The Cards You've Been Dealt

Posted on Wed Nov 8th, 2023 @ 7:59pm by Captain Björn Kodak & Lieutenant Xex Wang

Mission: Stardust and Sin
Location: The Gravity Well Bar - Gaming Floor
Timeline: Mission Day 2 at 1845

[Main Gaming Floor]
[The Gravity Well Bar]
[Hukatuse Tagumik]
[MD 2: 1845 Hours]

Amidst the melodic, happy tones of various gambling machines and the shuffling of cards and metal strips at surrounding gaming tables, Kodak looked down at the cards in his hand, lips pursed in thought. The action was to him but what to do? He debated his next move as his security escort sat next to him, keeping an eye out for anything untoward that might threaten the Captain. With so many people coming and going in the Gravity Well's main gaming area, the Chameloid found himself glad t'Nai had so stringently urged he take protection along. Another pair of eyes never hurt in an environment like this one.

"Exchange or lock in, Mr. Kennuff." An alien card dealer stood inside a hollow in the table, placed so that she could efficiently deal to each player and collect and redistribute their currency as needed. "You have 30 missiks to decide," she warned. This translated to about 25 seconds in Federation Standard Time. If a player could not decide in the allotted span, their hand would be automatically folded and their bets forfeit.

"Mr. Kennuff" narrowed his eyes at his cards, still debating his next move. While Kodak had initially been unfamiliar with the game, a few rounds had quickly brought him up to speed.

The game worked a bit like a combination of Blackjack and Five Card Stud. The goal was to use the cards dealt to add up as close to 42 as possible. But of course, the cards had very different values and some even had special abilities assigned to them. For instance, the 12 of Spires the Chameloid held -- one of eight cards in his hand -- was specially colored to indicate it could add or subtract from the total of his cards. On the final round of the game, however, the Captain was 14 short of the total he needed to win against the four other players at the table.

Picking a lower value card -- the four of Stars -- Kodak slid it across the table towards the dealer. "Exchange," he said, nodding to the woman.

The dealer was outrageously tall and well-muscled, her skin crimson and striated with ridges. A mop of wild black hair disguised the root of a single curved horn growing from her head, which rose above her hair and to the side, curling like the horn of a ram from Earth. So vibrant was the dealer's skin and bright, canary eyes that she almost seemed to be glowing from within. And on her face was the winningest of smiles, no doubt meant to entice players to keep on asking for cards and betting.

"Aces," the dealer remarked with an enthusiastic thumbs up. She took the offered card and moved it to a discard pile, then slipped another from the top of the deck and moved it towards Kodak.

The Captain picked up the card and regarded its value of 22. He'd been expecting one of those moments that so often seemed to happen in casino-themed holodeck programs: getting just the card you needed on the very last hand. Kodak envisioned himself reveling in his winning hand and reaching forward to gather up all the strips of metal he'd just won. But the reality of his dealt card sunk in and, doing the math, the Chameloid realized his hand was now a 45: he'd gone three over.

He could try to bluff -- that was where the elements of poker came in -- and get the other players to make risky moves that could backfire on them during this, the final round. It'd been clear ever since Kodak sat down at the table that he wasn't the most competent of players, so assuming a pleased and excited expression might easily sell the bluff? Making his decision, the Captain had been about to double down on his bet -- choosing to risk more money on the possibility of his bluff working -- when his security escort leaned in to whisper something to him.

She clinked slightly as she moved-- conspicuously armed to the teeth. She had opted to go for the look of 'muscle,' rather than attempting to hide her position as Kodak's security detail. Her long black hair had been tied back in twin pigtails, and she tilted her head just so one straight jet black fall of hair would disguise the movement of her mouth.

"You can't win," Ensign Drol informed the Captain bluntly, her mouth close enough to Kodak's ear that the sound wouldn't travel. She kept her expression as forbidding as she could-- not difficult with the tell-tale Cardassian facial ridges. Many an Academy friend had informed her she had 'resting scary face.' Although she had been ostentatiously lounging next to Kodak with a bored expression on her face-- the very picture of hired muscle bored to death-- she had, of course, been paying attention. Apparently she'd been paying attention to the game. "The squidgy looking guy is much closer than you, but the guy with five eyes has the big four-two. Oh, and also we seem to have picked up a couple of admirers."

Having thrown the last sentence in almost as an afterthought, Drol leaned back, schooling her features into a self-satisfied smirk, as though she had just imparted some trump-card of wisdom to her employer. In reality, she was fairly certain Kodak knew he was playing horribly, and she couldn't risk rubbing it in-- while informing him of the danger. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest with another soft clink. As she did so, she caught Kodak's eye and flicked a very momentary glance to his eight o'clock position where a row of bright, noisy gaming machines bordered the card tables.

A variety of alien forms occupied the machines, but two seemed to be playing a much more lackaluster game than their neighbors. in the Federation, they may have stood out for their reptilian, almost Gorn-like appearance. Here, they were just another body shape among a sea of unfamiliar body shapes. The larger of the two-- a male, Drol suspected-- was burly enough to give even her pause. 'He has muscles on his muscles,' her academy roommate Mishka would have said. But it was his companion that had Eekit Drol most on edge. Seemingly the same species, the smaller of the two was lithe, with intricate tattoos or painting on the scales around her eyes. Her regard was too sharp, her interest too unwavering, and her eyes too... dead. The tiny hairs at the base of her neck had risen to full attention about the third time Drol had noticed the creature's regard.

Kodak initially smiled at Drol as she advised him on the game. The Cardassian had served on his protection detail several times before and he'd taken a shine to her. Drol was hard around the edges but had a streak of mischief and good humor to her when the situation was right. But as the security officer outlined not only the poor outcome Kodak's hand would have, but also the presence of the two literal tails, the Captain's expression quickly changed from a smile to something much more neutral. Being careful to school his face so as not to give anything away, the Chameloid placed his cards face down on the table and slid them forward.

"My associate has informed me of a matter that requires my attention," Kodak said mock-drolly. "I officially withdraw from the game," he said with a nod to 'Aces.' He'd come to regard the dealer by this name given her oft-used catchphrase. Of course, the term was actually something much more alien but the universal translator had parsed the wording into something in Federation Standard that was much more familiar. "Thank you," the Chameloid said as he rose, slipping two ingot slips across the table to the woman as a tip.

Drol rose smoothly in time with him and rested a casual hand on the hilt of one of the knives at her hip. She hoped it looked more menacing than the phaser, which she knew would be a disaster to try and use.

"Let's go," Kodak said to Drol, choosing a footpath that would carry them away from the two lizard people. He'd half a mind to duck behind a gaming machine, change his appearance to be someone else entirely, and then disappear into the crowd. But t'Nai had been insistent on a security escort and while the extra set of eyes had been helpful in spotting their tails, the presence of an extra person to worry about made getting away that much harder. As much as she was there to protect him, he couldn't give himself permission to ditch her in the name of his own escape. He mentally cursed himself for agreeing to an escort.

"There," he said, subtly nodding towards the stairs that would take them down to the floor level. Drol nodded, as she fell into step behind the Chameloid, and slightly to his left, her own body angled slightly to give her the best view and avenues of defense. Kodak strode towards the stairs, about to casually descend -- after all, they didn't want to call attention to themselves -- when two more figures appeared at the top. While they were not lizard folk themselves, it was clear they were working with them, at least. Arms folding across their chests, they formed an impenetrable wall blocking off escape via the stairs but made no move to close the distance between them.

"Not going that way," Kodak sighed while Drol hissed through her teeth. "Suggestions?" he asked, altering his path to the left, towards the upper level exit. For the moment, that particular route seemed clear but, as they neared the doorway, the woman with the tattoos around her eyes seemed to materialize from somewhere, taking up position in the egress portal. She was holding some kind of extendable baton, though had yet to raise it in any kind of threatening gesture.

"If they don't want us to leave, what do they want?" Drol wanted to know, which wasn't exactly a suggestion. As they altered their trajectory once again, Drol tried to scan ahead, hoping to catch sight of an egress that didn't have a menacing figure in it. "Way I figure it," she said, finally answering Kodak's question as they edged down a row of brightly-lit gaming machines, "We can either talk to them, or try to lose them." Drol cut a glance left, then right, then stepped slightly to her right, bumping Kodak forcefully enough to turn them both down a sideline of gaming machines. "The latter would be much easier if we were both... y'know..." she gestured at him. Then, in a lower tone, she muttered, "Or if I wasn't the only bloody Cardassian on the whole station..."

Finally, ahead opened the wide, shallow staircase that led from the lower bar up to the gaming hall. It was as Drol had remembered it: almost impossible to block without being really, truly, painfully obvious. And sure enough, it was open.

Like really open.

Security senses tingling, Drol jerked her chin at the staircase and then murmured, "It looks like we can get down there, but we'll be in the open longer than I'd like. Got your quick-steppin' shoes on?"

“Gay men,” Kodak began, trying to use humor to assuage some of his natural anxiety, “apparently walk at warp speed by default. At least, according to my partner,” he smirked, his thoughts flashing back to walking around Risa’s shopping districts with Andrew and some of his friends. One of whom — a straight woman — had commented on how quickly the Chameloid and his paramour walked. Andrew’s default walk speed response had been positively priceless and thinking of his partner now slightly calmed Kodak.

“So yes,” the Captain continued, hastening his pace, “let’s set a course at warp 7, eh? Pretty sure those stairs are open by design, though,” Kodak commented, sensing the same trap Drol suspected. Their pursuers wanted them to take that particular route, which meant there was probably a very good — and potentially very nasty — reason for that lying in wait.

Drol's grunt of agreement came out as more of a growl. "Keep your eyes forward, Captain, I'll keep my eyes behind us as best we can, and let's get the hell out of here," she said, keeping her voice low and turning her body slightly to the side with a flick of one long pigtail and a clink of armaments, opening up her peripheral vision to their vulnerable backs. Then, with a twitch of her lips, she added, "Warp 7, engage."

Descending the stairs at a decent clip, Kodak spotted Wang, Parsons, Rowanoski, and Qo standing at a small bar below. This particular bar seemed to serve patrons who’d gathered to watch a live band performing on a small stage. The music — though the Chameloid thought calling it such was charitable — wasn’t exactly pleasant to an Earther’s ears but it did provide some audible cover to have a private exchange with Drol.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kodak nodded to the suspiciously unobstructed exit ahead and said, loud enough for only Drol to hear, “Yeah, that’s a trap. They clearly want us to head out that way, right?” He turned to the Cardassian then, his feet slowing his pace to a pause. “We could call for a beam out but I’m guessing that would set off some alarm bells here. Any thoughts on where they might be trying to lead us?”

A quick toss of her head negated the beam-out option. The security woman clearly felt they weren't at that extreme yet. "If we beam out, we put every team on the station at risk," she agreed, eyeing the indicated exit critically. Reminding herself that she was supposed to be hired muscle, she settled her ridged features into a forbidding grimace that was designed to keep casual passersby out of their personal bubble. As much as it could in the crowded, noisy confines of the the small section of bar, it seemed to be working. Drol pushed herself to tiptoes, putting her mouth closer to Kodak's ear so she would not have to shout so loudly over the din, "It'll be someplace less public. They won't want to risk pissing off the local security." She tilted her head toward a hulking figure standing ostentatiously near the door, a reminder to any patron who thought to get overly rowdy.

Dropping back to her heels, Drol stopped speaking for a moment while she consulted the flipbook of her photographic memory, and then she continued, "That exit leads into the thoroughfare to the main habitation sector, though." Confusion colored the woman's tone, even at high volume-- a place such as the habitation sector would be public enough. Brushing her fingers past both her holstered phaser and the myriad bladed weapons fastened about her person, she shrugged. Her dark gaze had gone slightly distant as she checked and rechecked her mental map. "I can't see how we'd be trapped leaving through there-- and we certainly shouldn't stay here." Drol's eyes sharpened, glancing back over her shoulder at the wide staircase, down which a few figures were descending. The smoky atmosphere and strobing lights made it hard to tell who they were, but she suspected they weren't coming down it by chance.

Kodak took in Drol's proposed plan and, deciding he liked it more than staying put, nodded his confirmation. "Habitation Sector, then," the Chameloid said, pointing himself at The Very Obvious and Open For a Reason exit. With Drol bringing up the rear, Björn kept his gaze wide and observant as he passed through the exit, spying no standout lurkers who might be with whoever was following them. That didn't mean they didn't exist, though. Any one of the myriad of people walking through this particular thoroughfare could be with them. Having at least exited all the loud music and bar noise, however, Kodak reached into his jacket pocket to activate his combadge.

"Kodak to Sojourner," he began, keeping his eyes ahead so as not to make it obvious he was talking to his pocket. "Ensign Drol and I have picked up a tail. Several of them, actually," Kodak said, looking up at the signs and heading in the direction of the listed Habitation Sector. "Pretty sure a beam out would draw way more suspicion than we want here. We're going to try to lose them but keep a transporter lock on us just in case."

"Understood, Captain," came the only-slightly-nervous sounding voice of Lieutenant Oliveria. The Chief Engineer had been left in charge of the ship while the away teams searched for Kaldri. "Reading transporter lock now. Just give the word, sir."

"Much appreciated, Lieutenant," Kodak rasped, looking back to Drol to confirm she'd heard the exchange. "We'll be in touch." And with that, the Chameloid tapped the combadge in his pocket to deactivate the channel, then fell into step beside the Cardassian, making it appear as if they were just taking a stroll together. "If I remember correctly, I think the Habitation Sector...oh no," he said, the color draining from his face.

"Oh no?" Drol echoed, having been looking the opposite way in an attempt to see if they had indeed shaken the tail. When she finally craned her neck back forward, the reason for the captain's dismay was abundantly clear.

Ahead of them, a squad of several of the station's Enforcers were leading a group of people down the thoroughfare. They were clearly being detained given that their hands were restrained behind their backs and the Enforcers were prodding them forward with the ends of stun batons. The group wasn't close enough to see well but the very verdant skin of Mr. Timmoz was impossible to miss.

Amongst the ridges, it was difficult to see Drol's expression change, but there was a hardening of the features, a tensing of the body that betokened her recognition of the pilot's distinctive skin. Although there were two Orions amongst the personnel of the search parties, that froosh of hair could belong to only one of them. A guttural series of syllables left her lips at low volume, too quiet for the translator to pick up, though their intonation made it clear they were a Cardassian curse of some time. "We've hardly been on the station an hour," she said through clenched teeth, as she attempted not to stare at the group of detainees, "What has that flyboy gotten them into now?"

Besides Timmoz, she knew the rest of the team consisted of all humans: a doctor, an ops woman, and a scientist-- none of whom she thought would fare well in the kind of detention facility Hukatuse Tugamik likely boasted. Drol flicked a glance at Kodak; although her duty to protect the captain was clear, it didn't seem that such a protection detail was mutually exclusive of helping the luckless group. Lifting her brow ridges in an expectant expression that suggested as clearly as words that they do just that, she merely said, "Sir?"

Kodak's face set first into determination, the Captain beginning to stride forward to take action. But then not one but two of the reptilians who'd been following them somehow appeared ahead, eyebrow ridges raised in a By all means, come this way, look. The Chameloid shook his head, irritated that he wouldn't be able help Timmoz and the others. Instead, he looked to Drol and nodded back towards the branching hallway that would take them to the Habitation Sector. Redirecting his feet, Kodak pulled his combadge from his pocket and tapped it, the device issuing its familiar chitter upon activation.

Drol fell into step just slightly behind and to Kodak's left-- his weaker side-- her hand settling comfortably on the handle of her phaser. Still conscious of not drawing attention, yet more conscious of their danger now they were clear of the bar and still being herded, she drew the weapon and held it pointed downwards,close to her thigh.

"Kodak to t'Nai. Two things," he said in a hushed and quickened breath, his pace swift as he and Drol darted down the hallway at speed now. "First, some of the locals have taken an overly keen interest in Drol and I," the Captain rasped. "We've left the bar and are headed to the Habitation area. Hoping we can lose them." Perhaps anticipating that Emni would want to rush to help, he pressed forward, "Second thing. On our way, we just saw Timmoz and his people being led away from the bar in restraints. We think they've been arrested but we don't know why. We'll deal with our pursuers but I need you to look into that." Spotting another pair of lurking herders to his and Drol's left, he sighed. "No time to talk. Stay safe, Emni."

"Stay safe, Björn," Drol muttered snarkily in a passable imitation of t'Nai's patient tones. Clearly she had Ideas about whose safety was most at risk in the present moment.

Cutting the channel, Kodak had been about to comment to Drol when it all suddenly happened. Halfway down the hallway leading to the Habitation Sector, the trap they'd been herded into all along was sprung. Stepping from various open doorways and shadow-shrouded loiter points, no less than six imposing aliens appeared. They hastened into a ring around the Chameloid and his security guard, the obvious leader of the group a Hirogen of imposing stature. Armored in the customary blacky-blue carapace his kind favored, the man offered the two Starfleeters a decidedly nightmarish grin.

"Take them," he ordered, enjoying the look of surprise on Kodak's face.

Drol's Cardassian curse returned as she automatically stepped back and turned slightly, putting her back to Kodak's, her free right hand closing around the hilt of her most handy beltknife. Clearly, their supposition that their followers would not act in public was incorrect. Nevertheless, Eekit Drol certainly wasn't going to be 'taken' without a fight. "Take this--" she snarled, her phaser already rising--

--but not fast enough.

Flashes in various colors issued from formerly-concealed hand pistols, hitting Kodak and Drol and dropping them both to the ground, unconscious and burned but still alive. The ring of alien thugs tightened, with some lowering into crouches to lift the Captain and his escort to their feet. They supported the knocked out Starfleeters like one would a drunk friend who needed help getting home. Onlookers were used to seeing such coming from the bar and paid little mind as the group continued towards the main living area of Hukatuse.

"A successful hunt indeed," the Hirogen gravel-growled with amusement as he walked. His face was heavily scarred and at least two of his teeth were missing. "The First Maje will be very pleased, oh yes. It's a pity they were so easy to capture, though. I'd hoped for a bit more challenge but," he gave a slight shrug, almost imperceptible through his armor, "the Maje's metal will spend all the same, easy hunt or no. Galis," he nodded to the Vaadwur woman walking to his to his right, "contact Subrek, tell them we have the Starfleet Captain and that Korvas expects prompt payment for him. T'nos," he looked then to a Hazari man at his left, "walk ahead to our staging area. Prepare it for company," he unnervingly giggled.

"Yes, Korvas," both replied in sync before heading off to fulfill the Hirogen bounty hunter's commands.


=/\= A joint post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer

and

Ensign Eekit Drol
Security Officer