Posted by Lieutenant Commander Gravel Mardusk (Chief of Security) in Return To Sender

Posted by Civilian Runa Siff Edman (Counselor / Education Specialist) in Return To Sender

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Gravel Mardusk (Chief of Security) in Return To Sender
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Mardusk took a long pull from the pitcher and jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the random bar flies and career alcoholics a place like Mike’s appealed to. “They will.” and he wiped his mouth off.

Mardusk, CoS

Runa rolled her eyes oh yeah the parents were going to love that. She was sending pictures of this to Revna and she could show Mike. Toddler sleep over in his bar. Oh Mike may never forgive her but it would SO be worth it. “Alright you decide what concerts and I’ll arrange the days.” She glanced at the schedule Mardusk had on the PaDD again and shook her head. “I hope he knows what he’s getting into.”
Runa

It had been 11 days. 11 days since Mike had vaulted the bar and taken off after her sister. Runa was starting to get curious. The bar was fine, the kids loved the concerts Mardusk had set up for them. The only complaint Runa had was she was starting to get tired, but it was worth it. Mike, whether he knew it or not, was family. Runa walked into the bar, leaving the lights off for a moment as she checked the actual bar for the various brick-brack needed to run it. After awhile people started coming in, quiet and slow at first and then eventually the bar was buzzing with conversations and music.

About the time Mardusk arrived to keep an eye on her, the PaDD that she kept behind the bar with her beeped. It was from Revna. She opened the letter. Revna had flipped through the video feed of their room and found a single photo that would tell Runa everything she needed to know. It was a single picture of Mike and Revna. Mike’s hand wrapped around Revna’s and holding a sword hilt to his chest. Runa knew the sword, she had one just like it. A huge smile broke out across her face. Pitcher half filled she left it behind the bar. “Hey! Mardusk, watch the bar!” and she disappeared into the back, padd in hand already making a connection with Event Horizon.
Runa, long term stand in bar tender

Mardusk just grunted and took a drink from his pitcher.

Mardusk, CoS

Runa returned to the bar from the back room about 20 minutes later a marked lightness to her posture. She put the PaDD down in front of Mardusk. There was the photo, which he may or may not understand the significance of, and then the video. “Looks like my girl and your boy finally figured it out.” She topped off his pitcher and then moved down the bar filling drinks then she stopped half way down the bar and looked at Farthic, the security officer who kept trying to help himself. It had become a game at this point. She pointed at him, “Go find a table. I ain’t got time for you tonight. Shoo!” He chuckled, “Awww come on, Runa. Don’t send me away.” He waggled his brows at her and reached behind the bar she snapped the towel across his hand. “Nope not tonight. Scoot!” She made sure no one was waiting, “You heathens better behave! I gotta take care of something.” She disappeared into the back, again, but was watching from the partially opened door. How did she tell her parents that her sister had gotten married and hadn’t told anyone till after? If it was Runa everyone would believe it in a heart beat, but not of Revna. She started recording and then paused it, “Farthic get away from the bar or I swear I will ban you for life!” Then she went back to her message, finished it, attached the two files for her parents to see and then returned to the bar.
Runa, will owe Mike for Life

Mardusk looked at Farthic and said “Petty Officer… reach across that bar one more time and I will have you patrolling the replicator raw mattter storage tanks… from the inside.” and he took a drink. Farthic looked at his boss and just said “Um… yessir. I mean no sir. Won’t happen again, Commander.” and he downed his drink and left the bar.

Mardusk looked at the picture and the looked up at Runa. “So what… she stabbed him or something? In her defense… he probably deserved it. Or did he stab her? In his defense… she probably did too.” and he took a drink.

Mardusk, CoS

Runa laughed, so hard she cried. She leaned against the wall behind the bar catching her breath for several moments before taking a deep breath and just grinned. “Yeah they both deserve it.” She walked over and tapped the photo enlarging the area of the hilt. “In our culture the giving of a sword between a woman and a man is extremely ritualistic.” As it was in many cultures, but humans had moved away from this particular cultural phenomenon. “That’s Revna’s sword. To give her blade away is to give herself into his keeping.” She tapped a finger over Mike’s hand, “And he accepted it. They’re married.”

“You should watch the video too, but then you’ve probably heard Mike sing before.” She left, filled a couple drink orders, and returned.
Runa, temp bar keep

Mardusk smiled and said “I saw it. News crawler alerted me to the video when it went up. Check it out.” and he pulled up the cover of Galactic Variety and there was the video.

“So… your new brother-in law? Yeah… he’s kind of a big deal. Even after he quit the music business.”

Mardusk

Runa chuckled, “Yeah, I know. Been a fan of Mike McKenzie for years. Saw him live at Alpha Centari years ago. Just don’t tell Revna. She’ll kill me for holding out on her. Poor girl lives for music but can’t keep a song title, artist, band, or genre straight in her head. If it’s good it’s good and she doesn’t care about the rest.” She shook her head looking at the cover. “I knew they could both sing, but together? Gives me chills.”
Runa

Mardusk looked on with her and said “Yeah… never him do stuff like that before. It’s really g-” and he stopped short and grinned at Runa. “Oh, I am so gonna piss him off.” and he grabbed the PaDD and went to the jukebox.

Two minutes later, the sound of Mike serenading the former Counselor of the Atlantis came through the speakers and filled the bar. Mardusk sauntered back over and took his seat, and slid the PaDD to Runa. “Make sure you play this when the bar is packed tonight. And don’t worry, it will be. I sent out a ship-wide announcement.”

Mardusk

“Mr Mardusk you are my kind of people. Revna will have a fit. She never sings for anyone but family. That was what…50-60 people there?” She glanced at the vid. “Mike has her totally wrapped up, it’s amazing.” She looked from the juke box to Mardusk and back. Mischievousness written all over her face. “Think we could play it as a Holo concert? Or is that too much?”

Later that night, true to his word, the bar was packed and Runa was busy. She had to get a couple of the regulars to step in and help, it was insanely busy.
Runa

The night was going well… and then? Then the holovid played. It took people a second to adjust gears, but the a voice said kind of loudly “Hey? Isn’t that Mike and the Counselor?” as the realization trickled through, the crowd grew louder… and louder… and louder as people clapped and screamed and cheered. Gravel looked at Runa, now not slammed because all eyes were on the vid, and he said “Told ya it’d be cool.” and he winked and took a drink.

Mardusk

Runa grinned watching the crowd for a moment and then watching the holovid. She could just see Revna’s face as she threw herself on stage and into Mike’s arms. But it was when Revna began to sing, the she closed her eyes and just listened. Mike had done that, she had no doubt. Not the surgery, not Jameson, not the therapy, Mike gave her back a reason to sing. The vid played through them walking off stage and so it was then that Runa was watching the vid again and she saw Mike turn his back to the stage and the look in Revna’s eyes. And the only reason Runa saw it was because that was her twin. “Right there.” Mike had proposed right then in the most public way possible and no one even knew. He was perfect for Revna.

2 days later, Runa set the pitcher down on the bar infront of Mardusk as he sat down. “Fix the jukebox,” was the only thing she said to him.
Runa

Gravel picked up the pitcher and grinned. “Mike got mad at you, didn’t he?” he asked with a knowing tone and took a drink.

Mardusk

There was a lot Runa could say to that. She was up for pranks, bets, dares, whatever it was that Mardusk had gotten up too. She honestly didn’t scare that Mike was mad at her. It happened. The one constant about Runa, she’d p+## you off eventually. “Oh yeah.” She filled a drink placed it on the bar and turned back to him. “He put Revna in the middle of it. He can be mad at me, ban me from the bar, send a Detroit punk rocker who eats human flesh after me. But I’m not going to be the reason he and Revna fight. So just fix the thing.”

The last thing she heard Mike say was to tel Revna to ‘talk to your sister.’ Because she’d ‘allowed’ Mardusk to fiddle with the jukebox. And of course she didn’t know Mike was joking. But she didn’t like the idea that Revna needed to be the go between.
Runa (last of the Edmans)

“Relax, pee-wee. I guarantee Mike isn’t mad or putting anyone in the middle of anything.” and he took a drink.

Runa grinned slightly, “Did you call me Pee-wee??” She poured and mixed several drinks before beginning to clear and wipe the bar. “Mike hired a new manager. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess he’s not coming back long term.”

“Besides, you’re telling me you don’t want to see your new brother-in-law on that stage in a dress singing Ella Fitzgerald?”

Mardusk

She stopped wiping the bar down, turned, pointed a finger at him and glared. “Alright spill. I got dragged into something, didn’t even know there was a thing, get yelled at by my new brother, called Pee-wee by his friend, and roped into running a bar, and told the new manager might literally eat the flesh off my bones. Spill. If I’m going through all that I wanna know why.”
Runa