Consolation Prize (Part 2 of 3)
Posted on Sun Jul 19th, 2020 @ 4:19am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander S'hib
Mission:
Season 3: Episode 4: Cause and Effect
Location: USS Elysium Holodeck
Timeline: MD 08 2030
2549 words - 5.1 OF Standard Post Measure
Previously in Consolation Prize
Miraj threw open the door to their room, revealing the tavern beyond. They were on the first floor, where a balcony ran around the main room, where rough tables made from planks thrown over barrels were surrounded by rough men. In one corner a group of men, scarred and bearded, were singing a song that cast doubt on the fatherhood of navy sailors. In another, a group, just as scarred and twice as hairy, heads pressed close together were scheming things, and all over, groups of three of four men quaffed ale from pewter tankards and boasted and jested.
One of them, a weathered old salt with a sharp rectangular scar running across his cheek and nose and up to his forehead, saw Miraj and S'hib step out. He raised his mug with a cheer. "Arr! Staines, still 'educating' the midshipmen I see!"
And now the continuation
S'hib stared at the man cheering at him before slowly turning his towards Miraj, his brow raised curiously. "I'm starting to think there was more symbolism to me getting dressed than you're letting on..." He said with a smirk before snapping his head back to the man who addressed him. "Aye, he's a quick learner... very enthusiastic lad."
"No." She shook her head. "They're teasing. Suggesting Staines is gay. Which he is, but you didn't really admit it back then. And you've just pretty much confirmed it to the bar. Oh well."
"Well to be fair, I did date a handsome Caitian at the Academy..." S'hib quipped as he nudged her with his arm.
Miraj giggled. "Not quite the pussy they preferred a man was interested in, back then. Let's go."
"Bring him back soon then," shouted the speaker. "Maybe he can demonstrate." The table he was sat up dissolved into fits of laughter.
"I doubt he could with you, the lad would have more chance of finding gold under that barrel of a gut you have." S'hib snorted back as he followed Miraj, turning his back on the man he had just insulted.
The sudden silence was like a thunderclap. The man at the table roared wordless outrage and fury. He leapt to feet, throwing the table up in front of him, scattering tankards and candle stubs everywhere. He put his head down and charged the sequus with all his strength.
S'hibs ears twitched and flicked backwards at the bellowing man behind him, pointing towards the drunken stampede with as much clarity to be as though he had eyes in the back of his head. "One moment..." He said as his stubby hoofed hand clasped an almost empty tankard from a nearby table, briefly judging its weight.
A mere moment later and S'hib had turned, bringing his arm around with him until the tankard struck the man on the side of the face with a dull wet thunk.
The old tar staggard back, stunned from being brained with lump of pewter. For a moment there was a collective holding of breath, before the man's friends decided to pile on. the two of them leaping at one, one striking high, the other going for a kick to the shins.
“Im not very good at stealth missions...” S’hib smiled to Miraj over the roar of the two men before turning back, the first mans fist deflected and pulled to one side, using the drunkards momentum against him and hurtling him over the bar.
The second however landed his hit, the wet salt cracked leather boot slamming into the side of S’hibs raised leg to little effect.
Lip twitching and wide eyed S’hib slammed his hoof down in annoyance before reaching out and grabbing the man by the scruff of his dirty linen clothing, the seams tearing as he hoisted him into the air with a wild sounding neigh like grunt.
“Anyone else?” S’hib snorted as he looked around the bar, still holding the man against the low beams of the ceiling despite his efforts to get free.
There was a distinct lack of volunteers
"This isn't the stealth part." Miraj pointed out. "This is the safe zone starting point. Lets get out of here before it all goes wrong!"
“How is this a safe zone?” S’hib yelled as he dropped the man he was holding, his drunken legs buckling after suddenly being reunited with gravity and sending him into a heap on the floor.
Miraj grabbed S'hib's hand and pulled him towards the door. "It was until you suggested he had a tiny manhood." Miraj sighed. The trouble wasn't supposed to start for a few minutes.
Leaning down as he was pulled along, making sure he was close enough to speak quietly although it didn't really matter. “I was only getting into character...” he sulked, feeling as though he had ruined the holo novel for her.
She laughed as chaos errupted, and general brawls broke out all over. "Well, you did that!" she agreed. A couple of tars fell onto the stair landing, grappling each other and blocking the way down. "I guess there's only one way down now." she looked at the wagon wheel that served as a chandalier, crusted with wax, candles fresh that evening pushed into the remains of candles of years gone by.
“Are you sure it’ll hold?” He asked before raising his hands up in defence.
"Sure it will. I've seen three grown men fighting on it before now." Miraj assured him. "Plus holodeck. It won't break."
"Ok well, let me lift you up then..." He said before cupping his hands together between his legs.
She eagerly took the offered boost, stepping into his linked fingers, and reaching for the wheel.
Lifting with surprising ease S'hib guided her up towards the chandelier, haphazardly fixed candles falling as she caught the edge ungracefully, hauling herself up onto it like a landed salmon trying to flop its way back into the water, but she got here. "Yay!" she squealed looking down at the brawling crowd. "Come on up. They can't hit us from down there."
S'hib looked up at Miraj and her hair falling out of place from the climb, looked at the bar below and then back up at her with a smirk growing. "I have a better idea..." He snorted with a mischievous glint in his eye.
Then without warning, he turned and raised a hoof before striking the flimsy wooden bannister, splintering the railing onto the brawling crowd below who were too drunk and too engrossed in whomever they were fighting to notice.
"Miraj," He said backing up somewhat. "You might want to hold on..." He added as a hoof scratched at the floorboards in anticipation for what was to come.
She could guess. It probably wasn't just Earth horses that could jump. She grabbed for the chains holding up one point of the wheel and hung on as best she could.
S'hib slid a hoof sidelong across the boards, spreading his legs slightly before breaking into a quick sprint forward, waiting until a hoof landed on the edge of the landing before bending his powerful equine legs and jumping, landing atop the already wobbling chandelier and tilting it heavily to one side. "You ok?" He snorted as he quickly grabbed hold of the central chain to stop himself falling.
The heavy cartwheel swung wildly to the limit of its arc and Miraj giggled with glee. The crowd underneath shouted in surprise, a few threw tankard, knocking a couple of candles and splattering their feet with wax, "I am awesome!"
"Ow." S'hib growled, flinching as a tankard bounced off his shoulder. "Well, that's all very good but where do we go now?" He asked curiously before catching another tankard, ale spraying everywhere as he threw it back, his lip curling back into a snarl as he did so.
"Through the front door. " She pointed across the tavern to a clear space near the main door. "The harbors right there. We can roll straight onto the Rose, assuming no one spots us.:
"And how do you suppose we get from here?" S'hib exclaimed, waving a hand about the chandelier they were on. "To there?" He added, pointing a stubby hoofed digit to the front door.
Miraj, still hanging onto the swinging chandalier, threw her weight back, changing the direction of the swing. "The same way we got on. We jump." She swung her self forward. "Swashbuckling. Never do anything simply, and do everything with style."
The chandalier got to the apex of its swing towards the door, and she jumped. She did not do it with style. She practically flopped down into the open space, hitting the ground hard and avoiding a broken ankle only by the grace of holodeck safeties. She rolled over a couple of times, coming to rest on her back. with a surprised look on her face. "That always works in the books."
S'hib was not far behind, in fact, he was landing damn near on top of her, hooves crashing into the floorboards just above her shoulders, legs bending fully to withstand the jump. "You ok down there?" He snorted, his muzzle pointed at her upside down face.
Miraj had been looking straight up when he landed. some part small part of her was making the note, next time, underbritches. The vast majority of her had her eyes screwed shut trying to pretend she hadn't seen what she had. "Yes. Help me up before they all turn on us again."
“Turn on me you mean, i didn't see anyone taking a swing at you.” He snorted loudly before walking over her, his hooves clicking either side before he turned and reached down with his hand out stretched.
She cracked open an eye, saw that she wasn't looking at anything personal anymore, and used his large strange hand to steady her as she got to her feet. "That was fun. I have so wanted to do that. The bar fight behind them was now a pure free for all with most taking part ofr the love of fighting. And then someone shouted. "there he is!"
“You ever wanted to be chased by angry drunk pirates as well?” S’hib inclined as he hurried out the door with her hand still in his.
"Huh?" She looked behind him and her blue eyes went wide. It looked like half the bar were running for them. "Oh crap. Run!" She took off over the muddy barely paved street, heeled shoes threatening to tip her over any second. A burly Frenchman got to the inn door first and launched himself at S'hib.
S'hib glanced at Miraj running off, her feet tilting awkwardly over the uneven floor. "Wait up!" He shouted, slamming the bar door into the Frenchmen before taking off after her.
"And get beaten up? Nope." Miraj said, still stumbling along until she drew level with a two masted ship tied up at the end of the dock, and scrambled into a hiding spot behind a couple of stacked barrels.
"Damn it Miraj!" S'hib scowled as someone jumped on his back, the drunken stench from the man offending his flared nostrils as he kicked and spun to the right, throwing him off with an irritated neighing growl before taking off down the street.
"Pirate code." Miraj pointed out as he caught up. "Those who fall behind, are left behind. Follow me."
“Ill remember that next time you need my help.” S’hib quipped as he got lower and followed her._
She shot out from behind the barrels and skittered over to the prow of the vessell opposite. Here, there where only a few lights on the ship. Certainly no streetlamps on the dockside. A rat squealed as she stepped on its tail but she ignored it. The ships figurehead was a woman in a flowing gown fastened at one shoulder, pointing forward. but it was stained in places. Either side of the figureheads curling hair, were gaps in the railing, with rough nets strung just below them. Loose rigging was trailing from the bowsprit reaching over the figurehead. In a flash, Miraj was up the rigging, scrambling over the figurehead and squirming through the nets to its left.
“You take me to some beautiful places Miraj, truly... I am blessed.” He complained, attempting to follow her despite being nearly twice her size.
She turned to help him scramble through the small gaps of the ship's head, ignoring the smells of human excreta that hung thickly aorund a ship in dock. What little crew was on the London Rose were watching the barfight spilling along the wharf with interest.
"Ah, its modelled off the Reprisal," she whispered. Miraj knew everything about every ship in the Bloodbeard series. It took up space in her brain that she should have probably reserved for important things like how to maintain anti-matter containment chambers and shoot straight. "She was a pretty brig, but barely counted as a warship. I'll have to fire up a historical program and show you the real Queen Anne's Revenge, and the Victory, and the very first Enterprise. Which was french. Those were pretty ships."
"Well... don't make it too historically accurate," S'hib grovelled as he flicked his hand to the side in an attempt to remove whatever was on his stubby hooved digits. "Please?" He asked again with an awkward smile, showing her that he was still at the very least having fun.
She grinned at him. "You'll get the tourist tour. But here in fiction world, it might be a bit more real. but only a little. Now, the map gets placed randomly, either in Dent's cabin, at the stern, or on his person, and he's supposed to making nice with his crew and eating with the men in the foc'sle galley. Which do you want?"
"If it's on him how are we supposed to get it off him without starting another brawl?" S'hib asked quietly, hunching his large frame over more.
Miraj shrugged, keeping a close eye on the swabs watching the riot they had left behind. "Last time, I spiked his grog with more rum, and when he went to the head, he took off his jacket and was too drunk to notice when i stole the map right out of it. In the books, it's in his cabin."
"Well, you go and do the same as last time... at least you'll be able to keep an eye on him this way, I'll go search his cabin," S'hib said before realising he didn't know where that was. "Which way is it?" He said quickly, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Stern. That way." She pointed down the deck, past the masts to the doors under a raised deck at the back. "Meet you on the dock in ten minutes?"
"Ten minutes... no leaving me to fight the crew at nine minutes." He snorted with a smirk before moving off, keeping out of sight of the two still watching the brawl happening off ship.
"I promise," she whispered back. "Be careful!"
To be Continued…
Ensign Miraj Derani
ACFCO
USS Elysium
Lieutenant S'hib
Security Officer
USS Elysium
