Posted by Lieutenant Commander Gravel Mardusk (Chief of Security) in Jessa meets with the Elders …When the past doesn’t match the present…or the future

Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Jessa meets with the Elders …When the past doesn’t match the present…or the future

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Gravel Mardusk (Chief of Security) in Jessa meets with the Elders …When the past doesn’t match the present…or the future
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
By the time Jessa had reached her area in sickbay, she had come to a decision. She had been left with no other option. Moving to her bed she grabbed the pillowcase and yanked the soft material inside it out. Digging into her pocket she pulled out the chicken nuggets she had stored in there. “Gross,” she moaned looking at the chunks of meat, she frowned seeing spots where the breading came off and spots where lint and crap from her pockets now coated it. Since there would be time later to pick it off, Jessa emptied her pockets out into it and then stuffed the pillow back into the case.

Lauren cocked her head to the side watching Jessa through the forcefield. “What is she doing with her pillow,” she asked quizzically. From their vantage point the kid seemed to be having what most people would assume to be a temper tantrum but with the only moveable object in the room being a blanket and pillow it was not like she could damage anything.

Watching Jessa go about doing whatever was occupying her, Lauren had another thought. “Can you double a security team here around dinner time,” she asked,

Mardusk nodded silently, his eyes locked on the frantic packing and unpacking of the pillow.

“She can’t stay here Gravel. Physically there is nothing wrong with her. Sickbay is not the brig. We can’t keep routing patients to other clinics. I am discharging her at dinner so around five or so, Ian is going to break the news about being genetically related to her.” Lauren left the news opened ended. No one was still sure how that happened and in the end, did it matter. “I am going to recommend she go home with him.”

“Hell no. She’s going to the brig. But I wanted to make sure she’d be able to handle the change… physically, at least.” Mardusk said flatly.

“The brig…really,” she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“I’d suggest you rethink that,” Lauren said rubbing her neck. “This thing literally happened to all of us. Do you think when Kelly comes to she is going to be thrilled you stuck her step daughter in the brig with the drunks and the derelicts from the casino and bars? I am pretty sure Ian will be thrilled? JAG will be working over time. I have already gotten three calls for a heart attack from that department and it turned out to only be angina. Lucky Mc Devitt has requested a release of Jessa’s medical records. Evrilla requested a psyche eval which was a no brainer. I heard about the conference room this morning and no one has to tell me Primrose is probably dictating War and Peace for your court marshal. I have a feeling this is gonna get ugly”.

Standing back she set it on the bed and frowned. “You are a triffing idiot Jessa Novar. If you leave it they will just have access to it.” Letting out a breath she grabbed the pillow and pulled it again out of the sleeve. “Hey..Hey, I want to see Mardusk now,” Jessa yelled to the guards not really looking at them as she dumped the chick chunks, breading, lint and dust onto the blanket of her bed.

“I am ready to talk but only for the next five minutes,” Jessa threw in an arbitrary deadline as she picked up a nugget and and tried to pick off anything that was stuck to it.

“Looks like you are being paged big guy,” Lauren patted him on the back. “Hypo,” she pulled out a device from her pocket and held it up for him.

Mardusk took a breath, looked at the hypo, and shook his head. “No thanks. I’m trying to quit.” and he began moving to the biobed.

Jessa gagged slightly as the now cold meat slid over her tongue. These things were so much better when they were hot. “Did you hear me? I said where the triffing seven rings of hell is Mardusk,” Jessa stuffed two more nuggets in her mouth.

Jessa Novar

“Right here.” Mardusk’s rolling thunder voice filled the shrinking distance between Jessa and himself. Stopping just outside of the isolation field, Mardusk clasped his hands behind him and glowered at Jessa.

“Mother of Ickthan,” Jessa helped putting a hand to her chest as she spun around hearing his voice. “What the hell Mardusk. You need like a bell or something around your neck,” she swirled a finger at him. “I mean how does a guy like you with that much mass move about like a triffing Chrisven mouse.” Setting the pillow on the bed, Jessa walked up to him. Mardusk had not seen Jessa in any way shape or form at her best but right now she was the actual description of a hot mess. Her hair was all over her head, her shirt hung half in her pants and half out, and spots of grease dotted the front.

“Ready to talk? Otherwise I have nice hot meal to get to.”

Mardusk, CoS

“Tit for ass,” Jessa said looking at him deadpan. The only thing that broke the silence was an uncomfortable cough and chuckle from outside the door. “Let’s go for it?”

“Tit for tat..tat Jessa,” the guard said in a low looking into the room wearing a slightly oh shoot expression. “Sorry sir,” he nodded to Mardusk before looking back out of the room.

Scrunching up her nose Jessa was not ready to let it go. “Why would you say tat? That is just stupid. I heard you talking to Ms. Washington and you distinctly said you tih,”

“Oh honey we know what he said and he should not have. He’s just bad,” Washington sauntered by interjecting herself into the conversation. “You just bad…mmmmhmmm mmm,” she said in a far more seductive tone to the officer with a sly smile. Seeing Jessa open her mouth Lavonne Washington wagged a finger. “Girl you bes’ not be gettin’ ready to give me any of that sass you were dishin’ out like you were workin’ the chow hall a few minutes ago. And I am done hearin’ that t-stuff coming out your mouth. You hear me?”

“Uh mmm yes ma’am,” Jessa stopped any conversation she was about to have.

“We gotcha chief,” Lavonne said winking before she kept moving but not before she mouthed call me to the man at Jessa’s door.

“Okay, so you get one question. That is what I meant with that whole slang thing I apparently go so wrong but what’s your question,” Jessa said hurriedly.

Jessa Novar

Mardusk’s arms folded across his chest and he looked down at the chaotic mess that was Jessa. He was silent for almost a full minute before he said “Follow me. We’ll talk and walk.” and he turned and began walking towards the door.

“Like out the door,” she looked at him suspiciously. “We aren’t using the light slide? You want me to step out of this room and through those doors? Those doors out there?”

Once they were in the passageway, with Security detail in tow, Mardusk said “First off, I get however many questions I want. And the more clear, concise, and honest answers I get from you, the better off we will both be. Because at the end of the day kid? We really are just trying to understand just what in the Nine Hells is going on here.”

Jessa didn’t say a single word stepping into the hallway. The man could be asking for her future firstborn child and Jessa would have had agreed. Rinker said everything she believed was false. This would be a way to prove someone wrong and Jessa prayed it was Rinker. The walls were a warm creamy white that almost bordered on yellow. The floors were a dark gray-black polished so brightly they showed almost like water. She reached her hand out and let her fingertips trace the wall for a second feeling only hard metal. There were panels every so often and screens. Jessa kept her eyes out for someone trying to access them. Did they use a card? Was it a numerical sequence? Did they have a bio chip implanted in their skin? These would be priorities to find out.

Jessa knew they were as desperate for information as her so maybe she could let some slip out. Like her, they wanted anything to piece together a puzzle. “Our ship designed leans toward the grays and blacks. It feels so off the shipyards and into service. Your ship is really pretty. It feels like a home almost. A few plants here and there would help though. The Ickthan vessels have tons of plants. Makes you feel like you are on the forest moon.” The men had her in a tight escort formation but that didn’t mean she couldn’t see flashes of things. If they really hadn’t wanted her to see anything they would have used the light slide. Noting a junction coming up, Jessa needed to slow them down.

“Our ship is our home.” Mardusk said without looking at her.

“I like the floors They are so shy,” she dragged the tip of her shoe on a step forcing Jessa to pitch forward and fall down on the deck right in the junction of several corridors. She came down on her knee hard and let her palms slap the surface. Looking to the right she searched the walls for any unique markings or symbols. Midway up the wall, she saw something. A line, a second hook-shaped symbol followed by what looked like a triangle.

Sitting back on her butt, Jessa looked at her knee before brushing off imaginary dust. Pushing off the ground Jessa looked down the left seeing the same line and hook but with a different symbol that looked like two circles on a line. on the wall of the other corridor. “Sorry about that. I can be so clumsy,” she replied standing up and falling back in step with the men.

They arrived at the turbolift and everyone moved inside.

Jessa shifted in the elevator like structure and looked at the pad one of the officer’s tapped. The same line and hook symbol appeared before changing into two lines and finally stopping on a line and circle. Jessa had no idea if they went up or down in the elevator. The ride was way too smooth. What she could deduce was she moved by two units.

As the lift began to move, Mardusk said “So why are you and your Elders here? What is this ‘package’, and why is it so important you talk to someone you obviously have no clue who is?”

Mardusk

Jessa let out a small snicker hearing Mardusks questions that turned into a laugh. Looking up at the man she put a hand to her lips and began to apologize. “Sorry. Sorry I am not being rude but I was talking to someone today and I mentioned you.”

“Well, he could talk like my Aunt Kyla. I mean he talked forever. At one point I asked why he could not be like you and Ian. Use man speak. One sentence, no filler, just tell me what I want to know,” Jessa joked smiling as the doors to the turbo opened. Stepping out she saw the same symbol on the wall. The line with the circle next to it. Making a mental note she kept walking and kept the conversation going. “So which answer do you want first,” Jessa asked.

Jessa

As they stepped off the turbo lift, Mardusk stopped the group and took a deep breath. He looked down at Jessa and his face was flat… expressionless save for the look of regrettable finality.

Jessa’s expression lost the anxious but neutral expression. Her body stiffened slightly and her eyes met his and never left as he began to speak.

“Listen kid… you may think you are some sort of super clever and stealthy secret agent or something… I dunno. But I know people… and I know a lot about you already. I know you were tracking our movements, trying to see where we went and how. Won’t do you any good, by the way.”

You have no idea who am I or what I am capable of. Keep seeing what you want. Replying to him was no good. His arrogance would be his downfall. Since talking right now would stop Jessa from her goal she let him speak. She nodded as if taking in every word, yet replied in her mind all the things she wanted to say. It helped a lot. She had learned this coping mechanism long ago with the Elders and it saved her life more times than she could count.

The ship won’t let you open any doors or access any systems. That you are trying, though, tells me you are still hiding things, that you have a plan. I know you are fiercely loyal to your Elders… even after they’ve used for bait and almost killed you. And I know that you are smart… smart enough to realize that I am trying to help you. But I can’t do that if you don’t help me. You see that door?” He jerked his to a door quite unlike the others on the ship. The normal doors were stylized, part of the decor… almost welcoming. This door was not. Triple reinforced. Guarded by two guards with rifles. Functional… and that function was obvious: keep whatever was on the other side on the other side.

“On the other side of that door is a prison. I run it. Now I’m going to ask one more time… why are you here, and what is going on? All of it, Jessa. Or you go in. So choose. In there, or out here. Pick one.. right now.” Mardusk said with some finality.

Mardusk, CoS

Jessa’s face showed she was taking in all he said. What Mardusk said was serious. Her silence wouldn’t be taken as anything but Jessa weighing her options. Her mind however was preparing two responses. Without hope and heroes, life is spent in malaise. To defeat malaise identify the keys to life. Life is sacrifice so offer it. Life is trust so give it wisely. Life is a struggle so conquer it. Be the force of change in the galaxy no matter the cost. That door might be my sacrifice but I will gladly give it. No great act has ever been completed without sacrifice. If my last sacrifice to this galaxy is tearing through that door I will gladly make it. Trust is earned. You have earned it with all these people. They will live and die from a single word from you but I am not them. I will trust you but as my enemy and not my friend. That is the wisest decision. My struggle right now is being the person you see me as. If I change my loyalty and side with you, you will see me as someone who can be bought and sold. You will never trust me after that. I have only one option to be the force of change.

Having made her decision, Jessa let out a deep breath before replying. “You said answer my question or I go in. Since that is where I want to be in theory I can just sit here and say Triffing nothing to achieve my goal.” Holding up her finger, Jessa signaled to him that she had more. “I know what you meant to say but how and the way we say things influence the actions of others. You want me to trust you watch your words to me because just like you piece apart everything I say I am doing the same thing as you. Once trust is broken it usually is never repaired.” She paused a second and thought. Trife me I did get something useful out of eating with Rinker.

Jessa was still on the fence about her interaction with Rinker. Ian, Mardusk, and Lauren controlled who Jessa saw which meant they were some sort of authority figure. Letting Rinker into her small world meant they trusted him or needed him. Rinker though created more questions than answers which was why she was here. In a perfect galaxy, Jessa would have let Rinker bring her here instead of Mardusk. Of everyone she met, Jessa felt the least threatened by him. Her gut told her that meant RInker was probably the most dangerous of the quad but one could not survive making an enemy out of everyone.

“We are here to deliver a package. You know that I have not kept that a secret.” Jessa’s tone was firm and fluent. Her body language and speech showed she was at least believing in what she was telling him. “I do not know what is going on. No one was supposed to get hurt and everything is sideways. You command all these people, but does every single person under your command have the full details of the mission. I am going to say no and if you say yes you are a liar and you should take me back to my room. You want trust admit that one little thing to me. So either open that door so I can get some triffing answers or keep trying yourself. My guess is you see me as a kid and not an equal participant, however apparently you are not getting anywhere with the adults so let me help you. Stop fighting me because we will get no where and just keep spinning our wheels. ” It might not be the truth he wanted but it was the truth she had at the moment.

Jessa