Trapped In The Closet

Posted on 05 Jan 2015 @ 7:22pm by Lieutenant Olsam Mott & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

1,877 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84, Promenade
Timeline: MD 38: 1830 hrs

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Everyone had a Korvin Mott in their family. He was on his eighth job in five years, currently a low-level public relations officer with the Bank of Bolarus as a favor arranged for him out of pity by his sister, Alba. There wasn't a general consensus but the Motts thought he had a degree in business administration or turfgrass science or floral management or something; anyway, the bottom line was he had gone to college, obtained his degree within seven years and then managed to never apply himself ever again. No one knew where he got the money to live but at every family gathering he never seemed to have quite enough; somehow he'd manage to weasel credits out of just about every single one of them.

Of course, Korvin didn't see things quite that way. Sure, he'd declared eleven different majors, but that just made him well-educated and well-rounded. He didn't so much as struggle to hold down a job but rather just didn't fit into the corporate suit-culture of Bolarus...and Bajor and Earth and Cestus III and all the other worlds where he'd worked and then been fired. He was different. He didn't fit in, that was all. He was an outside the box thinker, someone whose ideas weren't appreciated by conservative old men. The problem was he didn't "conform" to what "they" wanted him to do. He was an independent. A Bolian with unrivaled style, taste and sophistication. And while he was all these things and more, he was - above all - a ladies man...

"Ho-ly shit," Korvin muttered to himself, spotting the swaying hips of a green-skinned female sauntering down the starbase's promenade. He reached up and smoothed his hand along a shaved head, a cultural symbol of virility and power, and licked his lips, a universal symbol for something on the prowl. "Mm-mmm, yes ma'am, yes ma'am." He jogged to catch up with her, an easy task for him as he was a genetic abnormality among the Mott clan that managed to be naturally thin and in-shape. When he finally reached her, he slowed to her pace and dropped in beside her, too close. "Excuse me, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Happily strolling through the promenade of Starbase 84, Lirha was on a mission to find something to eat for lunch. She'd grown weary of replicated food following the last two months at space, and it hadn't helped that the ship's galley had been shut down for much of it due to the recent tribble infestation. The chance to now procure a freshly-cooked meal was too tempting to pass up, and so the Orion wandered through the busy food court while looking around at the various restaurants present.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden presence of someone who was now walking very close along side her, and she jumped a bit after being mildly startled. Glancing up at the new arrival, she took in the sight of a lean Bolian who had apparently come out of nowhere and was now speaking to her. "Oh. ...Hello," she hesitantly replied as she regained her composure and forced a friendly smile on her gold lips. "My apologies. I did not see you walking there," she admitted.

"Oh, that's fine, that's fine," Korvin said, repeating himself and then letting the words linger so long that it almost seemed like Lirha was somehow supposed to respond to that. He finally cleared his throat and flashed a charming smile. "So, beautiful, you live here? It's so chakkin' big, yeah? I haven't seen anything this big since I was at the White Spire on Cestus III." He cleared his throat again in a show of modesty. "I used to work there."

"Live here?" She shook her head lightly, her dark hair flowing across her shoulders. "No, I am on a temporary stay, of sorts," she answered before continuing to walk towards a food destination yet to be decided. She then frowned while processing what the man had just said about Cestus III. "The...White Spire?" The commodore was no doubt familiar with the world from its infamous territorial skirmish between the Gorn and Captain Kirk, but she herself had never visited the planet.

"Yeah, yeah, it's like their central bank or whatever," Korvin said, trying to sound casual. "I was a financial analyst there, pretty senior, it's no big deal, though. So, listen, what do you do, precious? Are you like a model or something? They bring you in to boost Starfleet enrollment or somethin'?"

Lirha raised a curious eyebrow at the Bolian's chauvinistic questions but strangely found them rather humorous. And it was always pleasant to be complimented, even if it was crudely. "Well...I have not thought about it like that, but I suppose I am. I was recruited by Starfleet in 2378. Apparently they saw something in me?" she answered with feigned innocence.

"Yeah, I see a lot in you, too. Kinda makes me want to join up right now, you know?" Korvin said, slowing his pace to allow him to admire her form. Or, more accurately, to shamelessly ogle her back side and make a noise of approval not dissimilar to his older brother, Olsam, being seated in front of a juicy roast. He jogged to catch up with her, turning in mid-step to walk backwards in front of her so that they were face-to-face. From he look he was giving, the cocky jaunt in his step, he seemed to feel like it was a feat to admire. "So, where you headed? You got plans with your boyfriend or something?"

The Orion couldn't resist rolling her eyes at the juvenile Bolian. How he had managed to get aboard a Federation starbase was beyond her, but apparently he had and was now here. Hopefully he would be able to control himself enough to not land in a detention cell or be deported.

"I am hungry and am going to get food here in the promenade," she answered. "And obviously I am by myself."

Korvin flashed his smile again, as if that was the very answer he'd been hoping for. "Oh, you are? We can't have that, precious. A beautiful woman like you? Eating alone? If I let that happen, I'd have my ancestors spinning in their watery graves." He took one or two broad jumping steps backward then stopped, giving her enough space to slow her pace without bumping into him. "You like Bajoran food? You look like you'd like Bajoran food. It's all spicy and smooth, just like you." For good measure, he winked and smiled broadly again, clearly convinced of his own charms. "Lemme take you to lunch, it'll be my treat."

Narrowing her eyes at the man and slowing her pace, Lirha came to a halt and stroked her chin in thought. What was she going to do with this creature? Certainly not eat an entire meal with him, of course, but she would be lying to herself if she claimed to not be amused and curious. "Perhaps," came her cautious reply. "But we will eat at a place of my choosing. I do in fact enjoy Bajoran food, and there is a small private lounge at the end of this market that serves good dishes." There. At least she'd laid out the terms of her agreement.

Korvin's eyes lit up at the sound of 'small private lounge.' Not only did it imply some sense of intimacy but also exclusivity, and he liked both of those things. He liked them so much, in fact, that he couldn't really keep it off his grinning face. "Fair is fair, my lady." He gave a bow and swept his arm to the side in the direction she'd indicated then fell in step next to her. "You sound like you're used to being in charge, the way you laid that out...I like that, a woman who takes charge. It's sexy."

"Oh?" She curiously glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she proceeded towards the 'lounge'. "Yes, I do like to be in charge. Sadly, most men are not able to keep up with me... Do you think you could?" she teased with the challenge now presented. "It is not easy to satisfy an Orion woman...it takes much stamina and devotion."

"They talk about my stamina and devotion in three systems. Every civilization around Bolarus has a legend of Bolian physical prowess," Korvin said smugly. As if he needed to emphasize the point, he jogged out ahead of her again and flexed his arms. Like the rest of his body they were surprisingly well-developed, though in all fairness he had little else to do but work out. Unfortunately, while impressive, the whole off-putting display made it seem like the young Bolian was more in love with himself than anything else. "I, uh, heard about you Orion ladies. My brother used to work with an Orion nurse on Earth. She was a little bit older, but, mmm, I didn't mind. I'd come up with all kinds of excuses to get down to that clinic, something about y'all is just...irresistible."

That poor nurse, Lirha cringed inside. This man must have been the bane of her existence, and she couldn't think of anything worse than to have to deal with him and his 'excuses' for visits. "Well, she must have been a...lucky woman to be honored by your presence so often."

Continuing on towards the end of the promenade, the commodore approached her destination -- a small door on the outside-facing wall of one of the station's Bajoran restaurants. The gray entrance was unmarked and Lirha came to halt in front of it and reached out towards its keypad. "Here we are," she said to him with a mischievous smile while flicking some of her long dark locks back behind her cheek. "One second while I enter my VIP number...," she mumbled. Said 'VIP number' was in fact her Starfleet security access code, and after a few taps with her green fingers on the small LCARS display, the door hissed open and presented a dark interior with no lights.

"After you," she offered with an extended hand indicating for him to enter the lounge. "The stairs down to the lower level are just there at the end of the room. Watch your step."

"Hmm, dark in here," Korvin muttered to himself as he took a few tentative steps into the 'private lounge.' He chuckled and smoothed down the front of his shirt. "That's all right though, just enhances the other senses, am I right? Uh...hello?"

With the Bolian now fully inside of the restaurant's dry storage room, Lirha quickly backed away from the entrance and tapped the door's keypad to seal the exit and trap the man inside. She swiftly input her authorization code for a level 7 security lock then sighed and leaned against the door with much relief. Hopefully someone would come along soon and notice there was a person stuck inside...just not too soon.

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Korvin Mott
Mott Family Member #47
Bolarus IX
[ NPC - Mott ]

&

CDRE Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

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