(JP) Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek & Exile Agent Kazuri: Revelations, Part I
Lael Rosek
OOC: Set after Lael’s conversation with German in the Officer’s Lounge and before the award ceremony.
((Pickled Fish Bar, Havley’s Hope Colony))
::Lael sat on a barstool dressed in her civvies, leaning forward with her elbows resting against the counter, her gaze focused on the glass of whiskey in front of her. She wore a pair of dark jeans, a green blouse and a dark brown leather jacket. She'd dyed her hair a bright auburn, her features altered via cosmetic surgery to protect her identity and her privacy. Dassa had reluctantly agreed with no questions asked. If anyone of the Veritas crew walked in, they'd have no idea who she was.::
::Her brown knee-high boots tapped the barroom floor, betraying her apprehension and anxiety. But those feelings had nothing to do with where she was. Shortly after the Veritas’ mission at Havley’s Hope had ended, she’d received an encrypted message from someone claiming to be from the Exile colony. It was disconcerting that they’d known how to contact her, though it was reasonable to assume that had to do with her father’s inquiries, seeking out a potential mate for her season a couple of months before.::
::The individual had expressed an interest in meeting her. Despite the discomfort she felt at meeting a stranger in a bar, she’d agreed. No one even knew she was here. She’d doubled up on her inhibitors in hopes that it would cause enough interference with her and Chythar’s connection that he wouldn’t be able to find her nor hear the conversation with the Exile representative.::
::She sighed, taking a long drink from her glass of whiskey. The individual had provided no information about themselves, not even a gender. They’d find her, they’d said. So she’d told them how to identify her. God, how she hated being kept in the dark and deceived. But it was the only way the individual would meet with her. A grimace slid across her features. At the moment, she felt more like an intelligence agent than the Chief Engineer of a starship.::
::The pair of eyes had been watching the Chief Engineer from the moment Lael Rosek had entered the Pickled Fish Bar. Having arrived over an hour prior to the meeting time to ensure that the location was safe. Or at least as safe as one could get doing such clandestined ventures. The time for the meet had come and gone as they sat there, still observing the place. The need for security, discretion had been paramount. No word of their existence could be risked getting back to the Council, especially given the wanted status of this particular operative.::
::Eventually, after they’d let Rosek sit there for a good twenty minutes the figure approached her at the bar, strolling across the room from a direction that suggested they had only just arrived. They took a seat on the stool just to Rosek’s left, body somewhat rigid as they weren’t about to relax their guard just yet.::
Agent: Thank you for being prompt, Miss Desai. ::The effeminate voice muttered in a hushed tone::
:: A glance would reveal an Al-Leyan woman of older years, nearly ninety if first impressions were to believed, though by human standards she barely appeared in her thirties. Dark pants with pockets lining both legs hugged her hips. While a silver and green shirt mostly buttoned and a rough worn leather jacket of dark crimson sat upon her shoulders. Jet black hair with streaks of grey hung about her shoulders and down along her back. Yet it was the tell tale lack of reflection in her left eye due to the large scar that ran from brow to chin on that side of her face that was the most distinguishing feature.::
::Lael glanced up at the woman, her eyebrows arching clean up to her hairline. She was tempted to correct the woman regarding her surname, but given how little she knew about her and whether or not the woman had connections with the Council, she held her tongue. The encrypted message had been vague at best, not directly alluding to the Exile colony. The woman was clearly smart.::
Rosek: It seems you have me at an advantage, Ms.--?
Agent: Telling you my real name would put us both at risk. You can call me Kazuri.
::The older woman made a half smirk while staring straight ahead. She flagged the bartender down, ordering the same beverage that Lael had before her and remained silent until he’d given her the drink and left out of earshot.::
::Lael tensed slightly upon hearing the name of the flower that occupied her and Toryn's dreamscape meadow. Did this woman know about her and Toryn's? Did she possess Lael's gifts? After a moment, she mentally shook her head. Telepaths were rare on Leya-I. She was likely just being paranoid.::
Rosek: ::nods:: All right...Kazuri. ::pauses:: Out of all of the Al-Leyans you could contact, why me?
::The woman’s brow raised slightly at the question, then gave a nod more to herself than to the young woman beside her. She raised the glass of whiskey to her lips as she spoke.::
Kazuri: I represent a group of individuals you may have heard of. Your father contacted us not long ago, seeking aid for his daughter’s season. ::She glanced sideways giving Lael a long, discerning look:: Seems you were able to take care of that hurdle on your own.
::Lael grimaced, not sure how much wanted to reveal.::
Rosek: I--yes.
Kazuri: Listen, girl. I don’t have time to wait for you to get over being squeamish. You had your season, you found someone to take you over a barrel. ::she said impatiently:: When you’ve had as many seasons as I have, you stop caring about propriety.
::If the information her father had given her was accurate, it was only her first. The other incident had induced the same drives, but hadn't been a true season. She wasn't embarrassed about needing someone for that. She just didn't want to talk about the complications and the aftermath.::
Rosek: I could give a damn less about propriety.
::She had enough skeletons in her closet to make her pause. Regardless of this woman's present affiliations, she was Al-Leyan and still likely tied to those traditions.::
Kazuri: Don’t get your panties in a twist, girl. You’re alive, which means you took care of yourself. ::She smiled wanly and eyed Lael sideways:: But what about next season?
::The older woman softened a bit, setting the whiskey down on the bar still clutched in one hand as she half turned to better converse with the Desai girl.::
Kazuri: You were able to take care of it this time. But next time, you may not be able to luck out and happen across someone. I offer a place, where you can be safe and guarantee you’ll never fear your season again.
::It was a risk, being so open. The existence of an Exile colony was a heavily, and closely guarded secret. For good reason. There were some, if not many members on the Council that would gladly send operatives after such a place. For it smacked at the very core of Al-Leyan cultural beliefs. Still, her father was trusted and she hoped that the girl’s Starfleet training and ideology would mean she wouldn’t speak a word of this to anyone.::
::Her thoughts went instantly to Toryn, her heart missing a beat at what this could mean to them. A place where they were accepted. A place where they wouldn't be cast out...or worse, rehabilitated for daring to love and be intimate with an outsider. A place where her father could be free. If it came to it, a place she could resolve her season without fearing for her life. An alternative if she had nowhere else to turn.::
::It wasn't the perfect option, but it was a fair sight better than dying.::
Rosek: ::pauses:: I know someone else...two other Al-Leyans actually...who would benefit from this place. One is an Exile and the other is beginning to question the beliefs of the Council.
---
“Kazuri”
Exile Agent
As simmed by
Lieutenant Toryn Raga
Chief of Security and Chief Tactical Officer
USS Atlantis NCC-74682
PodCast Team
Atlantis Staff Member
Writer ID: A239410TR0
&
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Veritas NCC-95035
I238110RH0