Posted by Civilian Aedan Teller (Owner/CEO of OMAP Industries) in Farius Prime - An Old Acquaintance

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Jessica Teller (XO) in Farius Prime - An Old Acquaintance

Posted by Civilian Aedan Teller (Owner/CEO of OMAP Industries) in Farius Prime - An Old Acquaintance
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf3/outpost42/notes/39562/ Teller Casino An Old Acquaintance
https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf3/outpost42/notes/57971/ Promenade - An Old Acquaintance
https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf3/outpost42/notes/63924/ Shuttle - An Old Acquaintance

SNIP
Jessica swallowed feeling her mouth go dry. With Lergo gone she had lost her leverage. She was also now alone with her husband. “I think we need to talk,” she spoke in a neutral tone. Barely perceptible whispers erupted around her immediate vicinity. The rest of Clube Vertigo was still participating in their hedonistic pursuits. When Aedan wanted to make a scene he did. When he wanted something subtle, it remained that way. Aedan was giving her the option of a quiet retreat and she would take it. Not one of the people around her was brazen enough to look at the spectacle head-on. It was only side glances and peripheral views taking in the scene.

“Do you now? Whatever gave you that impression?” Aedan said as he offered his hand to her, clearly indicating she needed to take his hand and let him help her off the stool. As she stood he offered his arm for her to wrap her hands around. He knew she would follow suit, she always did and in this club, it wasn’t unusual for him in the past to take whoever he wanted from the bar.

Jessica slipped her hand around his arm. The movement felt natural except for the part about how calm Aedan was. If there was one thing Jessica learned about her husband it was calm equaled furious. “Aedan, I will explain everything but I think you have some things to explain also,” Jessica said with a smile fulfilling the role of arm accessory.

Jessica moved in step with Aedan as he led her through the club. More eyes were falling upon them but it out of curiosity than suspicion. The glances from both men and women told Jessica the patrons were all taking stock of Aedan and his choice of companion for the evening. Facial recognition programs would be in full swing as well as conversations about her identity would dominate the tables. The only stroke of luck was that Jessica knew nothing became public knowledge without Aedan’s control. Scramblers would be primed stopping the flow of any information in and out of his club. Her identity was as secure as Aedan deemed it needed to be. Without all the attention squarely on her, it was only natural for her to scan the room without impunity. Almost as shocking as finding Aedan here was the actual patrons of the club. Gruto Zapal, Valsi Jakin, Sion Janrand, Maxir Tillie, Daro Vene, Kuna Brenau, Runa Anen. The faces of the name’s in the club she noticed were a living dossier of the who’s who of the intelligence world. Teller had always been on their radar when she was an intelligence analyst. Until this second she had no idea how deep Aedan ran in the underworld community.

One other word from his only sentence to her drifted to the forefront of her mind: My club. How did Aedan own Club Vertigo and she had no clue was the first question followed by a plethora of others as she no longer thought about Shan’s mission.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller.

Aedan said nothing as he walked in step with her heading back to the lift the would move them up to the second floor. Stepping into the left the quiet echo of the club began to become louder once more. Whatever they had thought from the scene was quickly out of sight out of mind as the pair began moving upwards. As they exited the lift as he began to guide her to his office as the men in front of it stepped aside.

Once inside his office she would see it didn’t differ too far from his at Outpost 42, it was large with redwood and pristine old Earth vibe. It gave both a sense of warmth and power all at the same time. “Would you like something to drink?” Aedan asked as he turned back to her as he pointed towards the liquor cabinet he had on his wall area, one she would be very familiar with from his own office just what he had in stock.

“You know what I like, I suggest you bring me one too if you want to have a chat,” he said as he said down in one of the large comfy chairs as he crossed his legs as he waited for her to obey the command. “Make it double I feel like I am going to need it.”

Aedan Teller

Jessica licked her lips and dutifully headed to the liquor cabinet. Opening the glass door she retrieved two glasses and the bottle of whiskey. Pouring a measure for herself, she then poured Aedan his double plus and extra half measure. If he thought he needed a double, Jessica knew he would need more once they got talking. “Nice club,” she said walking to the sitting area. The click of her heels echoed in the room as Jessica crossed the highly polished oak floor. “So when did we buy it,” she asked handing him the crystal glass of amber liquor. Taking a seat on the couch across from him, Jessica settled back in the thick cushions, took a drink and waited for him to reply.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller

“We didn’t buy it, I bought it… with a near two dozen others throughout the quadrant. You do realize I had a life before I meet you. Or did you forget for a second how we pay for all our excursions and trips…”

“OMAP is,” Jessica mistakenly began to reply hearing the briefest pause in Aedan’s speech. The moment he continued to talk indicated it was a rhetorical question for now and Jessica was to remain silent. If not Aedan would just talk over her. Sipping her drink she let him talk. Jessica needed to know what was going on in his head past ‘hey honey whatcha doing here?’

” or why I am needed off the Outpost. I made my home there cause it suits my needs, my mansion on OMAP where I spent most of my teen years as well as adult years lays vacant… well almost I did let a few senators crash there when they were trying to avoid some bribery scandal.” Aedan said as he took the glass from her as he began to nurse it slowly.

“Now a lot of questions arise with your presence here… not all of which I really think you need to be apart of.”

“Not be a part of,” Jessica snapped having a hard time remaining as calm as Aedan was. “Aedan I am your wife. Everyone down there thinks I am some flavor of the week. All the whispers in the tabloids about us separate every week…does it come from your activities on these business trips.” She spat the polite term for what she wanted to say like it was a bad taste from her mouth. This topic could be a back burner for their quarters. leaning forward she poured herself another large measure. No one was coming through that door. A slight buzz might help her right now figure out how to finish what she needed to do on Farius Prime.

“Tabloids talk, but I never break my promises to you. Ever, I vowed to love and be faithful. Past lives make everyone think if I say hi to a single other woman I am stepping out on you… I can’t stop people assuming when they shouldn’t, as much as I have tried.” Aedan said as he took a deep breath before taking another large swig from his drink as he mulled over his thoughts for his next question.

“So where is that lovely guy you had at the party… unlike you I didn’t for a second forget your career or your past adventures… the bruises and scars you used to have to have removed with that… Gunny was on the Outpost. ” Aedan said as he placed the glass down as he stared her down. The look wasn’t quite what he would normally want from her, their roleplay often had other looks.

Jessica shot him an icy glare before pulling her eyes off his and looking away. “That is…was none of your business…then. We both had things we do for work…apparently,” she downed the shot. “Also I gave that up when I married you,” Jessica said hotly. “I couldn’t have that life, be your wife and the mother of your child at the same time. It seems you can balance your cake and eat it too,” She gestured to herself.

“I wouldn’t lie to you, this place…” Aedan gestured around at the room before looking back at Jessica, “… is on like a dozen different portfolios of mine you have access to. I may not tell you every business transaction but our holdings have always been yours to know about… that is the privilege you get as my wife. You get far more access to my world than anyone else, it seems that isn’t as true for me when it comes to regards to you.” Aedan spat back, it was infuriating to have her constantly think he was doing something else. Even his other shady sides he had tampered over the years, leading underworld groups for profit and gain became harder when all you wanted was to take care of your family. If she didn’t understand how much he gave up for her he wasn’t sure how to explain it without implicating her in everything.

“So lemme come back with another question… do I strike you as a fool then? You want to keep denying fine, but you have been let into my life enough to know sometimes I have to step in and make things less messy. Or did you take me for some latchkey kid growing up on the streets, no kids… acting like I was Oliver Twist asking for just one more bite in the orphanage or shelters and just one day stumbled upon some nice plucky Daddy Warbucks who graciously gave me all I built… cause if that is the case then you have been completely fooled in our marriage and I have to wonder how I could have ever been with someone so stupid.” Aedan spat back as he brows furrowed as he looked at her as if she was someone he had never seen before.

“I am not stupid or blind. I’m just in love with you,” she stabbed a finger at him. “Love is blind and yeah I see what I want to see in you. I see the man that cuddles me in bed every night. I see the man that sits at the breakfast table with our daughter on one knee to the left and his work to the right. I see the man that brings me coffee because he wanted to grab five minutes alone with me on a busy day. That is the man I see when I look at Aedan Teller. You want me to see that other guy? All the nasty little things he does to make me a buck,” she looked at him icily.

“I do everything to keep you and Cera safe,”

“Don’t,” she leveled a finger at him, “give me that. You are the one that puts us in danger not letting any of this…whatever your into go.”

” and you think it’s a good idea to go on some past vendetta… or whatever this guy has cooked up…” Aedan paused as he pressed his hand to his ear as he nodded. “Speaking of the devil seems they found him in his hidey-hole… he should be here in ten minutes. So you have enough time to start thinking of the next lie.”

Aedan Teller

It didn’t surprise her hearing Aedan had Shaw. She thought they were going up against some random criminal group, not her husband. “Will he be walking or breathing,” Jessica threw a dirty look at Aedan in response to his ultimatum. Her anger at failing her mission had to stop. Right now she needed Aedan’s support and not to alienate him. “Please leave Shaw alone,” she asked softly pouring Aedan another drink. “He is just my partner for a little errand I had to run. I am not back in the game and before you ask yes they wanted me to go back in the field after Cera was born but I told them no. I can’t really do this pregnant now can I,” she tried to get her emotions under control.

“He might have more broken bones if he tries to make a move on you again… but I won’t kill him. I just want to know what you want, these places are filled with people far more ill-tempered than me, even a few more connected and dangerous than I.” Aedan said as he stood from his chair as he glanced out the window as he looked down at the club as its denizens continued on with their lives.

“Half a dozen cold blood killers down there, maybe two dozen con men, another dozen thugs for hire… Club Vertigo was never a place to tread in…” he said as he looked back over at Jessica as he slowly moved back down into his chair as he kept his head down low as he ran his hands through his hair.

“Aedan I need two hours and then we can leave,” she looked up at him with a slightly begging look. Her face had lost all the anger of being caught red-handed in her charade. “Please just give me two hours okay. I can’t take you where I need to go.” Moving off the couch she bent down so that she was next to his chair. “Please,” she laid her hand over his.

Jessica Teller

“No… you want to do this then you do it with me… I can keep a secret, but if you want to come back to the Outpost wearing this…” Aedan paused as he took her hands and began to rub the bare spot where her ring used to sit before continuing, “… then you are going to let me in on this. I can agree to let you do what you need to do, but I need to know what that is… I can’t protect you if you lie to me. That is my one job now above all, is to protect you… I will not abandon my job now.”

Aedan Teller

Jessica dropped to the floor in front of his chair. Still letting Aedan hold her hand she laid her head on his knee. This is the position she took so often with him at home. Aedan on the couch or chair and her sitting in front of him so that he could rub her shoulders while they watched their daughter play or she could lay her head in his lap as he stroked her hair pulling the ays stresses away as they talked. “I am not wearing a ring because I didn’t want to implicate you in any way. My hand feels naked without it,” she let out a small laugh. Jessica closed her eyes feeling Aedan’s hand pull off her wig and slowly stroking her real hair underneath. No matter what happened now, the thick knot of guilt was gone from her stomach. Aedan might have just tossed down the ultimate ultimatum in their relationship but if she was honest, he had every right to.

“I don’t care about implications, it’s not like I have some sterling reputation… in any corner of the galaxy. I do though have one with you. You are the one person I do everything for… so don’t think I can’t handle anything you can through at me.” Aedan said softly as he took her hand moving it up as he kissed her hand. He still had questions, but he felt better about things right now.

Raising her head, she looked up at Aedan. “Baby I don’t know where to start and I…I couldn’t risk you saying no or refusing to let me go,” Jessica bit her lip. “Hiding the truth is far better than outright defiance. Yeah, I am a skirting the line here but if you had said that I could not go, I wouldn’t have. That would have eaten away at me more than anything I find out about your less than legitimate business dealings maybe,” she added the disclaimer at the end. Aedan was right. She was not stupid.

“You are my wife if anyone needs to be done we can do it. I have far more resources I think than you may realize… you never need to go alone… that’s what my vow means to me.” he said softly as he reached over grabbing his drink finishing it as he took a deep breath.

“I am going to be a hypocrite here but the things you do are not black and white good and bad,” she admitted for the first time that she knew and accepted all of him. “The sheeple of the federation don’t understand how illegal phaser running shifted power in the Federation and not always for the bad. They cringe watching the nightly news about a gang banger but they have no clue how many fires are put out under the table because one deal takes out someone gaining too much power. I was in intelligence like you said. I don’t always understand at the moment but I do get the big picture, why I accept the big picture,” Jessica swallowed hard. “The problem is I got involved with,”

As if on cue the doors opened and Shaw was thrust in looking a little banged up but no worse for the wear. His face lost the tactile edge the second he wasn’t about to be brought into the room for a phaser to the head. “Am I interrupting something,” he looked at Jessica sitting on the floor at Aedan’s feet. “I mean I can give you like five…ten minutes. I am pretty sure there is one rib on the right side your guys didn’t bruise of fracture escorting my here,” he hooked a thumb at the door.

Pushing herself off the floor, Jessica gestured to the couch. Zachary moved to the indicated spot pausing only briefly to pour a measure of the amber liquid from the container on the coffee table into Jessica’s discarded glass. Walking to the bar, Jessica retrieved a new one for herself before sitting on the couch next to Shaw.

“No. No way missy,” he waggled a finger at Jessica almost playfully. “You go sit over there in the chair next to your husband,” he gestured with his glass sloshing a drop over the side. “I am done having my bones broken because I look at you sideways,” he said in a cocky but respectful tone.

Jessica

“In all fairness, I told them to mess with your face so I think they took it easy on you… ”

“Jeeze thanks Aedan,” Shaw two-finger saluted him. “Aedan can I call you Aedan,” he said flippantly. He knew the answer was going to be no but hell he had survived three encounters with the man so far. No one in intell was going to believe that nor that he was now drinking with the man.

Aedan said as he got up from his chair as he pressed a button near the window, which turned the transparent window an opaque and brought up a computer screen that showed details from all com traffic, flight traffic, and foot traffic for the past six months. “So is it you two really needed here?”

Aedan Teller

Jessica looked at Shaw with a side glance. And this is where you freak, she thought pouring her husband a drink. “This helps but I think I need to start at the beginning.”

“God lord let me or we will be here for the next hour. You know how talking to Jess is. Fifteen mini conversations about three other topics before you get to what actually needs to be said,” Shaw groaned slightly leaning forward to pour himself another drink. “No offense but your wife can be a chatterbox,” he moaned again leaning back into the couch.

Rolling her eyes she studied Shaw. “Can I call Stevenson,” she asked Aedan. Shaw was only banged up but Jessica needed the bumps and bruises fixed for later.

Stevenson had to be some sort of medic or doctor. Zachary doubted it was a thug but nothing was eve off the table with Aedan Teller. “For the sake of brevity I am going to give the major points to the story but if you are lost on anything just stop me,” Shaw took a slow drink of his whiskey savoring its flavor before starting. “About fifteen years ago the Romulans attacked Vorta V over some minerals. They massacred the population and gave those that remained alive to the Syndicate for whatever purposes they desired. Ariel Wright was one of those survivors. She was too young initially to be of economic value so they put her out to do petty thefts and crimes. Lucky for her she had the looks to attract an up and coming player by the name of Jonas Wright.” Shaw paused long enough to see if Aedan knew the name.

“Her association with Jonas kept her out of the brothels. Eventually, Jonas married her and knocked her up. One night on a theft Ariel was nabbed by the Federation Security forces. They took her downtown and found out she was one of the survivors of the colony massacre. The Federation carted her home and unknowingly set forth an unholy force on the underworld. See what no one knew was her baby was taken by Jonas and they both disappeared. Ariel has made it a crusade to find the kid only she knows no one legitimate is going to get where she needs to go. So when she gets a lead, she sends out one of her little contacts on an errand as she calls it to run the lead. Starfleet Intelligence lets her play because she has this uncanny ability to walk into places angels fear to tread and walk back out unscathed.”

“That’s where I come in,” Lauren said. “There is a lead that her kid is with the Asfar Qatala Crime Syndicate making Red Ice. I need to get to the factory level. Lergo was my in. I can’t go strolling in with you because baby you are like the poster child for crime syndicates,” she let out a laugh. “So the new plan is you stay here and give me an extraction if I need it. It will be far easier to have a place to regroup when I am done. Shaw watch my six as I go into the factory slums, ask a few questions and then get out…with the kid hopefully. So”, Jessica stood up putting on her wig, “we know what we are doing.”

Jessica