Back To The Playground

Posted on Mon Oct 26th, 2015 @ 10:45pm by Captain Li Hawke & Lazan

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Palaxia's Playground

Palaxia’s Playground *

Finally caught up on the reports of Ensign Madhava, Lt. Sukotav, and Eli,, she laid the last padd aside and rubbed her eyes. Rick was right, this place had reached a fever pitch. The Intel reports had indicated that Nico’s brother was tied into almost all of the recent incidents in one way or another. If that were the case, there were two people she wanted to see and both were in the pit. One message she sent directly to Suresh. The other, to Lazan, was simply blank, was was their custom. It meant that they were both to appear within thirty minutes. She cleared out a few more things, then departed her office in a hurry.

Twenty minutes later, she reached Palaxia’s and stopped at the bar. Mirax looked up and poured her usual, then brought it over with a smile. “It’s been a while.”

“Yes it has. Busy days and nights. You’re doing well I trust?”

He nodded. “I am. Better than things seem to be down below. But that will work itself out soon enough.”

“It will. Thanks.” She raised the glass to him, then hurried on to the back where the holosuites lined the back wall. The one on the end displayed an ‘Out Of Order’ sign, but LI ignored it stepped inside. Once the door closed behind her, darkness swallowed her and she waited.

Lazan entered not long after, his usual bourbon swirling in its crystal glass. He had opted for a double this evening. The odds were good this would be a long meeting.

"It's been some time, Captain Hawke," Lazan spoke with a smirk playing on his lips. He walked along the side of the holosuite to join her towards the rear. "How fares 900," he wondered.

“Above the equator, very well. I would think you’re well aware of what’s happening below it. The methods may not have been conventional, but two of our worst offenders are now dead. I don’t think anyone mourns the loss.” She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. “The one responsible for the kidnapping of the ensign is in the brig and,” she looked Lazan up and down, “likely won’t see the light of day again. How’s our man doing down there?”

"Likely," he repeated, taking a sip of his bourbon in lieu of making eye contact with Li. He had just come from meeting with Owain, though had reapplied his inhibitor, and had been sorely tempted to extract the man. He might yet. But his thoughts focused now on Suresh.

"He married your Borg," the Ramuran said as he lowered his glass, casting a sidelong glance towards the Captain. He was honestly curious if she knew... or worse, approved.

“I know,” Li answered. “You may not like it, and I may think it’s risky, but it’s not my place to tell Suresh what he can and cannot do in his personal life. Given what he’s up against, he needs something of his own that is truly his, not the original Suresh’s. Six is that. After all he’s been through and what he’s giving up for us, do you really begrudge him that?”

"Of course I do!" His response was instant. "We never needed him. If he wanted a normal life he would have left the station, gone somewhere the name Suresh meant nothing. Instead, he chose to be your pawn, and now he compromises that role!" What he left unsaid was obvious: that he could have handled things without answering to a figurehead. Instead, he was trying to outmaneuver him at almost every turn.

“We needed a known face. We also needed someone to keep the spotlight on them so you are free to do what needs to be done.” She leaned back against the wall with a sigh. “Does that make more sense? You are uninhibited, while his familiar face keeps people in line. Which brings me to my next point - Niro.”

Lazan took another long draught, glad he had the foresight to order that double. "I hate it when you make sense," he grumbled after swallowing. "But our relationship has served me well in the past. I have no need to begin doubting that now." He turned to face her fully. "What about our friendly neighborhood mind-rapist? Has he fallen out an airlock?" He took another sip, rather relishing the burn of the amber liquid in the back of his throat.

“He is beginning to piss me off,” Li said bluntly. “He’s causing problems all around and the list is growing. Reva….Falasin….and rumour has it he’s baiting Suresh over Six too. Security also had a witness statement that Niro was behind the poisoning of Cadet Ziyad. It’s because of him that Owain went off the deep end. Gilroy is going to pick him up so he will be contained but unless they find proof, he’ll be out again soon.”

"You won't find any," Lazan decided without much hesitation. "We both know he's too good." He began to pace, considering the options available to them before he stopped quite suddenly. He looked at her, first incredulous and then with something akin to amusement. He laughed aloud.

"That's why you're here, isn't it? You need me to be rid of him for you. To do what your Federation cannot."

Li frowned as she considered that. “You know that witness who heard him say he poisoned Eli? She was on his ship and was chased down when she ran to get away.That witness, the Andorian Falasin, suddenly can’t recall that information after a visit from Niro. The one witness!” Li almost shouted. “You know as well as I do that it won’t stop there. Who will be next? Seyla? Then Suresh himself? Or maybe Niro will just pick everything possible out of his head, expose him, kill him and take over? Do you really want that?”

"Witnesses are fantastically unreliable," Lazan agreed with a smile. "But no... I may begrudge having to bow to Suresh 2.0, but I would sooner kill Niro myself than endure him."

“Unless something is done, he may ruin a good man, we may lose an innocent, and end up with a war on our hands. If that happens, everyone loses.” Li downed the rest of her drink and took a deep breath. “My apologies. It isn’t often that anything gets to me as this has. I do have a question, though. What was in Suresh’s will?”

Lazan was momentarily taken aback, nearly choking on his bourbon. He chuckled as he drained the glass, then reached for the arch panel inside of the holosuite.

“Shall I pull it out of your head?” she asked.

"I respect your restraint in not having already done so. I would have," he admitted. He opened the door of the holosuite and retrieved the refills he just ordered, passing Li her own.

"In truth, he left you everything. It should come as no surprise. His intent, after all, was to murder the Admiral. You shouldn't have been collateral." Lazan paused to taste his refreshed beverage. "I naturally altered the files to reflect my interest." His tone was absurdly lax, given the circumstances, but manipulating tech was something of a speciality of his.

“There is nothing of his I want,” she said softly. “Nothing I would bring home either. Sakkath doesn’t need that.” She sipped the new drink. “It’s beside the point anyway, since he is, at least for all appearances, still alive. I suspect, though, that you’ll find this one is better at finances than the old one so the holdings you two are sharing may become even greater than it already is.”

"You mean he has latinum fall into his lap so that your officers can be bought?" Lazan resisted the urge to waggle his eyebrows, but he did chuckle.

"Regardless of how I feel about this Suresh, though," Lazan paused, turning to Li once more and smoothing his suit's jacket, "I will handle Niro. Call off your Klingon dog. He'll only complicate matters." The last thing they needed was to drive Niro into hiding.

“On the contrary. This means Niro’s stuck where you can get to him at will.” Li pushed away from the wall and moved closer, resting her hand on his arm. “We’ll get through this, without a war and without Niro ruining anyone else. You have my word on that.”

"Of course he won't," Lazan agreed, smiling at her touch. He always somehow relished the thought that his relationship with 'Isha' was always more intimate than even the old Suresh's. It was a delicious irony. "I told you, I will handle him. And I do not involve myself lightly."

“We’ll get together again once it’s done.” She picked up his passing thought about Isha and smiled. “You’re right,” was all she said as she touched his cheek. “Call if you need anything.” She dropped her hand and turned to go.

"I will," he promised, trusting that there may come a point when he would need Starfleet to look the other way or to actively aid him. He had to admit, as good as he was, that her husband might be even better with computers. If Niro got paranoid, Lazan might need Sakkath's help. "Just keep yourself safe. Niro is not far from prying into Suresh's deepest thoughts, and potentially finding you."

“He will be sorry if he does,” was her only comment. She pressed the panel and opened the door. “Watch your back.” With that, she slipped out and was gone.

"I watch everything down here," he answered the empty room, smirking. But before long, his thoughts had turned exclusively to Niro, and how he was going to end the man's threat.

--
Lazan
Operating Outside the Law

Captain Li Hawke
Pushing Lazan Further