[snip]

Max just completed a longer than normal shift in engineering. He was doing some maintenance and lost track of time and worked an extra 2 hours. He was tired but needed to decompress a little. He decided he would go down to the Dragon bar and see what was going on. He walked in and looked around. He did not see a whole log going on so he went over to the bar and sat down. He thought about drinking but did not know. He waited till someone came over to him.

Joe was in quite the good mood after having had that cause of all hexes and vexations removed from his bar. In his mind the only good pet was a hound. Dachshund or Beagle was his preference. Loyal friends to the end and depending on who it was they might sometimes be drinking companions. For he’d once owned a Dachshund who when Joe drank beer always demanded that he pour some into his water bowl. The dog would often take to silly hiccups. howls and gas that could be considered weapons grade but, in the end, fun was had by all.

Seeing Mullins come in through made Joe’s Day even better. He walked over toward Mullins with a bar towel across his shoulder for effect. He really hadn’t been doing much beside complaining about the cat. But all in all, with the towel across his shoulder he looked rather professional. ” Ah, Chief Mullins the man who keeps us all from becoming so much scrap adrift in space! How may I be of service to you today sir?”

The Orion young woman looked at the man who had just entered , Joe seemed happy and delighted to see him though what ever was said eluded her . Still holding the cat D’Nesh asked again ‘’From where do I leave to go back to the station ? ‘’

Ginger continued to purr as he was held by D’Nesh. She didn’t seem too bad at all now, as opposed to Joe who had wanted to send him out of the airlock.

Joe looked dumbly at D’Nesh and just couldn’t think of an answer for the poor thing. ” Well that depends. ” Joe began. ” First it depends on the
mission.
Then of course the fleet may just assign us to a completely different area not even going anywhere near the station. There’s just isn’t really anyway to tell when we get back to the station .Why the Captain himself probably couldn’t tell you that.”

D’Nesh tried to make sense of what Joe said ,did he mean they where not at the station anymore? Did the entrance she was shown to enter was not part of the station after all ? ‘’ Come on sweety ‘’ she told Ginger ‘’ Lets go and have a good night sleep ‘’ and with that she headed to her cabin.

Before D’Nesh could leave the Dragon Bar, there was some kind of disturbance over at the Blackjack tables. NE Gamer was shouting that the Dentist was cheating.

“This is outrageous! It’s not fair letting him deal cards like that,” shouted NE Gamer. “The way he influences the pack with that amount of weird shuffling and stuff! He should only deal one card at a time from one hand! Every player knows that one card at a time creates a more random distribution of cards; a much cleaner deal. That’s how it’s always done on other ships! He’s making patterns when he does that shit there… he’s ordering the deck somehow! He shouldn’t be allowed to use it… Just keep it out of the way inside his pocket, or under the table, or something. Just not so it can be seen! It’s not natural! He’s a mutant freak! … By Fingale, he’s an abomination! An atrocity! That’s right… He should be arrested and expelled from Starfleet!”

“I’ve been playing Blackjack here in the Dragon Bar on the Merrimack for over two years now, and for maybe another thirty years before that in different Space Station bars, all around the two Quadrants, and in all that time, do you know what? Not one single person has ever complained before. I was born like this. I can’t help it, I cannot help the way I was born… and I can’t help how I am any more that you can help being a prick! …and what’s more, Starfleet have it registered as a disability rather than any kind of advantage. It’s not an augmentation, it’s a disability you thick lump! So, I can have you up before the XO for disability discrimination! …In fact, I should do that just for those derogatory comments alone!” Ade replied.

Someone should call the XO and for some Security before it got out of hand.

Joe was ticked off. His first instinct was to start fighting the both of them. It would give Ade some business. He remembered then Miriam and thought of all the trouble he could get into solving things himself. A large grin broke across his face at the thought of a good fight. It had been SO long! He balled up his fists and took a step forward.

He was sorely disappointed in himself though when he turned and walked to the bar where he tapped the comm unit on the bar. < ” Security to the Dragon Bar! I have two fools fighting down here!”>

=^=Ssecurrity here, on my way. Tell them if they arre not done fighting by the time I get therre, they arre going to feel my clawss!” M’Mera growled as she was suddenly woken out of her catnap. As if she didn’t have enough to keep her busy…some morons start a bar fight! What was this?? An OK Corral?

Within a few minutes an irate Caitian COS stomped into the Dragon Bar. How a Caitian could stomp with no boots on was a mystery.

Joe was by this time standing behind the bar with his hand on his shillelagh ready to bean the first of the gamblers which looked as if he would cause any damage to anything besides one another. As soon as he saw the Caition Joe frowned and muttered. ” Save us all, it’s Cat Sidh as a chief of security!”

Joe was though trying not to be superstitious. So, he just pointed to the two and told the Lieutenant. ” There they be Lieutenant. Put them somewhere besides here if you please. For I’ve had enough silliness for one day!”

“Gladly,” M’Mera growled back at him as she bounded more than walked across the bar to the two arguing gamblers. “Eitherr fold up forr the night and go back to your quarters or I am banging your heads together and locking you two up in the brig together! Your choice!” She finished growling while she folded her arms under her bosom and waited for their answer. Unbeknownst to the two combatants she had her phaser under her arm set to stun either of the two miscreants if they decided to start brawling with her.

Cross had just entered figuring since it was late Joe would be cleaning up before retiring for the night and she wanted some kisses, instead the CMO found herself looking at what was unfolding .

Ade was saddened but not surprised at the attitude of the COS; although unfortunately such ableist attitudes were part of a wider systemic issue and still not uncommon in the early 24th Century. “I don’t understand what you would charge me with? I am not fighting with this man, I haven’t even got up out of my seat. I am sober and have done nothing wrong. I just want to play cards just as I have done here almost every other night without any problem. He has made derogatory and demeaning comments about me which you completely ignore, and made some accusations that he will be unable to substantiate. However, once again it appears that it is instead the disabled person who is marginalised, and is to blame for simply being disabled, and that it is myself who must fold up for the night and go back to my room, is that it?”

‘’I didn’t know having three functional hands is a disability ‘’ she commented to Joe ‘’ I bet he’s mentioning it just to invoke some sympathy ‘’ then her doctor ‘s brain took over ‘’ I guess he was developing with a twin and the cells did not completely separate ‘’ .

NE Gamer was equally upset with the attitude of the COS. “I’m not fighting with anyone either! Don’t worry, I’m leaving! But if I want to play cards then I shouldn’t have to play against a card sharp, and you can clearly see what his obvious advantage is, so why is he allowed to do that stuff? He needs to be banned from playing here. That’s not a disability if it gives him a competitive advantage, whatever the ‘poor thing’ story he is trying to spin to you now… And secondly, I also don’t know why he is even allowed to be in Star Fleet, or why you haven’t arrested him and shipped him off to a penal colony. I know Star Fleet Law! I know my rights! …and I know that he is unnatural.”

’’ Now its not their fault maybe seeing who’s about to arrest them must have changed their minds ‘’ Cross commented as if she was sitting on a sofa watching a movie .

If M’Mera had had eyebrows she would have raised them as she listened to both the combatants.”You chosse to play carrds with him, itss not like you can’t have sseen his obviouss advantagess.” She said to the Gamer, she then looked to the dentist. “I am not maligning you, the barrkeep has assked that you both leave, I am jusst enforrcing that. Forr tonight, the carrd game is overr.”

“And I respect your authority to do that, but usually Joe would have a quiet word with someone rather than send in Security,” Ade moaned. “And you’re going to let him continue to malign me all the same… I’m use to being treated less favourably, but although tempers may have been charged, it was never going to become a brawl, and I have good reason to be upset with this!”

“Where else am I supposed to play on the ship?” NE Gamer replied. “I didn’t know about him until I joined this game, and he seems to run everything here… Who put him in charge? …I’ve raised my concerns. I expect them to be investigated properly, not for them to be ignored and for me to be belittled!”

” That’s it! ” Joe snapped. I have rights as well and I’m tired of you two crying. You are banned from the bar, and I am now asking the chief of security to remove you from the premises on an order of trespassing. I want the order to be enacted for thirty days.” Turning to M’mera Joe said ,” If you could remove them now Chief, they are now illegally taking up space in my bar for the next thirty days!”

“So, let me get this straight… because I had the sheer audacity to object to being wrongly accused of cheating at cards, and of being wrongly accused of having illegal augmentations, I am now being denied access to Crew Recreational Facilities for a calendar month? And yet no one thinks I’m being treated disfavourably due to my skin colour and my physical disability? Well I see you!”

“You can prrotesst to the Captain, but forr tonight and the forrseeable futurre you arre asked to not be herre. Now do I need to call in a team and have you both forrcibly rremoved?”

Cross was still quietly watching the drama unfold,she could not help feel sorry for Ade being denied access .It was now that she realized how insecure he was due to the color of his skin and extra hand.

NE Beaker wasn’t quite annoyed enough to spend a night in the Brig. He would make a complaint, no doubt about that, but for now he thought he had said his piece and made his point. And the CSO had a good point to, he had chosen to play cards. It was his own choice.

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving now,” replied NE Beaker as he dashed away.

Ade brought out a leather bag from under the table. He began clearing the table of his credit chips and strips of Latinum into the back of the bag. He collected up his cards and put them back into a box, which he also threw into the bag.

“I’m leaving too. If you will allow me to collect my belongings first, please,” Ade said. “I will take my complaint higher up the command chain as you suggest. I wouldn’t want Joe to blow a fuse!”

While he had cleared the table, with his other hand he took out a used Cuban cigar that had been smoked almost down to halfway. He cut the end, re-lit it and began to smoke. It had a very pungent smell and he was soon surrounded in smoke.

“Will I be allowed access to the Forecastle lounge or does the ban only cover the Fantail lounge and the Dragon bar?” Ade asked the COS.

• Ade, Ship’s Dentist