Posted by Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist (Weaver of Webs) in Aboard the Starbase - The Likable Hornet

Posted by Lieutenant Orvos Legen (Chief Engineer) in Aboard the Starbase - The Likable Hornet

Posted by Ensign Karina Niles (Doctor) in Aboard the Starbase - The Likable Hornet

Taking a sip of her drink, Viyara took a moment to reply. “Isn’t it more that they haven’t returned from their last mission?” she asked instead. “And well, delays happen and missions sometimes take longer than anticipated.” She shrugged and let her finger wander around the rim of her glass. She knew by now that that wasn’t exactly the case, since Starfleet seemed to have no idea where the Athena was. But she wasn’t going to reveal everything she knew and suspected. Locking her eyes with Ky’Laria’s she added, “Why are you so interested in the Athena?”

~Ensign Nazeen, Scientist

This one was fun… It was as though Viyara had the carefree confidence of a Kuras, though so far markedly lacking the hunting instinct as far as Ky’Laria could tell. Unwaveringly, she replied, “That interest is strictly professional.”

-Ky’Laria (Possible Venus Trill Trap)

Leaning slightly forward and raising one eyebrow, she simply asked, “Why?” She didn’t look like Starfleet, but then again neither did she herself, especially not right now. What did she know about the Athena and her current whereabouts? she wondered, while her she looked Ky’Laria deep into the eyes, apparently just as undisturbed by the lack of distinctive irises/pupils as by her pointed incisors.

The completely oblivious Tikka, sitting between the two women, looked from one to the other with an excited expression. “You’re both going to be on the Athena too? Really?? Wow. This is so, exciting, meeting two of my future co-workers at the same time!!” The little Raka grabbed her drink and gulped down a mouthful.

Ens. Tikka, Sci

Viyara didn’t say anything in reply to Tikka’s questions, but simply nodded while wondering how Ky’Laria would reply. So far she hadn’t exactly said that she was going to be part of the Athena, or had she? Doubt started to slowly rise up inside her. Had she missed something? But she was quickly able to push those feelings aside. Even if she had, it was of no real consequences right now, but she would pay even closer attention to the things both of them were saying. And to their body language.

~Ensign Nazeen, Scientist

Ky’Laria was stone-still, other than a small glance at Tikka’s reaction. It was one thing to be paid customary attention during a conversation, and quite another to be watched. With this Trill, she knew that she was experiencing the latter. But a Kuras never simply gives anything away, she thought as she gave a tiny smile at her own musings. Eventually, she raised her glass again for another small sip, watching Viyara once more over its rim. “The small one guesses correctly,” she finally replied, maintaining the hint of a grin. There seemed little risk of deception from these two, despite Viyara’s apparent penchant for playing coy. Besides, neither of them fit the profile.

Taking a sip from her own drink, Viyara kept her main focus on Ky’Laria for the moment, pondering. Why have we been told to come here when the Athena is nowhere to be found? she mused. She had more than one idea why that might be the case and while she wanted to find the answer to that question and where the ship was, she decided that that could wait for a little while. Right now, she wanted to know more about the two officers in front of her. And if she was honest, especially about Ky’Laria.

Karina glanced over and saw Ky’Laria. The blush rose on her cheeks and she turned back to her drink. Taking a longer than usual draw, she waited and smiled as the bartender came closer. “Seems there is a lot of talk of the Athena ship missing? What’s that all about?” In civilian clothes, her comm badge hidden under a wide gold band over her upper left arm sleeve, she looked, for all that night, like just another person enjoying a drink off duty.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if Ky was scaring the women beside her the way she had been scared in the break room earlier that day. Despite the fear, the excitement rose in her at the memory.

Karina
Doc

OOC: Not sure if GM was planning to possess our anonymous bartender?

OOC He was, but he’s a bit late this week, my bad
IC:

Having noticed Karina on her entrance, Ky’Laria decided the moment had come to let her know it. She cast her glance over her shoulder and allowed her silvery gaze to settle on the woman for a moment. “Doctor,” she greeted in a tone of mock surprise. “It’s starting to seem that half the ship shares our predicament.” In punctuation, the Kuras gave a thin, delayed smile.

-Ky’Laria (Alleged Crewmate)

Viyara turned somewhat on her barstool to see who Ky’Laria was talking to. Another member of the Athena’s crew?

Watching Ky’Laria out of the corner of her eyes while trying to be oblivious was making Karina uncomfortable. She had no idea why. But as the woman looked her way and called out teasingly, Karina shrugged indifference. “A pandemic of missing crewmen. How unprofessional of the Athena.” She nodded to Ky, a look in her eyes that held .... something. Jealousy… perhaps?

Karina
Doctor

“What predicament are you talking about?” Tikka asked, taking a sip of her water. Her attention flitted between each of these three women, her curiosity clear. “Are we the missing crewmen? I didn’t catch any of your names, I am Ensign Tikka, by the way. Are you in Science too, fanged one?” She looked at Ky’Laria, head tilted slightly. Tikka could not hide how anxious and excited she was about her assignment, excited to go there, anxious about how well she might do. What if people didn’t like her?

• Tikka

Karina left it to Ky to answer the question, her gaze taken back by the bartender who was before her.

The bartender looked over the group and then leaned in whispering, “Rumor has it that the whole ship was swallowed up by a wormhole.”

Warming to the subject the bartender’s eyes sparkled, “Everyone seems to be talking about it, the whole place is in an uproar!”

Junior Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist

The young doctor leaned forward a bit, her hand resting on the bartender’s in a flirtatious way. “Swallowed by a wormhole? You don’t say. I think you are pulling my leg, darling. I mean, ships have to fly into them, don’t they?” She bit her lip and looked at him with a soft smile on her face.

Karina
Doctor
(Flirt? whoda thunk)

The bartender scowled, “You sound just like the woman that was in here the other day, she thought I was smoking long ones as well, but I tell ya, the thing just reached out and grabbed them, lock, stock, and barrel”.

“A wormhole, ey?” Viyara asked, one eyebrow raised. If that was true the ship could be anywhere and it could take weeks, months or even years till they came back. If they ever returned. Which made the fact that they were here waiting for a ship that might never come back even more mysterious in her opinion. Not that she minded being her. On the contrary. So far it promised to be an interesting stay.

~Ensign Nazeen, Scientist

As the woman over heard her conversation with the bartender, she frowned. Karina shifted her back to the group Ky was with, her eyes all for the bartender. “A wormhole? But surely you can’t just ‘fall’ into one. I mean… they had to be there for a reason, right?” She was playing the confused innocent. Since she was young enough to play the part, it occured to her to live it up and see if she could gleen anything more from the willing bartender. She watched him and lightly traced a finger around the rim of her drink.

Karina
Doctor

Up to this point, the table of three had kept to themselves. However, upon hearing the Athena had been sucked into a wormhole, the redhead at the table stood up and moved to the bar. Her green eyes quickly assessing everyone present. “Did I hear someone say the Athena was sucked into a wormhole?” She wasn’t demanding, but her presence was certainly made known.

-Redheaded Woman

In a corner of the room, a young lady with her back to the conversation flinched slightly at the sound of the voice.

Junior Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist

Karina frowned. While she hadn’t seen the woman behind her flinch, she noticed the red head joining them. It troubled her that bars were the place for information. Their loudness being a two set phaser. One setting meant you didn’t have to worry about many folks overhearing, or caring, what you talked about. The other setting meant your voice had to be raised to be heard… and sometimes other people heard.

As the woman asked about the ship, she sat back a moment and looked at her curiously. “Well, he claims they just up and vanished into one. I, for one, don’t believe it.” Unfortunately, she did believe it. The question was, who sent the Athena there, and why? She took another sip of her drink and wished she either hadn’t come back so soon, or hadn’t left the Athena in the first place.

She felt like she had stepped into a right Ferengi mess.

Karina
Doctor