Viva Space Vegas

Posted on Mon Feb 3rd, 2020 @ 10:08am by Captain Enalia Telvan & Death & Hera & Baroness 2nd Class Schwein von Alcott & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Lieutenant JG Tovanna Mah & Ensign Briaar Gavarus & Ensign Fiona O'Dell & Petty Officer 2nd Class 'Big Ethel' Jablonski
Edited on on Wed Feb 26th, 2020 @ 1:00pm

Mission: Bachelorette Bash
Location: Risa, Space Las Vegas: the Attraction, Bellagio hotel
Timeline: 2397
Tags: GNO

Twenty-two solar cycles ago, Lar Beltu had been contracted by Space Las Vegas: the Attraction as the program director for it’s Bellagio Casino water show. Thousands of fountains that were capable of a great variety of geyser, sprays, and patterns, working in harmony with projected laser lights, holograms, and music to produce dazzling effects that held vacationers to the Risa arcology spellbound. He had studied what existed of the original earth attraction and modified, improved upon, and created bigger and better shows from those humble beginnings. After twenty-two years in Space Las Vegas, he genuinely felt he had seen it all by this point. After all, if it happened in Space Las Vegas, it tended to stay there, as they advertised in a ploy to encourage visitors to cut loose and be wild and adventurous.

Tonight was no different, as the 9 PM show was winding to a close. This show was an homage to the Bajoran composer Tliev Drunand as the fountains sprayed and the music built, Lar watched with pride as the precision timing of the fountains corresponded to the beats of the music, and the fireworks projected through them were dazzling the crowd. Even as he considered just what he was going to change all of this out for next week, something unexpected occurred. Which never happened, since climate control was a given and the airspace above Risa was strictly routed to not interfere with such spectacles.

Of course, no one told that to the rainbow which suddenly poured out of the night sky like a holographic Pride parade, to end in his fountain lake. Which would have been remarkable in and of itself, until the rainbow then bent near the water’s surface, extending itself by an additional twenty meters to the viewing deck.

All of this would be enough to fray the show designer’s nerves, as being something of a control freak, he immediately hated anything that disrupted his show. But then figures suddenly appeared on the lake, striding across the rainbow to the viewing deck. Humanoid women, to be precise- 12 of them. Some appeared normal, some looked like visiting dignitaries, and a few looked like enormous hypermuscled parodies of women.

As they strode across the water on their rainbow bridge, he fumed and fussed. Who were these people? Why were they here? What were they doing, wrecking his finale? All of these questions flashed through his mind, even as the crowd roared their approval with applause and cheers.

Now Lar had a new problem for next week’s show- how to make a rainbow appear and have dancers appear on it to step into the crowd. Already his mind was working on it, and he was working out the logistics so he could sell this to the casino owners as a preview of the upcoming show…

Stepping across the literal rainbow bridge known as the legendary Bifrost, the women were suddenly the target of a multitude of holocams and recorders filming away. Though as the crowd filmed, one of their number made the slightest of gestures with her hand, and smirked. The woman in question was statuesque, standing tall with a horned gold helm, decked out in gold, green and black with flowing raven hair over pale skin and emerald eyes.

"Ahh, the paparazzi. Fear not, their recordings will show either blurs without detail or faces not quite our own. No reason to allow outsiders or so-called authorities to muddy our fabulous entrance." Loki, the Goddess of Mischief said with a grin as she positioned herself at the center of the grouping.

As they walked, the red-headed Romulan pilot in the green dress with the black bolero jacked unlinked her arm from the arm of the blond bombshell in the black leather jacket that walked beside her. Mnhei'sahe Dox knew that the Bifrost wasn't exactly a transporter, but with Rita Paris' issues... and fears... regarding such technology, she wanted to assure her commander and friend that if she got sucked away to another dimension by chance during the trip, Dox was holding on for the ride. "That felt... different. Almost like... really flying."

“Yeah… yeah, it was different, all right,” Rita Paris replied, patting the arm that had gripped her when the Bifrost had taken hold. Offering a grateful smile to her shipmate, Rita composed herself as she walked. Intellectually, she knew that the rainbow bridge was a wormhole of sorts, a stargate connection between two locales guided by a conscious sentience. Hera, who had gripped her left hand during transit, had explained it all to her in advance. But Rita distrusted all such technology given her life experiences, and was inordinately relieved when her feet touched solid planet beneath them.

As they walked away from the Bifrost site, Hera squeezed Rita's hand tenderly, a motherly grin on her face. "See? Nothing like your transporters. Plus I would never let anything happen to you if I'm able to prevent it. I do miss Yggdrasil though. It was much more... Discreet."

Thex being a species that used their antenna to help balance themselves had taken the Asgardian transport system a little harder than others and was having to take a moment to steady herself. Fighting back the urge to lose her lunch she breathed in a few times to steady herself. " That was certainly something." She said weakly as she regained herself, Rita lending a hand to steady the slender Andorian. Once she was reasonably stable, the fabulous first officer took a few quick steps to get out in front of the group, turning to face them.

“All right ladies, this is the Bellagio Hotel Casino,” Paris addressed the group, acting as den mother and tour guide, which was the role she naturally assumed in such moments. “Fine dining, nightclubs- this place has it all. So while we are more than welcome to range wherever we wish, we have a penthouse suite reserved, considerable credit at the casinos and a basically blank bar tab, thanks to the Artan family privateers. So…. Given that we’re here, we’re dressed and we are all a bit pregamed, what do you say we hit the club and start with some dancing?”

Thex was now recovered and a smile spread over her face. "Sounds great!"

Tovanna's eyes looked about with barely contained emotion as she muttered under her breath, "Be prepared for anything." She closed her eyes for a moment as she refocused herself, "Might I inquire where we are?"

"Fair question, Ms, Mah... Tovanna?" Paris tried it out, internally settling instead on her own choice. "This is planet Risa, the northern hemisphere, continent Espargus, in the Space Las Vegas: the Attraction arcology. The effort of the Risans in this particular theme park is to reproduce a golden age of a city on Earth which was legendary as a tourist destination for drinking, gambling showcases, and debauchery. It seemed to suit the spirit of the evening, so I booked us reservations and... well, here we are. About 42 light-years from the Hera's current position, Doc."

Tovanna smiled, "Tova, my friends call me Tova."

"Now, I know we're all here to have the best night of our lives..." Enalia started off, responsibility in her voice. "But keep in mind that though the Artans have considerable sway here, if you're arrested, I can't just wave some latinum and get you out like normal. That being said, I believe the Earth phrase 'what goes in Vegas stays in Vegas' applies tonight, so let's burn this place to the ground."

With a holler, the one-eyed pirate tossed Fiona over her shoulder, wrapped one arm around Briaar, and led the charge to the nightclub dance floor. The startled swine squealed as the leprechaun cheered while the space privateer dragged them off with the intent of cutting a rug. To get to the club you had to pass through the casino first, of course, as it was the common area between all of the resort's amenities. But large neon signs and high ceilings made locating the nightclub a simple task.

As they entered the club, O'Dell managed to get the marauding maiden of mayhem to at least stop by the bar for drinks, which instead turned into three stolen bottles of beer from a server's platter as Schwein found the laser-lit dancefloor she'd been looking for, with a thumping bass beat and a hook to get her groove on.

As if stepping out from nowhere, the palest Japanese woman you'd ever seen, dressed head to toe all in black silk joined the group as the rest of the party caught up stepped out of the shadows and into the nightclub. Though she wore a black silk dress with a capelet and long gloves with high heeled boots and covered her head with a hood, she still looked like she was there to party with the rest of them. It just also looked like she was there for a funeral. Thankfully, it seemed that as she could be perceived for a change, most people gave her a wide berth.

But Mnhei'sahe Dox wasn't most people where the dark woman was concerned. Turning just a moment before the Red-headed Romulan's unusual friend appeared, Mnhei'sahe smiled warmly for her arrival. "Rei. I'm so glad you could make it! That dress is amazing!"

"Thank you," replied the pale woman, modeling the dress a bit. "It took a while to make it, but it seems I was just in time. This makes twice now that your ship and crew have caused me to have need of this trick so I'm hoping it doesn't become a habit. These dresses aren't easy to make."

"You made this? It's lovely, Rei. You look fantastic." Mnhei'sahe said with a broad smile, looking Rei up and down to take in the handiwork of the black, silk dress. As she did, the tall goddess in green, gold and black approached and bowed lightly.

"Greetings, Mistress of the veil. You honor us with your presence this evening. It has been some time since I've seen you engage in festivities." Loki smiled at the dark woman.

"Oh yes, it was at the feast where Baldur was murdered, wasn't it?" Rei offered one hand to Loki daintily, a rather sinister grin on her face. "That was quite the amusing time, wasn't it?"

Taking the gloved hand somewhat stiffly, the Goddess of Mischief gave it a light peck before standing back up and nodding, her smile only slightly dimmed. "Yes, amusing indeed. Well, on to our festivities."

At the bar, Rita was ordering rounds of shots, making specific requests, some of which she had to explain to the bartender complete with recipes. Fortunately, there were enough original ingredients and substitutions that she had her tray full of shots. As she turned to leave the bar she literally ran into Big Ethel, narrowly avoiding a collision with the walking mass of muscle.

"Uh, Commander?" she began before Rita cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"Not Commander. Not tonight." Handing Ethel a shot, she watched as the shotglass disappeared like a thimble in the big woman's grasp. Turning back to the bar, she ordered a dozen more shots in one tumbler. Setting the tray on the bar, Paris chose a shot for herself and toasted the mighty muscled maiden. Tossing the shot down, Paris smiled and smacked her lips in satisfaction. "What's on your mind, Ethel?"

"Uhm, me and Hildr, we wanna go hump. But, yannow, Hera's abroad, in a very potentially dangerous environment. So as her honor guard-" the titanic farmgirl began, her hands together as she tapped her thick index fingers together before Paris cut her off.

"Miss Jablonski, you are officially relieved of duty until you return. I shall stand this watch of the honor guard and keep an eye on the goddess. You go have some fun together. You're a hardworking sailor, and..." It was at this point that Rita Paris realized that Jablonski was already hustling toward the exit, Hildr moving on an intercept course.

"Well... allll righty then," Paris mused as she gathered up the shots, took the shaker and headed for the dance floor to lower inhibitions and raise spirits, with spirits.

Tovanna looked at the tray as Paris approached, "Ummm, anything without alcohol? I figured I would stay clear-headed in case my services were needed."

"Don't tell the girls," Paris whispered conspiratorially out of the side of her mouth, "but the shots are all synthehol. They can order their own drinks and get as hammered as they like, but shots will be the death of you, too much, too fast. Thus these are all synthehol- so live it up, Doc."

Tova looked nervous, "Umm, okay. I could use a little bit of liquid courage. Thank you." With that she took just one shot and sipped at it not downing like many others, rather nursing it with a great deal of hesitation at the situation. She watched the rest of the ladies and put on a brave smile, trying to hide her nerves as she stood on the edge of the group quietly.

Or at least tried to.

"C'mon, Tova. This is way too big a place to be a stranger, to stick with the herd tonight, okay?" Paris admonished the shy immortal. As an eyebrow quirked, Paris pivoted, then handed the tray to the bashful beauty. "Here. Dispense liquid courage without violating your code to do no harm. You have an icebreaker, and you know how to dispense medicinals I suspect. Howbout it, Doc? Come join the party?"

"I wouldn't want to wander off without the herd tonight as rambunctious as the herd may be," she took a drink to work on. "Is this the 'unexpected' you warned I should be prepared for?"

Looking around, Paris nodded her head thoughtfully. "Yes, Ms. Mah. This is very much what I meant, and more." Internally, Rita debated explaining the 'and there's often much worse parts, this is just a fun night out', but decided against it. An Alice through the looking glass analogy occurred, and she debated it strongly. Instead, she chose honesty, as she tended to do more often than not. Leaning in close to the shorter woman, Rita Paris wrapped her arm around the shoulder of the El-Aurian and cupped her hand to the immortal's ear.

"It has been my experience that the universe will defy its own laws, the impossible is merely improbable, and generally speaking, what you think you know is vastly dwarfed by what you do not yet comprehend. But with each such encounter, our knowledge of those phenomenon, events and beings increases; thus, they become less mysterious." Pulling back, Paris sought eye contact with the deep green eyes of the women who'd lived on Earth for the past hundred years.

"It's a flaw of Earthlings... we tend to fear what we do not understand. Overcoming that as a species has been our greatest triumph. It enabled us to reach for the stars, to explore the galaxy of which we are citizens. So keep your eyes open, and yes, watch out for trouble. But take in the wonders of the universe as they present themselves to you, and you can learn to live in harmony with... a lot of them. Some not so much, but... that's my philosophy, at least."

"That's 'be ready for anything', Tovanna Mah." Pulling back, Rita Paris sought eye contact once more, holding the surgeon by the shoulders and giving her an encouraging smile. "Think you can do that?"

"You realize the last time my people had serious run-ins with a hostile force we were basically exterminated right? They tell us boogie man stories about the dangers of space exploration beyond the base requirements. It's why the youngest of my people stick planetside waiting to be married off. I am one of the brave few, the ones who have no marriage prospects or refuse to wait for one that is ill-fitting just to please her family. Doesn't mean I'm going to go jumping into the fire though. I know what I know and then I know there is a great deal that falls into the 'I know I don't know or I don't even know I don't know'. I think this might even bypass the latter category," Tova downed some more liquid courage.

"At this point I feel like half my crew could crack me between their thighs or might use me for a virgin sacrifice and that's just the ladies! All I have for defense is knowledge of how to sedate you all in no time flat and flipping lollipops," she looked down at yet another empty shot glass. "How many of these have I had?" She asked Paris blinking quickly as her brain tried to keep up with what her mouth just said.

There was consideration to ask why she felt threatened by her own shipmates. There was disappointment that her attempt to inspire and encourage had failed. There was a growing unease that if this threw the good doctor's merry-go-round off the tracks, how poorly would she react then, in a genuine crisis? All of this was considered in the moment, but the answer was the simplest one for Paris to offer.

"Not enough, it seems..." Taking the tray back from the anxious physician, Paris moved out amongst the dancers to find the rest of the landing party, easily spotting the lithe blue-skinned dancing machine. Stepping up, she offered the engineer a shot.

Thex gulped the shot down in one gulp before indicating she wanted another. It had been a long time since she'd been on Risa, and back then she'd been on the southern islands enjoying the vast beaches and coral reefs. She paused as she took another shot. She had a feeling someone was watching her. Without moving her head she pretended to take another shot using the reflection in the glass to scan the room. Despite the massive crowd in the club, she couldn't see anyone giving the group a passing glance. The feeling had gone away as the blue girl downed the drink.

Stepping over from where she had been talking with Masato Rei, Dox smiled with her usual mix of nervous energy as she eyed the drinks on the tray Rita was carrying. Next to her, the Captain was also taking in the options. "Ahh, there we go. Annnnd... I think Rei will like that. Thank you." 

Taking two of the small shot glasses, she gave the light blue one a light sniff and raised an eyebrow and smirked lightly at Rita tellingly. Having grown up smuggling the real thing, she could spot synthaholic Romulan Ale a parsec away, but agreed with the rationale that she hadn't overheard but understood implicitly regardless. As she was about to step back over to where Rei was waiting, however, she froze in place at the sight of a burly, gray, wild furred, old Caitian man with an artificial eye and an artificial leg who was clomping from the nearby bar over to where they were standing.

The color blanched out of Dox's face as she tried to slightly stand between the approaching Caitian and the taller Rita Paris. As he stepped up, the strange feline paused not in front of her but a couple of feet in front of Captain Telvan. As he did, he offered her a deep and respectful bow. Smiling, his voice was a gravely, deep tenor with an accent that seemed like a sing-song mash of half a dozen different planets. "By the stars that guide us all, as I live n' breathe. Forgive my impertinence, your highness, but I could not resist the opportunity to introduce myself to the Queen of the Artan Privateers. You and yours keep the spaceways safe for honest men such as myself to earn a livin'. Captain Rankin Frees of the freighter 'Rocking Chair' at yer service and in yer debt."

The Trill woman was in full Queen mode at the moment, her spine stiff, her bearing regal and the air about her almost completely still. Even the music seemed to have quieted out of respect. "Captain Rankin Frees, was it? Of the 'Rocking Chair'? I believe I've seen your name come across my reports before." Then she did something unexpected. She reached out and rested a hand on the old cat's shoulder, smiling brightly. "It's because of people like you that we're doing what we are. So that we can build an Empire in the lawless parts of space that the Federation has abandoned since the war, and protect people like you, and all the worlds you run between. Because everyone deserves freedom."

"You do me a most kind service, yer majesty. And I stand at yer service to th' cause." The gray-furred Caitin man replied before his nose... twitched ever so slightly. The twitch turned into an active moment of sniffing the air as he tilted his wildly bushy brow and leaned ever so slightly between Enalia and where Rita was standing. Just enough to see the bit of red hair peeking out behind the buxom blonde.

"Beggin' yer pardon, yer highness... but... I swear I know that scent." The Caitian Captain commented as his eyes went wide. "Wait... Doxxie!? DOXXIE!! I can't believe it! Yer runnin' with th' QUEEN a' th' Artans!?"

Shrinking slightly and blushing perhaps the deepest shade of green that wither Enalia or Rita had ever seen the anxious pilot turn, Dox smiled awkwardly and muttered a string of curses in Romulan behind Rita's back that all in earshot knew very well, "Ri’anov kreldanni hnaev. Nouhha'fvadt staere."

Of course Enalia knew the invectives that she had said all too well and grinned even wider as she decided to make things even worse. "Ah, so you know Baroness Mnhei'sahe Dox already?"

As Dox tossed back both shots in quick order, the rotund Caitian stepped back slightly and had a look of beaming pride on his face as he looked from Enalia to Dox. "Baroness? by the stars, I can't believe it, girl! Look at you, c'mere and give ol' Frees a hug!"

Shrinking slightly, Dox stepped around Rita and over to him. "Ie... Jolan'Tru, Rankin. It's been a long time." she said stiffly as he wrapped her up in the biggest bear-hug he could manage. Squinting, Dox gasped for air for a moment before he finally let up, putting his paws on her arms and holding her at arm's length to look her up and down.

Addressing Enalia again, the old Caitian nodded with a massive smile in place. "Why yes, yer majesty. I've known her since she was... what was it, twelve? I ran quite a few jobs with her and her mother back in the day. And when Doxxie... when the Baroness was shipped off to Earth, ol' Jaeih all but threatened to cut off my tail and feed it to me if I didn't keep an eye on her. But the last I heard, she had joined Starfleet academy?"

"Oh yes, she's also a Lieutenant Commander. And Chief Helm Officer aboard the Nebula class USS Hera, flagship of Starfleet Intel Command," Enalia added, the mischievousness in her grin deepening even as Rita made a 'Aren't we supposed to not exist why are you saying that in a bar' face at her. which turned to a fakes smile when the Caitan captain turned back her way again.

Pursing her lips slightly as she shot Enalia the faintest of glares, Dox was realizing that her Captain was enjoying embarrassing her at least a little in the moment and she sighed. As she did, the wild-furred Caitian reached up and cupped her face with his paws, slightly squishing her chubby cheeks as he did. "Lieutenant Commander Baroness Doxxie!? I knew you could go far, kiddo! I knew it, I did! Told EVERYONE, I did!"

Once the hands came up, the tray of shots was slid off onto a tabletop, and Rita Paris rather improbably ducked beneath the furry arms, interposing herself quite physically between the old smuggler and the mortified Romulan. As her shoulders came up, they broke the hold the Caitian had on the face of the officer in question, as Rita smiled benignly at the old acquaintance. “And look, you were right! Now you can brag to everyone. As for the lady in question, I’m afraid she has a date on the dance floor.”

Smiling a winning smile, Rita pivoted in place, took Dox by the shoulders to spin her about, and began marching her out to the dance floor in a practiced maneuver that indicated this was not the first time Rita Paris had interrupted such an encounter, nor would it be the last.

“Admirals and captains used to do pretty much the same thing at The Commander’s parties, and I learned early on how to break them up effectively. It’s easier when you’re taller, though, I have to say,” Rita muttered as she steered Dox by the shoulders through the crowd, confident that the sensitive pointed ears would pick up on her voice, even through the din of the nightclub and the music. The tri-level club, built around the rather sprawling dance floor, was illuminated primarily in red lights, with other colors strobing in as laser lights raked the floor and walls in patterns in time with the beat of the music.

Having finished her shots and seeing her best friends heading for the dance floor the Andorian did so as well. Merging with the crowd of dancers the sapphire engineer began to let herself go as her body began to move to the music. As her limbs began to move like water in her own chimera dancing style she could feel herself relaxing as she felt all her stress fading away.

In spite of the roar of the dance floor, Dox heard every sweet word from her golden rescuer. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw that the old Caitian, Rankin, had not missed a beat and was likely talking Enalia's ear off with horribly embarrassing old stories that the Captain would now have in her quiver. But at that moment, all she cared about was that she wasn't in the middle of that anymore. 

Looking up at Rita, Dox smiled with a look of relief almost as deep as during her rescue from the Tal'Shiar as she mouthed back broadly, "THANK YOU."

However, Paris seemed fixed on a sight ahead of them, mouth slightly agape.

Turning to see what had the leggy blonde so distracted, Dox took in a rather unique sight. Apparently, O’Dell had taken it upon herself to teach Gavarus how to dance a jig. However, with the bride-to-be joining in as well as Loki, there were now a crowd of easily a dozen dancers, all following the midget Mariposian’s lead as she called the moves of the dance, and more interested onlookers seemed to be joining in. While a jig would not seem to be adaptable to the modern synthesized music with the driving dance beat, the small stereotype was quite clearly demonstrating that it was not only possible, but that it could become rather contagious.

After all, people who were poorly skilled dancers could still dance a jig if properly led, and the sight of the archaic energetic dance on a very futuristic dance floor was rather entertaining.

The two-meter tall, 187 kilogram Tellarite was doing her level best to keep up, though the act of dancing was clearly straining the portly Porcine as her disproportionately small hooves clicked on the dance floor. "You... Think... *Huff*... this is... *Huff*... awesome, you should see... see Fee do this shit... *Huff*... In a big ass mech! It's... Frickin' EPIC!"

Tova didn't know where to rest her eyes or ears, the pirate talking about Dox, the wee redhead dancing a jig with gods of legend, Dox herself dancing in the most entrancing way? She downed her remaining shot, reached over to the abandoned tray of remaining drinks and downed two more. This was a night she was going to need more than liquid courage and an open mind to be prepared for anything, this was a night she might need a serious session with the ship's Counselor with afterwards. No amount of training prepared someone for a second week of duty like this.

Ironically, a thought shared by every chief medical officer of the Hera that had come before her.

Grabbing her partner's three-fingered hands, O'Dell was leading the hooved hamhock through some spins and twirls. Though they couldn't interlock arms because of the size difference between them, they could still hold hands. So with the girl from the planet which was an odd mixture of high tech and 18th century Ireland taking lead on the dance floor, Gavarus was discovering that hooves were kind of made for the action of a homespun improvised jig. As Loki had taken over calling the jig reel, now just dancing with her partner dancing she could improvise for an eight count.

"Lookit ye, yuiur a dancin machine, ye are! Right light on yuir feet ye are tonight, me bucko!" O'Dell called out encouragingly, as she could see the swine was starting to sweat.

"If by... machine... you mean... an overloaded freighter... with a...*Huff*... with an overheating nacelle... *Huff*... that sounds 'bout right!" Gavarus griped, as she generally did, but with that specific smile that told Fiona not to take it seriously. It was just the way they talked to each other and she wouldn't be who she was if the portly Porcine wasn't complaining about something. 

Smiling and genuinely seeming to enjoy herself in the moment, the Goddess of Mischief let out a laugh while dancing herself. "LIBATIONS! We need more LIBATIONS! I shall secure some from the barkeep and return anon! Have you all any requests?"

“Irish whiskey shot if ye please, and a pair of beers fuir me winded dance partner here!” O’Dell called out as she danced the surprisingly light on her feet space swine around the trickster god.

"HA! Indeed!" Loki exclaimed as she stepped away, seeming to be completely caught up in the moment and simply enjoying herself. 

" I'll have an Orion starburst." Thex added as the Asgardian passed her.

Just then, as Enalia and Schwein were both getting to the bar for fresh drinks, the lighting and music changed to Klingon death metal and their eyes met, huge grins spreading across their faces. Without hesitation, they both downed their drinks as fast as they could and raced out to the dance floor to join an already forming mosh pit as the band 'Fires of Gre'thor' crescendoed throughout the dance hall.

In the center of the chaos, banging her head hard and throwing herself into the music with wild abandon, was Dox. The red-headed Romulan was screaming along with the music, singing in Klingon at the top of her lungs as her gravely voice carried. It was clearly a song the Metal-Loving young pilot knew and knew well as she slammed into the fray of bodies in the mosh pit.

On the outskirts, Gavarus looked over at the massive calamity of the pit and then down at O'Dell as she stepped back slightly holding the diminutive test pilot by the hand. "Holy effin' shit, Fee! Uh... Bar?"

"FOOK THAT, I dinna want ta be at the bar when that lot gets OFF the dance floor. Lobby... gigantic bloody palace of a casino's probably got a dozen restaurants and damn near as many bars. Let's go find another fuir a while." Seeeing the worried expression on her porcine partner's jowls, the Bringloidian barfly rolled her eyes and began making her way through the crowd, swimming against the stream of folks headed for the dance floor, insistently tugging the three-fingered calloused mitt of her partner in crime. "Whaaaat, dinna lookit me like that! Look at 'em. Ye think they'll be hard to find in a crowd? Besides, these are amateurs. They'll spend the rest of the night in this one bloody pub... well, niteclub, whativvir. Ye and me'll find somethin' a wee tad more low key, eh mate??"

At that, on the edges of the mosh pit, Loki grinned, a Cheshire cat's grin that bespoke of mischief. With a literal gleam in her eye she leapt into the pit, horns at the ready. The god of mischief prowled through the pit in sinuous motion as a sexy wench, writhing, slithering and worming her way through the melee, practicing avoiding being hit, while bringing others into contact with one another, causing more than one injury.

When the music had changed, Rita Paris hadn't noticed. At the moment she was watching Thex, who just picked up the pace and started dancing more energetically. But Dr. Mah was the first to realize the situation was turning violent, eyes growing wide as she sensed, rather than identified the danger. By the time Enalia and Schwein raced by, the old-fashioned officer began to realize what was happening. Turning to see the violent activity at the center of the dance floor and the ring forming around it, Paris hadn't spent enough time in clubs to recognize a mosh pit. However, she was familiar enough with tribal behavioral patterns to figure out what was happening, and realized the crowd was pressing forward, carrying everyone with it. Had she been alone, she might have taken the ride to see where it was going. But her sapphire-skinned engineer and mother of two was lost in the music, feeling the dance... all meter and two thirds and 60 kilos of her. The El-Aurian physician looked like a rabbit backed into a corner, unsure of exactly which way to go to avoid danger.

A walking mass of Tellarite muscle started stomping his way out onto the dance floor, on a collision course for Hera when a butch bulldyke sideswiped him, knocking him to the side, while shouting something in the din of this particular journey to Gre'thor in the innards of a targ. But it gave Hera ample opportunity to begin gracefully making her way to the bar.

Grabbing the hands of Dr, Mah, and Thex, Paris lowered her head and charged upstream, trying to get out of the building storm, dragging her two friends in her wake. "Time to go, ladies- this isn't our song!"

Thex was so into the music that Rita grabbing her hand slightly startled her. She nodded though as she followed her friend back to the bar. As they emerged from the crowd the feeling of being watched hit the Andorian again. Something was definitely watching her. "Hey, girls just need to visit the faculties, I'll be back in a minute. " She said wanting to get to the bottom of this, but not wanting to worry her friends.

It was about that time that Schwein and Enalia, still stuck in the middle of the mosh pit, noticed that it was a bit more dangerous than it should have been. Instantly, the one-eyed pirate took up a guard stance to protect the Trill woman while Enalia fended off several of the more aggressive types from the rear.

With a nod from Enalia, Schwein grinned wide, and with her bare hands, started yeeting their attackers straight into the inertial dampening safety nets for the very upper balconies around the dance hall, most of them getting stuck in mid-air. As they worked their way out of the crowd, more and more people got smart and parted ways for them.

The matronly goddess Hera, right by Rita's side, couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the flying people. "By my husband's beard. I haven't seen anything that ridiculous in at least an age."

"Travel with the Baroness, it's always a party. I really am going to miss that sassy swashbuckler," Rita replied, calling for a few flagons of ale from the bartender. After all, with replication, there was no such thing as a poorly stocked bar. As the conquering heroines of the dance floor returned, Paris hefted the foaming tankards their way.

Tova was torn between staying at the bar, following Thex since she already knew her face, or handy option number three...pull out the hypo to sober herself up. In her intoxication, she figured at some point Thor himself might come flying on in so she went for a lollipop instead with yet another shot while leaning against the bar. Like all good El-Aurians she knew when to listen and stay put. Drinks we're easily at hand, she was out of the danger zone, and she had a damn lollipop.

In the center of the Mosh pit, with a wild, manic smile on her face, Dox looked up when the snog ended and seamlessly blended into the next. As the screaming wails of Klingon Death Metal transitioned into the thumping bass of slightly more sedate techno house music, the red-headed Romulan pilot looked around. Her hair was a bit more messed up from the chaos of the pit, but she was otherwise, none the worse for wear. She was something of an old pro in such circumstances, having snuck out from her adopted, human Grandparent's farmhouse in rural Ohio to run off to the nearest clubs in Cleveland or Columbus and would work out her restless teenage anger in many a similar pit and Dox found herself lost in that memory, and in the moment, there on Risa for a few minutes. It had felt good.

That feeling faded as she did a very quick status glance of the crowd and rapidly realized that while the dance floor was still packed, her friends and crewmates had all worked their way away from the center of the pit leaving her alone in the chaos. In the din of the club, she muttered an inaudible curse in Romulan, chastising herself before making her way to the bar, "Imirrhlhhse. That's what you get for letting your guard down, Mnhei'sahe."

With a bit of effort, Dox made her way through the crowd towards the bar, hoping that she would find the others there. And as she broke through the shoulder to shoulder dancing, she caught sight of most of the others. Gavarus, O'Dell and Thex weren't there, but she spotted Rita, Hera, Loki, Dr. Mah and Schwein easily enough. And standing near the bar closest to where she had emerged, was Masato Rei.

Looking towards exactly where Dox emerged, the dark woman flashed a warm smile towards her mortal friend, which Dox returned as they walked back over to the group of their friends together.

Because after all, that was what the evening was about- friends.

Tova waved Dox over with a huge smile on her face, "You're back beautiful Dox, another drink?" The doctor was obviously on her way to finally coming out of her shell as she waved her over, lollipop in hand.

Raising an eyebrow with a smirk at the doctor that seemed to be well on her way towards being more than a little drunk, Dox replied as she rejoined the group. "Uh, yeah. Got a little carried away in the pit back there. But no harm done and no need for your services, thankfully. And yes, I could go for a Kali-fal." Dox said, referencing the drink otherwise known as Romulan Ale.

"Excellent, anyone else?" she handed the shot to Dox, had an old school martini in hand and raised it towards the group. "I feel it is time for a toast to the ladies," Tova announced with a sudden rush of alcohol induced bravery, "To the most stunning group of women I have ever stumbled into....may the galaxy bow to your feminine wiles!" She took a drink and held it her chest blushing brightly with a shy smile that met smiles all around in return.