STF

Deltana V - The Ritual

Posted Sept. 27, 2020, 12:02 p.m. by Lieutenant Celina Rodriguez (Chief Tactical Officer) (Kate O'Neill)

SNIP
Spreading her legs apart, Celina plunged the dagger at her knee level and began cutting the fabric in a horizontal line turning her Amish skirt into something more practical. While her anger was misplaced it had to be vented somewhere. As Celina watched him looking for something to cover up, the site of his glistening bronze, chiseled chest just mad her angrier with Dwynwen. Moving her hand slightly she noticed the glint of the sun coming off her diamond was blinding. Tilting her hand so that the shine was directly in Jack’s eyes made her feel slightly better as she watched him blink and squint. The move was jealous and petty but there was no coffee and that in itself made her more bloodthirsty.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez CTO.

“Stop it…” he said as he slapped her hand downward. Pointing at her as he spoke it would be clear from the look he was giving her he was about to dig into her on something. “This is Cesars fault you know… ‘Oh help my hermano, he needs us… you are like his big hermano…’ blah blah blah. If I wanted to be his big hermano then that would make this.” Jack said as he pointed between the two of them as to indicate them as a item, “Very Lanister like if you catch my drift.”

Creed, XO

Celina froze struggling to contain the emotions in her body. She started to shake and clenched her jaw biting back every word, phrase and sentence begging to spill from her lips. Her eyes bore holes into him desperate to say with her eyes what she was holding back verbalizing. After several long minutes, all the cascades came crashing down as Celina erupted in laughter. “Stop making me smile,” she said angrily fighting to keep the stern expression on her face.

Jack and she had a very tumultuous relationship, that typically lasted under ten seconds at a time. After ten seconds of fiery rhetoric to two things happened. The first was never going ot happen now because they were on a beach and she learned at sixteen living in Peurto Rico that making up in the sand was a no go no matter what the situation. The other was someone laughed because the other shot, scored, and sunk the comment of the night. “I,” she started before a familiar voice rang out from seemingly no where.

“Dude bro why you wanna make it so weird,” Cesar called out. “I mean yeah she is my sister but why you acting like you are mad at me mi hermano?”

Celina Rodrgiuez

“Mad… at you!” Jack said, completely bypassing and ignoring the fact that somehow Cesar was upside down and dangling.

“Jack remember your command training to remain calm in tense situations,” Celina tried to keep up with Jack as she half stumbled, half ran in the soft sand about her ankles.

“Phew,” Cesar smiled. “I thought you were mad at first.” If Celina had a gag she would have used it to stifle her brother for his own good. Cesar never seemed to be able to read Jack or that Jack was mad at him.

“Who else am I going to be mad at? You drug us out here for some god forsaken treasure hunt… and for what.” Jack said as he gestured around. “Where is the treasure Cesar? All I see is a bunch of crazy loons who drugged us and… well I don’t quite know what we did… and where are these people.” Jack asked as he looked back over to Celina.

“Over.....there,” Celina gestured to her left dragging out the word. She would have added more to the sentence but it suddenly occurred to her that they were alone. Why this fact hadn’t registered earlier surprised her. “The are....around…somewhere.” Her eyes darted up and down the sand dunes and beach desperate to find another living soul but Jack seemed to be correct. Looking back at Jack she raked her top lip with her teeth.

“Why is it just us three? Does that not strike you as odd?” he asked her, wondering if she was feeling just as uneasy as he was.

Creed, XO

“Because they went to get us breakfast?” Celina struggled not to cringe at her comment.

“Oh is that what they are calling it nowadays when someone just takes off with all your items…” Jack murmored under his breath. He should have known better, he should have been paying closer attention. Never had anything Cesar dragged him into though required this much focus.

“Nah there was no one here when I woke up…upside down,” Cesar responded wiggling some in the cocoon like rope bindings that had him suspended upside down from the tree. “You guys picked a really weird place to camp. Why didn’t you follow the guides I hired to,”

“What guides? This people took us out on bird back and said you sent us to them. They mentioned you by name… so unless there is another group of people these were our guides!” Jack yelled at Cesar as he began running his hands through his hair in frustration.

She fought not to laugh hearing the bird back comment. Seeing Jack on the back of what was basically an over grown chicken with a saddle was going to be a memory to be shared over and over…in the future of course.

“Not helping,” Celina said in a chipper tone. Whatever Cesar was going on about, the last thing Celina needed was for Jack to be reminded of the bird he rode in on. That trip in resulted in avian comments about her mother followed by being drugged. While Cesar seemed more worried about how they got there, Celina could not stop wondering about what had happened last night. The memories were fuzzy yet one thing was sure, she had slept with someone. Celina would definitely need to light a few candes to St. Augustine the patron saint of bad choices followed by one to St. Monica who was not only the patron saint of wives and mothers but also the actual mother of St. Augustine.

“Okay help me get him down.” Moving towards her brother, Celina pulled out the knife and reached up trying to get the rope that was suspending her brother. Unfortunately it was far above her head. Not wanting to bother Jack, Celina began to try and think tactically how to cut a rope that was three feet above her head.

“Celina,” Cesar hung very still with his eyes looking past Jack who was standing in front of him.

“Not now Cesar.” Jumping in the air, she attempted her first swipe at the rope above Cesar’s feet.

“Lina…Jack,” Cesar’s tone was still happy and up beat but a little more urgent.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez CTO

“What?” Jack snapped as he looked back at Cesar, as he couldn’t help but form a smirk on his face as he watched Celina perilously try and cut him down. “You know I would have helped, I could have nicked him slightly and said it was an accident, would have made me feel much better…”

Creed, XO

“I am....fah,” she said turning to face Jack. The look on her face melted into surprise as her eyes widened and her jaw became slack. “Jack,” she batted his arm rapidly not looking at where she was striking him. “Jack we really need to get him down.” Her actions became more intense with the hitting turning into her poking and shoving his arm as if trying to physically move him.

“Fine… fine fine fine!” Jack said as he threw his hands up as he reached behind his back and pulled out a knife.

“Mi hermano,

“Wouldn’t you like to know, you learn a lot of stuff while on Orion.” he said with a wink to Celina as he began cutting the binds that held Cesar in place.

Celina’s gazed was fixed on the horizon and the small boat rowing ashore. It was moving at a rapid pace like the occupants were rowing for thier lives only the people in the boat had an unsavory quality. Plus the seemed to be waving pulse swords and firing some sort of projectile weapon in the air while pointing at them.

“Well they showed up faster then I thought they would,” Cesar announced like it was a fact the group should know.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez CTO

“Who showed up… if you say pirates I will show you knew places I can put this knife at on you and it won’t be as fun… who are they Cesar?” Jack demanded, feeling a bit tired of the games they had been playing so far.

Creed, XO

“If you don’t want me to call them pirates would you be fine with scallywags,” Cesar said in a hopeful tone as the rope snapped that held him upside down on the tree. Cesar dropped hard to the ground. The soft sand helped to break his fall since the Cesar’s feet and hands were still bound. “Ohhhh that hurt mi hermano,” Cesar groaned flipping onto his back looking up at Jack and Celina. “You could not have helped me down easier?” The tone was not angry but more jovial.

Celina had no idea what was going on except the distance between the men arriving to the shore and their group was rapidly decreasing. Shouts and taunts from the men in the boats were just starting to become discerniable to those on the shore. Looking at Creed, Celina shook her head not sure what to say. There was only one thing to do right now and that was get Cesar free so they could escape. “Jack help me.”

“What did you do,” Celina replied dropping to her knees and starting to cut through the ropes holding Cesar’s feet. The hemp ropes were thick and did not slice easily as one saw in the the holovids. A flick of the wrist did not allow for the captive to spring free. Instead she had to slice back and forth attempting to sever enough of the material with each swipe so that pressure from Cesar pulling his limbs out would hasten the process.

The waves crashed along the shore like drum beat echoing the march of the people arriving. Celina paused to look at the encroachers as they jumped over the side of the boat sloshing thier way to the sand shores. The term pirate was applicable based on the haphazard dress and weapons assortment they were brandishing. Each one approaching wore some variation of leather boots, cotton tunic shirt, and muslin pants. The colors were dark and the fabric dingy as if they had not seen clean water or soap in a very long time. Most had matted beards and hair clumped into thickly knotted braids. The only unifying factor between them was a skull and cross bones tattooed somewhere on thier neck, arms, or chest.

“Jack, hurry up,” Celina snapped moving her attention back to her fiance and brother.

“Jack we need to hurry,” she repeated her request frantically pulling the ropes free from her brothers feet.

Hooking on arm under her brother’s, she and Jack pulled Cesar to his feet. They had no direction to go, just to not stay where they were. They could see nothing but sand in all directions except to the right. A large creamy yellow sand dune blocked thier view at to what was beyond. It was the only way to head with the hope that something lay beyond the dune to give them some sort of cover.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez CTO


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