Queen's Ransom

Started by Isa Romero, July 26, 2018, 04:52:17 PM

Isa Romero

Isa was about one year into captaining her own boat.  It was meant for battle, she had made name for herself taking down independents as a pilot over the years, with her dear friend Melody.  They were a dangerous duo, most people lumped them together, that's why she knew she had to have the woman on her boat when she was given her orders. It was odd to say, but she loved the war, perhaps it came from her step father, but all the same waking up to the smell of metal and ammunition was enough to put her in a good mood. Or what constituted a good mood for Isa, meaning she probably wouldn't threaten anyone out the airlock that day.   Isa had made her self a name in other ways as well through out the fleet.

She was a great pilot, a fighter, and the acquiring of items that would other wise be hard to find or low in stock on a cruiser. As pilot it was easier to keep up the smuggling game, and she was sure to keep a list of names, on paper. Not only as a way to keep track of her customers and what they liked, but also as a source of....reassurance. It gave her some extra income and helped her pay the bills out home. No one was getting hurt and really, the Alliance was almost always in surplus. She wasn't always discrete however and as she rose through the ranks it was no surprise that she eventually caught the eye of someone who frowned upon that type of.....extracurricular, as a Captain. 

It came down the line that she was going to be booted out of the Alliance and put into brig. Probably would spend 10 years in there for stealing goods from the military overall, which she wasn't too keen on.  So when she finally found out, a quick note was sent to the best and brightest of her  crew, Melody:


"Mel: Feeling a bit religious lately. Do me a favor and find the good book and hold onto it for keeps.  Gotta keep the Lord close and ward off the demons.

To anyone else that cortex message might've been a cry for a bible so Mel could pray to her dear and fluffy lord, but Mel hopefully knew better.  Isa needed her to retrieve her book of 'customers' and retain it for safe keeping until the time was right.  Until then, Isa waited patiently in her Captain's quarters for the MP's to come and take her away.

Melody

Violence came as easily to Melody as breathing did for everyone else. Her mind was always looking for and finding ways to create more violence, ways to turn mild disagreements into full blown bar fights, and every blow she took pushed her to hit harder and go further. This applied not only to her life before the Alliance, but for her time in their service as well. Before she'd been aboard her friend Isa's ship, she piloted Foxbat Class Bombers and Alliance Fast Attack Ships, always looking for bigger and better ways to take out the enemy.

During her time with Isa, they'd grown thick as thieves. Melody would have done anything in her power, and a lot of things outside her ability, to keep her Captain safe and happy. She was the ride or die type and her friendship with Isa was forever. So when the wave came in from the other woman, Mel didn't hesitate to fly into action. There was no way she'd let her friend rot away in a military prison.

Melody stormed out of her bunk with furious purpose, her expression dark and her pace brisk. She stopped to salute to those who needed to be reminded that they were better than everyone else, but paid no mind to the rest of the rabble. They'd long since learned not to try to talk to Melody if they didn't want to be punished for bothering her by being knocked into a wall. She moved like she belonged there, because technically she did. When she reached a long corridor decorated on both sides with large and ornate portraits of all the current and former higher ups, Mel stopped in front of a photo of their current Admiral (the one who was sending the MPs to gather up her Captain, no doubt), baby blue eyes looking over his stern eyes and smug smile.

"Idiot," she muttered to herself before glancing up and down the hall to make sure she was alone. When the coast was clear, the woman reached forward to push aside the corner of the painting, letting it hang diagonally. Her other hand stuck itself into a hole in the wall, pulling out a leather bound book of records. With a sly grin, she hid it beneath the breast of her long leather duster, put the painting back into place, winked up at their Admiral and stalked off, boots clicking with every step.
Dialogue Color: Brown

Isa Romero

Isa knew her girl got the book.  She heard the click of boots down the hall, the rustling of uniforms, the repetitive marching. The MPs were on their way, along with the Admiral. She could recognize the sound of his stride any day. Isa put her pen down stood up and straightened her uniform, walking out in front of her desk.  The MPs didn't even knock, they opened the door and came in.  The Admiral stopped in front of her with a cortex in hand,

"Isa Romero,  you are under arrest for the theft and smuggling of Alliance supplies. This is subject to 10 years in prison. You will be stripped of your title and commendations, along with a dishonorable discharge. Do you deny these charges?" Isa grinned and stepped forward slightly, she saw the square bulge in the Admiral's pocket and knew he had found the pack of smokes she had acquired for him earlier. They were rare, and difficult to come by in the fleet, this would be the last time he'd be able to enjoy them if she got sent to prison.  Not to mention the other items he enjoyed...

"No, Sir, I will not deny the charges, I'll just ask that you be kind enough to offer a girl a smoke after you've f**** her royally. After all you haven't even bought me dinner."   The two MP's looked at the admiral, and he looked down at his pocket.  His face growing a shade or two of red.  She could see his back jaw clench and nodded towards the MP's to take her.

The escorted her to the brig where she sat for a few hours, and was later released without a word.....She had lost her military record, but she had her freedom.  And at this point, she was okay with.

Isa unbuttoned her jacket revealing a black tank top and left her pins denoting her ranking on the MP's desk.  She made her way onto the planet and pulled out her PDA,

"Mel, meet me at the local bar.  Bring the good book, time to do some praying." She put her PDA and found her way to the bar, taking a seat  and ordering a beer, she sat and waited for Melody.

Melody

"Forgive me, Captain, for I have sinned," came Melody's voice from behind Isa, beginning the opening phrase for a Catholic preparing to confess. The woman moved around Isa to sit in a seat beside her, her elbows resting atop the counter and her grin wild and bright. "Guess they didn't feel like keeping you," she guessed, glad to have received the woman's message soon after she was taken into custody.

Melody had changed into a plain white tank top and a pair of black cargo pants tucked into black combat boots, her signature leather duster hanging off over the edge of her bar stool, dark fur from who knows what covering the collar and lapels.

"You were only in there a few hours, guess ransacking your room didn't give them anything they needed to keep you much longer, huh?" she asked mischievously, the barest outline of the journal pressing against the breast of her coat. A hand rose to push her wild mane of dark hair away from her face, blue eyes glimmering with barely contained amusement. Not at Isa's expense, but from imagining the look on the Admiral's face when he had to let her go. She leaned her cheek atop her palm, elbow on the bar top.

"Whatever she's having," she said brusquely to the barkeep when they came to ask what she'd like.
Dialogue Color: Brown

Isa Romero

Isa smirked as she heard Melody's voice, "Haven't we all?" She grinned looking back at Melody.   She was dressed in her civilian clothing, the alliance hadn't bothered to take back her jacket and pants, however by now Isa was just in her uniformed boots and pants with a black tank top tucked in.

Quote"Guess they didn't feel like keeping you,"
She shrugged, taking a sip from her drink, "They wouldn't be the first ones."

Quote"You were only in there a few hours, guess ransacking your room didn't give them anything they needed to keep you much longer, huh?"

Taking another swig Isa nodded and looked over at Mel, "You could say that the Admiral knew better than to cross his supplier.  He's gotta have those smokes." She raised her hand ordering a drink for her and her friend, "I also owe thanks to you, for picking up the good book, he didn't find what he was looking for and as long as I have that in my possession, my arse is as good as free." She shook her head, in disbelief that they finally canned her.  After all it had been years that she had been doing this,

"No one saw you?" She asked Mel quietly, the bar tender brought their drinks over and she shoved a few credits as tip onto the table.

Melody

July 27, 2018, 08:48:10 PM #5 Last Edit: July 27, 2018, 08:50:35 PM by Melody
"I also owe thanks to you, for picking up the good book, he didn't find what he was looking for and as long as I have that in my possession, my arse is as good as free," Isa thanked.

Melody lifted her drink, reaching over to clink it against Isa's glass, "No thanks necessary. You know I wouldn't let that idiot nail you," she told her friend. Mel paused, thought about what she said, and laughed without any reserve. "In more ways than one," she added, laughing around her words. Isa was one of the few people Melody ever relaxed around enough to laugh. The only other time she found herself so amused was during the most one sided and hopelessly grueling battles.

"No one saw you?" her Captain asked.

The woman snorted and leaned back a bit to wave her hand dismissively, "No one saw me. They were too busy tryin' to get a look at you. It ain't often that a Captain gets marched to the brig between MPs. Heard you were quite the sight. All grace and poise through it all, ey? Like a damned Queen," she told her, laughing again. 

After a long swig of her drink, she set it down and reached into her inner breast pocket, raising her brows at Isa. "Want the Book now? Might be best you start highlightin' passages and making peace with the Lord, what with all the free time you're 'bout to have," she asked.
Dialogue Color: Brown

Isa Romero

Quote"No thanks necessary. You know I wouldn't let that idiot nail you," she told her friend. Mel paused, thought about what she said, and laughed without any reserve. "In more ways than one,"

Isa smirked at Mel's comment and took a sip of her drink,  "Like he'd even have a chance." She winked at Mel. The woman had been her wing woman, and protector in many escapades and adventures.

Quote"No one saw me. They were too busy tryin' to get a look at you. It ain't often that a Captain gets marched to the brig between MPs. Heard you were quite the sight. All grace and poise through it all, ey? Like a damned Queen,"

Queen, she liked the sound of that, Isa nodded, she would definitely miss that boat, "Not a Captain anymore. But I do like the sound of Queen.  Perhaps I'll give it a shot some time....Not sure what I'll do in the mean time...suppose you'll have to take reign while I'm gone." She took a swig of the whiskey finishing off the glass.

QuoteWant the Book now? Might be best you start highlightin' passages and making peace with the Lord, what with all the free time you're 'bout to have,"

She nodded, "Aye, now would be good.  Perhaps I can find my way to a flock outside of the fleet..." The word games were fun but all the same she would need to find a source of income outside of the Alliance,  chances were she'd find it in the more unsavory parts of the 'verse. "What about you Mel, planning on picking up the business for yourself? Or back to being a stellar soldier." She teased slightly.

Melody

"What about you Mel, planning on picking up the business for yourself? Or back to being a stellar soldier," Isa asked.

Pulling the leather bound book from her jacket's inner pocket, Melody slid it across the bar toward her friend. Once it was out of her possession, her fingers curled around her drink, the glass moving in a slow clockwise circle beneath the pads of her middle finger and her thumb. Her eyes scanned the clientele, recognizing a few drunkards she'd taught some manners before. When she was satisfied that no one looked too familiar, Melody lifted the glass to her lips and drank half of the beer in one long chug. The glass clanked against the bar top and she shrugged.

"I'm not sure, yet," she answered honestly. "Might direct some sheep your way if you decide to shepherd a new flock. I'm sure some of the congregation will miss their monthly communion," she reminded her Captain, grinning broadly. Melody had no intention of seeing Isa as anything other than her friend and her Captain, no matter what the top brass had to say about it.

She sighed in mock wistfulness, "But maybe I will go back to bein' a good girl, hell, God knows there was no soldier as stellar as me," she said with a mischievous light in her eyes. Everyone knew that while she was great at the flying and the shooting and the winning, she was terrible at following orders and walking through all the tedious procedures and rituals they forced upon her. 'Stellar' was a word no Officer of hers would have used when talking about Melody Turner.
Dialogue Color: Brown

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