Star Trek: Theurgy

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy]

@Ellen Fitz

Round abouts 0630 the same day

To: Lieutenant Enyd Isolde Madsen
From: Lieutenant Junior Grade XamotZark zh’Ptrell

Hi Enyd!

I didn't think playing message tag would be fun, but I certainly enjoyed it.  After everything I've managed to finally get my hands on a holodeck this evening.  Don't ask how and I won't tell.  Anyway, I've got the fitting and dressing program good to go, so come on down to holodeck 3. 

Hugs and kisses,

Zark.

P.S Bring the tik’leth, you'll need it.


Present time
Unlike the start of her visit to the holodeck yesterday, there was no confusion. no hesitation in the blue-green eyes as she stared out from the top of Dunnottar Castle.  It was a wonderful re-creation.  The real Dunnottar Castle was a ruin with only the walls standing, but some enterprising architectural historians had managed to piece together a facsimile of the design, which is why the Celtic spirited Andorian was enjoying a brisk coastal breeze that blew her silvery hair back as she stared out into the North Sea.  It made the environment cooler, but with just a white blouse and her kilt on, the temperature felt right.  She wanted to enjoy the scene more and breath in the salt air, but the Andorian had been looking forward to this day and she turned on her heels with a smile and headed through a set of dark heavy doors that led down to the turret to the upper floors.  The Andorian's mind was blessedly empty in the moment as her shoes clacked against stone were the only sound that accompanied the whistles of wind that blew through the windows as she made her way through the panelled hallway to the Great Hall where the day's festivities were going to take place.  Torch lit braziers caused light to dance to and fro within the hallway, lending an ancient, yet rustic edge to the old castle.  Overall, it was a hauntingly beautiful recreation and since the time of the recreation was synced with that of the ship, the pale gold and rose of the setting sun began to spill into the hallways adding to the kaleidoscope of colours.

It took about 10 minutes to arrive in the large room with a team of kilt makers and a roaring flame in the fire place, a primal and welcome sight even if it did raise the temperature a bit.  Yet, welcome as it was, the Andorian stood in the door way, arms akimbo as she twitched her lips for something was missing.  The kiltmakers in jackets and kilts busied themselves moving about preparing materials and tools to measure the guest of the evening.  The mannequins were set aside with various styles to choose from. A table  with a flower patterned pot of tea and a tray of sandwiches and some finger foods were set on a small table was set.  The extravagantly large candle chandeliers were lit.  The armour suits gleamed as did the various bladed weapons and shields that adorned the dark Teak.  The footmen stood by the door waiting. Yet something was missing.  It wasn't really hard to guess and Zark raised a hand summoning a dark bearded man who moved toward her with a dignified dispatch.  "Clyde, see if Ms. Madsen has arrived yet.  I'm pretty sure she should be here by now."  The muscular bald, blue eyed, black bearded man nodded and exited the hall in search of a chaos attracting diplomat.

Zark took a moment to approach the sitting area where she picked up a shining dark red scabbard.  The colour wasn't from paint or any laminate materials since one could see the grains.  No, it was well fashioned and formed cherry wood that had been stained.  It was very symbolic touch that despite the implement being a weapon of war, Enyd was a diplomat and wore command red because of it.  In many ways, there was so much meaning in one implement for the shirt she wore on duty hid the steel nerve and sharp mind that made up such a fundamental part of who she was.  The blue smile turned sad for a moment.  She would have liked to commission one of the blade makers on Qo'nos to make this piece; yet she felt the sword smiths would have been unable to resist putting a Klingon flair on the blade that had taken quite a bit of research for Zark to figure out how to design.  Blue hands grabbed the leather of the hilt and pulled it out to reveal an engraved gold steel blade.  She had to smirk since the design was ancient, but many of the materials were modern.  Tritanium, not steel, was the order of the day, and getting that engraved had been a near nightmare in itself, and working the titanium oxide dusting bonding had been another challenge.  It had been a good thing the Chief Engineer was willing to help out with the little project when he'd heard who it was for.  Closing the blade back into the lacquered wooden hilt, the medico set the gift down and took a moment to stoke her metabolism with a smoked salmon sandwich as she made her way to the roaring fire place and stared into the flame hoping it would give her some answers.  "Enyd, where are you?" she asked the writhing white and orange as old oracles had once done from ages past when seeking answers to lifes imponderables.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Patched up from the chaos-survived of her “tour” at the Orion Outpost Enyd was late. If things hadn’t gone sideways at the Shrine, and she, Mia, and Amanda hadn’t ended up as a key feature in the Orion’s entertainment schedule for the early afternoon, Enyd likely would’ve been early to the holodeck and awaiting Zark. Instead, she’d left Zark waiting for over half an hour because of the delay and arrived at the holodeck door panting. Hair plaited tightly in twin braids down the side of her head, Enyd was dressed in a pair of form-fitting black trousers tucked into black ankle boots with a black tank top tucked into her trousers, the outfit completed by the black sheath she had strapped to her back that held the precious tik’leth she’d nearly forgotten to bring—yet another reason for her delay.

After catching her breath, Enyd straightened her shoulders and entered the holodeck. Only her breath whooshed out of her in surprise at what she found inside. Zark had gone beyond expectation for this endeavor, endearing the Andorian woman to Enyd. Enyd had traveled many places on Earth but could say with definite assurance that she’d never been to a place quite like what she was staring at now, mouth agape in wonderment. It was likely she would’ve lost more time standing and staring if it hadn’t been for a kilted man with a dark beard coming from the castle and ushering her inside.

Enyd was deposited in the Great Hall where her friend already awaited her, the attention to holoprogram detail exploding before her eyes.

“You could probably retire famous and rich just for making holoprograms, Zark. This place is gorgeous!” Enyd announced her presence with the praise, smile bright as she approached. “I’m sorry I’m late. You won’t believe the fiasco I lived through down at the Orion Outpost. If I didn’t have fellow survivors in the likes of Mia and Amanda, I doubt anyone would believe what happened.”

Enyd crossed the room and poured herself a drink. She wasn’t interested in getting drunk but a few drinks to help her tell the tale without falling into a heap of giggles seemed necessary. Enyd took to perusing the food options and sipping at her drink as she explained in unexaggerated detail the upheaval on Qo’Nos that had delayed her arrival. By the time she finished, Enyd had drunk her way through three cups of the readily available grog and nibbled an entire plate of goodies. Belly full of food and warmth, and heart lighter having shared the tale of her chaos with a good friend, Enyd faced Zark fully as she let out a heavy sigh.

“Sorry, I had to get all that out before we started in with the program further. So, what’s first?” Enyd pulled the sheath from her back and laid the blade on the nearest table, pointing to it, “And why do I need to the tik’leth?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

As the story progressed, Zark forgot about the tea and took the pitcher of grog from the butler.  The Andorian stared, enraptured as she drank and helped refill the venting diplomat's cup.  Her sense of incredulity continued to grow with each passing moment as simple shrine tour morphed into something else.   The main break came when Enyd described how she tried to negotiate her way out of the predicament and the Andorian almost slapped her friend across the face for effectively pimping out to the two teal shirts she'd been with.  Describing the alternative of performing a strip tease was more than enough to stay the medicos more combative tendencies as her mouth dropped and she gaped at the show the human would have given. With the pitcher rapidly draining and her temperature coming up nicely, Zark put her hand up and Clyde made his way over just as Enyd finished her tall tale.  "Clyde, a bottle of Glenfarclas Galactic Highlands with two glasses, ice and water please."  The Black bearded man nodded and left to retrieve the requested drink and accessories.  The medic linked her fingers together the put combined index fingers to her lips as filed away Enyd's question and stared at her friend for a moment considering what was the appropriate response to such a tall tale. 

The Zhen physically nodded and stood to make her short way across to the diplomat's chair.  Zark smiled sweetly before grabbing the brunette by her shirt straps and yanking her up.  The security officer worked out a lot, and used the muscle mass without thought in lifting the other woman off the ground.  A small part of the Andorian's mind was surprised she didn't tear the clothing during the lift, but that wasn't important as she gave the surprised friend a good shake and snarled mightily at the errant human as she practically screeched.  "Enyd! Don't you dare go off and do something like that and leave me behind!  You hear!"  Zark was being passionately irrational and knew it since she couldn't follow the chaos magnet around all the time and protect her from everything.  "That was ridiculous! Foolhardy! And you could have been killed or worse!  Sold into slavery!" Having spent her incredulous fury, the lithe yet strong woman dropped her friend to the ground and frowned hard before grabbing her in a massive hug and tried to squeeze the life out of her voice dropped in sympathy.  "It's not fair, you don't deserve any of that and why does life insist on treating you like that?"  Zark didn't know how long she held the brunette, but it was long enough for the Scotch to arrive and for Clyde to discreetly clear his throat.  "Your drinks mum"  Zark slowly let go of Enyd as she left her hands on the human's shoulder.   "I'm not going to apologize for being worried over your safety, and I am seriously considering implanting you with a subdermal communicator and a Veridian patch so we can track you down any time."

Zark took a deep breath to calm the moment before repeating herself for the little good it would do. "Seriously, you run into trouble, you come find me and I will blast us a way out." The blue head tilted from side to side for a moment as her eyes narrowed at the human. "You got Mia Dunne in trouble on the trip?  Aiyiyi. No telling how that's going to affect her going forward.  She seemed so gentle the first time I met her.  Then again, she did just wake up from stasis.". 

Like hitting a switch, Zark quickly changed her mood back to happy for the occasion as she made her way back to her chair. "Anyway, that's not the point!. You're here to get fitted, and I'll explain why you need the tik’leth later."  Zark planted her butt in the seat and turned to face Enyd.  "First, a little history.  It wasn't easy to dig through all the clan migrations, but I spent a good afternoon doing it.  Best information available says that Clan Grant is the Scottish clan that eventually settled Montana, so that would be your clan.  Next, was your last name.  That one proved more interesting since it has a long history. Turns out it was the name for an ancient Anglo-Saxon clan in England before it's wider migration."  The excited medic turned historian leaned on the thick chair arm as she got closer her friend like passing a secret.  "So you have two long lineages to draw from.  First off though, a gift."

Zark turned around to grab the blood red grained scabbard off the table and passed it to Enyd with a smile.  "I did all the research, but Chief Arnold helped program the parameters and used the industrial replicator in engineering to make it.  He actually wanted to make this in a forge for you, but I told him there wasn't time.  The man is stubborn though and I had to point out I needed this in a few days and tritanium work is done through the replicator anyway.  He grumbled quite a bit after." Zark shrugged away the difficulty as her fingers pointed out the various points of symbolism.  "Still, he did what he could and he welded on your family crests hear the guard.  There's the Burning Hill on one side, a signal for the Highland clan to rally for action.  And if you flip it over, there's the crossed axes with the knight's helm of Madsen. A very martial house by all accounts."  The smile turned to a smirk as she droned on over the other details.  "Now, the crossed white and black of the handle came two different colours of leather, but it was related to something called an Belted Galloway or an Oreo cow.  The computer said it's a pretty unique breed to Montana." Despite gibbering off on the minutae, Zark unconsciously blushed at the next part.  "And well the gold binding thread is uhmmmm for your well good heart.  Anyway the cannelure is a pretty nasty design feature, so I had it filled with an industrial emerald on one side, and an industrial sapphire on the other, you know cause we have each other's backs and I think that's what gave Chief Arnold the biggest set of conniptions, what?" The Andorian asked the human as she came to an aburpt halt.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

To say she was surprised by Zark’s outburst would put it mildly. She’d had Andorian friends before, and while she knew there was as much diversity among Andorians, if not more, as there were with humans, Enyd had never befriended an Andorian who would have ingested the tale quite as Zark had. Far from being offended or off-put by the scowling chastisement, Enyd was stunned at the amount of affection Zark had for her. She’d had her notions that the woman found Enyd attractive and, under other circumstances and Enyd’s own change of orientation, would have perhaps enjoyed seeing how things went romantically. This was not arrogance on the part of Enyd, just pure deductive reasoning. And this outburst from Zark further solidified Enyd’s growing theory.

Crushed in Zark’s arms as she was, Enyd could only draw a comforting hand down her friend’s back.

“To be fair, the tour was a supposed guarantee safe tour. There was no intent on my part, or my companions, to end up dancing naked for the Orions. And that dance WAS the safer alternative. Given our options at the time, perceived or obvious, a stalling tactic until the tour could catch up to us and ‘rescue’ us further was the only trick I had up my proverbial sleeve since, by that point, I had no sleeves.”

Enyd was chuckling as Zark released her from the fierce embrace, taking the time to lightly pat Zark’s cheek once the Andorian’s face was made available.

“I wouldn’t be against that Veridian patch or permanently installed communicator. Things have always been chaotic for me, and they just seem to have gotten worse since I was posted to Theurgy. But, for as frustrating as that may be, I think that may be why I’m good at my job. I always have contingency measures and adapt and often respond far more rapidly than others. Comes from years and years of practice.”

Enyd’s lips quirked upwards in amusement when Zark’s mood switched tracks and she was the same light-hearted minion Enyd had last encountered. She nodded along with Zark’s sharing, eyes widening and lips parting in amazement at all the right cues. Enyd was both impressed and thankful for the amount of time and effort Zark had put into this endeavor. It further connected to her theory on Zark’s affections, but it also was chalked up to the reality that the blue-skinned officer was her friend and a dear one at that.

“My grandmother spoke mostly of our Danish background, lamenting that an ancient machine gun was named after a family member as being one of the reasons her son had decided to go into Starfleet Intelligence. I’m impressed with all this research, Zark. Thank you very much! It is such a delight to know about the connections beyond the Danish bloodline.”

Enyd’s eyes widened, a hand coming up to cover her surprise gasp when Zark presented the blade and explained its origins and maker. Enyd made a note to give Frank both a hug and a shoulder massage to thank him for his part in this endeavor. The attention to details did not surprise Enyd, not knowing that both Zark and Frank were involved in the blade's making. Her hands itched to hold the blade, but Enyd forced herself to slowly accept it when it was offered, not wanting to hurt Zark in her own enthusiasm to take hold of the beauty.

“You two are such dear hearts!” After glancing over the blade, noting the things Zark had pointed out more closely, she turned bright gaze to Zark and added. “You get a kiss for this!” With that as her only warning, Enyd leaned forward and smacked a quick kiss directly to the Andorian’s lips. Pulling away, Enyd lightly tweaked Zark’s nose before hoisting the sword higher and grinning. “When do I get to use this?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark knew she shouldn't have expected anything else, but it was too much like a bee being drawn to honey for the brief touch on her lips was like an irresistible pull on her body for something deeper, more passionate; and she fell straight into her devilish friends trap.  The Andorian's face pinched as her nose was grabbed and given a gentle tug.  Her surprise was so complete she even let out a little meep and pouted as a hand shot up to begin rubbing her offended nasal organ.  She wanted to look offended, but Enyd's starry eyed enthusiasm was too much and Zark let out a generous laugh at her friend's priorities and pointy predilections. 

"Not quite yet, and if I had my say on the matter, you'd never use it all.  Now, as I said, fitted you were going to be, and fitted you shall be hon." Zark exclaimed as she led her friend to a platform with several mirrors.  Zark turned around and talked as she walked towards the table where the scotch had been deposited.  "We could do this the easy way and just have the computer scan you for size, but where the fun in that?  So we're going to compromise a bit."  Reaching the table, she poured two generous rounds and added a few ice balls before carrying them back to the platform and pointing at a woman with flaming red hair and laughing blue eyes.  "Caitlin here is going to measure you and she's going to get various articles for you to try on.  No chugging the nice scotch please."  Zark handed the dark amber liquid to Enyd and clinked glasses before sipping the sweet toasty liquid before continuing. 

"You're encouraged to drink and move around on the platform while being measured.  That way Caitlin can get a good sense of the mobility needed for the outfits.  When she gets enough information, the holodeck will generate clothes for you to try on.  There's three ready styles programmed in already."  The happy Andorian smirked for a moment. "Given how much trouble you get into, it doesn't hurt to be able to move freely even though you look like something from a formal festival."    Zark turned on her feet once more and walked to a nearby sofa.  Taking a moment to smooth out her own kilt, she sat down and crossed her legs to watch the proceedings as she took another sip and Caitlin moved in with a length of tape measure to start her part of the process.  "Okay Enyd, I have a drink and more nearby at my beck and call.  So lay it on me, how was the rest of week from when we last get together? and...."    Zark paused as her mood took a dip and her expression became neutral due to the elephant in the room, but she was concerned for her friend's well being, so she took a much bigger sip and trotted out the question. "How are you settling into being head diplomat now?" 

---

Clan Grant Tartan pattern
[Show/Hide]Styles
[Show/Hide] 

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd followed Zark’s directions and refrained from “chugging” the delicious liquor. She made an audible lip smack of delight after her first sip, winking at Zark as she raised the glass in a second salute before going in for another small sip as Caitlin came forward and began the process of measuring.

“I agree with the need for mobility.” Enyd twirled around from Caitlin’s clutches for a moment to prove her point, careful not to spill her scotch. The redhead shook her head with an amused smile and waited until Enyd twirled back into reach to continue her measurements. Enyd was curious about the styles but, without seeing them yet, chose to voice her preferences, “I adore anything that looks classic military, and I also love capes. Is there something that has both?”

As Caitlin continued her measurements, occasionally pushing Enyd to move a certain way so she could get something more precise, Enyd heard Zark’s questions. She’d need a lot more scotch after the tales she was to tell, but staying true to her word, Enyd only sipped at the liquid as she told Zark of all the adventures she’d been involved with, willingly or not, since they’d last seen another. Zark had been present when Enyd had intentionally gotten her arse handed to her by Frank at the fight night, and had heard of the diplomatic success of her venture on Qo’Nos with L’Nari, so it was the adventure with the brigadier on Qo’nos, the sabre bear riding with Drauc, the shibari bonding with Via in the lounge, the skydiving adventure with Cal, and finally the Klingon comedy show went nudistically wrong with Alistair that Enyd shared. By the end, Enyd held up her glass for a much-needed refill before addressing the second question her Andorian friend voiced.

“About the head diplomat thing, well, I certainly hope Rutherford recovers. While I do not shy away from necessary responsibilities, I would rather not be given these responsibilities permanently under these circumstances.” Enyd shrugged, repeating the gesture with Caitlin instructed she do so for more intricate measurements. She was lifting her hands over her head and slowly turning when Enyd glanced over her shoulder to offer Zark a reassuring smile, “What about you? What sort of mischief have you gotten into?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Caitlin smiled and nodded as she fussed about the diplomat, pulling off the tape measure and stretching it against various parts of Enyd's body. "Aye lass, Ah think we have somethin for ye." She answered before prodding the diplomat in another direction and dodging a scotch wielding arm.  The answer brought a small smile to the Andorian's lips as she brought her glass up to take in another drink of the fine dram.

Little did she know it was going to be her last sip for a while as Enyd dove into the other activities that had taken up the rest of her days in between.  Zark didn't know whether she was supposed to laugh, cry, or throw her glass at Enyd.  Having already picked her up once and shaken her like a dog did their favourite toy, the security officer felt warring temptation to go over to the measuring platform and simultaneously wrap her friend in a straight jacket, and hug her at the same time, again.  The sheer insanity of the misadventures she was having was tough enough to process while the blue woman's mind continuously misfired at the seemingly more implausible yet utterly true events that had transpired.  Most people would have dismissed the brunettes stories as flights of fancy, but when you got drunk enough together, and had your own silly adventures with the person, there were signs that someone just needed to vent, and Zark could see them radiating off the diplomat.  This was the poor woman's chance to relieve her own stress from her own incredible life.

Still, the decision on whether Enyd was in need of an padded room or a baking pan full of brownies with ice cream was forestalled as Zark nodded her agreement with Enyd on Rutherford's condition.  The attack had come as a shock to the whole crew and the loss of two department heads so quickly highlighted the fact that the war with the Mo'Kai was far from over.  The Andorian's mind wandered back for a moment to the elegant woman who had all too briefly led the ship's diplomatic efforts, and how she was navigating a sea of changes. The Andorian's last visit to the Diplomatic Council room was a case in point with so many varying view point that needed a single answer.  Knowing Enyd as she did, Zark didn't envy the leadership challenges she was going to face in the future.  At least she outranked everyone else and would hold onto the upgrades Chief Arnold had installed.  Still, with everything that had happened, Zark decided to try to keep things light despite a pervading sense of exasperation that wouldn't go away.

Despite her own admonition to not chug the scotch, Zark did just that and drained her own glass in one go.  Clyde had been kept busy making sure there was an amber stream flowing into Enyd's glass, and when the blue hand holding the glass went up, he rushed back to fill hers.  Initially he was only going to fill the edge of the pattern on the glass, but Zark commanded more and an eyebrow quirked as he eventually stopped at two-thirds of the glass before she took a healthy gulp.  "Oh no!  I take it back Enyd, drain that glass and you're not getting off the hook all that so easily."  The slightly blushing alcohol infused Andorian settled back into her seat as she gave her friend a look that had salaciousness written all over it. "Excusez mon français, but you almost and ahhhh mean almost let Drauc, one of the most secretive and hottest bad boys on the ship, fuck you into quivering putty.  Then you got into a strip tease, not once, but twice, and almost end up accidentally getting mounted by the nice muscular Alistair Leavitt during one of them. Now hold on Enyd. Hear me out. If those fickle bitches of fate had pulled the wrong string on you, he could have slipped and you would have gotten Murphy's prong of perversity in you, in addition to Mr.Leavitt.  Don't tell me that didn't cross your mind."

The Andorian took another larger sip and let the fiery liquid burn its way down for a moment and took a deep breath "All the time while fate was trying to toss you around like a rag doll." Zark took a moment to lean forward as she rested the amber glass on her knee.  "Well, you seem to have come out of it none too worse for wear I think, so what are you gonna do next?"  One platinum eye brow arched inquisitively. "Not a whole lot seems to have come from the your escapade with the lovely Mr.Leavitt, but Signore Drauc T'Laus is another matter entirely.  I hear he's been released from sickbay and is on quarters rest.  Will you be looking for a nurse's dress circa 1940 to go check up on him?" Zark offered jokingly.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd shook her head, “I didn’t almost let anyone do anything. Drauc was feeding off the bear's ferocity, and I could calm him down. We haven’t been acquainted long, but I presumed accurately to know that he never would’ve forgiven himself if he’d actually had his way with me there. Neither one of us was in the physical condition for it. In all likelihood, IF I had allowed it to continue, he would’ve coughed up a lung on my face and passed out, and we’d both be in a worse condition than we are in now.” She stuck out her tongue petulantly at Zark while waiting for her glass to be refilled. “The strip tease for the Orions was hardly a strip tease, and it was just a stall tactic. I’d read in the brochure how long the tour typically lasted and that they always ended up at the lounge at the end of the tour, so I figured I could stall long enough we’d be reunited with the tour. Voila! That happened. Not smoothly, mind you, and Mia and Amanda may need therapy, but none of us were defiled or bespoiled.”

Enyd swirled the liquid in her glass, mind briefly skittering back to her Klingon comedy excursion with Alistair. A smile tugged at her lips before she took a long sip, though she didn’t drain it as Zark had suggested.

“The Klingon show was unintentional nudity, and if we’re going to get precise, I mounted Alistair. And while his underwear had been ripped to his ankles, mine was still in tact. So I could have only had Murphy’s prong from Drauc, unless Alistair’s prong has ample dexterity and can maneuver past underwear.” Enyd giggled, shaking her head at both the thought and the mental image. “My colleague Faye would say there’s nothing wrong with dropping from one sack to another as it pleases you, shameless hedonist that her mother calls her.” Enyd held up a hand before Zark started to lecture Enyd as she knew her grandmother would if she was standing in Zark’s place. “I am not a hedonist. It had crossed my mind how odd the timing was for those two fairly intimate encounters. From the start, I’ve been attracted to Drauc. His very voice turns me into mush and after I fainted in his arms, he was able to ascertain that he is attracted to me of his own accord and not just feeding off my attraction. Alistair was and is a surprise for me. I greatly enjoy spending time with him, he makes me laugh, he also brings out a very mischievous streak in me that no one else has really activated before, and it is just…easy with him.” Enyd downed the glass and held it out for another. “It seems my romantic life will always come in dyads. Much to my chagrin.”

Enyd shrugged at Zark’s question, “I honestly don’t know. The nice thing about Drauc is I don’t have to explain anything. I can walk into his quarters, sit across from him, and drink tea, and he’ll know everything. What he chooses to do with that knowledge, I don’t know. But that’s one step I’m going to take. As for Alistair, he’s been busy with duties and I’d like to think he isn’t avoiding me, but with how often things go awry with me, he may have called it quits and run for the hills. In which case, he’s a good friend to reminisce about the time we wrestled Klingons naked on Qo’Nos.”

The nurse’s outfit had Enyd choking on her drink and Caitlin returned to pound on her back to assist until she could breathe again.

“I haven’t been sexually intimate with anyone but myself in over two years, Zark. I certainly don’t have the gumption to don a get up like that to seduce a man trying to differentiate himself from everyone else on the ship. And that’s the thing with Drauc, I have such a strong moral compass that I do not want to enter into anything with anyone if they are not participating of their own accord and not merely because they are feeding off of me. That’s not fair to them, or me. So, not sure we’re to the sexy check-up stage yet.”

Turning green eyes to her Andorian friend, Enyd tipped her head up, “What about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark nodded at her friend's insight into her relationship as it were with Drauc and Alistair, and she nodded at what she was hearing.  The diplomat's analysis of how the events went down made her smile. Zark had been totally serious about examining what had happened, and despite the enticements, Enyd had her head on straight regarding what had happened on the tour, the hike, and everything else.  The Zhen frowned for a moment as she took a look at her own reaction.  It dawned on her that her reaction was mostly due to her own proclivities and assumptions, which she'd foisted on Enyd, and that made her mentally wince.  Add in a healthy dose of worry and she could see where her reaction had come from.

The diplomat coughing as she made the correct conclusion about sexy nurse wear to check up on Drauc pretty much confirmed her analysis as she laughed richly seeing she'd finally got one on the brunette. "I'm sorry Enyd, I really am!  But that one was too good to pass up, especially when you think underwear is somehow an impediment to sex, and I totally agree with you that Drauc's voice is something to make anyone's knees weak.  Kinda reminds me of Ryn, my Chan, but his voice isn't as raspy."  The Zhen shrugged away the difference before she took another sip as Clyde refilled the diplomat's glass as she settled her own nerves.  "I'm sorry Enyd, but those events were dangerous from more than one perspective.  Dealing with wild fauna, rebels, and brigands isn't something to sneeze at, and I was utterly flabbergasted at everything, and I get worried when the universe tries to dump you into it's maw to chew you up and spit you back out in pieces"  Zark mentally weight the scales and felt Enyd wouldn't her suggestion, but Zark cared, so she shared.  "Soooo, you should consider wearing a tac vest everywhere you go, and maybe armed guards with you all times."

Caitlin pushed Enyd to face the mirrors as she set about measuring other parts. "A'right lass, suck in a big breath, and hold, good, let it out."  The red head licked her pencil made some more notations in her notepad."Now, what have I been up to.  Well first off was watching Faye and L'Nari go at it.  I didn't realize that two diplomats could be well, so petty, but they've made an art out of it.  It's so bad, it's in their personnel files.  I thought when you asked me to do the security check on them, it was good chance for the two of them to settle differences and bond over a common task, but by Lor'vela Enyd!  It's like they reverted to elementary school playground stuff!" The security officer's antennae peeled back as recounted some of the antics the two junior diplomats pulled on each other, though this seemed to be a blue fury button issue as more and more shenanigans spilled out.  "Anyway, I well uhmmm got frustrated and went overboard with them during the hand to hand test, and well, to be honest, I don't think they learned a whole lot from the bruises."   The Andorian took another sip as she turned sad eyes on the diplomat.  "I'm not proud of it and having to patch them back up wasn't good, though " and Zark's antennae began to wave around a bit. "I have patched things up with Faye.  L'nari on the other hand seems to keep me as far away as she can manage.  Hasn't really replied to a single message. She acknowledged the messages, but I don't think she wants to think about it anymore." 

"Aside from that, I stood watch over an experiment with the infested, though I did scare Chief Arnold's assistant, Lieutenant Azrin Ryn, when I showed up in my exosuit and an isomagnetic disintegrator on my back."  Zark gave a a wry smile as she shrugged.  "I don't think they're going to forget that experiment any time soon, though I think I might have contributed to Mia's need for therapy as well.  Poor girl can't catch a break and she's now where near as ...... mentally hardy as you are."  Zark took another sip and tapped on her glass a few times.  "One thing that did surprise me though was how fast what's his name, the Romulan we arrested after the opera fiasco. Hirek. yeah, that's it.  I'm surprised how fast he got out of the brig." The Andorian took another deeper sip.  "I expected him to stay there for a while and now he's "  Zark blew out some troubled air before seeming to turn inward.  "Enyd, I'm sorry I wasn't able to come get you that night. I asked, even had a plan put together for it, but I got told to wait.  Let local security handle it."

There was bit of a pregnant pause when Caitlin took that moment to interrupt.  "Excuse meh Miss Madsen, buh wuld ya be wearin that giant cleaver there on yer hip ur back?"

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd quirked an eyebrow. Last time she checked, the penis could only go into the vagina if the vagina was uncovered ergo, underwear could be an impediment to sex. Keeping these thoughts to herself, though now very curious about what sort of underwear-wearing sex Zark had had, Enyd smiled at Zark’s suggestion for a tac vest.

“I don’t think the tac vest would go too well with my heels.” She stuck her tongue out at her friend mere seconds before Caitlin pushed her to face the mirror. As Enyd followed Caitlin’s orders, she listened to Zark share her week, and right off the bat Enyd couldn’t resist a snort. L’Nari disagreed with Enyd’s diplomacy tactics and potentially didn’t like Enyd personally. Still, she wholeheartedly disliked Faye, and their cat-fighting was only barely under the surface at every department meeting. The fact that both women had managed to irk Zark to the degree the Andorian had gone overboard had Enyd grinning through the reflection at her friend. “I’m sure they’re both fine. They’re professional at the end of the day, even L’Nari, with all her snarkiness, is a professional. She disagrees with anything remotely associated with violence to what we might consider an irrational degree, borderline insubordinate, but she is here to get a job done, and so far, she’s done her job. With lots to say about it in the process.”

Enyd paused as Caitlin continued to push and prod her into a new position, Zark quickly filling in the silence with more stories. She’d met Ryn and could only imagine the poor girl’s face at seeing an exosuit Andorian marching up to her bed. And Mia, well Mia was likely not going to want to go on any sort of outing with Enyd again any time soon. While technically nothing that went wrong on the tour had been her fault, sometimes you just didn’t want the painful reminders the sight of someone brings.

When the conversation turned to Hirek, Enyd sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know all the details because it's Intelligence, but I know enough that he was a plant for Intelligence all along, and he used my kidnapping as a method for defection to Theurgy. He assured me that he wasn’t the mastermind behind the kidnapping, nor was he the one to knock me unconscious, but he certainly was the one who gave me a sabotaged phaser that stunned us both before tossing us into the scummy river, making it look like we’d drowned in case any of the Tal Shiar agents got away.” Enyd shrugged, and in the pause, Caitlin asked about her ‘cleaver.’ Enyd smiled and pointed to her hip, “I’d prefer to wear it on my hip, Caitlin, thank you.”

Looking back to Zark through the reflection, Enyd tipped her head to the side, “Any other adventures you care to share?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark sighed as she sat for a moment and took a sip to stall for time.  The last two of her last trips were potentially too sensitive, and one other meeting she had to think about whether Enyd needed to know.  It was times like these that the Andorian wished Starfleet was more bureacratic, that way, she had someone to kick the decision to on who she could share the information with.  "I'm sorry Enyd.  I feel like I'm apologizing a lot for things out of your control, but in this case, I'm not even sure I'm supposed to be thinking about my last trips to Qo'nos.  I've heard of some pretty cloak and dagger type stuff from Intelligence and the Spec Ops people, but this surpasses even the blackness of those things.  I don't even know if mentioning this at all will cause some sort of unforeseen calamity somewhere in our future." If Zark's face wouldn't say it, her antennae would be able to tell her audience what she thought of a situation.  In this case though, everything in her body language said Please do not ask me about this "I really don't like keeping things from friends, but this one is way too classified."

Caitlin, utterly oblivious to the situation, or maybe it was Thea being totally in tune with what was going on, picked that moment to interrupt.  "Achright ladies. I'm done ere.  Miss Madsen, if you'd just face tha mirrors for eh momen, I'll bring up tha various designs.  Go ahead and move aboot ta see how they feel.  Clyde! Bring tha cleaver uver!  A lady always needs her sword!"

The Zhen settled back into the comfortable chair and hoped she wouldn't have to tell Enyd a straight out no, and the two of them could just enjoy a fashion show and costume party from this point on.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd raised a single eyebrow at Zark’s reticence. She’d never seen her friend look so torn, and it was a testimony to her professionalism and her relationship with Enyd that there was this much evidence of how physically painful it was to keep things from her. Considering Zark mentioned the future in her dismayed semi-confession, Enyd could only assume that whatever it was Zark had been involved with was somehow connected to the temporal initiatives Ives had mentioned were an important factor in upcoming missions. She’d not been briefed on everything since her installment as acting department chief, but Enyd had been told enough to know that there was much going on behind the scenes within the realms of temporal. mechanics.

Instead of pressing Zark and potentially damaging their relationship, and fully believing in the professionalism of her captain and his officers to brief her of anything she would need to know in order to run her department—for as long as she was running it—Enyd nodded to the Andorian woman without another word on the matter. Caitlin’s timely utterance distracted them both from the brief foray into dangerous conversation topics and Enyd shot the woman a bright smile with a nod.

“Yes, a lady always needs her ‘cleaver’ nearby to ward off unwanted suitors.” Enyd glanced back at Zark with another eyebrow raised, “Speaking of unwanted suitors, has there been anyone come calling at your doorstep I should know about?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

If Zark had been drinking, Enyd would have been treated to the sight of a caramel coloured spray of surprise.  Instead, the Zhen gave the human a good old snort as she relaxed and a smirk before straightening her spine and lifting her nose at her friend.   "Enyd, if it pleases you, don't remind me that I'm a very.....very bad Andorian that likes to go around and trample her way all over societal taboos.  As soon as I get home, I will not have suitors waiting for me since I already have bond mates.  Instead, I'm sure after I get my very athletic and intimate welcome home, Ryn is going to hand me a PADD with a bunch of offended people's names on it that say I'm being selfish, a disgrace to Andorians all around, and so on and so forth."  Zark's head returned to it's normal setting as she sounded so dry and bored with the last part, she could have evaporated her scotch glass.  It was good thing she didn't have that ability since she took another sip before continuing. "Anyway, I'm nice enough to reply, thanking them for their concern, and pretty much asking what they're going to do about it, and if they think they can change my mind, they're welcome to come visit and try.  Otherwise, they can bring their blades and we can settle things the old way.  Problem is since we don't actually kill each other, even if I lose, I'm not gonna change my mind and they can kiss my shapely blue posterior for their trouble."

Zark shrugged after reminding herself of better times and being a general badass, so she drained her scotch and a different footman, Ewan, this time came over and filled her glass.  Zark flashed a smile at the hologram.  "To answer the question in the expanded sense since it sort of does involve your department, Faye and I had sex yesterday.  As far as I know, it's a one time event since she's with Nurse Riley all the time, but I do envy you having someone who's so, how do I put it, embracing of life?  Hard working, hard playing, and from what I gather, very competent at both." Zark looked whistful for a moment as her mind briefly flashed images and sensations into her mind.  "Anyway, we'll probably meet for drinks again at some point, or maybe I'll insist she needs to work out more and I'll throw her around the mat a bit."

Caitlin with her oblvious sense of timing interrupted.  "Exuse meh Miss zh’Ptrell, but if ya'd be soo kind, could ya hold off yer yappin for a momen while I get tha cleaver attached to Miss Madsen's hip."  Zark sigh held high levels of exasperation in it.  "Caitlin, how many times have I told you to call me Zark?"   "Nought on yer life me blue lassie!  Ye asked tha brain of this ere flyin bathtub to program me, so ye got yer just desserts there."

The Zhen moue'd Silly me asking Thea to help give Caitlin her personality  "Well, I'm gonna keep talking so work with it." Caitlin gave Zark a rude gesture that caused the medico to give a sharp single laugh. "Anyway Enyd, at this point, I really don't know how the other Andorian's are gonna take my preferences.  I don't think Nysari knows yet.  I never talk to Shall in Science, and well my boss, Ida, is an outcast and from what I've gleaned, she's generally in the same boat as I am.  The rest, well, my displays of ass kickery are all over the ship, so they keep quiet."

Zark gave a comedic shrug as Caitlin this time was in a huff, and she whirled on Zark as Clyde appeared to trying to contain his laughter as he stood with the scotch bottle next to Enyd. "Can I please activate her clothes now your ladyship?"  Zark settled back and made a airy waving gesture at the diplomat mannequin. "I say fine, but ask her!  She's the one on the platform!"

The red head turned on the brunette with a sense of exaggerated patience as she planted her fists on her hips.  "Well? Can I do my work now yer highness?"

---

Clan Grant Tartan pattern

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Clan_Grant.jpg/220px-Clan_Grant.jpg)

Kilt Outfits

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/40/5f/7b/405f7b9b0e06cbfe9a8b05ac6ca83894.jpg) (https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e9/ec/d2/e9ecd2621b35f3edf0f478ef70ec9e01.jpg) (https://i.pinimg.com/564x/17/4f/33/174f3315b533257502565f9ce4715c08.jpg)

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd’s eyes widened as Zark dropped far more information than she’d been expecting. She wasn’t quite certain what to address first. The fact that she hadn’t been intending to insult with her question and did NOT think Zark was a bad Andorian? Or her confusion on why Ryn would even have a list of offended people in the first place? Or her even greater concern that someone on the ship had dared to label Zark as a disgrace and had lived to walk away? Then, past the near-overwhelming introductory remarks made by her beautiful friend, there was the mind-numbing confession that she’d so casually had intimate relations with Faye. The day before. Enyd blinked, trying first to figure out what had led up to those two deciding to become intimate and then doing her best to wash the images out of her mind out of respect for both women. One as a friend and the other as a colleague and a department member.

She was still opening and closing her mouth in silent attempts to form words when Caitlin announced her readiness to reveal the work. The slight banter between the holographic woman and Zark brought a welcome smile to Enyd’s face as her mind went back over everything that had been verbally punted at her in such a short span of time. Zark didn’t help matters when she did yet another round of comparison comments that wrinkled a frown onto Enyd’s face, but then Caitlin again interrupted Enyd’s attempt to reply with her own question. Heaving a sigh, Enyd nodded. Best to address things one at a time AFTER the great outfit reveal.

Enyd’s mouth dropped open yet again, but for entirely different reasons once the outfit was revealed. It was both exactly what she’d wanted and yet not at all what she’d expected. There was a unique flair that the computer had managed to incorporate into the details, likely feeding off the conversation passing between herself and Zark, that marked this particular outfit as different from the generic ones she’d seen earlier. Looking up from studying the outfit, Enyd grinned at Zark then briefly looked at Caitlin.

“This is stunning!” she smoothed her hands over the fabric of the kilt, the smile remaining on her lips as she studied it more closely. “Thank you so much!”

Turning to face Zark again, Enyd finally began to address the LONG list of things swirling in her head after her friend’s verbal diarrhea.

“If anyone has ever dared to label you as a disgrace should be tarred and feathered. Not to pull too heavily from my Vulcan heritage but ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations is true in this situation. You aren’t a ‘bad Andorian’ any more than I’m a bad human. Just because we deviate from a generalized norm of our species doesn’t mean we are disgracing the entirety of our people or bringing shame to our home planets. There will always be people we feel more akin to and people who will dislike us, regardless of whether they are within our species. So, Zark, darling, please do not mistake my earlier question as a judgment against your character, an assumption, or anything else. I was merely teasing you.”

She stepped down from the podium and held up her glass for a refill, waiting only until after a warming sip before she continued her own verbal onslaught.

“Secondly, you shouldn’t give a damn how the other Andorians will interpret your actions or character. That’s not their job. You are here for your job, and they’re here for theirs, and if you don’t have enough in common to consider each other more than colleagues in the off hours, then oh well. There are plenty of humans on this ship, but I haven’t met all of them, nor would I get along with all of them perfectly if I did meet them all. So it is illogical even to waste time or breath wondering or worrying about what they might think about my choices. Are your actions bringing you joy? Are they representing the type of person you want to continue to develop into? If yes, grand. If no, then change whatever needs to be changed and move onward and upward.”

Enyd drained her glass this time, grimaced, then pointed the finger at Zark.

“I am VERY curious how the two of you ended up in bed together, but I also don’t want to know a damn thing about it.” Enyd smiled demurely as she held up the glass for yet another refill. “But, I have a question: how do you separate the physical from the emotional? Unless you don’t, in which case that’s fine as well. Just,” she frowned at her glass, swirling the amber liquid a bit before speaking up again, “I’ve only been with Javec, and now I’ve got two men that I’m physically and emotionally attracted to and I know fuck all about anything. At least that’s how I feel.” Enyd blushed, realizing she’d dropped a curse word. Her grandmother would toast her ears, but she knew Zark didn’t care. Giving a half-shrug, Enyd sipped again as she stared at Zark over the rim of her glass, “Care to share insights on the matter?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark pursed her lips in a silent whistle as her antennae focused themselves on the simply dressed woman to the embodiment of a highland warrior princess.  The patent black leather ankle boots formed well with the Christmas hued that folded just under the knees.  Zark was still a Zhen, so seeing Enyd's flawless milky legs was always something to be appreciated.  Be a shame to cover them, but she'll probably opt for stockings, or leggings depending on the weather. It was the pleated kilt that the centre piece of the ensemble as they hugged her hips and waist, yet offered the airy openness that looked ready to expand and flourish at their owner's command.  The sporran hung regally in place, a metal crescent with celtic knotwork holding onto a cream fur covered leather pouch with black tassles.  If she doesn't keep the knife in her boot, she's gonna dump it in there. As the blue-green eyes moved upward, the blue head nodded at the simple black vest that covered the white blouse.  A dark emerald green waist jacket with white trims at on the long collar and near the wrists completed the upper body, though a somewhat impractical, but rather dapper cross tie held the white blouse collar up. Thankfully material technology had moved on, so despite looking just a smidge tight on Enyd, the whole thing would move as if Enyd was wearing no more than her regular clothes.  A long tartan sash stretched its way from one shoulder to the opposite hip, and was held in place by a shining silver clasp that held her clan sigil.  The sash flowed off her back like a cape, ready to protect her from the elements, or be blown in the breeze for a most impressive visage.  Toping it off and hanging jauntily to one side was a highland bonnet of the same hue as her jacket with a fuzzy pom pom on the top, a pair of streamers attached to the back, and bright silvery badge of house Madsen holding a pair of Barn Owl feathers for flair.  If Enyd got her foot up on a rock and hand on the pommel of her sword, she would have made a most imposing sight.

As Enyd came down from the podium, Zark didn't get a chance to notice how satisfied Caitlin looked as Enyd's brain had finally caught up with everything the Andorian had told her friend and she began to disgorge her own verbiage back at Zark.  "Now hold on, I wasn't really...." Zark was cut off as point number two came out and her mouth hung open with a finger pointed in the air as she waited in shocked silence for Enyd to finish. "Well, yeah, I get that, and it's not....." Zark was used to pointing her finger at people, not so much at her, though she did admit, there was good cause for this one as her friend hung onto the really juicy bit the Zhen had tossed out.  Ah hah!  We reach the crux of the matter. "Can I go now your ladyship?" Zark asked though she had no intention of letting Enyd think up something else to wrack her brain over. "First off, I know you were teasing, and I was trying to tease right back, but I mashed my own console instead.  Enyd, I'm not kidding about the list Ishrynaath gives me when I get back.  My Zhavey was the same way.  It's not that long, and most of them are just venting their spleen.  If it's a good year, I only have to fight one duel, though that's sort of disappointment for the other folks since they want a family picnic day out of the fight.  Lazy spectators." The Andorian took a sip and let the liquid burn for a moment. "Second, I'm not worried in the slightest what the other Andorian's on the ship think about my personal life, but I bring it up so you're aware cultural nuances at play here, though it's mostly unknown at this point. And yes, it brings me lots of joy."  Another sip and a goofy grin. "And didn't your grandma tell you pointing is rude.  I know, I'm one to talk since I do it all the time."

Zark took another sip and held out her glass for a refill as she held up a finger and assembled her thoughts on how to address the last point since in her mind, that one was the most pertinent. When the glass was refilled, the Zhen turned to face the human as she leaned on the chair's arm rest.  "Your love life is about to become very very complicated, one attractive man, another one that turns you into putty without the slightest effort, and an ex-fiance........maybe, ex-fiance doesn't count as much in the current equation.  So I'll answer your question, and it may get a bit bawdy, but that's part and parcel of the learning.  Draw what you will from it." The Andorian sat back and stared into the fire once more as she took a couple of sips to re-organize her thoughts once more.  This took longer than usual since the Zhen hadn't thought about it in a while. When she was ready, she turned to face her friend once more. "I don't separate the physical from the emotional, but I am keenly aware of which emotions I'm experiencing.  When I let Faye seduce me, and yes she did, but that's because I was in the mood for it, though she certainly didn't think so at the time, there was a deep seeded need and desire at my core for it.  I wanted to be fucked senseless as part of some biological need for it."  The Security Officer sighed in frustration.   "Something happened on the mission to Brestant Enyd.  Nobody knows what aside from the fact we landed, got into a fight where we came back with a bruises and cuts all over, but for the life of me I can't remember any of it.  I usually get these strong urges for sex when I'm almost killed, and so that's all I can figure out.  The fact that Faye is an intensely sensual and loving being made the option of mutual intimacy and relief attractive."  Zark sipped some more Dutch Courage before continuing. "Well, that and I felt sorry for throwing her around the ring so hard and give a very nice massage too."  Zark's expression softened. "She really is a caring soul.  And it felt right." 

"So, how does this relate to you?  Well, it comes down to a question of does it feel right?  When I see my partners, I want Ryn, Shrav's or Ryzit inside me.  I want that physical connection to go along with the emotional one.  I'd suspect if we were Betazoid, that connection would go even deeper, but we aren't, so we'll take what we can get.  A lot of the times, just having them around is enough, sometimes we need more."  Zark leaned on the arm rest one more time to get closer to Enyd, curious to see what her friend would do with these tidbits. "Now you say you don't know much, so think about this.  Listen to your body, and your heart. What does your core tell you."   To make sure she was being clear, a blue finger swirled around the confused human's belly and regions south.  "Your heart will tell you about the emotional, the rest will agree or not.  If you want to learn about this, close your eyes and think of Drauc, speaking to you inviting you into his embrace, removing those gossamer thin robes.  Offering you a glass of wine in the candle light of bed with sensual silk sheets. How does that make you feel?"

Zark let that one settle in for a moment before tossing her next bomb shell. "Now, you're in the public bath, just you. Out of the water comes the hot, steamy, finely chiselled Adonis of Alistair Leavitt. Clear liquid dripping down his solid defined chest, and he takes a breath as his arms wipe the water off his clear head.  Those strong, dependable arms, bulge, showing those intense muscles that could easily sweep you away.  He offers his hand and smiles at you to join him in the pool, just the two of you. No one to watch."

Zark gave that one some time too before deciding to pull Enyd back to reality to see if she had an answer. "Well, what did you feel? Not what did you think, what did you feel?"

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

While it was true that Enyd felt beautiful. She felt powerful. She felt like grabbing the folds of the tartan sash behind her and running around the holographic castle like a child. But Zark’s response and then her questions had Enyd’s mind fritzing out almost to the degree of when Drauc first kissed her, and she fainted. This time, blessed be the goddess of chaos, Enyd didn’t faint. But after the second verbal picture painted of Alistair in the water inviting her in, with the two combined, she felt a tickle in her nose. Still holding the glass as if her life depended on it with one hand, Enyd reached up to touch her nose with the other. Her eyes widened when she spotted crimson on the tips of her fingers as she pulled them away.

“Caitlin, a hankie if you please?”

Thankful she wasn’t still on the podium, Enyd staggered to a chair parallel to Zark and plopped down. She set her glass on the table, mindful not to let any of the precious liquid slosh out, then accepted the white handkerchief when it was offered. Pinching the cloth just below the bridge of her nose, Enyd shot a side glare at the Andorian fiend.

“You are not a very nice person, Zark.” Enyd’s nasal-sounding chastisement didn’t come across as particularly harmful even to her own ears, leading her to sigh and settle more petulantly against the back of the chair. “Give me a minute.”

Closing her eyes, Enyd tipped her head to lean against the chair’s high back. She let the tsunami-like shock of the images settle into more controlled reflection pools in her mind. There was much to comment on and address, but she had only one mouth, and neither of them was telepathic. If ever there was a time it would’ve come in handy for Zark to have Drauc’s abilities, it was now. There was so much going on all at once, yet she had to verbalize them one by one.

She finally broke the silence once she felt the bleeding was staved and could set aside the soiled fabric, “I’m sorry for the memory lapse, Zark. Do you need to talk to Rhys or someone from the counseling department about it? Or me? I’m no counselor, of course, but I have two good ears. At least they’re good when they aren’t stinging from your teasing.” Enyd grabbed her glass again and saluted her friend with it. “I’m not about to judge how you worked your way through your stress. You saw how I handled mine back in the ring during fight night. It just seems that when you feel a prompting to fuck, I feel the need to press my physical self to the limits and a breaking point. I have never tried that same mindset in the bedroom yet, so perhaps one day you’ll see me with bruises again, but they’ll be from another type of boxing ring.”

Enyd snorted, already knowing it would take a very special context and a very special person to prompt her to follow through with such a statement. She’d never thought about her sex drive or desires as lacking until this very moment. Where Zark spoke openly of wanting and needing sex, with the allusion to it being often, Enyd reflected on her own timeline of orgasms. She’d only pleasured herself to climax four times in the past month. She’d had more than a dozen sex dreams that mimicked orgasm alongside those wakeful masturbations, but aside from that, she’d not even thought about sex.

She knew her sex drive was something very connected to her emotional and mental framework. When she was trying to problem-solve, there was nothing remotely sexual about anyone or anything. It was as if that part of herself completely turned off and ceased to exist. When she wasn’t problem-solving or balancing the department needs, in those moments between problems, Enyd felt the tugging of sensuality, the deep-seated yearning to wake up to having a man beside her in bed, someone to share meals with, someone to playfully push away when he insisted on kissing her senseless before her morning coffee.

It wasn’t until she felt a tickle in her throat and sipped at her liquor that Enyd realized she’d said all those thoughts aloud. She snorted into her glass once she realized; she didn’t need Drauc’s help to vomit out her every thought and feeling after all. Looking over to Zark with a sardonic smile, Enyd chuckled at her own idiocy.

“When I was Victor, I was worried that my sex drive would be too much for him.” Enyd stopped, realizing it wasn’t her place to speak more about her ex-fiance without his permission to share such intimate matters. “I’m sure there is as much sex drive diversity among Cardassians as there is among any species, but I found that Javec and I paired well in that regard. He was often satisfied with soft touches as we passed by and, if anything, was far keener on verbal flirtation than actual sex, though we were always physically intimate in some way.” Sighing, Enyd stopped to sip at her drink, her mind moving on to finally touch on the painted pictures Zark had delighted in brushing out for her. “If I were in work mode and had a problem to solve, for both scenarios, I would merely be confused with the circumstances and excuse myself to go take care of the mission first. If I wasn’t in work mode, I’d probably have another nosebleed, faint, fall into a fit of giggles, and maintain my confusion for different reasons.” Enyd pressed the glass against her forehead and frowned. It took a few moments before she began to speak aloud a currently-forming theory, “If however, I was the one making the invitations to the men, I can imagine the desire, the thrill of the moment. I’m curious if that has something to do with it. Being on the receiving end of seduction versus being on the instigating side?”

Enyd drained her drink, clinked her glass onto the table, and swiveled in her chair to face Zark, “It doesn’t seem to bode well that in both scenarios if I was the instigator, I feel equal desire for both men. Feel equal desire to invite both me to be intimate with me. Neither does it help that in both scenarios, if both men were to invite me in such a fashion, I would be a puddle of useless goo in response.” Smoothing her hand down the waistcoat, Enyd raised an eyebrow as she stared at her friend. “Well, sexual sensei, what do you say to all that?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark had seen many things related to sex at one point or another.  She'd executed an arrest while a couple had been having intercourse and dragged the perp away naked.  In other cases, it wasn't unusual when she got home to find herself sandwiched between all three other partners.  That took work to sort out, thankfully her balance was amazing for staying in that position till everyone was done.  On the other hand, she could say with absolute certainty that this was the first time she'd seen arousal go over board and the result coming out of their nose instead.  This confirmed that Enyd really was the odd duck as Zark smiled in amusement despite her friend's being upset over situation.  Enyd's attempt at chastisement was more cute than anything else and the blue smile got bigger as the glare slid off the Zhen like so much water.   All Zark could really do was chuckle as she bestowed a knowing smile the diplomat that said volumes more about what she thought.  If she really wanted to, she could have kept winding Enyd, but there would be plenty of chances for that later.  Despite the frustrated sigh she'd let out earlier, the Andorian waved at the sympathy.  "What's done is done.  Everyone came out of that one alive and I have no interest in revisiting what happened."  A platinum eye brow did rise at the fact that Enyd was even contemplating using sex as an outlet for stress relief instead of getting the stuffing beat out of her.  Zark nodded at the inevitable softer bruises that would follow since that seemed safer than getting smacked around in a boxing ring.

Still, when Enyd began to talk to herself, Zark felt like she needed a pair of glasses, a pen, and a note pad as the oblivious human unloaded her sexual history.  The Zhen stayed silent, though she nodded along and let her internal monologue do all the work. Really? 4 times in the last month?  That's it?  That accounts for the number of dreams.  I think I've had maybe two.  Then again, I'm either fucking or masturbating two or was it three more than she is.  Probably closer to three. The continuing of the evaluation seemed to bring about numerous revelations. Well, that goes without saying, aside from that one time, sex doesn't exist while on duty.  Uh-Huh you really want to have that feeling of the warm body beside you. Zark noted on her mental notepad as she took a moment to scratch her nose in lieu of pushing up glasses.  When Enyd was finished and realized she'd been talking out loud.  Zark simply smiled and took another sip of her scotch as she leaned back and let Enyd keep going.  It was really very sweet and cute. 

The last part both exasperated and sent the Zhen's brain on overdrive.  She literally feel the blood flowing like little ants as it turns out her little though experiment hadn't really helped as much as she thought it would.  On the other hand, that's my fault for making both situations so delectable. Still, it's odd that she's the one that has to issue the invitations for intimacy.  I guess she really is that naive, though maybe....  Zark needed more time to process what had been told to her, though the 'Sexual Sensei' part did give her an idea as she giggled at that one.  "Computer, black frame glasses, a silver pen, and a notepad please."  The computer generated the items on the table between the two women and Zark first put on the glasses before grabbing the pen and paper.  She put on her best psychologist face, and began drawing random curved on the notepad as if she was writing.  The pseudo psychiatrist let a minute  pass before she put the pen down and took the glasses off, but instead of closing them began chewing on the frame instead for a few seconds before closing them and crossing arms over her knees.  "First off, Sexual Sensei sounds like one of those holo programs that get peddled out by the Ferengi at Drazona Station or DS9.  People find out that it refers to me, I'm not gonna be surprised to find my likeness in it, along with the program name being along side Vulcan Love Slave, so hush okay?"

The glasses clattered on the table as Zark tossed them. The hand smoothly went for the whiskey glass for a sip as her hand holding the pen began gently tapping away on the pad of paper in thought.  "Next, I was want to come up with some fancy psycho babbler term for what you are, but I just don't know it.  The thing is, I know what I would do in that case and while it might be fun for me, I don't think you'd go through with it."  The Zhen continued tapping on the paper pad, then stopped as she came to a conclusion, though her face was visibly unhappy with it. "The way I see it, you have two, well three options.  Option 1.  Do nothing.  Easiest, but it tends to drag things out, and leave things unresolved.  They start making up their own reasons or seeking you out to find out what happened and if anything could happen.  General all around bad or ambiguous feelings."

The sensei inhaled for a moment before moving on. Lots of talking. "Option 2.  Have a sit down with each one and glean more information from them, where do y'all want this to go?  That one at least sets clear objectives.  The path certainly won't be straight and narrow, but it'll have a definite end that I think everyone can live with.  Maybe to seal the deal, screw silly the one you want to be with in a night of passion and romance.  You can be on the bottom the first time, then you ride them afterwards.  Make sure to let the other one know you can only be friends."

The Zhen's smile had been only somewhat lewd at the end of Option 2.  The next one though had indecent written all over it. "Option 3.  Fuck both of them, maybe both at the same time?  Low light, a few scented candles, a nice bottle of your choice, and some very nice negligee to play with, then a good ol romp, maybe another round right after if it's really good.  Drauc in the front, Alistair in the back, in rode Enyd in the middle on the poles of passion! After that, you can think about which one was better and switch."

Zark had to wave her hand very quickly after the last bits spilled out of mouth and her hands flew up to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.  The Andorian took a few breaths before dropping her hand and she had the sense to look chagrined, though it didn't have full force since she was also wearing a wry smile. Not entirely horrified by what she'd said, though she wasn't sure how Enyd was handling it.  "Enyd, I'm sorry.  Sex and alcohol are generally a bad idea since I have naughty streak in me.  Please don't take number 3 seriously.  Without clear intentions ahead of time, it invites no end of confusion and trouble.  Have a sit down with both of them and hash out the feelings all round.  Since it'll work better with you initiating, you ask them to a powow with coffee, tea and the like.  Make sure to let them you know you don't want any hurt feelings, and you'll get back to them with a decision after you're done talking to both."  Zark got up after this and put everything on the table as she made her way over to Enyd's chair and sat down on the arm rest.  "Whatever happens, if you need someone to talk to about it more, or just a shoulder to cry on, I'll be here for you."  The blue woman gently wrapped her arm around Enyd's head and shoulder and pulled her closer.  Oh Spirits, please don't let her push me off the chair. Zark mentally pleaded.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she watched Zark pull the glasses onto her face and took hold of a notepad. It took Enyd a few moments to put together what Zark was doing, and by the time she got it, the Andorian had begun chewing on the glasses, then closed them and spoke. Enyd flashed Zark an unapologetic smile of amusement as the woman pushed against the coined moniker. The clatter from the tossed glasses momentarily startled Enyd, rearing back as they shifted across the table closer to her. Zark tapped out a rhythm on the notepad as she sipped at the whiskey before Zark began to offer a list of options, as she saw them, to Enyd.

The first option sounded very much like what Enyd was already doing and was tempted to continue doing, though she agreed with Zark on the fallout of continuing down that cowardly path. Enyd interrupted her friend just long enough to voice that thought before falling silent and letting the Andorian continue. The second option's first half sounded like what she’d been gearing up to do, having a sit-down talk with both men, starting with Drauc since she’d known him longer. The second half of the option was where Zark deviated from what Enyd felt herself presently capable of doing. Sealing the deal with sex…could she actually do that? The thought of having sex with Drauc without permission from Alistair, or vice verse, somehow sat wrong with her. Enyd sighed and voiced this thought as well, finding it strange that her subconscious felt she needed to ask permission of either men.

And that’s when Zark dropped the atomic-level third option. Mouth dropping open, stomach giving out, Enyd’s eyes crossed for a few seconds as the images pounded into her skull at the same speed as the pounding Zark described. Poles of passion…Enyd in the middle…Alistar’s flushed face cradled in the crook of her neck, warm lips pressed against her skin in heavy pants as his hips pistoned against her rear…Drauc’s hair framing his face had he held himself over her, her hardened nipples rubbing against his chest while his hips undulated up against hers, filling her completely…

Groaning, Enyd dropped her head against the table and pounded a fist against it. Zark continued talking, but now Enyd's alcohol-influenced brain continued its merry dance down the aisle of passionate poles pushing into her pussy and…Enyd gasped, shifting upright and pushing away from the table when she felt warm arms wrap around her. She let out a careening yelp as the chair gave out beneath them, and the pair tumbled to the floor. Enyd cracked her forehead against the edge of the table on the way down and was already moaning with pain by the time her body suffered from gravity and smashed on top of the overturned chair.

It took a moment for the pain to subside enough, for her brain to catch up to what had happened, for Enyd to groan out a single word, “Fuck.” Still lying on her back, Enyd turned her head to find Zark, “Are you okay, Zark?” Wincing, Enyd finally rolled onto her side, not bothering to do much more than lay her head on the pillow of her own arm and glare at her friend. “That was very, very mean of you, Zark. Poles of passion? Enyd sandwich indeed.” She sighed, letting the pain recede further, along with her momentary annoyance. “Need any help?” Enyd crawled onto her knees, wrestling with the tartan fabric for success, then reached for her friend. “Or is this the blind leading the blind again?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark should have seen it coming as soon as Enyd had tried to dig a hole in the table to bury her head.  The alcohol reducing inhibitions had taken their toll on the Zhen's self control and thinking on it in that split second between hug and crashing on the floor, Zark realized adding a witches brew of sexual content to her friend's innocent mind would have been too much.  Add an undercurrent of a bunch of fickle chaos goddesses who were determined to get their pound of laughs out of the woman would only add disastrous consequences.  It also demonstrated how well people could multi task under dire circumstances when her brain figured the typical curse of 'shelat' had too many syllables, and instead used the much more concise "Shit!" before she grunted as her back smacked on to the heavy chair as it fell.  This was fortunate as it mostly broke the security officer's fall before her head struck the ground at much reduced velocity.

Zark's vision momentarily whited out as her brain tried to exit her head into the floor, but the Andorian carapace wasn't something to sneeze at, and her grey matter initiated a reboot instantaneously that had the stunned woman staring at the candle lit chandelier as various loud Scottish accents, and heels hitting stone got closer.  Zark blinked several times as her fore brain tried to make sense of what had just happened as she lay on the ground, splayed out over the flipped chair.  A worried looking red head, then a bearded black one, followed by one with long blonde hair and a well trimmed mustache followed.  Caitlin, Clyde, and Ewan, but why are they and the chandelier above me? the inner voice asked as she blinked to try to get an answer.  It was soon provided by by a single all encompassing French curse and this jump started the neurons as the Chaos Magnet started talking.

The laid out Andorian turned her head to see how Enyd was doing as Enyd did the same, and Zark mentally grimaced as she got on her elbows.  The medico frowned as she  ignored all the questions and pithy comments for one observation.  "Enyd, you're bleeding." Despite the aches and protests from her body, Zark got up and walked on her knees to get closer, then gently grabbed the brunettes head and slowly tilted it to get a better view. "Computer, beam a tricorder, an autosuture, and a dermal regenerator to my location."  The computer beeped and the shimmering light materialized the requested items.  The medic picked up the tricorder and scanned the diplomat's head.  Looking at the results it wasn't too bad. "Glancing blows all around.  Now hold still.  Computer, hypo of Hydrocortilene please."  Zark picked up the autosuture with one hand and used the other to firmly hold Enyd's head still.  The autosuture was run over the cut, causing the bleeding to stop.  Dropping the autosuture, Zark looked down for a moment to make sure she grabbed the right implement and used the dermal regenerator to repair everything else.  After a couple of minutes, Enyd looked right as rain as if she'd never fallen over.  Well, not totally.

Zark sighed when her work was done, then she smirked again.  The dried blood definitely added to the warrior princess look. "The Hydrocortilene is for in case you get a bad headache, but then you have to stop drinking. Caitlin, can I get a wet hankie please?"  The requested item soon appeared, and Zark proceeded to wipe her friend of the blood on her head.  The one that had elicited the smirk though was when hankie made it's way to her nose and began wiping away from there.  It was a testament to how vivid the vision must have been since Zark also ended up wiping a bunch of lipstick off the brunettes upper lip.  It was going to have to re-applied for sure.  Zark felt pretty sure she was going to regret what her internal filter was going to miss next as she continued cleaning. "I'm sorry Enyd, but that was ludicrous.  You, my dear friend, are a closet kinkster.  You didn't lose it till it was one up the ass, and one up the pussy."  Zark held onto the human's nose a bit more just in case it started leaking red hemoglobin again.  "I'm don't know if you're going to really be able to settle on monogamy.  You might have to accept the possibility of being in an open relationship and being shared by the two of them. Not a bad thing really, love is love in any form, whether its Eros, Agape, Philia, Pragma, or the rest of them.  Just depends on possessive everyone wants to be."  Zark still refused to let go of the human's nose  just in case. "So, was the fall and wet nose worth it? Did you figure out if it's better with bald and muscular, scarred and mysterious, or the double sense of fulfillment?"

"Miss zh’Ptrell, please!" screeched a furiously bushing Caitlin.

---

OOC: Eros, Agape, Philia, Pragma are part of the seven types of love in Greek philisophy.

    Eros – Romantic, Passionate Love (Of the Body)
    Philia – Affectionate, Friendly Love
    Storge – Unconditional, Familial Love
    Agape – Selfless, Universal Love
    Ludus – Playful, Flirtatious Love
    Pragma – Committed, Long-Lasting Love
    Philautia – Self Love

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd hadn’t realized the table hit had actually cut through her skin until Zark made the observation. Only then did she feel the warm trickle of blood moving down her skin. She didn’t bother trying to stand or move away, knowing Zark would insist on her remaining still and/or sitting on her if she tried to move away. Instead, like a good girl, Enyd sat perfectly still while Zark administered medical attention. Earning herself some cookies, since Zark declared no more booze for Enyd, she patiently waited.

“I need cookies if I can’t have booze.” She commented dryly, going cross-eyed as she tracked Zark’s movements of handkerchief over healed skin and mopping up old blood. “And ‘closet kinkster,’ really? We could make quite a living just sitting you down, throwing scenarios at you, and writing the terms and definitions you come up with.” Chuckling, Enyd resisted the urge to shake her head, not wanting Zark to misinterpret the gesture as pulling away. “’Poles of passion.’ My goodness, Zark.” She felt her cheeks flush again and was thankful Zark made the preliminary move to plug her nose as the Andorian decided to line out all the forms of love she could experience. “There are more forms of love than there are terms, Zark. I am cognitively aware that there are as many forms of love as there are moments in time. I can say that I love you as easily as I say that I already love Alistair and Drauc. Even L’Nari,” she paused, shook her head, and started again in the nasal voice Zark’s pinch induced, “scratch that,” she chuckled at her own word choice before continuing, “I respect L’Nari. I’ll admit I don’t love her.”

Finally, Enyd pulled her face out of Zark’s grip. She grunted a bit as she pushed to her feet and moved to right the chair. When her eyes moved to the table, she smiled. It seemed one of the characters Zark had programmed for this scenario had heard her earlier request for cookies and delivered without further prompting. They appeared to be snickerdoodles and that suited Enyd just fine. The sugary spices would assist her in sharing more of her thoughts. Settling back into the chair, a cookie in each hand, Enyd stared at Zark for a moment before she shoved the entirety of one cookie in her mouth and smiled as she chewed, cheeks filled to the brim with cookie crumbles. Caitlin appeared a moment later with a glass of steaming tea, to which Enyd nodded her thanks.

“I established that BOTH men are still equally desired, thank you very much.” Enyd rinsed her mouth with the tea before answering. “Of course, that doesn’t help matters much. I already had a conversation with Drauc about Alistair, which went delightfully sideways.” Enyd sighed, picking the second cookie apart and plopping bite-sized pieces between her lips as she shared the bullet points of her conversation and interaction with Drauc from the day before. She’d snagged another cookie and pointed to her empty teacup with a pout with a silent request for more by the time she was done with one tale and began her summary answer to Zark’s question. “So, I’ve yet to wrangle Alistair into a corner to talk to him about things. I get the feeling that even if I am keen on the closet kinks, as you’ve so eloquently put it, I doubt either man will be as keen. They both strike me as the type who do not want to share their bedmates. And even if one or the other was willing to give it a go, as you said earlier, unless all parties are equally interested and willing to see things through, it can lead to further frustration and pain.”

Enyd paused a moment, grabbed a second cookie, then unceremoniously shoved both into her mouth. Leaning back in her chair, Enyd crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Zark as she chewed. She wasn’t angry with Zark. The only angsty anger she felt was towards herself. Neither Alistair nor Drauc had done a blessed thing to deserve the mayhem that accompanied an acquaintance with her. Both men deserved respect and complete affection. And since she seemed to have everything mucked up with only a few passing glances worth of physical intimacy shared, perhaps it was best for her to swear them both off altogether and go pet L’Nari as an old Earth cat lady might do.

“Do you think I’d make a good nun?” Enyd leaned forward just long enough to grab her tea, falling back again with a sigh. “Maybe I should be a nun.”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark accepted the compliment about her ability to come with monikers with grace and smiled.  There weren't too many other options, Enyd had a lot to work through, and the Zark had to spend her attention on making sure Enyd didn't suffer some sort of additional injury.  She also didn't want Enyd to hurt herself as she sucked her lips in a tried not to laugh.  Having one's nose forcibly plugged did funny things to the voice, and while Zark could make out what her friend was saying, she sounded very much like a cartoon, and the Andorian desperately tried to avoid having to do anything else by nodding her head in agreement.  probably with more energy than was really warranted.  A platinum eyebrow did rise and smirk lined Zark's face as Enyd admitted she loved her in the same sense that she loved Drauc and Alistair.  There were soooo many places this could go that the Zhen had to step on her sense of humour, very hard.  Enyd needed to time to recover, and trying to see if she'd switch her sexual orientation at time like this would have been a bit too confusing.  Instead, the Andorian did the sensible thing, and let the human run her course.  The medic did contemplate correcting her friend on drinking alcohol and Hydrocortilene since Zark hadn't injected her yet, but head injuries were best monitored, so maybe it wasn't a bad idea to hold off on the booze.  Enyd would probably figure it out later. If her brain slowed down to think about other things for a minute, but in the mean time, there were cookies and tea.

Zark chuckled as Enyd pulled herself out of the nose lock and settled back into the seat.  L'Nari was easy to respect for her convictions, but not easy to love for everything else, including a towering sense of superiority for someone so young.  Zark felt that if the Caitan stopped to listen and learn, then Enyd would be a great teacher, but that would take some realization and time, and the Security Officer said as much.  Getting back to the topic at hand though, the Andorian watched as Enyd ingested her alcohol substitute at a ferocious pace, and soon looked like a terran chipmunk.

As Enyd revisited her situation, Zark got up to take her own seat and continued listening.  The Zhen couldn't help but feel sympathy for the woman who had landed herself in the middle of a romantic minefield. The main trigger point was a combination of the brunette going over board by giving a lap dance to one person, while being easily overcome by the other. One was sort of her fault since she chose to do all those fun things to the man, the other was an act of the heart. So now she was being indecisive since she was afraid of offending both, though from what she'd heard of how Drauc reacted, it had amounted to a release. Except Enyd liked him too much for that and had sought his answer, not the emotional mirror, but the response from Drauc. That was hard to drill down to. Still, the neurons fired away looking for an answer. The glare Enyd gave her elicited not much more than shrug of What? You tell me.

"You'd make a terrible nun Enyd." Zark started off. "First, there is no such thing as divine protection and warding against the chaos bitches, so they'll follow you to the cloister and the next thing you know, the place is going to be a den of destruction and indecency. The other nuns may torch you or throw you in a lake for witchcraft. So as silly as that sounds, it's a baaad idea." The Andorian tapped her lips a couple of times before continuing. "The thing is, without talking to Alistair about the whole thing and what you two are, we're missing a significant data set in the calculations. We can guess as to what he's going to say and think, but only he knows how he'll react. Besides, he's the one who has to make that decision." Zark couldn't help but giver her friend a lopsided sympathetic smile.  "You know Enyd, I'm pretty sure you shining his shaft with your butt is probably going to skew things massively.  He did kiss you pretty well too, so it's possible from his perspective, in his mind at any rate, you two are already an item, even if he didn't say so out loud, and it'll be a shock to know that Drauc is in the equation."  Scratching her nose once more, Zark decided to voice one more idea.  "There is the option of Alistair talking to Drauc as well to figure out what is going on.  I don't know how that would work out since Drauc could just end up mirroring Alistair, then that would add more confusion, you know what, never mind, that's a terrible idea. Forget I mentioned it."

Zark sat back for a moment and picked up her cup of tea and took a sip before frowning for a moment and giving Enyd a suspicious stare.  "Waaaiiit.  You said this, what's his name? Klar? Was asking for training videos"  Enyd's friend leaned on the arm rest and one of her an index finger began waving circles at the ground as her face turned suspicious. "Are there any videos of you butt shining Mr.Leavitt floating around?"

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd groaned, “You forgot debauchery in that list, right behind indecency. My grandmother has probably turned so many times in her grave back on Earth that she’s reached Earth’s core and will soon drill a hole through it. Zark,” Enyd swiped cookie crumbs from her face and brushed a few off her chest when she noticed them, “I was raised with the firm foundation of monogamy as basically the only option for a permanent relationship. It never even occurred to me to be an option until I was in love with both Victor and Javec years ago. Before that, I knew of the Andorian quads and other cultural procedures for marriage and procreation, but I’d never contemplated anything other than ONE person for me. Then, I was suddenly in love with two different men for two different reasons, and I only broke things off with Victor to protect him, otherwise who knows, I may now be married to two men.” Enyd sighed.

Truthfully, it never would’ve worked out; Enyd knew that. Javec hadn’t been so keen on sharing her with Victor, and she doubted Victor would’ve been interested in celebrating holidays with the Cardassian.

“And you’re right. Until I talk with Alistair, this is all hypothetical. While I know, or at least I have an inkling, of how Drauc feels on the subject, Alistair is the great unknown. Being non-telepathic, I am already feeling my palms sweat at the thought of broaching this topic with him. He would have every right to call me all sorts of names and throw me out of his quarters once I tell him that while I was throwing myself at him to drink him into my very soul, I was sitting in the waiting area of curiosity with Drauc after having experienced a similarly overwhelming reaction to the Romulan. I mean,” Enyd scratched her head with her hands, not caring that her movements caused the mass to fluff up, “how would I feel if the tables were turned? How would I feel if, hypothetically, you and I had been flirting, and then suddenly you told me, by the way, Enyd, I’ve got a thing for Valyn Amarik; how do you feel about that?”

Enyd grew silent and frowned, her focus turned inward as she pondered the very scenario she’d tossed into the air between them. “I’d like to think that while surprised, I would meet with Valyn, to discuss things between the three of us, to establish if I jive with Valyn the way you do and if I found it as agreeable a concept to share you with her as you apparently did just in asking my thoughts on the matter.” Enyd’s eyes widened. “Oh heavens, Zark. That’s what I did! I didn’t even mean to, but I basically propositioned Drauc for a threesome just in asking my questions.” Pushing the cookie plate away and sliding her teacup to the side, Enyd dropped her head to the table again, bouncing it off the hard surface a few times for added penance. “I am such an idiot.”

Zark’s commentary on her shining Alistair’s shaft only had Enyd groaning louder as her head banging continued. The woman’s suggestion of Alistair talking with Drauc had two effects. It brought a fresh wave of anxiety into her gut and back the earlier images of Drauc and Alistair taking turns with her. Then when Zark latched onto her earlier comment about vids, Enyd’s groan turned into a barked growl as she pushed away from the table. She could no longer sit still.

“Yes, there are videos of our performance on stage. And there are videos of my dance, Klar’s too, and there are videos of my ravishing poor Alistair on the couch.” Enyd unsheathed her sword and began a series of drills, desperately wanting to DO something to fight against this feeling of no control over her love life. “If I were more skilled at nefarious antics, I’d want to go back to the theater and delete their copies, because that’s more than a little disconcerting, knowing that Alistair and I are not the only ones to have these videos. But, alas, I am only skilled in being a royal screw-up in romance and in attracting chaos to what should be simple matters, so any attempt to infiltrate the theater to delete the files by me would only end up as a diplomatic incident and, knowing my luck, I’d somehow trigger the entire planet to explode.”

Twisting on her toes, Enyd conducted a series of sparring moves directly away from Zark and the table. The sword really was a work of art, and Enyd once more reminded herself that the next sparring session with Frank should also feature many hugs of gratitude for all his hard work. Pivoting on her toes, Enyd did another set of moves perpendicular to her first. It felt good to be moving and following through with things that she knew how to do without screwing up, acting on movements that she could control. And the feeling of the kilt swishing around her legs was a bonus.

Coming to the end of the second line, Enyd turned again and spoke to Zark as she moved through the third set of sparring moves in a trajectory back toward the table, “Do you want to watch the videos?”

At this point, Enyd figured there was no point in keeping the videos secret. Sure, watching how sexy Alistair could be could influence Zark's interactions with the man later, or in seeing the absolute beauty that was Klar dancing with a pole could induce the Andorian to hunt him down to have her wicked way with him, but selfishly the thought of Zark also being affected by the circumstances she'd lived through the night before brought a strange sense of comfort to Enyd. "I have them on a PADD in my quarters. Just say the word, and we can eat ice cream and relive the night together."

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark looked incredulously at Enyd as the hypothetical that came out.  Her, Enyd, and Valyn? That would be a very crowded bed indeed.  On the other hand, it took a bit to fit herself in those shoes.  Mostly because, while she respected Valyn immersible for unspecified and classified reasons, she did quite get the lovely vibe that Enyd just seemed to radiate, so thinking that she could have a thing for the Romulan Intel Officer took some doing.  Luckily, Zark wasn't required to give any answers on that one as the confused brunette continued to spin on her own and Zark nodded along as she sat, drank tea, and absorbed everything coming out of the confused heart in front of her.  Zark knew Enyd was smart since she reached a conclusion very quickly which amounted to a group sit down to discuss what was going on.  The open look she had on her face though quickly changed to confusion, when her friend began to ramble about having propositioned Drauc for a threesome during what was supposed to be a fact finding discussion.  The Andorian felt herself leaning against the opposite arm rest and began rubbing her temple.  This was the more appropriate response since Enyd was getting flustered by what she'd done, and she might not appreciate the alternative response her friend had, that being to fall over laughing her guts out at the absurdity of what Enyd had just pulled off.  Still, the response was a much better segue to what came next.

The Security Officer could only stare incredulously at the admission of video tapes.  Not only was there copies of the Acting CDO getting it on with the Operations man, but she had also gotten a copy of the 'performance' and kept it.  Zark admitted to herself that she did quite a bit with regards to the the carnal pleasure, not as much as Faye would pull off, but it was still an act that would have had recorded.  The old Earth term of Budoir was one thing.  Watching oneself in the throes of passion was something else entirely for the Andorian.  She'd never really considered it, but that was usually because she was too busy getting to the throes and passion part to think about recording what was going on.  Zark wanted to pat Enyd on the back, but she was soon becoming more concerned with the banging of the head on table for causing more damage to a recently repaired head.  "Uhmmm Enyd, I don't think that's gonna help." Thankfully, the dead drumming stopped, but Zark still couldn't get in a word edge wise as she watched the Celtic Princess vault to her feet and pull her sword with the sound of singing metal.  This caused the medic some worry, but not much in the way of alarm as she was pretty sure Enyd wasn't searching for anything to destroy on purpose.  It was actually relaxing to watch the practice moves since the human wasn't banging her cranium against a solid object and was actually working to vent her frustration in a constructive manner.  Which left her totally unprepared to be offered to watch Enyd rubbing herself all over Alistair.  Zark only realized she'd been shocked when the tea cup she was holding shattered on the ground and the Andorian jumped in her seat. "Oh Shelat." The medico cursed as she stepped out of the way and several maids came rushing in to clean the mess.  Zark turned a glare on the offending diplomat.  "Enyd, you can't just drop an offer on someone like that out of nowhere!  Not unless you want pointers on what you're doing in the heat of the moment!"

Zark huffed for a moment as she crossed her arms under her chest and let herself stew for a moment.  Mentally she counted to ten before continuing.  "Look. Enyd. I appreciate the offer to watch you get it on with Alistair, but given the way I am and how last time we had ice cream and booze, I will get a nasty case of wandering hands, then try a repeat performance. Given how complicated your situation is, I'm not sure you could do with the orientation confusion." With that, she stood up and took a moment to walk to the fire and stared into it before turning on her feet to face her friend again. "Enyd. Affairs of the heart are always difficult to deal with.  You've been brought up to believe that a partnering is one male, one female.  That doesn't make it easy when your heart is pulled in so many directions at once.  Without the cultural baggage that comes with multiple partners, it's just not easy to accept, and I think you've had some sort of awakening here on Qo'nos that you've been denying for a while, and only learning come to terms with now."  Zark played with the hem of her kilt for a moment. "The thing is, I'm personally okay if the three of us talked it out, but I'm quite open about these things when asked.  So I'd say you're not an idiot, just very new to the experience, and you kinda blabbered your way through it."  She gave her friend a re-assuring smile.  "It's definitely easier to work with when you know who you are and accept it."

Zark walked back to the table to pick up the newly provided tea cup and took a sip of the dark brew. "Maybe you're an all or nothing kind of person, never really thought about it before, but you're offered all the options, and try to go for all of them?  Kinda seems that way since you do tend to go for broke and do push the limits."  One more sip and back went the cup.  Zark turned on her heels and went to the fire place.  Multiple swords were on display, and she grabbed a green leather handle and pulled a jian out of the scabbard.  "Maybe staring death in the face too often has kicked off something physiological in you that's also leading you to making these choice."  Zark swung the sword a couple of times in a figure eight, then began wind milling her arms and body to loosen up.  "Then again, there is a way to find out."  The sword armed Andorian marched to Enyd's side and took up a position on her flank.  "By the way, when this is over, remind me to tell you talk to Lieutenant Anh-Le in Intel.  She's a computer whiz and can help you delete the files without blowing up the planet.  Girl will probably do it in her pyjamas from her bed."  Zark smiled in memory at a the previous outing with the Orion.

The doors to the Great Hall suddenly burst open and various armed retainers burst in stabbing the footmen by the doors.  Blood gushed out in a macabre spray all over the walls.  Caitlin, Ewan and Clyde backed up towards Enyd and Zark, suddenly brandishing Longswords and snarling.  A loud female voice suddenly boomed from the outside "Lady Enyd Madsen!  This is Mary! Queen of the Scots!  You are charged with usurpation of the clan seat of Clan McLeod!  You will lay down your arms, and surrender!"

"Told ya you'd need the sword, plus it's not supposed to hurt too much if they hit you." Zark told Enyd as she placed her sword in an overhead ready position.  Zark looked doubtful for a moment. "At least that's what I was told."

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“Thea, pause program please.”

Enyd took her gaze from the inevitable fight and stared at Zark with a mixture of dismay and shame. While subconsciously, she’d been aware of the Andorian’s attraction, she’d never allowed herself to dwell on it. Now that Zark had gone and named the proverbial elephant in the room, Enyd was NOT about to move past it with a glib remark and take out her frustration on a holographic depiction of Queen Mary. Zark deserved more than that, even if the woman would never say as much.

“Zark,” Enyd wanted to reach for her friend, to physically reassure her, but she also didn’t want to make things more complicated by creating more temptation or confusion. “I doubt you expect an apology for me, but I want to offer one. Looking back at this outing, I recognize I monopolized the conversation and twisted everything to be about my relational crisis without regard for how you might feel about it. You arranged for us to share this moment together, the two of us, with me accepting a gift from your heart, and Frank’s at that, and with us defeating that foe.” Enyd used the tip of her sword to point at Mary and crones, her cheeks flushed with shame. “I commandeered the moment and dragged you into something you probably don’t really want to know much about. And I am deeply sorry for doing that. It was selfish and immature of me.”

Enyd moved forward then and reached out, taking hold of Zark’s free hand and holding it tightly in her own. She felt a lump in the back of her throat, and when she spoke, her voice was husky with her efforts to hold back tears.

“I also wanted to apologize for my lack of respect. It was unintentional, but I do feel I have not respected you the way you deserve. Through booze, fun, and physical comfort, you’ve helped me process a lot already, and I have not thanked you enough for that. You have been such a friend, the type one rarely gets, and that should be treasured as priceless.” Enyd pulled Zark’s hand up and pressed a warm kiss against the blue skin. “I noted the attraction but ignored it, and that was not appropriate. My love for you, my affection for you,” she squeezed Zark’s hand after pressing another quick kiss to it, “does not confuse me, and neither has anything you’ve offered in return. While I do not see myself as bisexual, I also do not feel repulsed by anything you’ve said or done. And if you don’t mind blatant honesty, I also do not feel confused or repulsed at the concept of physical intimacy with you if you ever needed that from me. Because it is YOU. You are Zark and you are precious to me. And I am so very sorry I didn’t take the time to tell you that earlier. That I subjected you to all that angst and silliness without first reassuring you of who you are to me and how much I value you.”

Enyd lifted an eyebrow as she watched Zark, “We good?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark was dismayed at the program being paused, and her sword arm came down as she turned towards Enyd and raised a platinum eyebrow.  She was gonna get some sword swinging in!  Still, if Enyd paused the program, there was a good reason, which came spilling out in short order and the Zhen's eyes misted at what amounted to an apology for ignoring her feelings towards the brunette.  Zark didn't really need it she's thought, but obviously her eyes decided otherwise. The sound of metal clanging on the ground rang out as the Andorian took a moment to drop the holographic sword since holdings Enyd's hand was much nicer as she wiped the tear.  "Enyd, you don't have anything to apologize for. Oh Damnit!"  The Andorian cursed as she wiped away a few more tears.  "That's not fair!  I'm supposed to be the one helping you through all the emotional turmoil.  You're not supposed to be inflicting it on me!"

Zark took a moment to reign in her emotions on this, though this proved a little harder than she thought as some tears insisted on leaking out anyway.  Maybe I'm not totally reconciled to that choice yet. The Andorian thought to herself as she wiped away a last few tears. Zark offered a crooked smiled as she held onto both of the human's soft warm hands. "Enyd, I love you too, and I really want to take you up on that offer, but."   Zark sucked in her lips for a moment and she wondered if this was the right course to take. "The thing is, well, there was a human term that I picked up at the Academy, and well, you're just about as straight as they come."  Zark's hands gripped onto Enyd's with a little more pressure almost as if the physical pressure would help get the point through.  "Listening to you talk about Alistair and Drauc.  I simply don't stand a chance for that sort of passion in any encounter.  Faye very happily swings for either sex, and in your case, as much as I want to, I'd feel like I'm forcing myself on you, and I couldn't do that." 

Zark suddenly let go of Enyd's hands and began waving them in front of her as her eyes opened wide as her confusion high speed vomited out what the Andorian was thinking. "I mean, you're still an absolutely lovely person, and really very attractive, and of course we'd still be friends, and if there was a time and place for, I'd gladly take you to bed and screw your brains out, really more than friends after that and oh Shelat! I've really put my foot in it now!"  The surprised Zhen fumbled about. Apparently this whole human courting thing wasn't easy as part of Zark's mind laughed at her while the rest reeled and flailed in confusion.

When instinct took over, it was hard to decide afterwards if something done had been the right decision, and Zark was sure she'd never figure out what factors led her hands to rise and gently grip the human's jaw, close her eyes, and plant a kiss on Enyd's lips.  All she knew was there were alarms were blaring and crowds cheering in her head as she savoured the moment anyway while praying that Enyd would still be her friend, and didn't push her away or punch her in the face afterwards.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Zark’s lips were warm as they pressed against Enyd’s. The pressure of her kiss was strong but not demanding. Nor was it sloppy or unstably frantic. It was like a whispered question of acceptance. A furtive plea for continued affection despite circumstances. A kiss filled with hope.

Enyd did not feel a lightning bolt of lust shiver down her body to overwhelm her senses. No fainting spell was about to come on, and her nose didn’t feel the slightest tickle. But neither did she feel disgust or fear at having her FEMALE friend kiss her. In truth, Enyd felt loved by this action. She felt accepted. And that was something her soul had been craving ever since she’d walked away from Drauc and stood in the waiting room of facing Alistair.

Unlike Zark, Enyd kept her sword in her left hand while she reached up with her right to cup Zark’s face. She did not use the touch to try to push the woman away or deepen the kiss but kept the touch light and reassuring. Instead, Enyd waited the span of more than a few heartbeats until Zark’s mind caught up with her body, and through the touch, it seemed the woman was about to withdraw. As she did so, Enyd took advantage of their close proximity to quickly lean up to kiss Zark’s forehead, her temple, cheek, then topped it off by playfully licking the tip of Zark’s nose.

“While it is always nice to know someone finds you attractive,” Enyd picked up the line of conversation Zark had stumbled her way into prior to the impulsive kiss, “you don’t need to feel any sort of pressure to do anything other than what you’ve been doing, Zark. We’re still friends, I still love you, and,” she hoisted her sword up so it could be seen in both their peripherals, “I still very much want to stab someone right now.”  She didn't remove her hand from Zark's face, nor did she move away from the semi-embrace. Enyd wanted Zark to be the one to get back to business, concerned that any movement on her part to separate may be construed as rejection.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark's sense of fluster started to quickly recede when she wasn't pushed away, but instead it was just replaced by a happy ease  that permeated the soul.  She got to kiss Enyd!  Her brain cheered as she enjoyed the soft warmth on her lips.  On the other hand, there was no pressing of the lips, no hugging for closer contact, no tongue seeking entrance into hers.  It was a kiss between close friends, and the Zhen really couldn't say she was surprised by this.  There always could have been a chance that the kiss could have woken some sort of latent attraction to the female form in Enyd, but Zark had considered that unlikely at best.  Now, here was the proof as she kissed her goodbye to Enyd ever being that sort of lover.  It sounded worse in her mind since she now had a very good friend and someone whom she could worry very little about offending since they both knew about the level of care for each other.  Thus, the Andorian could only really smile as she felt a soft comforting press against her cheek, forehead, and a wet brush painted itself across her nose.

The Zhen didn't mind admitting at all that it kinda turned her on as Enyd affirmed where the two stood with each other.  There were a range of options she would have used if she thought the other part was interested in an intimate encounter, so the Andorian made a point of not squishing her breasts together in an attempt to make her cleavage look bigger.  Instead, she cleared her throat, and took the hand then kissed it briefly but deeply and guided it back down to Enyd's side as she nodded with Enyd's assessment of where the two stood with each other.  Bending over to pick up her dropped sword, Zark instead just fired off what she was thinking.  "Fine, we'll get back to the important stuff, but you're gonna have to watch how you use that tongue of yours.  You've got the start of some really good oral sex depending on who you end up with, but I'm quite sure I'm biased."

Zark took a moment to guide Enyd to a window and a free hand pointed at a woman with intense auburn hair that had been braided in like laurels on her head.  She also wore a dark blue dress and an obsidian coloured full plate.  Her retinue of a dozen knights did look imposing and stayed just behind her in a field outside the main gate.  "There is your enemy Lady Madsen.  Mary, Queen of Scots, current backer of Clan Mcleod against Clan Grant.  It's not supposed to make sense, it's supposed to be creative.  Our objective is to hold out till the rest of a Highland clan coalition, led by the Gordon's, gets here to relieve the castle."

Since Enyd wanted to stab something, Zark saw no reason to wait. "Computer, resume program."  The computer dutifully beeped and the holographic representations began moving once more. Zark smiled at Enyd and took a deep breath as she stuck her head out the window. "Molon labe! Your red headed whore!"   Feeling much more in character, Zark let out a sirens war cry and vaulted over a table at the nearest enemies, sword swinging, and kilt flying in a graceful wave of blue fury.

---

Molon labe - The classical Greek translation of what King Leonidas told Xerxes when told to surrender his arms on the eve of the Battle of Thermopylae.  Generally means Come and Take Them!

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd giggled at Zark’s compliment. If she’d dropped the comment at the beginning of this erratic conversation, it was likely Enyd would’ve felt scalded by the words. But considering Zark had led her into an unexpected fantasy of having Drauc above her as she lay atop Alistair, her body filled by their erections, her soul consumed by their desire…well, a flippant comment about oral sex was nothing.

Enyd allowed Zark to guide her to the window, where she pointed out their main foe. She bit her tongue to keep from spouting historical reality once Zark spoke of the creative nature of the program, not its accuracy. The aim was clear enough, and Enyd nodded, shifting her grip on the blade. Her sword sparring with MicKayla had helped her immensely since coming aboard, as had her regular sparring matches with Frank. Enyd would still not describe herself as a fighter, but perhaps an opportunistic scrapper.

Laughing at Zark’s yelled insult, Enyd paused long enough to admire her friend’s dexterity as Zark vaulted over the table and into the oncoming fray. Three men moved to avoid Zark and her fight against a half dozen on her own, flanking her and heading straight for Enyd. Clyde was the first to stop them, heaving a battle ax against the largest of the three. As those two squared off, Caitlin and Ewan barreled toward the remaining two with sharp cries.

Seeing an opportunity to help Zark, Enyd used a chair to hop onto the table. In quick succession, as she moved along the length of the table closer to the edge of the fight, Enyd picked up various objects and pelted the men attacking Zark. First, it was a goblet. Then a plate. A tray of cookies—one more cookie into Enyd’s mouth first—then the pitcher of ale—another gulp down Enyd’s throat. The diplomat not caring that a good portion missed her mouth and trickled down the front of her clothes. A candle stick, with a candle. And a handful of cutlery—Enyd wincing when one spoon glanced off an upward swing of Zark’s weapon.

“Have I ever told you how stunning you look while you’re obliterating your foes?” Enyd called over to the Andorian, laughter infusing her voice.

By the time Enyd made it to the end of the table, she’d caught the attention of one man who veered away from the blue fury and started towards her. He pounded his stave against his round shield, lips pulled back in a vicious snarl. Enyd positioned herself on the table, resting one foot on the back of the chair that was still pushed in, situated neatly between them. When Zark programmed these goons, she had put little situational awareness inside them, or else the bloke would’ve known to adjust his approach angle. However, being armed but dumb as he was, the stave-wielder waltzed into her trap.

After kicking the chair into his torso as he raised his stave to attack, Enyd shifted her weight enough to land a side-angle kick across his face, her kilt swishing playfully around her legs in the dance of death. Disoriented from both chair and foot, the man staggered back, his guard open as he shook his head. Enyd howled out a murderous yell as she leapt from the table, sword already arching down and across as she tucked into a flip. She landed in a semi-crouched position behind him, her kilt a momentary floating about her head as she faced the door. Tossing her head, Enyd glanced over her shoulder to see him drop both stave and shield as he clutched at his chest.

Enyd didn't wait to see if the slice she’d left there was deep enough to kill. She rushed toward Zark and the rest of the fight, gripping her sword tighter. As Zark bent to avoid an attack, Enyd rolled over the back of her friend and buried her blade into the attacker’s throat. Another bellowed howl of violence filling the air around her. Somehow acutely aware of where Zark was in the fight—maybe the kiss had developed an internal radar—Enyd withdrew her sword on a downward angle only to flick her wrist up and to the left, parrying a potential attack. She took advantage of the man's forward momentum, sliding her sword along his until they stood shoulder to shoulder, swords uselessly pointed into air. He blinked in surprise when she made eye contact, and Enyd grinned. First, she stomped on his foot and bounced up and forward to connect her forehead to his face, his nose crunching painfully.

With him trying to establish which to tend to first, his foot or his face, Enyd was left with the perfect opportunity to dance forward, pivot, and bury her sword through his belly. She didn't have to move forward until her chest was pressed against his back, her sword thrust to the hilt through his gut, but there was something freeing about this moment. The violence. The bloodshed. The absolute lack of diplomatic care. Enyd grinned as the man fell forward, freeing her sword. This made sense. The pointy end went into the other man. There was no grey area in this fight. There was Zark, and there was everyone else who was apparently supposed to die. She glanced up to see if anyone had their guard down enough for a good decapitation; her smile growing as she watched Zark.

"Ready to quit playing around and go get Mary?" She teased the Andorian, easing toward the door that led to the courtyard where Mary awaited them.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

There was a saying that was generally regarded as a universal truth.  If something looked ridiculously easy, someone had spent a lot  of time working on it.  The jian was no exception.  Somewhere in length between the Roman gladius and the Medieval Longsword, it generally filled a good length niche for someone of Zark's middling height.  What made it initially difficult to master, but exceptional in her trained hands was the lightness of the sword overall.  The sword had really found the right material when it was no longer needed in the 23rd century with the discovery of Duranium.  Duranium was to Titanium as to what Titanium was to steel.  Even lighter, they produced blades of incredible flexibility and durability.  Combined with moves that emphasized economy of movement to get a stab in, it proved a deadly combination.  Zark demonstrated she first cleared the points of steel in front of her as she vaulted over the table and quickly knocked aside the two swords coming up to meet her.  The light sword retained sufficient flexibility to bounce off one sword, then the next, while retaining enough mass to knock them aside.  As sword bounced off the second opponent, Zark felt the vibration shake up her arm as she fought to control the weapon and steer it towards the first target.  The razor sharp non Earth material penetrated the first opponent's neck next to the jugular and sent a spray of holographic blood like cutting a ghoulish water main. 

As blades were want to do at times though, the sword got stuck and carried the Andorian forward.  It was at that point that Enyd came to the rescue as Zark stumbled and worked to wrench free her sword.  She could hear items being pelted against the other opponent, and this seemed to give him pause as he raised his arms to stop the various projectiles from flying at his face.  This gave the Andorian time to plant her boot on dying holograms neck and pull the blade free.  Some people who watched a person wielding a jian in action tended to feel they were watching either a warrior philosopher  and/or a dancer in action, and Zark was no exception as she swept the blade behind her and stood it against her spine, knocking something aside in the process before she felt the resounding clang of a sword parry on her back.  The graceful warrior let the strike force her forward as she ducked while the rest of the strike flew over her head.  Zark actually heard the sword cutting air as she spun in place and twisted the blade to the offence and drove it into her target's gut.  The man stared in shock at the metal sticking and could only grunt as the blade was smoothly extricated.  A second grunt followed as a boot attached to a blue leg swiped the feet from under him and the blade came down once more to finish the job.  Taking a moment to look around, Zark saw Enyd involved in her own fight and though about moving to assist, but it seemed her friend had that fight well in hand when her attention was drawn to one of the doors

Ewan just pulled his sword free of his victim when three more fighters burst into the room.  Two were wielding bucklers and long swords, while one carried a big claymore.  Ewan instinctively backed up in the face of that much opposition as he held up his sword in a ready posture.  Zark rushed passed screaming and somersaulted past the claymore and a longsword that sliced at the place she would have been standing if she'd chosen to engage in a sword fight right there.  The acrobat finished on her feet and backed up as the long sword swiped at her once, then twice, only to be parried aside for the third leaving the man open, but the Andorian also out of position to take a swing at him.  Zark instead dashed forward, then cranked to the side and pretty much ran up the man,  the sound of her kilt ruffling could be heard as it swirled in the air and she got a leg around his neck and pulled the opponent to the ground.

Zark's automatic reaction to finish off the opponent was stopped as she sensed the claymore flashing towards her and rolled under the ferocious swing that tried to behead her.  Planting her hands in the ground to stop her from going further, the Andorian felt a weight cycle over her as Enyd passed over Zark to engage the claymore. A swift stab and it was now 3 on 2.  Smiling as her their shoulders connected, they two warrior women separated and Zark pressed forward before Ewan go the chance to respond.  The swordsman turned to face the oncoming blue and white wraith, and lunged at the Andorian's chest.  Zark inverted her sword, and  metal clanged as she pushed the lunging blade out of the way in a twirl.  She continued the twirled past and her free arm reached out and grabbed the man by his neck and she threw him to the ground. The sword continued turning about, then plunged through the man's back and he squealed in pain as Zark came to an graceful halt.

The hall was clear as the sound of fighting erupted from all over the castle as Clan Mcleod and Royal troops had kicked up a hornet's nest.  Zark smiled at Enyd's change in mood as this whole piece of theatre seemed to put her at ease.  "Any time hon, let's go get her."  Zark growled as she bolted for the door and stopped at the head of the group as maids with dirks, and footmen with weapons of all descriptions poured out of the rooms and stairwells to engage the enemy.  Soon a confusing mass of red and green was fighting yellow and black, and red, yellow and blue.  It was massive confusing mass of colour and cacophony as the sound of single combat reverberated through the halls.  Zark ran back to the window and looked out.  Queen Mary had retreated behind her knights and a company of Royal Infantry who formed a barrier as another company worth of clan Mcleod fought Enyd's liege men and women in the main courtyard.  The problem was they were really high up, 3 stories to be precise, from the courtyard.  That was death by gravity if Zark ever saw one, but there were too many fighting and it was too evenly matched in the hall way to cut through quickly, or before the two of them ran out of steam.  Zark turned towards the great hall one more time and suddenly gave a really big toothy smile as a really foolhardy idea struck her.

"Clyde! Bring that staff and polearm by the window!"  Zark commanded as she ran for the fireplace and yanked the scabbard for the jian off the mantle.  "Enyd!  You're about to find out why Commando Course graduates are regarded as balls up really stupidly brave!"  The combat medic yelled from across the room as took a several slices at a piece of rope.  With a mighty yell, the third cut went through the massive candle chandelier in the middle of the room came crashing down and crushed the main dining table underneath it. The Andorian placed he sword in her scabbard, then tucked it into her belt.  "Clyde! Cut the rope off the top."  The bald Scotsman moved to do as he was told and began taking swings at the rope as Zark grabbed the end she'd cut.  Running to a couple sets of armour, she removed the gauntlets, stopped to grab Enyd's dirk, then returned to the two pole weapons laying by the window. "Enyd?  Have you ever fast roped before down a building before? Doesn't really matter, this'll be quick and easy since the holodeck safeties are on." Clyde yelled done and Zark quickly tossed one end of rope out the window and kept feeding it till she saw she'd pretty much run out of rope about on the ground.  With her impromptu measurement complete, Zark mentally cursed and tied the rest of the rope to the two poles.

"Clyde, Ewan! Back up and hold the staffs till their tight. Try to brake us as we head down, but remember, we're in a hurry." Zark tied the rope around her waist and signalled Enyd to come over.  The human probably thought the Andorian had lost her mind.  "Remember Enyd, you're going to feel gravity pull you down, but you're going to want to slow down.  Don't, just go with the flow and run.  Watch for the windows and ledges below and try not to trip."  Zark placed a hand against Enyd's cheek.  "You'll be fine.  The holodeck isn't going to kill you over something like this, and I'll be at the bottom to catch you." Looking past Enyd at the two big Scottish men, Zark gave a maniacal smile. "Ready?" "Ready!" They chorused back. Zark wagged her eyebrows at her friend and kissed her one more time before vaulting out the window ledge and making a dash for the ground.

Zark's boots clacked against stone as she went down and the simulated gravity tried to pancake her.  Rapidly pumping blue legs jumped over a window and a ledge leaving her feeling weightless for a moment before the tight rope pulled her back to the castle wall and she kept going.  The combat medic oofed as she ran out of rope and felt it bite into her mid section.  Zark yanked on the knot and grunted as she fell to the ground, not even noticing as the rope went back up.  Getting on all fours, the medico noticed a woman wearing Mcleod colours running towards her in an attempt to puncture her with a sword.  Zark rolled out of the sword points way while kicking her shin causing her to fall.   The Andorian scrambled on top of the woman and punched her in the back of the head.  Instead of grabbing the fallen long sword, Zark grabbed the Mcleod dirk and removed it from the scabbard with a shing before plunging it into the back of her opponent's neck with a bloody gurgle.  Leaving the metal in place, the Andorian quickly got to her feet, pulled her own sword out and prepared to hold the drop zone against all comers.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd’s kilt was swishing back and forth, much like a happy dog’s tail wagging, while she stood near Zark and watched her work. Her smile was broad when Zark informed her they were going to fast rope down the side of the building. She’d grown up doing basically every type of outdoor activity there was, which included rock climbing and rappelling, and getting to do this with Zark, now, just made her stomp from one foot to another in excited glee.

She giggled with girlish laughter as Zark smacked a kiss on her before launching herself through the window. Enyd followed close behind, though not yet attached to the rope, and ready to leap from the parapets. Caitlin seemed to be on the same brain wave as Enyd, and when Enyd felt a nudge by her arm, she turned to see Caitlin standing there with a box filled with an assortment of bladed weapons as a few blunt ones shaped much like hammers.

“No lady should run into the fray without a few gifts to bestow upon her enemies.”

Enyd nodded, working quickly to attach herself to the rope while Caitlin set about tucking the weapons into every available location on Enyd’s body. Before she threw herself out with the same manic expediency as Zark, Enyd grabbed what weapons Caitlin couldn’t tuck away. She winked before returning to the window, handing a few weapons to the seamstress and keeping a few for herself. As one accord, the two women chucked the weapons expertly at the heads and fleshy parts of what enemies were stupid enough to stray close to Zark as she made it to the end of her rope and released herself to the ground.

“We are ready, milady.” Clyde called from across the room.

Her blade in one hand and a medium-sized war hammer in the other, Enyd awkwardly climbed to the window’s ledge and gave a cowboy-like hoot as she did her best to mimic Zark’s badassery. This differed greatly from rappelling, was her first thought, and the second was that of absolute joy at how much fun it was. Enyd was just about at the end of her rope when a soldier nearly flanked Zark. The war hammer came in handy, with Enyd chucking it at the man’s head just seconds before all the air in her body oomph'd out in a painful rush. She’d been so intent on getting the soldier before he could get Zark, she’d forgotten to slow down. Ribs bruised, with her guts feeling like there were squished into her spine, Enyd sliced through the rope and fell into a heap on the ground next to Zark.

Struggling to her feet, Enyd stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Zark and grunted, “Let’s kick some arse, Zark,” before giving a proper Highlander cry and crashing her way into the throng.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark was in the moment, a sword came at her from one side, and her own blade flipped up to meet it as she leaned back from the strike. With some main force, the Andorian pushed the blade back and the Mcleod man tried again to take a swing at her, except this time she ducked under swing and the sword was driven behind her and she was rewarded with a scream as the blade struck flesh and went through.  Looking up to see another man charging her, the medico somersaulted forward passed another swing that struck the dirt behind her.  A foot kicked out, but it wasn't the best strike as the man fell to one knee, unbalanced, but still holding his sword.  Zark grimaced at the poor execution and sent another kick that smashed his face backward in a spray of blood and teeth. Burly hands let go of the weapons as they grabbed the ruined face in an attempt to staunch the blood flow and stem the holo imitation of pain while he cursed up a storm.  It didn't do much to save the opponent in the end as the blue war maiden leapt to her feet and drove the blade straight down into gut as he unleashed a howl of pain and tried to grab at the sword that was stuck in him.  Zark was too fast though and smoothly pulled the blade out in a fountain of blood.  The Mcleod man stared his hate the blue skinned woman, but it didn't matter to her as he expired.

Zark had to move to defence as another Mcleod clansman came at her, screaming his fury and swinging his sword at her.  Zark batted the strike over her head, then gripped her sword in a two handed grip as she blocked the follow on strike head on.  "Yearrghh." was all that came out as she tried to out muscle the sword that was trying to sink it's blade into her blue flesh.  It was a contest she was bound to eventually lose, so she chose to lose it on her own terms as she pivoted and redirected the swords to the ground with a clang.  Zark quickly pulled one hand off the sword and drove a lightning fast elbow into her attacker's chin, and his head snapped back.  That looked to be about it for the man for a moment before he wobbled and fell to his knees, then collapsed face first in the muck. 

The medico stared at the flat faced man for a moment in surprise before another scream erupted from behind her and she turned to see someone charging her to skewer her.  The Andorian didn't have time to turn, so instead she ran towards another Mcleod man who had his back turned.  With her kilt flaring behind her, the medico could imagine the blade getting closer and closer.  Her margin for error on this was very thin, but it was a crazy do or die, and her instincts had already committed her as she climbed up the back of the enemy and got her legs around his neck and used her momentum to pull him to the ground, no doubt to the surprise of the Clan Grant man who was facing him.  With her legs tightly locked around his neck and choking the life out of him, her pursuer stopped and snarled, though he was dumfounded at what to do with another clansmen in the way.  The bought all the time Zark needed as she grabbed the dirk of the man between her legs and threw it at the confused swordsman.  Zark actually didn't really know how to throw a knife, so the spinning projectile didn't bury it's blade in his face as she'd intended.  Instead, it smacked flat against his chest and this seemed to stun the man more than anything as he stared into the Andorian's face, more surprised to be alive after being hit.  That look of surprised soon change to one of anguish as the Grant man that Zark had helped drove the point of his sword into the hapless Mcleod.  The Andorian with the powerful legs gave her victim a hard yank she more felt that heard the neck snap in the process.

Letting go, Zark smiled as the Grant man offered her an arm to get up and a nod.  Taking the long sword from the dead man, Zark looked up just in time to see Enyd vault herself out of the window way and start making a dash for the ground.  The Andorian spun the sword a couple of times and looked to her friend's eventual landing place and was dismayed to see a Mcleod man hack off a Grant man's arm before stabbing him.  The blue fury screamed as she charge, swinging at an enemy combatants leg and causing her to collapse suddenly with a nasty gash across the back of her calf.   Her target saw her coming and the blue fury couldn't commit to an attack and instead had to deflect a slash at her.  He was powerful and the Andorian felt herself get knocked aside and almost trip as she skidded to a stop.  The target pressed the advantage, and the Andorian ducked and waved as metal swung through the air at her.  Zark rolled passed and brought up her sword, only to blink as what looked like a hammer smashed into the man's head and laid him out cold.  The medico couldn't help but wince as Enyd came to a crashing stop.  Zark wasn't sure why the boys hadn't slowed Enyd down, maybe there was a fault in the programming, but that was for later as Enyd cut herself free and declared more violence to be had.

The next moments were a blur as the Royal Infantry were ordered to attack.  Zark was starting to get tired, but she was still fast and her blue legs pumped like mad as she ran next to Enyd at the blue line ahead.  The volume of the screaming began to increase as more people from Clan Grant joined the charge and thunder could be heard forming behind the two women as the men and women in blue stared grimly at the death coming for them and steeled their nerve.  Still screaming, Zark raised her sword for an over head strike and her target lowered his in preparation to lunge under the blade.  The blue arms came down out of reach and released the sword.  It was too close and surprise too total as the blade flew true enough and impaled itself in the man's chest and he screamed suddenly as he was knocked backwards.  This did nothing to stop the Andorian as she stepped off the dying man, her white hair and kilt floating in ethereal splendor, then a leg lanced out and smashed the man in front of her.  Zark fell back to Earth and grabbed a dropped sword the began swinging left and right.  The melee was becoming more confused as more swords from Enyd's clan piled into the fight and the melee became far too chaotic to track.  As soon as a flash of blue was potted, the sword flew in that direction.  Sometimes it drew holographic blood, other times, it clashed with steel.

Some awareness seeped back in as Zark pulled her bloody weapon from a man's chest.  Her hair was matted against her face, and her clothes were dyed crimson while feeling a heavier than normal.  It was an even fight and Enyd was at the centre of it, cutting a bloody swathe towards the Queen.  Zark began to move towards her friend when her ears perked up at a sound coming from the distance.  It took a moment to sort out the cacophony from the din of battle, but it soon became clear as the bag pipes wailed out Cock O' the North and Zark knew the rest of the clans were going to enter the battlefield soon.  Breathing heavily, the Andorian took a moment to look at the carnage and she spotted a ripple in the destruction, a point of focus.  A knight lowered his face plate and charged through the massed infantry, directly for a brunette in a blood soaked green jacket.  Zark didn't even think about it as she ran towards Enyd.  The horseman continued his charge on the war mount, sending bodies flying out of the way, and lowered his lance at the battle maddened and oblivious Clan Grant Princess.  It was close, but all the bodies in the way managed to slow down the war horse just enough for Zark to drive her shoulder into Enyd's back and tackle her out of the way.  It was not enough for Zark though as the lance slashed across her back. A searing hot electricity exploded in her back and she screamed in pain as holographic blue blood fountained out of her back as she collapsed on top of the friend she'd just saved.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd hadn’t had so much fun killing holographic foes since she’d met with Victor the week before, and that time it had been zombies. Her face alight with a gleeful smile, all available bare skin now coated with flecks and rivers of blood from her fallen enemies, Enyd laughed her way through murderous swings and jabs. Maybe some counselor somewhere would observe her jubilant jabs as something to be concerned about, but Enyd knew this was all fake, which made all the difference. When she’d been in the fight in the Great Hall, she’d not felt gleeful or smiled. It had been about life or death, not slashing her way to having fun.

The last man between her and Queen Mary fell, a semi-circle of open space between them as they squared off. The queen was armed now with a nautical-looking sabre, and the blood dripping from it was of Enyd’s clan—well, her holographic clan.

“You shall die as your clansmen.” Queen Mary pointed her sabre at Enyd’s heart. “At the end of my sword.”

Enyd shifted her stance and readjusted her sword grip. “Not today, bitch.”

Now, this would have been the perfect time to check her surroundings, to double check on where Zark was and if she needed anything, but Enyd was so intent upon decapitating Mary that she overlooked everything except the bloody queen. The air was knocked from her when something, or rather someone, slammed into her back and threw her to the ground. A pair of terrible screams rent through the air seconds after Enyd fell, the warm mass falling atop her and smothering her face against the ground. Not knowing what was on top of her, Enyd pushed against it until she could rise to her hands and knees, hand already reaching for her sword. She spied Zark writhing in pain and then looked past her to Mary. Enyd’s mouth fell open in shock when she saw a knight’s lance sticking out of the queen as if the holographic woman was a pincushion.

“Hey,” Enyd bent over Zark, scooting next to her friend to pull her head into Enyd's lap, pointing toward the collapsing queen, “that’s teamwork!”

All around them, the cries of Clan Grant and others shifted to singing a battle song to the bagpipe’s melody as they routed the remaining queen’s men, now frightened and leaderless. It was as if a bubble of injured peace grew around the pair of women as Zark lay on the ground, partially cradled in Enyd’s arms. She used a surprisingly clean edge of her tartan to clean off the worst of the blood spatter from Zark’s face, hands caressing the soft blue skin.

“Are you seriously injured, or are we just supposed to act out an epic death scene here?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark wanted to curl into a ball.  That was a lot easier than trying to bend backwards as she felt a hot wetness accompany the flaming sensation across her back.  I'm gonna need to talk to Thea about changing the pain settings for this. How does she even do that? There was a brush of fabric across her face and a warm hand caressed her skin.  It was really nice since she was getting the feeling of a good imitation her dying from almost being impaled on a lance.  Enyd's inquiry sounded on the flippant side, and Zark felt the temptation to grab one of the holographic swords and commit regicide, or give a good demonstration of how well this bit had been programmed.  The pain soon began to lessen, at least enough for her to think.

The Andorian coughed a couple of times "Oh Spirits Enyd.  It's getting so cold."  Zark waved weakly as she tried to grab harder on to Enyd for more warmth, but her hands were slipping.  That part wasn't too hard with all the holographic blood everywhere making everything slick. Zark closed her eyes as her head rolled around and she moaned in pain.  Having heard that sound enough times on the battlefield, she picked an appropriate sounding moan that combined a goodly amount of pain with oncoming rush of death.  "Enyd, just hold me." The apparently dying Andorian asked as she coughed a few more times and moaned weakly.

As the pain lessened further, Zark felt the pressure and warmth increase on her.  This is so nice, but I am so bad. Zark though to herself as she gripped Enyd's waist tighter with a desperate strength as she buried her head in the human's mid section.  Then slowly let go as her breathing became lighter, and lighter, before stopping.  The arm collapsed behind the human and the Andorian felt her arm brush a rump.  It was a good thing her face was hidden as Zark smirked while a blue hand grabbed the human's ass and gave it a good squeeze that sent the Zhen cracking up and gripping her ribs as she rolled around laughing.   Oh Lor'vela, she's gonna stab me.  Zark thought as peels of laughter rang across the courtyard.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Zark’s antics brought a grin to Enyd’s lips. She played her part, cooing, oohing, and ahhing over the writhing Andorian as she curled and twisted around Enyd’s body. Enyd rolled her eyes when she felt Zark shamelessly seize the opportunity and grabbed a handful of Enyd’s tartan-clad rear. While Zark grabbed her ass and made a show of “dying,” Enyd spied Caitlin, Ewan, and Clyde emerging blood-stained but victorious from the keep. While one hand stroked against the “dead woman’s” face, the other waved the loyal servants closer. If Zark wanted to play, Enyd could as well.

“Caitlin, we must ready the funeral gown for Lady Zark.” Caitlin bobbed a quick curtsey and ran off to fetch the closest equivalent to Enyd’s request. Turning an amused smile toward the men, Enyd made sure to shake her body as if in a sob, her hands fisting in the woman’s shirt, “Ewan, Clyde, tell the men to build the funeral pyre, we shall burn her ‘ere the blood of her enemies dries.” The pair ran off to do as she bid, leaving Enyd relatively alone with the incorrigible Andorian. Leaning down, Enyd whispered over her friend, “Unless you want to test Thea’s simulation of a funeral pyre, I suggest you miraculously recover.”

To emphasize her point and further her friend’s recovery, Enyd poked at Zark’s side, tickling her fingers into her armpits and making a nuisance of herself.

Suddenly a shout of alarm rent the air, calling all eyes to the top of the fortress walls where a member of Clan Grant was waving his hands madly. “The British are coming! The British are coming!”

Her eyebrow raised in amused curiosity as Enyd returned her gaze to Zark. “First Queen Mary and now Queen Elizabeth? You must really hate monarchies.”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

"ENYYYYYYD!!" Zark shrieked as she demonstrated very quickly her miraculous escape from the land of the supposed dead.  Zark's arms clamped onto the human's fingers and tried to crush them.  Since the flesh is soft, all it did was press the tingly fingers tighter and cause the laughing Andorian to laugh even harder as she writhed on the ground.  With the ceasing of the arm pit torture, Zark took a moment to grab her ribs to try to compose herself.  "Owwwww..."  Was all she got out as Enyd pointed out the common political connection between the two.  The Andorian's answer was slow coming as she wheezed to get air back into her lungs and rolled onto her elbows while giving her friend a smile. "What can I say, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and if you think this is bad, wait till we get Vlad the Impaler and Catherine the Great.  I think those two come as a pair."

"Oh Dear God save us!"  A Grant man on the wall wailed as the crash of artillery sounded and bloody screams erupted from the fields outside.  Wails could be heard as the Highland coalition dissolved into chaos as Zark jumped up and grabbed Enyd to run her up the castle wall.  The two reached the top with their trusty retinue just as battle was joined.  Some of the clans were ludicrously brave and charged the gun line, only to be torn to shreds with ball and canister as they closed.  What broke the charge was the line of red coated infantry with gleaming bayonets on the end of their Brown Bess muskets.  A thick upper class British accent rang out over the battle field. "Front rank kneel!  First Rank! Make ready! Aim! Fire!!"  The rippling bark of black powder explosions filled the air and scores of Highlanders were thrown back as lead balls found their mark.  "Second Rank! Make ready! Aim! Fire!!"  A second equally devastating ripple followed and the charge was checked as kilted men and women began to trip over the fallen. "Charge bayonets!"  A unified roar could be heard over the battlefield as the front rank stood and the forest of blades descended.  "CHARGE!"  and with their bonds let loose, the red coats charged the madly retreating Highlanders.

A canon cracked above Zark and Enyd's head in paltry reply, but it was a good shot as a file of red coats disappeared in a bloody geyser.  Zark didn't really notice as she looked at a box next to her feet and opened it, then pulled out two very archaic fire arms.  "Okay Enyd, if you want to keep going, you have hard mode "  and one hand pushed out a Baker Rifle of the same period "Or not so hard mode." The other hand pushed out a Henry Rifle from a later period and one ocean away. "Ammunition will be in the box."

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the next lineup of monarchs they would face down. Below them, the Highlanders were giving their best in the fight against the redcoats, the cannons firing off support volleys. Enyd’s amusement grew at the mishmash hodgepodge of historical time periods occurring in one time and place but again kept the comments to herself. This wasn’t about accuracy; this was about fun.

Grabbing the Henry, Enyd crouched down near the fortress wall. While everyone else seemed contented to lob cannon fire at the enemy in between pressing against them with pitched battle tactics, Enyd settled herself into a comfortable position next to the wall. Bringing the rifle up into position, she stared down the sights and made her way through a series of micro adjustments in position until she found what her grandmother had always called “the sweet spot of death-dealing.” The range of a Henry in the hands of an expert was up to 200 yards, with lucky shots going out to 210 or 220 yards. Enyd knew this because her grandmother had been an expert and insisted that Enyd be, at minimum, adequate with the archaic weapon of their ancestors.

“For you, grandmother,” Enyd whispered against the rifle as she found a target—an officer barking orders at his line of men advancing on the fortress—and let loose her bullet.

The officer clutched his shoulder as he spun on his heel and dropped to a crouch. Not dead, but definitely not happy or able to bark orders for a while. Enyd continued her hunt, intentionally taking out officers as she found them. A few were kill shots, the bullet lodging in the heart or head, but most were fatal wounds. After she’d taken out what looked to be a general, based on the number of regalia dripping from his uniform, she shifted her sights, her mouth dropping open.

“They have Chinese rockets, Zark.” Enyd recognized the design of the medieval artillery piece from an old book on ancient earth weaponry her father had enjoyed looking through. “Do we have anything stronger to repel?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

I think I've given Thea too much leeway in the character generation.  Note to self, must must must tweak. Zark thought to herself as Enyd indicated the brass plated lever action rifle and the Andorian handed it over.  Enyd was in such a hurry to get into action, she forgot her ammunition belt.  Grabbing the belt and a pouch, Zark chased after Enyd, dodging the occasional musket ball that smacked into the walls and kicked up some dust.  The change in weapons dictated an automatic change for the Highlanders in the walls as they grabbed their own Charleville muskets and began firing back.  The area soon became a cacophony of exploding black powder.  The Andorian didn't have far to go to catch up to the rifle wielding human and decided it was best to wait as Enyd took aim and began firing.  The Andorian peered over the wall and couldn't help but whistle as the Montanan began knocking red coats over.  It sort of felt like cheating since muskets of the age were notoriously inaccurate, and Enyd had a far superior marksman's tool that she used to deadly effect.  "Ohhhh Shelaat!" Zark exclaimed as a man wearing an abundance of gold braid all over his uniform fell to the ground.  Zark smiled at Enyd.  "And what other skills are you hiding Miss Madsen?"  She asked, not really expecting an answer.  Caitlin came running to Zark and handed Enyd's dirk to the Andorian  Zark grabbed the dirk and slung it over her shoulder.  The bloodied red head then took aim with her musket and fired.  She quickly cursed as her shot went way wide.  The medic smiled her thanks at the liege woman and reached into the box once more, pulling a rifle, bandoleer, and a pouch with more rounds. Zark was starting to put on the various pouches and belts that Enyd needed to reload the rifle when her friend asked what they were going to do about Chinese rockets.

Zark had a momentary brain fart and thought Enyd was asking about some sort of food dish that she'd never heard about.  Maybe it was like Pepper Shrimp or something.  Maybe she should have eaten more instead of drinking when she was teasing Enyd earlier.  When her brain caught up, Zark took a look over the wall and saw some colourful tubes that appeared to have dragon heads attached to them.  Another batch looked like a takeout cart with pins.  Zark had no idea what do next and someone wearing a Liangmao directed the rockets to be setup.  There wasn't a lot of time before they began firing and the Andorian looked around her and saw crews bringing up powder bags for half a half dozen 12 pounder long guns.  Without thinking, Zark unslung her Ch’shohrirh Standard Five, an Andorian equivalent of an early bolt action rifle from their own time of conflict.  Flipping the sight up, she made an adjustment to the range estimate bar and steadied the rifle on the wall.  Taking a breath, a blue finger gently squeezed the trigger and was rewarded with an explosion as a rifle round travelled the distance to the rocket position.  Zark noted a bit of dust being kicked up and she adjusted the sight for longer reach, steadied and fired again.  This round seemed to fly off to no where, so she worked the bolt once more and pulled the trigger.  The Andorian nodded with a satisfied nod as a crew scrambled out of the way at something, probably the sound of a near miss.  Turning to the battery, Zark ran to the commander and pointed out what she wanted shot at and her range hit.  The Grant man nodded, took the number, and crunched them quickly for a dirty firing calculation before turning to his crews.   "Battery! Target! Rockets in the open!  Range 750 meters."  The gun crews in turn did their own less than totally accurate calculation, then began making gun adjustments.  Zark ran back to where Enyd was doing bloody business.  "Enyd!  Cover your ears and open your mouth!"  Zark shouted and barely had time to cover herself as the battery commander gave the order to fire.

Six heavy explosions slammed out 12 pound iron balls at various trajectories.  The first volley missed, but it seemed to stir the rocket crews into a haste as the heated metal screamed all around them.  The gun batteries feverishly began working to reload their pieces.  Zark didn't have time to watch this as she tapped Enyd on the shoulder and pointed to parties of red coats surging forward with ladders to scale the walls.  The Andorian flipped her long sight down and took aim using the iron sights.  Firing a round, she saw a man at the back of a party fall, clutching his leg as a bloody mess splurted out.  Working the bolt, she took aim again at the front and adjusted, then fired.  A mound of dirt was kicked up in front of the running man and Zark swore as she reached into the box and pulled out a five round stripper clip and dropped it into the magazine well and flicked the clip away, then worked the bolt to close it.  It became a process of aiming, firing, and working the bolt.  Red coats would drop, and sometimes the ladders would as well, it was all too chaotic, and too quick as she pumped out rounds as fast as she could.  After an eternity, the battery commander called to make ready, and the world exploded again as the six guns fired in unison.  Most of the shots went wide again, but one round smashed into a long looking rocket and the searing heat caused the onboard fuel to combust in a massive explosion that knocked over and ignited a nearby launcher.  Soon the position became a flaming swathe of detonations that thundered over the battlefield.

That should have been a victory, except the multiple launcher at the very flank of the rocket position was rocked and it's payload launched instead of exploding.  Zark saw the rocket traces lance out and head towards her.  Eyes widening in shock, the Andorian turned to Enyd and the rest of the wall and screamed "Incoming! Get down!" as she dove for the walls edge and covered her head.  Shouts of consternation and panic followed as people ran to seek cover while the sound of whistling death rapidly approached.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Lowering her weapon to rest against the wall, Enyd covered her ears, opening her mouth, and briefly closed her eyes as the battery commander opened fire on the rocket positions. Before taking up her rifle to resume her deathly efforts, Enyd smirked to herself, remembering Zark’s praise. It only occurred to her then that, in all their outings, they’d never discussed her abilities to use weapons effectively. Namely rifles. Enyd made a mental note to share some of her favorite hunting stories with the Andorian later when there was far less cannon fire.

Enyd managed to get out a half dozen shots before she heard Zark’s bellowed instructions to take cover. Her ears hummed with the overhead scream of incoming fire, and she was curious how Theo would reset the program if both she and Zark met their “end” on this wall. Reaching out, Enyd latched a hand on Zark’s forearm, using the touch to haul herself marginally closer so they could “die” crouched together against the wall. But just as she counted down the seconds to the end of all things, a new lower-pitched whistling sounded directly overhead. Seconds later, the rocket that had been heading for their location exploded, having been intercepted by another rocket fired from a parallel position.

Their allies began cheering as other rockets were intercepted all along the wall. However, not all were caught in time, with the wall heaving a violent sigh as nearby men and debris were sent flying. Tapping Zark’s shoulder, Enyd used the wall for leverage as she hauled herself to her feet and looked in the direction the rockets had most likely flown in from. Her lips pulled back into a smile when she spied a series of Asiatic junks floating in the harbor, their cannons already echoing a rage-filled thunder as their fired on Elizabeth’s position as rockets fired from the deck raced overhead to take out their counterpart’s rocket positions.

Movement along the sloping cliff had Enyd leaning over the edge of the wall for a better view. At least a hundred pirates of various Eastern Hemisphere origins began crawling over the cliff, armed to the teeth and eagerly throwing themselves against the British forces. Coming up behind them and using a series of flute whistles for signals over the din of battle was a fiercely beautiful Chinese woman flanked by two svelte-looking Madagascan brutes.

“I see you have a thing for pirates.” Enyd nodded toward the woman, no doubt Ching Shih herself. “If we survive this level, do we get to have tea with her? She’s been a long-time history crush of mine.”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Major note to self.  Examine character summoning subroutine for program. Realising she was still alive, Zark grabbed her rifle and aimed at a yelling red coat that was trying to get his ladder up. Zark pulled the trigger and saw a puff of red as he fell bonelessley.  The remaining four rounds in the clip were rapidly emptied and a pile of bodies lay around the ladder as it was forgotten. The Andorian marksman turned to Enyd as if the conversation was never broken. "I had nothing to with that one.  There's one for the attackers, and one for the defenders in this historical mishmash.  Each side gets randomly assigned a historical leader and maybe one hundred to three hundred troops."  Adrenaline running tended to create odd situations as the medico looked towards where Enyd had spotted the pirate queen and a pair of platinum eyebrows shot up.  Another quiet whistle followed with a smirk.  "Just tea?  I'm thinking about vanilla cream stuffed tuber pastry already.  I don't really see an issue with meeting her, you know assuming we survive this encounter.  At worst, just pull her out of the historical file and restore the castle."  A stripper clips was jammed into the magazine well and the bolt worked to chamber the first round.  A series of loud horns sounded as Ching Shih's large war junk approached the pier and began tying alongside to disgorge her band of vagabonds.  Smaller junks were already pulling back out to sea, having dropped off their own loads.

The British were thrown into chaos as a hundred charging screaming Asian pirates with swords slammed into the flank of one of the attacking red coat company's.  Red turned to face a motley collection of clothes as bayonet clashed with sword.  Zark saw an officer try to rally some order from the ambush.  He was easy to spot as he waved his sword in the air and his bicorne with a large white feather was distinctive from the tricornes of the rest of the troops.  Zark lined up the iron sights of her bolt action, and steadied herself for just a moment.  The trigger released an 8mm metal slug that slammed into the man's back and bowled him forward.  Without any order, most of the ladder parties in that area dropped their loads and rushed to save their comrades.  The counter charge took the pirates by surprise, but they were stubborn and fought on despite losing a quarter of their number suddenly.

Zark emptied her clip in that general direction before being forced back my musket impacts where around her firing position.  Enyd was reloading at the same time.  "You know.  I think I have to take a look at how the subroutines work in this case.  I might have been a bit too loose with who I called queen, king, emperor, and all those nice imperial titles.  For all I know, we could get Vlad and Catherine."  A series of canon balls smashed the parapet of the wall and the two women knocked to the ground as they suddenly found rock and dust falling from the air.  While it had temporarily suppressed the two rifle wielding woman, the shots had been a double edged sword as Zark's ears picked up screaming that was way too close and she quickly turned her head to see several ladders land on the wall top.  "Fix Bayonets!!"  Zark screamed as she went ahead and attached a wicked looking 18-inch bayonet to the end.  The call was repeated up and down the wall.  Caitlin, Clyde, and Ewan fired off what they had in their muskets and pulled out their melee weapons for more close in bloody work. Looking at Enyd's rifle, Zark realized there hadn't been a bayonet made for the thing, so she did what she thought was sensible, and dragged her friend over to put the gift dirk on and smiled.  "Well, at least you get to test it and don't have to clean it afterwards."  The madly smiling Andorian grabbed her rifle and ran to the nearest ladder.  Looking over, she saw a determined face coming up at her that realized what was about to happen as the blood soaked blue beauty shouldered her rifle and rapidly emptied the clips into him and the man behind him.  The dead men piled the rest into a heap under them as they fell.  Zark then took the chance to push the ladder off.  It was a small victory and they would need many more soon as more and more ladders made their appearance on the wall.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

With the promise of pastries and good company ringing in her ears, Enyd resumed her death dealing with glee. She was just turning to make a sly comment to Zark about the loose subroutines when they were sent flying. Thankfully not up and over the wall and into the courtyard below, but landing in a heap against the rock wall at her back was no more welcoming. Zark was quicker to recover than Enyd, already screaming more directions to the other men. Enyd was still scrambling back to her feet when Zark hauled her close and worked to fix the gifted dirk to her rifle.

The next few moments happened in quick succession. One second, Zark was commenting on not having to clean the dirk after using it, and the next, she was emptying her rifle into the belly of one of the attackers coming up the ladder affixed to the wall. Then she quickly kicked out the ladder and didn’t wait to watch her victims fall before moving on to the next round of attackers. A shouted cry from her side had Enyd turning away from watching her beautiful friend do what she was best at—killing and maiming—just in time to get decked in the face with the butt-end of a rifle. She’d been so intent on watching Zark kickass, Enyd had dropped her guard and let the ladder closest to her unload its violent gift.

Falling back, Enyd tripped over the corpse of one of her allies and fell back against he rock wall again. Her kilt had fallen up near her belly, legs splayed open, revealing that she was now very culturally aware and sporting nay but nature between her legs. Enyd had let go of her rifle to try and catch herself and now lay unarmed as the man advanced closer. While his intent was still murderous, the glint in his eyes also told of another intent: when his bayonet ripped her shirt open, baring her breasts to the violent world around them.

“Are you ready to die, you Highlander cunt?” While normally pleasant to listen to, his accented voice only grated on Enyd’s nerves. Spying blue in her peripherals, Enyd grinned, fully trusting her friend to destroy this man before his next breath. Thrusting her chest up and further drawing his attention away from his surroundings, Enyd chuckled, “Are you, you English twat?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark was beginning to breath harder as she ran for the next ladder with the retinue in tow.  Reloading on the move wasn't easy, but she somehow managed to lock the bolt in place just as a red coat topped the ladder and was about to jump off.  His timing was poor though as Clyde swung his war hammer and smashed the infantryman back the way he came and sent him plummeting with a gurgling scream.  Another man's head popped up and Caitlin lunged with her long sword.  The read coat's face showed utter shock as steel went through his neck in bloody spurt and he tried to grab at the sword as if to staunch the life force flowing out of him.  The fiery rad head wouldn't give up her weapon as she humped on the parapet and gave an unlady like kick to knock him off her sword.  With that obstacle clear the two began pushing the ladder over with several men yelling and screaming below.  Zark didn't quite lose track of the battlefield, but certain events would have to catch up later as she took a knee next to Clyde and aimed at the next ladder and knocked another red coat off with her first shot.  She aimed fired as they appeared, letting off 20 rounds in less 30 seconds.  The survivors of the highland retreat joined the troopers from Clan Grant in running up the stairs to fight off the read coats scaling the walls.  Swords at this point were at a distinct advantage as they stabbed away instead of needing to be aimed.  The highlanders didn't have it all their way and Zark stared in stunned shock as Ewan's head exploded when the British Infantry began firing up to provide some sort of cover to the wall scaling men.  Highlanders with musket leaned them over to return the favour and Zark reloaded before remembering to look behind her just to see the situation.

The Andorian's blood lust was up to the point where she was more upset when she saw Enyd's pink topped milky white orbs exposed.  A cold fury descended on the woman's mind and she rushed forward a few paces and got down on one knee.  Bringing up her rifle, blue hands lined it up at the head of the red coat who was dropping his trousers and getting ready to violate her friend.  The bark of the rifle and the working of the bolt were anticlimactic in the face of the blood rushing through her ears and the scum of the Earth's neck burst in a sanguine splash.  Zark charged forward. "Clyde, Caitlin! Get that ladder!" Zark commanded.  The dying man grabbed his neck and turned to face the source of his death, eyes bulging as his life flowed away.  Zark charged with her bayonet and a banshee scream and drove the steel needle point into what was left of the neck with a squelch.  Repeating what Caitlin had done before, Zark grunted as she shoved her boot at the man and kicked him off her blade to the courtyard below. "Ya Filthy Bastard!"  Zark yelled after the body as her accent went full Highland for a moment. The volume of the battlefield dropped as the Grant cannoneers stopped firing to pick up swabs and other implements to fight off more infantry coming over the top.

Zark barely noticed as she ran over to the bright eyed and quite naked Enyd.  The Andorian stripped the jacket off a dead Grant man and tossed it to Enyd with a smile. The blue green eyes were very bright with amusement as she kneeled next to the denuded diplomat. Zark casually fired a shot before turning to Enyd. "I can see why your little trip with Mia and Amanda would be memorable if you had to resort to this to get out of it."  Running an appreciative glance over her friend, Zark shook her head once more.  "Come Enyd, get that coat on, no sense in freezing to death while there's fighting to be had."   The Andorian emptied her rifle in the direction of the fighting and reloaded before scampering back to grab the Henry rifle and ammo bag for her friend.  The Andorian stared at Enyd for a moment as she was getting dressed and decided she was very lucky to know the brunette diplomat. "Follow me when you're done buttoning up."  Planting a quick kiss on her forehead, Zark looked towards the cannoneers and charged in screaming and firing.  She got within bayonet range and jammed it into a man who had finished driving his bayonet into one of the gunners, a quick block of her rifle and another jab, down went another red coat.  Stabbing, smashing, and bludgeoning, Zark joined the fray against the tide of red and pushed her way to the ladders.  Flipping the butt of her rifle against the chin of a oncoming soldier sent him flying back down to Earth, and an opportunity to push the ladder down where she was quickly joined by a gunner with a bloody gash on his forehead.  Looking towards the gate, the medico saw Ching Shih's party clearing out the vestibule.  Much like the Andorian, the pirate queen danced around her spear, the red tassle gracefully flapping as it pierced and smashed aside her opponents.  It was too much for the British Infantry and they began to turn around and run.  Queen Elizabeth would have none of this and her cavalry party took off towards the gate to rally the troops with rapier raised.  Zark could easily shoot her, but she saw the sanguinely covered Pirate Queen signal for everyone to stop, and pointed her spear at the opposing monarch.  The red haired queen accepted the challenge and her white war mount thundered towards her opponent.

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Perhaps in a real-world scenario putting so much faith in Zark’s abilities was foolish, and likely she wouldn’t act so flippantly in the face of death either, but in the here and now, Enyd had had no fear when the red coat had started to tug at his pants. She’d known without fear that Zark would destroy him before he could touch her and Enyd found delight in the knowledge.

Enyd chuckled at Zark’s mixed praise and teasing, working to pull of the ruined bit of her blouse before pulling on the coat. There were a damnable amount of buttons to work through and she was thankful Zark wasn’t just sitting to the side staring as she worked her fingers over them. There was still plenty of killing to be done and her wardrobe malfunction was not reason enough to slack off. Enyd finished a few seconds after Zark landed a kiss on her forehead. Getting to her feet, she found her rifle with the affixed dirk and followed after the Andorian warrioress.

The tide was definitely turning in their favor and no small amount thanks to Zark and Ching Shih alone. Enyd felt more like she was along for the ride, but didn’t mind. She enjoyed the fight as much as she enjoyed watching the fight. Which included watching Queen Elizabeth launch herself across the field at the pirate queen. Enyd had to stab her dirk into the throat of a red coat silly enough to block her view as he hoisted his body up a ladder. But his body fell atop his comrades and Enyd pushed the ladder away from the wall with plenty of time to affix her gaze back on the fray below the walls. Elizabeth, mounted as she was, appeared to have the advantage, cutting down allies left and right on her rampage toward Ching Shih. Ching Shih, on the other hand, seemed to be more level-headed about the ordeal. Instead of aiming her attack at Elizabeth, she calmly came to a stop and pulled what looked to be a simple leather string from her belt. Plucking a rock from the ground at her feet, Ching Shih took aim, released the makeshift ballista, and waited. It found its mark, hitting Elizabeth’s horse right on the nose. Angered by the sudden pain, the horse suddenly veered, throwing Elizabeth from its back and taking off riderless further into the fray.

Another ladder popped onto the wall next to Enyd, but she kept her eyes on the coming face-off between the queens. Her eyes remained on the actions even as she reached over to push a ladder away from the wall, barely noting the screams of the men who fell to their deaths in the process.

“It's battle of the queens out there, Zark!” Enyd called back to her friend.

Enyd pushed back from the wall briefly, glancing down the line to see the blue skin of her friend as Zark continued to bark orders and deal out death. A crack sounded against the wall next to Enyd, and she ducked. Like the terrible blooming of a heavy bout of indigestion, a curious heat grew in her chest. By the time Enyd’s back hit the wall, and she was once again sprawled on the cold stones of the keep’s barrier wall, she cognitively recognized that it was her turn to have a death scene. This would be a potentially fatal chest wound if this were the real world. But even in this holographic scenario, the initial blast of the holographic bullet hurt. And now the stolen red coat was coated with red, the red of her holographically created blood as it poured from the hole one of the attackers made with his lucky shot.

“My friends, applaud, the comedy of my life is finished,” Enyd called out to the surrounding mayhem, throwing a hand up in as dramatic a pose as possible before rolling her head to the side and feigning death. Now it was Zark’s turn to determine how to revive her.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark would have liked to sit there and watch the Battle of the Queen's unfold, but a red coat popped up in front of her and her rifle butt stroked the man off the ladder, then pushed the ladder off.  "Forget the Queen!"  She shouted.  "Keep the bastards off the walls!" Looking left then right, she signalled Caitlin over. "Caity, Clyde. Go passed the gunners and get as many men coming up from that side to reinforce the gunners. Move!"  The retinue bolted passed the melee of gunners to find more troops to lead up the stairs.  Five more rounds cracked through the air, and she reached for another, and came up with nothing.  Zark began feeling around to see what she did have left, and she found one clip attached to her back, with one more under it.  Well, shelat. Zark cursed as she slammed the bolt home after inserting the clip.

“It's battle of the queens out there, Zark!” Enyd called back to her friend.

Zark barely registered the exclamation as she was too busy trying to manage the battle, suddenly there was a crack behind her and the Andorian dropped.  She rolled onto her back and saw a red coat with a smoking musket pointed where Enyd was and Zark's eyes widened once more at the dark crimson hole in her friend's chest.  She pulled the trigger and the red coat fell forward, a hole where his heart should have been.  Another man topped the ladder and Zark blew his head off.  The body fell and bowled the followers off the ladder.  The medico quickly got up and ran to the ladder, and seeing it clear, pushed it off. She finished just in time to have a couple of shots kick the air around her head.  With that taken care of, the desperate looking medic turned her dying friend who gave an attempt at a theatrical death.  This did serve to break immersion momentarily as Zark tried not to laugh.  Personally, Zark would have given the performance a B-, but since she was just as bad and it was Enyd, it was a total A for effort.  So she had to follow along.  Zark screamed in horror at the death of her friend and dropped her head into her hands.  Zark didn't cry easily, so she didn't bother, she merely turned her head skyward to curse the heavens.  "Curse you fates!  How could you take the best of us so soon!  It's too soon for her!  She can't be dead!"  Zark looked frantically at the 'dead' Enyd and grabbed her shoulders as holographic blood continued to pour out.  "There must be a way to save her. There must be!"  The blue woman looked skyward once more.  "Please tell me!  What do I do??!"  A breeze blew at the Andorian and she only noticed the motion and her mind gave her a dramatically stupid idea. "The spirits have answered my prayer!"  she cried.

Zark looked at Enyd and noticed her eyes were closed.  So Zark gave a big smile and ripped the front of her shirt so that all the buttons popped out.  Effectively ripping her blouse off, she bunched it up and stuffed it into the 'hole' on Enyd's chest in a foolish attempt to staunch the bleeding.  With that bit of comical first aid completed, Zark stared at Enyd for a moment and turned her head heavenward one more time. Wearing something besides the standard ship sports bra did have it's advantages at times. "Sprits!  Do not ignore me!  I will give her the very life from my bosom if I must!" and the theatrically distraught Zark grabbed Enyd's head and smooshed her face between her large breasts.  Zark held on tight as she swung Enyd's head back and forth and buried the human's head further into the valley of her chest while yelling dirty and often very foul imprecations, and wondering how long it would take for Enyd to wake up before she suffocated. 

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Although the sounds of battle continued in the field below, the real battle for Enyd was the battle against her urge to keel over in a fit of hysterical laughter. Enyd swallowed her giggles as she listened to Zark carrying on at her side. But then her head was hoisted upward, and in the next second, her face was framed with the pulsing heat of Zark’s ample bosom. She could feel the vibration of Zark’s voice through her chest, but with her breasts covering both ears, Enyd couldn’t quite catch what her Andorian friend was saying. Her arms pumped up and down at her sides a few times before she gripped Zark’s shoulders and jerked her head back. The need for air had overcome the need for an award for acting out the perfect death scene.

Shaking her head to clear her head and get the sensation of Zark’s bosom cushioning her face out of her mind, Enyd glared at her friend’s chest, “That should come with a warning label.”

“The Russians,” Clyde came to a halt at their side, pointing back over the wall, “they’re coming.”

Another section of the wall exploded, sending ally and bits of rock splintering into the air. Clyde ducked alongside Zark and Enyd as dismembered limbs and shards of wall showered down on them. Crawling through the dust, Enyd peeked over the wall. Her eyes widened with fear, turning to look at Zark.

“What is that monster?”

Clyde crouched next to her and whistled through his teeth, “That is the Tsar Puchka. 36-inch caliber and 17 feet of death dealing on wheels.” They watched as six more of the monstrous cannons wheeled into position alongside the first that had sent out the wall-rendering shot. Coming up behind the cannons was an ornately dressed man of stoic expression and severe features. “Ivan the Terrible himself.” Clyde spat on the ground and shook his head, “We’re finished.”

“Zark,” Enyd again turned to look at Zark. Out in the field, the din of battle dissipated as Ching Shih’s men scattered back to the edges of the battle, best suited for guerrilla fighting and not only field. Above all this, they could hear the Russian officers calling out orders, getting the other Puchka’s ready to fire. “I hope we have bigger guns too. With Elizabeth gone at the hands of Ching Shih, it seems we’ve entered the next level. Does that mean we get bigger guns like the Russians?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark hadn't made it that easy for Enyd to get out since she liked hugging her friend and well, she was now skin to skin, so it was even better.  Zark had finally relented when the pace of the arm waving had become quite frantic and the hands landed on her shoulder. The practically topless Andorian smiled brightly and stuck out her tongue at the indignant diplomat when she'd deigned to wake up and try to get out of the pits she'd been forced into.  With Enyd's quip, Zark had almost grabbed her breasts from the bottom and pushed them up to tell Enyd that her girls were the warning label when Clyde interrupted the repartee.

An explosion forced Zark to ground as stone dust fell. By Lor'vela, I'm totally gonna need a shower after this for sure! the Andorian thought to herself as she joined Enyd at staring over the lip of the wall.  She hadn't the faintest clue what was shooting at them aside from the fact they were big and their booms were even louder than she thought possible.  The only down side to them seemed to be they took forever to reload.  The medicos mind went into over drive trying to figure out what to do next as Clyde announced the arrival of Ivan the Terrible.  The castle wouldn't provide much protection at this point, the walls had never been designed to repel fire power of that magnitude.  Looking at Enyd as she posed her question, Zark didn't have a clue. Lifting herself up, she peered over as Ching Shih stood holding on to her spear with it still buried in the now deceased Queen Elizabeth's neck.  She was screaming at her troops to try to rally them. Some answered her call and prepared to stand, while many others fled back to the boats.  A mighty crash sounded and half a dozen 3 foot red hot iron balls came screaming in.  The pirate queen and her die hards disappeared in a blood red mist as a canon ball went right through them and the walls shook as the shot didn't even slow down and ploughed it's way through another part of the walls. 

Not all the shooting proved detrimental as several shots crashed into the walls near red coats trying to climb up ladders and knocked them off.  The few shots that missed buffeted the air so much that the men fell off anyway.  A few of the castle defenders were also blown off the walls and fell to the court yard below.  Zark was confused though.  There was usually a counter weapon deployed by the scenario to even the odds,  but nothing had materialized.  Standing up for a moment, she looked out to sea, only to find some ships pulling away from the pier.  Sitting down to avoid getting shot, Zark's mind continued to work as furios fighting continued.  "Defend your guns!" a Grant man cried as he swung his heavy swab.  A blue hand grabbed Clyde's arms.  "What's the range on our guns versus that monster over there." The bald clansman thought for a second. "Ours is four and a half kilometres, their's is a little over one!" Zark smiled at this as she looked over the lip and saw distant figures operating an archaic field crane to try to load the shot into the massive guns.   "And our rate of fire is way higher!" Turning to Enyd, Zark smiled ferociously. "We are so not screwed!  Let's get our guns back in action and we can out shoot them!"  The Andorian warrioress felt herself get rejuvenated by the revelation and slung her rifle with what little ammunition she had left on her back. Looking around, she spotted a dead red coat with three chevrons and a long pole with a wicked set of blades at the end.  Grabbing the pike, she scrambled to another Highlander who was laying motionless face down and relieved him of his dirk, then went to another read coat and pulled the scabbard for his bayonet and secured them to each hip. 

Now armed, Zark stood up like a blue Celtic barbarian warrior princess.  "Come on Your Grace, we've got Ivan by the balls and he doesn't know it yet!"  Turning back to the guns, Zark screeched a war cry as she charged into the fray.  The pike swung around as the very blue fury twirled and danced with the weapons.  Momentum from the swings would knock red coats aside and send them sprawling whence they would be flattened by the long pole or pierced by the pike's razor sharp blade.  If they were not in range of the pole, a merry thrust of the pike's length would pierce the hapless trooper and end his participation in the battle.  More men and women in kilts caught up to the fight and joined their half naked champion as she sprayed holographic blood and gore over the castle walls, joyously released to the song of battle.  As weapons were to do from heavy use, the pike eventually failed as she drove it at an officer who had made it over the walls and parried the weapon away with his sabre.  The abused and stressed wood snapped, and the gentleman though he had an opening at the buxom harlot who dared challenge him.  So he lunged, but any item could be a weapons and Zark parried, using the pole as a staff, then grappled the man's arm and pulled him in.  Her knee flashed out and slammed into her opponent's pelvis, just missing his gonads, but still painful all the same.  The bar was pulled out and the blood maddened Zark spun and drove the broken end of the pole through the officer's back, and let go.   Her hands now free, she pulled the dirk and the bayonet out and continued to deal more carnage, only distantly aware of the call that the Russian Infantry were on the move and angling for the shattered vestibule.

---

OOC: I couldn't help my self with the Admiral Ackbar reference  (laugh)

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd listened and watched as Zark responded to the situation with aplomb. She had no doubt in her mind that if this were all real, her greatest chance of survival would be to follow Zark’s orders and stick close to her friend. Just because it was a holoprogram didn’t mean Enyd intended to deviate from the Andorian’s orders. Still, it did allow her options she wouldn’t feel as confident in following if this were a real-world scenario. While Zark barked orders to the rest of the men, then threw herself against the would-be invaders, Enyd demurely instructed the program to give her a few extra items.

For Zark was not to be the only one garbed in blue and half-naked in this next stage. Pulling the idea from ancient Terran history, Enyd stripped off the remainder of her top, shirking off the red coat, then quickly began dipping her fingers into the canister of woad paste. She had to duck under a few would-be attackers and let her allies take over the fight as she worked. Pulling her fingers in blue streaks across her alabaster skin, Enyd sought to emulate her ancient ancestors in this next stage. Her torso covered to the best of her reach, Enyd drew a series of lines across her face then used the remainder of the clay-like paste to brush over her hair, clumping it up into dreadlocks and keeping it locked away from her face.

Finally “dressed” for what she had in mind, Enyd stood with her sword in one hand and rounded Celtic shield in the other. She’d made some historically inaccurate adjustments to the make of the shield, rendering it bullet-proof and adding in a subtle forcefield that haloed out from it. Considering the size of the cannons Ivan was pulling against them, Enyd didn’t feel like she was cheating. Her blue-outlined eyes tracked over the wall until she spied the blue of her friend. With a snarling cry, Enyd lifted her sword above her head and then plunged into the fight.

Instead of remaining on the wall, like a smart person would do, Enyd decapitated the nearest would-be invader, perched on the top rung of the ladder, then pushed off the wall. It would still hurt like hell when she hit the ground below, but this was a holoprogram for a reason. Yelping and hooting like a bare-chested madwoman all the way down, Enyd tucked and rolled when the ladder crashed onto the ground. She lay still for a few moments, the breath knocked from her body and her head spinning. But then, one of Ivan’s cannons let loose another volley. Enyd felt the overhead pressure from the air resistance to the massive projectile lobbed at the castle's walls. As more debris shattered upwards and the cries of her allies filled her ears, Enyd rolled onto her knees.

Just in time to duck behind her shield as a redcoat ran at her, taking a swing at her neck. The momentum of his swing carried the soldier past her position, leaving his back open for attack. Enyd was merciless in swinging her sword back and up in a quick slice, cutting the soldier across the back of his left knee and right thigh. Incapacitated, the soldier dropped his sword and began writing on the field. A few high-pitched pings bouncing off her shield had Enyd ducking behind it as the firing line did their damnded to shoot her. She had to wait only a few moments more before they had to stop and reload. That was her opening. Letting out another rallying yip, Enyd raised to the balls of her feet and took off at a sprint directly at the line of redcoats flanking the giant cannons. She heard other yells nearby and took a moment to glance over her shoulder, smiling when she noted both clansmen and pirates falling in alongside her.
The redcoats lowered their bayonets at her rapid approach. Enyd lowered her shield in return. Slamming it into the line, then pivoting on her feet, using the shield and the energy of her strike to push the weapons aside and create a wedge in the ranks. Pirates poured through her shield's gap, going quickly to work with their attacks. Enyd ducked her head beneath the shield as a bayonet angled towards her, thrusting her sword out and stabbing her opponent in the gut. Likely Zark would be unimpressed with Enyd’s ostentatious attack, but Enyd was tired of being on the defensive side of things. It was time to slaughter. And slaughter she did. What alabaster skin was left unmarked with woad paste quickly became covered in the blood of her enemies as Enyd worked together with the pirates and clansmen, cutting through the redcoat ranks with a goal of reaching Ivan herself. Ching Shih had gotten Elizabeth, and someone else had gotten Mary, it would be very satisfying to finally get one for herself.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

The dancing blue blade wielder twirled past a bayonet thrust and stabbed her own into the side of soldier's neck, then pulled out in a sanguine fountain.  Blue skin turned purple as rivulets of blood flowed over the murderous banshee's body as she sliced and stabbed her way through the closely packed troopers who were making a desperate final push to take some sort of  toe hold in the hopes of reinforcement, or maybe it was sheer bloody mindedness. Nonetheless, the final red coat company was spending itself like water. Even before Zark had made it a quarter of the way though her bladed rampage, it was never going to work as the calculus of war had shifted too far against the red flow. The dancing blue blades simply hastened that end. The computer did the arithmetic and deduced that some would break, and maybe 10 to 15 did. Seeing red coats flop on the walls like rag dolls, or fall to their deaths, the few leaderless survivors ran.

When no more came and only the sound of musketry could be heard, only then did the heavily breathing blood covered abomination stop and look around. Her mighty chest heaved and she was pretty much spent. Even on the holodeck, it took work to go through almost another hundred bodies with allies. Still, something was missing and the dirty apparition looked around and saw that Her Grace was missing. Looking around, she saw the gunners getting back on their guns, or helping the wounded.  "Gunners!  Target their cannon."  A gun captain sketched a salute and began shouting at the other gunners.  Zark grabbed the wall as it shook from another hit.  "Has anyone seen Her Grace?" She shouted and Caitlyn joined in looking around then pointed over the wall at the ground.  The Andorian had a sinking feeling as she followed the blood covered pale hand and saw an Andorian look alike with a magical shield and sword hacking her way towards Ivan the Terrible.  A collection of kilts and motley dressed pirates followed her as she wedged her way towards the Tsar.  The Tsar simply sat on his horse and watched imperiously as the wedged horde hacked it's way towards him.  Zark watched in awe as Enyd carved her way forward when she was shocked out by a crash as a 12-pounder opened up and within a few seconds a geyser of dirt appeared near the Russian gun line and knocked over a pile ready canon balls, scattering them in all directions.  Several gunners fell over as a few balls shattered and hurled massive pieces of shrapnel at the opposition gunners.

The Andorian watched the battle from afar, and she could see the microcosm was going to go against Enyd in short order.  At the tip of the spear, she could only see the snow, and had lost sight of the mountain.  The centre was caving, but the Andorian could see the flanks beginning to fold in towards Enyd's flanks.  Zark's mind did some quick calculations, and the the tactical calculus came to the conclusion that Enyd wouldn't make it, assuming she wasn't too exhausted to fight Ivan himself.  If she didn't get some help soon, Zark was going to have to deal with a captured princess scenario, and that was never fun.  She needed something, but what?  As bullets bounced off the shield, a part of the medic just shrugged and figured if you couldn't beat them, she ought to join Enyd in cheating.  The main issue with choosing that option, was Zark's automatic choice when not thinking too hard was to cheat big as Enyd had discovered much to her detriment and amusement the last time the two of them had been on a holodeck together.

We're both such idiots."Computer, generate a 7.62mm M134 Minigun with power source and Twenty Five Thousand Round Battle Box. One in three red tracer."  The dull metal 6 barreled dealer of death appeared in front of Zark with a massive box and flex feeder chute attached.  Blue hands quickly gripped the butterfly handles while a gimlet stared down the rudimentary iron sight just to make sure she wasn't pointing the barrel at Enyd.  The Andorian was certain that fratricide was going to happen despite her best efforts, but mentally shrugged and hoped for the best as she squeezed the trigger.  A loud brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp erupted from the castle walls as the weapon from another period spat out 7.62mm NATO rounds at 4,000 per minute and what looked like a red laser began carving the tightly packed infantry apart.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Whistling past her and thunking deep into the enemies at the tip of her sword, Enyd felt the concussive force of a high-caliber weapon in use. In groups of fours and fives, the men she would have come against fell apart—literally—as a series of projectiles entered their flesh and exited with bits and pieces of their bodies exiting along with them. It seemed she wasn’t the only one “cheating” now and that fact brought a manic grin to Enyd’s blood-stained face.

“Onward!” Enyd bellowed, walking over the corpses of her foes as Zark made a path for them.

It would do no good, going for the cannons, not when Zark’s men were targeting them. So an indirect path to Ivan was necessary. And now, getting more into the spirit of creative problem-solving rather than trying to remain historically accurate—not that this had been particularly accurate from the state—Enyd hid behind her shield as she gave her next series of instructions to Thea. Instead of giving further advantage to her side, Enyd opted to live up to her reputation of attracting chaos but now wielding it as a spear.

From across the field Enyd heard evidence of the first round of added chaos. A strange melody was weaving its way over the fray, encouraging everyone to pause just long enough to see the approach of the pike-wielding mercenaries. At the edges of the hoard of blue-painted warriors were musicians, one carrying a tin whistle, the other a small fiddle. Together their high-pitched melody sounded more attuned to a dance hall and yet it somehow fit with the approaching group, all looking equally interested in drinking a galleon’s worth of ale or eviscerating their enemy—perhaps both at the same time.

“The Gallowglass don’t like how we’re dancing this set,” Enyd commented to one of her clansmen, noting his eyes widening when he realized they were about to face off with the Irish mercenaries in addition to the Russian-British group, “either one of us.”

“What in the bloody blazes are those?” The clansman pointed to the opposite side of the field that lay on the castle's outskirts.

Enyd twisted to look. The first thing she noticed were the floating feathers of a myriad of colors. The next was the singing-masculine voices carrying over the field in low, guttural German. They weren’t floating but attached to the huge berets of the dancing mercenaries, it made the host of approaching men seem like they were floating. Their puffed-sleeved shirts were of a variety of garish colors and the overly tight pants tucked into brightly colored stockings, with intentional cuts and slashes at a variety of areas along the leg, were of equally odd colors. Even at this great distance, Enyd could take note of the oversized codpiece shamelessly sported by every man—and even a few women.

“It is the Landsknecht regiment. They hate the Russians, while the Gallowglass hate the British, and they both don’t care if we are in the way of the killing.”

Nearby, a Russian soldier let out a sharp cry as he suddenly disappeared from view, his body falling into what looked to be a sinkhole. Enyd’s smile grew. The little engineer tactics from Vauban, cued by Enyd earlier, seemed to be taking fruit. The powered wig of the engineer himself popped into view for a moment, his smile quick as he gestured for Enyd and her forces to join him in the tunnels his men had dug. If everything had programmed according to her instructions, they’d be able to pop up behind the cannon line instead of having to cut their way through it.

The rumbling yells from the Landsknecht collided with the high-pitched cries of the Gallowglass and bounced off the walls of the keep, mixing with the continued sounds of fighting between the British and Scots, the Russians and the Chinese. Enyd gestured for her men to join her, crouching as she ran to drop down into the earth's cool darkness, following Vauban as he retreated into the darkness of the engineered tunnel. Enyd hoped Zark enjoyed the new fronts since the Germans and the Irish would attack anything and everything, which was both a blessing and a curse. Making all of life more interesting.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark had no idea what she was looking at as she walked rounds all over the Russian horde heading towards Enyd's position.  They were certainly very gailey dressed.  Still, the minigun did it's bloody work a solid stream of bright red exploded a the tightly packed infantry in front of Enyd in a red fountain.  Enyd seemed to have checked her own progress as more new comers entered the field.  What was supposed to have been a historically inaccurate force on force fight for the castle had just become a free for all.  The Andorian released the trigger and the stream of death came to a stop as the 12-pounders banged out their solid shot.  One of the guns had a wheel blown off, and another flipped over as it took a hit right on the barrel.  The mail and axe warriors saw the running red coats and screamed in fury.  The British froze in place and didn't know what to do.  With no options left, they died hard.  Some fired off a last round before using their bayoneted muskets as spears.  The armour on the Gallowglass saved a few, but the pointy blades went through and pierced flesh.  Casualties were even, but the British loss was now total.

A bull horn sounded and a large horse born host entered the field. They rode with singular purpose as their lacquered side and do swung left and right while the riders confidently stayed balanced on their steeds. Flags flutters from the riders backs and they carried a black circle with the triple hollyhock. The clan mon of the Tokugawa clan. These heavily armoured and speedy warriors carried no artillery for they were a shock force, but they all were armed with the heavy bladed Bisento, or in some cases, the monstrous Dadao. As the warriors crested the hill, a signal from their shogun stopped the host. He peered into the melee and contemplated what he was seeing. It was now very confused. He'd initially arrived to reinforce strange men wearing the coloured skirts, but there were interlopers. They took no side and simply sought slaughter. Looking at the Russian gun line, he squinted to get a better look at a mass that was aiming for a heavily armoured and impudent figure on a horse. There was a strange naked blue one at the tip aiming for him.

The shogun sniffed his derision at the incompetent and arrogant fool who would not seek battle. Where was this man's sense of personal honour? As a sign of his prowess, the shogun had opted to not take a polearm, but that did not make him a slouch with the master crafted katana made by the Hatori Hanzo himself. Today, they steel would taste blood. Tokugawa Ieyasu signalled his captains to join him and began gesturing for a new battle plan. The captains with the blue and green tassels began to puff themselves up in an attempt to change their lord's mind, but were cut off with a hand chop. The two subordinates bowed deeply in their submission and the shogun returned a small nod of acceptance. As the men returned to their forces, Tokugawa withdrew raised the gleaming silvery blade above his head and twisted it to make sure it caught the light so his warriors could see the signal. With a sudden chop and a ya! his horse bolted forward and the shogun led his forces into battle once more.

Zark watched the mad thunder as over a thousand hooves beat the ground in the search for blood and glory. At a prearranged point, a blue and green tassle were raised in the air at the end of the bisentos and angled in signal to change direction. The massive host split in three, one aimed at the Russians, one at ridiculous looking Landsknecht, and the final one for the Gallowglass who were semi disorganized after slaughtering the last of the red coats. 

Ivan seemed to finally realize he had a predicament as he heard the thunder behind him. He looked to his front at the blue блядь in front of him, and the gleaming wall of glittering death coming from behind and came to a decision. He charged his war mount into the mass with the aim of trampling her and ending this farce.  At a shout, his royal guard lowered their lances and surged forward.  Bodies were tossed aside with abandon as Ivan sought his goal.  The terrible Tsar personally speared a couple of pirates along the way when he was suddenly thrown from his mount as one of Vauban's holes appeared and the armoured king rolled to a stop.  He knew if he stayed on the ground, he's be an easy target, so he scrambled quickly, just in time to slash a highlander, then run a pirate through with his long sword.  The sea of bodies seemed to part as he suddenly had a clear line to the blue harlot and he yelled in a thick accent "Madsen!  Your head is mine!"  and he pointed his bloodied blade at her.

Zark had too much to process and deal with as the Tokugawa cavalry were nearing their quarry. The Gallowglass didn't seem to have much of a chance as their officers were still pushing them into a line to receive the charge, but the Landsknecht lined up with their pikes with their arquebus at the ready.  The Andorian realized the green tassled charge was going to be slaughtered since horses would stop at a pike wall and throw their riders.  If the arquebus didn't stop the charge, the pile up of fallen cavalry would.  Heaving by main strength, the Andorian swung the mini gun towards the Landsknecht, took quick aim and pulled the trigger.  The solid mass of red tracers carved their way through the mercenary company like a sanguine scythe.  She manged to get the gun on the first row and knocked bloody big holes in the pike and shot line that the cavalry aimed for.  Then Zark's world suddenly exploded in stone and dust.  She stood there for a moment and wondered why she hadn't been punished with a debilitating level of pain then looked down and saw she was standing on a hole in the air.  A white eyebrow quirked as she looked behind her, then down, and the other eyebrow joined the first as she saw a bloody ruin of her body next to Caitlyn's.  A few coughing survivors on the wall looked about. "Has anyone seen the Colonel?"  Someone shouted.  Zark looked down again.  "Well. Shit.  I wonder if Enyd can see me?" she asked the empty air.

---

блядь = slut, whore, tart

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

The din of bedlam filling her ears, Enyd felt the thunder of the fight in her bones as she hacked and slashed her way up the ramp of one of Vauban’s tunnels. At this point the, Gallowglass and Landsknecht had fallen into the chaos of fighting against the British, the Russians, and the Japanese. It was a regular party of death on the field. It was difficult to tell friend from foe as what wasn’t covered in the gore of the fallen was caked with mud and soot from the artillery.

“Madsen!” Enyd pivoted at the sound of her name bellowed in accented English. “Your head is mine!” It was Ivan, pointing his sword at her head seconds before he sprinted at her.

While Enyd was able to deflect the initial thrust of his attack, she wasn’t as skilled with a blade as the terrible tsar to prepare for a parry in time. His blade swung around and sliced into her side with the same ease as a spoon through pudding. An explosion from back at the castle caught Enyd’s attention for but a second before the pain of the fake wound stung her nerves, clacking her teeth together to fight against a responding wail.

“Yield to me, and I will ease your suffering.” Pulling his blade from her side and sneering at her as she crumpled at his feet, Ivan readied his sword for another blow.

Being closer to the ground, Enyd noticed the crumbling quality around Ivan’s feet before he did and a smile pulled at her lips.

“I yield to no one.” Enyd spat at the tsar’s feet, grunting when his sword plunged into her belly seconds before the ground beneath his feet gave way completely, and Ivan fell into the clutches of Vauban and her allies.

Her surroundings changed as quickly as the pain subsided and Enyd blinked to find herself floating in a similar fashion as Zark, hovering over a frozen scene of mayhem.

“I take it we died and failed the game?” She grinned at her friend, gesturing to their fallen bodies.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark gave a wry smile to her blue skinned friend and it was probably a good thing she was coming off a combat adrenaline rush since her the clearly naked friend was giving no thought to her current state of dress.  The Andorian went ahead and drank in Enyd's figure as she walked towards her.  Zark was surprised about some of proportions since she thought Enyd would have larger breasts, but that was probably her own imagination running wild.  The Andorian took a moment to clear her throat to reset her mind as she closed the distance and crossed her arms under her chest as she stared at Enyd's 'body' on the ground with a pair of bloody gashes, and eyes open wide in death.  Yeah, even I'm not going to be able to fix that.  Full out sickbay, maybe 10-20 percent chance.  Ouch.  Not good. Zark thought to herself before looking at Enyd again.

Zark sidled up behind Enyd and pressed her body into the blue and pale back as she wrapped her arms around the human's abdomen in a protective embrace as she laid her head on the bare shoulder.  There were other ways for Enyd to stay warm, but this was the one that Zark liked, so she stayed put as her antennae gently swung back and forth.  "The technical answer is yes, but since we're paused, and this simulation is our fantasy, there's always a couple of option.  I think the system was having fits and decided to kill us both off just to stop the insanity."  The Andorian concluded as she chuckled at their 'luck' running out.  Zark was curious though as to how the charge was going to turn out, but seeing Ivan falling into a giant pit, she decided against unilaterally continuing.  The Andorian raised her head off her comfortable spot as she looked at the chaos around her and the Japanese cavalry were less than ten paces from the melee that had 'felled' Enyd.  Zark couldn't help herself.  "You look really good, even dead like this.  I think we can pull off a couple of really good Amazons in the battle of Troy."  Zark smiled as she rambled on.  "Either one of us could end up taking on Achilles."

Zark planted her head on the other shoulder.  "I think the program coped pretty well with all the variables we kept tossing in.  I did think about calling in battle tanks loaded with canister and just scouring the battle field, but well..."  Zark shrugged.  "Computer, replay the shot that ended my participation."  There was a beep and the holodeck phased out and reset to a slightly earlier point where one of the Tsar Puchka's was about to fire and Zark looked around again to see where most of the Russian gun line had been demolished, but a couple of survivors still grimly held out. "Computer play at one-tenth speed." The holodeck beeped and a loud explosion blossomed in slow motion sending an absurdly large canon ball flying at castle under attack.  Zark hastened the bit where the ball simply flew and slowed it down just in time to see the solid iron ball strike below the embrasure.  Brick and mortar became a deadly shrapnel as the computer simulated the Andorian get pummelled by the hunks of masonry, losing both legs and having several pieces pass through her body in bloody blue streaks.  "Computer, pause.  Well, 24th century medicine might be able to save you, but there's no way I was getting out of this one." 

Zark began to gently swing their hips to the left and right to a tune that only her mind knew as she worked to figure out their next steps.  "Right, options.  First is that we can end the program here.  We can also just stand here in observer mode and maybe make a picnic out of whatever chaos gets tossed in, or we can do the whole resurrection thing with shafts of light."  Zark stopped swinging as she raised her head off Enyd's shouder.  "What do you want to do, and did you want something to wear instead of using my body as a cloak?"

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“I may have contributed to the fits and chaos,” Enyd commented as Zark wrapped herself around Enyd’s body, the scratch of Zark’s clothing the first reminder that she was bare-chested aside from blue paint. Far from embarrassed, Enyd sighed, reaching up and placing her hands over the back of Zark’s arms as she listened to her friend’s suggestions. “I’m not lopping off a breast to be a period-accurate Amazon, just so you know. And I’ve no doubt you could take on Ares himself if you put your mind to it.”

Enyd winced as she watched the computer replay Zark’s death in various levels of slow-motion as Zark bid it to. Even as a simulation, it bothered Enyd to see her friend’s body torn to shreds. Squeezing her hands as they held Zark’s arms against her body, Enyd hummed in contemplation as she listened to Zark’s options. Having been able to slice and dice a few enemies and get herself killed, Enyd’s battle fervor had cooled off enough to allow her natural penchant for calculations and strategies to resurface. With this in mind, Enyd turned in Zark’s arms and placed them in the right position for a dance hold.

“We could also change up the scene and go to a Napoleonic-era ball, perhaps during the Russian winter, where he got his ass handed to him, see if we can fanangle some trade deals or do some other underhanded nefarious things.” Enyd twirled Zark into a Viennese waltz as she continued. “The women wore some really lovely dresses back then, the underthings being practically nonexistent, in case you wanted to seduce some general’s wife in a darkened corner to pump her for information,” Enyd winked as she subtly dipped the Andorian over her arm, careful not to dip too far considering her friend was taller than she was, “and the uniforms are better than ours, I’ll confess.”

Giving Zark a twirl, Enyd let go at its arc, and waited until Zark was finished twirling before she grinned, “What do you think?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

When Enyd turned to begin dancing, Zark quirked an eyebrow and smiled. Anyone who walked in on them at this point would have to wonder what sort of exotic dance was being played out between the two of them considering their rather ragged state of undress.  Still, it was interesting when Enyd put the Andorian in a position to begin dancing.  The position to dance was anything but exotic, but contained an ancient grace and elegance that had been main stream over 500 years ago.  Zark did have a moment of worry since she recognized they were going to dance, but she didn't know any of the moves.  It was a small silly worry though as Enyd led and Zark simply moved in such a way to not step on her friend's feet or crash into her.  Arguably not the easiest thing when the two were spinning and Zark was trying to keep her position as she worked to keep her head up against the momentum of the swinging. 

The Andorian did admit that the idea of attending a ball for intrigue would be interesting, especially since the last ball she'd attended had been her Academy graduation, and that felt like ages in the past.  Zark felt her cheeks heat slightly at being dipped and nodded in agreement that the uniforms were certainly had a charming elegance than the practical ones that Starfleet wore day to day.   On the other hand, it did make the military officers look intensely baroque and like peacocks.  Zark was going to agree with the program change when Enyd had to drop the historical tidbit about the ladies being sans underwear and her mind suffered a near embarrassing brain fart that almost caused the Andorian to trip over her own feet. Zark recovered with a couple of bounces and moued at her friend.

Zark put on a fierce mien as she planted her fists in her hips. "Does my lady suggest I go around wooing and enrapturing these shining paragons of fidelity and virtue using my tantalising wiles?" Zark's expression changed to one that would have received a nod of appreciation from Aphrodite as she ran her hands along her flank. The security officer was well versed in the various methods of corruption since she had been trained to watch out for them. They usually fell to greed, power, lust, and ego; or some combination thereof. She also knew that most power people in scarcity societies were anything but exemplars of virtue. "Or are you just looking to see me in action? " Zark asked with a grin.

It didn't matter, Zark had convinced herself this was going to be fun. "Nevermind that. You've got yourself a multi purpose henchwoman to swindle the wealth of a nation with Enyd. Set it up cause we're off to the ball! "

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“Yes, Zark, I do suggest that very thing, and you are loved for it.” Enyd rolled her eyes at the suggestion that she wanted to see Zark in action. “Hold on to your knickers, then. I’ll program both an officer’s boudoir and a lady’s in the corner, and you can choose which you prefer to dress as. I’ll stick with the typical 19th-century Terran ball gown, just so you know.” After calling for the archway, Enyd quickly called up the items she’d referenced and pointed Zark towards the two dressing areas, complete with a valet and maid awaiting Zark’s arrival, pending which she chose. “I’ll get the setting cued up, then change.”

Leaving Zark to her choices, Enyd resumed her search on the console. She’d always loved the 19th century for its political upheaval, technology, architecture, literature, and so much more. That Zark was willing to pivot from outright violence to more intrigue further excited Enyd, as she firmly believed there was a time and place for both. Since they’d had their fair share of bloodshed culminating in their very violent deaths, it was only fitting that they take a twirl through the holographic land of intrigue.

It took only a few moments longer before she found what she was looking for and specified the dimensions of the ballroom--36m long, 17m broad and about 4m high—unsurprising when one realized it was a converted carriage house. The white plastered walls, dark wooden beams, and red bricks of the floor had been transformed by the use of rose-trellised wallpaper, tent-like draperies of a myriad of rich colors, tapestry hangings of crimson, gold, and black, with candles and chandeliers causing the faux gold-inlaid work of the makeshift dance platforms to glitter. Aside from the army of butlers, maids, musicians, and footmen, Enyd populated the room with both the historical figures noteworthy from this ball, and it’s time—the Belgians, Scots, Russian, British, and French—as well as inserting over two dozen historical figures from Vulcan, Qo’Nos, Andoria, Romulus, and Cardassia. These alien characters were programmed to remain true to their culture but through the lens of 19th-century Earth, something that Enyd was excited to see unfold.

The dance set would follow the historical ball they were mimicking, starting with the froideur, a few Highland reels, then the waltz, and finishing with the gallopade. And for added flavor, Enyd programmed a type of game into the waiting program. Their actions would either successfully prevent an assassination, position one of the factions for success in the coming battle, or cause the whole ballroom to explode. Nothing too trifling for someone like Zark to deal with, just life-or-death scenarios for added flavor.

“Alright then,” Enyd turned to face her friend and let out a whistle, fanning herself as she studied the Andorian woman’s choice, “very nice! They’ll be falling all over you.” Cueing up her own dressing room, Enyd darted behind the Venetian screen and allowed the holographic maid to help her into a crimson ball gown with black embroidery across the bust and down the ribbons that tapered away from the high waist. It took her longer to finish, no thanks to the blue paint she’d completely forgotten about, so she called over the screen to Zark to go ahead and get the program started. “I’ll be out in a minute. In the meantime, you go find someone to seduce, and I’ll catch up!”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark smiled incorrigibly at Enyd as she was offered two different doors to two very different dress styles.  She followed the advice and made her way to the changing rooms, then stopped.  She was quite divided on whether to go in a ball gown, or the uniform.  Her head went back and forth between the two.  There were pros and cons to each.  On the one hand, being of a female form as humans understood it, she should be going in the gown.  On the other hand, a military uniform, as elegant as it was, should also be less encumbering.  The Andorian's mouth twisted back and forth in thought as a myriad of factors came into play, and nodded as she stepped and entered the changing booth for the military uniform.

Maybe it had been an impulsive move and Zark's face had doubt written all over it.  One of them should be the military officer and since Enyd had already claimed the damsel, then it was up to the Andorian to balance things out.  On the other hand, ladies in intricate gowns also had staff that also needed gowns, right?  But, she was the henchwoman, so that meant something not so elaborate.  Maybe she should have gone for the other changing room, but the talking was Enyd's thing.  Zark's ruminations were interrupted as the maid curtsied and smiled and took a look at what the Andorian was currently wearing.  "My Lady.  Welcome to Brussels.  I see you have a kilt on, do you hail from one of the visiting Highland Regiments of the British army?  Are you with the Gordons? Camerons?  The Black Watch or the Guards?"  The choice of units gave Zark something else to focus on and she was grateful for the choice.  "Uhmmmmm.  I'm with the Guards." Zark got out out in a less than sure tone. The maid clapped her hands together and smiled in delight, almost seeming to bounce.  "Ah the Scottish Guards, how dashing!  I believe I have your uniform right here, just give me a moment."  A boudoir opened revealing a scarlet jacket with black collar and gold trim, a thick set of double white shoulder boards with gold tassels, double line of gold buttons on the front, black trousers, a black shako with a tartan band and a large plume that fell off to one side.  There was also a curved cavalry sabre

"Wow, it certainly is ornate." Zark muttered under her breath as she looked at the getup and immediately  began tsking mentally at the changes she wanted.  "My lady?" The maid inquired as she got the feeling that Zark was less than enthused with what she was seeing.  "Uhmmmm, hold on. Computer, give me an organization table of the Scots Guards from this time period." A holographic screen appeared with the relevant data, and the Andorian tapped the end of her nose in thought as her antennae pointed at the screen.  Just as Enyd had made adjustments to her program on the fly, Zark began to do the same, starting with the uniform.  "Well, no need for pants, I'll just keep my kilt." The maid looked horrified. "But My Lady!" she quailed.  Zark wagged her finger at the maid as she smiled. "Nope! I like my kilt and my figure, so it is staying."  The maid nodded, but looked nonplussed at the change. "And I'll have the epaulettes for the Captain of the the light company." A grey shoulder cloak completed the outfit.

Zark went along with getting changed, and she smirked at getting the jacket on since it seemed to stretch quite a bit over her chest.  Obviously it hadn't really been intended for someone of her figure.  Getting the shako to stay on had been more of challenge since the Andorian had antennae and more hair than the head piece was intended for, so she simply resorted to ordering the computer to ignore the physics and just having it sit on her head.  Next came the weapons and the maid nearly fainted as Zark replaced the cavalry sabre with an ornate ladies rapier, added a dirk, a small dagger on one thigh, and a small rifled flint lock pistol on the other.  Being a hench woman to a no good diplomat, Zark also deposited a vial of poison in one sleeve, and piano wire in the other. "I think I've been reading too many spy novels."  Zark muttered under her breath as she effectively armed to the teeth.  On the other hand, with Enyd, you never knew what was going to happen next, so now she was merely being prepared.

Zark smiled as she examined herself in the mirror and twirled about. "Computer, replay the twirl on the mirror."  There was a beep and Zark watched as she kept an eye to see if her hidden accoutrements were well covered, and they were.  On the other hand, if anyone stuck their hands up her kilt or tried to bang her, they'd be in for a nasty surprise.  Exiting just in time to start laughing when she saw the blue skinned Enyd head for the changing area, Zark shook her head as she struck an exaggerated stiff military pose and bowed at her friends compliment, then took her advice to get going.  Entering the nearest door, Zark stared in wonder at the setup, then almost fell on her ass laughing when she saw the varied collection of characters that inhabited the floor.  The best was when she saw two Vulcans who looked remarkably like Sarek and Soval discussing something of import, but they were dressed as in suits with coat tails.  Soval even had a monocle, which he adjusted from time to time with his ruffled shirt.

"Oh Enyd, what rabbit hole have we just fallen into?"  "Why, this is the Duchess of Richmond's ball" A voice suddenly called beside her.  Zark turned and froze as she couldn't decide if she was going to swoon or faint when she saw the representation of Lor'vela in a silk snow white and royal blue gown with pearls in her hair. "A rather torrid affair this is, the Duchess at least had the sense to make sure there were canapes.  She never gets the timing on the food right. If we're lucky it'll just be a cold congealed mess when it arrives."   Zark stared at the holographic representation of the founding 'mother' of Andorian society. "I see." was all Zark could say as her brain rebooted. "Captain Zark my lady, Captain of the Light Company of His Majesty's Scottish Guard Regiment." Zark bowed to Lor'vela since she couldn't figure out what else to do.  The other Andorian nodded and curtsied very elegantly.  Ah! A pleasure to meet you captain. Duchess Lor'vela, special representative for His Majesty King Charles XIV of Sweden.  Zark took a moment to delve into her historical novel reading to try to get the modes of address right.  It took longer than usual since they had gone way out of style. "A pleasure you meet you, uhm, your .... grace." The Duchess smiled at this and fluttered her fan before trying to pump Zark for information about why she was at the ball.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Listening to Zark’s comments and responses while the programmed maid assisted her into her costume, Enyd couldn’t help but smile. It was such a drastic change from what they’d just been dealing with. Yet, from the sounds of it, Zark didn’t seem to mind the massive scale back from actual violence and the interspersing of historical individuals from other races alongside the expected foray of characters for this particular setting. Enyd also chortled her lung through her nose when she heard Zark trip over herself on the other side of the changing screen. Peeking through the gap between the sectionals, Enyd saw the reason for Zark’s lack of verbal poise. It was Lor’vela herself. Enyd hadn’t been able to help herself, considering how often her friend liked to use the woman’s name in her expressions. Wincing at the maid’s not-so-gentle efforts to pull Enyd hair back into a braided bun with orange ribbons woven throughout it, Enyd found joy in watching her Andorian friend stand in awe of her matron hero.

Movement out of the corner of Enyd’s eye, barely discernable through the screen, had Enyd swatting the maid away from tying the ballet-style slippers around her ankles. She wanted to watch this next encounter closely, and the maid could wait a darn minute before pouring Enyd into her white empire-waisted dress that sported golden-threaded fleur des lis across the length and breadth of it, with a white lace collar that puffed up and flared out from a square neckline. She’d chosen this dress with the stereotypical puffed sleeves and elbow-length white silk gloves because it came with a Tuscan sunset-colored velvet cape with gold embroidery of royal emblems attached to the dress itself via a similarly colored and embroidered wide belt that settled over the high waistline. She was a sucker for capes and adored the rich texture contrast of silk to velvet. The feeling of it against her skin was almost scandalous, in Enyd’s opinion.

Holding her breath, Enyd remained stock still as she watched the auburn-haired vixen clad in a Turkish-style form-fitted white overcoat with black bloomers and wine-red leather boots move with purpose directly up to Zark. She had an elaborately decorated rapier strapped to her side and an obvious dagger of equal opulent design tucked into the top of her booth. Without waiting a breath, the could-be swordswoman reached out and plucked a flower from Zark’s hair, an obvious plant but a charming first move nonetheless, in Enyd’s opinion.

“If I’d know such ripe blossoms hailed from the Highlands,” the woman traced the soft petals of the bloom along Zark’s jawline as she spoke in a husky whisper, “I would have ventured through the wild bushes of their unrivaled, tempestuous glory long ago to discovery the pulsing heart of the land.”

Enyd swallowed her snicker as she turned away, leaving Zark to deal with the historically accurate Julie d’Aubigny on her own while the maid finished her valiant efforts to make Enyd presentable. It took a few moments longer before Enyd was fully dressed from her head, with its golden headdress that wrapped like a wreathed crown overtop her brunette braided bun, to her toes, with her legs delightfully rubbing together, enjoying the feeling of the silk stockings against her skin, secured by a garter belt. Coming around the screen, Enyd’s eyes widened in delighted surprise for a moment as she watched Zark and d’Augigny interact before she felt a firm grip on her elbow and breathed in the scent of tobacco and port.

“Lord Nelson wishes to share the next dance with you, milady.” The British officer, unnoteworthy in terms of historical significance, spoke in a honeyed voice as he directed Enyd through the crowd toward the main dance floor.

Enyd couldn’t remember if she’d chosen to be on the British side, but because she was wearing French royal colors and emblems, she got the feeling that Nelson’s reception would likely be far less than effusive. Glancing over her shoulder as the officer continued to kidnap her firmly yet politely, Enyd winked at her friend. Let the games begin!

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Just because one was being asked questions did not mean that they went about answering them and as much as she loved the idea of meeting Lor'vela, Zark was still a hardened security officer.  The answers provided were deliberately general and easily verified, thus utterly useless for an diplomatic espionage perspective. Personal preferences for liabilities could be lied about through her white teeth as she bullshitted her way through the conversation.  The various sensors that monitored the Andorian generally came back negative or were confusing to the point that Lor'Vela was becoming both amused and frustrated by the adroitness with the evasiveness of the supposedly simple soldier.  Being an officer of this time though also meant the possibility of participating in the games of courtly or diplomatic intrigue.  "What brings you to the ball Captain?" the Duchess asked. A toothy smile followed "It's the social event of the season and His Majesty, via my Colonel of course, ordered me to attend." The silken flower patterned fan fluttered "Surely a Captain of His Majesty's Army should can be better employed?" Zark quirked an eyebrow at this and looked around for a moment before smiling. Sometimes the best answers were laid out right in front of people. "Of course Your Grace.  The regimental Quartermaster is also looking for the next haut item to serve at the Colonel's social gathering, and I've been asked to evaluate the Stroopwafel as a dessert." Zark figured the computer must have hiccuped at this answer as the Founding Mother seemed to freeze for a moment to consider that answer before the eyes narrowed and the fan was snapped shut against on blue hand.  A semi-historical simulation this was, but when the other Andorian's hand began to go towards her waist, Zark seriously considered that she was about to have an Ushaan-Tor challenge, which would have considerably changed the mood of the ball. 

Thankfully, the question of clashing blades would have to wait as Zark felt a presence behind her and turned to face a striking auburn haired woman.  The Zhen purred her approval as she felt the flower brush along her jaw line. It was always nice to be appreciated and she realized that Enyd had deliberately set this up to entice and beffudle her.  The implications quickly ran through the Andorian's mind as her hand shot up and gripped the wrist holding the flower.  Zark twisted and applied pressure, the computer obediently did the measurements and determined Julie's pain tolerance had been slightly exceeded, and she gasped as she dropped the flower while her eyes widened.  As soon as it fell though, Zark let go and buried her cheek in the open palm and as she smiled seductively back at the trouser wearing swords woman.  Julie d’Aubigny looked like she was about to gape at the sudden change in situation and returned the smile.  "Beautiful as you are deadly I see dear Captain."  The French woman's gaze flicked to the Duchess standing behind as she gasped at the sudden display of overt affection between complete strangers, and one that was well known as a harlot.  Zark merely smiled. "Indeed I am Miss?" The pantaloon woman smiled. "Julie d’Aubigny, performer and entertainer extraordinaire." she practically sang.  "A pleasure to meet you Miss d’Aubigny.  Would you like to dance? I don''t know all the moves but I'm sure you can show me."  d’Aubigny was practically ready to burst at the invitation.

The Duchess didn't like having her information source taken away. "Be gone you hussy. You are a walking embarrassment."  Julie pshawed and waved her hand at Lor'vela then linked arms with Zark and led her to the floor.  The performers didn't really know what to do since Julie was generally persona non grata, but Zark solved this by whirling her fingers in the air for them to get going and the sounds of Blue Danube began to fill the air.

The waltz was supposed to be an elegant and formal affair, but Zark had other things on her mind and despite having told d’Aubigny she'd have the lead, Zark forced their bodies closer.  Gasps followed at such a sensual display, but Julie didn't mind and laughed heartily as she began to swing the Andorian around.  It took only about a minute to get the general gist of the dance and Zark continued to let the red head lead, but brought her head in closer.  "My my Julie. You've seemed to have ruffled quite a few feathers just by showing up."  The cross dresser lived for this as she brought her head side to side with her blue dancing partner and a filler character gasped into her hand then moued and fell with a thump.  Several men immediatley went to her side to begin fanning her.  "Indeed I have mon Capitaine.  It's always a wonder to be sent to these events.  Now if only they'd prepared some food for my grand arrival"  Zark arched an eyebrow at this. In many fields, the devil was in the details, and she latched onto the word 'sent'. "It truly is a shame."  Zark then further scandalized the the public as she turned her head towards the auburn hair covered ear.  "Then perhaps we have matters to discuss in private." Zark said in a low sultry tone though her attention wasn't entirely on what she was saying as one eye looked out towards the crowd and she began picking out people who looked far too calm for what she was doing, and she took note of several possible counter agents, or possibly just cold fishes in the room.

Julie laughed in delight, but let the dance continue to its end. "Indeed Capitaine."  The two came apart as the dance ended and stretched out their hands before bowing to each other.  Linking arms, Zark gently pulled Julie towards the foyer doors and the unwanted woman snagged a glass of champagne as she went by.  Zark smiled at several people and wagged her eyebrows at Enyd as she passed her talking to a short man with a bicorn hat and one sleeve tucked into the centre of his jacket.  As the Andorian passed, she casually made a motion to her side as if pulling a dagger from her hip and sticking it behind her back.  It wasn't the most obvious expression and Zark hoped Enyd picked up on it as the red head threw social conventions to the winds and laid her head on Zark's shoulder.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Finding a Bajoran Lord Nelson had been a bit jarring to Enyd, as she’d forgotten that she’d given the computer leeway to change the species of known historical figures. Being grilled for information by an old Earth-accented Bajoran instead of keeping to the charm and nuances of the atmosphere had also been a bit of a surprise. Enyd remembered learning about Lord Nelson being a strong-minded individual with little time for the fluff and nonsense of aristocracy, and to be on the brunt end of his forceful charisma—translated through Bajoran mannerisms—had been quite the experience. But no sooner had she given him answers he liked less than he cared to admit than another aide, wearing the regalia of another army, whisked her away from the Bajoran’s glare.

“Oh,” Enyd couldn’t help the surprised sound that escaped from her throat when the aide left her in front of none other than a Ferengi Napoleon. A Bajoran Lord Nelson, and a Ferengi Emperor Napoleon. This was going to prove to be a most intriguing scenario indeed. “A pleasure to meet you, sir.” Enyd dipped into a curtsy, careful not to make it any grander than the one she’d offered to Lord Nelson—who could still see them from his side of the room.

“Did ze commander give you any indication of his next move?” It was more than a little surreal to hear the old Earth French accent lisp through the sharpened teeth of the Ferengi character but Enyd managed to keep her smile to herself as she shook her head.

“No, my emperor. We spoke of trivial matters.” Zark’s movement in her peripherals halted Enyd’s words and drew her attention long enough that even Napoleon watched the pair of women disappear through the high doors.

“You should assist your mon amie. d’Aubigny is a known double agent, and unless she is merely interested in white lies between your amie’s legs, I doubt her intentions.”

Enyd said nothing about doubting Napoleon’s as well but dipped in a curtsy once more before trailing in the wake of Zark and the supposed double agent. She wouldn’t put it past Napoleon to only say something like that, hoping that either Enyd or Zark would destroy the potentially innocent woman. Emerging into the shadowed arc just on the other side of the doors, Enyd looked around for Zark and the French woman a mere few seconds before she felt a vice-like grip snake around her waist and an equally strong hand clamp down over her mouth, muffling any hopes for a scream.

“I believe you will serve as a most prekrasnyy bargaining chip in this game,” his breath was hot as it fanned across her cheek, scented with the spiced wine served in the crimson goblets inside the carriage house. And it was in that dangerous timbre and of the most unmanageable quality that left Enyd fairly stupid. As he adjusted his grip around her waist and hauled her much smaller body up against his firm frame, Enyd gulped. At this rate, with a voice like that, Enyd would likely give up any secrets the man wanted. She only hoped Zark could interrupt them before she found out what it was like to be ravished by a holographic character.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

The Scotch Andorian was starting to have a good time.  It had been a long time since she'd taken part in this genre of holonovel, usually because you needed a particular temperament of partner to make it work.  In one of those strange coincidences of the universe, Zark had never met anyone who could make a simulation like this work.  At least until she'd met Enyd Isolde Madsen.  Zark started to wonder why that was the case.  Maybe it was because she already had a similar figure in her life and was married to her.  In many ways Ryzit and Enyd were similar, but still not the same.  Enyd wasn't anywhere near as libidinous as her wife was, that was for sure, yet that demon may care attitude was still present.  The Zhen mentally sighed as she felt herself being pulled down a rabbit hole, and had to brake herself to bring her back to the holonovel as she 'escorted' the beautiful possible agent provocateur up the stairs.  Zark was about to lay her head on the attached curly silky auburn one at the top of the stairs when she felt a mental tug.  Her antennae tried to twitch behind her and the security officer stopped as she looked around for a moment and frowned.  "Quoi?" Came a flirtations sing-song on her arm, but Zark paid it no mind as she stood there for a moment to suss out what she'd just felt.

If she hadn't seen so much shit in her life, Zark would have just ignored the sense, but years of war and operations other than war had honed that sense that something was off.  It was elusive morass like darkness that she couldn't shake, but her mind quickly went to work dissecting the feeling.  Since these feeling usually involved living beings and danger, the quick route to deduction was that Enyd had run into trouble once more.  The Zhen's need to seduce or be seduced was overridden at that moment. Business before pleasure. Zark put on a smile as she turned to Julie "Excuse moi, mon cherie.  Would you mind if I took a quick detour to the loo before we sat down?"  Julie beamed back "Mon dieu, what a place to have a quiet..." but the Andorian's antennae stood straight up and she reacted without thinking as she pulled the holographic human's arm away from her back with a squeeze and there was a clang of metal hitting the floor.  Zark twisted the wrist in her grip without remorse and clamped her other hand over the French woman's mouth before pushing her head into a door with a loud thump.  It wasn't hard enough to break skin, but it would definitely bruise and Julie was stunned by the sudden onslaught.  "C'était quoi ça?" came from down the hall, and Zark mentally cursed as she realized she'd just barely avoided a trap that would have probably had her unpleasantly pumped for information.  The Andorian pushed the stumbling Julie a few steps through a door while kicking the stiletto along.  She could hear the clacking of shoes on the wood floor as opened the door and pushed Julie through before quickly closing the door as quietly as possible.  As soon as the door clicked closed, Zark whirled on the red headed agent.  There was no waiting as she quickly moved towards the French woman that was working to get her wits back.  It was too late though as Zark clocked her in the temple and the woman collapsed onto the floor with a grunt.  Zark shook her hand out of habit while she listened to see if anyone was coming after her.  Her breathing slowed, then became shallow as she heard footfalls outside the door.

"What happened?" 
"No idea, did the Entertainer leave any other details?" 
"Non, only that she would need some time to marvel at the menu before choosing."
"What does that even mean? Damn waste of time." a pause. "Should we go down to check on her?"
Another pause. "Non, we stick to the plan.  Let's head back to the room. The less our presence is known, the better."

Zark listened for a moment as the footfalls became fainter and she considered what to do next. That niggling feeling was gone, but it's memory remained and she gave the unconscious Julie a quick and thorough pat down. The search yielded a few handkerchiefs, some piano wire, couple more knives and another flintlock. Zark bent the knives with the simple expedient of bending the blades, but kept the pistol on her. Except. Now she had to get out with out alerting the interlopers. The handkerchiefs were bundled into a gag and stuffed into Julie's mouth while the piano wire went around her feet. A quick dismantling of a velvet curtain rope ties yielded the way to bind Julie's arms.

Deciding she was secure enough, Zark moved to open the window and see if she could climb down. Movement drew her attention and she peered into the night an nearly cursed out loud as she saw someone dressed like Enyd being dragged off. It didn't look like there was much resistance, so Enyd was doing this on purpose or she'd been knocked out some how. A set of stables in the distance appeared to be the likely destination of the captor. Seeing a slight ledge, Zark stepped out and held onto the glass frame. Negotiating the window frame required more time she didn't have and concentration she didn't want to spend, but with a deft grapple, and a jump, she was past and shimying along the side of the wall. Now she just needed something relatively absorbent to land in.

Zark could barely hear the scraping of her boots against the stone as she crawled along the wall.  Reaching the corner, a breeze blew at her and her foot slipped. Blue fingers gripped the stonework harder as her foot came up quickly and landed on the ledge again.  The Andorian stopped and pressed herself against the wall.  Looking down at the height, she closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself, then opened them, determined once again to keep going.  Shimying felt like it was taking forever as she watched her quarry get dragged away.  Even if it wasn't Enyd, there was something foul afoot with a lady being dragged away by a brute.  She just had to solve the question of how to get down.  Maybe wall crawling wasn't the best idea Zark was starting to think as she considered testing the holodecks safety protocols and jumping off.  Nearing the next corner, movement caught her eye and it dropped down. The shape shook itself and let out a neigh.  Smiling, Zark kept going.  Her fingers were getting tired and sore, and she could feel the burn starting to take hold in her arms just as she reached the corner and she wanted to laugh as the sight of a blessed carriage just below.  Thank the spirits she wasn't going to have to take a dive into bushes or a pile of manure for this.

With a quick check, Zark pushed off the wall and landed on the top of the carriage.  Where she promptly slipped as someone had chosen a laquered top and momentum caused her to crash into the top then roll over the side.  The Andorian went tumbling into the ground and landed on her arms and leg with with a grunt and crunch of stones. "Who's that?"  Someone called and Zark didn't stop to groan despite the pain in her arms and legs, the blue woman scrambled up as best she could and marched towards the sound.  A startled coachman was shoved out of the way and the lamp he was using for light shattered as he dropped it in surprise. Zark didn't care though as the endorphins kicked in to deaden the pain, she took off at a run to where she was quite sure Enyd had gotten herself into trouble once more.

---

c'était quoi ça? = What was that?

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Hands tightly bound together by leather straps hung in front of her body as Enyd was dragged across the gravel-covered courtyard toward the stables. The dark-haired Russian agent has been just as efficient with binding her hands as he had been with gagging her with the silken scarf looped over her head within moments of his making his presence known. It seemed the man was less interested in getting information from her than he was in absconding with her, which led Enyd to wonder if he was acting on rogue motivation or representing yet another faction contending for power in this scenario. From her history, Enyd knew the Russians did NOT like Napoleon, nor were they friendly with the British. But her character, at least as Enyd had programmed it to be, was not so high in the spy ranks for Napoleon to merit this type of targeting. Enyd refrained from fighting against his kidnapping efforts, namely out of curiosity—and faith that Zark was somewhere nearby, ever able to rescue if the need arose.

Inside the stables, a giant black horse with feathering along its legs and a magnificent mane and tale stood already saddled and waiting. Giving an impatient snort, the massive equine pawed at the stable floor, eager to get moving again now that its owner was back. Coming up beside the horse, the Russian agent paused to determine the best way to get on the horse and ensure Enyd would not run away. It amused Enyd, watching the lines of his face move around in thought. He was handsome in his own way, though with scarring along his jawline and brow that led her to think he’d had a rougher beginning than most who’d been in attendance at the ball. He had the physique of a scruffy fighter, pure muscles coiled atop bone. His voice had been the most striking, her body giving an involuntary shiver as she recalled the feel of his body behind her as he whispered against her skin. She’d have to look up his character in the program later, because it would be lovely to have him return in other scenarios as well.

His solution—decided upon within seconds—was to use a portion of some rope he’d already had in his saddle back to tie her hands to the saddle’s edge before swinging up onto the horse and reaching down for Enyd. He proved his strength and agility in one swift motion, hoisting Enyd up into the saddle in front of him, holding her tightly between himself and the horse’s neck, her legs draped over his left thigh. Likely, he’d kept her side-saddle to ensure she wouldn’t try to knock him off and take over the horse. With how she was positioned now, if she knocked him off, she’d be going along with him, only to be dragged now that she was tied to the saddle.

Clicking his tongue against the edges of his teeth, the agent maneuvered the horse back out into the courtyard. Enyd felt the minute he saw Zark based on the way he stiffened in the saddle. Before she could huff out a warning, the agent unholstered a weapon from the other side of the saddle. He aimed and though Enyd squirmed like a hellion in the saddle, the agent’s shot cut through the night. Enyd’s eyes widened as she looked beyond the still form of Zark to see another figure, hooded, fall from the shadows onto the gravel only a few paces behind Zark. Glancing up at the agent, Enyd saw his grimace and was curious if he’d intentionally shot the unknown figure or meant to hit Zark. Either way, he rapped the reins against the horse’s neck, and they shot out of the courtyard and on into the darkened woods that bordered the more civilized area around the ball.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark's hat was a distant memory as she ran in the direction she'd seen the damsel, most likely Enyd, get dragged off. The fact that the diplomat was being dragged was the only saving grace since that would slow down the kidnapper while Zark was essentially unencumbered in her movements.   Soon the only sound was her own breathing and her feet pounding grass, then followed by her hair being shook free and the silvery white locks began to billow and flow behind her as she charged to the rescue.

Zark was gaining ground quickly, but the kidnapper had gotten such a large lead. Still, there was an end in sight as the Andorian sighted the barn that held several horses. The presumed Enyd was being thrown on one and the tall man climbed up on to his mount. Zark went from run to dash as she tried to coax more speed out of her legs. The kidnapper looked in her direction and reached for something on the side of the horse. Blue green eyes widened as she recognised the lethal shape of a firearm and dove for the ground just as there was a loud crack. The ball round passed through the space Zark would have occupied if she'd kept going instead of zipping overhead. Someone howled behind the Andorian and there was a heavy thump as a body was knocked over and hit the ground.

Zark looked behind her, but in the darkness it wa maddeningly difficult to pick out who'd been shot and where the body was.  This represented an escalation in Zark's mind and she pulled out the flintlock she miraculously hadn't lost yet. A quick pull of the hammer and it clicked in place and then Zark took aim down thr primitive iron sights. There a brief flash of ghostly shimmering black and the Andorian pulled the trigger. The world exploded in Zark's face once more. A man howled but the sound of hooves kept going.

Pulling her last gun, Zark got up and ran through the barn to the other side. The horse was still on the move though not quite in a straight line as if the rider was having trouble controlling his mount. "Shelat! " The Andorian cursed as she threw her hands in the air then bent over to get some of her breath back. Chest heaving, she glared into the night in frustration before whirling back into the barn and seeing a horse ready to go. Maybe it had belonged to the poor souls who'd been shot following Zark earlier. The Andorian wasn't going to look a literal gift horse in the mouth as she climbed up. Zark hadn't ridden a horse before, and Thea had probably figured on that since the horse just went in pursuit of the other horse with some minor direction for the person on top of it. At least it gave the impression she knew what she was doing as she went after her target.

The ride didn't take too long though Zark almost had her head taken off by trees a couple of times. There was some sort of makeshift camp up ahead and a flurry of activity as several people were dragging away an unconscious looking man while another carried the kidnappee away over his shoulder to the same tent. The Scottish Andorian dismounted and crept forward to get a better view. It was a simple arrangement of five tents in a circle with a fire going in the middle. Now how was she going to get Enyd out of this one? Zark thought to herself.

The combat medic's elbow flashed out as someone tied to grab her from behind and a man oofed as she connected with his face. The spare flintlock was out and pointed at the figured in the dark. Zark tried not to blanch as she came face to face with three separate barrels and a nasty looking gun with seven barrels.

"Bloody Hell." the assailant cursed as he shook his head. "Aw shit. Easy Pat. We took the Captain by surprise."

"Are you sure sir? She's got her own barrel pointed right at Harris." came a melodic Irish brogue. "I'll be begging you pardon ma'am, I'm not sure which gun I should be more worried about."

Zark shifted the barrel and the guns focused on her shifted as well. "Maybe the one that'll ventilate that empty space you call a head."

"Hmmmm" the big Irish man replied. "Well, the King doesn't pay me enough to know what ventilate means, but if it's put a bloody big hole in my head, that pistol does look more important."

"Knock it off all of you. Rifles. Lower em. I said lower em!" The officer commanded once more as he put quiet steel into his voice and the mysterious men reluctantly obeyed.

Zark followed suit and lowered her weapon fractionally before turning to the one who'd given the orders. He was definitley someone you didn't want to mess with. Black hair, serious eyes, and a scar on his cheek. "And who might you be?
"

"Captain Sharp of the 95th." The man replied simply.

Zark looked over the uniforms and since she hadn't been shot yet, she figured he was telling the truth, plus the accent seemed correct. But it still begged the question. "Captain Zark of the Scots Guards, what bring you to the ball Captain?"

"That bloody man they're dragging off. You?"

"That woman being dragged off."

Captain Sharp snorted as he smiled. The scar pulled at the smile giving it a mocking quality. "It seems we have a common objective."

Zark smiled and white teeth flashed in the night. "How do we do this?"

Sharp have her a look since Guard officers usually didn't ask what the other regiments thought, but she did seem different. "They're distracted at the moment, so you, me, and Cooper will sneak around to the other side. When we get close, we'll slice our way into the tent. At that point, Pat and the rest will start shooting and we'll pull our quarry out."

It was certainly an audacious plan "What about cross fire?" Zark asked.

The band of rogues gave a dark chuckle. "They're rifles and Chosen Men. They don't miss."

Zark still had her doubts, but didn't have the manpower for anything else, so she nodded her assent and joined the merry band of cut throats to hopefully rescue Enyd before she got into more trouble.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

While a medic looked over her wounded kidnapper on a cot in the tent’s corner, Enyd was dropped unceremoniously at the foot of another cot. A large man lay on it, obviously wounded as well and looking only a few steps away from the grave. Another group member knelt next to the man’s head and whispered. Enyd watched as the man’s chest rattled in deeper breaths, his eyes flickering as he noticed her presence. His reply was soft, spoken only in the ear of his aide, his hand rising feebly from the cot to point to Enyd before dropping back to the cot.

“What is you want with me?” Enyd spoke as she rubbed at her wrists. While she was unbound for the time being, she still felt the pressure of the rope around her ankles from the harrowing dash through the night.

The aide straightened to his full height, tugging at his ornate vest before responding in a thickly accented voice, “Prince Radziwil has chosen you for his bride.”

Enyd looked at the frail man on the cot, then back to the aide, “That is Prince Radziwil?”

“Yes, he is szlachta,” the aide sniffed at Enyd’s apparent ignorance, “a distinguished member of the military caste nobility.”

“That is all well and good,” Enyd used the cot for assistance as she pulled herself to her feet, “however, I do not understand why the prince would want to marry me and, to put it delicately, how he intends to make good on the marital vows when he appears to have one foot in the grave.”

Instead of a harsh rebuke, Enyd heard the rattling breath of the prince and watched as his chest rose and fell in a fit of laughter. The aide also seemed more amused than annoyed. He didn’t respond immediately, choosing instead to help the prince wipe away a bit of spittle from the wracking cough his laughter brought him. When the aide turned to look back to Enyd, he’d resumed the look of reigned in disdain.

“You are a French noble, no?” Enyd nodded. “Then by the rules of the land, all of Prince Radziwil’s land will be granted to the French emperor for safeguarding until you marry again, should the prince pass on, of course.”

It Enyd a few moments of calculated thought to piece together a theory. Ignoring the continued moans of her kidnapper suffering under the hands of a medicore medic, Enyd paced to head of the cot, standing parallel with the toad-looking aide.

“Prince Radziwil is a silent supporter of the emperor and wishes to ensure his lands, which I’m guessing are in contested territory, will pass peaceably into the emperor's control and away from the tsar.” The aide said nothing to confirm or deny her spoken theory, but, glancing down at the prince, Enyd caught his gaze and noted the slight upturn of his lips. “If this is true, then I willingly consent to the marriage. Though I am curious why the theatrics of my kidnapping was required when it appears we are on the same side.”

“For your own protection, my dear.” The prince’s voice was labored, his hand cold as ice when he caught hers in his bony grip. “Wellington has spies everywhere and would love to discredit you and your family for such open support for the emperor. My nephew,” the prince’s gaze moved past Enyd toward to the other cot, “is hot-blooded enough to volunteer for this sort of venture. I do apologize if you were frightened.”

Enyd recalled the feel of his strength at her back, the heat of his breath against her cheek, and shook her head, “On the contrary, my prince, I found the ordeal most refreshing. Now,” she glanced up to the aide then back to the prince, “when is the ceremony?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

The band of rogues kept their heads mostly down as they crouch walked towards the encampment which was still subsumed in chaos from the bloody arrival of the bloodied man.  Zark could hear someone yelling in French to something about water, bandages.  She was also quite sure that she heard the the word brandy and something related to something being very hot.  She had little idea what they were doing, but her mind worked it's way through the terms and she grimaced at the sheer crudity of how they were preparing to perform surgery on the kidnapper she'd hit.  She could see a  bespectacled man with thin hair roll up his sleeves as he entered the tent.  The trio stopped at the edge of the wood and everyone pulled out their weapons of choice.  The Andorian had the flintlock in her left and put her dagger in her right.  Captain Sharp slung his rifle, and drew a long heavy cavalry sabre while Cooper pulled his sword bayonet for the night's dirty work.  "Remember, we want that bloody Pole Tomasz alive.  Ross has questions for him." The Rifle Captain reminded the group.  The three British soldiers looked at each other and nodded.  Cooper began making a strange bird call that didn't seem that loud but it did feel like the sound would travel.  He repeated the bird call twice more and bedlam broke out as the Rifles began firing into the camp.  Half a dozen men were picked up and bowled over as the 15.9mm lead balls smashed into their targets with big bloody geysers of carnage.  The lucky ones died instantly, the unlucky began screaming in agony that rivalled the cracks of the firearms.  At this signal, Sharp, Zark, and Cooper began a low trot towards the tent that the Andorian had seen Enyd get carried into.

They made it most of the way before one man burst out looking for the source of the noise and he turned his head as he exited, but movement in his periphery drew it back to the direction he exited and his eyes widened as he saw the white hair and red coat coming towards him along side a couple in darker colours.  He fumbled reaching for a pistol on his belt and there was a curse beside the Zark as she saw Cooper hurl something at the man.  The pistol had just cleared his pants when he oofed and looked down to see something sticking out of him.  With a groan, he grabbed the knife then fell over.  Another man followed soon with bloody hands and a carbine in his hands and practically stumbled over the corpse and this time he did yell as he looked for the assailants that had killed the man.  He noticed the trio and began to breathe very quickly as shaking tried to cock the weapon while aiming it in their general direction. 

The medic managed to pull the trigger but the ball disappeared harmlessly into the sky and Zark reached him as she leapt and drove her knee into his face with a crunch and sent him reeling back into the tent with a pitiful wail followed by a sob as he lay on the ground.  While Sharp and Cooper dispatched more of the kidnappers entourage, Zark took a moment to steady herself before flipping the tent open and shoot anyone remotely hostile looking.  Instead, she found Enyd kneeling next to an older man who looked like death warmed over and a man who was barely conscious and his shirt drenched in blood from what she assumed was her first shot.  One of the Andorian's white eyebrows arched as she took in the sight of her friend near the corpse with another man out on the ground. "I didn't realize a damsel in distress got programmed in.  Uhmmm, they didn't hurt you right?"

Enyd shifted to cover the man's body and Zark's eyes narrowed in speculation. "In this scenario, hurt is a relative term. Death is as well."

"That is an incredibly cryptic answer Enyd.  Uhhhh. He doesn't look like someone who could kidnap you"  There was another crack of a shot and someone else screamed in the bloody night.  Zark was about to continue asking what was going on when the two Rifleman burst in, their blades slick with blood and Zark looked back to see if she was going to have to do introductions or get into a fight. "Sorry, not to be rude, but this here is Captain Sharp and Rifleman Cooper. They're.."  The Andorian pointed at the bleeding nephew with her thumb. " after him."  Zark's curiosity was peaked though at the way Enyd was acting around him and her index finger pointed at the bed's direction. " Who's he?"

Enyd gave the Britons a stern glare. "This gentlemen is descended from Polish nobility, in charge of contested lands on the Baltic.  He wanted to marry me before his spirit departed this realm so the emperor could peaceably claim the lands. You know, the usual evening out."

Zark blinked and wanted more details on this twist, but the Britsh soldiers being in close proximity to a French Noblewoman had a far different response as both the Rifles heads turned towards Enyd. "She's a Frog? Bloody Hell!" The implications were dire to the soldiers and Sharp turned a suspicious eye on Zark.  "Captain did you know about this?" He asked as an edge was forming in his voice and the blood caked cavalry sabre swung in her direction.

Zark paid the sword no mind as she looked at Enyd with wide bewildered eyes. "Actually I didn't. I swear I didn't.  You're with the other side?  The French are the other side right?"  The most important sank in. "You're supposed to get married??!  You agreed to this?" Zark exclaimed though any shock was being worn away by hints of glee that were bubbling their way past.

Enyd raised her nose in derision at the impudent insult hurled at her by the barbaric soldier. The person knocked to the ground was coming to at the same time. "I am neither amphibian nor reptile Capitaine, and yes, the French are the 'other side,' Zark cherie."  The man on the floor rubbed his head and sat next to Enyd. "Monsieur was just telling me the details of our nuptials when you came bursting in. What do you want with the nephew?"  Enyd asked with cold hauteur as she continued to glare green death at everyone, maybe Zark a little less.

The Rifle Captain had had enough though as he spoke up. "That's none of your business you frog tart."  Looking at the bleeding out man he was supposed to have retrieved, Captain Sharp realized they needed more help quickly to get their quarry about, possibly with help of his squad. "Wait a minute, if he's the nephew, that corpse looking thing must be the Count. Shit they both look close to death. Cooper, go get the others, we'll drag them both out."  The Rifleman nodded and got ready to leave as Sharp placed his sabre against the Andorian's chest. "No moving from you. Can't be sure which side you're on in all this." He explained with a voice of pure menace. 

This was getting interesting and Zark smiled at Enyd despite the glare "They really are a rude bunch aren't they?"

Captain Sharp was about to snarl for Zark to be quiet when the man on the ground pulled a pistol out and the Andorian fell on her ass as she tripped getting out of the way.  The crack was deafening as half inch ball blew a bloody hole in Cooper's chest and he fell back gasping as he bled out.  Captain Sharp roared his hate as he pulled the sabre away from the Andorian and skewered the aide in the chest before turning murderous eyes on Enyd and tried to yank his sword out, but it had gotten stuck and this gave Enyd the time she needed to grab a blanket and toss it over his head. The Rifleman roared as he spun and tried to get the blanket off him. "For a handsome man, you should find something better to do with your tongue."  Enyd told the soldier coldly, then hiked up her dress to grab a knife.  Taking a moment to check the Count, Enyd turned to the tent wall and cut her way out then fled into the night.

Captain Sharp got the blanket off and yelled "Where's the whore?!! I'll fillet her!"  This was a bit too much for Zark and at the end of the day, she was Enyd's friend.  She barely hesitated before speaking up in a voice filled with Andorian ice. "You failed the King Captain."  Sharp turned hate filled eyes on the blue woman and his eyes had a bare moment to widen in shock as Zark pulled the trigger and blew his face out the back of his head.  Taking a moment to grab the dropped rifles and a sack of ammunition, Zark shook her head at the sudden turn of events.  "Captain Sharp?! Captain?! Where are you?"  Came a desperate Irish call and with that, Zark stripped off her jacket and ran after Enyd.

---

OOC: Many thanks to Ellen for helping with the dialogue and actions

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“Quick!” Enyd looked up just as a two-horse-drawn coach came rolling to a stop a few feet away from where she stood, poised to retreat into the woods. “We’ve got to hurry. The Emperor has left the party and is preparing his troops for battle.” The door to the coach swung open as the pint-sized man with jet-black hair and a bronzed complexion jumped down from the driver’s bench and pulled out the steps for Enyd to use. “Our people are waiting for the map you stole.”

It took Enyd a few moments to access her ancient Earth history, and when she realized the man in front of her was Greek, likely Cretan in fact, she realized that her character was a triple agent. Supposedly working for the Emperor, supposedly spying for the British, while truly serving the Greeks who sought to be independent from the Ottomans and the French alike, without risking British rule in the process. Oh, the tangled webs she was weaving…

“Who is your friend?” Her Greek contact put a hand on the holster at his hip but, to his credit, didn’t unholster the weapon immediately.

Looking over her shoulder, Enyd saw Zark crashing through the camp and leaving death and dismembered men and women in her wake as she made her way toward them. Movement from the opposite side of the camp had Enyd’s lips quirking upward. Though wounded, her would-be fiance’s nephew had escaped Sharpe’s men and was likewise heading in their direction. Enyd pivoted to stand alongside her contact, one foot on the coach stairs.

“If you come with us now, you are taking a stand for the Grecian people,” her voice took on the deep poignancy of her contact’s accent as she stared down the Russian princeling and Zark, “we go to save our people from destruction from French, British, Russian, and Ottoman alike.” Her contact crawled back up into the driver’s seat. “Are you with us or against us?”

Her contact unholstered his weapon this time and took out two British men who’d come with Sharpe, while the rest continued to fight with the princeling’s allies. Winking at Zark, Enyd swung up into the coach and made herself comfortable. She watched through the open door as Zark and the princeling continued to size each other up. Personally, she hoped Zark didn’t kill the princeling, but at the same time, she wasn’t about to influence her friend’s decisions. This program was for her to enjoy as well.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

As soon as Zark had caught up with Enyd, her head began to spin at all the changes that were going on as she unslung the rifle as the unknown traveller came into view.  Pulling back the arming hammer, she kept it pointed generally pointed in the traveller's direction in case they showed the slightest bit of hostility. The plots within intrigues within mysteries were starting to make her come to appreciate the dynamics that a diplomat had to deal with, but at the same time, made her grateful for the fact that she generally acted in a direct action capacity, and usually to save lives, but left the word manoeuvring to people like Enyd.  If it was a hostage negotiation, Zark could be useful, but not this kind of stuff.  The Zhen smiled at her human friend for the fact that she was the one piece of stability in this whole affair and even then it was more of a nod at whatever insanity she'd been roped into since she hadn't the slightest clue as to who was who aside from they groups being mentioned were different sub groups that many humans still insisted on using.  The only ones that were familiar to one degree or another were the French and British. The latter because of her extensive time immersing herself in the bagpipes, the former because they were usually a participant at any high spirited insult laden argument at a highland festival where Brits and Germans were attending.

A ragged grass stomping noise alerted the turncoat officer to someone approaching from the rear and Zark spun as she turned the Baker rifle on the pursuer and spotted Enyd's original kidnapper coming after them in a less than straight line and desperate to try to catch up.  Zark weighed the options and grumbled as she turned to Enyd while the latter entered the carriage. "Enyd, cover me." Zark called while she safetied the rifles and tossed them in after the diplomat turned spy turned wife (?). "Not yet!"  The Grecian yelled as he tossed her a dark leather jacket.  "Makes you less conspicuous than that white shirt you have on." The Andorian nodded and quickly threw it on while worrying about buttoning the thing up later then ran towards the princeling.  A pair of loud bangs caused Zark to duck her head and someone screamed up ahead as she could see shadowy figures approaching quickly. "Shite!  Is anyone hit?" "Don't know Sarge!"  "I think it came from up ahead!"  "I think the bitches are over there!" Another yelled. "Fuck capturing them, kill em all! Hurry!" Someone yelled in an enraged Irish brogue and Zark's danger sense ratcheted up even higher.  As Zark caught up to the princeling, he pulled a pistol out and aimed it at Zark and the Andorian took a risk by pulling her pistol out but holding it skyward to indicate she was armed but not a threat.  The wounded man eyed her suspiciously while Zark kept a close eye on the gun in his hand.   "Look, we can stand here till those angry men come over and kill us, or you can let me help you get into the carriage."  "Why should I believe you?  You shot me." "And they won't?" Zark gestured in an exasperated manner. The Princeling considered this for a second and nodded. "You make a good point." he conceded reluctantly as his arm lowered the pistol and Zark ran to him and looped an arm over her shoulder then helped him run towards the carriage.

The two made a hobble dash towards the carriage with the Grecian driver urging them on while he reloaded.  "Sarge!  I found Hagman! Bullocks!  Harris is here too! They're both dead!" Oh this is gonna be close!  Zark though to herself as she heard a roar of outrage behind her and pretty much threw the injured Prince into the carriage then quickly climbed in. "Go!"  Zark yelled and the driver needed no encouragement as he yelled "Ya!" and whipped the reins.  The Andorian grabbed both pistols and aimed then out the door and fired to give what pitiful cover she could get as the carriage picked up speed.  The Andorian took the precaution of grabbing Enyd's clothes and dragging her to the ground as the rifleman fired at the high tailing carriage and the crashing sound of wood splitting could be heard as lead balls smashed their way through interior, incidentally a pair going through the area Enyd had just occupied before Zark had pulled her down on top of herself.  Zark was honest to admit to herself that she did like the feeling of the human's body on top of her and she smiled for a moment before helping her get off. 

Looking up out the door window, the Andorian's eyes widened once more and she ducked while pulling everyone down and lying on Enyd as a giant bang sounded.  The furious Irish sergeant had fired his Nock gun and a pattern of pistol balls peppered the back of the carriage.  Zark yelped as a ball nicked her leg and she gripped the wound as the holodeck applied a shock to her leg. The Andorian gritted her teeth and groaned angrily before quickly discarded her jacket and once again without concern for modesty stripped her shirt off and wrapped it around the wound to staunch the 'bleeding.'  The angry medico grabbed one of the spare rifles and pointed it out the back  to shoot but realized that there was very little chance of actually hitting anything, so she pulled the rifle back in and gingerly sat down.  Screwing her face, she took a look around and noticed the princeling was getting into even worse shape and began searching the carriage for anything that would help stop the man from bleeding out.  Seeing Enyd, she froze for just a moment before mentally shrugging and grabbing whatever bits of clothing would come off the brunette to turn into a bandage. "Enyd.  I have no idea what's going on, but I hope all this blood is gonna be worth it."

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“It is my turn now,” Enyd reached up with blood-covered hands, gripping Zark’s face between them, “You keep the princeling safe and warn my people. You carry on, and I’ll see you again on the distant shores!” She managed an overly dramatic choking breath before “dying,” the holodeck automatically performing a site-to-site transport. Leaving Zark in the carriage with the princeling and her Greek ally driving, Enyd was transported further away, reappearing in Grecian sailor garb aboard a Grecian warship, anchored at the harbor where, hopefully, Zark and her precious cargo would arrive safe and sound.

“Prepare to hoist anchor,” the ship's captain called down to the first mate, “We have seen british warships out past the reef. And the French and Russians are chasing one another around the coast directly towards them.” He caught Enyd’s gaze, a smile creeping upward into a manic grin. “Everything is coming together as we’d hoped. We need Prince Radovan and the map our agent stole to guide us through the sea caves so we can come up behind the British and decimate them with our Grecian fire while the French and Russians destroy each other.”

[Prince Radovan, fleeing carriage ]

“She died with honor.” his eyes moved from the bloodied carriage floor to rest on the strange blue woman who’d shot him. “And we will avenge her. My fleet awaits us in the harbor one league from here. No doubt the others will try to stop us but,” he leaned forward and pressed a hidden lever in the edge of the carriage bench, a series of weapon-filled hidden drawers revealing themselves in response, “I think we have a fighting chance between the two of us. What say you?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark looked into her 'dying' friend's eyes and wasn't sure if she was supposed to be crying in outrage at her impotence, or laughing her ass off. The idea that she was on a a holodeck never left her mind and she settled for simply nodding at Enyd's final command. Still it was immensely frustrating to have someone she knew 'die' in her arms and the medic threw the bloodied rags at Enyd's 'corpse' and sat back as the coach rocked back and forth.  She could feel her antennae dropping as she buried her head in the red covered hands and turning her stunning looks into a macabre and weary survivor.

As the Princeling eulogiesed Enyd's sacrifice, Zark glared at him. All the glory wouldn't bring her back, but she guessed from the perspective of the program, what he was saying did make sense, so she nodded her agreement. "You will have my help. On one condition." The Princeling stared and made a come hither motion showing his willingness to listen. "When the time comes, I will be the one to end the ones that killed the countess." If the Princeling was surprised by the nature of the demand, he didn't show it, but sat there for a moment and Zark's eyes narrowed as she could feel the gears turning in his head before responding. "Agreed, after this is over,  I will also furnish you with men and tools so you can have your vengeance."

The turn coat officer nodded and shook his hand. She did get the feeling he was holding back on something, but couldn't quite figure out what it was. Maybe as things went on, she'd have the chance to ask the wayward diplomat later. As the pair rode for a bit, the medic got the feeling that she wasn't doing something to advance the story, and looking at the diplomat it was likely something to do with political manoeuvring, which meant documents. Taking a moment to halt the carriage, Zark searched the 'dead' diplomat's body and found a sheaf of papers that showed maps and an incomprehensible series of numbers and letters. "Ah good! She has the list, but we need the cipher. Our contact in Greece will have that information."

Zark nodded at this and there was a pause as the program told the Andorian to change into something more inconspicuous, a linen shirt, and perfectly tailored pants, and a rough hewn leather jacket with a much less nice set of boots. Seeing everything in place, the world phased around her and suddenly deposited the carriage in the sunny Aegean.

The carriage wound it's way through various sailors and merchants at the port then stopped at a ship. The magically healed princeling led Zark put to the gangway where he waved and exchanged pass words with the sentry. The Andorian took a moment to admire the ship and recognized the basic design as something similar to Andoria's Age of Sail, except there was way more wood and everything was more brown as well.  Overall it felt nice since it was warmer, but still didn't feel quite right.

What did feel right though was a familiar green eyed brunette that caused the Andorian to flash a brilliant white smile, then squeal like a school girl as she excitedly charged up the gang way. "Hey wait! You can't come up yet! " a crewman called as he brought a boarding pike down to bar access to the ship. A pirate with a pike that could stop Zark from getting onto a ship had never been born and the happy Zhen grabbed the shaft, jumped, and pulled.  The acrobatic Andorian's legs slid over the shaft in mid-air and headed straight for the pirate's head. For a brief moment, the pirate found himself the envy of most of the crew as he face was planted between Zark's shapely legs, and it only got worse when he oofed as they landed and the shapely butt landed on his chest. Any thought of the delicious position he found himself in ended when the blue hellion bounded off him with a quick "Sorry!" Zark rolled over another crewman that tried to grab her and missed, and dodged around a couple more crew members before getting into jumping distance and happily tackling Enyd Madsen to the deck.

The crew who had began to gather to repel the boarder stopped at the sight of the blue woman happily hugging the brunette and looked to each other in confusion, then to the Captain who was coming off the bridge with stormy expression.  "And what pray tell is the meaning of this?" he boomed as he narrowed his eyes at the two women on the deck.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd laughed, struggling to breathe after her blue-skinned friend's tackle-hug.a friend. At the sound of captain’s bemused question, Enyd pushed out from under Zark just enough to gesture to the princeling and then to Zark.

“They have brought the map through the sea caves with them, captain.” Enyd accepted Prince Radovan’s hand up, then extended one to Zark.

The captain received the map with a sly smile, clapping a hand on Radovan’s shoulder before yelling out a list of orders in his native Greek tongue. Leaning close to Zark, Enyd grinned, “Are you ready for an epic sea battle? After we get through the sea caves, or rather, IF, we get through the sea caves, we’re due to engage BOTH the British and the French and Russians. I figured you’d appreciate a four-sided dilemma to sink your teeth into.”

Enyd gestured for Zark to follow her to the ship's prow, while the ships lined up. Enyd motioned to the water and smiled at Zark's reaction to the mermaids. They were as Enyd had made them, beautiful and intimidating.. Enyd gestured to a cave entrance resembling a dragon's mouth with stalactites-like teeth..

“We have to navigate in the dark through a series of hidden sea channels in this cave system. If all works out, we will have the advantage when we get there.. Of course, there be beasties in the dark we have to look out for.” Enyd gestured over her shoulder for Zark to watch as the Greek sailors draped garlic wreaths around their necks and checked their belts for silver stakes. “I may have gone a little overboard with what could go wrong and paid less attention to what happens if everything goes right.”

Behind them, the captain yelled, “Make ready for the cave.”

“Come on,” Enyd tugged on Zark’s sleeve, “we better find ourselves some garlic or something. And try not to fall into the water.”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark allowed herself to be led off Enyd as the Captain extended his hand to receive the map that had be so precariously transported from Europe to the Aegean.  The Captain moved to confer with the Princeling after properly welcoming the wayward Andorian on too the ship.  With the pleasantries out of the way, Zark followed Enyd to the prow of the ship and took in the details as the diplomat turned pirate explained the latest twist in the strange fairy tale that they were travelling through. 

Darkness began to engulf the ship made it's way to the cave that would lead to the great battle, Enyd pointed out the various crew members draping necklace of aromatics around their necks and breaking out silvered bladed implements.  The Andorian frowned in confusion as she followed to one of the barrels that held the wreaths of dried and pungent herbs.  Her nose wrinkled as the scent wafted over her.  The only thing that would have made it worse was if the bulbs had been cut and cooked.  I'm going to smell like a roast after this Zark thought to herself as she moved to a crate and a holographic panel popped up asking what bladed weapons she wanted.

The Andorian stood there for a moment to stare at the options.  A long blue finger flipped the menu, bringing up an amazing variety of dangerous blades that had been created over the numerous millennia.  Pausing at the long blades, Zark stopped and shrugged as she checked the box next to a rapier that was very similar to what she already had. Next, she had to type in the input as there were knives and daggers of all shapes and sizes.  A pair of ushaan's appeared on the visual display and the security officer nodded as she selected.  Throwing knives, and and ankle dagger soon followed.

The Zhen had no idea what strange creatures they would end up encountering in the cave, but if they needed silver weapons, then she would take as many as she could get her hands on. By the time Zark had pulled her bounty out of the chest and began strapping everything on, she easily blended in with the crew.  Many nodded at her while several others laughed at the amount of hardware she deemed necessary.   Smiling at her human companion, Zark posed, the pulled the rapier out before swinging it in figure rights to get a feel for the balance and momentum. "Do you think I've taken too much for what's coming next?"  She asked with innocent curiosity as the blade was brought up in a salute in front of her face.

Waiting for Enyd joining her after her own fitting out, Zark looked towards the front of the boat as it disappeared into the dark cave and the crew began bringing various lanterns to life.  Others brought buckets of water and placed them near the lanterns in case any of them shattered and set the wooden ship alight. As the eerie orange glow became all that illuminated the ship, Zark's antennae began to stand up as she heard ominous gurgling below, and high pitched screeches of bats followed by much intense flapping around overhead. A few crewman began praying in Greek around her and Zark's face was blank as she coked an eyebrow at Enyd. "Politics is one thing, but is what we're going to face supposed to be historically accurate in any way?"

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“I think you have the minimum requirements for what we are about to meet,” Enyd commented, looking her friend up and down with a playful eyebrow waggle.

Likewise sporting a garden of garlic tucked into every pocket her outfit afforded and now warmed with a silver cutlass in one hand and a crossbow with holy-water dipped stakes for ammo strapped to her back, Enyd stood alongside Zark at the prow. Her friend’s question had Enyd giggling, earning more than a few worried glances from the crew, who had no idea they were mere characters in a simulation she’d had far too much fun with.

“I may have had a little too much fun at this part. I honestly didn’t know if we’d get this far, so I decided to veer away from the historical and pulled on my grandmother’s literature preferences. I grew up listening to her read tales of vampires and werewolves and reanimated corpses during the autumn festival and thought, why not? As much fun as fighting the British, French, or Russians may be, what if they were joined by zombies, harpies, and bloodsuckers?”

Enyd’s brow furrowed. Her last words had been spoken into a cold, heavy darkness, her breath light wisps curling toward an uncertain freedom then choked into nothingness. A darkness that had form. A darkness that prowled around them, poking at the edges of their souls, testing for the weaklings, as it froze the air around every mortal being on the ship. A few men shrieked as they felt a scuttering across their shoulders, a tentative pinch at their necks. Instead of an echo from the cavern walls around them, it felt as if the shrieks had been swallowed by the darkness. The darkness that greedily licked its maw as the last of the light of the cavern’s entrance fell away as they turned a corner, still following the map and hoping for its accuracy.

Turning so her shoulder was pressed against Zark’s, Enyd sheathed her cutlass and unhooked the crossbow from her back. If she could see them before they got to the ship, she might be able to save a few poor souls. “I’m not sure what’s out there, but it doesn’t feel too friendly.”

Everything fell silent. A deathly, black silence with the weight of doom on it. Even though she’d been the one to program this part of the simulation, and she knew this was, in fact, a simulation on the holodeck, she couldn’t help but marvel at how…visceral it all felt. She was just about to remark on this very thing to Zark when the attack came, and it seemed literal hell was set loose upon them.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark nodded along as Enyd told her about the sources that had been used to create this particular leg of the adventure.  It certainly did sound fantastical, and really quite strange, especially the zombie and the harpy.  Bloodsuckers were something she had a passing acquaintance with since there were several 'bugs' in Andoria that would do exactly that.  The numerous mosquito bites she'd picked up while going through Marine training on Earth had also given her an experience she'd rather not remember, though the slightly different blood chemistry did tend to cause both species problems, much more so for the mosquitos. There was also the hostile alien environment training and records of the salt vampire from the time of Captain Kirk.  Zark did wonder if they would encounter something like that.

As they proceeded deeper into the cave, the Andorian felt she should have been grateful for the drop in temperature, but since the crew and Enyd were starting to become more tense, she felt her own hackles begin to rise as her antennae began to whirl steadily like a pair of radar as she stretched out with her senses to hopefully 'see' what was coming.  The soft metallic ring of the rapier coming out it's scabbard and a throwing knife/dagger was soon followed by a scream off to the side.  Enyd pressing herself closer caused Zark's alert state to ratchet up.  Another  scream then a quiet splash as another crewman was plucked into the dark depths and dragged to their end. "Enyd. I'm not sure these garlic necklaces are working."  Zark told Enyd quietly, almost in a whisper as she scanned her surroundings and eyes narrowed to peer into the murk.

Zark spun suddenly to grab Enyd and threw her to the deck as a wave of flying half human horrors flayed the deck. Zark took a chance to look up as the strange combination of human and bird attacked anyone standing and the crew began to cry out and swing their weapons in a desperate bid to defend themselves.  Some got lucky and some winged abominations screeched horribly as they had limbs sliced off, or squawked in surprise when they were impaled on a spear. The crew didn't have it all their way and a man near a cannon screamed as razor sharp talons dug into his chest then the harpy tried to rip his nose off.  The man screamed as the jagged teeth connected and pulled away a chunk of nasal flesh.  Screaming and grabbing at his mutilated face, the harpy leapt off and the bloody talons grabbed at the man's eyes and tore at them.  The crewman collapsed screaming, then sobbing in Greek. A big burly sailor fired a loud concussive seven barrel Nock gun and the half inch lead balls knocked the wing off one monster while exploding the head on another.

Zark wanted to jump up and use her sword to cleave the monster in two, but another scream behind her alerted her to the fact that there were more enemies coming at them.  Rolling over, the sound of talons locking into the deck told Zark she'd just avoided an abomination and the dagger in her hand lashed out where it met resistance and the harpy screamed as the blade went through it's buttock and left one of it's legs hanging by a few strands of tissue and feathers. The Andorian didn't have time to finish the harpy off as she jumped to her feet and had to dodge another harpy coming at her face.  Wind and a wing hit the side of her head as she barely got it out of the way.  Zark felt herself getting dragged around by the foul beast while she tried to slice at it with her blade. "Fucking stupid chicken human! Let fucking go!"  A final swipe missed the harpy but the Andorian cut herself free as the blade split a head of garlic sending bulbs flying in all directions.  The officer stumbled and landed on her knees as she watched the horrid creature make off with her garlic garland and began crushing it, thinking there was something worth killing in its claws.

The sound of flapping reminded Zark that she was still in the thick of the action and she rolled randomly to evade any incoming attacks.  The scratching of the deck indicated she’d dodged something nasty.  The next few moments were spent ducking, and swinging, and lunging at the horrors as they flew by as she fought her way back to where Enyd was.  Another crewman near her yelled in terror as a tentacle boiled out of the abyss and coiled around his hairy chest, then tossed him into the darkness.  The sailor landed with a splash and began trying to right himself to get his bearings and hopefully make his way back to the ship.  It was not to be though as a slick bulbous head boiled out of the water and glowing yellow eyes fixed themselves on the man overboard.  Another tentacle soon rose and snatched the man like a shrimp off a plate and tossed him into an oversized beak filled with serrated teeth pulped the screeching man.

Zark had just made her way back to the diplomat/pirate and bisected a flying monster that was circling her when she heard the Captain yell. “Fire the chaser at the kraken!  Fire the chaser!” The Andorian spotted the cannon on the front of the ship and pulled a dagger out and flung it at a harpy making a dive and watched in satisfaction as the blade flew into the target's chest and the new weight dragged in onto the deck.  Turning to place a hand on her friend’s back, Zark wrapped her arm around the human to guide her to the cannon.  "Enyd! I’m not sure this material is really considered kid friendly, especially if we get mulched by the giant squid up ahead!"

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd’s weapon of choice, now that the harpies were attacking, was an automatic crossbow designed to hold a magazine of ten bolts. As Zark weaved and ducked about the deck dealing out death in that femininely fatal method Enyd had come to associate with her Andorian friend, Enyd knelt next to the ship’s prow, back against the wood, doing her best to nail the harpies either to the ship itself or against the cavern walls, still unseen in the hovering darkness. She heard Zark’s exclamation about a “chicken human” and nearly shot one of the crewmen as her body shook with laughter.

Zark was at her side, hauling Enyd to her feet and escorting her to the chaser moments later, her comment again making Enyd laugh, nearly dropping the replacement magazine as they hurried over the gore-strewn deck.

“You never mentioned the need for kid-friendly entertainment.” Enyd took aim, sending an arrow through the temple of a harpy just about to take off with one of their crewmates. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time!”

They were just about to the chaser when the whole ship lurched, sending Enyd sprawling to the deck amidst the blood and bodies of harpy and human alike. Slimy tentacles climbed up the sides of the ship, ripping into the rails, working to bring the vessel into a crushing embrace. Grimacing as a severed hand rolled past her head, Enyd rolled onto her side and tried to push to her feet, only to immediately face plant back into the bloody grime.

“Fire the chaser, Zark,” Enyd yelled to her friend just as she heard the yipping yowls of a harpy about to strike.

Thankfully, though prone on the deck, she hadn’t lost her grip on the crossbow. She waited a half second longer before twisting onto her back and sending a bolt through the neck of the harpy, whose claws were inches away from tearing into Enyd’s back. The creature, no longer able to screech and bleeding profusely from the gaping hole Enyd’s bolt rent her, quickly flapped away. The ship lurched again, the cavern filling with the disgruntled cries of the kraken. Enyd scooted close to the railing, one-handedly hauling herself to her feet. No sooner had she regained full posture when something large and heavy smashed against the broad of her back and sent her flying across the deck, her body wrapping around a barrel a few feet away. Grasping the crossbow only by her fingers, Enyd moaned as gravity—still applicable in the hellscape she’d created for them—sent her collapsing back onto the deck.

“This need not end in your death, so to speak,” a velvety voice coiled around her ears, tugging Enyd’s attention up, gaze falling onto an ethereally beautiful feminine humanoid figure with bat-like wings. “I’d gladly make you another bride.” The pale figure smiled, revealing pearly white fangs beneath an amber-colored gaze.

Enyd could only note that she’d perhaps programmed this simulation to be too good now that she was in the vampire's thrall, battling the desire to let go of the crossbow and offer her neck to the fiend.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark grabbed a torch and stuck it in the lamp where the oil soaked cloth quickly gathered flame, then at Enyd's command, she plunged the flaming stick into the port hole.  It fizzed for a moment and smoked, then a thunderous bang crashed out of the ship as the 32 pound ball went flying from the brass cannonade.  The air suddenly cleared as the harpies had their auditory senses assaulted by the noise and several flew away grabbing their heads as they'd been rendered insensate and possibly insane.  The Andorian had a brief glimpse of the ball flying out as the smoke cleared and then there was a horrific unwordly screech as the black smoking ball smashed into the Kraken's head just below the eye.  Black and green blood and puss exploded from the hole and the kraken thrashed in the water as manic pain overwhelmed its senses.  Zark's eyes widened and she ducked as a tentacle smashed the spar, and another tentacle followed to decapitate the figurehead.  Nobody was safe as the pain maddened sea beast snatched and flailed at everything, man and harpy.  One sailor was smashed off the ship, dead before he could hit the water as his bones were turned into twigs and pebbles.  A harpy screamed as it was impaled before being pulped with a smash to the deck that sent splinters flying. 

Looking around at the chaos, more accurately looking around to see what Enyd was up to since she wanted some repartee on the shot, Zark risked getting her head up and began swivelling when she didn't find the human where she thought she was supposed to be.  When she saw a female figure with bat wings, apparently oblivious and impervious to the thrashing tentacles, Zark first looked incredulous, then groaned and began banging her head on the deck.  Enyd looked like she was going to merrily give in to the vampiric seductress as her arm wavered around the cross bow in her hands. 

Zark reached for one of the silvered throwing knives on her back, but paused since she wasn't the best with the weapons and there was a significant risk of hitting her friend.  Although the way things were going, it wouldn't be a bad idea. She needed another solution and looked around and began laughing.  Oh! She has this coming! Low crawling over to a sailor's corpse, the Andorian pulled the bloody pungent garland off his neck then took the dagger out and used the pommel to quickly pulp several of the unmashed bulbs.  With her smelly work complete, the Andorian rolled sideways, avoiding more attacks and the tentacles till she had a more clear view of Enyd.

The seductee looked like she was going to give in and her fingers were just beginning to let go of the cross bow as her milky white neck was stretched itself.  That made a pretty good aiming point and Zark hurled the mess at Enyd.   The vampire screamed as it's quarry went from delectable to disgusting in an instant and she threw the human away before her bat wings began flapping to get away from the vile creature.  It was her chance now and Zark grunted as she hurled the silver dagger at the vampire.  The sharpened metal sliced threw the air and impaled itself in the demonic creature's side where it screamed in agony.  This was followed by a blue alien cursing as she'd meant to hit the beast in its head.

Zark finished her stream of invective and looked over to where Enyd was and made her way over.  As soon as she got close, the perfumed pungency of the aromatics hit her nostrils and and the Andorian fell on her ass laughing at the expression on Enyd's face.  There might have been a good bit of menacing dialogue, but the Zhen couldn't hear it over her peels of hilarity.  Oh sprits Enyd! This is too rich! You smell like a french tart!  As the double meaning sank in, Zark began laughing again, but was soon trying to get control of herself as a booming laugh reverberated through the cave.  "Ah! Ah! Ah!  Let's count the number of chattle I have to eat today.  I count one human, two humans, three humans. One Andorian. Ah! Ah! Ah! This will be tasty!"

As Zark looked up, she saw a purple skinned vampire with shiny black hair and a monocle floating in the sky.  Tossing aside his black cape to reveal the red silk lining, he began to descend while holding onto the female vampire that had fainted from the holy pain of the silver dagger in her side. "Ah! Ah! Ah!  And I shall start with one meal, then two meals." He counted as his fingers flipped between Zark and Enyd.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

The smell of garlic hit Enyd's nose as she broke free from the vampire's spell and heard Zark's words.nostrils. Enyd curled her lips, thankful for her friend’s save but less thankful for the stench. The heavily accented voice sounding overhead drew Enyd’s attention away from her foul-smelling self just long enough to catch sight of yet another vampire. She really had gone a bit crazy with this level of their game hadn’t she?

“The only thing you’re eating,” a gravely masculine voice came from the mast, “is a silver stake!”

There was no further warning before said silver stake impaled the vampire and seconds later his body exploding in a shower of guts and blood and rotting flesh. Now covered in vampire filth and garlic, Enyd swiped a hand over her eyes and blinked away the red haze until she could take in the figure more clearly. Thick leather gloves gripped a crossbow of elaborate and intricate design as he stood on the crossbeam.. He was clad in skin-tight trousers with knee-high boots, a leather trench coat draped over his shoulders with layers upon layers of interior pockets all filled with various weapons against nefarious creatures. He had a wide-brimmed leather hat on his head and his shoulder-length chestnut covered hair fluffed about his head as he dropped from his perch to the deck.

“I heard you had a monster problem,” the man pulled a half-chewed cigar out of one of his many pockets, “I can help with that,” he placed the cigar between his lips but didn’t light it, content for the moment to chew on it, “for a price.”

From further down the deck came a few more squeals from crewmen as they succombed to either vampires or harpies while all the while the kracken continued to retreat under fire yet still swiped the occasional tentacle at their ship.

Enyd did her best to toss her hair over her shoulder but it only managed to slosh oddly against her neck, “What’s the price?”

His predatory gaze took in her form then darted over to Zark, lips curling up in a snarling smile, “Dinner and a dance with the blue beauty.”

Not usually given to whoring out her friends, Enyd swallowed her immediate acquiescence and instead turned to peer at Zark, curious if she’d be willing to accept his terms.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark had just gotten her giggles under control when the dark and dangerous figure showed up and easily dispatched silly rendition of a vampire the holodeck had created.  He was admittedly attractive in a dangerous rough hewn way.  The problem was that Zark didn't really like actual bad boys that much since she's tended to be slapping hand cuffs on them, pointing a weapon at them, or in the extreme case, pulling a bloody dagger out of their body.  Thus the mysterious stranger chomping on the cigar didn't do a whole lot for her.

The problem on the other hand was that the crew was being slaughtered and the Andorian wasn't in the mood yet for having a program end on them just because they 'died'.  Curiosity also weighed in since she was wondering where the rest of this program was going. "Very well sir, I accept your price, but be warned.  I have two left feet, so I can't guarantee anything."  This was not true at all.

The man grinned as he pulled his coat back and pulled out what appeared to be a drum that he slapped into place. "If you can distract them, it would make my job easier."

"And how do I do that?" Zark asked as she rolled to the side then gutted a harpy that was diving on her.

The vampire slayer casually shot the unconscious vampire in the heart before running towards Zark and Enyd.  "Just make a bunch of noise and run around."

"You mean yell and scream at the top of my lungs?" Zark clearly puzzled as she pushed Enyd down and out of the way.

"Noooo" He said in tones of profound patience. Several silver arrows were launched and harpy found itself impaled against the Kraken's skin. "Grab some pots or something and just make noise."

This made no sense to Zark, but she didn't see any other options.  Looking around, she spotted one of the ship's bells and made a run for it alternatively ducking, or rolling over her obstacles.  Another harpy tried to fly at her, but was quickly knocked out of the way by a silver arrow. "A most magnificent display!"  Zark heard from behind her as she closed in on the bell.  Getting it off was another issue, till she saw a lost boarding axe that she made a grab for.  Swinging it in a circle in the air, she swung it at the rope, and was rewarded with a loud bang as she missed and hit the bell instead.

The sound had the unintended effect of acting like a monster magnet and the Andorian ducked as the air around her was flailed by arrows, dropping several harpies and a vampire to the deck.  "A good try, but get the bell off."  He called again.  Zark grumbled as she took another swing, and was rewarded with a bang as the bell was separated from it's rope. Huffing, she grabbed the bell and a broken piece of wood before turning to him to see if her tools would work. Seeing him nod, she just had to ask. "Can I at least know your name before I die?"

"It's Van Helsing and perish the thought.  You're in fine hands."  He offered cheerily as he loaded another drum.  Zark turned to Enyd and shook her head at how ridiculous she was going to look in a moment. "Okay, here we go."  the Zhen muttered to herself before she took off around the ship, banging the bell like a mad woman.  The air soon became alive with arrows zipping by and inhuman screeches of pain as the master vampire hunter cleared the air around his decoy and prize.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd was completely useless at helping either this Van Helsing or Zark for the first few moments of the ensuing fight. The image and sound of Zark literally banging her way around the deck, drawing monsters to her side for Van Helsing to dispatch, would likely be a favorite memory for the diplomat in the years to come. Something to pull out and remember during difficult times, as it was bound to elicit more than a mere smile. As it was, in the actual moment, Enyd had to hold on to the railing, and her stomach, she was laughing so hard.

“Have you gone mad?” Van Helsing’s question was tossed at Enyd in passing as he effortlessly dropped from a mast beam, rolled across the deck, dispatched a monster, then leapt onto the railing to later jump across to land on a few barrels.

Enyd wiped a tear away from her eyes, ducking before a harpy could take off her head, “I think I’ve always been mad in all honesty.” Crouching down, Enyd picked up a discarded saber and sliced at the talons of yet another harpy, smiling when one foot fell to the deck beside her and the harpy flew off wounded and pissed.

“Fair enough,” Van Helsing conducted a gravity-defying twisting twirl, arcing over a monster so he could shoot it in the back. His landing was a little less graceful only since he landed on the shoulders of another flying monster and shot an arrow directly into its head, riding the beast to the deck. He stood a few paces away from Enyd and tipped his head toward her, “You’re in good company then.” He nodded toward Zark, shared a smile, and then took off after another group of monsters gathering around Zark.

“Brace yourselves!” Somehow, a crewman was still at the helm, steering the ship through this chaos. “Hard to starboard!”

Enyd looked along the line of the ship and saw why they were making the sudden turn. Sunlight was streaming around a sharp corner, and the only way to make it around the corner was to do an almost 90-degree turn. Given the mayhem still ensuing above and around them, they’d be lucky if the ship was still battle-ready once they made it outside. IF they made it outside. Having wasted precious time in thought, Enyd’s body was tossed to the deck, and she rolled through the bloody grime of battle as the ship heaved to the right. Slamming against a coil of rope, her body wedging between it and one of the mast pillars, she could only hope someone took pity on her because she was good and stuck now.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Things were certainly exiting with sharp prices of silver darts flaying the air.  Whatever embarrassment she should be feeling was pushed aside as the sound of carnage around her echoed with harpies being perforated and the odd vampire cursing and screaming as the holy metal pierced they're super human bodies with ease. It certainly wasn't in any tactical doctrines that she'd read about or practiced, but as far as story telling went, it was hilarious, and tons of fun.

Deep within the crystalline matrix of the holodeck, power continued to flow executing the programming parameters that Enyd had given the system. As the plasma flowed, the structure of the isolinear circuitry changed faster beyond the perception of an organic mind.  The chips at the molecular level expanded and shrunk as data was pulled and passed through. The chips in bank 74-9679-2343-A carried out their task to keep the program running and also to ensure that the safety protocols were being followed.  This particular program was proving more taxing than expected and it was one of those low priority items that the Engineering crews simply didn't have time to attend to while the ship was going through overhaul.  An Operations person could have taken care of it, but they were also busy working to patch up everything else.  Still, there was damage and one particular violent session was the straw that broke the camels back just that tiny bit as several chips surged.  There was a brief flash, then nothing else, but suddenly the matrix and calculations used to determine what was safe and what wasn't were now severely skewed.

Zark didn't know this as she ran around the ship like an adolescent with a noise maker, and given her general toughness and awareness, she certainly didn't know it when a figure slammed into the mostly cleared ship and sent her flying to pick up more of the usual nicks and bruises.

Rolling to a stop, she hit the capstan no harder than usual, but her body still cried out in protest at being abused this way.  Looking at what had sent her flying, she saw a giant hulking pale figure with a pair of bat wings with claws at the end.  He was decked from head to toe in the finest of black and blood red silks that were intricately detailed from potentially years of craftsmanship. Standing, Zark could see his bulging muscles were barely contained by his finery and seemed to strain as he pulled out his over sized rapier.  He looked around with infinite menace before settling his glare on Van Helsing.  "We meet again my old adversary."

Van Helsing glared back and his mouth tightened as his true adversary had finally deigned to show himself. "Indeed we do Count Dracula.  I tire of your presence plaguing the world, so you'll have to excuse me if I say, may this meeting be our last." The vampire hunter dropped the drum on his automatic cross bolt and quickly snapped another one in place then dropped it to prepare a torrent of silver at his old foe.  The two were canny to each others tricks though as the ancient vampire threw his cape over his head to disappear.  Van Helsing had been expecting this as he ripped off a pouch and flung a dust around him making a temporary barrier before moving away just as the vampire picked up a barrel and hurled it at the hunter.  They knew each other's moves so well as if they were partners in an old deadly dance as they ignored the manoeuvring of the ship.

Zark got up just in time to see Enyd go flying as ship made a radical turn and heeled hard.  With the two old enemies trying earnestly to kill each other, the Andorian ran to where her friend was trying to unwedge herself and laughed as she reached the barrels to start giving Enyd a good hard yank to get her out.  Zark was the picture of struggle as she grunted and pulled with the Andorian planting her foot on a barrel to get additional leverage on the stuck human.  "Enyd!"  Zark grunted as she pulled. "You aren't big!  How the frozen hells did you get stuck??!"  Zark complained as she pulled more.  Eventually, the human came loose and the Andorian fell on her ass with a yelp at the unexpected freeing of her friend.

Breathing hard, Zark smiled at their apparent success, which was quickly interrupted with someone yelling in surprise as the sound of wood being smashed apart registered. "What was that?"  Zark asked the air as she turned around her mind plucked out the empty ship's wheel.  Looking to the side, she grimaced as seeing a pile of wood that looked like a bloody ruin.  A shriek of pain sliced through the air as the  momentary distraction gave the vampire hunter a chance to land a hit.  The ancient monster responded by pulling the holy arrow out and throwing it into the sea contemptuously while hissing his hate.  This got Zark to thinking. Why would the vampire risk injury like that in a life or death struggle? Ducking as she looked around, she saw the ship begin to steadily drift away from the literal light at the end of tunnel and towards the volcanic black walls.  They were in danger of running aground the Andorian realized as she made a dash for the wheel.  Vaulting over hatches, barrels, and bodies, the gymnast was moving very quickly and almost slid passed the wheel before getting a good grip on the wooden circle.  Grunting as her arm was pulled harder than anticipated, she felt her knees hit the deck, yet pulled herself up and spun the wheel in the opposite direction to aim the ship's bow at the light.

"Hey!  I don't think he likes the light!" As if to punctuate that, Zark had to duck and roll as a crate flew at her.  This missed by a good margin, though the Vampire flew sideways to dodge a barrage of arrows.  One hit Dracula in the calf and he screamed before ripping the arrow out and tossing it at Zark.  The Andorian hadn't been anticipating this as she'd tried to keep the ship steady, so her dodge was almost too late.  There was a slicing sound and a thin blue blood flew from her shoulder as the arrow sliced her jacket.  Zark gritted her teeth as the pain flared as she grabbed a dropped musket and some ammunition then ran to find some cover.  "Enyd! Keep the ship going for the light!" the Andorian yelled as she cocked the lock on the musket, took aim at Dracula, then pulled the trigger and the world was lit up with a bang.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd fell into Zark’s lap, face-planting in the other woman’s sex, in a manner of speaking. Zark surprisingly didn’t have the time to toss a sexual innuendo or pithy quip at Enyd as the two sought to disentangle themselves from each other and the random paraphernalia broken about the deck. The ship gave a violent lurch, and the great Dracula filled the air with his pain. Enyd followed Zark, and with no less dexterity. She recognized some of the gymnastic-based moves from her own training years before and likewise used some of her tumbling skills to dodge and roll around items as they lolled about the deck. However, Enyd relied primarily on the finesse of her dance classes to dart under and around the would-be attacking harpies, still dead-set on taking them down.

After the debris of the thrown crate from an increasingly irate Dracula dissipated, Enyd obligingly took position at the helm, gripping the wheel – or what was left of it – to steer what was left of the ship. Zark’s shot hit Dracula, but since the ammunition was not silver, the wounds from her attack healed quickly. The ship leaned to the side, the top of one of its remaining masts brushing against the edge of the cavern as they pushed toward the light. Enyd ducked when a weaponized piece of the deck was launched spear-like at her.

Dracula retreated out of range, his monstrous calls causing the harpies and other fiends to retreat with him. As they amassed near the cavern wall above them, Enyd realized they would try one last rush en-mass. Catching Zark’s gaze, she also saw the realization on the Zhen’s face. The ship swayed again, and though she knew it would mean the end of the ship, be she on target or missing, Enyd determined to take out the head if she could. With Dracula distracted for the moment by Van Helsing, who was crawling up the rope ladders to get a closer shot, Enyd swung the rudder with a violent twist of the wheel. Dracula managed a bellowsome cry before the wooden mast pinned his body against the rock. The front of the ship buckled, and almost immediately, the deck began to tilt as it began to sink in the murky waters.

They were only a few yards from the brightness of day, but between here and there, there could be all kinds of nasties waiting for the remainder of the crew and Zark and Enyd to jump in and try to swim to safety. The captain yelled, “abandon ship,” and the men scrambled into what was left of the launch boats – though a few had holes punched through from the fight. Glancing up, Enyd was satisfied to see Van Helsing reach Dracula, where they re-engaged their fight, this time with Dracula secured by the mast. The harpies, losing their temporary leader, swooped down haphazardly, trying to take out as many as possible.

“Let’s go, Zark!” Enyd scrambled across the deck and took hold of her friend’s hand. It only occurred to her then that she’d never bothered to ask how well the Andorian could swim before making this program. She supposed she would soon find out.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark knew something was wrong as soon as she pulled the trigger and felt the violent mule kick against her shoulder.  If the last program had been anything to go by, it was understandable that she should feel something from the monstrous recoil.  On the other hand there was hot stinging in the general area, but not in any specific location that the butt of the musket had been in contact with.  Even the satisfying sight of an explosion of blood and flesh from the vampire lord couldn't quite distract the medic from the sense that something had gone awry.

The Andorian yelped as Enyd spotted an opportunity to end this part of the conflict and fell onto the deck. Scrambling to get back on her feet, Zark dropped the empty musket and grabbed at a bit of rope that was being flailed about by the ship.  Gripping the wound hemp, she tried to coil it around her arms in a desperate attempt to find some purchase on the madly heaving ship.  The crunch and scream of unholy agony did little to assuage the Andorian as she was sent flying and the rope snapped away from her grip where she rolled along the deck till the deck railing decided to stop her momentum.  Zark oofed hard as she ran into the wood pillars and let out a groan as she struggled onto her hands and knees.  With the ship now pinned, this was a lot easier since it wasn't moving as much and she swayed while getting up.  Shaking the impact off, Zark looked up to see Van Helsing climbing the rigging to try to deliver a killing blow to his old foe.

The Andorian had little interest in joining the battle as she heard the dreaded words to abandon ship and Enyd encouraged her on. Grabbing Enyd's hand for support, she ran to the edge of the listing ship and jumped off the edge, landing feet first in a noticeable splash. As soon as she felt the splash, she gave herself a second to settle then began furiously kicking for the surface as her arms clawed at the water to rise to surface and the air she could breathe instead of water.  Looking back, Zark winced at the pain in her shoulder and watched as Van Helsing and Dracula fought, oblivious to the fact the ship was sinking under them.  Pushing her wet hair behind, Zark shook her head and began swimming for the light.  She quickly breached into the sunny Aegean and spotted the crew heading for a rocky island which she quickly followed as her mind went cold in focus.

When the Andorian did reach the warm rocks, she gratefully crawled out of the water and turned to sit on her butt while taking deep breaths to suck in and replenish her oxygen supply.  She barely noticed the sun as she watched the ship settle on the bottom, but with a substantial amount still sticking out.  Instead she winced again and looked at her shoulder to see a gash in her jacket that seemed to be oozing more than water would warrant.  Grimacing as she gingerly removed the jacket, she stopped for a moment and stared at her blouse that had turned a light shade of blue.  Urgently pulling off her shirt, Zark reached up to gently probe the wound and winced as fire lanced through.  Pulling her fingers back, she rubbed the blue liquid together and realized it was her own blood.  Looking around, she found Enyd and quickly made her way oblivious to being practically topless.   "Enyd, we have a problem.  I'm injured.  Really injured, not some holographic creation. Look."  she said as she twisted her shoulder so Enyd could see the slight gash.  "Quick, help me tear the shirt off and wrap it up as a bandage." the medic ordered as her mind tried to process what the hell had just happened.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Curious how major details can be so easily overlooked until something terrible happens. Such was the case when Enyd approached Zark on the craggy outcropping they’d beached themselves. Zark showed her the wound, and Enyd wordlessly went through the motions of helping her bandage it up as best they could, given their circumstances. Only as she leaned back, hands blue with Zark’s blood and a bit pink from her own set of scratches sustained from climbing onto the island, Enyd realized she didn’t have her combadge.

“Zark, do you have your combadge?” A rather foolish question considering Zark’s general state of wounded undressedness, but still, the Zhen mirrored Enyd’s frown with a head shake. “I guess we’ll have to drag you to sickbay the old way.”

Looking to the sky, Enyd called out for the holoarch. While the computer made a sound for compliance, nothing happened. A frown worrying her brow, Enyd repeated her order, and again, the computer made noises as if it would comply, but the holoarch was nowhere in sight. She caught Zark’s gaze only a few seconds before the Greek sailors further up the island began a series of cheers.

“You try for the arch? I’ll see what’s going on.” Enyd patted Zark’s uninjured shoulder before crawling past her.

Enyd stood alongside the Greek sailors at the island's crest, watching as the French and the British warships engaged one another in naval battle. Coming around the bend to their right, they saw the Russian also approaching, and on their left, another grouping of Greek ships were likewise approaching. The previously sunny blue sky quickly turned grey, and then black as cannons were fired, ships were set ablaze, and general sea-based bedlam reigned. Hurrying back down to Zark’s side, her frown returning when she saw no sign of the holoarch still, Enyd dropped into a crouch beside her friend.

“I think we may have played too hard?” She pointed over her shoulder. “I remember the next level is the naval battle and ends with a ship-based execution, the exectionee dependent on who wins the naval battle.” Looking back to the remains of the ship floating out of the cave, Enyd sighed. “Without us in the battle, I don’t have a clue who that will be. But, um, maybe the game will end on its own if we win or fail?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

As much as planning happened, it could always be the little things that tripped a person up as the Andorian stared blankly at Human for a moment then began feeling her own body and whatever was left of her clothes.  Thankfully the tougher leather pants hadn't suffered a lot of wear.  She was sure she'd brought her combadge, but maybe with all the costume changes, it had been buried by the terrain or some other computer generated prop.  This frustrated Zark immensely and she sat there for a moment deciding whether she should grab Enyd's head and smash them together in admonishment as a much quicker way and more deserving.  She quickly shook that thought away as turned to settle beside Enyd and watch the battle unfold.  Behemoths from another age closed with each other and began bashing away at each other with flame and shot, filling the air with thunder.  The sight was mere window dressing to the security officer though as she mulled the problem in her head of how to reactivate the holodecks safety protocols, and see if they could get out to let Engineering know there was a problem. "Normally we'd try to walk to the edge of the holodeck and see if there was a panel we could pull of to execute a manual override."  The Andorian thought out loud. "On the other hand, if the systems gone haywire, then it's going to keep us centred while creating environs around, so we'd never get to a wall."  Zark paused for a moment as she thought a bit more. "It's also possible that if we went seperatley, the the holodeck would just create forcefield projections like screens to simulate distance while keeping us in the same spot. "  At that thought, Zark placed and elbow on one knee and her head on a hand.

A shadow stopped next to the Andorian and stood there dripping water, though he didn't sit.  Zark looked over, then up and recognized the Captain who was busy glaring at his former home. "I knew it had to be too good to be true."  Zark turned her attention back to the beached and settling ship where Van Helsing was still trying to kill Dracula by pushing a pointed silver cross into the vampire's chest.  "As soon as I saw that chest of gold and gems, I should have known.  As soon as that malaka stepped on my ship, I should have realized the problems we were going to have."  The Captain sneered as he crossed sopping wet arms. "As soon as that Vlákas Pútsos showed up with all that treasure! It should have been obvious that we were headed for trouble.  I could have retired to the islands with a bevy of beautiful women at my beck and call! Now!"  He flung his arms up in a frustrated rage.  "Now! I have to pay off the families of the dead, I need a new ship!" A stream of Greek invective followed that Zark didn't have a hope of understanding, and she turned to look at Enyd with a look that managed to combine surprise while being utterly blank.

The fight had caused immense amount of damage to the ship and smoke billowed from the rear of the ship.  Several ports in the back vomitted flame as part of the ship exploded.  Zark's head tilted to the side as she wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her.  Turning her head back to the battle, an idea began to percolate in her while haired head and she looked around a bit more till she saw a boat making it's way through the contested waters without getting caught in the middle.

Looking around again, the kernels of plan began to form in the bedlam inducing Andorian and she turned to Enyd. "I think we can get out of here, but it's going to be messy.  The first thing we need is a big ship.  Maybe not one the biggest one, but one with a lot of oomph in it, but to do that, we first need a way to get onto the ship, so we need to cooperation of that fishing boat." To that end, Zark stood up and grabbed the arms of the furisly gesticulating Captain and got him to stop.  When had taken a few moments to calm down, the Andorian explained the plan to get him a new ship from one of the outlying frigates.  Despite the incredulous look, the Captain didn't see much choice and put the plan to the crew. Thinking about it for a moment, he gave the Andorian a good look over, and smirked, then handed her his coat to cover up.

"Alright listen up you booze besotted swashbuckler.  I said listen!"  The dispirited crew gathered around. "The lade here.." and he gestured at Zark who was now semi decent. "has a plan, it is fool hardy, but gives us a chance to get off these rocks and to get ourselves a ship back." There were wary and skeptical looks from the recently shipwrecked. "The lady here is going to give an enticement for that fishing boat to come over and 'rescue' us.  When it happens, we'll seize the boat and use it to take one of the frigates." A commotion started as the crew was not enthused on the idea of storming an actual warship. "Fear not boys. The lady knows what she'd asking for and is volunteering to lead the way for us to seize the ship."  There were more murumus of disgruntlement and the Captain cast a baleful eye around the rocks. "Are you really going to let a woman be more of a man than you are?" Thhis dig against their manhood didn't work on all, but there were enough macho men that several burly and hairy men stepped forward to join the crazy blue one.

The crazy one turned to Enyd after the Captain was finished. " Hopefully this works and we can get the fishing boat to come over.  Try to talk him into giving us control of the boat, but there's no need to try too hard since I'll just knock him out if this takes too long."   Zark paused for a moment as she mulled what she was going to do next, then decided against pulling her bra off and waving it in the air. "We need to make some noise to get their attention."  With that, Zark turned towards the boat and began exuberantly jumping and yelling.  Other crew members got the idea and started doing the same thing.  Nothing seemed to happen for a bit, then the boat began to slowly approach the ship less crew.

---

Vlákas Pútsos  = Stupid Cock (I think)
Vlákas

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Zark’s plan worked, more or less, and with minimal mess and, thankfully, no further bloodshed, they were inbound for one of the frigates. The British onboard were so distracted by fighting off two other enemies that they didn’t notice until it was much too late that they were being boarded from the rear by the group of Greeks, with Zark and Enyd in tow. The sailors who didn’t surrender to be put in the hold were either killed or tossed overboard until, at last, they had their boat.

Whether the Greek captain enacted the next part with Zark’s blessing remained unknown to Enyd as the Greek had the canons armed and released a volley against the British frigate bobbing next to them. As they reloaded and the wounded frigate tried to figure out what the hell had just happened, the Greeks engaged their rockets (an upgrade to the ships Enyd had forgotten about) and pushed them further up the British line. Swinging the ship about, he ordered another volley loose on the French, engaged the rockets, and swung the ship about again for the first side of cannons (now reloaded) to fire on the Russians. While the zig-zag attack approach on absolutely all sides engaged in this naval battle seemed to be crippling a number of ships, it was also doing two other things.
1.   It was making Enyd very sick to her stomach as she tried to assist the cannoneers in loading and reloading.
2.   It was making them a target to all sides as the British, French, and Russians started to understand what was happening.

She was starting to feel so miserable that for a time, even if the safeties were off and they'd end up being rushed to sickbay, Enyd hoped their ship would explode and the simulation ended with their deaths and failure.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark hadn't really had a chance to see Enyd in action as a diplomat, so it was a pleasant surprise when the Captain had agreed to hand over his boat to the pirate crew.  The stick had definitely been applied though as Zark had just stood there impatiently with her fists on her hips at one point while the diplomat had gestured at her.  The carrot had taken a little more work since Enyd had talked the Captain into giving up a hidden gem purse with reassurances that the new ship would make up for the price paid.  The fisherman had smiled as he secured the pouch to his belt, then disappeared into a cabin below.

With ship figuratively in hand, the Captain brought the ship closer to shore and the pirates piled on, quickly moving to rig the ship for it's anemic maximum speed.  Blessedly, this was still faster than the ongoing battle where the cannon blasts were creating a wind void that was bringing the ships to a halt.  Spying a Royal Navy frigate that was getting the worst of a duel due to being triple teamed at one point, the Captain manoeuvred his new boat closer the quarry. As they got closer, fate intervened and a 12 pounder canon ball set off the ready magazine in the French frigate that obliterated the ship in a thunderous explosion.

[Engineering]

Chief Petty Officer Curt Lucas spun his chair at the Power Allocation station as he contemplated another boring watch of nothing much.  It was far more interesting to consider his possible date with Holly Cane in the Arboretum.  He also briefly considered pulling a game of solitaire to pass the time till the watch ended.  This line of thought ended when a yellow blip appeared on the screen in front of him and he frowned for a moment, thinking it was just a figment of his bored imagination.  He was too experienced though to ignore his instincts on this one and with nothing better to do, he began pulling up diagnostics and logs to see if he really was hallucinating.

[Holodeck 03]

The fishing boat had been in the shadow of the battered frigate when their opponent went up and the air was torn with the sound of rended wood, metal, and flesh as the shrapnel mangled the deck crew and killed most of the British officers.  This made boarding the ship easier, and Zark was the first on aboard, which she regretted instantly as they had to force down her bile at seeing the holocaust of the main deck.  The Andorian was on a mission and had led a brutal and non-lethal storming of the rest of the ship.  Her acrobatic combat style had worked wonders in the close confines of the ship as she'd used a pair of investigating Marines to breach the gun deck, then wreaked mayhem on the crew who quickly called it quits as the rest of the Greeks descended like screaming mad men with pikes and cutlasses grabbed from the dead and wounded up top.

Timing was critical as the crew rigged the ship for sail and with the ship's ensign blown away, nobody knew whose side the ship was on and the air became thick with shot and ball.  Seeing Enyd helping to load a canon, Zark made her down into the ship's bowels and passed crew members scrambling to find their positions on the unfamiliar vessel.  She was shoved aside a few times, but it didn't stop her as she found an access hatch and grabbed a lantern to descend into the ship's bowels.  Crew were being shoved into the holds and she took a moment to watch for the pattern in the movement.  It took a few more for her mind to pick up where the Greeks were avoiding putting the prisoners and she made her way to that area and found another hatch leading down ward.  What she had planned next was fool hardy in the extreme.  Opening the cap, she extracted the black powder and created a trail to an area as far away from the kegs as she could get, then loosely piled additional powder before opening up several smaller powder barrels and knocking them over.  There was no time to admire her handiwork as the ship shuddered from impacts.  Climbing back up, Zark took one moment to look into the powder hold and dropped the lantern into the darkness and closed the hatch. 

Wending her way through the crew, Zark quickly hurried back to the top, very conscious of the time bomb underneath them.  Swiping a crewman's dagger on the way before ascending to the wheel deck where the Captain was manoeuvring to try to exit the battle. Zark's mind detached itself as she reminded herself this was only a simulation and ran to the Captain smiling gleefully to the jubilant pirate.  It was the last thing the simulation saw as Zark plunged blade into his throat and almost severed his spine.  The Andorian dispatched a couple more crew members who were nearby before turning the ship towards a French ship of the line and jammed the wheel with the blade.  Running back, onto the chaotic deck, Zark grabbed Enyd off her gun.  "We gotta go!  Just trust me.  I hope you're a strong swimmer, we need to the other side of that big ship."  Taking a moment to strip off just about everything that would make swimming difficult, Zark grabbed Enyd's hand and the pair jumped into the holographic water below.

[ Chief Petty Officer Curt Lucas | Outside Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“I’m outside the holodeck now,” Curt spoke into his combadge, eyeing the holodeck doors as if they would soon turn into dragons to strike him. Considering the diagnostics he’d read through earlier, anything seemed possible, “Can you tell if it's at a point I can hack in without causing a cascade failure to the whole grid?”

It took Petty Officer Tenchi Koizumi long enough for Curt to set down his toolbox and open the panel before he responded over the comm link, “How can we know? I’ve never seen this much activity on one program before.”

“Look for a lull of at least .0004 cararythms between the delineations, and that should do it.”

Koizumi didn’t sound confident when he replied, “There are none, Lucas. The closest is a .0006. Can we hack in with that much error margin?” Curt heard the petty officer swear before adding, “Who in the hell designed this thing? I swear this is how Moriarty was created back on the Enterprise!”

“Don’t jinx us, Tenchi. We’ll have to go with the .0006 then. Give me the pattern, and I’ll hack in on the third cararythm.”

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 ]

The heat of the blast burned through her costume, leaving an angry red rash of heat blisters on Enyd’s skin, each one slowly bursting and aching as she pumped her arms as hard as she could to keep up with Zark. A leak from one of the closer ships suddenly ignited, shooting a band of fire zipping across the water’s surface. Enyd only managed a yelping warning before she had to duck underwater. She’d been swimming right through the leak trail, and Zark had just gotten out of it when the trail ignited. Arms and legs methodically drawing in and out, Enyd swam under the surface, eyes burning from the water’s salinity. She could see numerous bodies kicking and thrashing, the sailors from the other sinking ships. This much activity was sure to bring…

Enyd let out the air in her lungs on a watery scream before the mighty jowls of a giant shark closed around her, swallowing her whole.

[Chief Petty Officer Curt Lucas | Outside Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Chief Lucas and stared with undisguised incredulity as he watched the data conversion rates draw more and more processing power to keep up with the complexity of the program.  Whatever was going on wasn't something sedate.  If anything, it looked closer to the draw that the Security Centre would use when they were running exercises.  Tracing the fault that had caused the initial warning was also proving difficult since a lot of the control mechanisms were artificially imposed and needed circutry to run.  The only real bit he could be thankful for was that they could access everything from the outside.  The more relaxed rate he'd been intending to use for the check was interrupted when their comm badges beeped for attention.

"Lieutenant Marika to Chief Lucas, have you started to diagnose the problem with Holodeck 3?"

"Yes sir, we've got PADD hooked up and this thing is drawing a steadily increasing amount of power.  It seems like the regulator circutry is trying too hard to compensate for some of the program's parameters."

There was a slight pause.  "This is strange, I can't seem to get access to an internal of the holodeck. Oh wait, this is a privacy issue."   Another pause. "Uhm, I hate to ask, but can you force a bypass to see what could be going on?"

Lucas had a moment of indecision, but whatever was going on could potentially start wreaking havoc with other systems on the ship.
 He also had officer authorization for this, though he knew the Bajoran engineer wasn't the best judge for the interpersonal interactions.  "I'll try." He concluded and just decided if it was too much, he could always just kill the feed. Truth was, he'd tried some of the esoteric holodeck programs out of curiosity and knew they really didn't need a lot of power, so whatever was going on wasn't likely to be something too crazy.

After a few moments, Koizumi let Curt knew that the cararythms were as good as they were going to get and he peered into the scanner, then pulled an isocircut probe to begin rerouting isoliear web in front of him.  Looking down at his PADD, he didn't any change and adjusted the scanner's position, then applied the probe to several other areas.  Looking at the PADD again, he brought up a directory program and began reprogramming several operating parameters before looking into the scanner and probing further.  It was a laborious process that took several more attempts to complete.  When he looked down at the PADD several minutes later, his eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped as he saw one human, and one Andorian struggling inside what appeared to be an animal's maw and they were beating frantically against their devourers side in an attempt to escape.  This was pretty extreme and he thought about just closing the window and leaving the pair to their version of 'fun'.  Still it didn't hurt to double check, so he reported his findings as something about the way they were acting didn't seem fun at all.

Lieutenant Kala considered this for a moment as she kept the channel open. "Computer, who is in Holodeck 3 and what is their state?" The computer's feminine voice came back quickly.  "Lieutenant Madsen and Lieutenant zh’Ptrell are currently on Holodeck 3.  They are currently experiencing severe adrenal spikes and are bleeding from numerous cuts, as well as suffering from numerous contusions.  Warning.  Holodeck safety protocols compromised."  Lucas could see the other engineer's face go pale as she blanched despite not being in her physical presence since his was doing the same thing. "Chief! Shut down Holodeck 3 now!" she quickly commanded. "Engineering to sickbay! Medical team to holodeck 3.  Repeat medical team to holodeck 3!" the Bajoran almost quailed as the depth of the problem sank in and there were now lives on the line.

[ Lt. Talera Emlott, Ensign Vinata Vajona & Ensign Sarah Aurora Bjørge | Holographic Projection Room |  D. 11 |  V. 2 |  USS Theurgy ] ATTN: @RyeTanker

The frantic call from engineering was the first interruption to Talera's efforts to bring her nurses up to speed on some of the updated procedures their doctors expected them to apply readily, but it certainly seemed to be the most legitimate one. Since Ensign Bjørge had thus far exhibited the most obvious physical signs of wanting to be doing anything but this training, Talera opted to send Ensign Vajona with a few orderlies. Bjørge had more reason to stay for a little one-on-one training anyway, the woman not being as up to speed on some of the procedures Talera felt optimized the medical bay. Thus left with the demure blonde, Talera continued her lecture on proper suturing techniques on penile tears, picking up with the Bajorans since B's had been where she'd left off when they were interrupted.

[ Ensign Vinata Vajona | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

"Sorry," the head nurse commented as she and her small group of orderlies approached the entrance to Holodeck Three, "we had a small mishap on the way down. What seems - " her voice caught in her throat when she saw the bodies splayed out on the holodeck floor. "What happened?"

"Holodeck malfunction." The engineer standing closest answer, his lips continuing to form words describing more of the details but Vajona's attention had diverted entirely to the Andorian and human forms before her.

She'd seen holodeck malfunction before, but this seemed excessive. There was so much human and Andorian blood mingling on the holodeck floor, turning the growing pool around the women a strange dark purple, she doubted either crewman could leave sickbay for at least a few hours as they tried to refill their veins with what they'd obviously valued so carelessly. Finishing with her triage, Vajona supervised the orderlies as they loaded the semi-conscious women onto the portable gurneys they'd thought to bring with them on a whim.

"Ensign Vajona to sickbay."

[Sickbay here. ]

"Prepare two biobed in the recovery ward. One female Andorian, one female human. Both need replacement fluids stat." Glancing at her tricorder, Vajona listed off the women's serial numbers so the correct blood and fluids could be waiting for them. Following the orderlies out the holodeck, she paused long enough to stare disdainfully at the engineer. "Fix it."

She didn't wait to hear if the man sputtered a response. She didn't have time for such things. Not when there were the likes of the human and Andorian floating through the air in front of her. Considering their present state, Vinata could only assume she'd see more of them in the coming days.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Blue eye lids fluttered open as awareness managed to finish rebooting her brain.  It was an imperfect restart though as she felt her thoughts move with an alien yet  familiar syrupy slowness. She tried to mentally wipe away the slowness, but it persisted in disappating at its own pace.  A face with bulging dark eyes entered her vision and a gaping hole below them moved.  Her mind worked through the viscous layers to figure out what was going on.  Then it dawned on her. That thing that was moving was called a mouth. There was something else happening.  Her eyes blinked and she realized that sound was being emitted when the mouth moved. The smooth egg looking thing with the big black orbs said something and there was a sound to her side. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment then the world seemed to speed up as the sticky miasma evaporated.

Lieutenant Zark blinked again as she her senses took in her surroundings and had trouble reconciling where she was with where she thought she'd been and what had been happening.  When it all came flooding back in, the Andorian bolted up, then grabbed her mouth as she a wave of nausea over took her. A loud gagging sound exited and Ensign Vajona pulled her hand away before sticking a pan underneath her mouth.  The medic let loose and a noxious mix of blue, red, and other colours exited her mouth and quickly filled the pan. "Easy there Lieutenant, just breath.  That's it, get it all out, one breath at a time."

"Urghhhh." was the Andorian's eloquent reply before she gagged one more time and another wave blue laced bile joined the predecessors in the pan. The Head Nurse rubbed her back as the Andorian held her head in over the pan with stringy thick liquid leaking from her mouth.  When she was sure she wasn't going to throw up any more, Zark took a breath without smelling.  More accurately, since she'd hurled, any more puke wasn't going to affect her. She groaned then managed to croak our what she needed next. "Thank you. Towel and water please."   Ensign Vajona nodded and passed the filled pan to someone else then pulled the requested items off a cart.  Zark gingerly took the glass and filled her mouth, then rinsed the liquid thoroughly before adding it to the pan.  A second and third rinse followed before the medic felt she was presentable enough under the circumstances and poured the water on the towel. Some spilled onto her hospital gown and those areas turned dark. The spillage didn't matter though a she used the towel to wipe her face and mouth. The Andorian closed her eyes to gather her breath and heard the foot falls of the other medicae taking the disgusting pan away for dematerialization. 

Zark opened her eyes once more and looked directly into the black ones that regarded her calmly. "Thank you Vajona.  You ran the detox regimen on me didn't you? "   The head nurse shrugged and nodded. "Guilty as charged. We needed to considering how crazy your holodeck excursion was becoming."  Zark quirked and eyebrow at this. "Alcohol, salt water, human blood..." The last point forced Zark's antennae to shoot up and her eyes brows moved in sync as "Enyd!  Where is she?!"   Zark asked in desperate worry.  "Relax Lieutenant." Vajona soothed. "She's fine. Your vitals recovered a bit quicker than hers, so she's still sedated, but we're going to bring her out after we're done with you. "

The Andorian nodded at this and gingerly tried moved to get out of bed, forcing her body to her will.  "Lieutenant, I don't think this is the right time for you to be getting up....."  Zark groaned and nearly collapsed, but caught herself and Vajona moved to catch her. "Let's get you back in...." The medic shakily found her footing and pushed the Ovri aside as she staggered over to Enyd's bed and ignored the liquid tubes attached to her arm as they extended.  The blue woman leaned over her friend and took a moment to brush some brunette hair out of the way a she gazed over Enyd's prone form.  "You know. I don't think I've really seen her this peaceful before.  She has poise and elegance, but there's always an energy underlying that, just waiting to be let loose." Zark grinned. "I've just never seen that energy so still before.

Vojona tilted his head as he considered the Andorian and how she was treating the sleeping human.  "If you don't mind me asking, are you two lovers?"  Zark's cheeks turned slightly purple and dimpled.  "No, we're not.  Maybe one day." She concluded.  Leaning in, Zark planted a kiss on Enyd's dry lips then hobbled her way to the side and gently took Enyd's hand in her own.  "Go ahead. Wake her up."

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

There was a strange weight in her limbs, on her chest. It felt almost sinister, lurking and lapping at the energy she willed back into her body. Enyd channeled more of her will into the fight to move again, to breathe deeply. Then something hot tickled. No, it burned. Burned like mad. Starting in her belly and surging up her chest, swarming in her mouth. In a lurching, roaring move, Enyd finally wrenched her limbs free of the residual weight of unconsciousness, throwing all four appendages straight into the air mere milliseconds before an avalanche of vomit shot out of her mouth.

Her consciousness registered fully once her belly was emptied, and her body instinctively curled into the fetal position on her side. Everything seemed to ache in some fashion, even her eyelids, and the taste in her mouth and scent in her nose reminded her of the bloated, semi-exploded carcasses they used to find on the ranch when they’d do the perimeter rides. Voices sounded around her, and she opened her eyes with wincing effort.

Zark’s blue visage was the first thing she saw, and despite her continued discomfort, Enyd managed a weak smile. The smile fell, however, when a vomit-covered nurse shifted into her line of sight and began chastizing the both of them for pushing the holodeck safeties too hard, along with their bodies. The nurse said a lot of things, probably feeling she had the authority to do so since both Zark and Enyd were held captive by tubes and monitors, but Enyd bore them all with a demure smile. She knew to nod occasionally and hum her acknowledgment, but thankfully, the nurse didn’t expect much from either of them beyond mere listening and affirmation.

The engineers came next, explaining what went wrong on the technological side and taking time to chastise them in their own engineering manner, but like the head nurse, they didn’t seem interested in waiting around for responses from Andorian or human. In due course, Enyd was re-cleaned up of her projective vomit, she and Zark were given clearance to leave sickbay by a most disgruntled nurse, and she found herself standing on semi-stable feet in the corridor with her friend.

“That was…” Enyd’s lips quirked upward, “awesome! But the type of awesome that I think I can handle only like once a month. What about you?”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Just because one was willing to comfort a friend, didn't mean one should get covered in projectile vomit, unless it couldn't be avoided. Zark had just a moment to recognize what was coming, or maybe it was the years of experience in the medical field that unconsciously placed her mostly out of the way.  When Enyd vaulted up to empty her bowels, the poor nurse assisting Vajona was splattered in a fashion the medic hadn't seen in a long time.  If she had more energy, the Andorian probably would have fallen on the floor laughing, but she was too tired and simply settled for rubbing Enyd's back much the Head Nurse had done for her.

The episode pretty much confirmed that Enyd had an duranium stomach and liver to Zark.  While her splash was certainly impressive looking, it probably wouldn't have filled the pan as much as Zark's did. The thought of Enyd at a diplomatic function and drinking other diplomats under the table to get their dirty secrets did bring a weak smile to the Andorian's lips.  The smile became a little wider as Enyd gave her own weak one back.  It couldn't be a good reflection of her actual state, but at least she had the energy to try.

The Andorian wanted to place her forehead against Enyd's and offer physical comfort, but she was interrupted by a throat clearing sound and she guessed a rather irate Head Nurse.  The assistant was no where to be seen, and she guessed that the unfortunate had been sent away to clean up.  Maybe even spend some time in the decontamination chamber. "I know you are quite hardy Lieutenant zh'Ptrell..."  Uh-Oh, what was that human phrase? Riiiight. Mom's mad   "and from what I can tell, Lieutenant Madsen, so are you, but that was ludicrously foolhardy pushing the holodeck the way you did. I understand the ship is the cutting edge when it comes to technology, but even then, there are limits to what they can do.  That's why they're used for non-interactive simulations, or relaxation.  You're supposed to relax in them! Do you know what relax means?!"  Zark nodded along as Ensign Vajona chewed out two superior officers like they were errant children and joined Enyd in making the appropriate agreement noises while trying to keep the tired out of her face.  Especially since it would make her look bored and maybe set the nurse off even more.

The door to the Recovery Ward opened and a pair of annoyed looking mustard shirts walked in.  They waited for the Nurse to finish before chiming in with their information. In essence, the system that was being used was one of the last places to get fixed since it was low priority compared to more critical systems on the ship. The circuitry was due for replacement, but nobody had thought there was a program being designed that required so much power to start with.  "And this is why holodeck programs are supposed to be set up in advance and made more specific.  If you don't define the simulation well, the computer has to draw from as wide a range as possible to try to create a convincing facsimile.  Do you have any idea how many samples the system has to go through to create something believable when the criteria are so vague? Yes I did review the program with Ops and they're frankly surprised we didn't out right fry the safety circuits."  More nodding and humming followed.

The engineer nodded at having gotten his point across and walked out. Zark hopped lightly on the bed and leaned on Enyd for the comfort of knowing she was alive.  On the other hand, Zark also knew that with this life and death experience out of the way, her mind would process it and a bout of horniness would kick in later.  That was another problem though for another time. Leaning her head on the human's shoulder, Zark smiled as Enyd mustered her remaining strength to succinctly sum up their experience. The Andorian had to think about whether she would want to have this experience more than once a month and quickly came to the conclusion that once a month sounded altogether like too much for her. "Nuh-uh hun.  I could do with out this sort of excitement. On the other hand, this kind of 'fun' will come find me anyway, so I expect I'll just have to live with the face that the universe is taking a keen interest in my own little insignificant self."   The last part was practically drawled out.

Zark let the moment sit as she leaned on Enyd.  An internal debate gently raged inside the Zhen before she pulled herself off and looked into green eyes once more.  When she opened her mouth one more time, the most surprising set of words left her mouth. "Hey Enyd, it's probably not my place to say so, but go find someone.  Life's too fragile as it is."   Zark struggled with the words since it wasn't necessarily her forte in life. "We should always have someone to share our heart with and someone to come back to.  Maybe even keep us out of trouble."   The Zhen smiled at this for a moment in reminiscense before looking back at Enyd and giving her a salacious smile. "Do you have someone in mind for the joining of two hearts and two minds?"

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Corridor | Deck 11 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd supposed growing up on an ice planet versus growing up in Montana would afford a difference in what one found entertaining and relaxing. Likewise, considering how often chaos manifested in her own life, it was no wonder Enyd found the perilous a fairly pleasurable pastime.

Zark’s momentary half-hug was interrupted by the most bizarre thing. Granted, they had discussed her feelings for Drauc at the beginning of this fiasco, so it was too much of a stretch to figure out why her blue-skinned friend needed to bring it back up. The diplomat remained quiet, watching as intently as she listened as Zark seemed to struggle through her words. The woman was remarkably more physical than verbal, making it no wonder she ended up in her assigned department.

Rolling her eyes, Enyd tucked her hand into the crook of Zark’s elbow and tugged her along the corridor. “If we take sexual attraction out of the equation, then you’ll do just fine.” Enyd paused to lightly tap the end of her friend’s nose. “Kindred spirits are what we call those, and they don’t always have to be romantic. Now, let’s go do something less crazy before returning to saving the galaxy from mayhem.”

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Corridor | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark was satisfied. The chaotic pair had made it out of sickbay without being bothered further.  They were mobile, and in less pain than could be reasonably be expected.  It might also have something to do with the low grade pain killer they'd been injected with.  There had been an attempt to keep them in sickbay for observation, but Zark had pointed out that they didn't have any major injuries and the worst that had occurred had been their reactions to the detox regimen. Arguably, the worst had been trying not to appear too bored while being lectured. Upon hearing that Enyd did love her, just not in a sexual fashion, the Andorian's happiness quotient did increase and she smiled back. "Well, this.."   Zark gestured up and down her curvaceous figure "Isn't something to be ignored lightly for too long."

As for what to do next, Zark wasn't really sure.  Having just gone through another near death like experience, she was sure, it wouldn't be long before her mind decided it was happily alive and wanted to celebrate in demanding her usual physical satisfaction. That was an issue though for the next day when her subconscious had finished it's analyzing process and there was nothing to be done about it now. Especially since she was still somewhat tired.

"Well, I'm not sure about you, but since we are supposed to relax and be less crazy, we could go to the Arboretum and enjoy our slice of nature's peace." The Zhen did smirk as the next one came to mind, and didn't miss a beat about letting Enyd know. "Or, you can find out about a selection of the medical courses I took at the Academy. The physical therapy course had a great section on how to give various styles of massages for stimulation and relief.  This being a non-sexual encounter, I'll do my best to not elicit any excitement out of you. And before you say it, I'm totally incorrigible, and love every second of it." The gorgeous Andorian smiled knowingly at her own admission. "So I won't use some of the techniques I got from the Risians, but there are a few from Lieutenant Miss Astrid of Sweden that you could find tasteful."

Dropping her hands down to Enyd's narrow waist and giving her trademark brilliant smile, Zark gave an undue amount of focus to Enyd. "So, what sounds good to you?" The Andorian asked happily which turned into a grimace as her stomach growled reminding the Andorian that she'd very recently puked everything out. The idea of food wasn't the most enticing, but without it, there wasn't much chance of doing anything relaxing, so food suddenly had become priority one. "And maybe something easy to eat on the way, like some bread and soup?"

[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen| Corridor | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @RyeTanker

A massage sounded delightful and it was on the tip of Enyd’s tongue to state as such, even with the promise of Andorian lustiness, when a familiar face passed through the corridor a few feet away. The tall, enigmatic Romulan didn’t slow his steps, though Enyd caught the subtle glance he sent in their direction on his way to the turbolift. A resulting tug lurched in Enyd’s belly, and she sighed like a schoolgirl, standing frozen for a heartbeat past his disappearance. Suddenly remembering Zark, Enyd shook her head and lightly swatted her own cheeks. If Zark had seen Drauc, she’d already understand why Enyd had gone mutely mushy, and if not, she’d probably assume Enyd was just being…Enyd.

“Let’s get a snack at the Arboretum Café, and after that, I can guarantee I’ll need a massage and will likely want to give one too.” She didn’t state the pent-up frustration of being so close to Drauc yet being unable to touch or do anything about her attraction for him as being the reason for these facts. It was an implied reason she figured the Andorian would pick up on. Tugging her friend’s arm, Enyd led the way to the turbolift. “Let’s do the massage in my quarters after, okay? If we end up in a pillow fight, I won’t feel so guilty about wrecking things because we both know that will happen.” She gave Zark a playful wink, forcing her mind away from the handsome Romulan she was torturing herself by presently tailing with an incorrigible Andorian friend in tow.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Corridor | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark didn't buy the playfulness of Enyd's response as she spotted the scarred and rough looking Romulan that passed by.  Her face had gone blank while she'd tried to feel not much as he passed by.  She knew she didn't have the details of what had gone down, but passions were an unruly thing and she couldn't help but seethe anyway at what he'd done to Enyd.  It was a very biased view, and she worked to step on the feelings since she was quite aware that he could pick them up.  Turning her head back to the human on her arms, she missed the look of wary curiosity that was thrown her way when Drauc felt the animosity lessen.  He stood there for a few moments while working what he'd just experienced, then continued on his way, quite sure he hadn't generated the feelings.  It was still curious though what had caused the blue one to feel such a dislike for him since he didn't even know her.  Maybe it had something to with Lieutenant Madsen, but that was none of her business.  Shrugging, he wandered off around the corner.

The Zhen for her part was happy to head off for food followed by helping Enyd unwind.  Overall, it was a good day.  They were still alive, and had plenty of more to do ahead of them.  A mischievous thought popped into her head as she considered that since it didn't look like she had a chance with Drauc, then could try to needle the details out of Enyd on what she planned to do with her other prospect, maybe even offer a few tips and ideas.  On the other hand, it was hard to say whether any of her ideas would end up being too raunchy for a first date.  Zark's ears did perk up at the idea of a pillow fight and she smiled brightly at the thought. "Food, then massage, then maybe whack a pillow.  Sounds like a plan." she repeated back as they reached the turbolift.  Since chaos was likely to happen, it did help to always provide a warning ahead of time. "Just so you know though Enyd, please treat me gently, cause if you don't, you're gonna find out what Death by Thighs is all about."  Leaving that ominous threat in the air, the pair entered lift car to carry out their plan for the rest of the day.