The Lady In Green

Posted on Sat Jan 5th, 2013 @ 5:40pm by Commander Oralia Zeferino & Seyla & Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Jackson Banning V

Mission: The Struggle Within
Location: Lao's

* * * Lao’s Chinese Restaurant * * *

Jackson moved his empty plate aside with a sigh of deepest satisfaction. “Amazin’ as always. I swear I think he must put somethin’ in these dumplin’s to make us keep comin’ back.”

Eli smiled as he reached for his cup of green tea. “I think it’s just you, Jackson.” He took the last dumpling from the plate and popped it into his mouth. Once it was gone, he continued. “Although, now that you mention it, I could use a few to take home. You know....for later. In case I get hungry again in an hour.”

"Transporter tags. That's what he puts in them. Soon as the dumplings hit your stomach, he beams 'em out," Oralia gave Jackson a sly smile. A moment later, her attention was caught by a slinky green woman sliding their way. "Seyla. Imagine running into you here."

"Yeah. I just need Jackson for a spell," the Orion purred and slid into a seat next to the man. She got as close to Jackson as Oz was, though her gaze was solidly on Oralia, challenging her wordlessly.

“That so?” Jackson shifted just a little, turning to look at Seyla.

“Hello Seyla.” Eli greeted her, his smile just a little brighter.

"Hey there, tiger," she smiled at Eli as her hand casually dropped onto Jackson's thigh. "As for you, yeah, that's so. You haven't been coming around to see me lately; I've missed you." She was definitely stirring the pot and doing her best to get Oralia bristling.

Jackson took hold of her hand and moved it to her own thigh. “I haven't come to see you in ages Seyla, aside from your visits to the Nexus. But what can I do for ya?”

She glanced across him at Oralia and leaned in to speak quietly, "Suresh has been missing a while. And now, it seems that Lieutenant Darwin is not returning my calls. You're a man who always knows what's going on. So tell me." A hint of her pheromones danced in the air.

Eli noticed the faint scent immediately and now he shifted a bit closer to Seyla. Jackson glanced over at him a moment, then frowned. “Cut that out Seyla unless you want to cause a riot in here.”

Oz looked away and smiled, shaking her head in amusement at the Orion's antics. Seyla frowned and pouted at Jackson. "Then tell me what you know and I'll go." To replace Jackson’s lack of attention, she smiled at Eli and put her hand on his.

“Alright. They are both gone, along with Admiral Wegener and Commander Hawke. And it was your boy Suresh’s fault.” Jackson left it vague for the moment on purpose, mainly to get a rise out of Seyla. He eyed Seyla’s hand on Eli’s but held his tongue for the moment.

"I don't see how it could have been his fault," Seyla defended Suresh.

"But it is," Oz spoke up. "By everything we've pieced together so far, he attempted to kill Wegener but was using an antique disruptor. It backfired, as those things tend to do, Seyla. Darwin going missing is more of a fluke, though.” Some irritation bled through her words on that; she was still angry with Darwin for going into the Admiral’s office. “I didn't realize you were friends with Darwin." Yes, she did, but sometimes more information comes if one plays dumb.

Seyla didn't take the bait. "What's being done to find them?"

“Science is working on it round the clock. They will get them back, though after kidnapping Li at gunpoint, then shooting at the Admiral, he may wish he’d stayed over.” Jackson’s tone was conversational despite his words. “He’s gonna be in a world of hurt when he gets back.”

"He was already in a world of hurt before, what with his loss of that woman," Seyla said.

"Isha, you mean," Oz filled in. "It'll be worse now."

“Worse how?” Eli asked.

"He'll be in prison, for one thing." Oralia sipped her plum wine. "I just can't understand why he'd be so stupid as to go after the Admiral and Li."

Seyla narrowed her eyes at the Security Chief. "Perhaps he thought one of them had something to do with Isha."

“Isha?” The question came from Jackson and he was curious as he looked back at Seyla.

“Isha,” Seyla repeated bitterly. “She was his... consort but more like a drug of choice. She had him addicted to this thing she’d do,” she tapped her temple, denoting it was a mental thing, “but wouldn’t let him touch her. Every time she did her thing, he’d end up coming to see me afterward... I suppose I shouldn’t complain about that.” His visits had, after all, brought her income.

“And then she died,” Oz added for Jackson’s benefit.

“Was killed,” Seyla asserted. “Poisoned wine. So when your Admiral Wegener sent a bottle of wine to him at the Nexus, he flipped out. Lucius Hawke was with Wegener that night, wasn’t he?” At Oz’s half-nod, Seyla added, “Maybe that’s why he was so curious about Hawke. I pulled up a photo of the man to make sure we were talking about the same guy.”

“So that explains the uproar in the Nexus with Suresh that night. I see.” Jackson nodded and his gaze strayed to Oz, then back to Seyla. “He was curious about Admiral Hawke? He’s likely seen the man here and there on the station, but yeah, he was there that night with his wife.”

With barely a nod, Oz indicated she understood Jackson’s glance. She’d told him about Isha and Li being one and the same; now they understood how Suresh had pieced it together. Seyla was already talking, so she shifted her attention back to the Orion. “These two probably want the rest of their night alone, Eli, if you’d like to come for coffee with me?”

“Sure.” His smile widened and he laid his napkin on the table. “I’d love to.”

“Eli.” Jackson raised his hand to stop them. “Where are ya plannin’ to take him Sey? I should tell you that there’s a reason Security was called in earlier.” He focused on Eli now. “And we were going to see Doc Harding.”

“Security was called in? Whatever for? And don’t you think my men are enough to protect Eli?” Seyla batted her eyelashes at Jackson, to which Oralia rolled her eyes.

“We have Chance’s killer.”

The Orion’s jaw dropped. “That’s fantastic!” For one thing, it meant that Suresh wasn’t Chance’s killer, though Seyla knew that Suresh wasn’t likely to dirty his own hands. Was the killer one of Suresh’s henchmen? She’d have to ask Lazan.

“It is.” Jackson smiled but left it at that. He saw no need to mention the oddities surrounding the Hazari.

Eli didn’t mention them either. Instead, he turned to Seyla. “I need to go see the doctor. I can meet you after I’m done it you like.”

“That’d be good, kiddo,” she smiled at him and briefly squeezed his hand. “I should be going, unless you have more news to impart, Jackson?”

“Nothing I can, no.” Jackson smiled at her for a moment. “I’ll let you know if we hear anything about your boy toy.”

“Which one?” She winked and stood. As she did so, she cast a look over Oralia then commented, “Beautiful dress. It would look fantastic on me.” Catching Oralia’s eye, she smirked, turned and flounced away.

Oz bit back a nasty comment. With no small effort, she smiled and pleasantly said to Jackson, “Always lovely when your friends come ‘round, J.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “If I didn’t get so much info outta her, and she wasn’t so good about keepin’ an eye on this one,” he nodded to Eli, “when he’s down below, I’d swear her off. I owe her for a broken nose as it is now.”

“You almost owed her a long night on the couch,” Oz muttered and took the last, now-cold dumpling, dipped it in sauce and ate it.

“Nah, not goin’ there.”

The waiter arrived with a box of dumplings and Eli requested they be delivered to Vor’s quarters.

“We ready?” He looked from Jackson to Oz.

She nodded. “To Harding we go.”

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

Cadet 4th Class Eli Ziyad
Too Much To Do

Jackson Banning V
Owner & Parent Figure
The Nexus Club

Oralia Zeferino
Bothered

Seyla
Pest