Running Into An Old 'Friend'

Posted on Sun Apr 14th, 2013 @ 10:47am by Eldren Tohr & Commander Dae Nalas

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Saturnalia
Tags: Eldren, Dae, Saturnalia

* * * Saturnalia * * *

Sitting in a dark corner Tohr watched the people in the locale, a very mixed bunch of lowlifes, prostitutes and classy people coming from above the equator in search of thrill and favors of the said soiled doves.

Selling the spider to that blue ox had made him pack a great deal of latinum. Latinum that, if used in the best of ways, could have led him to score more of his blows to the Cardassian empire.

Scuttling back to 900 hadn’t been the best of ideas but a plan had struck his mind as he flew away with his raider ship from Barka’s liner.

Why strive to search Cardassian torturers one by one while time could be saved by having a full list of their names in his hands? And this reminded him that at least one person on SB900 was privy to this classified information. Well, perhaps Admiral Hawke was a bit outside his reach with security and escorts... But any important man has a weak spot and Tohr intended to make use of his.

His finger circled slowly on the glass edge as the thoughts and plans took form in his brain. Like pieces of a puzzle coming into place by the second. His eyes shifted though when the familiar swoosh of the Saturnalia doors got his ears.

Dae stepped in, now off duty, and took a quick survey of the main area as was his habit. He’d come with the intention of watching (read that annoying) Seyla if she was present. He also wanted to get a look at her other girls in case any of them were watching him around the station. It might seem suspicious, perhaps a little paranoid, but he was used to the black ops world. It was his habit as well.

Tonight, however, there was a very different fly in the ointment - a face from his past that he wouldn’t have expected to see out here. His gaze passed on, not lingering so as not to give away that he’d spotted Eldren. Once upon a time they’d been focused on the same goal of eradicating those responsible for the oppression and torture on Bajor, though for Dae it had been well after the occupation ended. It had been a personal crusade for Tohr as he recalled. It had been for Dae as well, for very different reasons. He moved on through the crowd, stopping at the bar to order a drink. Once it arrived, he took a sip, watching Eldren casually.

The Bajoran stared back lingering only a moment, time enough for Dae to understand that Eldren had recognized him. For the rest... Eldren remained colder than the glaciers of Rura Penthe. Nothing less was expected from the people of the trade. Dae also remembered something another Bajoran whose name escaped him now, had said about Eldren:

He could be the perfect Intel element were he not so consumed by his own personalism.

To Dae it had never been very clear what that Bajoran really intended. In any case they parted ways soon after as his assignment there ended and in the wake of new missions Dae quickly forgot...

...until now.

Dae drained his drink, then turned to the bartender. “Give me another, and one of what he’s having.” He nodded towards Eldren. When the drinks were set before him, he lifted them and moved casually to Eldren. He sat down across from him, placing the drinks on the table.

“Long time no see, El.”

“Yes Dae, galaxy’s quite small huh?” The Bajoran replied taking the glass closer to Dae while pushing the offered one back to him.

At that move, Dae laughed aloud, drawing a few looks for a moment. “What? Think I am going to poison you here in public?”

“One never knows.” Eldren added with a grin in response to Nalas’ look.

Dae took the drink and sipped from it, set it down and raised his hands. Suddenly, his smile faltered, his eyes widened and he reached for his throat as he began to cough. A moment later, he froze and fell to the floor from his chair. Several around them gave cries of alarm, but then Dae rose and dropped back into his chair, laughing.

“Just kidding. Same old El I see. So how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been... Busy.” Was Eldren laconic response as his eyes darted around to assess the possibility of unwanted attention from Dae’s joke. Then he leaned a little forward “I see you’ve fared well too. Office job I presume?”

“Ohh, does it show?” Dae made a pretense of looking himself over, then smiled. “That all depends on your definition of desk job. Those in my line of work are rarely office-bound.”

“I see... Not even too much behind the lines I take it.” Eldren replied leaning back again on the seat. Dae’s carefree attitude had always somewhat unnerved him. “So, what has brought you to this melting pot of Starbase 900 shady characters and perdition?”

It was in Eldren’s opinion better taking the offensive and asking first, just to divert his attention a little.

“They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” Dae raised his glass and had a drink, then made a face. “I never could understand how you could drink this shit, El.” He motioned for a waitress and ordered another round before he continued. “Well, that and it was time to get my face out of the public view in certain quarters. You know how that goes.”

“I drank far worse in my days,” the bajoran responded taking a sip from his glass “And yes, I know how that goes keeping a low profile is always preferable.”

Eldren put down the glass on the table and reprised “The Orion is watching you. Oh don’t disturb to turn around she’s already vanished in the backroom but definitely cast a glance your way when she appeared.”

And therefore _my_ way. Eldren thought with disappointment.

“Is she your interest here?” Eldren asked grinning “She’s the one of many here.”

“She didn’t start out that way, I can promise you that. And if I had my choice, she wouldn’t be now but that isn’t likely to happen either. It’s purely a personal matter though, nothing to worry about. I come for the delightful atmosphere here.” The last was obviously sarcasm. “Never know who you might find lurking at a table.”

“Given the place it could be your fate staring from a table one day or the other... Even if I have to admit that with Suresh’s absence the place is quieter. I had an argument with a couple of his thugs sometime ago. They didn’t like it.”

Eldren sipped again from the glass turning around to see if the kazon and his companion were anywhere to be seen, the golden earring glittered to the locale’s lights.

“I’ve heard Admiral Hawke is around the base isn’t he?” He asked then turning to look Dae in the eyes “I still remember his tampering with Bajor situation years ago. The thing that brought us to share some adventure as you would label it.”

Dae’s eyes narrowed for a split second as he watched Eldren. “Did you a few good turns as I recall.” He swirled his drink gently as flashes of memory returned from that shared time. He didn’t answer the question one way or the other. “As for Suresh, he’s a perfect example of what can happen when your obsession gets the best of you. There’s a good lesson in that.”

“As I see it the good turns have been for Federation, but I’m not one to complain and about obsessions... When you have great objectives you also must have the strength and skill to see them through. Clearly a thing Suresh does not have.”

“Oh he had the strength and skill, just not the good judgment. When you want someone as deeply as he did, it can skew your common sense. In the end, it took him over and he lost his perspective. Pity that is. It lost him what he was after and his freedom as well. If he were someone I cared about, I’d say I hated to see him end up in such a position. If he were you, for example.” Dae drained his glass and motioned for another by holding up the universal Saturnalia sign - two fingers.

“Weakness is just there friend, when you care that way for someone you lose your clarity of mind. Moreover he or she becomes your blind side, where you can be hit very badly. It seems to me that Suresh got what he deserved in the end, how amateurish...” The grin had returned on Eldren’s lips.

“We all have our own particular version of Captain Hawke.” Dae shrugged. “The question is whether you control it or it controls you. Speaking of what controls us, what brings you out this far?”

“Mere business, to eke out a living. Merchants around starbases are always in need of some expert consultant, especially on frontier outposts... Security, bodyguards, things like that y’know?”

“Yeah, right.” Dae’s grin returned. “I can’t see you settling down to the life of mundane business. It makes you restless. Then again, you could have my job and sit around counting the Cardassians that are coming and going here to check out the quadrant.” Dae’s smile lingered. It was bait for Eldren pure and simple. It was also a whopper of a lie but it amused Dae to sit and wait for Eldren to jump on it.

“Really are they coming here?” Eldren’s interest suddenly awakened “So boldly in the light of the day? Nah, can’t believe it. They’re not so dumb to take their faces out of their empire. Not so openly at least.”

“Nah, I’m just pulling your leg, El. Well except for the one who’s just become a cadet at the academy here. But I’d stay clear. One of his classmates is Voth and they can be scary, I don’t care who you are. Just saying....” Dae’s drink arrived and he took a sip of it, watching Eldren closely.

To the word ‘Cardassians’ Eldren’s face had become like stone not a flash in the eyes not a twitch on the lips... Silence stood between the two for few heartbeats. In the end Eldren smiled albeit without warmth.

“A Cardassian cadet, eh? You Feds are taking in anyone. This will be your demise. Even if a cadet doesn’t seem much of a threat. Probably he wasn’t even born during the occupation.”

Dae shook his head and laughed. “You are too easy to screw around with El.” He drained his glass and set it back on the table. “Take care that you don’t walk Suresh’s path. Anyhow, you need me, I’ll be around. But for now? I have a dinner date with someone a lot prettier than you.”

“I’m sure of that,” Eldren responded as his thumb slowly lined the scar on his left cheek. “See you around then. Be wise and... Never lower your guard.”

“You know me better than that.” With a wink, Dae left the table and moved back to the bar.

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

Eldren Tohr
Fencing Session

Dae Nalas
Loves to Parry And Thrust