The Price Of Control

Posted on Sat May 30th, 2015 @ 11:32pm by Marabeth & Seyla & Marla

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Seyla's Quarters

* * * SB900 - Below The Equator * * *

The early evening had been busy for Marla. Her first stop had been to see Dae, though the books showed her services requested by one SWO Vance Park. He’d taken her to dinner once and was an interesting companion...and a willing partner-in-crime. She hadn’t stayed long, though, as she had a full slate tonight. Now that she was done, she descended in the lift back down below and now moved along the corridor to Seyla’s quarters.

Marla was a little concerned. With Darwin off the station Seyla hadn’t had her usual diversion. The secret admirer had been rather quiet the past week too. But her unique job meant that she heard all the gossip and tonight she had something good. It was almost hard to believe, actually, given the subject of that gossip struck Marla as more of a loner who had no real associations. Well, as Seyla herself was fond of saying, ‘it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for’. She reached Seyla’s and stepped inside.

There was shouting and then something in Seyla's bedroom crashed against a wall and broke. With the door closed, though, there was no telling if there was a client in there with her. A minute ticked past, then another and a third before the door snapped open and Seyla, looking as cool and pristine as ever, exited the room. "No one is to enter this room," indicating the bedroom, she told Marla and crossed to the bar. "A drink, little one?" She poured one for herself.

“Please.” Marla watched her a moment, then backtracked to the door and locked it with a different code. “There, that should keep the rest out for now. How are things, Sey?”

Seyla had watched her while sipping the drink. "Things are the same as ever, Marla. How was the night?"

Marla came over, sat, and reached for the drink. “Busy. Back to back, if you’ll pardon the pun.” She smiled but something about Seyla seemed off. “What about you?”

Handing a fresh drink over, Seyla shook her head and smiled. "Same as always. A client demanded something I don't do, so there's some cleanup needed." For the first time since starting her business, Seyla lied to one of her girls. "At least he had the decency to leave by the back door."

She crossed the living space and took a seat on the couch that lined one bulkhead. "Did you hear anything interesting tonight?"

“I did but first, do tell. What did he want you to do?” Marla set the empty glass aside and reached for the new one. “I am curious. Then I have some juicy gossip for you.”

Shaking her head emphatically, Seyla said, "Just some disgusting thing involving toes." She waved it away. "Come along now, gossip!"

Marla wrinkled up her face. “I think he’s one of Lisann’s regulars. I’ll do a lot of things but my toes are off limits.”

"If it were my toes, maybe that would have been negotiable. I know where my toes have been." Seyla lifted a leg and waggled her toes, showing off the dark red paint on each. "I'll check with Lisann. If she's letting someone do that to her, she needs more frequent trips to Piper." She shuddered.

“Ick,” Marla agreed, then sipped her drink and lowered the glass. “Okay, I got this third hand so keep that in mind. But, it seems that someone we thought was pretty much immune to female charms has a little secret. This fellow is supposedly down on Archadia, ‘entertaining’ the Prime Minister.”

Seyla stared at her a moment, a sinking feeling told she already knew who Marla was talking about. She grinned. "So who is this fellow? It couldn't possibly be our chilly Doctor Harding, could it? He's unthawable."

“That is who exactly.” Marla laughed and shook her head. “One of the palace guards was up, booked with Leo. She told him and he told me. Apparently he hasn’t left the PM’s quarters in days. Can you believe that? There was a dinner and she paraded him around the room like a trophy. I’m not so sure I believe it yet though.”

Seyla knew far more than Marla did about Harding lately. She knew he was on Archadia, knew he'd been delayed there because of the PM. "Oh my," Seyla breathed; she just had her breath stolen from her, she couldn't do much more. "I am so surprised by that. Doc Harding? Playing consort to a prime minister?" Her head buzzed in a bad way. "Or is he a prisoner down there?" She laughed that off.

“I can’t see that man being held anywhere against his will. But still, he was completely unaffected by Marabeth’s cleavage in his face. Maybe now we know why.” SHe finished her drink and looked at Seyla. “Want another?”

"Yes, please." Seyla handed over her glass. "I suppose that would be why we've all failed to catch his interests. A man who is already getting it from one can be immune to others. Sadly." She chuckled. "And I'll bet that the Prime Minister is a woman who knows just how she likes it."

Marla moved over to the bar and began pouring the drinks. “Don’t you think it odd that someone like doctor would give in to being bossed around?”

"No, I think it makes sense. He's always 'on' here, like when he brought that dead kid back to life. He's the one who has to tell next of kin that their husband or wife or kid is dead. He probably loves giving control over to someone else. Maybe that's where we failed. We gave him the option."

Marla set the bottle down and remained still as she thought that over. “You may have a point. It would explain why the palace guards come up here to see your men, Sey. Sort of seeing how the other half lives I suppose.” She returned to her seat and passed Seyla her drink. “Interesting.”

"Yes and why some of the men here go down there to score one night stands. Perhaps I need to hire a few Archadians. I wonder if the Archadian males would be of any interest to Station females. Or males, for that matter."

“It’s worth looking into, the women especially. The men down there…” Marla shrugged. “The one time I serviced one? He said he wanted a sub but then he had no idea what to do with me.”

"Exactly. I could see a woman like Zeferino knowing just what to do with a man like that. Jackson would never let her dominate him the way an Archadian would." Seyla laughed.

Marla laughed out loud. “You’ve got that right but ohhhh...I’d like to get my hands on Jackson for a few hours. But that will never leave this room. I’d rather not end up in the brig for hitting on the CSEC’s husband, no matter how yummy he is.”

"He is that, Marla. I'd chance a night or so in the brig for that." Seyla said, laughing. "Zeferino can't keep me in the brig too long - sex isn't a crime."

“You have been there...once as I recall.” She winked at Sey. “I think we’d all have a better chance with Harding than Jackson, sadly.” She gathered up the empty glasses and returned them to the bar. “I think I’m going to go to Saturnalia for a bit. You want to go?”

"Ah, no. I'd better clean up the bedroom. But I'll see you after."

“Maybe. I am done for the night so I’ll probably go home from there and crash.” Marla moved back to stand by the sofa where Seyla sat. “You need to get out dear, you’ve been holed up all week.”

"No, I've been seeing clients and busy with keeping our ladies in line. Go on, head to Saturnalia." She waved her along.

“See you tomorrow evening.” Marla unlocked the door, stepped outside and relocked it, leaving Seyla alone in her quarters.

Seyla's thoughts flashed to the conversation she had had just moments before Marla had come in. Her terminal had beeped. She opened the channel but didn't immediately sit before it. "Who is this?"

“Get on the screen Seyla, it’s me!” The voice of Naral ground out through the speaker. “Now!”

"You idiot! Contacting me directly? Are you stupid? Of course you are, you're an Orion male." She sat before the console. "This had better be good," she snarled.

"I don’t know if you’d call it good but you need to know.” He paused, his expression dark. “I’m calling from Nelvana III. Suresh is dead.”

"No. No, he can't be...," she started to deny what she'd been told. "He...," she gasped as tears welled in her eyes. "How?"

Naral’s tone softened for a moment. “I’m sorry, I am probably not the best at softening bad news, but I knew you’d want to know.” He shook his head in disgust. “He got stupid, Seyla. He switched places with that other one, pretending to be their friend. Then he swiped Zeferino, roughed her up, and used her as a lure. When he saw Captain Hawke, he just lost it. She did her little voodoo telepath thing and he went down in the fight.”

"Shut up. Just shut up!" She shouted. "He should have fucking killed her. Stupid, --" she launched into a rant, getting angrier as she went along. "He should have just killed her and now I'll do it!" Part of her rant was lost as the vase she threw at the wall crashed and broke. Her bedroom comm beeped, alerting her that someone was in the living area. She went back to Naral. "Never contact me again," she said and closed the link.

***

Someone banging on the door pulled her back to the present. “Sey! Let me in! The door’s not working.” It was Bella.

"Oh, fuck me," Seyla muttered so quietly she barely heard herself. She got up, briefly checked her composure and opened the door. "Bella. How has your night been?"

“Oh it was okay I guess.” She flounced past Seyla. “But I need a drink. That last guy? Wanted me to lick his toes. Can you imagine?? I thought I was going to lose my dinner.”

"Ew. That's enough to make me lose my dinner." Seyla watched helplessly as Bella fixed a drink and took a seat on the couch. "Oh, hey, you know Marla headed to Saturnalia. Why don't you join her? I think she'd appreciate the company."

“I left the guy where he was, scratching his head,” Bella huffed. “It’ll be a nice vacation for his balls.” She looked at Seyla then, confused. “She was? I just came from there.”

"She just left here to go there." Seyla replied. Sucking toes and scratching balls were not things she wanted to ponder right now. Suresh was dead and William Harding was in the arms of another.

“Maybe she got lost on the way there.” Belatedly, she realized that Seyla was about a million light years away mentally, something Bella could relate to. “Hey, you okay?”

Squashing her first response (which was along the lines of tossing Bella from her quarters), Seyla smiled and nodded. "Fine. I just have ...I have a few things I need to handle. Why don't you head to Saturnalia, Bella? Find Marla. I think she had news about Dae," she tried sweetening that option.

“Sure, but don’t expect much. That man is so crazy over her the rest of us might as well be invisible.” She drained her glass and drifted back to the door. “Have fun sweetie.” And she passed back out the doors in the same fog she’d come in on.

"Computer, seal these rooms. No disturbances or interruptions," Seyla ordered. When the computer chimed its understanding, she dropped onto the couch and let the night's news run over her again. This time, there was no rage, no ranting. There was just tears.

Hours later, there was rage again, but it was a blindingly mad anger that brought with it a new determination: to kill Li Hawke and Oralia Zeferino.


***********
Seyla
Having The Worst Night of Her Life

Marla
Has All The Juicy Gossip

Bella
No Toes...Ever

Naral
Proving That Not All News Is Good News