Dumpling Protector

Posted on Sat Apr 18th, 2015 @ 12:52am by Captain Li Hawke & Jackson Banning V & Commander Oralia Zeferino

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Oz & Jackson's Quarters

* * * Li’s Quarters * * *

The run-in with Suresh at Lao’s had unsettled Li more than she cared to admit. The old, problem Suresh was gone and she hadn’t thought to cross paths with this one much. And then there he was, sounding too much like the old one and disturbingly insightful in ways the old one hadn’t been. She was pacing her living room, unable to sit still. The food arrived and on impulse, Li took the bag and departed.

* * * Oz’s Quarters * * *

She knew Jackson had just arrived but she also knew where Jackson was and so took the chance that Oz might not mind the company. Li certainly needed it. She rang the bell and waited.

"Enter!" Oz called. When Li came in, she wasn't surprised. "Hi. What brings you by?"

Li held up the bag. “I know Jackson’s tied up at the moment. Have you had dinner? I had intended to eat at Lao’s but...something changed that.”

"Not my circumstances, I hope." Oz eyed the bag greedily. "Let me grab some plates. Have a seat. Wine?"

“Of course.” Li sat on the sofa and began to unpack the bag. “There’s some extra dumplings, all in the name of domestic harmony when Jackson gets home.” Li paused as she finished unpacking dinner. “No, it wasn’t your job tonight that interrupted dinner. It was…..Suresh.”

"Suresh." She came back with plates and two glasses of wine. "What is he up to?"

Li eyed the wine and reached out for it. “I was watching the fish, and the big blue one came up and he was there, right behind me. Being...nice. He wanted to talk to me and it was strange, Oz.”

Spearing a dumpling, Oz paused. "Well, of course. He's weird, Li. Sort of evil but almost not quite. What did he want to talk about?"

Li reached for a dumpling and once it was gone, she continued. “First up, he asked if I missed the old Suresh. It’s a crazy question. He then asked if I would see the old Suresh every time I looked at him. What the hell’s that about? I mean, it’s a reasonable question, sure, but why would he care?”

"Perhaps, like our old Suresh, he's a bit stuck on you?"

“I’m not so sure Oz.” Li sipped the wine, then continued. “He seems to want a fair shake here. As Chief of Security you should be aware that he offered to assist us with information from down below. He says he has no desire to become what Suresh was but that appearing to be could be useful to us. And that is the gist of the conversation. At times he sounded like he knows me so well and yet he doesn’t.”

"He wants to be a mole? For us?" Oz was a bit speechless. To her, any Suresh was a bad Suresh. "I think I'd sooner put him out an airlock." Indeed, she had done nearly that to one of Suresh's minions after he'd killed Connor.

“All I can say is...he’s not the old one but I warned him that what he was suggesting would take some time and proof that he is different. As for being hooked, he told me plainly that he doesn’t like telepaths. So there is that at least. Another dumpling?” Li offered the plate to Oz.

She speared one from the plate and popped it in her mouth. "It'll take a good deal of proof," she replied around the dumpling.

“Me too. In the meantime, I’d love to know who killed that Cardassian. Good luck with that one, Oz.”

"Yeah. The forensics on that body is a nightmare. Lots of decomp. We'll figure it out, though."

“At least Drusilla is home and safe. If I can help, just call.” Li stopped as the doors opened to admit Jackson. His hair was a little roughed up and his shirt was torn.

“Hi girls.” He smiled and gave Oz a wink.

Taking in his disheveled look, Oz frowned. She knew he hasn't gotten that way in her Brig. "What the hell happened to you? Where have you been?" A storm was brewing.

Li looked from Jackson to Oz and back to Jackson. And waited.

“I had to step in to prevent some real trouble at the Wormhole. I swear I didn’t start it, but I did keep it from really blowin’ up.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It was Quentin and you know how he is.”

Oh, boy howdy did Oralia know how Quentin was. That didn't make Jackson's statement sit well with her. "Then you call Security and let us handle it! You don’t get involved. Especially not with a nutjob like that!"

“Oh they came and settled things. But Jono woulda wrung my neck if I didn’t stop Q. And are those dumplings?” Jackson stepped closer to the table and sniffed the air.

“They are and I brought some for you. But I need to go, it’s been a long two days.” Li gave Oz’s hand a squeeze then stood. “Thanks for the ear, Oz. Call me if there’s news on that Cardassian.” She patted Jackson on the shoulder. “Later slugger.”

"Night, Li," Oz was dismissive of her because she was angry with Jackson.

“Night, Li,” Jackson replied as she vanished through the door. “She’s quick. What's up?”

"What's up? Really? You didn't think to come home after being released? You went to a bar?" She moved to block him from the dumplings. He wasn't getting any till she was mollified.

“Only briefly. I needed to discuss one last thing with Quentin before he takes off for Dormeil Prime. It’s done. Besides, I’d have interrupted you and Li. Been awhile since she was here, what’s up?” Jackson reached out to touch Oz’s cheek, letting his fingers brush over it gently.

She caught his hand and held it. She spoke quickly, harshly, "And you just had to have that discussion in a bar? You know Q-ball is a... a... well, I'd have to say he's a loud mouthed jackass who only gets worse with even synthahol in him."

“He helped save my ass on this trip so I figured one last goodbye wouldn’t hurt. He’s already hit the trail to Archadia as far as I know.” Jackson shrugged. “So what about Li?”

His nonchalance was not helping Oz's irritation. She'd had to arrest him, without explanation for why; now here he was, beaten up on behalf of a drunken laggard and was shrugging it off. "I don't care where he's going. At the moment, I just might have him detained and tossed back in the brig for endangering civilians on the Starbase! So how about you telling me a reason why I shouldn't do that and why I should let you stay here tonight?"

“I live here? And Q’s already gone...and if it hadn’t been for him, I’d likely be in little bitty pieces floating in space thanks to a Dominion ship that thought my gunabout made a great target. Him and the rest made targets of themselves so we could get through. Does that help?” Jackson’s voice had softened.

Hers hadn’t. "No. I'll not be grateful to him for anything. I'd rather kiss a toad," said the woman who, until recently, had had a very scary-looking spider as a pet. She turned away from Jackson, picked up the plate of dumplings and stalked to the kitchen. Every bit of her was angry. At him. At the idiot Quentin. At everything that might have threatened her Jackson. The only one she could yell at, though, was Jackson. "So you go off, nearly get killed, then come back here and I have to arrest you? What the hell, J?"

“That was merely a precaution, nothing serious. A debriefing and we were sent on our way.” He stepped closer to Oz and leaned down to speak softly at her ear. “We brought back the only person besides the Doc who knows what happened and how to work on me. It was worth it.”

That gave her pause. "Why so many secrets, then? And I still don't like you being around Screw-ball. Look at what happens when you are." She gestured at his bruises and torn shirt.

“Because if it became known where she is, all hell would break loose, Oz. The ones we had to hide her from twenty years ago are still lookin’. They know we took her but not where she is so for now, she’s safe enough. Unknown and hidden away. I don’t even know where she is right now, an’ that’s sayin’ somethin’.”

She turned away from him and set the plate on the counter. "What do you think this doctor can do for us? Is she worth this?"

“Well, Will won’t last forever. It’s nice ta know she’s out there if I need ‘er.” He sighed aloud. “It was a tense trip, Oz.” Finally he smiled. “An’ I still haven’t had a thing to eat since….I forget. Yesterday?”

"Whose fault is that? The Brig Officer offered you a hamburger," she said, again moving the dumplings away from him. "But, no, you're the big strong man, needs no help, right?"

“Right now, I’m a hungry one with a wife I’ve not seen in longer than I like, aside from a brief interlude before she arrested me.” A wicked gleam lit his eyes now. “So which is first? The wife or the dumplings?”

"You think you're going to get some?"

Jackson surged forward, pinning Oz back against the counter. “I do.” His lips met hers testing the waters.

She bit his lip gently. "I ought to lock you up. That might be the only way to keep you safe."

He gave a low, husky laugh. “Long as it’s here for the next few days, I don’t mind.”

"I'm serious. How can I keep you safe if you go off with lag... people like Q-ball?"

“I’ve been at this game a long time Oz, with much more dangerous missions, and I’m still here. Besides, you know as well as I do that I only get called up for special runs. You have nothin’ ta worry about. I promise.” He smiled finally. “Besides, if I really got hurt you’d kick my ass, and then Li and Leto and Jan would be lined up behind ya. It’s a pretty good incentive to stay in one piece.”

"That's not helpful, J. If you get hurt, where does that leave me?"

“Technically, you are more likely to get hurt on the job than I am. But we carry on, Oz. It’s who we are and what we do.” He kissed her once more. “Enough for tonight? I’m home and to hell with the food, I want you.”

She kissed him back. She could argue against some things, but not him.

*****************
Captain Li Hawke
Dinner Delivery

Commander Oralia Zeferino
Protector

Jackson Banning V
Owner & Secret Agent Man
The Nexus Club