"Community Ties"
Previous Post: "Information" by Tallulah
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Stardate: 60321.0530
Setting: TANGIERS ORBITAL, Enaii's Suite
Enaii lay, undressed and scarcely covered by a white towel, on her stomach on the portable massage table the Risean masseuse had brought with him. Her body was completely relaxed though her mind remained focused on the task at hand. For the past several hours she had been gathering intel from the man, bits and pieces of information that had been slipped by diplomatic wives and children, not to mention no small amount of bragging and complaining on behalf of the diplomats themselves. By far, the most interesting and probably useful was on a new Kazon faction forming in the Beta quadrant of all places. They were apparently amassing forces over time determined to overtake the rest of the Factions in the Delta Quadrant within a few decades. Patient little buggers that would have to be dealt with quickly and quietly, no need to give the other factions ideas, at this point the only thing keeping the Kazon in check was their stubborn refusal to join forces and their constant destruction of one another. There was of course other information, most that could be used subtly or simply stored for future reference… favourite drinks, mistress names, bastard children and the like. This particular Risean was quite happy to oblige her as long as he could continue to remember information, in the mean time, her flesh had never felt so relaxed.
Browsing her list of people currently visiting the TANGIERS ORBITAL, Enaii once again spoke. "Tanis, tell me where I can find these 'backroom games' I keep seeing mentioned."
The Risean did not miss a beat, "Those are held in the Crystal Wing, Section 49. They are by invitation only and they deal in sensitive materials."
The Operative's curiosity was peaked. "Tell me more."
Tanis continued his massage as he spoke. "For some games, the wagers are relatively benign, things like classified information… Others bet slaves and the like… there is even one game that only ONE person emerges from alive."
"What is the motivation to bet one's life?" the Operative asked, wanting to completely understand the minds of these people.
The man sighed, "Do not misread me please, it is only that you have allowed me to be so candid that I would even speak of such things in the presence of a client… I could lose my job for speaking these words…" The masseuse paused, "I think it's sickening, these men don't only wager their lives but also the lives of their families, their *children*," the disgust was evident in his voice as he spoke, "And all for *money*. The last person standing obtains the deeds, the estates, of every player at the table."
Enaii could not ever imagine risking the lives of Talia and Sabrina for money, but then again, she could not judge these people as though it sickened her to acknowledge it, she risked the lives of her daughter and wife every single day in the line of duty. "Naturally, such tournaments are rare?" she enquired.
"Rare, yes," the man acknowledged, "But still all too often for my liking. Most of the staff refuses to service these families, it's much too hard to see the children and the women, only to know their master has lost the game and you will never see them again."
At that moment a sleepy child emerged from her bedroom, wearing only boxer shorts and a small t-shirt, immediately redirecting the topic of conversation onto something more cheerful.
"Now *who* is this little beauty?!?" the masseuse exclaimed, ending the massage and squatting in front of the girl with open arms. Normally, Enaii would have stopped such a familiar exchange from a stranger immediately, however she was accustomed to the culture of the Risean people, one where children were treated as the family of everyone, and a communal upbringing created a sense of unity among the entire race. Her daughter was Risean, if only half, and the faint shadow of a developing forehead marking on her face had given the man permission enough to act as he had.
Talia, immediately recognising the race of the man as her own, the girl squealed in delight as she ran to hug him. Enaii was already up off the table and had wrapped a towel around herself, she watched as Tanis placed Talia on the table and began a whispered conversation with the girl, causing her to giggle happily every few minutes.
"Would you mind watching her for a while?" Enaii asked, her voice as familiar to the masseuse as it would have been to James or Serenna.
The Risean man looked up happily. "It would be my pleasure. We don't get to see many Risean children here, in fact I can not remember a single one visiting in the seven years I have worked here… All the Riseans on the ORBITAL are pleasure servants of sorts and all adult. There are many who would like to see her, I will get her dressed and then we will leave you here." The man looked at a watch on his wrist. "It is 7:30 now, you've been up all night, so we'll bring her back here for say, noon? That will give you plenty of time to rest, and give us some quality time together."
Enaii nodded her acknowledgement. Walking into her bedroom, Enaii laid down on her bed, perfectly content to leave the man responsible for her child while she got a few hours of sleep before starting the day.
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Writing the hopes, dreams and future of:
Lieutenant Commander Enaii - Intelligence Liaison Officer
And if you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured that the fault is in yourself. 2005 post #196
Lisa Mac Isaac {lisa_mac_isaac@hotmail.com}
USS ANUBIS
~~Chief Tecumseh 1813
