Good News Travels Fast

Posted on Fri Jul 10th, 2015 @ 11:48pm by Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Ensign Six of Ten & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Ensign Reva Madhava

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: The Wormhole Bar

*The Wormhole*

Back in jeans and a T-shirt again, Reva entered the Wormhole and glanced around for Six. Not seeing her, she bellied up to the bar and ordered the bar's namesake drink. "Beware, Orion, this here has a kick that'll mak you regret too many," the bartender warned her.

Reva shook her head and replied, "We'll see about that." She smiled and sipped the drink before turning away from the bar and looking for an empty table. She spied one and headed for it just as Six entered. "Hey!", she waved to her.

Six waved back and stopped at the bar first. She told the bartender to give her whatever Reva had ordered, then maneuvered through the crowd to the table. She, too, wore jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. Once she was seated, she took a dip of the drink and coughed.

“Geez!” One more cough and then Six smiled as the warmth spread in her chest. “Fire water. How’re you?”

The green one grinned broadly, "I'm good. Better than I thought I would be, considering I told Riley about Marcus."

“Yes, he mentioned that.” Six smiled back at Reva. “He was all sorts of happy when I left him down in the science center not long ago. So….I take it he wasn’t mad?”

"He was upset with me that I didn't let anyone know where I was. But about the sex, he gave me free pass to do what I want. It's a Betazoid thing. We don't get hung up about exclusivity. I just have to tell him, or someone, where I am," she sipped her drink and coughed.

“See what I mean about this thing?” Six held up her glass. She took another small sip and it went down easier, likely because the previous gulp had paralyzed her throat. “That’s good. He seemed perfectly fine this morning. I’m glad it works for you two.” Suresh had been unhappy enough about Owain walking her home; what Reva had just outlined was beyond what he would ever be able to live with. “Are you off tonight?”

"Yeah," she nodded. "Now, tell me why you needed to see Riley in Sciences this morning." She'd already caught wind of something troubling Six.

“It was about that slab I’ve been translating. I wanted to catch him up on what I’ve found and where to go from here.” Six paused, taking another sip. This time, the drink actually tasted better. “I’m turning it over to him.”

"What? Why? You've been working on that for weeks! What happened?"

“I have resigned,” Six said simply. “Effective immediately. I spoke to Captain Hawke about it last night.”

Mid-sip, Reva inhaled wrong and started choking. Coughing and trying to catch her breath, she sputtered, "You what!? Six!" She got her wind and a good dose of anger, "This is that ass's fault, isn't it? Because of him, you're out of the Fleet!" She could have gone on, but choked again and had to cough.

“Are you okay?” Six half rose from her seat in case she needed to whack Reva on the back. When Reva seemed to be breathing again, she sat back down. “No, it’s not his fault. Technically, it’s Tess’ fault. You know, the science XO? He insisted I choose - my job or my personal life. I don’t like being forced to pick between the two on principle.”

Reva's mouth had dropped open in shock. Before anyone could suggest putting something in it, she said, "On principle! Are you kidding? He has no principles! You heard Owain. He isn't who you think he is."

“Owain had a vested interest in trying to sway my opinion.” Six frowned a moment. “Think about it this way. What if your chief engineer told you he despised Riley and that no matter what anyone said, he wouldn’t change his mind and you could pick your job or him. What would you do?”

"I'd report him...," she said, though she wasn't sure right off hand who she'd report that to. Commander Sakkath? Captain Hawke? "Of course, Riley is a good guy and Fleet. Did you even go on your date with Vic?"

“No.” Six shook her head. “That was supposed to be tonight but with this change, I put him off. It’s been a crazy day and I have packing to do.”

The subject was obviously closed to argument. Reva sat back, frowning. "I don't like this, Six."

Six considered whether to tell her the rest, then decided she might as well. “Then you’re really not going to like the rest. Since I resigned my position, I have to move, of course. The civilian quarters are rather small...most of them……” She stopped to see if Reva would catch on and reached for her glass.

"You're moving in with him?" Reva couldn't contain her disgust. Nor her disappointment: "Oh, Six! What are you thinking? I thought you were smart."

“I’ll be fine. It can’t be any worse than having Seyla get you in trouble without you even knowing it. Besides, if I am down in civvie quarters, there’s no safer place than beside the man they are all afraid of, is there?”

"Until someone decides to displace the bastard and injures or kills you in the process," Reva said, turning her glass around and around.

“I’ll be fine, really.” Six tilted her head, leaning in to meet Reva’s downcast gaze. “Really. Besides, now I can sleep in in the mornings if I want and I won’t have the Fleet looking over my shoulder all the time.”

That particular part sounded divine to Reva. She looked up at her, then past her. She smirked. "You sure about that whole no Fleet looking over your shoulder?" She nodded, directing Six to take a look.”

Darwin had entered the bar. He was out of uniform in dark slacks and a pale blue button-down shirt. He was making a beeline for their table. "Ensign," he nodded at Reva, "and Six."

“I see the news travels fast,” Six commented. ‘Hi Darwin.”

"I'm well connected, as you should know," he sat next to Reva, making her move over to give him room. "Can't say I'm real pleased about the whole thing."

Shooting him a glare for making her yield space, Reva muttered, "At least that's one thing we agree on." She then cried, "Ow!", when Darwin pinched her thigh.

“So what brings you around, Darwin?” Six asked. “And out of uniform no less. Trying to impress someone? Or is this going to be another lecture about how I’m wasting my life?”

"Actually, the friendly bartender here, nice guy named Jono, called Security about a lone green girl coming in here. He's worried she's going to start a fight," he glanced at Reva. "You know, those damned Orions, always causing trouble."

"I am not causing trouble! I've started one fight... and I didn't even start it, really!" Reva looked at Six, "Tell him! I've been perfectly behaved."

‘She has,” Six agreed. “Actually, I am the one who started the fight in here a while back. Though actually I didn’t start it, someone else did. Just like Iapetus. You can't expect her not to defend herself.” She smiled like the cheshire cat. “Can you?”

"Jono doesn't know our little kitten here is on inhibitors. Without Seyla in here to run interference, he was afraid her pheromones would cause problems," Darwin said, nudging the Orion as he spoke. "But, no, if one of you is being dragged off by someone other than me or a similarly friendly gold-shirt, then you should fight and scream. If I'm the one dragging you off, I expect you'll come along willingly."

"Fat chance," Reva muttered.

“Not likely, Suresh might have an issue with that.” Six smiled. “So why are your out of uniform? Got a date?”

"Unlike Ignatius, I am not sewn into my uniform. But, no, no date. There are always possibilities, of course," Darwin said as he scanned the room, looking for a possible target. His gaze lingered on one woman.

Reva laughed and teased him, "Ooo! Darwin's on the make, Six! He's sitting here, touching me, and looking at the women in here. He likes the dark-headed one over there," she pointed, "With the barely-there shirt."

“I’ve seen her before.” Six glanced that direction for a moment. “She was down in Saturnalia last night and that shirt was even less there than it is now.”

Darwin frowned. "Really? She's not one of Seyla's girls, though."

"No, she's not," Reva confirmed, ignoring that Darwin stopped his people-watching to look at her. "She's in a competitor's employ."

“One that, from what I’ve seen, doesn’t have Seyla’s class...or the standards she requires,” Six added. “I think the Terrans would call her gutter trash? Is that right?”

"Ahhh...," Darwin's brows rose.

Reva laughed again. "He thinks she's pretty hot in that itty-bitty shirt. I agree, Six, she's nowhere near Seyla's standards."

"Now, now," he said, "you two can drop the cattiness. Just because she has more boob than you two have brains doesn't mean you should pick on her."

Six raised her eyebrows. “No cattiness, I was merely stating a fact.” Six sipped her drink, then set it back down. “Please, Darwin, no more insults to my intelligence? I’ve had enough of those for one day. Tess went so far as to tell me I was wasting my life.”

Darwin, surprised, looked from one to the other, and said, "Insult? That wasn't an insult. Look at the size of those! They're huge, ginormous, like your brains." Darwin definitely didn't have Gilroy's romantic schtick. "That would have been an insult if she had little itty-bitty ones."

Reva sighed and sipped her drink. "Oh, Darwin, you have such a way with words!"

Six snickered and gave him a thumbs down. “Better luck next time, Darwin.” She looked over at the woman once more. “So, are you going to sit here with us or go say hello?” She nudged him gently. “Go on, or I’ll put you to work carrying boxes.”

"Not with you two as an audience, girls," he said. "Besides, Jono wants me to babysit the rogue Orion. Seems he doesn't trust 'em when they're so young."

"Six," Reva sat forward and looked at her friend, "Want some help packing? We can call Ops or a site-to-site transport."

Six shook her head. “Ops doesn’t work for civvies, Reva, unfortunately. Nor can I request a transport. Welcome to my world.” She smiled a moment. “Bryce is coming over later. We can pack and he can help carry.”

"Ops works for Fleetie," Reva smiled. "Sometimes they work even harder for those with green skin."

"Hey, what ever happened to Miss 'I don't do that'?" Darwin asked.

"You took that to mean I hadn't had sex. What I was saying was that I don't play games with being owned," she said. Really, she had meant that she didn't freely go to bed with anyone. She had to revise that now, considering the other night. "Six, I could call it in as an engineering thing."

Six looked to Darwin. “Well? Can we? Or will that cause a bigger issue than I am already causing?”

"It's on Reva's head if there's trouble. I'll bet she can con her way out of any trouble, though," Darwin commented, shrugging.

"Con my way?"

"Yeah, you've been picking up Seyla-isms. Flirtiness and all that," he said.

“Alright but transporting. I don’t think Suresh wants Fleet crew wandering through his quarters.” Six shrugged. “There isn’t much, just a few clothes and some odds and ends. Maybe two boxes.” She flagged down a server and ordered another round. “Drink Darwin?”

"Yeah, the legendary Wormhole. I see that's what you two have," he said.

"Just two boxes? What about your regeneration alcove? Shouldn't that move with you?" Reva had convinced Six to let her look it over once; she was still curious about it

“Well, I’m still sorting that out. There really isn’t room in Suresh’s quarters, but since I can get civilian quarters, I’ll probably just get something with a single room that can hold it and be done. That is something that will need to be transported, you’re right,” Six answered. “I’ll carry the boxes and save your help for the big thing.” She smiled at Reva. “Besides, you’re off tonight and Darwin is too, apparently planning to spend the evening here with us. Why not enjoy it?”


"Enjoy Darwin's company?" Reva said it as if Six had suggested they share a tub of gagh.

"Jesus, Reva, I'm not that bad." He shook his head. "Maybe I will go off and find a young lady to accost."

“I could take you down to the Pit Reva.” Six grinned at her, knowing that would get a rise out of Darwin. She was definitely enjoying herself.
"Oo! Let's! I just need to change," Reva agreed.

"Oh, hell no! I'll take you to the brig, first!" He looked at Reva then Six, "You, don't encourage her!"

"The brig! I haven't done anything!"

"Except irritate me," he muttered.

“I won’t, I promise.” Six stopped as the new drinks arrived and had a sip of hers. “Besides, if I did, Suresh would be as unhappy as you. He wasn’t thrilled about what happened to you at Iapetus, Reva.”

"Hmmph," Reva snorted, "Well, that makes it unanimous. Though I did get to sleep in Seyla's bed." She grinned at Six, impishly. She sipped her drink and watched as Darwin took a much larger swallow of his.

He caught them watching him and asked, "What? I've been here before. Did you tell Riley about that, Reva?"

"I did. Sometimes, you're like my grandmother." She tried to turn the subject back to Six. "Tess really said you're wasting your life?"

“Among other things. He was seriously disappointed and Riley even told him not to be so harsh. Tess isn’t normally like that. I guess he just...sees it as a waste of my talents and phrased it badly.” Six shrugged. “We all have to do what we have to do I guess.”

“He settled down a little after you left, Six.” The voice belonged to Riley, who had appeared at their table. “Hello, Lt. Darwin.” Riley rested his hands on Reva’s shoulders. “Actually, he just fell silent and stomped off to his office and didn’t come out again.”

“I see.” Six frowned. “I suppose he’ll either get over it or he won’t. That man needs to get out more, though. I appreciate his concern but…” She looked to Darwin and shrugged.

Darwin stood and moved to the seat beside Six, leaving room beside Reva for Riley. "Evening, Lt. Sukotav. It is a damned shame, Six, that you've resigned. Like I said, brains like a huge pair--"

“Don’t go there, Darwin,” Six warned, but her tone wasn’t serious. “You staying Riley or come to lure Reva away?”

"He came to take me away," Reva jumped in, smiling up at Riley. "I already asked Seyla if we could borrow her--"

“Oh, that’s good news,” Riley interrupted. “Let’s take off then shall we? Darwin, Six...take it easy.” he seemed to be in a hurry suddenly.

Six looked at the pair and then she laughed. “Go, get out of here..go do..whatever it is you are off to do.”

Reva leaned and kissed Six's cheek, "Be careful. And have my drink." She and Riley headed out.

Turning to watch the two go, Darwin felt a flash of envy. Pushing it down, he said to Six, "She didn't catch a single hint, did she?"

“No,” Six answered. “She was too caught up in Riley and their evening to look for something she doesn’t even know is there. She’s also of the opinion that I'm wasting my life for the sake of a criminal. She knows how I feel about him so she took it at face value.” Six sighed. “The scene this morning in science was rough.”

"You'll likely face that again and again. It might be just as bad as what you face as a former Borg." He finished his drink and reached for the one Reva had left behind. "Reva's got a bug under her skin about Suresh; I doubt she's the type to let a grudge go easily, so it's likely she'll just never give him any slack."

Six shrugged. “I ignore it generally, but she values our friendship enough that if I really put my foot down, she’ll stop the insults. It’s okay, he doesn’t much care for her either. Funny thing, that. He’s afraid she’ll get me into trouble.” A smile lit her face a moment. “Even so, he’s let his people know to jump in if she runs into trouble and now, I’ll be around too. So if things get testy, I’ll have her back.”

"Good. She lacks the self-control you have, so, yeah, she's a trouble magnet. The type that acts before she thinks. It'll be her relationship with Seyla that causes the most trouble, and none of us can be there when it's just her and Seyla." He toyed with his glass, much the way Reva had, then said, "Watch out when you're out and about, Six. Or anywhere, really. Anyone looking to drive Surie over the edge likely knows that killing his woman is a quick way to do it."

“Make history repeat itself you mean?” She nodded. “He’s adamant that I am not to wander about down below alone. Up here, I should be okay, especially with the watch dog only a few steps behind.” She indicated a man at the bar who was sitting sideways on his stool, a drink in hand. “He’s one of them.”

"I noticed him earlier," Darwin said. "He's why I sat next to Reva. That, and to annoy her." He laughed. "Good to know he put a watch on you. Little creepy, too. But love, right? This a many splendored thing."

“Given our situation, and that includes you and Bryce, I think it’s a good thing. He can be the eyes I don’t have in the back of my head.” Six finished her drink and looked intently at Darwin. “So when are you going to give in and ask her?”

He was well aware she meant Reva. "She's dating Riley. Plus she's a bit young." He didn't mean that simply as a physical youth - she was young, impetuous, a real pain in the ass mentally.

“She is, yes, but I”ll tell you something she told me about Vic. I reminded her that I was already involved and she said that I hadn’t given Vic a chance to change my mind.” She moved her glass aside and leaned closer to Darwin. “Riley’s an old friend of mine and I love him dearly. But Reva doesn’t need you deciding for her what she should do. Suresh gave me this same speech - that I should never let someone else determine my life. Neither should you.”

"I'm not the type of guy who goes around breaking up happy couples just so I can relieve some tension," Darwin told her.

“I guess it depends on what you want with her, Dar. If it’s only relief, find someone else and get past this. If it’s relief, anyone will do, she just happens to be under your nose. But if it’s more, then do what you need to do.” Six patted his hand, "Think about it.”

" Sure," he nodded, already deciding that he wouldn't. Instead, he'd simply find someone else. "Will you be okay? You're not really alone, but ...you'll be okay if I leave you, right?"

“I’m going to go back down so the watchdog will go home, then I am meeting Bryce and getting my clothes moved down,” Six answered. “I don’t really foresee trouble up here anyhow. Too crowded, too many Fleeties and security around. I’ll be fine.” She rose and rested her hand on his shoulder. “See you soon.”

"Yeah." He didn't turn and watch as she left. Within a minute, he was no longer thinking about Six. Instead, he was chatting with a woman who claimed her name was "Bethsheba."

**************************
Lt. M. Darwin

Ensign Reva Madhava

Ensign Six of Ten

Lt. Riley Dukotav