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 Lieutenant Commander Jessica Teller (XO) in Farius Prime - An Old Acquaintance
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP

As the ringing and carnage subsided the room would look a lot different with the Club’s staff were on their knees with phasers behind there head in execution poses as two men had flanked the sides of Aedan’s table to give a sign of just who was running the club at the current moment. “If they flinch… kill them.” Aedan said as he looked back at Jonas with a wicked smile as he twisted the blade before pulling it out, as he handed it over to Jessica. “I believe you had some things to ask him.

Aedan Teller

Aedan Teller

Jessica stood processing what Aedan had said to Jonas. The man apparently did not have a depth to his depravity. “You took the medicine for the kids,” her expression was of loathing and disgust. “How....how can you not find a soul after everything you went through.” Jessica took the knife and laid it on the table without a second thought. She did not need something to motivate Jonas. Aedan had seen to that. “You know she has wanted to kill you for years.” Reaching into her purse she pulled out the small phaser. “Too bad I am going to take that honor away from her.”

“Mr. Teller,” a voice rang through the space with all the confidence of man that feared no one. He strode across the casino floor as if men on their knees with other men holding phasers on them was a common occurrence. No one reacted to his sudden appearance no different than they did Aedan’s appearance earlier. Zaeed Massani’s reputation proceeded him. He and Aedan were in no way, shape, or form friends. The closest word to define their relationship was associates. The air hung heavy in the room as Zaeed neared the table. The man was unarmed but that did not make him foolish or stupid. Zaeed knew Aedan would not kill him, at least today. The issue was between Teller and Wright. Zaeed was only here to make sure the issue was resolved without permanent implications.

“Zaeed… since when did you haunt these parts? Last I heard you were playing Warlord on some backwater planet near the Cardassian demilitarized zone… seems a little.. posh for you tastes.” Aedan said with a curious look. Zaeed wasn’t on his docket tonight, and that did cause a bit of concern for him. Half the research tech that his company had used for weapon development came from his addled crazed mind. Few men would think the galaxy would need a self-replicating miniature raid photon grenade launcher with incendiary cluster pods. Zaeed though, was such a man that found that to be a very tame weapon, and his regular foot soldiers carried them often in the places he worked. Collateral damage wasn’t really a big concern, one could say the scares marking his body counted himself in that statement.

“I would appreciate it if you could ask your lovely wife not to kill Mr. Wright. You know how difficult it can be to clean up a surprise mess.” Glancing down at Jonas clutching his hand, Zaeed snapped his fingers. The man did not care if Aedan stabbed him. He also did not care about how Aedan had taken care of business. What he was worried about was Aedan’s wife sitting across from Jonas with a phaser.

“I wouldn’t be worried about her, I’m the one down half a million credits due to his incompetence and sheer ineptitude when dealing with my previous clients. You really should learn from people’s past mistakes and make corrections when they are needed… the only way to get better help.” Aedan said as he put his hand on Jessica’s phaser as he began to force it lower.

Jessica shot him a look that was murderous. Aedan might not have all the dots connecting all the transgressions Jonas had inflicted on the galaxy but if any dot showed up on Aedan’s radar it never boded well for the flip. She did not fight Aedan’s hand lowering her weapon but she did resist enough that Aedan would know it was a struggle for her to do this. She complied finally lowering the weapon so that it was pointed down instead of at someone. Right now was not the time to get into a marital spat and her Southern upbring ran deeper than her anger…for now. Jessica might appear passive to the public but the public did not have to come home with her like Aedan did. She could directed her ire however at the new man at the table. If Aedan was going to refuse to allow Jessica to kill Jonas there were other options.

“I have a name. It is Lt. Commander Teller and I am not going to kill Mr. Wright. I am going to arrest him and bring him with us at the conclusion of our business to stand trial for his crimes against the Federation Mr. Massani?” Jessica let the man’s name roll off her tongue as she debated the consequences of bringing both men in. Zaeed was well known to the Federation for his illicit activities with racketeering, gambling, and other such nefarious activities. The longer she was on Farius Prime the more Jessica was having a crisis of consciousness being here. While the Federation could not swoop down and arrest the participants in Club Ecstasy, she could forcibly extradite them to the Sabre and drop them off in a Federation-controlled area. Underhanded yes but sometimes breaking the law did have positive consequences.

Massani shot a look at Aedan. Part of it was concern but part of it was slightly bemused. It did not escape Zaeed to learn the rumors of Aedan’s marriage were true. He did truly love the woman past being the father to their child. If he didn’t she would not have just had a hand helping her lower her weapon. Love like this was however was a double-edged sword for men like them. Love grounded them. Having a wife and family to come home to gave them something power and wealth could not: peace and contentment. A family however also gave them a soft and weak side for an enemy to strike. That was why family was always off-limits and left for the individual to deal with when things went sideways. Still, the fact the uppity blonde even uttered such treasonous thoughts against the syndicate was disturbing. Lifting his glass, Zaeed threw back a drink watching the scene play out.

“No one is going to be taking him in… not why we came here… and you will best to remember that,” Aedan said as he shot an icy stare at Jessica.

Logic and reason told Jessica to grit her teeth and throw something at Aedan later when they were on the Sabre however she was a woman and when did logic and reason ever play into something an angry woman did. The look that met Aedan was one of a peeved-off wife trying to send her husband to the dog house. “Because we didn’t know Jonas was going to be here. I didn’t,” she touched her chest dramatically. “You didn’t,” she pointed at Aedan. “Did you,” she directed her attention to Zach who was still blinking and trying to recover from the blinding flash.

“Get a pair of those sunglasses that prevented me from being blinded. No, your hubby seemed to have forgotten to give me mine.” Shaw had been quiet for most of the exchange so far but it was only because he had been trying to get his vision back. Right now he was seeing the world in a kaleidoscope which was an improvement from the flash blindness he had earlier.

“Ugh you are useless,” Jessica waved off Shaw. “My point Aedan is that if I had known he,” Jessica stabbed a finger at Jonas, “was your contact I would have gone with option one as you suggested back on the Sabre. Aedan I can not in good faith sit here and just blindly agree,”

“You want to sit with me here, remember you are not the equal at these tables,” he said with a sharp bite as he took a deep breath.

Jessica’s retort was cut off by the woman coming to the table with the drinks. She had been married to Aedan long enough to know his signs and his temper. Right now he was trying to control it but on some level appease her. Jessica had zero doubt if she wanted Jonas dead Aedan would get the job done especially now that she knew Aedan had his own axe to grind with the man. She also knew that if they were alone the conversation would not end as curtly yet they weren’t alone but in public. He did not meddle in the affairs of the outpost and she did not meddle in his business dealings. This was the first time their two worlds were colliding.

A woman walked briskly to the table carrying a rag, bottle of scotch, and two clean glasses. Setting them down at the table she acted like nothing was out of the ordinary as Jonas wrapped his impaled hand in the rag attempting to stem the flow of blood that oozed like a thick pudding down his arm and off his elbow. Zaeed poured out a measure of scotch for him and Aedan without responding to Jessica’s sentence. The woman was not his wife therefore not his problem. That was however as long as she didn’t try to play two roles: One the wife of a powerful man and two a commander of the Federation. Raising his glass he ignored Jessica and looked at Aedan waiting for the man to follow suit.

Jessica Teller.

“Did you actually get something good?” he said as he sniffed at the liquor with a curious look before raising it up.

“I only deal with the best. You know that,” Zaeed let his eyes drift to Jessica. “The best weapons, the best ships…the best companions.,” he did not let his gaze last any longer than one would in polite company but the gesture was clear. While not his type there was something remarkable about the woman next to Aedan. She was stunning but it was more her self confidence that had every set of eyes on her. No one would make a pass at Aedan’s wife yet there was always the chance Aedan’s wife might encourage companionship. “A toast to your lovey wife with the effervescant personality that steals every eye in the room,” Zaeed raised a glass. The move was bold and stupid at the same time however he had not gotten this far playing things safe. Depending on the reaction of Aedan and Jessica one would be able to discern so many things.

Normally Jessica would have politely responded to his backhand compliment however she was not in the mood to be pleasant. She did not touch her drink or move as she stared Zaeed down.

“Don’t make me regret this Zaeed, I don’t think this place can resist a full orbital bombardment,” Aedan said with a wink as he downed the drink. As he stopped he pulled at a device as he placed it on the table as a holo image popped up.

“Commander, confirm my last orders,” Aedan said as the man, wearing an OMAP security uniform that looked less corporate and more paramilitary nodded.

“Sir, last order was if you or your wife’s signs flicker off, to level the last location you were at in a 12 block radius,” Hampton said as he confirmed the information as his display changed from him to a display of the Sabre’s targeting systems which locked directly over Aedan.

“Thank you, you can go back to work,” Aedan said as he grabbed the disc and placed it back in his pocket. “So… now that we have that settled… let’s get the rest of the chips in the open, shall we. I believe my wife has some things she wished to ask,” he said as he tilted his head as looked over at Jessica.

Teller, OMAP Owner/CEO

“Ahhh humm,” Zach cleared his throat and spoke in a low town. “Aedan, buddy, I think you left one of the Musketeers out of that trio.” Shaw had his own plan to get off of Farius but even as good as he was, there was no way to run 12 city blocks in under a second. Shaw felt his temperature rise a bit. By announcing the trio was only a duo, Zaeed or any of the other yahoos in the room could try to cross the line in the sand by taking him out. The thought was rather unsettling.

“You heard me, just be grateful I told them to keep a lock on you.” Aedan said as he felt a sense of pain at the back of his head.

Jessica looked at Jonas and felt unbridled rage welling up inside her. “I am here for your daughter,” she announced in an icy tone.

“Then you had better tottle on off to Orion because that was the last place I knew of her wereabouts,” Jonas spoke slowly and matter of factly as he wrapped his hand trying to stem the flow of blood.

Jessica could take Aedan being dismissive at times but the off hand way Jonas ended the conversation sent Jessica into a rage. Lifting the phaser she took aim at Jonas and fired. The shot narrowly missed the side of his head burning a large cirlce into the think tapestry on the far side of the room.

“Aedan,” Zaeed snapped more in shock that fear. The woman clearly only had one target. “Your table manners are atrocious.”

“Stand up,” she snapped waing the weapon at Jonas. He did not look at Aedan but kept his eyes focused on Jessica. Aedan and Zaeed would simply kill him without fanfare. Mrs. Teller however was unpredictable which meant Jonas could not count on anything in his life right now or even walking away with it. “Next time I am not going to miss. I am going to start at your kneecap and move up until you tell me what I want to hear. Where is your daughter?” Jessica let out a slow breath as she took aim at his leg.

“For the love of God…” Aedan said as he rubbed his temple as he closed his eyes. Aedan pulled up his wrist as he pressed a button that would be obvious in a few seconds. “This is the last time I let you have access to my equipment,” Aedan said as the light on her phase pistol turned off as Aedan rolled his eyes.

Jessica shot Aedan a nasty glare before letting the weapon fall from her fingers. There was no need to keep the weapon in her possession now. It was as useless as a water pistol until Aedan activated it again. The phaser clattered to the table breaking several delicate plates, sending shards of ceramic in all directions. Her husband’s toys served their purpose but they also were stopping her from achieving hers. Looking at the table, she spied several objects that could serve the same purpose as the phaser to get her the information she needed. It was not her style but the more Jessica thought about Cera being the child she was searching for ignited a fire, she did not know she possessed. Reaching forward, Jessica moved towards the knife as if on autopilot. She was not a mother or Aedan’s wife. She was not a Starfleet officer, second in command of a major outpost. Jessica was just a woman bent on revenge.

Grabbing Jessica’s wrist as he pulled her close. “If you do not sit down, you will not be leaving this planet, do I make myself clear?” he said, his tone low and gritty.

Jessica twisted her wrist almost imperceptibly. The movement was so small only Aedan would feel her trying to rotate and remove his hand from her. At this moment he added enough pressure to silently point out she should rethink her decision. In a brief flash, Jessica played out a scenario where she threw off Aedan’s counsel and proceeded with her own agenda. Physically fighting, Jessica could hold her own against Aedan for a short enough period of time but then what? His men would not let the couple go toe to toe with hostiles in the room. Even if she subdued Aedan which was a million to one shot, the ship would register signs of stress in his body and beam them both up without discussion. This would effectively end Jessica’s mission. Moving back, she slowly sat in the seat next to Aedan as he directed.

“You wanted my help, and you will do exactly as told.”

While him grabbing her looked hostile, the only time Aedan was actually controlling her was when Jessica pulled away from him. The room looked secure yet all looks were deceiving. The only reason Aedan was here was that he loved Jessica. The part that was deceiving was that Aedan could not show how much. Instead, he had to keep his feelings hidden from those that knew him well.

“Aedan I am going to take my leave of you now,” Zaeed stood up. He had come because there was a rumor Aedan would here. Zaeed had hoped he would find someone to finance his newest weapons venture. What he found was something different. Maybe the rumors were true. Aedan had gone soft or worse had gotten out of the trade. If so the entire network would be compromised. He had to bring this to the Syndicate’s attention.

“Zaeed… I am growing tired of all this…” Aedan said as he pulled out his phaser as he shoot Zaeed through the head as he stood up. Taking a transponder from his pocket he placed it on Jonas as he smiled. “If anyone… says anything else… I swear to God… I am done.” he said as he reached up on his wrist badge as he began to beam up his team.

=/\= Commander, beam us up execute clean up now… =/\= Aedan said as he looked over at Jessica with a stare that would melt steel as the group beamed up, as flashes of explosions began to burn around them.

Lights begin to swirl around the chosen in the room followed by a flash as they winked out of sight. First Jessica and Aedan disappeared from view. One by one the security team blinked from the room. Zach’s eyes darted from corner to corner as a knot filled in his gut. His eyes met Jonas’s just as the man began to beam out. Jonas just shrugged with a smirk before he was gone. “They told me not to trust him. Trust a viper they said. You will have a better,” Zach talked to himself not able to finish the sentence as lights began swirling around his body.

Meanwhile, onboard the Sabre

Jonas sat in the brig. the soldiers that had been on the surface around him.

“Chance of…of,” Zach looked around realizing he was no longer on the surface but the ship that had brought him here. “You…my friend…you didn’t have me worried,” Shaw let out a deep breath followed by an anxiety-filled laugh.

On the bridge, Aedan looked around at the bridge crew. “You transported all civilians away from the area correct?” Aedan asked as the Commander nodded as Aedan took a deep breath. “Everyone out… now,” Aedan said as the staff began to exit the bridge slowly. “You too Zach or I can raise my body count.”

“I’m good. I’m ah…gonna go get some coffee in the mess if you need anything,” Shaw stood up hooking a thumb towards an exit. He spared a passing glance at Jessica before moving out of the room. No matter what was about to go on between Jessica and her husband, it was covered under the sanctity of marriage clause.

Jessica waited until the room was clear before she began speaking. “What in god’s green earth do you think you were doing there? I had a mission,” she snapped letting her voice take on its full command tone.

As everyone left the room Aedan was in front of Jessica as his eyes locked onto her. “You have your man, and I made sure no one innocent was taken out”

“You made sure. This wasn’t about you. Things are not always about the great and mighty Aedan Teller and how do you know who was innocent and who was not. Do you think you are some God who can pass judgment with the snap of his fingers or a nod of his head,” she yelled feeling her throat burn slightly as the command tone slowly slipped into screaming. It was hard to separate the job and your husband when the two worlds collided. The way she spoke to him was never the same as the way she spoke to her crew.

”… one less drug and mule den”

“That is not for you to decide. We have a legal system. You can not be judge and jury. You have a responsibility to the Federation as a citizen but,” Jessica moved closer to Aedan. Most people would be giving him room yet Jessica did not care what would happen if she was in his space.

”>… but… if you /ever/ do anything like that ever again I will not keep my cool so easily.” Aedan said, which for once would let Jessica realize this wasn’t Aedan at full anger, she somehow had yet to find the peak of Aedan’s ire.

“What am I supposed to be scare of you,” her voice taunted him. “I am not one of those simpering sycophants that grovel at your feet and lap up whatever attention you throw their way. I am your wife and I will be darned sure you are going to listen to me,” Jessica threatened him. “You had no idea what the mission was or how it was to be completed. I was assigned a job…off the books…and I am so sorry you didn’t like it but get used to it. They will call me up again and I will go but this time I will handle it my own way. You have no idea what I am capable of so you had better just stay out of my business before,”

Aedan had heard enough as his eyes locked on her. In a flash, he pushed Jessica up against the wall, his hand around her throat as he began to pull her from the ground as he leaned into her ear.

Jessica’s hands immediately began to claw at his as Aedan raised her enough that Jessica had to stand on her tip toes. The posture had her off balance and wiggling to keep her chin above his hand and not resting on it. There was no danger of choking or suffocating: This was about control and commanding a room. Aedan wanted all her attention focused on him. Since he could not get it with words, he was going to get it by force. The embrace was unsettling and surprised Jessica more than terrified her. Over the past few years, she had seen Aedan kill Garvis point blank without a single word…because of her. She had seen him throw a banker out of the third-story building when he discovered the Create A Hope Foundation was losing millions of credits to the scheming man trying to make a buck. She had seen Aedan break a man’s jaw once when Aedan witnessed a guy backhanded a child on the street who was begging. Aedan had no issue using violence to make a statement of proving a point. What surprised her was how close she had pushed him to snap on her.

“You know nothing of what I am capable of… you talk to me like that ever again and find out how much protection your last name has from me,” Aedan said as he let go as she came lowering to the ground with a hard thud.

The sudden release caused Jessica to slip sideways and her knees to buckle. Her hand moved to her neck rubbing it. The skin felt hot and she shivered remembering the tone of the whisper in her ears.

“You think my love of you gives you carte blanche, but this is not your world!” Aedan began to pace, running his hand through his hair as he came back as he pointed his finger firmly in her face. “There are people around every corner that want you dead simply cause of my name… do you know how much crap I will have to sort through cause you caused a scene? I had to make certain it was me who pulled the trigger today not YOU!” he said as he kicked hard against a standing console as he went crashing onto the ground as sparks began to fly.

Jessica jumped as Aedan displayed the rage on metal and circuits he had held back from her. She was smart enough to know women could be just as evil as men. They could pull a trigger and kill you just as easily as a man. Zarina was proof of that. Elegant, graceful and deadly she had left a trail of bodies as long as any man in the underworld but so it was not her sex that prevented Aedan from decking her. It was something else

Standing up, Jessica took a step towards Aedan.

“I have to be the one to be the villain or they come after you, come after Cera… so don’t you ever dare think you can stand in front of me in my world, this isn’t the damn federation and you are not some little officer who has any power… do you think this ship has USS in front of it?” he asked her rhetorically.

~Aedan Teller

Jessica now understood why Aedan had cleared the bridge. She also understood why he did what he did. Aedan was furious. He was directing that anger at her but it was a deeper more primal anger. Of all the mistakes Jessica had made in this mission, her biggest one was the impact the mission had on her husband. Aedan demanded only one thing in their marriage: Complete honesty. He didn’t care about money or people or circumstances. Aedan Teller only cared about his family. It was the one thing in the universe he could not buy or replace with his vast fortune. Jessica had acted like she was still single with nothing to lose. Aedan’s outburst reminded her how much she could have lost.

“Aedan,” Jessica said his name soft and slow. Her steps toward him were slow but purposeful. She had no idea how to put into words the thoughts in her mind.

“Aedan,” she repeated touching his arm as she moved in front of him. “Baby I’m sorry,” she kissed him gently on the lips. “I’m sorry,” she kissed him again before looking up into his eyes.

Jessica was not trying to seduce him with the kiss. She was trying to apologize.

Jessica teller. Xo

Aedan took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. His world was complicated, overly so in many ways. His role in the galaxy was tenuous at best. He tried so hard to be the man his wife would respect but his company, his empire, it revolved around so much the public eye didn’t see. He grew up alone and scared and found ways to work, relying on no one to get the things he needed most. His world changed though so many years ago.

Three Years Ago

As soon as the portal opened Jessica got her first glimpse of Aedan Teller. To say he was easy on the eyes was an understatement. The man could probably smooth talk with the best of them and 90% of what he said would be was actually true. It was the 10% that bordered in the shadowy gray area of innuendo and fact that concerned Jessica. “Mr. Teller, I am Ensign Jessica Vaughn. Welcome to Outpost 42,” she extended her hand with a warm smile. She specifically left off her department. With any luck, he would randomly assume that she was operations and not security. Looking down at her PaDD she continued the greeting.

Ms Adams looked at the young ensign shaking her head. “He is quite busy.” she said, Aedan not saying a word yet as he eyed the young lady.

“And my time is any less valuable than his,” Jessica cocked her head to the side looking at the arm candy hovering around Teller.

“Rent a cops usually are.” Ms Adams replied.

“Did you just call me a rent a cop,” Jessica wrinkled her nose up at Teller’s assistant. Bringing up her PaDD, Jessica sent a written message to medical. Sure it was a lie but payback were a witch. Jessica would show Ms. Adam’s just how valuable her time was.

=/\= ATTENTION MEDICAL It appeared that Ms. Jessica Adams was ill upon leaving the shuttle. Symptoms noted were red bumps, coughing and sweating indicating possible fever. Possible health hazard to station. Seek individual for a medical scan to ensure she is not contagious. =/\= Jessica hit send transmitting the message to medical. Now that she had taken care of Adams she could deal with Teller.

“I see you requested a berth for refueling aaaaaaand,” she let her voice trail as if processing the second part of his request, “information.” Jessica tapped her finger in the edge of the PaDD before looking up at Teller. “Maybe I can answer your questions as you give me a tour of your magnificent vessel. We normally don’t see a ship with such obvious spaceship compensation issues. Those are some pretty big cannons Mr. Teller,” she gave him a sly smirk arching one eyebrow. “Any reason for it you might want to share?”

Present

“Baby talk to me,” Jessica repeated herself pulling at his arm slightly. They had been married for enough years that she could tell when Aedan was on edge. “I know I should have told you what is going on but escaping the past is hard. I didn’t want you to have to clean up my mess which is exactly what you had to do and,” her voice trailed off as Aedan opened his eyes and looked at her.

“Hey…” Aedan said softly as he took her in his arms with a beaming smile. It had been tense, but he loved her more than anything as he looked into her deep blue eyes with a slight smirk curling over his lips. “You are still my favorite rent a cop,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her deeply as he lifted her up before letting her wrap her legs around him as he spun her around as he continued to kiss her deeper.

As she kissed him, Jessica’s mind began to drift to the mindless satiated state Aedan could reduce her to. She leaned into him hard tilting him off balance. The tension and stress of the day was emanating off them in waves causing Aedan and Jessica to lose themselves in the moment. For Jessica, it was the raw power Aedan possessed. She was not ashamed to admit she liked the way he took charge of any situation and the people in it. “God you were so hot down there,” she said breathlessly pulling at the tie around his neck. Her hands were not gentle but yanked at it until the knot loosened enough to slip free. “I know this is crazy but I felt like Jessica and Aedan again, not Mom and Dad.” She felt his lips on her neck causing a rush of heat to course through her body. “We need to do this more.”

Putting her down he stopped as he took a deep breath as he looked over at the door to the bridge. “You think I should let them back in… or should I lock the bridge down and see how good the springs are on the commander’s chair?” he said with a devilish grin as he nipped at her playfully.

~Aedan Teller, OMAP CEO/Owner

“If you have to ask then one of us is doing something wrong and it is not me.” Fisting the fabric of Aedan’s shirt, she pulled him forward until Jessica felt him press against her.

“I mean you are the one with the prisoner in our holding cell… but who am I to deny you something to remember the evening better on.” Aedan said with a smirk as lifted her up as he let her legs wrap around his waist. “Let’s see how sturdy helm is.”

Thirty minutes later Jessica looked up at Aedan from his arms in the command seat. “Do we really need to let them back onto the bridge? Isn’t there some autopilot button we can use and just stay here?”

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller XO

Aedan kissed the top of her head as he took a deep breath. “Well, we are in the orbit of a planet with just attacked, even cloaked they might try and use some tachyon waves to decloak us… wouldn’t be great if they find us with our pants…” Aedan paused as he looked to the left where his real pants were with a devilish grin, “…down. Though that part seems too late.”

Aedan Teller, Owner, CEO OMAP

“Maybe just a bit,” Jessica bit Aedan’s side hard enough for him to feel it with a laugh before getting up. Moving to the pile of clothes she thew Aedan his pants as she gathered up her scattered apparel pulling several items off a console. Stopping she looked at Aedan with a frown. “Okay did you join that Rec Diamond Dynasty League Baseball League Harland was talking to you about because I have no idea how that got up there.” Jumping twice she crossed her arms over her chest. “Stupid architectural lines made to look cool but serve no purpose,” she fought to pretend to be still angry. If someone had told her years ago she would be standing on the bridge of a luxury space yacht with her personables somehow stuck on a beam, Jessica would never have believed it. Reaching her hand up she jumped several times trying to snag the edge with no avail. “Do you know how bad it sucks being short,” she asked Aedan.

The console began to beep indicating a message was incoming to the Sabre. Jessica looked over her shoulder at Aedan as she shook out the shirt before pulling it over her head. “42.4003 by10.363,” she read off the coordinates in the transmission. “That is around HD 12661 b. Who is contacting you from a gas giant in the middle of nowhere?” She tried to sound disinterested yet it was hard to feign ignorance. The location was well known to Jessica and the intelligence community. HD 12661 b did not have a name because it was a desolate gas giant. The only redeeming factor of the planet was the small habitable moon colony which due to the gravitational forces of the planet amplified senors scans from the surface. This allowed those on the colony moon to know who was approaching them before the approaching people could get a scan on the moon colony.

“You going to answer that,” Jessica moved next to the console chirping with the incoming message.

Jessica Teller

Aedan paused as he heard the information read out. Looking over at Jessica he smiled curtly as he stood up, kissed her on the cheek.

“You are taking that in your office arent you,” she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Aedan ducking out for meetings was a common occurrence. While Jessica might not be a huge fan of Adam’s the woman did more than her fair share after hours to free up time for Aedan and their family.

“Excuse me…” he said as he slowly walked away from her toward his office. Giving Aedan a soft smirk, she leaned into the kiss. She would know what this sign meant as he gathered himself to his ready room as he opened the door and slid in as he turned his monitor around as he stood in front of his office desk.

Jessica did not put up a fuss or complaint at all. In perspective, this was a boon. Part of her had hoped their recent aerobic activity and the stress of the day would make Aedan want to return to their stateroom for a rest; however, she knew that was just a still fantasy. Aedan was never one to fully relax unless he was in the penthouse or at another location they owned. Since her husband was going to be occupied with business instead of napping she would use the time to her advantage. Exiting the bridge some moved down to the brig.

“Computer, relay the message to my private terminal in my office,” he said as he waited to see what this was exactly regarding. He didn’t think anyone calling from that location would be something he wanted to spread, even to Jessica.

~Aedan Teller, CEO/OMAP

Entering his office, Aedan would see the transmission waiting at his desk. It still needed the proper scrambling codes to be placed to activate the connection but it was flashing like a pulse waiting for him to answer.

Activating the communication stream, a face appeared that was familiar to Teller. The man was late middle-aged with years of struggle and booze etched into the deep creases around his eyes and forehead. Felix Bail was well known in the underground community with his fingers in everything from information, illegal drugs, and weapons dealing. “Aedan,” the voice said one the end of the line did not dispense with the frivolities of social niceties and immediately began to devulge the reason for the call. “The Demagogue recently caused a situation on Celebrus V. She cost our entire shipment of weapons to be confiscated by the Fed Sec along with three of the men we had running the operation. I have dispatched directions to tie up those loose ends before they begin to talk but the cost to each of us was several million credits a piece. Worse than that there is starting to be talk among some that the Syndicate is not able to hold their word in a bargain.” Felix’s tone was deadly. His eyes locked on Teller. Years ago, he saw so much potential in the blonde-haired man sitting on the other end of the screen. Aedan was one of the few in the business that was able to cultivate a public persona and still retain the blood-thirsty edge needed for their line of work. Felix liked the guy because he always knew Aedan could look at any situation clearly without bias.

“Well that is unfortunate, but not really my issue. All sales are final, something my friends at IFEA and the Ferengi Alliance often say, some wisdom there. Teller Industries can’t supply every armed in the galaxy… as for losses in credits, you really should have bought the extended warranty. I warned you, it’ll come in handy in situations like this. As for bargaining, you know I don’t care for negotiations. Deals should always be on the table ready to sign before I show up.” Aedan said as his eyes narrowed on the man with a level of scrutiny as he eyed the man.

“The money was nothing to wave off but you and I both know without our reputation we are nothing. I am not,” Felix leaned in stabbing the table with a long bony index finger, “going to sit back and let some witch in Starfleet think she can stroll in where she wants and do as she darn well pleases.”

The Demagogue as Lauren Shan was classified in the organization had been a thorn in the paw of the Syndicate for years. Her influence started with the low thugs in the organization but her reputation was starting to cause people to think for themselves which was not something that could be tolerated. That could not be tolerated. The only reason she had been largely ignored by the Syndicate was because she never asked for anything nor directly caused a situation that resulted in loss or revenue…until now. Humanitarianism was fine and dandy until it gave people hope or ideas of a different life.

Jessica Teller

“Your reputation is of no concern of mine, you shouldn’t get into bed with people you can’t handle. Should always have a gag just in case you can’t shut them up. So, what does your wounded ego need… Ms. Shan can’t be so hard to handle that you can’t track her down and deal with her yourself.” Aedan said the use of her name was something that spoke of Aedan at that moment. He didn’t feel a need to use the nickname they labeled on her cause they didn’t like her actions. A great many people would find a lot of what they did with disgust, the least they could do was show Lauren some courtesy. Aedan though felt a small pit of his stomach, he hadn’t said much when Jessica had started her campaign, but he always knew far more than he lead on. Right now he suspected his private business world was going to collide once again with his public married world.

~Aedan Teller, Teller Industires/OMAP