Lieutenant Commander Morro Caras - Rule of threes

[Morro Caras]

((Outside Krait’s Quarters, Habitat ring, Deep Space 14)) 

Caras: Alright chap, I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe next time.

The scratchy voice of the Osaarian came across scratchier than usual from the intercom.

Krait: Yeah. They made the throw up a quarantine sticker and everything

There was indeed a quarantine sticker up… It didn’t look official. It also looked as if it had just been placed there. Caras still wished the Chief of Operations well.

Caras: Get well soon. If you need a second opi…

Caras just wanted to help. It was an understandable reason to bail on plans, but Caras had really wanted to connect with his friend on DS14.

Krait: I’m sick Caras, not about to have an operation. I don’t need any assistance from your betazoid girlfriend. Isn’t she the one that sent you to remedial training anyways.

She… had been, but she was an excellent doctor, and Caras thought Krait could use her help, both in the traditional medicine way, and psychiatric way.

Caras: Think of it this way,  if it wasn’t for her we never would have met.

Caras was always trying to look at the positive. Krait.. wasn’t.

Krait: What a crime.

The intercom went dead.

Caras: Hopefully you’re better when I get back from Betazed.

There was no response.

Well there went Caras’s plans for the night, he could still have an ok time at the arcade by himself. He was dressed in a fashionable sheer black top, and tight black pants. Caras tried to dress as “Orion” as possible when not on duty. Maybe he could find a way to make some new friends.

((Outside The Arcade, Promenade, Deep Space 14)) 

Gondo: Sorry, it’s a private event. 

Caras let out a sigh.

Caras: Really? I’m a lot of fun at parties.

Wouldn’t be the first time he managed to finesse his way into a party he wasn’t invited to on DS14.

Gondo: Sorry, strict invite only.

Just then someone walked out the same door that Gondo was watching over. They had a drink in their hand, and made a dramatic turn.

Skrreean: Hey, It’s you! Starfleet. Hey you should let him in.

Caras instantly recognized her as the Skrreean he had gotten into a scuffle with in the warrens. She saw him and her eyes married, and she licked her sharpened fingernails, and looked at Morro like a meal.

Gondo: You know this guy?

She smirked and beconked to Caras, stretching out a long finger and curling it slowly.

Caras: No, no. On second thought, I have somewhere I need to be.

Caras got out of there as fast as he could. Without looking, he picked a direction and ran. He didn’t feel like being thrown into a den of violence tonight. Not that he ever did.

((Auxiliary delivery alley, Promenade, Deep Space 14)) 

Caras had no idea where he was. He knew he was in a place where storage rooms, and other specialty sections of the shops were. He swore he had just passed a kiln of some kind. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going and bumped right into…

Proprietor: Welcome, if you’ll follow me, you’re expected.

Was he was expected?

Caras: I am? Look, I think you might have the wrong Orion.

Caras turned to the Proprietor, but instead he gave Caras a little push and Caras backwards through a door. Caras swore he was going up. Instead of opening in front of him, there was an exit behind him.

((Backroom, The Starlit Decanter, DS14))

Caras backed into the room. It was a nice setup. Expert shelving, articulate but balanced wood paneling, a few model ships; some he recognized and some he didn’t, and a few weapons. Caras backed up until he felt something bump his legs just under his caboose. He turned around to see a beautiful card table, in the shape of an octagon. He placed his hand on it and felt the wood. He was certain there was also some kind of stone under it all. From the  soft noise outside, and by some of the internal decor, Caras realized he must have been in the Starlit Decanter. He had become so enamored he didn’t realize there were other people in the room with him until one of them spoke from across the room.

Tam: Is'Kah, what are you doing here?

Divya Tam, Meris, and another person of a species he didn’t fully recognize were in the room with him.

Divya was up on some kind of ladder, and the other was standing there and Caras towered over them, even from across the room.

Zha was sensibly dressed, and seemed like they had been prepping for a night out much like Morro.

Is'Kah: I’m not exactly sure why I am in this room besides trying to find you.

Meris: Commander Tam, do you know this person?

Caras decided to answer the diminutive person first.

Caras: I don’t think most of us knew this room existed before this evening. I’ve been in the Starlit Decanter plenty of times, but never knew this was back here.

This wasn’t Caras’s favorite place in DS14. That would probably be the arcade, but he did tend to go to the Starlit Decanter at least a few times whenever they were docked here for shore leave. 

Tam slid down the ladder and embraced the new person, a gesture of an old friend to be sure.

Tam: It’s so good to see you.  How did the rest of you end up here?

The person waved to Meris and Caras from within Tam’s cradling arms. Caras waved back.

Is'Kah: Hello there! Friends of Divya?

Caras toyed with one of the chairs in front of him.

Meris: Yes. I am Lieutenant JG Meris, the Thor's Helmsperson. And you are?

Tam and Caras weren’t close, but they did see a lot of one another.

Caras: Work friends! We see one another almost every day. Also, I think I might have taken a wrong turn, but I guess it ended up being the right turn.

The pixie-like friend dropped from zhen perch atop Tam and gave a bow.

Is’Kah: I am Lieutenant Is’Kah Xiron, USS Valkyrie’s Chief of Tactical and Security. I primarily use zha/zhen pronouns, but she/her is also acceptable.

Meris: Noted, Lieutenant. A pleasure to meet you.

Caras saw fit to introduce himself as well.

Caras: I’m Lieutenant Commander Morro Caras, he/him, Chief engineer of the Thor. I’m stuck in meetings with Commander Tam a lot of the time, Chief duty. Meris here I only tend to see when I'm on the rare bridge duty, or in the mess.

Chief Engineer, It was a title he had become more and more comfortable with as time moved one Caras wondered if it was the friction from the ship’s first officer that allowed him to ground himself in the position. It was like he chose it to be his bastion for his cause.

Tam: Response

Is’Kah: Divya and I have been friends since the Academy. We were both stationed in the Par'tha Expanse when she was on the Astraeus while I was on the Chin’toka.

Caras had noticed the affection between the two. Meris had also given their indication of acknowledgement.

Meris: I see.

Caras gave them all a big smile and took a small lap around the table.

Caras: Always great to see academy friends doing well. That reminds me; I’ll have some people to send a video mail to and check up on.

He really did have to see what his old room mate was up to.

Tam: Responses

Is’Kah: It would appear that we all found our way here for a reason. I found what I was looking for, but what about the two of you? Divya seemed surprised to see you.

Meris: I'm not sure I can fully explain it. I was talking to Olive... that is, I was in my quarters when I felt this summons to come over to Deep Space 14.

Caras shrugged at the serendipity of it all. He had been looking for something to do and cards were something he loved to play in his free time.

Caras: If poker, Orion backnife or even on the rare occasion Fizzbin is being played. Somehow I'll find myself there. 

It wasn’t exactly true, but for the longest time the only piece of furniture that Morro Caras owned other than the pre-decorated furniture of typical officer’s quarters was a poker table. There was a weird feeling in the room that always made him put it away after he had set it up. Like something was always missing about it. So he was glad to spontaneously find a game to play.

Tam: Response

Is’Kah: I see. Fascinating how the universe conspires against us. Well, since we’re here, shall we play a game?

Caras sat down and looked at the deck from across the table. He could judge most stacks from just a glance.

Meris: I am not entirely certain why but, for some reason, that feels like the correct course of action.

Caras: Looks to be like a Standard fifty-two card deck. Might check though. 

Tam: Response

Meris took the cards and felt them out and began to shuffle, in the most adroit fashion. Caras wondered how much of a pro Meris was, if they were already pulling out moves like this. There was an interesting sheen to the cards.

Meris then split the deck and started doing moves that Caras had only seen seasoned card sharp pirates perform. Then performed a perfect spring flourish.

Meris blinked. Seemingly astonished with their own performance.

Caras wasn’t sure if he believed it. 

Meris: I... did not know I could do that.

Caras let out a chuckle

Caras: Already hustling us, Meris? The trick is to not give it away so soon.

Caras was jesting, but it had been an impressive trick.

Tam/Is'kah: Response.

They all stood there in silence for a moment. Meris placed the deck on the table.

Meris: What game shall we play?

Caras’s suspicions had been confirmed

Caras: Seems to be a prime deck for poker.

He didn’t want to fully  incept it into everyone’s minds, but he didn’t really feel like playing “go fish” all night.

Tam/Is'kah: Response.

Meris straightened themselves, preparing to dish out the needed information.

Meris: Poker has numerous variants. Five-card draw, Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Stud variants, lowball structures, high-low splits, Vulcan Es’tow, Andorian Chillet. Each carries different strategic implications, probability distributions, and behavioral expectations. Does anyone have a specific variation in mind?

Caras: Five Card, Omaha, and Texas Hold ‘em were the three I tended to play at the academy.

Caras had been stuck playing those three, since everyone refused to play backnife with him after the splintered chair incident. 

Caras knew that Texas was a place, he had been there once while at the academy, but every place kind of mixed together when you could transport everywhere. He went there with his friend who was very into old westerns and they even saw a preserved western town. Morro thought five-card was a little slow, but he had heard that a lot of the old admirals liked to play it, and all he knew about Omaha was the USS Omaha Nebraska, so he assumed it had some kind of significance. 

Tam/Is'kah: Response.

With the variant selected, everyone seemed satisfied.

Meris: I became familiar with the game at the Academy. It was... socially instructive.

Caras enjoyed talking while playing cards. He wanted to see this game get interesting, but he had to get the niceties out of the way first. He noticed the clear box containing the stacks of chips.

Caras: So, the chips. Seems to have a 10,000 credit stack for each player. Everyone good with starting blinds being 200 and 100?

The credits had no real value, but he wanted to see if he could get someone to bet something else during the course of the game. Usually this was charted out during the course of conversation. Favors, trinkets, dares. That’s what made Starfleet games exciting, other than just the bragging rights of winning, which didn’t mean much to Caras.

Caras tipped his chair back ever so slightly. Now with the flavor of poker and the credits out of the way, the real fun of the game could begin. The conversation.

Tam/Is'kah: Response.

Caras had noticed that. Everything here was kind of manual and quaint. Not a lot of fancy displays, good atmosphere, the decor not flashy but instead refined and distinguished. Everything in the room had a complementary “texture” to it

Caras:  Despite being in engineering all day I actually prefer a lot of things analog and manual. Not having a display always in my face is refreshing. I’d rather see a lot of other faces around. You’ve got the cards, Meris; care to deal?

Caras sat back and toyed with his chips.

Is’Kah/Tam/Meris: Response

Caras dipped in. This was his element. Chatter.

Caras: Is’Kah, What brings you all the way out to the Gamma. The USS Valkyrie is a fairly new ship, correct? Already wanting to take a little break?

Is’Kah/Tam/Meris:  Response

Caras looked at everyone’s expressions before deciding to look at his own cards.

Caras: With those kinds of reactions, I hope everyone leaves here with all of their clothes. I guess if I lose all my chips, I can offer up personal replicator repair. In my free time of course.

Caras took a peek at his cards. He knew how he was going to play this.

Is’Kah/Tam/Meris: response

[[TBC]]

—

Lieutenant Commander Morro Caras

Chief of Engineering

USS Thor

O240106MC1

he/him/his (player/character)