further inside. Nearly missing her question in the process.

"I haven't memorised the schematics of the Connie yet, but there ought to be crew quarters or changing rooms not far from here. What deck is this?"

He continued to look around, now searching for any indication of where exactly they had boarded the ship.

"Oh, why is there never just a big sign with a number.."

He grumbled lightly to himself before finally, his brain caught up to his mouth and he whirled around to face Lauren again.

"Sorry, yes! The Bozeman? That's from about the same era, right? I mean originally."

Kirk's Enterprise was larger and arguably more famous, but the Bozeman, last he checked, was still in service.

"Your great, great grandmother had good taste. I'm a sucker for an Enterprise..."

He remarked, eventually seeming to reach a decision. Although they had plenty of time to check out both ships, right? That was his thought process anyway.
9
Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: [2376] Entanglement of Chaos
Last post by RyeTanker -
[Ensign XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Ens. Zark) | Cardassia Prime] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

The ride back had been as unpleasant as expected with the straps tugging into what was certainly going to be a spectacular set of bruises for Zark.  For the battered security officer, at least that was the main problem, and the pain did help to keep her awake.  On the other hand, it was becoming hard to see as an eye was pretty much sealed shut from the swelling.  It also didn't help that she was occasionally spitting out saliva and blood while coughing.  Ensign Zark went ahead and sighed in relief when they reached the safe house and she undid the restraints.  She could kind of see Ghin Torlan and another trooper dragging the unconscious Ontatt into the building while Eset came around and offered his arm and shoulder for the Andorian to get out of the vehicle.  She'd groaned with a few of the steps and bumps despite her best efforts to keep her suffering quiet and let out another sigh of relief when she was laid out on a couch. 

After checking to make sure the house was clean, the team commander signalled for a pair of troopers to drag the stirring Ontatt into another room.  The Ompayan was led to a different room and both doors were closed. Ensign Zark had only gotten the briefest look inside the room that Ontatt had been taken into, and she got a glimpse of what looked like a chair that a dentist would use and she had to wonder what was going to happen next.  Whatever it was, it seemed like a sound dampening system had kicked in as a slight hum could be heard from the room, but nothing else.  Eset came by with a med kit and gave a wry smile. "Not going to complain, but it's time to repair all the breakage, so I'm going to have to open your suit and give you a few anesthetics.  You good to proceed?"  Zark gave a wan smile and nodded.  There was only the faintest complaint as her body was exposed again, but at least this time, the person doing it meant well.  "It looks much better when it's one colour." Zark joked through gummy lips.  Trooper Eset chuckled. "I'm sure, not just lie there and relax."  Zark did as she was told and a hiss caused the pain to lessen before tingling sensation began over her body as the dermal regenerator went to work. "Wonderful thing about peace, this model came from a tech transfer from your side.  A very generous people, especially since we just recently stopped killing each other."  The medic observed as he worked.

A shadow crossed the bruised Andorian's face and she looked up to see Enyd sitting nearby.  She offered a crooked grin and listened as the diplomat.  Zark didn't quite agree that this situation was not as bad, and still being in pain, she'd replied acidly with "That still doesn't mean you got the absolute shit beaten out of in any of these cases.".  Zark waved a hand in front of her face quickly afterwards with a quick "Sorry.  Yeah. It could have been worse."  Eset pushed the hand back down with and admonition of "Stop moving, I'm working here."  Zark sighed and listened to the back and forth while staying as still as possible.

Sighing, the steadily cleaned up Andorian listened to the banter between Enyd and Javec, and she had to grin.  Enyd had just confessed something she wasn't willing to voice and out of the corner of her eye she watched to see what the Cardassian politicos response was going to be.  She couldn't see what his tells were, but the Security Officer could have sworn she saw him stiffen at the admission coming into the open suddenly.  It was so hard to say.  Even looking at the grin he gave back was difficult to determine was it genuine affection? or a politicians response?  Zark hoped it was the former since playing with someone's emotions was guaranteed to cause issues and create problems later in life.  Her musings were brought to a halt with the announcement of "Done, now lie down for a bit..."  Eset announced, but Zark didn't listen as she groaned a bit to get up. The Andorian stretched slowly then turned to place a hand on Enyd's shoulder. "That's right, I will keep you alive so if nothing else, I can see you squirm like a school girl later." Zark winked a long white lash at Enyd then turned to place a kiss on Eset's head.  "Thanks sweetie."

Turning to the Ompayan, Zark smiled evilly. "If you'll give me a moment, I have some questions."  She walked over and lifted the alien by the arm, giving it a good twist that elicited another wimper before frog marching her towards another door.  Javec perhaps divined the Andorian's purpose and gripped her arm for a moment before looking into her eyes and he could see the danger in them.  "Are you sure you want to do this?"  Zark looked back. "I have questions, she's going to answer them." The Zhen smirked. "I'll be gentle with her."  Javec didn't quite believe her, but let the arm go anyway.  Maybe there was something to be gained from this, and they were in a secure location anyway. Zark nodded and turned to give Enyd a measuring look. It was possible this was going to be nasty and she didn't know the diplomat had the stomach for what could follow especially since she was no longer in a charitable mood anymore. The Cardassian medic had a good idea of what she was up to and grabbed the other arm of the bound tech and helped drag her into the room. It was bad timing in a way as the other door opened as the Ghin walked out with his hair in a mess and using a  rag to wipe his hands.  Splotches of black blood covered his hands and the leader's breathing was slightly elevated. "He's a tough one, I'll give him that.  must have been from his Obsidian order training.  I could swear he was a masochist the say he responded to us beating him.  Seemed to get even more euphoric after I stabbed his thigh." The leader shrugged. "I'm going to have to use a different route.  Maybe drugs would be better." He took a moment to look in the room and saw a couple of people were missing. "Where's blue fun bags?"

Zark and Eset sat the Ompayan down in the chair heavily and secured her arms and legs to a chair that was essentially bolted to the floor. Eset his a few buttons and a hum sounded. "The room should be dampened to sound. Zark nodded at this and slowly stretched her arms, hands, and neck. "As I said earlier, I have questions and you're going to answer them."  Zark walked around the back of the Ompayan and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling it back hard so she could see the ceiling while whispering into her ear. "I'm going to be generous and overlook the fact that I got some new bruises thanks to you kicking me earlier, and in exchange for my leniency, you're going to first tell me who that money was for."  It was an obvious answer, but this acted more as a control question to establish how truthful the interrogated was going to be. Maybe the tech had thought that the sign of leniency was a point she could exploit. "I'll be happy to tell you, but what do I get out of this?"

Zark smiled as she walked around the front of the alien, leaned over and placed and arm on her shoulder. The Andorian simply stared into the Ompayan's eyes and waited.  The tech grew more nervous as she waited.   Nervously she asked. " Something? Anything?" Zark's smile grew more fierce for a second and she drove a fist into the alien's gut that set her to coughing and wheezing.
When she had some breath back in her,  she croaked out in disbelief. "But, but, you're Starfleet, you don't..... " The tech grunted again as Zark drove another hammer into her.

"This is now repaying you for making my life  much more difficult. I'm in the mood to keep this up, so if you don't want me to start smashing in your face, answer my questions." The Andorian gripped the tech's chin hard and raised her head as she glared into the frightened eyes. "Who is the money going to?!"  "Ontatt!!" The tech wailed in terror and Zark nodded. "See, not so bad, and the truth didn't even hurt."  The Andorian turned around and sat on the edge of a table while Eset leaned against the door frame and looked bored. "So now you're going to tell me who set up the transfer and where it was coming from." Zark only cracked the tech once more across the face during the rest of questioning.
10
Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: D03 {2330 hrs] - …and Party Every Day
Last post by Stegro88 -
[ Lt. T'Less | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy | Orbiting Qo’noS ] Attn:  @P.C. Haring
[Show/Hide]

The night had passed at a pace that was as confusing as the sounds that the holographic band had been outputting for the so called enjoyment of their flesh and blood audience. And yet, she had remained, maintaining her seat at the bar and watching on as the other members of the crew appeared to enjoy themselves, in some cases, immensely it seemed. But she had remained sedate, seated at the bar, enjoying a varied parade of drinks that others had chosen for her. It had been her only real distraction from watching Reggie out of the corner of her eye.

She had tried not to watch her. Had tried to focus on anything but the woman and the attractive purple streaks in her hair. But she constantly found herself being drawn back. Whether it was the way she smiled, she moved or just the look in her eye when she caught T'Less looking at her, the Vulcan couldn't say. She was keenly aware that the Klingon, Chief MacGregor, had caught her looking at Reggie multiple times after the Betazoid had left. She'd asked if the two of them ‘had history' but T'Less had waved off the question with one of her own and Mickayla had gratefully taken the hint.

She'd stayed though. Mickayla had drifted off after a second whiskey and left T'Less nursing her own second. A third followed, then a fourth. If the drinks had been true alcohol, T'Less wondered what she would have been feeling in that moment, but the artificial nature of the fluids prevented anything but reality from affecting the Vulcan's mind. Reality and Reggie's telepathic message to her before she had left.

“Hey,” came the soft, familiar voice. “I didn’t realise you were still here.”

It was Reggie. T’Less had been so lost inside her own thoughts that she hadn’t realised that the concert had ended. Looking around, she didn’t recognise anyone from the crew. Had she really lost herself so bad that she didn’t notice when everyone left? Glancing down at the countertop, she saw the tumbler of whiskey sitting there, untouched, the ice that had been in it long since melted away. She had experimented throughout the night with the differing methods of serving the amber fluid and had found she was partial to the ‘on the rocks’ version; something for which Chief MacGregor had called her a heathen.

“I, um,” T’Less started, knowing she needed to respond but not having any idea what to say. “You suggested that we could talk a little here. But you seemed busy earlier, and I had not wanted to interrupt what appeared to be a pleasant evening.”
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