The Bar – 19622-2239

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #33557
    Xavier
    Keymaster

    The bar lights flicker on, ready to welcome the TSN officers of the 4th Light Division

    #33558
    Donovan
    Participant

    Donovan slowly enters. His gait is slow and random, as if he were deep in thought and found the entrance by happenstance, as he wandered the hallways.

    “Evenin’, Damian. A pleasure, as always. You know what I need.”

    The commander slowly scans the bar, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim light, and almost doesn’t notice Damian’s deft placement of a small glass, until he hears…

    “Here you are Donovan. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

    “No worries, Damian. Just lost in thought here. Have you seen any of Lancer’s crew tonight?”

    “You’re the first.”

    “If any of them come in tonight, it’s on my tab.”

    Donovan reverently takes the drink offered. He looks down, as if gazing at something through the bottom of the glass before he closes his eyes and bows his head. His lips start to move, his words barely audible over the din of the staff preparing for a busy night. With head bowed, he slowly lifts the glass as his cadence continues and pauses at eye level. The last half-spoken words falling hesitantly from his lips, Donovan raises the glass ever so slightly in what appears to be a toast to everyone and no one in the room, at the same time.

    “If any of the 4th Light wanders in, I’ll be over at that corner table. It might be ex parte, but I’ll leave that for the JAG to decide.”

    Donovan grabs the drink that Damian has knowingly set on the bar without another order being placed. His apology is soft, but still loud enough to be heard by Damian’s trained ear.

    “Das, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. This shouldn’t be your burden to shoulder.”

    #33559
    Tuor Elanesse
    Participant

    Tuor enters the bar, escaping from the looks judging him every second. The trial was not going well. He was upset that he has to go through this, but he couldnt help himself when it comes to duty. He saw a Hjorden officer sitting by herself, alone. Without startling her, Tuor approached closer.

    “Do you speak common tongue?*

    “…”

    “Sorry to bother, but DO – YOU – SPEAK – COMMON – LANGUAGE?”

    “Hkrnf poght krelgh lagh?”

    “Thats perfect, its easier to talk to a stranger who does not understand… What do you drink? Whats your poison?”

    Hjorden female looked confused

    “Damian, can i have a Rom and for my friend here Hjorden whiskey”

    “Right away Commander, good choice!” Damian smiled while pouring the liquid as if he is aware of how tired and upset Tuor is

    “You know, i like my friends! But Admiral Pace and Coates assigned me here. I have to obey their orders. I feel i am torn apart between my friends and the admiral. Have you ever experienced a thing like that?”

    He stared at her with watery eyes

    “Kagh pligk nthg!”

    “Do you have a heart under that hard exoskeleton? I hope you dont… Because if you do have it, it hurts… It hurts bad”

    Tuor chugged the Rom with a swift gesture

    “I hope they ll forgive me for what i have done. After this trial i will talk to Admiral and ask him to release me from my duty as liaison. I ll want a permanent assignment to 4LD”

    “Kgjfkfkkd yeuır mbshsh!!!”

    Hjorden officer stood up with anger

    “Okay! Okay! I m going. Enjoy your drink. Thank you for listening”

    As Commander Tuor leaving the bar, Hjorden female was explaining the situation to security officers, showing the Commander with her multiple digits that humans might call fingers. Tuor never looked back or stopped to listen,he unbottoned a button from his uniform to inhale easily and lit a cigarette afterwards. As the fume burns his eyes he clenched his jaw to endure.

    #33560
    Donovan
    Participant

    Donovan calls out from his isolated table…

    “You know better than that, Damian! No ranks in the bar. Next round is on you!”

    #33561
    Garion
    Participant

    His head buried in a pad full of Hegemoney comms traffic he had to analyse, Garion has been wandering through the station, he needed a break from staring at the blank piece of wall in front of his desk. The problem with living on a space station is the lack of space, everyone is crammed in like sardines. As he came round the corner before the bar he stopped and saw a Hjorden officer walking away angrily leaving Commander Tuor. He allowed intrigue to wash over him for a moment but soon refocused on the task at hand.

    On a whim, Garion decided the bar was a good idea, perhaps a couple of drinks would loosen his mind to solving his current problem. He soon shut off the notion of an alcoholic drink, he was on duty.

    As he walked in he nodded to Tuor and offered a smile, he had a tough job, and wasn’t going to make many friends but someone had to do it. He heard Donovan call out and chuckled, it had taken him a while to get used to not calling people by ranks in the bar. Unless they’re an Admiral, another lesson he had not learnt immediately.

    “What can I get you” Damian’s voice brought him back to the real world.

    “I’m still on duty, just some of that fizzy stuff you serve to the on-duty shuttle pilot.”

    “Coming up!”

    After a few moments the drink was placed in front of him he picked it up and scanned the room. He noticed Donovon alone at a table and walked over. He could do with a break from the work, and was due an official break on his duty shift.

    “Mind if I join you? I could to with a break from this” he said waving the pad.

    #33562
    Aideron Tivianne
    Participant

    Tivianne walks in, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath: “Man, that guy. Bad enough how he always belittles his nephew for no reason, but …” He cuts off, noticing Donovan at his table. Tivianne gets a drink from the bar, glad he doesn’t need to pay, then walks over.

    “Hey Cap. Just got done collating all the sensor data you requested. Forwarded it to Das too, but there was nothing interesting, really. No anomalous readings or anything. Ran a diagnostic on sensors just in case, even the internal ones. All fine. So we’ve nothing to fear, I’m sure, so chin up.” He gives Donovan a reassuring smile and takes a seat.

    “But I shouldn’t talk about this here, we all probably just want to get away for a bit. Garion, how’s things for you? ONI still making you do overtime?”

    #33563
    Roshin Das
    Participant

    Das’ sluggish steps made their way into the bar. Not many days lead him to needing the strong stuff, but this was one. He took a seat on one of the stools and motioned for Damian, then placed his data-pad down next to him.

    “Bottom shelf. Anything with the word ‘spice’ in it, eh? Thanks”

    He slouched over the bar as Damian prepared his drink, and took a look around, spotting Tivianne, Garion and Donovan all sat around a table. Das hadn’t yet finished collating the Lancer access or sensor logs. He’d spent so much time locking down the ship and enforcing crew access restrictions, he hoped that Swann might’ve managed to cover the data related tasks, but it was starting to look like Das would be pulling an all-nighter.

    Damian slid the drink in front of him.

    “Cheers. How much?”

    “The Commander’s got you covered tonight” he said in a hushed voice, which confused Das, but he didn’t question it.

    Das grabbed the drink and swivelled in his seat to face the table. He raised his glass to Donovan in a gesture of thanks, then turned back to his pad. A notification caught his attention and Das read it under his breath.

    “Energy Reading Analysis… Hey, just add it to the pile, Tivianne. I need to dig out your encryption codes” Another glance over his shoulder and he shook his glass at the three again, with a forced smile at Tivianne especially. “Damnit, Tuor, you sure know how to suck the fun out of everything.”

    He took a swig of his drink, and bit back at the taste. Damian gave an unimpressed snort. Das replied with a thumbs up and a knock on the bar signalling for his second to be prepared.

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by Roshin Das.
    #33565
    Donovan
    Participant

    “Good evening, Garion. I’m not going to sugar-coat it, these are some trying times. I remember Tuor from years ago – I was quite a green junior officer back then. I never imagined we’d be put in such an adversarial position.”

    Donovan reaches out with his leg to kick out a chair as Tivianne approaches.

    “Thanks, Tivianne. It’s not me, so much, that I’m worried about. This time, it’s not me under the microscope. I almost prefer it, if it were. This is about the 4th Light. I may have done some questionable things in the past, and I’d be willing to take the consequences, if it meant shielding the rest of the Division. This is… different.”

    Donovan notices Das downing his first, then motions to Damian and mouths the words, ‘Make it a tall!’ then continues…

    “This is the Division relying on me, in a way that it hasn’t needed to, in the past. I’ve got to come up with some irrefutable evidence and some convincing arguments, to make sure the blame doesn’t roll down from Command and obliterate what we’ve built. Leave it to me to open my big mouth and put me in this position, but there was no way I would let Tuor go at Blury without stepping in. You all are…” Donovan hesitates, knowing Tivianne and Das would catch it, and hoping Garion wouldn’t “…family.”

    #33566
    Joy Tetra
    Participant

    Joy enters the bar hesitantly, looking around with wide eyes. Yeah, this is the place the others mentioned, alright. She approaches the bar with a little more confidence.

    Had Devin been joking about the pan-galactic gargle blasters? She doesn’t feel like finding out right now and orders a cider instead.

    Drink in hand, Joy turns toward the room to find a spot, hesitating when she notices the other officers gathered at a table. Should she join them? She’s normally happy enough to approach pretty much anyone, but that was on shift, when communication was clearly guided by protocols that told her what to say and when to speak. But like this? And in such a tense situation, too…

    “And I haven’t exactly been helping with that situation, either.”, she mutters under her breath.

    With a deep sigh, she settles down at the bar, not quite brave enough to go sit with the others.

    #33567
    Donovan
    Participant

    “Gentlemen, the 4th Light has faced some grim situations in the past. I’ll be honest, there have been times when my confidence was shaken. This is one of those times. However, the Universe provides hope when you most need it.”

    “That, my friends…” Donovan motions their attention to Tetra, recognizing that same introverted demeanor from his not-so-distant youth.

    “She and the other new officers are the future of the 4th Light, and that fills me with great hope.”

    Donovan calls out to the Ensign, “Tetra! Plenty of room here! Come! Sit! These people have already heard most of my stories multiple times. You’re a new audience, and you have stories of your own.”

    “Now, where were we? Ah, yes! A toast! To the 4th Light… best damn Division in the Fleet! And to her future!”

    Donovan’s confidence was only half-feigned. This is our strength. This is how we make it through.

    #33568
    Joy Tetra
    Participant

    Joy is only dimly aware of the tone of conversation shifting from morose to somewhat more energetic. Then suddenly, the sound of her name drags her out of her thoughts.

    With an invitation, it’s easier to join the table. Joy raises her glass with the others, and the mood has improved somewhat.

    “So, stories, you said?”

    #33569
    Aideron Tivianne
    Participant

    “I know,” Tivianne responds to both of Donovan’s spoken and alluded-to statement, keeping his reassuring smile. “But you got this. And you have help, if you want it.”

    Shifting his attention to the approaching Tetra, he continues: “Stories? Oh, yes. Have I told you about how we once took down six Torgoth command ships in as many minutes? And by ‘we’, I mean Lancer. The rest of the fleet also took down eight or nine of them in the same time, of course, but that was total, not each ship. And we were slightly faster, to boot.

    “I almost couldn’t believe it when we hit low Energy after the fourth one but Donovan here ordered us to keep going. And then I thought him mad when he again answered my ‘Energy critical’ with ‘Last target!’ But it worked out. Proudest moment in the TSN for me, still. Earned me this bad boy here.” Tivianne points to his chest, forgetting that he’s wearing his slacks which don’t have his badges. “And I’ll never forget the satisfaction in his voice when he reported to the FC that the enemies were dealt with.

    “You see, the original order was that we should delay them, not engage. They expected us to play rabbit, not hawk,” Tivianne finishes with a laugh.

    #33570
    Joy Tetra
    Participant

    Joy chuckles as Lt Tivianne finishes his story. “From what I hear, that does sound like something the Lancer crew would do.”, she adds.

    The awkwardness she’s felt initially has completely dissipated by now. The other officers also seem to appreciate the distraction. Smiling, Joy turns towards the others, hoping to hear more old stories.

    #33606
    Raiden
    Participant

    Something starts to shuffle and rattle behind one of the Jefferies tubes entrance panels behind the bar.
    Then a few hits on a metal are heard, followed by some inhuman grunts.
    A moment of silence is replaced with a loud thud and the access panel is flying across the aisle behind the bar.
    A weird humanlike creature is crawling out of the tube, very erratically. Doesnt have much coordination.

    With a plenty of grunting, bumping into the sides, the creatuee finally manages to emerge from the tunnel. It tries to stand up on its legs, has to support itself by the bar.

    Plenty of greasy, long hair is put aside from its face.

    “What the hell?” Said groggily Lt. Raiden and looked around in a hazy, but also very angry state.
    “Who put me there? How long was I out? What time is it?? This wasn’t a good joke!”
    Then he caugh a reflection of himself in one of the mirrors and takes a pause.
    “Ugh. I need to shave and shower.”
    While he leaves shakily for the main corridor he managed to raise a hand in a warning tone and rather mumbled for himself “Fleet Captain will hear of this…” and left for his quarters.

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.