Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"No problem," Sparky said. "Hey, since your room is located closer to the airlock, I'll just follow along. Wouldn't feel right just being left alone on your ship."

The grungy-looking engineer followed Judith back to her room and waited patiently outside for her to put Doughnut back. The cat meowed. Perhaps it was insulted at being abandoned on the Urania with no one else to amuse it.

Judith rejoined Sparky and allowed him to lead her back onto the research station and up the ladder to B level. As they rounded a corner they quickly heard the shuffling of feet and a door slam ahead of them. As she passed by, she saw "Lab B2" written in large dark grey block letters on the portal in question. She could hear hushed voices whispering to one another behind the barrier, but there were no words in particular that she could make out before having passed on to the end of the corridor, reaching a small door with a radioactive symbol on it.

Sparky opened the door and stepped inside. "Rad suits are in here," he said. "There are spare suits in that locker over there. Don't think this station has ever had a female engineer on it, so you can trust me, your size will be clean."

-------------

"Kenneth, how many cards do you want?" Nicolas asked.

"Erm... uh, three." Kenneth said, somewhat sheepishly as he pushed away three cards face down in the center of the table.

Wordlessly, Nicolas passed him three cards. He then passed Elise two cards after she discarded her five and six. Finally, Nicolas pushed two cards away from his own hand and took two.

Elise scooped up her new cards and would have to fight back a frown - an ace and six of clubs. Meaning her best hand was an ace high. Nicolas still kept the same confident look in his eyes while Kenneth sized up his three new cards and chuckled darkly.

"Hah, yer getting wet, Nico unless you give up now." Kenneth said.

"Does that mean you'll raise the stakes?" Nicolas asked.

"Er... nah, it's early days yet. Besides, you're not the one I want to see in a skimpy dress. I'll just check."

"I see," said Nicolas. "Well, I'll be a gentleman too and check to the Captain. Captain Anders, you can check to stay in, fold to try and stay dry, or raise the stakes."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"Okay. I'll try my best then," Sonya said with a smirk, then set the cue ball on the felt and leaned over the table to aim. This gave Athryn a good view of the pilot's physique, which was pleasing to the eye. The tight uniform bottoms she wore were technically within regulation standards, but certainly let onlookers know the contours of her legs and curvaceous backside. Athryn was pretty certain the pilot couldn't possibly notice that she was inspecting her, but the pilot still had her lips slightly upturned as she stroked the cue stick forward and broke the balls with a crack. They scattered, but nothing dropped into a pocket, which meant it was Athryn's turn.

"Hmm, nadda. Guess I've lost my touch," Sonya said as she stepped back. She leaned her cue against the wall and unzipped, then removed her jacket, revealing a black tank top underneath. "Your turn, 'Ryn."

----------------------

"Not a bad break," the marine replied thoughtfully, taking another swig of her rapidly emptying beer. She generally wouldn't even get tipsy after one, however, and she set aside the beverage and examined the table for a moment before picking a spot and bending down. Athryn's own pants were a bit looser than the pilot's, as she preferred to keep as much freedom of motion as she could get, but in that position anyone behind her would still get a view of the muscles of her thighs and backside at work. Her gaze was drawn to the pilot naturally by the sound of her jacket being unzipped, and the marine offered the pilot a wry smile before turning her eyes back to the table. Cracking her cue against the white ball, it struck a few before sinking the the yellow-striped 9 ball, putting her as stripes. Grinning, Athryn took her second turn, bouncing the white precariously close to a corner pocket before it hit where she'd aimed, shifting two of the colored balls out of easy reach of any of the holes.

"Your go Sonya!~" the marine offered cheerfully as she stood back, and as the pilot moved to take her shot Athryn would return the gesture that the pilot had done when she'd gone to take her first shot, namely moving into the woman's field of view and unzipping her own uniform top and setting it aside - neatly folded of course - to reveal the white tank top she wore beneath. The outline of her bra was visible through the thin fabric, a fairly simple sports bra without any noticeable bells or whistles.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Upon seeing the word "Lab" marking the wall where she knew she'd heard voices coming from, Judith started pestering Sparky yet again. "H-hey. Shouldn't we make sure they're not turning on any power-hungry... uh... science junk, or whatever, in there? ...I'm going to buzz them and tell them not to turn anything on."

Even if didn't let her send that message, Judy was still incredibly apprehensive about interrupting the power flow to the station. Dammit. The best she could hope to do was just get the reactor back into working order as expediently as possible. If they managed to NOT break everything, then perhaps she could give the systems a once-over and augment it to handle the stresses the station here apparently placed on it.

"That's a bonus, I suppose," she said, upon being told her radiation suit would be clean. ...She sorta doubted it, given that dust tended to accumulate on things that went unused, but the radsuits were in stored in sealed pods, to keep them isolated and let them 'cool down', if they had to. But nevertheless, at least there wouldn't be an old, sweaty sock that'd aged a few years waiting for her, or anything.

As soon as they were suited up and entered with the replacement cells, Judith took a quick look around for a capacitor charge level meter, along with a quick survey of the machinery and their states of repair - or disrepair, as might be more appropriate - though she didn't go out of her way for either, instead looking to the reactor and hurrying to whatever cell looked like it needed repair the most, allowing Sparky to perform whatever shutdown procedures they were going to do and inform her on which cell should be replaced first, while frantically hoping and praying he knew what was doing, and that whatever was up with the way he smelled didn't affect the expediency of his repairs.

 

[xivvix]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Spoiler

"Kenneth, how many cards do you want?" Nicolas asked.

"Erm... uh, three." Kenneth said, somewhat sheepishly as he pushed away three cards face down in the center of the table.

Wordlessly, Nicolas passed him three cards. He then passed Elise two cards after she discarded her five and six. Finally, Nicolas pushed two cards away from his own hand and took two.

Elise scooped up her new cards and would have to fight back a frown - an ace and six of clubs. Meaning her best hand was an ace high. Nicolas still kept the same confident look in his eyes while Kenneth sized up his three new cards and chuckled darkly.

"Hah, yer getting wet, Nico unless you give up now." Kenneth said.

"Does that mean you'll raise the stakes?" Nicolas asked.

"Er... nah, it's early days yet. Besides, you're not the one I want to see in a skimpy dress. I'll just check."

"I see," said Nicolas. "Well, I'll be a gentleman too and check to the Captain. Captain Anders, you can check to stay in, fold to try and stay dry, or raise the stakes."

Even though she managed to hold back the frown, Elise's smile still faded a bit. The two men, on the other hand, seemed even more confident than before. Maybe they were just good bluffers, but right now, Elise knew she was probably beat regardless. On the other hand, she started this game. It would set a bad example if she chickened out right at the start.

"Actually, boys, I think you're both safe this time", Elise said, laying her unimpressive hand out in front of her. "Ace high. Lady Luck decided to leave me in the cold this hand," she continued with a slight laugh while holding her arms out in a gesture of surrender. "Wet and cold, that is. Unless one of you can beat me for worst hand?" Elise didn't expect either of the men to answer affirmatively, though she still looked around curiously.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Odessa fought the temptation to snicker at both Ausel's reaction and Jane's blatant attempt to come on to the Cerulean, and ultimately won, maintaining her expression. "I suppose not. Well, if a strong male is all you need, I can assure you Ausel is well-suited for the job," she remarked in a way that made it difficult for either of them to tell whether she was kidding or serious, and nodding her farewell, turned her attention to the eccentric researcher.

"I'll have to admit, the way you put it makes me even more curious, but it's probably better for me not to know in the long run. As far as my ability goes... I first read a friend's mind in my childhood, when I was spending time aboard a Federation nexus. My experience there gave me the opportunity to meet and read individuals of various races as well. I was about... age twelve, then. Needless to say, I've developed quite a bit since then." She paused, hoping that her brief explanation would be sufficient for Caitlin's initial query. After all, there was no use spilling her life story over such a simple question. "I can answer your next question as well. Or perhaps I can tell you something about yourself?"

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Caitlin nodded, taking a few mental notes as she ushered Odessa out of the cargo bay and into the halls, heading for the lounge. "Possibly. I'm curious as to the effect, but even more so about the how. Talk me through your process, and I'll consider letting you poke around after, if I deem it safe enough. There's a lot up here." She said, tapping the side of her head.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Naturally, the blonde followed, figuring that it was perhaps a bit odd to be carrying out an extended conversation in the cargo bay. "It's fairly simple, really. In order to properly use any of my abilities, I need to be able to actually see my target, enough to at least be able to focus on them. Although, some Empaths don't even need to do that much in order to use their psionic powers, but then again, not all of them are telepaths, and some take a longer time to establish a 'connection'. There are even some who can't actually read minds, instead using their talents to focus entirely on offensive or defensive skills. However, those types tend to be of Xaloxian employ, as the Federation requires that all of its empaths be able to read others, and if not, put in the required training to do so. Luckily for me, that was the first thing I ever learned to do."

Glancing sideways as she walked, Odessa began to communicate telepathically. "It doesn't take much if I wish to put voices in your head, like this. A bit longer to read you, since obviously, the human mind isn't quite that simple--longer still if I want to find deeply hidden memories... or if I want to make suggestions. But don't worry, that's not something I care to do very often, and certainly not without permission." Of course, she'd omit some of the details regarding her last ability, mainly because even the first was known for making others uncomfortable towards her. She could only hope that the researcher would be satisfied by the explanation, however unlikely that may be.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Caitlin jumped a little at the mental voice, nodding along once she got used to the feeling. "That's quite incredible. What does it feel like when you do it, I wonder?" She mused out loud. "Does it take some sort of mental effort unique to that action? How does another's mind 'look like' when you're scanning it?" She asked, making air quotations with one hand to go along with the last question.

They reached the lounge a moment later, Caitlin Looking around at the full place a moment. People playing cards, dancing, playing pool... She spotted an empty table a slight ways from the festivities, taking a roundabout course to grab some of the food on display and a bottle of water before sitting down, pulling out her portable datapad, checking to see if Odessa had followed her before choosing what she would open. If the empath hadn't split off to join the festivities, she'd open a notepad and starting writing notes down, having kept the woman's previous answers in her mind. If she was alone at the table, a copy of her most recent test results would do just as well.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"Feel like? Hmm..." The psion paused, finding the sensation somewhat difficult to form into words. "Well, not all thoughts have a visual form. Some are auditory, like voices, sounds, music even, if they're thinking about it. Many though, I can see, just as the person sees it in their mind's eye. It's basically as if I've 'borrowed' that exact thought, but regardless, it all tends to start at the surface level--that is, whatever they're thinking at that particular moment. To go deeper, I have to focus somewhat more, and it'll come to me rather abruptly. Kind of like digging up an old memory, although in the case of reading someone else, it just isn't mine in particular; I just happened to pull it out of a different 'bank'. The easiest way for most empaths to start is by focusing on their subject and just... well, listening, really. Not so much in the literal sense, but hearing in the same way you spot things in your imagination. As far as what a person's mind looks like, it isn't a solely visual representation, as I mentioned, but a multi-layered maze that encompasses all of the senses. Given that, it's very easy for one to get lost if one goes in deep, but that's provided they're looking for a rather juicy secret."

When they entered the lounge, Odessa couldn't help but shoot a knowing look to the table where Nicolas, Kenneth, and Elise sat. "Anyone mind if I join in?" she quipped teasingly, loudly enough for the ones playing cards to hear. "Bet they won't do it, but it was worth a shot," she said to Caitlin afterwards, via telepathy.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

So it sounds to me like it feels the same as pulling up your own memories, but simply know that they are from whoever you‘re focusing on, is that correct? Can you hear me like this? Caitlin responded mentally, tapping a note down on her pad before taking a few bites off her plate.

If Odessa cared to look a little deeper, she‘s find the scientist‘s mind currently absorbed with fomulae, images of chemical compositions and cell structures that likely meant nothing to her flashing by so fast it would probably take a few repetitions before the empath would recognize what they were.

 

[xivvix]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"Anyone mind if I join in?"

The question came as a surprise to Elise, who turned to look suspiciously at the source. Odessa stood there smirking at her, the empath obviously baiting her into refusing, though why, the captain didn't know. Empaths had been unofficially banned from entering every casino in Federation space for a reason, after all, and no one in their right mind would want to play poker with one. Elise, on the other hand, was curious, and decided she would rather see where this would lead.

"Sure, anyone is welcome," Elise said with a grin of her own back at Odessa. It was true, too, as far as she was concerned. The whole point of this party was to let the crew relax and let loose before they had to join the Expeditionary Fleet and be on mission for who knows how long. And the only way for them to really enjoy themselves was if they felt welcome, whether they were a rich boy, an uptight commander, or a spook. Besides, they weren't playing for money, just fun, so it's not like anyone had anything to lose. 'Besides their clothes,' Elise thought, her grin widening imperceptibly.

"I was just about to lose this hand, but we can deal you in on the next one," Elise offered, before turning to the other players and asking, "Right?" Unlike her earlier suggestion about building up to the fun bets, this was an order, and she was certain the soldiers would understand by her tone. "I'd love to be able to say I beat an empath at cards," she added with a laugh.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"That's correct. Yes, I can," replied Odessa, only managing to spot the various scientific imagery for a moment, and letting them pass without too many additional glimpses once she recognized them. After all, it was generally the deeper, darker secrets that she tended to be most interested in. Not only were they inherently more fascinating, but they were also more of a challenge, and thus allowed the empath to put her skills into full practice, to exercise her abilities in a way. However, this particular subject just happened to be a researcher of things that Odessa was better off not knowing, and Nicolas' words echoed in her mind. She'd have to refrain from a deeper scan--or even a lighter one if Caitlin was busy looking through more important research notes.

The blonde blinked a few times at the captain's response, a rare moment of surprise shown upon her visage before she managed to curve it back into her usual smile. Walking over at a most casual pace, she took the nearest empty seat and scanned the table--visually--to note the players' expressions upon her arrival. "Why, thank you, Captain. Oh, it's not such an unfair advantage, though! Think of it as playing by a different set of rules, perhaps." Well, that was a lie, or at least part of it. Particularly strong-willed individuals could 'block' a scan, but that more often than not required a degree of empath training or potential themselves. A poker game between psions, in itself, tended to curve towards a battle of wits and abilities, depending on each player's skillset. On the other hand, Odessa was terribly out of practice with the cards themselves, mainly because no one on the ship bothered to play with her after the first time around.

"But if any of you do beat me, I certainly won't deny you the bragging rights, nor the chance to see me out of uniform. Speaking of which, this would also be an opportunity for me to see what some of you hide behind these suits." She looked to Elise, then to Nicolas, Ami, and finally to Kenneth, who she made a personal note to toy with. Despite her ability to read minds, Odessa certainly wasn't immune to the impact of first impressions, and Kenneth had made quite a notable one early on in their voyage, where he verbally expressed his distaste for her powers. "That is, if we don't count memories involving bathroom mirrors," she thought to herself, hiding the giggle that came from within.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"Interesting..." The researcher mused out loud in response to Odessa's admission, dropping the conversation as the empath sat down at the poker table, figuring the distraction would make it harder to focus on their conversation. Leaning back slightly, she started to read more earnestly, going over her notes again and figuring the best way to advance along her next step.

Finding an analogue to aspects of the tentak among specimens on earth had been both easy and difficult. There was plenty of parasitic organisms, but most were simply hangers-on, or worked too fast to bother evolving a method to exert influence over it's host. On top of that, some of the specimens she had considered had died out, records being the only trace of their existence. The fungus she had decided on suited her purposes just fine, though. this particular variety preyed on a breed of ant from southeast asia, but the fungus had developed different strains to spread itself out. Most of the insect kingdom was susceptible, in one way or another. This particular one grew into the ant's primitive brain and drove it to root itself where the resultant spores could spread over the greatest area. There were several analogues to tentak behavior to be found, and she was hoping a more in-depth comparative analysis could offer further insight.

Spoiler

Side Note: I think it may be time we start looking for our own subforum, yes? XD

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Spencer didn't have any qualms with Judith warning anyone in the lab about the reactor repair. "Probably not a bad idea. Though I don't think anyone is supposed to be in their labs right now, not with your crew to entertain. Just let whoever is in there know about what's going on then join me in the reactor room."

Judith would get no response from the laboratory. Whoever was inside wasn't making any noise, and if she tried the door, she would find it locked. With no alternative, she would have to follow along with Spencer and hope that the unseen researchers had gotten the message.

Once her rad suit was snugly fit over her current jumpsuit, Judith joined Sparky inside the reactor room. Despite being a super powerful reactor with enough capability to cause a nuclear explosion should it become unstable, the device was quite small, and the chamber in which it was stored was confined. Approaching the currently installed mirror cells, Judith quickly saw what was wrong. A fracture had split almost completely through one of the mirrors, threatening a major breach of the containment field. Sparky's efforts at stopping the spread of the fracture had used a sealing resin that was radiation resistant, but not immune to the immense degradation that the reactor field was generating. Several clear applications of the resin had been made, giving the reactor a very gaudy appearance.

"We've been making due, but as you might guess, I've been pretty tense these past months, not getting our original shipment out on time. So glad you guys finally showed up," Sparky said. Now, if you'll set up the proxy containment field, I'll go through the temporary shut down check list."

--------------------------
(In the Lounge)

After seeing Athryn sink her first ball in and then hit a nice safety shot, Sonya made an exaggerated pout with her lower lip before once again setting her legs and bending over to line up her shot. She was about to strike when Athryn got in her view and took off her uniform jacket. The pilot paused, her eyes glancing upwards to look at her opponent, then she tilted her head. "Trying to distract me? It's not polite to stand in front of a player when it's there go.~" She chided Athryn, playfully. She then bent back down, and whether Athryn moved or didn't, hit a shot that ricocheted off two felt edges before tapping into a solid 2 ball. The shot didn't go quite as planned however, as the 2 sailed off the rim of the pocket and stopped just shy, effectively blocking one of the corners.

"Hmph. Okay hotshot. Your go again. Maybe I'll distract you this time," she said, moving into Athryn's view, holding her cue stick behind her shoulder blades, with her arms extended to either end, as though she were being crucified upon it. The effect had her body pleasantly pressed forward.

----

At the card table, Kenneth shook his head. "Ace high, eh? That's no match for my cowboys!" The spiky-haired marine put down a hand that had an Ace, two kings, a queen, and a jack. "One short of a straight too, but ah well! Now where's my water?"

"Not so fast," Nicolas said, holding up a wagging finger. He closed his eyes and smiled as he lay down his own hand. "A set of fours. That means the hand is mine."

"What? Fours! Who wins with fours! Did you draw into that?"

"Hmm hmm... had it all the way, naturally." Nicolas folded his hands together. "Now, what'll it be? Shots or splashes?"

It was at this point that Odessa had approached the table whilst in the middle of a mental conversation with Caitlin, prompting a moment of curious silence from everyone at the table as they observed their captain welcoming the empath to the table and ordering everyone else to comply with it due to the unmistakable inflection in her voice.

Kenneth seemed the most likely to balk, even opening his mouth as though he were about to protest, but then thought better of the captain's tone and shut up. Ami didn't really react in any directly negative way, but her hands subconsciously crossed in what Odessa would recognize as a typically defensive response, meaning that she found the idea of Odessa sitting down to a game of cards with her threatening. For his own part, Nicolas didn't miss a beat, simply welcoming Odessa with a gesture of his open hand, palm up, indicating the open seat she was in the process of taking.

"I'm more than happy to test out my card playing against a Psion. After all, this isn't for money, and if she embarrasses us too much now, she still has months on board with all of us afterwards to get her back, now doesn't she?" Nicolas grinned. This spoken fact seemed to brighten Kenneth's mood.

"Hmmph, don't know about the other men on this ship, but I've got nothing to be ashamed of underneath my reds," he said, referring to the color of his marine uniform. "Honestly couldn't blame you ladies for being curious."

"Nicolas can you kindly douse fire-head over there?" Ami said, leaning forward.

"Bah, no way. I'll take a shot. Howabout you, captain?" Kenneth said as he poured out a shot of what appeared to be rum.

-----

Caitlin had moved away from the gaming tables and sat down on the couch, reading over her notes. She noticed that aside from herself, none of the other members of Fringe 1 were present. Director Tully, Maria, Egan, Jane, and 'Sparky' all seemed to be busy with something or other.

After a minute of private study, away from general silliness going on at the poker table and in front of her on the video screen where two grown professional women were hopping about like teenagers, Caitlin's repose was interrupted by the looming presence of a tall, soldiery type, wearing the red and whites of a marine. He looked at her with a penetrating gaze, before glancing down at her notes.

"I'm not very good at relaxing either," he remarked as he fingered a relatively untouched open bottle of beer. "I'm Commander Soude, from the Urania. Do you want something to drink?"

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Caitlin looked up, raising an eyebrow at the man. "Alchohol causes minute amounts of permanent brain damage. Nothing noticable on it's own, but it adds up over time. Maybe another water when this one is done, otherwise i'm fine, thanks." She explained, nodding at a seat. "I don't understand this. We all took psych evaluations when we signed on for this, we can deal with being the only people out here. But then the supply ship arrives, late i may add-, and instead of starting with the new supplies immediately, we're playing cards and... dancing for a game." She said in an exasperated tone, shrugging. "I'm Doctor Caitlin Sefton, from Here."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"Not everyone reacts to space the same," the commander said, taking the seat offered. "Some need diversions. Something to make them forget about the emptiness around them."

He stared into his untouched bottle and then set it aside. "My crew is headed for the Contested Zone after this stop. Lawless space. Undiscovered systems sitting within reach of Federation, Empire, and Zardek colonies. For some of us, this will be our last meal within Federation territory."

The commander looked at his folded hands with a thousand-mile stare. His unblinking face might to some be considered chillingly still.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

--------------------------
(In the Lounge)

After seeing Athryn sink her first ball in and then hit a nice safety shot, Sonya made an exaggerated pout with her lower lip before once again setting her legs and bending over to line up her shot. She was about to strike when Athryn got in her view and took off her uniform jacket. The pilot paused, her eyes glancing upwards to look at her opponent, then she tilted her head. "Trying to distract me? It's not polite to stand in front of a player when it's there go.~" She chided Athryn, playfully. She then bent back down, and whether Athryn moved or didn't, hit a shot that ricocheted off two felt edges before tapping into a solid 2 ball. The shot didn't go quite as planned however, as the 2 sailed off the rim of the pocket and stopped just shy, effectively blocking one of the corners.

"Hmph. Okay hotshot. Your go again. Maybe I'll distract you this time," she said, moving into Athryn's view, holding her cue stick behind her shoulder blades, with her arms extended to either end, as though she were being crucified upon it. The effect had her body pleasantly pressed forward.

----

"Oh? Not fair eh?" Athryn replied playfully, shifting her pose so that her body curved slightly, emphasizing her hips, and put her hand on her hip, and in the same tone she added; "See something you like?" She didn't move, grinning and watching as Sonya made her next shot, a good one... Or so it seemed. The marine grinned broadly as the shot failed, blocking a pocket but not giving the pilot a ball.

Taking a moment to pick her own shot, Athryn watched out of the corner of her eye as Odessa joined the card game, and she rolled her eyes at Kenneth's statement regarding what the other marine had under his uniform. "I wouldn't bet on that Ken!" she jokingly said across the room, "Maybe one or two are morbidly curious, but the rest of us have taste!" She gave him a moment to respond as she polished off her first bottle, before turning back to the table and bending down, likely offering the entire room a fine view of her bottom given the angle of her shot. She grinned up at Sonya as the pilot took her position in front of her, opting to make her gaze just a little bit more obvious before turning back to her shot. While the image of the pilot's chest straining against the fabric of her black top was positively delicious, Athryn had never one to be easily distracted, and if that was the best that Sonya could do then she wouldn't stand a chance!

Taking aim, Athyrn knocked the white ball so that it struck the the 10 before rebounding off, hitting the 15 and the 2 and knocking them apart. The 10 ran along the edge and came close to sinking in to the side pocket, but bounced off the edge in the opposite direction that she'd hoped and ended up just short of the edge. The 15 and the 2 were put into prime position as well, but now the white ball was along the short edge of the table far from both, making either of them difficult shots. "Your turn again~" she said, straightening, and she went off to acquire another beer before returning and standing against the bar next to the pool table, leaning on it with her elbows and curling her shoulders, displaying a great deal of cleavage in the process.

 

[xivvix]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Spoiler

At the card table, Kenneth shook his head. "Ace high, eh? That's no match for my cowboys!" The spiky-haired marine put down a hand that had an Ace, two kings, a queen, and a jack. "One short of a straight too, but ah well! Now where's my water?"

"Not so fast," Nicolas said, holding up a wagging finger. He closed his eyes and smiled as he lay down his own hand. "A set of fours. That means the hand is mine."

"What? Fours! Who wins with fours! Did you draw into that?"

"Hmm hmm... had it all the way, naturally." Nicolas folded his hands together. "Now, what'll it be? Shots or splashes?"

It was at this point that Odessa had approached the table whilst in the middle of a mental conversation with Caitlin, prompting a moment of curious silence from everyone at the table as they observed their captain welcoming the empath to the table and ordering everyone else to comply with it due to the unmistakable inflection in her voice.

Kenneth seemed the most likely to balk, even opening his mouth as though he were about to protest, but then thought better of the captain's tone and shut up. Ami didn't really react in any directly negative way, but her hands subconsciously crossed in what Odessa would recognize as a typically defensive response, meaning that she found the idea of Odessa sitting down to a game of cards with her threatening. For his own part, Nicolas didn't miss a beat, simply welcoming Odessa with a gesture of his open hand, palm up, indicating the open seat she was in the process of taking.

"I'm more than happy to test out my card playing against a Psion. After all, this isn't for money, and if she embarrasses us too much now, she still has months on board with all of us afterwards to get her back, now doesn't she?" Nicolas grinned. This spoken fact seemed to brighten Kenneth's mood.

"Hmmph, don't know about the other men on this ship, but I've got nothing to be ashamed of underneath my reds," he said, referring to the color of his marine uniform. "Honestly couldn't blame you ladies for being curious."

"Nicolas can you kindly douse fire-head over there?" Ami said, leaning forward.

"Bah, no way. I'll take a shot. Howabout you, captain?" Kenneth said as he poured out a shot of what appeared to be rum.

Elise groaned as Kenneth revealed his hand, shaking her head slightly and screwing her face up in mock pain. Nicolas' hand was even worse, and she laughed at how bad her luck had been on that hand. "I must have really got you boys worked up for you to pull out the big guns so early," she said pushing her worthless hand towards the center of the table.

When Odessa sat down, Elise grinned and nodded at her, glad the Psion had taken her offer. Empaths were generally not well liked among the non-gifted of the Federation, but hopefully with a little friendly socialization, that wouldn't be the case on the Urania. She shot a quick glance at Kenneth, afraid the vocal and opinionated marine would say something to drive her off, but he got the clue from her tone and kept his peace. Nicolas' suggestion about future payback brought a half smile to the captain's face, and she nodded in agreement.

It was Odessa's comment about seeing beneath their suits, though, as well as Kenneth's reaction that got the biggest grin out of Elise. Everyone seemed sold on the idea, which meant they were all getting very comfortable already. She briefly wondered what the staff of Fringe 1 would think about half her crew partying naked until Athryn decided to toss a joke Ken's way. "Seems you've got a doubter, Ken," she said, resting her head on her hand while looking at the marine slyly. "Maybe when the bet comes up you should lose just to prove Athryn wrong. Or you can convince her to join us, and win the clothes off her." Turning to look over at the women playing pool, Elise smirked at their displays. "Although if those two keep trying to one-up each other like that, you won't have to." Raising her voice, she called over to Athryn and Sonya with a wide grin, "Save some for Fringe, they might want to enjoy a show too."

No amount of joking would change the last hand, and it was time for Elise to face the music. She clucked her tongue a bit when Kenneth chose to take a shot of rum, and shook her head slightly at him. "Well, we played this game to have some fun so..." she started, trailing off when she noticed Tai standing next to a table with a red haired scientist, the only Fringe staff to show up so far. Her expression changed to a bemused grin, happy to see the man finally doing a little socializing himself, though there was a hint of wistfulness in her eyes. After realizing she had paused mid sentence, Elise laughed then took a swig from her beer and looked back at Ken. "Pour me one, too" she said, placing the still half full bottle on the table with a clunk. "I like to get wet," she continued, cracking a mischievous smirk, "but I think I'll wait till I've knocked back a few before I start taking splashes in the face."

When the marine handed her the shot, Elise quickly brought it to her lips and tilted her head back, swallowing it quickly and setting the glass down. With a slap on the table she breathed out heavily, then smirked and looked around. "Alright, let's get this party going. Ami, your deal, and your bet. Make it a good one."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

"I've got plenty more where that came from captain, don't you worry!" Athryn called back immediately, wiggling her bottom alluringly before taking her shot back at the pool table.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Dark Frontier (Game Thread)

Caitlin opened her mouth to speak, then closed it when the pool pair and the card group started yelling back and forth across the room. She rolled her eyes, then answered the commander when it had died down again. "They don't seem to be thinking of it that way." She commented wryly. "I'm curious why you haven't joined them, if you think such. May as well get the laughs in while you can, no?"