In The Crawlspace Part I
Posted on Mon Feb 10th, 2020 @ 11:58pm by Michael Taggart & Chloe de la Vega
Edited on on Wed Mar 11th, 2020 @ 2:11am
1,829 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 9 - Empok's End
Location: The White Stag, Empok Nor
Timeline: MD002 2330 hrs
Chloe did nothing but mutter in Spanish for the whole trip through the crawl space. She hated being dirty and she was sure that maintenance had not cleaned the places she had been for some time.
For a moment she stopped at a reflective surface and looked at herself, then sighed. 'I look like I've been rolling around in someone's backyard.' she thought then rolled her eyes.
Something stung on her eyebrow and then she remembered.
Someone she was assuming was a Maquis attacked her when she was pillaging supplies for people who had holed up in a sensor blackspot. It had been food, clothing, blankets and something special for Mickey the White Stag owner. Someone who had been quite vocal in his disapproval of events of late. She had a cut eyebrow, had hurt her shoulder and a few other scrapes from constant burrowing through the station.
She tapped the panel behind Mickeys bar and waited. He knew the knock they had agreed upon when the station was boarded earlier. They had struck up a friendship due to her frequent visits, she liked his bar and constantly tried to get him to come to hers. Alas not yet, but there was always time.
This was certainly a turn for the worse Mickey Taggart thought as he looked at his empty bar. Well the bar was empty of drinkers but not of people. Taggart opened his bar up as a place for refugees from this stupidity to live, in true public house fashion. These Cardassians, and whoever they were drove away not just his customers but his family too. That was something that he could not stand for.
He thanked God at the moment for Chloe, the Carddies had no idea that she was here. So she was able to smuggle supplies in when he needed them. Speaking of he heard her familiar knock at the hatch behind his bar. After checking to make sure that no prying eyes could see he opened it. "Ach look at ya lass. Welcome home, what little it may be."
"My home would have a shower Mickey. Just saying... I mean have you made one yet?" she asked standing and putting her hands on her hips. She could hear him laugh but she felt disgusting and would have definitely loved a shower.
"I found these in a couple of abandoned quarters." Chloe said passing blankets to him. "Some candy, clean clothes.". She grabbed a cold cool cloth and began to dab her eyebrow, to clean the blood from it. "How are the people holding up? I cant believe they are throwing people in here like trash!"
"Everyone ere is holdin up as best as they can. These folks are prisoners and rather than put them in cells our new leaders are allowing them to take up residence here. Which is good because I can feed and clothe them as best as I can. Although right now lass these folks can use a pick me up. A couple of Marines are on the mend. I ran into them whilst going back to me quarters. One o dem is Romulan. I have been tryin to keep spirits up with me toasts, but I am runnin low." Taggart replied with his ever ready smile. He replicated a towel and small basin of water.
"It's no shower darlin, but if ye go behind the screen ye can get clean." He said as he handed her the tray.
"Thanks..." She said taking the cloth by thumb and pointer finger. "It's definitely a unique way to get my clothes off." She joked whilst she remembered the mention of the injured.
"I managed to sneak some medical supplies from the med bay. It's not much but--" She was cut off by a loud bang and the doors flying open.
A Cardassian flew into the room with a group of his men in tow. "Where is the thief?!" he yelled. "I know she is here, and when I get the internal sensors working again I will find her and skin her alive in front of you all!" he continued as he eyed the room.
By this point Chloe had ducked down upon hearing the noise before his entry. She had been trying to get the panel off but it had became lodged at an angle that made it difficult.
Taggart jumped the bar and jogged over to the Cardassian. "Now listen ere ya bassa. Dis is me bar an me friends. Dere is no thief ere. Iffin there was you have no jurisdiction here. This pub is still under Federation control. Ask yer own boss. So Awa' n bile your head" The masses that had gathered in the pub rose to their feet and applauded. A couple of them took up strategic positions in case the Cardassian did not do as Michael had said.
Chloe could hear Mickey shouting at the Cardassian. What he was saying was a total blurry mash of lyrical sounding words... she had no idea but knew he meant business. She smiled.
Unfortunately she was not paying attention and inadvertently knocked a glass off a low shelf as she attempted to open panel to get back out. Thankfully her bio-masking chip that she'd bought when she ran away was still working. She froze, her heart in her mouth, beating a million miles an hour or so it felt. Trying manically to get the door open she forgot the code, forgot how to manually open it and ended up hiding under the bar itself next to some supplies.
The Cardassian looked around the bar menacingly, the look on his face one of both disgust and determination. "I will tell you what human you can keep your bar and your lowlife. I am going to speak with the Gul I am sure he will not be happy to hear about any of this. So rest assured I will be back to shut you down, and then this place will become part of the Union like everywhere else. Perhaps for fun I will take your thief as a concubine." He motioned for the soldier that he was with to follow him and they both turned toward the door.
"Ya try dat and we will be waiting fer ya. A concubine is probably the only way that you can get a lady to touch yer reptillian arse." Mickey replied and then raised his glass. "Right lads and lasses. A toast fer our good friends." To which everyone in the pub replied "A Toast!" Then Mickey speaking in unison with everyone else continued. "To your very good health." Without warning everyone raised their right hands and made a V sign with their palms facing themselves. The gesture was then extended toward the Cardassians. This was immediately followed by laughs.
For his part Mickey went back to the bar and helped Chloe up. "You OK lass?"
"Si papi." Chloe answered as the universal translator didn't seem to convert the language from Spanish to English. It did however correct itself. "He has a vile mind... I'm all for a good time with a guy but I don't think I would have much free will if he took me as his concubine..." She paused for a moment. "I thought a concubine was a spiky animal..." she mentioned ignorantly.
"Dats porcupine, a concubine is a slave, you know like dem Orions keep. So what's da plan? I mean we have to get the Carddies off dis station an get ya back to yer bar." Mickey smiled as he swigged his scotch.
"Ah well he could do with one on his seat... where ever he sits." Chloe replied with no shame in her confusion between the two. She heard Mickey continuing. "My bar isn't going anywhere, and honestly it is the last thing on my mind as people here suffer. As for what we do? I am not anybody with any good skill set that can do anything." She said throwing her hands up a little in an attempt to show her loss for words. "I'm just a bartender who doesn't take life too seriously and helps those that need it." She gestured to the people in the bar.
They looked dirty, some helpless and others downtrodden. It truly was a sad sight. Yes Mickey's bar was a safe haven, the Cardassians couldn't do anything there but she was sure they would still try. As tensions rose, and her activities continued she was sure they would close in on her soon.
"All I know is I am putting you in danger." Chloe finished as she looked around the room again.
"You are saving lives lass. You are keeping the hope alive here, and making sure that Empok Nor is not Terok Nor. Dat said fer da time bein perhaps you sit ere and lay low. Have a drink, a meal and perhaps a song." Mickey smiled. "Scotch Eggs specialty of the house." He smirked as he prided himself on his eggs. The fact was the people in the pub may have been dirty, and tired. But the pub itself was as pristine as it ever was. Mickey had made sure of that. He did not want people to forget what they were there for.
Chloe smiled. "Thank you Mr Taggart but I am not a fan of eggs in general, let alone the kind you are talking about." she replied. Her stomach did rumble however, she hadn't eaten since some time the previous morning but she had kept herself so busy she hadn't noticed. "I wouldn't say no to you joining me for a snack or something... you can tell me what made you come here? Sometime to pass a little time..."
"Call me Mickey darlin. And I will tell you what I will set us up with a strong drink, some stronger bangers and mash and we can chat all night. Tomorrow is anuther day one that I think will be the start of something great." He smiled and ushered the woman toward a booth that was lined with reindeer fur near the fireplace. "Whaddaya say?"
"Sorry sir... I mean Mickey." Chloe always found respect in elders and even though Mickey was not that much older by what she could tell, or was told, she felt he had an old soul. "But yeah, that sounds great, especially the drink. Although I'm not too sure what 'bangers and mash' are but I'm sure you wouldn't try and poison me." she finished with a smile as Mickey laughed and went off to fetch what he needed.
A Joint Post By
Michael Taggart
Owner/Bartender "White Stag Pub", Empok Nor
Chloe De La Vega
Owner/Bartender "After 11", USS Pioneer
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