Fanning the Flames

Posted on Sun Aug 11th, 2019 @ 1:52am by Captain Abigail Laurens & Ashe Zachariah & Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Commander William Rogers & Lieutenant Jack Carver & Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan & K'Lok Maarg

Mission: Getting To Know You
Location: The Raging Deity Lounge

The lounge had been peaceful, something that had surprised Ashe, given the knowledge that they had had the waring factions on the ship, she had expected something more than just the few stern words that had been easily silenced by the simple presence of Kaarg and his mighty Batleth, and the temporary closure of the mess hall meant that Kaarg and his mighty batleth were making regular appearances in the lounge, delivering food and special orders.

Finally off duty, Bill made his way down to the lounge. A drink had sounded good. A drink out of uniform had sounded better. Once there he headed for the bar, keeping an eye out for the anyone he recognised.

Jack sat, in civvie clothes, at a table near a viewport. He eas enjoying a simple but honest meal of a burger, fries and sauce, along with a tall beer. As Bill walked in he offered a smile and a nod in greet.

A broad grin flashed in return, followed the universally understood gesture for 'Do you want a drink?'.

Jack shook his head and motioned to his tall beer. He had drink.

Aleksi had chosen to arrive earlier than he normally would, it had been a rather rough day though he had to admit it could have been worse. At least he didn't have to lie to the boss. Approaching the bar he smirked at Ashe, glad the crowd was minimal for now, "Come here often?"

There was a genuine smile on Ashe's face as she glanced at Aleksi. "You know, someone has to keep an eye on the place, they let any riff raff in here it seem," she said with a grin. "Vodka?"

"You know me so well dear," He winked, knowing full well he was equal parts riff and raff. Looking back into the rest of the lounge, seeing who was there knowing he'd have to leave Ashe to her work at some point, "Heard any interesting rumors lately?"

Next through the swish of the doors was the ship's second, Ichiko Gail. Her ears brushed against the top of the door as she walked in, though this had happened so much that she had gotten used to it. Some would say 'if she remembered, she'd lower her ears'.... if she remembered. Heh.

Pale, reflectionless eyes scanned the room, before she made her way to the edge of the bar to wave Ashe over. The order was simple, a cup of tea and something to nibble on. However, the surprise wasn't the drink, it was the food order. One would think Ichiko would take more to salads and greens. Beef or pork would be off the menu for the descendants of humble and snuggly rabbits...

The nibbles ordered were thin cuts of ham on thin bread slices.

A few moments after the order had been passed out back, the Klingon chef showed his face. His spine armour, house sash and weapons were an intimidating sight, only slighly marred by the chef's hat (at a jaunty angle) and apron with the words 'Go on, complain. I DARE you!" on it. A towel over the arm completed the ensemble as he placed the plate in front of Ichigo without a word as Ashe nodded towards the Ts'Usugi officer.

Ricardo entered the room with Evita, Vicente deciding that he should stay in the room after receiving an interesting offer from one of the Astraea’s crew. They hadn’t been made privy to what the meeting was about, or with whom, but they were told that they should be aware of anything of note and report back to Vicente. That was only a secondary purpose to their visit, the primary of course was to have a drink and get some interaction. Scoping out the room, Evita pointed to the lone man at the bar sipping on some clear liquid, a rather cheerful grin on his face, “He looks fun. Do you think Vicente would mind?”

“So long as he’s just an appetizer Zorra,” Patting her on the shoulder he moved to the man enjoying himself at the other side of the bar. What he wanted was some banal chatting, the sort you’d have around a campfire while drinking chicha beer. Taking a seat next to Bill he offered a smile, “How are you doing tonight my friend?”

The helmsman turned to regard the newcomer. Not a face he recognised. "Got a cold one and no paperwork." He grinned, broad, friendly. "That's a win in my book. You?"

"Once I have a beer in hand I'll be right there with you," Rico waved at the bartender who nodded to him, indicating he was the next. Turning to the man next to him he offered a hand, "Rico."

Evita sauntered over to the man, making sure to brush her hand along his shoulders as she did so. She slid on to the bar stool next to him, ensuring she had his full attention, “Hola señor, mind if I take a seat?”

Aleksi hadn’t really paid attention to the pair entering the room, figuring they were on a date of some sort. It wasn’t until he felt the hand along his shoulders that he realized who had really walked through the door. Turning his gaze away from Ashe he faced the newcomer, immediately recognizing her. Setting the glass down he decided it was best to play dumb, offering his hand, “Of course not miss?”

“Evita, just Evita,” Taking his hand she gave it a firm shake, loosening it slightly afterwards but not letting go for another few seconds. She smiled at the man, pointing at his drink, “Tequila?”

“Vodka,” Aleksi moved to grab the glass, eyes still on hers, more out of self-preservation than anything else. At that moment he was happy to be out of uniform, whether her interest was operational or primal he wasn’t quite sure, but either way he liked being as anonymous as possible, “I prefer my tequila añejo, on the rocks, and sipping it.”

“Ah, man of culture,” A playful fire danced in her eyes, her hand moving towards his knee. Her eyes went to the rainbow haired woman, the same one her prey had been staring when she walked in. Chuckling to herself she lifted up her hands, saying a sentence that made Aleksi wince briefly, “Bartender! Two shots of tequila, extra añejo .”

Yes, there was definitely something 'extra' in this scenario, and it wasn't the tequila. Walking away from the bar, Ashe stepped into the storage room and picked up the most 'extra' bottle of tequila she had. Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she still had it. The taste was beyond hideous, but the bottle made it look like it was worth a whole lot of latinum. She poured two shots, holding the glasses in one hand and the bottle in the other, carrying them back to the bar and setting them down in front of the two, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she gave a simperingly sweet smile as she pushed the shots forward. "There you go, just for the two of you, enjoy..." her voice was almost dripping with sarcasm as she spoke. She started to turn away then turned back to the bar again, another smile. "Why don't the two of you just have the bottle," she said before casting a glance at Aleksi, another sickeningly sweet smile, and walking away to serve customers at the other end of the bar.

The irony of the situation was that now, Ichiko's glance slid from her nibbles to the pair, then back to her nibbles. She was keeping an eye on Aleksi in the peripherals, but at the moment she didn't make any moves.

The irony is that tonight, She was the wingman. Or, depending on how things went... the ugly friend.

Aleksi's heart sank a little, knowing exactly what Evita was doing. She was rumored to be a man eater and probably figured out there was something between him and Ashe, the sort of thing she'd get off on. The more troubling thought was that he inadvertently gave away more than he should of, the exact thing he warned others about. Perhaps for her sake it was better that Ashe sounded as disgusted as she was. Sliding the bottle towards Evita he pointed to the pilot in the corner, "I think this might be better suited for the man over there, I hear that he's looking for something bit more exotic."

Escaping quickly, he sat himself next to Ichiko. Watching the woman give him a puzzled look, she shrugged and moved to Jack's table, offering him the shot of tequila.

Jack shook his head with a smile. "Not my kind of poison, but I appreciate the offer." he mused, hefting his mug of beer. "I'm a simple farm boy, deep down."

"More for me I suppose," Taking both shots, recoiling. Whatever the bartender was peddling was certainly not top shelf liquor. She had been jealous, and considering her prey's quick reaction she could guess why, "Where is farm at my friend?"

"Louisiana, Earth." Jack offered, taking another swig of his beer. "It's a nice enough place but I wanted to fly fast things and see the universe."

"So, I screwed that up," Aleksi finished the rest of his shot, planning to slink away and figure out some extravagant way to make it up to Ashe. That was when the door opened and revealed Ernesto Miranda and the Oligarch's Attendant. Nervously his eyes darted between the Government officials and the TLF. Who let this happen? He felt that shit was about to go sideways real quick.

"Oh I wouldn't worry. Talking to women is an acquired skill." she teased, though the rabbitess' focus shifted quickly once the Governor stepped in. "This... is problematic." the rabbitess muttered into her snack.

"Keep your eyes open for..."

Ernesto approached the bar with a bit of swagger, Aurelia in tow. He was about to order a drink when he saw Ricardo attempting to make small talk with a Federation Officer. Waving off the rainbow haired woman he approached the officer, "Why do you talk to such swine?"

Another person Bill didn't recognise. An angry one. He placed his beer on the counter and turned to look up at the newcomer.

"I don't think we've met." He put on a friendly smile and stood, drawing himself up to his full height. Placed physically between the warring parties he hoped to forestall any aggressive actions. "William Rogers. Head of Flight Control." He held out a hand.

"... trouble." Ichiko finished her thought on the other side of the bar.

"It wasn't the woman who frightened me," Aleksi chuckled nervously, kinda wishing he had taken that tequila shot. He wasn't sure if the nerves were from the coming train wreck or a woman's wrath.

"Counselor Ernesto Miranda," The man just glared at Bill, ignoring the hand. Typical that the Federation would be coddling these sorts of monsters, "Minister of Internal Security. Do you know you're talking to a terrorist Mister Rogers?"

"It's alright my friend, I can handle this myself," Ricardo tapped Bill's shoulder, warning him that he was stepping around the larger man. He appreciated the pilot's sense of honor, but there was little honor when you were dealing with pigs, "Stop harassing our hosts cabrón. Grab a drink and sulk in the corner."

Ashe spent about ten seconds taking in the scene before she backtracked across the small area behind the bar, rapping on the door three times. "Chef!" she called through the door, summoning the Klingon before things started getting any more out of hand.

In the Kitchen, Kaarg looked up. He took off his hat and apron and stepped into the bar, bat'leth held loosely in one hand. He looked at Ashe, then took in the scene quickly.

Bill held an arm out to forestall Rico's advance. "As host I'm responsible for the safety of both delegations." He noted, holding the Councillor's glare with his own look of determined resolve. "Councillor Miranda. Rico. I'd be greatful if you'd both take a few paces away from one another. For everyone's safety." He inclined his head towards the Klingon.

Realising the situation that they were in, Aurelia glanced around quickly. She recogized a few of the faces already in the lounge, Vincente and Evita were there. She set a hand on Ernesto's arm. "We should go," she said quietly. "I think there's been a mix up, we shouldn't be here now." Turning, she saw Commander Gail sitting at the bar. "I'm sorry Commander," she said quietly. "We were told we could come to the lounge, we'll leave. We don't wish to cause trouble," she said softly.

"No, we do not back down to terrorists," Ernesto shut down Aurelia's pleas. Taking a step closer to Rico, in clear defiance of the Federation officer. As far as he was concerned, the Federation had done little more than prolong the conflict so they could pat themselves of the back, "This is a war your people injected themselves in, do NOT presume to tell me how to handle myself."

"Thank you my friend but perhaps you should step away before we mar that shiny armor of yours," He laughed, patting Bill on the shoulder. Looking over to Evita, seeing that she was spoiling for a fight, he smirked. The fact the Klingon was there gave him little pause, this fight was personal, "You know, I've always wanted to fight the Butcher of Valparaíso," Stepping clear of Bill he tossed his beer on the government official, "That was for my father."

Enraged by the insult, the older man drew his fist back but was met with a sharp jab in the stomach. Rico moved in close, anger in his voice, "And my sister, mierda sádica," Shoving him into the bar he was able to deliver one more solid punch before the larger man retaliated, throwing him into a table.

Seeing the situation deteriorate into a fullfledged bar fight, Jack scowled, rising to his feet and tapping his comm badge. =/\= Carver to security. Barfight in the lounge. =/\=

Ichiko had had enough of this. Guests in her house were now coming to violence. She stood, a slam of her hand against the bar as she did so. Security had already been summoned, but she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"Alright, both of you!" the daughter of Ts'usu raised her voice, all but stomping her way over to the pair. She put herself between the pair, interposing and imposing. "I will not have my guests act in such a way. Any of my guests." she turned her hollow glance from Rico, then back to Ernesto, then back to Rico.

She realized she was in a dangerous spot. Security on the ship was fast, right?

Kaarg was a moment behind Ichiko, "SHE SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" He bellowed in a voice that often made lesser men check for water damage in their trousers. He was off to a side, within easy striking distance of the two argumentative men. "You two behave, or you deal wiith me!" His voice had gone from earth-shattering to a harsh whisper in a heartbeat. "There will be no fighting here." For emphasis, he laid his bat'leth across his shoulders. "I'm all for Klingon-style politics, but these nice people don't need your blood on the carpet!"

Aleksi looked at the show of force the crew was attempting to display, confused at their actions. This wasn’t a simple spat between two football fans, these men were out for blood and were fanatical enough that any overture outside of phaser blast wouldn’t stop them. Now that the tension had broken he was more relaxed, looking at an Ensign that had gathered around with a grin, “My money’s on the spry one,” If they were going to kill each other, he might as well make the best of it.

“I see that you brought in more Klingon Mercs. Apparently you didn’t learn from the last time you tried,” Rico’s grin was maniacal, spurred on by K’Lok’s threat. He was given the chance to take on the Oligarch’s strongman and he was going to take it. If they wanted to cut him down so be it, he’d drag the son of bitch to hell with him, “But how about you fight me yourself, cobarde.”

Before either man could react Evita had pounced on Aurelia, taking advantage of the distraction. Unlike most of the others she enjoyed violence for the sake of violence and the meek woman made an appetizing target. Pushing the government woman against the bar her fist made contact with the woman’s jaw. She winked at the man who had run off on her earlier before continuing her pummeling, Aurelia trying desperately to fend off the assault.

With an audible groan that could only be emulated by a mother with more children than she had eyes and more open doors for them to dart through than arms to grab them, Ichiko felt very much like not enough jam on too much bread. With Kaarg here to handle the menfolk, the rabbitess moved to Aurelia's aid. No one really liked a bully, especially one that seemed to just enjoy hurting people.

"Enough!" the Daughter of Ts'usu called, moving to be the wedge between the sociopath and the secretary. All she had at her disposal was standard Ts'usu Navy basic training. More than enough to fend off an unarmed assailant.

"This doesn't help you, this doesn't help anything!" the Ship's Second chided the woman. "Now knock it off! Or it's isolation for the conscious ones."

By the time the Rabbitess intervened, Ashe had already cleared the bar and was ready to throw herself bodily into the fray.

There was about two heartbeats of silence before Ricardo lunged toward Ichiko, and then everything started to blur together.

Before he could land his hit though, Ichiko found herself roughly shoved aside and grabbed in a strong arm, manhandled out of the way of the attack. Ricardo's lunge instead hit the larger and heavier form of Jack Carver, holding on to Ichiko and taking the brunt of the attack, staggering backwards from the impact, face bloodied, letting out an oomph as he was hit.

With his free arm he aimed a loosely aimed but fierce swing at Ricardo, as he found his balance and started to make steps away from the fray, unceremoniously dragging Ichiko along.

At the sight of the Jack dealing with Ricardo, Evita let out a piercing shriek, pushing passed Ichiko ready to defend Ricardo.

Realising what was about to happen, Ashe grabbed her by her hair, pulling her backward sharply, only releasing the handful of hair to grab hold of one arm, twisting it up painfully behind her back before grabbing her around the neck in a half choke hold. "Move and I'll fucking break it," she half growled. "Give me an excuse to hurt you, go on."

After seeing their predicament, Ricardo started laughing as if the whole thing had been a joke. They were outnumbered by people who wanted to keep the peace, and seemed willing to kill for it. It seemed the only other one who was in on that joke was the man Evita had been flirting with earlier, "I agree with the man over there, I think we made our punch line clear."

Turning towards the woman who Evita had intentionally antagonized he smirked, "I think you can let her go now, she'll know better than to mess with your property."


Rubbing his face he noticed a small trickle of blood thanks to the fighter pilot. Chuckling again he glared at Ernesto, "No wonder you have goons to do your work, you punch like Puta. They don't."

Walking over to Aleksi he smirked, speaking quietly, "I noticed you did not want to play. Can I ask why?"

"Ask me again some other time," Aleksi's voice was low, very aware of the eyes on him. Truth was everything Rico had said about Ernesto was right and if it had been up to him he'd let the fun continue. But he understood, decorum and all.

Rico chuckled at the response, moving to the door with a battered Evita. Either Vicente would show concern or anger, it was difficult to tell with that man. He waved at the crowd, "Thank you for the lovely hospitality you've shown to a mass murderer," He pointed to Ernesto, "Adios!"

Ichiko took a few heavy breaths, the side effects of all that adrenaline fading. It was around then that she became aware that there was still an arm on her. An arm that had, more or less, tugged her to safety.

An arm attached to a man. A man she knew. "T.. Thank you, Mister Carver. I know I shouldn't just... well, jump in to any situation like that, but I couldn't stand by and do nothing."

"I'm in your debt."

Jack let her go seeing she was ok, offered a shrug as he wiped the blood from his face. "You're fine, don't worry about it. Wasn't gonna run the risk of you breaking one of your crystal bones. You're not as easy to glue back together as us, from what I've read." he said with a grin, lip split, nose crooked and a tooth missing.

"You're not wrong." his medical terminology was all over the place, scattered between factual and wrong, but at least he did his reading.

"The flesh heals, the bones... well like you read." she mentioned. "We're simply different. Now, let's go find your missing tooth. Least I can do to repay you." she stated. "... and I have to worry about it. We don't really do well with debts unpaid. Myself especially."

She gave Jack the 'just a moment' motion before turning towards her actual charges, the Governor and his Aide. "I apologize for the rude behavior. Are the two of you alright?" she looked to the aide, and shook her head, "Let's get you to sickbay."

Calvin stepped into the lounge, bag slung over his shoulder. He hadn't bothered with his uniform coat, having just the teal undershirt on. He glanced around the room before actually stepping in, feeling the tension but recognizing the threat level was low, obviously whatever happened happened and was over. He caught the eye of the Ichiko. "Whatcha need?" He asked simply, working his way toward the people most likely to be hurt in some way.

Ichiko motioned to the Governor and his Aide, "Attend to them first." and then she turned to Jack, "I'm moderately familiar with human anatomy. Let me take a look at the bleeding until the doctor finishes."

"Yes ma'am," He responded, not losing a step in change of direction to the Governor and Aide and began to attend to them.

Jack shook his head. "A busted lip ain't a thing for a Louisiana farm boy, Commander. If you want to help find me a handkerchief." He offered a smile. "That'll be debt repaid."

With that, Ichiko made her way with a bit of a step to the replicators on the wall and conjured forth a cloth napkin. Returning to Jack, she handed him the handkerchief substitute. "Then we're even."

The doors parted once more, this time allowing Abigail to step through. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking around, a look of sheer horror on her face as she took in the scene in front of her, her voice equal parts concern and incredulousness. "Would someone like to tell me what the hell happened in here?"