Posted by Commander Jason Reilly (XO) in XO’s Quarters - A Late Night Call

Posted by Lieutenant Kadence Argona (Counselor) in XO’s Quarters - A Late Night Call

Posted by Commander Jason Reilly (XO) in XO’s Quarters - A Late Night Call
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It was dark, quiet, and wholly comfortable. Reilly was enjoying a dream consisting of he and the Coubselor playing a game most often associated with poker but they were, instead, using chess. Neither was winning, but both were smiling. And then…

=^=Commander. Incoming call. Priority. CO of the USS Manhattan, Captain Cochrane, sir. =^= came the voice from the bridge. Reilly’s eyes opened and he thought to himself When I figure out why I am- and his brain engaged and he sat up and quickly moved to the comm terminal on the small desk and tapped the activation. =^= Send it through now. =^= There was a much longer delay than normal, but with their ship’s relative positions that was not unexpected.

The face of the Captain came though and he said =^=Commander. Sorry to have to call. There has been a… inquiry… as to our guest. I thought you should know.=^=
=^= Who inquired? And is this a threat we need to address, Alex?=^= Reilly asked
Cochrane shook his head. =^= No, no threat. He impressed the Diplomat assigned to the ship. She looked him up to see where he was from.=^= Reilly stared for a minute and then shook his head and chuckled. =^= I told him that damn seafood chowder of his would get him killed… again. =^= and he laughed. =^= Thanks, Alex. Unless you think we need to move him, I’ll handle it from here. =^= Cochrane chuckled and said =^= No, he’s safe. And it was fish and chips, not chowder. =^= Reilly nodded. =^= Thanks, Alex. I’ll let you know if things need to change. Be safe out there. =^= and the comms went dark. Reilly stood and went back to the bed, laying down next to the form under the blanket on the other side; crossing his arms under his head and looking at the ceiling.

“Crap.”

Reilly, XO

Kady heard the comm and felt Reilly remove his arm from around her. She kept her back to him in some semblance of privacy but heard the report. As he laid back and didn’t curl up with her again, she rolled over and propped up on her elbow, her other hand softly laying on his chest. “Jason, what is it?” The concern in her voice more than evident.

Kady
CNS

He drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “One of my little side projects. Civilian. Good heart, great cook. Got himself into a bit of a jam, and I helped get him clear of it. Well… I’m trying to get him clear. It’s kind of an… ‘ongoing project’.” and he chuckled and looked at her. “Dont want to bore you, but if you’d like to hear the story, I’m pretty sure you will like the protagonist.” and he laughed.

Reilly, XO

She smiled and laughed. “A story about your past? I’d be a fool to pass that up. Of course I want to know.” She laughed and settled herself to listen. Her curiosity of his past always there with her.

Kady
CNS

“Ok, settle in as I regale you with the story of one the most celebrated, and infamous, figures of Risa in the past fifty years…”

” A chef, Char’les Harv had made a name for himself as a culinary artist on Risa… no small feat. And at the Pinnacle Resort and Casino, no less… one of the premier spots on the whole damn planet. He created recipes for desserts, entrees, soups, breads… anything and everything for all types of species. The reputation of the formal dining room at the Pinnacle grew and it became known as the place to eat on Risa.”

“After a few years as Assistant, the Chef retired and named Charlie to take over. Charlie was good to his staff, and considered all of them his friends. They all worked long hours and very hard, but they cared for each other and became a kind of informal family. When one of his young Risan pastry bakers came in with bruises and a black eye, Charlie was concerned. He asked what had happened and, at first, she refused to tell him. Finally, after a few days, she broke down in his office crying. She told him that she had been assaulted by an Orion Syndicate Underboss, and that he threatened to kill her family if she said anything. Charlie flew into a fury and almost destroyed everything in his office before his staff could restrain him and calm him down. Looking up at them, tears falling down his face, he told them that one of their own had been violated and that they were going to do something about it. All of them, every last one if them Kady, agreed. That’s the kind of man he was.”

“So. The plan. They created this huge banquet, the resort invited all of the notable people on Risa to attend a gala… including the Underboss. Course after course flew from the kitchen, each one more amazing than the next. As the main course was being served, Chef Harv and his staff came out to a round of roaring applause and they began walking around the table shaking hands and having their pictures taken with celebrities and figures of note. As Harv neared the Underboss, you’ll love this… he pulled a filet knife from out of his sleeve and slid the blade between the man’s ribs and into his heart… killed him almost instantly. Then…” and Reilly smiled, “… then he left the blade in place to avoid blood spill and just… walked to the next person, shook their hand and walked out the door. Couple a seconds later Underboss falls face first in into his dessert, and all hell breaks loose. By the time the locals arrive all of the kitchen staff had scattered, every last one, and none were apprehended for almost a week. Those they did catch all claimed responsibility, but the local law had the knife so they knew who did it. Then someone leaked the reason for the deed, and the people went nuts. Started calling them the “Vigilante Kitchen”. Well, the Risan authorities were sympathetic of course, they had no choice, and gave very lenient sentences to all but Harv, who they still hadn’t found.”

“Now, Harv was no dummy. He knew that the Syndicate was after him. They put a bounty on his head - five thousand strips of latinum for his head. Just his head. And he knew that until he was either dead or so far out of their reach as to be no longer of interest, he was in danger… as were his friends. So, a little song… a little dance… and now comes the hero of our tale… moi.” and he laughed. “A few months later, he gets seen boarding a freighter from Denev VI to Bajor. As the freighter cleared the shipping lanes and prepared to go to warp, it explodes in full view of eleven other vessels. The investigation says their warp core caused a breach of the forming bubble and then ‘catastrophic structural failure’. There were no survivors… officially, of course.” and he smiled broadly.

I had him beamed aboard one of the witnessing vessels, a Federation ship called the Majestic. The Majestic took Harv to a station, and he spent the next three months bouncing from ship to ship, station to station; never staying in one place more than a day or so at the longest. Finally got him to the USS Manhattan, where it had been arraigned for him to become the chef in the Officer’s Mess. And there he is now.”

Reilly, XO

Kady couldn’t believe it. All the tales she had merely ended in bloodshed and death. Reilly’s stories ended in lives restored and saved. She envied him that.
“Wow! I’m amazed. I know the place on Risa. But you know my feelings about that planet.” She laughed.

She sighed. “That explains the who, by that doesn’t explain what has you on edge. Does he need relocation again? I’ve got connections as well.” She propped up a bit more wondering if they needed to do something tonight.

Kady
CNS

He shook his head. “Not according to his baby sitter. And I honestly have no idea where I could send him that is farther away than where he is now.” and he laughed solidly for half a minute. “No… but I do need to make a call. Maybe I can just nip this before it becomes a thing. I’ll be back.” and he kissed her quickly and hopped out of bed and went to the living room. A few minutes later he came back, a smug smile on his face. “I love it when a plan comes together.” and he flopped back into bed.

Reilly, XO

She smiled as he disappeared. When he came back and flopped down, she laughed. “My hero.”

She laughed and kissed him and the night, though interrupted, certainly ended pleasantly.

Kady
CNS