[JP] Marshall, Sienelis & Josett - And You've Got to Reach Your Prime (Part II)
Quinn Reynolds
((Three Days Ago: Crew Lounge))
::Bear's confidence drained somewhat as his back thudded against the bar and his upper half bent at a near impossible angle. A Nausicaan hand gripped at the shoulder of his jacket, lifting his feet off the deck with a menacing snarl, and the shorter Rigelian sidled up beside him.::
O. Marshall: Look… fellas… There's clearly been a breakdown in communication here.
::While his toes could have touched the floor momentarily if he'd tried, suddenly they were about a foot off it and the smashing of glass behind him heralded a new sense of impending danger. In hindsight, laying a final hand down at the table with five Queens in it could have gone some way toward insulting the intelligence of a Rigelian with a temper, and was probably not the best idea he'd had yet.::
Gotaen: Do you take me for a fool, soft hide?
O. Marshall: I can't say th—
::The tightened grip of the Nausicaan lifted him clean off the bar, this time dangling the six foot blond man in midair and managed to suck the air out of his lungs along with it.::
O. Marshall: —at was my intention.
Gotean: Then, what was? Winning? Cheating me out of the stack? ::Each word was delivered smoothly, with the same potency of a Le-Matya claw.:: I should let Terrg here gut you and use your gallbladder for a springball.
O. Marshall: You know, it's so nice to find a Rigelian with a knowledge of the human anatomy…
::Another thud of his hip bone into the rounded edge of the bar made stars whip round his vision. Only as the spinning room came back into some kind of focus did the man's eyes pinpoint the hybrid in the gathered pirate crowd, standing behind an Arkarian onlooker. With her target's focus entirely on the spectacle at the bar, she'd easily been able to slide a PADD from the man's pocket, copy across the contents to her own and return it unnoticed. With that, she slipped out of the lounge.::
O. Marshall: ...even if it is from dismembering them. Has anyone told you, you have amazing eyes?
::Seemingly out of nowhere, Valesha sidled up. Much like in the shuttle bay when they had arrived, she was presenting herself as a paragon of all that was Romulan; replete with sneering arrogance, and the languid, feline grace of a predator.::
Sienelis: Enough. ::She jerked her chin in their direction.:: You break him, you buy him.
Gotean: Beat it, Romulan. ::The vowels extended, slithered like serpents through gritted teeth.:: He's got a score to settle.
::Valesha lifted a leg, her heavy-soled foot thudding down on the seat of a chair. Sliding a large, vicious knife from her boot, she considered it a moment, before looking at the Rigelian and his goon.::
Sienelis: I took this off the last Nausicaan I met. ::She smiled, dead-eyed, projecting considerably more confidence that she felt.:: Would you like to see how?
((Later That Day: Shared Passenger Suite))
::An Andorian apricot held in place between his teeth, Bear scratched at his bare stomach and pointed at the orange and green display. A line of vertical white stretched out from above the highlighted area, into the rest of the ship. He took a bite from the apricot and folded his arms.::
O. Marshall: According to “the best engineer the Syndicate has ever seen”, there's a turbolift shaft that runs just beside the suite, with an emergency access port built into the side of it in case the VIP needs a quick exit. ::Swallowing, he rested his hands at the back of his neck.:: Problem is it's a failsafe shaft, designed to stop when it senses organic life in the tubing.
::While he spoke, Valesha narrowed her eyes in concentration, trying to fit the pieces of a puzzle together in her mind. After a few moments, she gave in and asked a clarifying question.::
Sienelis: Why are you half-naked?
::Lena snorted a laugh into her mug of raktajino, earning herself a moment of side-eye from the Romulan.::
O. Marshall: It saves time. I give you this and you ask that?
::She fixed him with a look, considering the answer self-evident.::
Sienelis: Yes?
O. Marshall: My best ideas come when I'm naked. ::He shrugged.:: A larger canvas for the universe to imprint.
Sienelis: That explains so much.
::A peeved scowl saw Bear flicking the apricot pit in Valesha's direction before he pointed back at the monitor, flexing a pectoralis major and trying not to laugh.::
O. Marshall: I'm sure it does. Can we be serious?
Sienelis: I was. ::She leaned back on her chair, flicking a hand toward the screen.:: But we can talk about that now.
O. Marshall: Unless you want to keep talking about my state of undress?
::Valesha rolled her eyes and shook her head, though whether it was at his continued antics or the fact she'd walked straight into them — again — she wasn't sure.::
Sienelis: Turbolifts. Failsafes. Go.
O. Marshall: Like I said, they trigger in the event of organic life present in the tube. If we want in there, we'll have to bypass them. ::Scratching at his beard, he exhaled.:: Or flip it to our advantage.
TBC...
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Orson Marshall
Fugitive
G239304JM0
&
Fugitive
T238401QR0
&
Scallywag
Orion Syndicate