Last Chance Gas Station - Part I

Posted on Sun May 10th, 2015 @ 11:30pm by Captain Li Hawke & Suresh & Commander Oralia Zeferino & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin
Edited on on Sun May 10th, 2015 @ 11:31pm

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Nelvana III

* * * The cha’Do’ * * *

They would be docking at Nelvana III in just a few minutes and so Suresh left Darwin in the pilot’s seat and moved back along the deck towards the stairs to return his dishes to the galley. Li’s door was open and he could hear her voice - softer and more animated than her usual on-duty tone - as she spoke to someone.

“That is part of this twisted tale, my love. He is different. We had cause to have me read him and I can tell you he’s nothing like the old one. He is stuck in this world now and he wants to prove he’s not just a carbon copy. What that means for him going forward, I don’t know. I suppose we’ll see after this is over. “

Immediately, Suresh realized it must be Sakkath, given the term of endearment. He had no intentions of eavesdropping, but her words made him pause. What she’d just said was true. He was stuck in this universe. Proving he wasn’t just Suresh Part 2 was important. That was going to be a tough job but at least Li understood that and it was a start. She would be a big help once they returned to 900. For her sake, he hoped this hunting trip was successful and they could put an end to the old Suresh threat...for all of them. He was still lost in his own thoughts, standing with his plate in hand, when he realized someone had stopped beside him.

She'd stopped long enough to realize Suresh was eavesdropping. "This is a small ship, but let's try to give each other some degree of privacy."

Suresh nodded. “It’s not that, just something she said about my need to prove I’m not a carbon copy. That’s so very true.” He shrugged and moved on past Oz. “We’re almost there. And thanks again for breakfast.” Then Suresh vanished down the stairs.

* * * Nelvana III - The Neutral Zone * * *

Despite the fact that his time in the Elba II asylum had been brief, Suresh found himself desiring at least a little time among people who weren’t certifiable. Having minions at your beck and call was useful, but you couldn’t really carry on a conversation with them. At least not about anything that made any sense. And while they followed directions reasonably well, thinking outside the box was not their forte.

So it was that Suresh, still covered in the hooded robe, found himself standing inside the doors of Apollo Bay. For a moment, the rowdiness of the place made him homesick for Saturnalia, and that brought back a flood of memories, some bad but mostly good. He scanned the room and then realized he was looking for a waterfall of red ringlets that he wasn’t going to find. Habit. He adjusted his inner lens and now, as he strolled slowly through the crowd, searched for dark hair and eyes instead. He didn’t expect to see them, but he was certain that Li knew of his escape by now. She may not believe it, but he knew her far better than she liked to think, knew things that she refused to admit, even to herself. A smile settled on his face as another memory rose within him.

Off to his left, a loud boisterous laugh caught his attention. Naral. Well, how about that? Good timing, he supposed. He changed direction and crossed to the table, sitting across from the Orion.

“Well, hello there father.” Naral pushed a drink across to him. “I wondered when you were gonna find your way here.”

“All in good time, my son.” Suresh took the drink slipped it into his hood and drained it. “Alas, our time on this world has come to an end. It’s time to leave.”

“If you say so, but we have time for one more round.” Naral signaled a waitress.

Up front the doors opened and two women in nondescript clothes entered. “Let’s hit the bar first,” Li suggested. “We can find out of Jake has seen anything.”

"Fine," Oz agreed quietly, scanning the room. No one caught her attention right off, at least no one resembling Suresh did. A male in very little clothing off to the left caught her attention. He was well-built and his outfit emphasized that; she appreciated the view til Li bumped her with an elbow. "Hmm? Oh, a drink, just... Yeah, that'll do." She took what was offered.

“I saw that...er him. Several times.” Li laughed as they moved through the crowd. “Anything yet? I don’t want to read the room unless I have to. Overload.”

"I think it's safe to say that particular fellow isn't carrying any weapons. Other than the obvious one," Oz commented, following Li. She stopped and tugged lightly at Li's shirt, "Hey, hang on, isn't that him?" She nodded her head towards a table near the wall.

“Yes. That’s Jake. Hopefully he has heard something. Not much goes on out this way that he doesn’t know.” Li led the way, threading through the tables as they moved towards Jake. A woman stood suddenly as they passed and Li sidestepped to avoid her. Her hip brushed another table occupied by a large male Orion and a priest of some sort. “My apologies,” she said and kept going.

Naral growled low, irritated by the nudge. He stopped when the second woman stepped past them. Separate, he hadn't known them, together, he did. "No issue," he mumbled at the woman.

Oz, meanwhile, eyed him for a brief moment as she passed his table. He was big and burly and not someone she wanted to have an issue with. She relaxed once she interpreted his mumble. An Orion and a priest go into a bar... sounded like the start of a joke, she thought, smiling at her own wit.

In front of her, Li chuckled. She wasn’t reading the room but she was tuned in to Oz, mainly for safety reasons and in case they needed to plan a quick getaway.

“I heard that.”

"No one ever said I made a good stand up comic," Oz said just as they reached Jake's table.

Back behind them a pair of dark eyes followed their every move. From deep in the hood came a hiss and Suresh’s hand visibly tightened on the glass. It was all he could do not to stand up and tackle Li right there in the bar. But that would be foolish, considering she and Oz were now sitting at a table with a large Klingon.

Naral, keenly aware that Suresh was on the edge of unraveling, stood carefully and motioned to Suresh to do the same. "Time to go, old father."

“So soon?” Suresh’s voice was rough as it came from deep within the hood. “She just got here. They just got here.” He stood, however, taking hold of Naral’s arm. “I must at least speak to them.”

"Oh hell no," Naral cursed in Orion, "We did not get you out of that place just to let you ruin everything by being stupid."

“Then how do you expect them to find us?”

The big guy made an effort to calm down; he could see a glint in Suresh's eyes much like that he'd seen in the eyes of men under an Orion woman's spell. "I've made arrangements for that." He eyed the orchid in Suresh's grasp and added, "You could taunt them. Let us leave, then someone will deliver that to them."

Suresh took one more long look at the table where his two targets sat and for an instant, the urge to stab the Klingon was overpowering.The urge to stab Oz was equally powerful. He fought those demons down, however. Patience was the key here, Naral was right. Finally he nodded. The waitress appeared with the round Naral had ordered and Suresh indicated the orchid.

“Deliver this to those lovely young ladies there.” He indicated the table. “Tell them I’ll see them in Eden.”

His words didn’t raise any surprise in the waitress. She’d seen stranger religious nuts than this before.

“Sure father. Enjoy your stay.” She settled the pot containing the orchid on her tray and moved away.

Naral downed his drink and said, "Let's be on our way before that flower gets there."

Suresh couldn’t resist one last look back. “Soon,” he whispered as Naral pulled him away and out the doors.


To Be Continued....

***********
Commander Oralia Zeferino
Captain Li Hawke
Lt. Michael Darwin
Suresh I & II