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An Assassin in Agra Fort

[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] attn: @anyone interested in joining ((officially an open thread))

Garbed in a sleek black jama with matching black pyjamas underneath, with a gold and black pataka slung over his shoulder, not yet having taken the time to wrap it around his waist as was the style of the Mughal era, Cross finished the process of strapping and tucking hidden gold hilted kards around his legs and arms, now completing his outfit with the ornamental golden khanjar that would remain sheathed while in the Sultan’s presence. For this particular holoprogram, Cross had opted for natural facial hair growth to match the Mughal trends, the excitement for this new collaborative holoprogram motivating him to move past the intial itchy stage of hair growth.

Taking one last look at himself in the anteroom of the holoarch that would take him into Agra Fort where the games would begin, Cross gave a grunt of self-approval. He looked the part of Sultan’s personal guard. But, given that this was to be a game of cat and mouse, he did not look so glaringly obvious so as to give himself away prematurely to his competitor already at play within the holoprogram. When he’d first learned of the new type of holoprogram, where players entered the prescribed setting at different intervals, working independently to achieve their prescribed character's objectives, all the while not knowing who the other player was, Cross had immediately checked his schedule for a time he could take part. The matching of players was handled by the computer, with a date and time being sent separately to ensure anonymity. All Cross knew at this point in time was that his competitor was already within the holoprogram. He was uncertain about what part they were playing and what their objective was. For himself, Cross knew that at 2 am, approximately three hours from this point, an assassin would make an attempt on the Romulan sultan. His job was to make sure the assassin was unsuccessful in their attempt, potentially intercepting them earlier in the program and earning more points in the process. The danger, intrigue, and mystery worked together to fuel his natural competitive streak and as he reached out to press the button for entrance, Cross felt another warming thrill hum through his body.

The scent of heavily spiced food, wine, and incense wrapped around his senses upon entering the program. The lavishly decorated corridor lit by torchlight, bordered by ornate pillars, seemed to be alive on its own, the fog of humidity and smoke undulating in the low light, beckoning Cross to venture further into the adventure. He could hear the partygoers of the Sultan’s festival in the adjoining room. An approaching group of dignitaries, clad in rare and exotic silks encrusted with jewels and bells, proved to be the perfect cover for his late arrival. Inserting himself among the rest, Cross entered the large feasting room, immediately spying the Sultan seated at the far end, his son, the crown prince, on one side, and his favorite concubine on his other. Seated on lush pillows surrounding him was the rest of his household, his various wives and children, though only the favored ones, all perched as beautiful Romulan statues, ever waiting for an indication from the Sultan on what action to take next. Along the massive room filled to the brim with drunken revelry, Cross could see soldiers coyly hidden in the shadows, tucked just out of sight. Musicians made their best effort to compete with the din of conversation and laughter, seated on the balcony overhead the Sultan.

Cross smiled to himself. Clasping his hands loosely behind his back, he began the delicate and delightful process of moving through the room, observing and detailing potential clues to stop the assassin before they could even get started. Let the games begin!

Re: An Assassin in Agra Fort

Reply #1
Ens. Sarah Bjørge | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08| Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz
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This game had been going on for nearly an hour, and even yet, she still couldn't figure out when the second player had entered the game. Swirling about the room with the Sultan's other harem girls in a dance coordinated specifically for his viewing pleasure, Sarah did her level best to not slip and fall on the beautifully embroidered Lehenga she had been given for her part in this holoprogram. Its rich, swirling fabrics and bright pinks and reds suited her well she thought, but it was definitely made for someone much taller. The other girls varied in species and color, so it was, thankfully, impossible to tell which harem girl stood out from the rest, but as for that matter, the entirety of the game was incredibly diverse. As she swirled around and stopped next to a short-haired Andorian girl, she supposed it was for the exact reason to throw off the other player from figuring out who was who. If all the holograms were Romulan, then it'd be too easy to pick out who the other player was. Smart. She would have to give a good review.

The dance ended with a disparaging loud thum of the drums in three slow beats. Their hands were raised upwards in unison for the finishing pose, and only did they stop when the Sultan waved them away with a smirk as he leaned luxuriously against his throne of pillows and layered tapestries. Thank the winds above, she was already exhausted and ready to take a breather. How did this game expect her to flawlessly execute an assassination if she was sweaty and tired just in the first hour? There was time to recoup, but she definitely would not be going for a physical altercation route. No, she would need a way to sneak it so that she could win this game without having to fight. Safeties on or not, she was a nurse, not a combat medic.

Tagging along with the other girls, she grabbed refreshments from the gorgeously decorated buffet table- fitted with every possible food and drink one could imagine from the minds of a palace chef. As she deeply drank from a golden goblet filled with some sort of sweet yogurt drink, she gave some more thought to her choices of cover. It would be in her favor to blend in as much as possible, so staying within the group of harem girls, or as close to the Sultan as possible would be her ploy to not look like an outlier. The other player was likely looking for someone sneaky, someone suspicious. Who was likely to kill a Sultan? A political ally or perhaps even one of his sons in order to ascend. A look at the Princes and their mothers who sat nearby the Sultan himself, all absorbed in the displays before them set an easy scene to take advantage of. So caught up in the acrobatics of the troupe who had followed them up, he probably wouldn't even look up if he was handed something to eat or drink..and would likely just..eat or drink it. A marvelously devilish idea sprung into her mind- but it would involve a trip to the kitchens without being noticed. How would she sneak off without being noticed? Looking down at her scant bit of silk and sheer coverings, she was bright, colorful, and jingled when she walked. She was a walking advertisement.

Well, she supposed that was wherein the fun lied.

The group of women began to disperse, some finding their way back to the lofty piles of pillows and sheer curtains of their canopies, while some others began to peck at the food and others socialized with the newly arrived dignitaries in attendance. She would need to make a move quickly to not seem out of place. Setting down her cup on the table, she began piling a small plate with fruit and sweet, sugared fried bread, intent to carry them over to the Sultan. If she simply made it look like this was her job, and she had been doing this all night..when the time finally came for her to kill him, it would not look quite so..auspicious.. than if she had just done so randomly and the Sultan suddenly dropped dead.

Yes, yes this was a good plan.

Once the plate was filled, she weaved through the crowd of visiting officials, guests, guards, and other general staff to get to the Sultan, intentionally coming from the side so that he could see her bend down onto her knees and hold the plate upwards as an offering to take a step forward onto the velveteen purple spreads. Not just anyone was allowed to directly approach the Sultan after all, but in this game, she was considered an 'up and coming favorite, due to replace the current.' There was a chance if she acted the part correctly- the Sultan might indulge her.
Ensign Sarah Bjørge, Nurse

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Re: An Assassin in Agra Fort

Reply #2
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @anyone interested (officially an open thread)

Soon after joining the party, Cross had crisscrossed his way closer to his lord, taking note of anyone who seemed out of place. There was no point in noting anyone who kept a steady gaze on the sultan, for that was nearly everyone in attendance. So many were here by his leave, so many were here wanting to garner favor with him. It was sickening to Cross that this had been a reality of sorts once upon a time and that this alternate reality featured this type of culture with such alacrity. His arms crossed over his chest, Cross continued his silent observation from the shadows nearest the sultan's chair. He had seen the newest courtesan as she'd approached, a platter filled with the delicacies of the party balanced in hand. A brief squint of surprise flickering across the Romulan’s face in response to her approach was all it took to goad Cross into action.

Surging forward, Cross grabbed hold of the courtesan’s wrist. The clatter of the fallen plate was barely heard over the drone of the music, and so too were the gasps of the favored wives as food spilled across the plush purple pillows the courtesan had been kneeling on. Cross yanked his arm back, pulling the courtesan’s torso directly against his. As she fell into him, his other hand—the prosthetic now disguised with flesh—grabbed fistfuls of garment over supple flesh near her waist. Cross became fully aware of the allure of her beauty the moment his gaze met hers. He'd already enjoyed the mixed thrill of having such a soft beauty vulnerable in his arms and the potential danger that she could be the assassin, but to have locked eyes like that had Cross' fingers flexing against her skin, his head lowering instinctively as if to claim what his mind began to scream was his to claim.

“My head guard acts too quickly,” the sultan's deep voice purred, breaking the moment of silence that had fallen over Cross’ senses as he’d held the courtesan’s warm curves against his hardened muscles, “he will fetch me a new platter and feed us both. My newest courtesan will sit by my feet.”

With a flick of his hand, the sultan’s order had Cross letting go of the courtesan and stepping back. Not waiting to see how she responded to the sultan's order, he pivoted on his heel and left without a word, also not bothering to pick up the forgotten platter or clear away the fallen food. There were other servants for that. He would act as the loyal dog for now and fetch another plate of food. At least if it was Cross feeding the sultan, he could be certain that it wasn’t poisoned.

Re: An Assassin in Agra Fort

Reply #3
 Ens. Sashenka Kreshkova | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08| Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz  @anyone

Sash had been sent a cryptic message that she was to arrive at holodeck 2 at an appointed time.  Her costume and assignment would be given to her when she arrived.  All five foot of her strode down the corridor where she would find holodeck 2.   Looking left and right before she entered to see if anyone else was coming, no one was in sight.  She tossed her green bangs out of her face and headed stepped up to the doors which opened for her.  The program had created an antechamber.  She received her instructions.  Her assignment was to take out the Sultan without getting caught.  “Zhat vizhout getting caught part iz vhere zhe problem lies.  Killing someone vould be easy, but zhis vill require finesse like a pilot zhreading zhe needle, and zhat I can do.”

After looking over the rest of the instructions, the character she would be playing - the Sultan’s oldest daughter - and the layout of the holoprogram, the anteroom provided her with an appropriate costume.  It was a harem style seafoam green dress, the opaque bikini style bodice was adorned with dangling gold disks which made plenty of jingling noises as she moved to put it on.  The lower part of the outfit sat snugly on her hips.  This was made of four overlapping triangles of opaque fabric covered with longer see-through silks of the same color.  The edges of the triangles were again edged with the same types of hanging gold disks.   The same types of disks created an ornate covering for her head from which the same shade of opaque scarf fabric created long trails from the sides and back of her head with a shorter veil that only allowed her eyes to be seen.  She took some time to outline her eyes with a dark eyeliner to help them stand out since that’s all of her that would be seen.  Her outfit was completed with a pair of stiff silk shoes for her feet and castinets for her fingers.

When she was finally appropriately attired, another door slid open into the program and she slipped into the next part of the program.  The first thing that hit her nostrils was the aromas that permeated the air and added to the ambiance in the torchlit hallway.  The light and shadows danced across the stone walls.  The hallway opened up into a large stone paved room.  The edges of the room were filled with tables laden with pungent smelling foods and sweet smelling drinks. 

Knowing what would be coming shortly, she made her way to one of the tables with drinks.  She looked around and made the choice of a smoking burgundy liquid.  Flames licked at the bottom of the container applying constant heat to the concoction.  She slipped a small cup under her veil and took a sip.  It was shockingly - despite the smoke and flames - not hot, but it almost had a cooling effect.  She drank deeply of the liquid and set the silver cup inlaid with jade on one of the trays for used eating accoutrements.

After setting that aside, she turned, and with confidence and long, smooth strides into the middle of the open floor and stood facing her ‘father’ the Sultan.  He gave two claps and those in the center of the room parted.  Another two claps and the musicians placed off to the side behind a row of pillars began a baleful tune.  ‘Very appropriate,’ Sash thought.  All eyes were on her.  The body moved in time with the music.  As she did the silks moved and floated gracefully in the air as her short, but slique limbs rolled and swayed with the tune.  The castinetes which she wore on her thumb and forefinger tinkled with emphasis as her body made certain moves.  Arms extended one way while one foot stretched out the other way rolling her leg high up in the air before circling back down to the ground.  With each beat her small form twisted, turned, rolled in time with the doleful music.  Forward and back, in and out, up and down.  And the melodic minor keys cressendoed until with a loud series of crashes on the drum brought the music to an end.

A several second silence was followed closely by a raucous surge of clapping.  Sash crossed her legs and folded herself in half with her arms outstretched.  The sultan motioned for room to be made one person away on the other side of his favored wife - her mother.  The young woman nodded and turned to make her way to the dias.
Lieutenant Reika Sh’laan, Assistant Chief of Operations (V3) [Show/Hide]
Ensign Sashenka Kreshkova, Unassigned Wolf Trainee [Show/Hide]

 
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