Sounding the Alarm

Posted on Wed Dec 30th, 2015 @ 12:26am by Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & IKS Ning'Tao

Mission: Further Challenges

* Guest Quarters - The Cherry Pit *

It had taken some time to track Isaura down but finally she had tracked her back to her quarters. She reached the door and pressed hard on the chime, hoping that for now, Drekkar was occupied elsewhere. What she had to tell Isa needed to be discussed and figured out before getting Drekkar and Jarrad all stirred up. She waited several seconds, then pressed the chime button once more.

“Come on Isa…” she muttered.

Inside the quarters, Isa kissed Rafe and said, “Leggo... I should answer that.” Which really meant that she needed to find a robe, then answer the door.

“Maybe if you ignore them they will go away, hmm?” He kept one arm over her, pinning her down. “Maybe I’ll go to the door and send them on their way. You have more important things to do.”

She liked it when Rafe pinned her down, particularly when neither of them had clothing on. Like now. “Good idea. Show me one of those more important things...,” she encouraged him.

“Certainly, I --” He stopped as whoever was there began to bang on the door, then yell. He recognized Kaeli’s voice and pursed his lips. “Perhaps she will not be so easily ignored.”

“Hmm... perhaps she’s less demanding when we’re on the Ning? There, she knows that when we’re done, we’re easy to find. On the Station? We’ll be much harder to find.” Her disappointment was obvious, but she nudged him in the ribs. “Come on, let’s find some clothes and find out what she wants.”

“Very well.” Rafael slipped from the bed and pulled a pair of shorts from the bag he still hadn’t unpacked. He glanced in the mirror, ran his hands through his hair and nodded. “I’ll get the door.” With one last look at Isa, he exited the bedroom.

That look, combined with his lack of clothing and his carelessly tousled hair, nearly made her grab him and haul him back into bed with her. “Dammit,” she muttered before getting up and finding a shirt (Rafe’s, discarded hastily just a few minutes before) and pants (her own: Rafe’s wouldn’t fit her). She, like Rafe, ran her hands through her hair before going out to the living room, just as Rafe was letting Kaeli in. “I hope you have a really good reason for banging on our door,” she complained at the woman.

Kaeli stepped in and looked the engineer up and down. “Well, that answers my first question.” Passing him by with a smirk, she dropped into one of the chairs. “Sit down Isa, we’ve got to talk. Given him,” she motioned to Rafael, “I can be sure Drekkar is not here and that’s good.”

Smiling at Rafe, Isaura laughed slightly. “No, Drekkar isn’t here. Hopefully he’ll be too busy soon to try coming around. I asked Seyla to send someone out to him. What’s going on Kaeli?”

“We have a serious problem,” Kaeli began. “And when I use the word serious, you know it’s big.” She frowned as she gathered her thoughts. “I went down to Saturnalia earlier and someone grabbed my wrist and insisted I sit down and catch up. That someone was Zikar.”

“Zikar.” Isa shook her head cluelessly. “And I care wh...oh shit. Zikar? Gul Zikar?” She stood and looked like she was about to run away very quickly. “Here? On the Station? What is he doing here?”

“It’s legate now, based on the rank insignia he wore. He said he was here on personal business. He didn’t say what that was, at least not aloud. He’s here to get his wife who ran off and left him. That’s what I picked up from him. It’s his main focus for now but he knows Drekkar and Jarad are here. He didn’t hesitate to threaten them and me so it may be just a matter of time. Depends on what I come up with while I’m watching him.”

“Legate. Huh. Do Drekkar and Jarad know yet?” Her voice was squeaky with concern.

“No they don’t. I wanted to warn you first so we can decide how to handle this.” Kaeli was out of her seat and pacing as she continued. “He still wants us. I think it’s more a matter of his own honor and satisfaction in my case. I’m sure Cardassian intelligence still wants them for the obvious reasons. Zikar doesn’t know you are here and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“So would I,” Rafael agreed.

“Let’s say that we’re all in agreement on that,” Isa said, only slightly distracted by Rafe’s bare chest and abs. She stared at his bare skin while thinking through the issue; Kaeli was one of her crew, and Ronin’s sister, so doing nothing was not an option. “So... how are we getting rid of Zikar?”

“That I am uncertain about at this point. He’s a notable visiting here. If something happens to him, it will be noticed. However, that also means he has to watch his step while he’s here unless he wants to set off an incident. It would open a huge can of worms none of us want opened, including him since I’d scream long and loud about how he tortured me.” Kaeli stopped and leaned on the back of the chair. “Joe knows.”

“Joe knows?” Isa shook her head. “What does he know?”

“I gave him an image of Zikar and told him if that man or any other Cardie he doesn't know starts getting friendly to ditch them and call me. He knows it’s a dangerous situation for our two but he’s curious why a Legate wants a former butcher.” She had to laugh now.

“Oh, Joe...,” Isa, too, laughed. “Does he understand that that means any female Cardassians, too? I’d hate to see him get tangled with a female Cardie.”

Kaeli nodded. “He’s got other distractions with a waitress from Saturnalia. I can’t think of a better person to occupy his time either. That woman likely knows everything going on in the pit. But,” she looked to Rafael now. “It might be a good idea if you stay close to him when he’s not otherwise occupied.”

Rafael’s expression turned sour for a moment, but then he nodded. “I’ll do it for you two, not for Drekkar’s sake.”

“Wait... Rafe? Stay close to Joe?” Isa blinked, unsure why he’d need to protect Joe; Joe was all muscle, little brain... okay, she could see why Joe maybe needed adult supervision. “How about a different plan? One that has Rafe keeping me busy so that our lovely Legate doesn’t come to know that I’m on the Station?” Yes, this would leave Kaeli, Ronin and Joe overseeing the crew’s Cardassian problem without her or Rafe’s help. Isa was willing to make that sacrifice.

Kaeli narrowed her eyes. “Try again Isa. The target on your ass is every bit as big as ours.” She drummed her fingers on the back of the chair before she continued. “I’m hoping that his wife issues will keep him too busy to worry about us. Maybe.” She looked from one to the other and as much as she hated to admit it, having Rafael keeping Isa out of sight was a good idea. She decided to let Isa convince her of that.

“Fine...,” Isa grumped, “Rafe can go watch out for things with Joe.” She caught a whiff of Kaeli’s thoughts and reversed that, “Unless, of course, you think it might just be tactically more sound to keep me out of the mix by having Rafe keep me here..? I mean, out of sight, out of mind, right? Raf, would you mind that kind of guard duty?” He was normally the engineer and tended to grumble when she had him do ‘muscle’ work.

Rafael slid his gaze to Kaeli and smiled. “I think I could be convinced. It might save me putting my fist in his face and causing an incident of my own.”

“Alright. Ro and I will deal with this. We do, however, need to tell the men and the sooner the better. I’d suggest a shirt Raf, unless we want even more problems when they get here.”

“And pants,” Isa added, realizing that she was wearing his shirt. “I suppose I have to get my own shirt, huh?”

“Unless you want an Isa-sized hole in the wall, yeah.” Kaeli moved over to the terminal. “I’ll call them, you two get moving.”

Rafael took Isa’s hand and tugged her off to the bedroom to change.

* * *

Kaeli had placed the call and sat waiting as Isa and Raf got dressed. She suspected that took quite a bit of willpower and smiled. More power to them, she thought. Several minutes later, the door chimed and she rose to let in the Cardassians.

“Come on in and sit down,” she ordered.

Jarad stopped to kiss her cheek. “It sounds serious.”

“Yeah, it is,” she answered. “Hello Drekkar.”

“This is strange... being called to Isa’s quarters by you and where is my Isa?” Drekkar did not greet Kaeli as romantically as Jarad had.

“They’ll be out in a minute,” she answered, then took a seat by Jarad. Reaching over, she slipped her hand in his, partly because she wanted the contact and partly so she’d have a good grip on him when he heard the news.

Isaura and Rafe took slightly longer than necessary to change into presentable clothing; Isa was the first to come back out of the bedroom. She swiped a wrist over her lips and fluffed her hair with her other hand. “Oh... you two got here fast,” she looked from Jarad on the couch to Drekkar standing by an armchair.

Drekkar smiled and moved over towards her, “My Isa, it’s been only a few hours but I missed you.” He caught her hands and leaned in to kiss her cheek before pulling her towards the armchair, where he sat and tried to pull her into his lap.

Rafael now emerged from the bedroom and cleared his throat. “Now isn’t the time Drekkar.”

The Cardassian snarled at the Spaniard before letting go of Isaura. That Rafe had just come out of Isaura’s bedroom, his hair slightly wet as if he’d just splashed water on his face, didn’t escape him. He growled, “Then why are we here?”

“Shut it, Drekkar, and listen. You have much bigger issues. So do you and I,” Kaeli said looking at Jarad. “I was down in Saturnalia earlier and ran into...Zikar. He’s here on some personal business. He didn’t hesitate to remind me that he still holds a grudge against me….and standing orders for you two.”

Even as Rafe sat in an armchair and Isa sat in his lap, Drekkar got up, cursing, and started to pace. He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Zikar,” he said, a note of disgust in his voice. “He is here? And looking for us? Isa,” he turned towards her, “you have to get us off this Station. We can take the Ning’Tao and head into Krenim Space.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not yet willing to recall the crew. If Zikar is about to get a hold of you and Jarad and Kaeli, then we’ll see about running. I’ll be safe, though. I’m going to stay right here with Rafe.”

Drekkar’s teeth showed as he sneered at Rafe. “Taking the easy shift, I see.”

“Better to keep her out of sight,” Raf answered and smiled. He then turned serious as he addressed Jarad. “It would be better had he not seen Kaeli either but what’s done is done. She is capable of taking care of any problems.”

Jarad chuckled. “You’ve got that right. even so, you need to be very careful,” he said to Kaeli. “He was always livid that he couldn’t break you. I don’t want him getting a second chance.”

“He still blames me for ruining you,” she answered. “The thing is, he can’t shoot me down in public so I will be safe enough in crowded places. You two, however, I wouldn’t put it past him to have his lackeys try to knock you out and stash you on his ship when no one is looking and claim he’s taking care of some notorious Cardassian criminals.”

“Um...,” Isa bit her bottom lip and looked at Kaeli. “They are Cardassian criminals. Remember? Jarad has the nickname ‘Butcher’; Drekkar... well, no nickname, but he certainly doesn’t have clean hands.”

The named Cardassian glared at her for a second before his expression softened. “But I would have walked away from it all for you, Isa.” She looked chagrinned.

“That’s my point. He claims that and Starfleet won’t lift a finger to stop him. All they have to do is look up these two and they are screwed. So, I’d suggest you two be careful as well. He’s made it clear he’s not afraid of going down below.” Kaeli frowned at Jarad. “I don’t want you going out without me.”

Jarad nodded. “Very well, not that I have an issue with being stuck to your side.” He looked to Drekkar now. “You might be better staying on the ship.”

Drekkar’s glare shifted to Jarad before moving to Rafael. “Only if Isaura comes with me,” he said. “After all, I’d need something to do while I’m stuck on the ship.”

“Not happening.” Rafael’s reply was terse.

Isa met Drekkar’s gaze before letting hers slide away. She remembered the good times with him, back when he’d been in charge and, behind closed doors, carefree. During those times, he’d been fun, playful even. She’d fallen in love with him, ruined him, left him to be tortured and run, not just from him but from all of her responsibilities back then. She’d been afraid of being caught, of facing the same torture Drekkar had faced. Now he was here, asking for her help. “Well... um....,” she faltered and looked at Rafael. “Maybe...?” Behind her, where she couldn’t see him, Drekkar grinned like the cat who’d gotten the canary.

“He can sleep on the sofa here,” was Raf’s only offer.

Kaeli sighed, knowing that wouldn’t fly. “Come stay with us,” she said. “Better to have you two in the same place anyway.”

“You three,” Isa said, shaking her head. “That makes it awfully easy for Zikar if he decides to come after you. Drekkar, my friend, Seyla, can hide you and keep you busy.” She didn’t mention that she’d already paid Seyla to do the latter, or have a dark-haired Bajoran do the latter. “She’s down in the Pit, a place that I doubt Zikar will go - it’s not exactly the nicest area on the Station.”

Drekkar frowned. “That sounds better than shacking up with Jarad and Kaeli or remaining in the same quarters as Rafael. Perhaps your friend could entertain Rafe while you entertain me.”

She sighed heavily and kissed Rafe’s forehead. That was the only answer Drekkar got on that.

“Zikar was in the pit, at Saturnalia. My concern is that since he’s seen me there, he might come back knowing Jarad isn’t far behind. So, I’d suggest that you two stay out of there and out of sight...unless Joe and I are with you. Is that agreeable Drekkar? Seyla knows how to keep someone...covered...when necessary.”

“Isa used to know how to keep someone covered,” Drekkar commented. Shaking his head, he sighed and conceded, “Fine. It looks like you and Joe are going to be my constant companions.” He smiled at Kaeli; if he couldn’t keep Isaura out of bed with his rival, he’d make sure someone else was as unhappy as he was.

“Very well,” Jarad answered for her. “I suspect Zikar is being careful. The last thing he wants to do is start up hostilities with the Fleet again. If we are keeping Isa out of sight, then you are likely the safest one, my darling,” he said to Kaeli. “He was always a little afraid of you, you know.”

“With good reason,” she murmured. “So, we’re good for now. Ro is covering the situation as well. Be careful Isa.”

“Oh, no worries there, Kaeli,” Isa smiled and looked at Rafe. “We can order in or replicate food. We have plenty of things to keep us busy here.”

“Then we’ll leave you to ...er...it,” Kaeli replied as she stood. “Let’s get you two home and then I have someone to see.”

Jarad looked up at her and frowned. “Who?”

“Someone who might be of some help.” She rested a hand on Isa as she passed. I want to see Suresh.

Isa’s eyes went wide and she sat up straight. “I’m going with you, Kaeli!” She couldn’t let Kaeli deal with Suresh alone.

“So much for staying out of sight.” Kaeli grinned. “We’ll be alright. Zikar is more worried about his wife right now.” She turned and kissed Jarad. “I’ll be home soon. No worries.”

Jarad held her close for a moment and nodded. “Now it’s my turn to tell you to be careful. Come on Drekkar.”

“We’re going now?” Isa nodded and stood, briefly keeping hold of Rafael’s hand. She wasn’t completely dressed, but was ready to go if Kaeli wanted to. “I just saw Suresh in Saturnalia... well, earlier. A few hours ago.”

“Good, then maybe we can catch him.” She smiled to the men, then led the way out. Once they were outside and the doors closed, she looked back to Isa. “I met a man in Saturnalia when I saw Zikar. This man works for Suresh but he has a very healthy dislike of Cardassians. Bajoran fellow. Odd thing though, he was a blank. I couldn’t read a thing.”

“An unreadable Bajoran?” She frowned and lightly rubbed her nose ridges. “He wasn’t there when I was, then.”

“His name is Eldren. Old enough I think to have seen the Occupation.” They stepped into the elevator and Kaeli lifted the left side of her skirt, checking the knife bound to her thigh. “I’m ready.”

“Well... now I feel naked,” Isa commented, eyeing Kaeli’s thigh. “Oh well. Eldren? That’s not a name I know. Did you know Suresh prior to this visit?”

Kaeli snorted. “Yeah. It’s a Romulan thing...before he got here. Long and not so great story, though things change. I hope.”

“Yeah. Let’s hope things have changed,” Isa agreed, wondering if Suresh might suddenly recall that he had wanted to kill her at one point in time. She hoped not; she hoped the payment of latinum she’d made yesterday would be sufficient, though she had the feeling it wasn’t. This would be a fun meeting, she decided.

*****************
Kaeli
Isaura Panossian
Rafael
Drekkar
Jarad