Return To Limbo

Posted on Apr 03, 2015 @ 12:38pm by Commander Jacob Crichton
Edited on on Apr 03, 2015 @ 12:39pm

Mission: Limbo

= Return To Limbo =
(cont'd from "Barfly")


LOCATION: USS PHOENIX

SCENE: Main Engineering

STARDATE: [2.15] 0402.1930



"All systems nominal," Cindy Rochemonte said as soon as she saw Jake approaching from the turbolift. She put up a hand as if to curtail any further discussion on the matter. "Really, Jake, it's all well in hand. You really should be resting."



"Not tired," Jake lied. He still felt too keyed up to sleep, but he could feel the fatigue waiting to creep back in as soon as the adrenaline started to thin out. He at least had enough energy left to check over things in Engineering, especially if buoyed by a cup of coffee... or three.



"You're lying," Rochemonte said, obviously not fooled for a minute. "Go to bed, Jake. If you can't sleep, have Dr. Foster give you something."



"I don't think so," Jake said, glancing back in the direction of the turbolift. "The good doctor's feeling a little... *distracted* just now."



"Can't blame him," Cindy said, as she breezed by Jake to inspect a power terminal readout. "Lots going on."



"All the more reason for me to help," Jake said. "Where are we at with restoring tertiary systems? I put Maynell on it before I left--"



"I'm not enabling you," Cindy said, making a point to avoid looking at him. "Go to bed, Jake."



"You know I outrank you, right Specs?"



"And the captain outranks *you*," Cindy said. "Kane gave me strict orders before he left that you were to--"



"Before he left?" Jake interuppted. "Where'd he go?"



Cindy turned to look at him, looking confused. "Uhh... to the station, of course."



"Okay, obvious answer," Jake said. "*Why* did he go?"



"He took Drake," Cindy shrugged, and returned to her work. "That marine woman, Thytos, got herself into some kind of death match, the captain and Drake went to pull her out of there."



"Death match?" Jake blinked. He was having trouble keeping up.



"It's just like her if you ask me," Cindy said, frowning over her shoulder at Jake. "Probably attacked the first person she saw, or maybe burned down some poor merchant's kiosk, or--"



"Specs," Jake said, cutting her off. "What else have you heard?"



"We haven't exactly had time to keep up with the rumor mill," Cindy said, sounding a little annoyed. "If Major Thytos wants to get herself killed fighting some Klingon woman, I really don't see how that's any business of mine."



"Klingon woman?" Jake said, eyes wide. "Not Kalenda the Black?"



"Sounds familiar," Cindy said, buzzing from one console to the next without stopping. "These pit fighters always seem to have some silly nicknames, I certainly can't tell them apart."



"Dammit," Jake said to himself. "This is bad."



"Something wrong?" Cindy asked, pausing from her work long enough to glance over at him.



"Yes," Jake said. "No. Nevermind. Look, can you hold down the fort awhile longer?"



"Didn't we start this conversation with me telling you I could?"



"Thanks, Specs," Jake said, and turned back towards the turbolift.



"I assume you're going to bed!" Cindy called after him. Jake didn't reply; he wasn't heading back to his quarters now. The fatigue was gone, forgotten in a fresh rush of adrenaline. He and Russ had been careful about what they'd told Kalenda, but they'd forfeited any real chance of staying incognito when they'd arrived on a Federation warship. Kalenda must have realized that Thytos was working with the people who'd stolen her fortune.



And if Kalenda the Black was out for revenge, that meant serious trouble for Thytos, as well as any other PHOENIX crew who'd showed up to cheer her on.



=[/\]=



SCENE: Corridor, outside BaShen's Quarters



Jake thumbed the door chime again, then pounded a hand against the durasteel doors of Russ BaShen's quarters.



"Come on Russ," Jake called through the door.



Finally, the doors parted. Russ BaShen stood, wrapped in a bathrobe, his hair a wild mess on top of his head. He fixed Jake with a groggy stare.



"Don't you ever sleep?" he mumbled.



"Get dressed," Jake said. "We have to go back."



"This is a dream," BaShen said. "I know that, because we just got *back* from LIMBO, and there's probably more than a few really angry Klingons with orders to kill us on sight."



"Not just us," Jake said. "Kass is fighting Kalenda in the Pits."



This got the FCO's attention. Russ seemed to come awake at the mention of Kalenda's name. He frowned at Jake.



"We got away clean," Russ said. "She has to think she blew up our shuttle."



"But she knows we have friends," Jake said. "She must know Kass is with us, and she's looking for revenge."



"Shit," Russ said. "Does Kane know about this?"

"Kane went to stop her," Jake said. "He took Drake with him. Thomas and Solomon went over. They must all be headed for the Pits."



"And Kalenda's men might have orders to kill anyone who looks like they're Starfleet," Russ said.



"Right," Jake said. "Look, I don't know what they're walking into over there. Maybe it's nothing. But if something happens to any of them because of what we did..."



Jake trailed off. He didn't have to finish the thought, he could see that Russ wouldn't be able to live with it any more than Jake could. Jake and Russ had stirred up a hornet's nest when they'd gone after Kalenda's money, and now it looked like their friends were in real danger of getting stung over it.



"I'll get dressed," Russ said, and disappeared back into his quarters. He emerged a few minutes later, dressed in civilian clothes. His hair was still wet from the sink, but he'd combed it into something resembling a regulation haircut.



"Let's go," Jake said.



"I'm never going along with one of your plans again," Russ groused as the two men walked swiftly up the corridor towards the turbolift.



"*You* talked me into it, flyboy," Jake said.



"And then tried several times to talk you *out* of it," Russ countered. "Now we're sitting on a hold full of stolen latinum, and we have some Klingon psychopath who wants to beat one of our crewmates to death over it. And all this *before* we've even found the damn girl we've come looking for!"



"Maybe she'll be at the Pits," said Jake, as the two men stepped into the turbolift. "You never know who's going to turn out for fight night."



=[/\]=



NRPG: Kinda short, but I wanted to make sure Jake and Russ are back on the station for the grand finale. Since we're all headed to the same place, if anyone wants to JP let me know!



Shawn Putnam

a.k.a.

Jake Crichton

Chief Engineering Officer

USS PHOENIX