[JP] Lieutenants JG Ezra Zerva & Amelia Semara - Looking for (Check) Mates, Part 1
BC Cooper
(( Timestamp: Shortly before returning to DS33 ))
(( Looking for Mates Chess Arena, Indulgence of Chocolate-Coated Jama’haron ))
Amelia was leaned up against a giant, intricately carved statue of a regal-looking humanoid man, a good twenty centimeters taller than her. If she could shoot phasers from her eyes, the thing would have had two clean holes straight through it by now.
Semara: So you’re tellin’ me the queen can move however she likes - that makes sense - but it’s the king I gotta keep safe? Who made these rules? And how much Kressari wood liquor did they drink beforehand?
Zerva: ::laughs:: A bunch of Terran’s a long, long, long time ago in a Beta Quadrant far away, or is it the Alpha Quadrant, came up with this game. If you think this is hard, wait until you see how Vulcans play the game. On multiple board levels too!
Ezra tried his best to explain the rules, answering any questions she had. He remembered the first time he learned the game and it was the Vulcan version! Growing up for a short time on Vulcan as a child included learning their culture, customs and entertainment. He was quite relieved to know there was a simpler version of the game. The very same one he was explaining to Semara. He just hoped he was a good teacher.
oO Maybe we should shift over to Kempo? That might be easier? Oo
No matter how many times Ezra explained the rules, none of it made any sense. Whatever this “chess” business was, Amelia wasn’t having it. Then again, humbling experiences were a good thing - a reminder that, even with everything she’d learned training for her transfer, there was so, so much more out there in the universe to learn. It almost made her want to stay put.
Semara: Now you just sound ridiculous. :: A miffed little humph through a smile. :: But fine. Let’s play a million-year-old game. :: A grin. :: The gentleman may go first.
She was not letting some old-earth manly man tell her her place in a completely different society thousands of years later. Besides, playing black seemed very thematically appropriate.
Zerva: ::nods:: Thank you.
Ezra opened up with his king’s knight. Moving forward from its original position over the pawn in front of it two spaces and then one space to the left. He was thinking of a good offensive opener and one less piece in the way of the king’s rook. Giving him the option of castling his king with his rook if he so chose.
Amelia picked the pawn in front of the king to move first, and the meter-high chess piece moved two squares up. Had to open up the all-powerful queen to move freely, after all. She smiled proudly - it was the obvious choice, no?
Semara: So… been enjoyin’ the cruise? :: Beat :: I hope the reason it’s taken until now to meet up is cuz you’ve been busy with Lera… :: A fiendish curling grin. :: Good time to get it all out, so you ain’t feelin’ the need to sneak around in the next shuttle we pick up…
Get it all out? What exactly was she implying?
If Amelia couldn’t square her love life, she sure hoped someone could. The two were overdue, in her view.
Zerva: Hey! There isn’t anything wrong with that. It was a long mission. A very long mission. We got the job done in the end didn’t we? And yes we’ve spent a fair amount of time together on shore leave and no we didn’t get all kissy, kissy. It was just one kiss after our initial dinner date night.
Ezra next moved his pawn in front of his king, one space forward. This would give him the chance to move his King’s bishop next, if he so chose based on her next move.
Semara: :: A little snicker :: ‘Course there ain’t anything wrong with that. But one kiss? Come on! Tell me you at least got out to see the cruise ship a little?
Amelia chuckled and moved the pawn closest to her, since that was apparently what one did in the opening of the game? Who knew with this game. It all seemed so arbitrary.
Ezra: We did. Lera and I spent some time pool side and had a lovely quiet dinner after. I did get some alone time to shop around and then Richard got stuck in his room. Ras and I had to get him out. It wasn’t easy as the power to his door’s lock didn’t function properly and the Tricorders and my PADD couldn't get it to work. It took an engineer crew forever to show up and by then Richard was already out of his room via an emergency exit in an EV suit, as well as some of Petty Officer Mayru’s things. He was bunking with Richard on the cruise. I just hope Maryu didn’t lose everything.
Semara: :: A snort as she leaned against her queen. :: Only Richard could manage needin’ an EVA durin’ shore leave.
Ezra moved his king’s bishop out at an angle towards the other end of the board.
Zerva: You should have been there. Richard was having a panic attack. Not that I’m making fun of him. It’s just he was in a hurry to get out and we couldn’t no matter how hard we tried. I’m thinking his room was haunted just like our own room 147 back on the Khitomer.
Semara: :: Shaking her head. :: Remind me to schedule a seance when we get back…
Time to activate the powerhouse - Amelia pushed her queen up through the slot into what felt like an appropriately dominating space on the board, flanked by a pawn, with no particular strategy in mind.
Semara: Any reason y’all didn’t just… y’know… use the transporters and beam him out? There’s like a hundred on this ship. Would’a had him outta there in seconds.
Zerva: Um ::scratches his head:: We uh, didn’t think of it ::laughs::
Amelia chuckled to herself imagining three bright men trying to wrestle with a door, using their brawn to open it when there was an easier way in plain sight.
Semara: :: Still grinning. :: Well, now you know who to call next time. :: Tapping her temple:: There’s a reason the queen can move whatever way she likes. :: A growing smirk ::
Zerva: I do if there is a next time ::grins:: Just you wait though, my king can castle now and move two spaces to my right, with my rook on its left side. ::beat:: Let’s see your queen beat that!
Ezra completed the castle move with his king’s rook.
Amelia squinted. If she weren’t an empath and didn’t have trust in him, she’d have suspected Ezra of having made up that move on the spot.
Semara: Well that’s just provin’ the point. That’s just hidin’. :: Beat, then a chuckle. :: Hopefully there ain’t a next time for Richard, though. Ain’t sure what I was doin’ when you had your incident, but... :: Beat :: Prolly work, to be honest.
Either that feeling guilty about Ras, depending on if Richard got stuck before or after their meeting. She was almost grateful to be swamped in the paperwork of her transfer and filing intelligence analysis reports since she’d talked to Talia.
So he wasn’t the only one to bring a PADD with them on shore leave.
Zerva: ::raising a brow:: Work? While on shore leave? And here I thought I was feeling bad for bringing my work PADD. Sounds like you did a lot more than me.
Amelia moved her knight up to support her queen, reasoning purely on the idea that a critical mass of pieces would pose a greater threat combined. Then she looked up, smiling thoughtfully as she wondered how much of what she wanted to tell Ezra she actually could say. Her smile grew a little bigger.
Semara: Last shore leave, Captain Shayne and I talked about a division transfer. So I’ve been busy trainin’. Classes for command school ain’t easy. I spent some time on the phaser range with your new Ensign Morda. :: A smile. :: I like him.
Technically the truth on paper - in fact her cover story for cross-training she’d discussed was exactly what Shayne and Amelia discussed. But that didn’t prevent Amelia from helping Ezra to connect the dots in a different direction.
Ezra next moved his other knight, this one on the queen’s side of the board up. The board was getting full with each move. He was going to have to find a way to deal with her queen.
Zerva: I agree with you. I think Ensign Morda will do great in security. He’s done well so far, proving himself to the crew and helping Lera with the transporting of prisoners to the Khitty. I think– ::beat:: Wait?! Division transfer? oO How did I miss that? Oo ::raising an inquisitive brow:: To where?
Semara: I ain’t told anyone outside command yet, ‘sides Talia, and now you. It absolutely ain’t somethin’ to be shared until it’s public knowledge, understand? And those ain’t my orders.
They might not be her orders, but for some time he had the notion that something was up. Now he had an inclination of some of what it was that was going. Did that mean when she was fiddling with his tricorder the pervious shore leave, she was talking to Captain Shayne about it then? How long had it been? And when would it become public knowledge? Questions he wanted to ask her, but decided to wait. If she wanted him to learn more, he knew she would tell him in good time. As a security officer, he understood more than most.
Zerva: ::solum nod:: I understand. My lips are sealed. ::makes the motion of zipping his lips shut and then tossing an imaginary key away:: Since we're being honest with each other. I did something I probably shouldn’t have done.
TBC…
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Lieutenant (JG) Ezra Zerva
Security Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
A240101EZ2
AND
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Lieutenant Junior Grade Amelia Magnolia Semara
Science Officer - Special Projects
USS Khitomer - NCC-62400
A239710MA0