Back In The Game

Posted on Sat Jan 3rd, 2015 @ 9:41pm by Vic & Major David Lorenz

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Risa

* * * Risa * * *

It was another perfect day on Risa, just like the day before and the day before that. The sun baked the throng of bodies stretched out around the pool, bodies occasionally cooled by a breeze that was just the right temperature. From his place behind the bar, Ronin had a perfect view of one of the new arrivals - a Betazoid who'd arrived yesterday. She had long dark hair, an athletic figure, and deep mysterious eyes. The thing was, she'd hardly spoken to anyone, other than to order her favorite drink...a Risan Sunrise. As Ronin sat lost in his daydream, a voice finally pulled him back to the here and now.

"Hey! Loverboy! You in there?"

The voice belonged to the waiter who continually circled the pool taking orders. He read off the list of drinks needed and smiled as Ro got busy lining up the glasses. With speed borne of long practice, he mixed them all, then began placing them on the waiter's tray.

"How's it going out there?"

The waiter shrugged. "The usual. And no, she still hasn't said anything more than her drink order. Sorry." He winked at Ro, hoisted up his tray and ambled off.

So much for that idea. Ro settled on his stool, closed his eyes and was just enjoying the breeze when the terminal behind him beeped. With a mutter, he reached over and pressed the screen. The face of the hotel's concierge appeared.

"What is it Tam?"

"Hey Ro, I have a message here for you. Well not a message exactly but a callback. I'm putting it through now."

"Thanks." Ronin fell silent as Tam's face disappeared and a short note containing only a frequency and access code. Odd. Bartenders didn't usually get such mysterious messages. He opened a channel and once the call went through, entered the access code. A few seconds later, a familiar face appeared - one he’d not seen in more years than he cared to count.

“Hello stranger,” he said to the image of one David Lorenz.

“Hello there, Ronin.” Dave’s face was serious. “Someone found her, and we need to put her back in obscurity. You know where. Get transport to Starbase 900 and meet the others.”

Whatever Ro had expected this wasn’t it. And ‘she’ didn’t refer to some gorgeous woman lounging by a pool. Dammit. With those few words, Lorenz had successfully turned his life completely upside down.

“You always did know how to throw a party, Lorenz.” Ronin’s smile was fleeting. “So much for my bartending career. And I was going places. I had dreams of working my way up to lifeguard.”

“Suck it up! One more thing. Jimmy is the guy in charge of the company who found her. We have to shield him from this as much as we can, but it won't be easy since I am his number two guy. So, let’s try to keep him in the shadows as much as we can.” Lorenz looked years older, but his eyes still blazed.

“Understood. And as protocol established, I have one more to inform of this. He should still be on your list.”

“You have a go. Freq Kilo-one-eight-Papa. Clearance: Heartbreaker”

Ronin nodded. “That would be the one. I’ll clear out of here within the hour.”

“Let me know when you are all at the station, I’ll keep things dancing here until its time. Lorenz out.”

The screen went dark and Ro rubbed his eyes. He woke up this morning, expecting another peaceful day followed by a nice dinner, hanging with some friends and….just like that...one call and he was back in the game. Life could be a bitch sometimes. he glanced around, noted the area around the bar was clear, then opened a new channel. The old authorization code for a secure channel, one he’d never expected to use again, still worked and this time it was Ronin who sent the message containing a frequency to a key member of the team.

”Alice fell down the rabbit hole again”.

He left it at that. This particular person would know the rest and do his part. Ro signed out and hurried away towards his bungalow. His world was once again one of secrets, and he had one big one of his own - Heartbreaker’s real identity. He’d figure out how to break that to Lorenz later. For now, he had travel arrangements to make. Fates help them all now, they were going to need it.

DELTA QUADRANT
SITE SIX

The alien woman had been sedated, Quentin was in the brig, and Dave was rehearsing what he was going to tell his best friend after he arrived and before he beat the hell out of him for keeping a secret like this. I am so screwed! Maybe the Corps will take me back, or I can do favors for Li and her dad like Jimmy did.. David was really nervous.

“Medbay to Lorenz, our guest is still sleeping, as requested.”

“Good. Keep her EEg on constant monitor and let me know if she thinks of anything other than a calm lake.” It was so important that the alien woman stay asleep until the team got there.

“Eddie, make one of our luxury yachts available for Ronin in the Alpha Quadrant, please,” Lorenz added as an afterthought, nearly forgetting he had to get the man to the Delta Quadrant in a hurry. If nothing else he will travel in style.

=/\=Yessir=/\=

**************
Ronin
The White Rabbit

Dave Lorenz
Worried Second Banana