Medical Options

Posted on Fri Aug 21st, 2015 @ 11:18pm by Ensign Reva Madhava & Seyla & Ensign Six of Ten & Suresh & Niro

* EFS Korenna *

Humming slightly to herself, ignoring the voice of her grandmother in her head, and the prick of Riley's situation and loss, Reva was spending time in Niro's quarters, fixing her hair just so. When she was finally happy with it, she slipped on a replicated dress - one that matched her skin color, and donned shoes then went to find Niro.

"Hey, Saturnalia tonight? After Piper, of course."

Niro was at the comm panel in his living room reading over a text message. He closed it, turned to look and his eyes widened. Reaching out, he ran his fingers along a loose wisp of hair that curled along her neck. “Incredible.” He blinked once more. “Sorry, what was the question?”

She laughed, flattered to the core. "I asked whether you'd like to go to Saturnalia after going to Piper. You don't have to come to Piper with me, though."

“That sounds fine, and I don’t mind going with you. I can wait outside while you see Six. I’m sure she’ll be happy you’re there.” He ran his finger along her collarbone, the touch whisper-light. “Ready?”

“Yes,” she took his hand and headed for the door.

* Piper Medical *

An orderly had shown Reva and Niro to Six’s room and left them just outside it. “Do you want to come in with me? Earlier, I didn’t mean you couldn’t,” Reva asked him.

“I know, but she doesn’t really know me and this way you two can talk without an awkward third wheel.” He smiled down at her. “I need to call Seyla, anyway, and settle up with her for Falon’s time tonight.”

“Okay,” she pouted lightly for just a second then kissed him. “I’ll be out soon.” She knocked on the door and, when she heard a voice from inside, entered.

Halfway in, she saw Suresh holding Six’s hand and paused, feeling a moment of irritation. She wondered whether she should stay, and decided to do just that. “Six! Hi,” she smiled, ignored Suresh and went to her friend’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, actually.” The head of Six’s bed was slightly inclined and the bruising that Vic had noticed was gone. She gave Reva a bright smile. “I’m so glad you came.”

Suresh stood and surprisingly, he smiled at Reva. “So am I. She’s been asking about you.” He leaned over to kiss Six’s forehead. “I’m going to go get a drink and give you two time to talk. Good to see you Reva.” He passed on out and they could hear him greeting Niro outside before the door closed again.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier. I’ve been...,” she frowned, looking at her hands where she held Six’s hand, “um... distracted. I talked to Riley; Gilroy let me see him. He’s shattered, Six. He knows he did this, but...,” she shook her head.

Six nodded. “I know. Vic was here when I woke up after surgery and I told him then...when I turned around and saw Riley, it was weird. It was him but it didn’t feel like him, you know? Something was wrong but I didn’t have time to really see. What are they doing with him?”

“He’s in a padded cell in the Brig,” Reva said. “But I don’t know anything else. Well, I do. He said that Niro’s brother found something wrong in his head, something that made him do this, so it really wasn’t him, not ...mentally, at least.” She wanted to talk about something else, anything else. Continuing on this topic would make her cry.

Six squeezed her hand tight. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” It was clear that Six had left the topic of the attack. “Is Niro helping? You...like him.”

“I’ll be fine, but thanks,” she smiled. “Niro is nice; he’s ...convenient, Six.” She didn’t have to tell Six that he helped her avoid thinking about Riley. “Which is good, since Jenkins took me off the schedule for three days.”

“She did? Wow, I didn’t think Chief Jenkins had a beating heart in her chest.” Six grinned at Reva. “Wonders never cease do they?”

Reva laughed. “No, they don’t. But I think she’s more concerned about me screwing up an assignment while distracted. Oh well, hey! Three days off! And Niro said that I can work on his engines.” Her excitement was evident.

Six nodded. “Smart man, he knows just how to distract you from all the craziness going on. He deserves a pat on the back for that I think.” She looked at Reva’s dress and smiled once more. “Going out tonight I see?”

“Yup, Saturnalia. With Niro, I’m not afraid of going there.” She smiled. “Do you like your new friend, the Orion? What was her name again?”

“Ed. She’s alright...on the payroll, you know? After that attack down below, Suresh kinda freaked out and wanted someone watching out for me so it wouldn’t happen again.” The irony of her current situation wasn’t lost on her. “We didn’t think I’d have to watch out for someone so close, but something like that...no way to know.”

“No, I suppose not. Hopefully he won’t react by trying to hide you away completely.” Reva sat on the edge of Six’s bed. “So much has happened in such a short amount of time. Who’d have thought our night out to Saturnalia would turn into all this mess, with you being attacked twice and dating a sh-- ah, Suresh.”

“It’s a little mind-blowing, isn’t it? I guess what it means is that we never know what’s going to happen from one minute to the next.” Six’s voice softened. “I know a lot of this has been hard on you too. I hate that.”

“Lots of it has been good - I’ve gotten to know Seyla and she’s taught me so much! Oh! Get this: she has copies of letters my dad wrote to my mother in prison! I’m learning stuff I never knew about my dad and Europa. She told me she took out the parts that a daughter shouldn’t read about her dad,” she laughed.

“Wow, really?” Six let that settle in for a second or two. “I hope that somehow all this evens out and things start to get back to normal. It’s been interesting but I think we’ve had enough.”

Perhaps Six had had enough; Reva felt she was just getting started. She had, after all, just been confined to quarters for two weeks. “Yeah. Once they figure out who meddled with Riley, things should quiet down. It isn’t like Suresh or Niro would let anything happen to either of us, right?”

“Right. So, if you have time, tell me what you’ve been up to. It’s pretty quiet in here.”

“Of course,” Reva settled in a little and started telling Six about her little bots, the Korenna’s engines and so much more.

* Corridor *

While Reva was inside the room visiting with Six, Niro had talked briefly with Suresh, long enough for an update, before Suresh moved off in search of something to eat. Once he was alone, he backtracked to the small waiting room just down the way. Finding it empty, he accessed the public comm terminal and opened a channel to Seyla.

“Seyla’s!” Bella practically sang the name as she answered the comm. “Oh, you. Do you need to talk to Seyla?”

Niro blinked back at Bella’s image and resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall. Instead, he smiled. “Hello, Bella. Lovely to see you. Is Seyla lurking about?”

“Oh yes, she’s here.” She nodded, smiling brightly. A heartbeat went by, then she said, “Oh, hang on.” She disappeared from the screen.

A moment later, Seyla appeared there in her place, smirking with amusement. “Niro, my dear. It’s rare for you to call.”

“It is, I much prefer seeing you in person. I see Bella’s little adventure didn’t dampen her usual enthusiasm?”

“A little. I’ve taken her off the roster for a while, so she’ll be here more often. But I don’t want to push her back out with clients just yet.” Seyla glanced to the side, most likely looking at Bella off screen. “How was your time with our kitten?”

“Exceedingly well, actually. Better than you’d hoped,” Niro answered. “She has the next three days off and came to the ship prepared to stay for the duration. She will be assisting my engineer on some repairs tomorrow too. You heard about Riley?”

“Yes, sad news there. I trust that Harding put Six back together again?”

“He did. We’re at Piper now and Reva is in visiting with her.” He laughed shortly. “As for Riley? That couldn’t have worked out better if I’d planned it.” He’d lowered his voice so it wouldn’t carry. “I didn’t and I am really curious who did.”

“As am I. But... you have three days with her?” Her eyes brightened as she smiled. “How about a little experiment, Niro?”

“Certainly. We should discuss that elsewhere though,” he answered. “We’ll be leaving here shortly and going to Saturnalia. Drop in, won’t you?”

“I’ll meet you there,” Seyla smiled and signed off.

Niro turned off the terminal and made his way back to Six’s room. This time he opened the door and stepped in.

“Hello ladies. Six, I’m glad to see you are on the mend. Reva’s been worried.”

“Hi Niro.” She looked from him to Reva. “That makes two of us. But you two are going out, don’t let me keep you. Suresh will be back soon and I am likely going to take a nap.”

“Okay,” Reva leaned in towards Six and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you in Saturnalia soon.” She then held out a hand for Niro to take and stood. “Sleep well.” She paused a moment before leaning in toward Six again, this time whispering, “And dream of Vic.”

* Saturnalia *

Having arrived before Niro and Reva, Seyla had claimed her ‘usual’ booth and sat watching the other patrons. One in particular caught her eye, as he had every other time she’d seen him: a large Orion at a small corner table. Who was he and why hadn’t her people been able to gather any information on him? She was just about to crook a finger at him and invite him over, but then Reva entered the sight line between Seyla and the Orion. Seyla smiled at the young woman.

“Seyla! You’re here! I’ve heard from Niro that it’s not often that you’re in Saturnalia,” Reva hugged the madame and took a seat next to her.

“Oh, a little bird told me that you’d be here tonight, kitten, so here I am.” Seyla beamed at Reva and gently brushed her fingers along Reva’s hairline.

“Good evening, Seyla.” Niro flashed her a smile, than sat down as well. “This is a nice surprise. Where have you been keeping yourself?”

“Here and there. I’ve been keeping watch over Bella and my other two girls. Lisha went right back to work, but Vivien and Bella haven’t yet.” Seyla avoided Niro’s question.

“Is Bella okay?” Reva didn’t know the other two, except by name, but she’d met Bella and thought her sweet.

“Yes. The slave traders didn’t abuse their product prior to shipment. The only physical wounds were from the shackles used to keep them in place in the container.” Seyla frowned; she didn’t want to discuss Bella’s new dislike of the dark.

“Well, there’s a small silver lining...,” Reva winced, knowing that there wasn’t really a silver lining in any of it.

“And a rare occurrence, yes? I understand the owner was found wasn’t he Seyla?” It was a light attempt to gloss over a very ugly subject for Reva’s sake.

“Yes, he was. Dead. And before you ask, neither Suresh nor I had anything to do with that.” Seyla watched as Niro rather possessively laid a hand on the back of Reva’s neck. She smiled and changed the subject. “My dear,” she spoke softly to Reva, edging closer to her, “I understand you have a few days off, don’t you?”

Reva glanced at Niro and nodded. “Three days of nothing to do,” she grinned.

“Hmm... I could help you make the most of those days, kitten,” Seyla looked past her at Niro. “Help you feel like a real Orion.”

“Help me?” Reva shook her head. “I don’t understand. How?”

“I could give you something that would reverse your inhibitor. Just a test run, to see how well you can control your pheromones,” Seyla whispered to Reva.

“Really?” Excited by the idea, Reva looked at Niro again, as if he were her advisor. “I didn’t know that was possible.” She sobered a little. “Oh, but I don’t know about that. I mean... what happens in three days, then? Doc Harding will wonder what happened with the mix he made.”

Niro had been casually watching the Orion in the corner but at Reva’s question, he turned to Seyla. “Good question. Will yours wear off and leave her current one on place or will she have to go back to Piper?”

“According to the doctor who gave me this antidote, a small dose will wear off after a few days. A full dose would wipe the inhibitor out of your system.” Seyla toyed with a curl of Reva’s hair, letting her fingers just brush Reva’s bare shoulder. “You know I wouldn’t do anything to harm you, kitten. Live a little on your three days’ leave.”

Again, Reva glanced at Niro. “Um,” she wanted to say yes, but fear of the Fleet’s regulations held her back. “I’m not sure.”

Niro appeared to be giving it some serious thought. Finally he took Reva’s hand. “You’re off duty for the next three days, yes? In that case, consider it a small vacation. No shifts, no duty. You’ll be safe with me. Why not? I’ll be the only one to feel the effects after all. Not that I mind.”

“Okay,” Reva nodded. “I’ll try it.” She bounced in her seat.

“Good. The vials are in my quarters. We’ll go there in a bit, after drinks,” Seyla lifted her glass, smiling.

At the small table in the corner, the Orion, Robart, stared at the three, not liking how the two older individuals seemed to be influencing Reva. He debated interrupting them, but knew that would be the end of his ability to anonymously watch the young Orion and her companions.

“We’ll stop by on our way home,” Niro agreed. He leaned closer to kiss Reva. “Till then, the night is young and I have a beautiful woman at my side.” He smiled at Seyla. “So I’m sure you’ll understand if I’m a little selfish with her time.”

Chuckling, Reva twisted to kiss him. “You’ve got a silver tongue, Niro.”

“Enjoy your time. I’ll leave the hypospray in my quarters for you,” Seyla said, “Just in case I’m gone by the time you two come by.” She slid to the end of the booth and stood, waving to the two as she moved towards the door.

“Man, she’s elegant,” Reva whispered to Niro.

Niro perked one eyebrow. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? Seyla is polished, yes, but a little hard and brittle sometimes. She lacks your softness and freshness, Reva, your enthusiasm for the world. She’s become a little jaded, you know?”

“I suppose, but... having the one you love imprisoned and then killed ...and not be able to tell anyone you’re mourning him? That could jade anyone,” Reva reasoned.

“It could,” Niro agreed. “It’s a tragic occurrence, I’ll give you that.” He glanced past her, noting that the Orion in the corner was still watching them and trying not to appear to be. “Are you excited about our vacation?”

“Yes! Oh, could we go to Archadia? Just for a day? I mean, I want to help Falon with the engines, too. And Palaxia’s. I recently heard that there’s something the residents are calling a ‘pocket park’ down on level 2214. I’d like to check that out,” her excitement had her grinning and looking up at Niro as if she were falling in love with him.

“Absolutely.” He gathered her hands in his. “Once we see how your control is, those might be good trial runs don’t you think?” He noted the look and it pleased him, deep down, which came as a surprise.

“I do. Especially Archadia. I won’t have to worry about Darwin,” she wrinkled her nose in playful distaste. “Can I practice on Falon and Ty?”

As stab of jealousy rose in Niro and as their hands were joined, he knew she would sense it. “Stay away from Ty. As for Falon, I don’t know that I like the idea of him being...attracted to you. I’d hate to have to hurt him.”

Touching his cheek with her fingers and lightly kissing his lips, she chuckled, “Whatever you say, Niro.” A server appeared at the table and Reva separated from Niro slightly. They ordered dinner and drinks. “Hey, Shelly?”

“What, sweetie?”

“The Orion over there, who is he?”

Shelly shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine. Been coming in here for a few weeks now, though. Awfully quiet.” She turned and let the two alone.

“I noticed him too,” Niro murmured. “Don’t often see anyone like him around.”

“Right,” she nodded. “I read once that, somewhere, that green Orion males nearly always have a female nearby.” She shrugged, dismissing him. “Oh well, secretive Orions can remain so. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”

Niro laughed softly and pulled her close. Then he began to whisper in her ear…..

******************

Ensign Reva Madhava
About to Be Armed and Dangerous

Niro
Closing The Circle

Ensign Six of Ten
Following Reva’s Order

Suresh
Still Standing Watch

Seyla
Temptress

Bella
Slow Operator