Post by Fiona McFly on Jan 27, 2022 4:45:33 GMT
Chapter 11
“11 PAST THE HOUR”
The venerable Club 47 at Earth Spacedock was packed from the dance floor to the ship viewing lounge for the weekly night of karaoke. Starfleet officers and civilians alike have enjoyed a program full of festive song and great laughter. A banner hanging overhead displayed the grand prize package for the night’s winner:
500,000 Energy Credits
10,000 Dilithium Ore
5,000 Gold-Pressed Latinum
Four (4) Tickets to Nautilus Theme Park
Fiona McFly, fully into her undercover role, was the last performer of the night. From a good angle backstage, she chuckled as a green-skinned woman named Melra performed a rendition of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” -- but in Klingonese. Karaoke night was a fun time for her, but she didn’t think about the prize package. All she thought about was getting her family’s longtime friend, Thomas Riker Hargrove, back so that they can return to their own time in peace.
Starfleet officers Pamela Malkin and Ronald Abraham Gilmore sat at a front row table together and watched the performance while Vice Admiral Evelyn Beckham sat towards the back end of the venue. A dartboard had been set up on-stage, showing the karaoke program’s scoring system which ranged from one to five -- one being the worst, five being the best.
”wanI'vammo' jIHvaD Qong Hoch
ghot tuQmoH 'ej nuvpu'
yInDaj
jajlIj...
(Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today…)"
The audience applauded the performance as the song came to a close. The emcee, a holographic interpretation of famed sportscaster Gus Johnson, appeared to the crowd.
HOLOGRAPHIC GUS JOHNSON:
Alright, that was a cosmic performance if I say so myself! Let’s see what our little droid companion thinks about it on the Big Board!
Emmy, Fiona's companion droid who was serving as the show’s mascot and judge, beeped before firing off a dart that landed on the white borderline between “Good” and “Super” -- levels three and four on the scoring scale.
HOLO-GUS:
Good...no, we’ll call that one Super! That makes Melra, our lovely Orion vixen from Paradise City on Nimbus III, our frontrunner!
Melra exits -- but not before laying a seductive glare on Holo-Gus as he clears his throat.
HOLO-GUS:
And now...our final performer in tonight’s extravaganza! Let’s give a warm Club 47 welcome to the pride of Midgar, the toast of 7th Heaven...Tifa Lockheart!
A mixture of laughter and tepid golf claps ensue. Rag’s brows perk up as it seems like Pamela is the only one truly engaged in the moment.
R.A.G.:
Tifa Lockheart?!
PAMELA:
Don’t ask, hun. It was her idea…
The traffic controller sighs.
R.A.G.:
Who the hell is this woman anyway?! She was talkin’ about how my family has a long history...
The ex-pilot tries to hide a cheeky grin as the audience settles down.
R.A.G.:
You know her or somethin’...?!
PAMELA:
Can’t tell you, babe! It’s classified…
R.A.G.:
Lemme guess, the almighty Temporal Prime Directive…
Pamela chuckled as the first bars of a modern-noir standard, Imelda May's “11 Past The Hour” is heard...
”It was 11 past the hour
Darkness in the air
Lay down on wild flowers
The moonlight didn't care
Give me your heart
I'll hold it with mine
So you can feel free, my love
Free for a while
Dance with me, darling
Dance with me, darling
Forget the world
I'll hold you in my arms
As we twirl around
Hide your innocence in all your sins
And all the love in the world
Won't be enough to help you sail
Through the storm you created yourself
But you're not to blame”
...and Fiona -- clad in her Tifa Lockheart-esque outfit -- appears on stage with a slight slur in her voice. Rag immediately notices a slight stumble in the performer’s step -- along with her bloodshot eyes.
PAMELA:
Holy shit...
The blue-haired waitress from earlier in the day solemnly shakes her head as Rag can’t believe what he’s seeing. He hearkened back to when she gave Fiona a sampling of the intoxicating blue beverage.
R.A.G.:
Ya gave her that whole damn bottle of Romulan ale, didn’t ya…?!
Pamela poked the lieutenant commander in the ribs, apparently enjoying the song so far.
PAMELA:
Rag, chillax! She’s from the 21st century...oops…
R.A.G.:
...pffft, WHAT!?!
PAMELA:
(facepalm)
Me and my damn mouth...
Indeed, a visibly drunk Fiona jumps down from the stage and starts flirting around with the other patrons to hilarious results. One such instance involved her giving a Klingon customer a shoulder massage -- which caused him to spit out the bloodwine he had been imbibing. The audience was in full-throat hysteria, laughing and applauding as Fiona approached Pamela and Rag with a cheeky grin on her face.
”I kiss the tear
That drops from your eye
So you can see clearer
All the stars in the sky
Don't say another word
Baby, don't speak
Sadness and sorrow
Your lips are too sweet
Mmm
Dance with me, darling
Dance with me, darling
Forget the world
I'll hold you in my arms
As we twirl around
Hide your innocence in all your sins
And all the love in the world
Won't be enough to help you sail
Through the storm you created yourself
But you're not to blame
You're not to blame”
Fiona goes over to the bewildered tower officer and gently strokes his beard. She then sauntered around their table before grabbing both Rag and Pamela by the collar of their uniforms. The former looked extremely mortified -- the latter, though, appeared to be aroused by Fiona’s advances.
There was a slight pause...
R.A.G.:
I’m a married spud, I’m a married spud, I’m a married spud, I’m…
PAMELA:
...fully functional…
...and then a flourish as Fiona sang the last chorus.
”Dance with me, darling
Dance with me, darling
Forget this world
I'll hold you in my arms
As we twirl around
Hide your innocence in all your sins
And all the love in the world
Won't be enough to help you sail
Through the storm you created yourself
But you're not to blame
You're not to blame…”
Fiona let both officers go before slowly shimmying back onto the stage as the song came to an end. The audience suddenly erupted in a wild round of applause as Fiona appeared to show more signs of tipsiness -- the potent beverage taking full effect.
HOLO-GUS:
OH, MY, GOODNESS!!!
The din of the crowd’s noise overtook the club as Emmy, chirping wildly, fired a dart -- a shot that landed squarely on the black space on the board labeled “Outer-Galactic,” level five on the scoring scale!
HOLO-GUS:
OHHHHH!!! OHHHHH!!!! OHHHHHH!!!!! OUTER-GALACTIC!!! THAT’S SO OUTER-GALACTIC!!! TIFA LOCKHEART IS TONIGHT’S CHAMPION!!!
The last thing Fiona experienced, before passing out due to the extreme and potent effects of Romulan ale -- was Holo-Gus raising her hand in victory! She didn't see a wide-eyed Rag or a jubilantly-cheering cheering Pamela. From her seat towards the back of the club, Admiral Beckham couldn't help muster a seductive smirk as she watched a security detail scrape Fiona off the stage and carry her back to her quarters!
It would be some time before the full extent as to why Fiona drank so hard was revealed.
~TO BE CONTINUED~
“11 PAST THE HOUR”
The venerable Club 47 at Earth Spacedock was packed from the dance floor to the ship viewing lounge for the weekly night of karaoke. Starfleet officers and civilians alike have enjoyed a program full of festive song and great laughter. A banner hanging overhead displayed the grand prize package for the night’s winner:
500,000 Energy Credits
10,000 Dilithium Ore
5,000 Gold-Pressed Latinum
Four (4) Tickets to Nautilus Theme Park
Fiona McFly, fully into her undercover role, was the last performer of the night. From a good angle backstage, she chuckled as a green-skinned woman named Melra performed a rendition of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” -- but in Klingonese. Karaoke night was a fun time for her, but she didn’t think about the prize package. All she thought about was getting her family’s longtime friend, Thomas Riker Hargrove, back so that they can return to their own time in peace.
Starfleet officers Pamela Malkin and Ronald Abraham Gilmore sat at a front row table together and watched the performance while Vice Admiral Evelyn Beckham sat towards the back end of the venue. A dartboard had been set up on-stage, showing the karaoke program’s scoring system which ranged from one to five -- one being the worst, five being the best.
”wanI'vammo' jIHvaD Qong Hoch
ghot tuQmoH 'ej nuvpu'
yInDaj
jajlIj...
(Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today…)"
The audience applauded the performance as the song came to a close. The emcee, a holographic interpretation of famed sportscaster Gus Johnson, appeared to the crowd.
HOLOGRAPHIC GUS JOHNSON:
Alright, that was a cosmic performance if I say so myself! Let’s see what our little droid companion thinks about it on the Big Board!
Emmy, Fiona's companion droid who was serving as the show’s mascot and judge, beeped before firing off a dart that landed on the white borderline between “Good” and “Super” -- levels three and four on the scoring scale.
HOLO-GUS:
Good...no, we’ll call that one Super! That makes Melra, our lovely Orion vixen from Paradise City on Nimbus III, our frontrunner!
Melra exits -- but not before laying a seductive glare on Holo-Gus as he clears his throat.
HOLO-GUS:
And now...our final performer in tonight’s extravaganza! Let’s give a warm Club 47 welcome to the pride of Midgar, the toast of 7th Heaven...Tifa Lockheart!
A mixture of laughter and tepid golf claps ensue. Rag’s brows perk up as it seems like Pamela is the only one truly engaged in the moment.
R.A.G.:
Tifa Lockheart?!
PAMELA:
Don’t ask, hun. It was her idea…
The traffic controller sighs.
R.A.G.:
Who the hell is this woman anyway?! She was talkin’ about how my family has a long history...
The ex-pilot tries to hide a cheeky grin as the audience settles down.
R.A.G.:
You know her or somethin’...?!
PAMELA:
Can’t tell you, babe! It’s classified…
R.A.G.:
Lemme guess, the almighty Temporal Prime Directive…
Pamela chuckled as the first bars of a modern-noir standard, Imelda May's “11 Past The Hour” is heard...
”It was 11 past the hour
Darkness in the air
Lay down on wild flowers
The moonlight didn't care
Give me your heart
I'll hold it with mine
So you can feel free, my love
Free for a while
Dance with me, darling
Dance with me, darling
Forget the world
I'll hold you in my arms
As we twirl around
Hide your innocence in all your sins
And all the love in the world
Won't be enough to help you sail
Through the storm you created yourself
But you're not to blame”
...and Fiona -- clad in her Tifa Lockheart-esque outfit -- appears on stage with a slight slur in her voice. Rag immediately notices a slight stumble in the performer’s step -- along with her bloodshot eyes.
PAMELA:
Holy shit...
The blue-haired waitress from earlier in the day solemnly shakes her head as Rag can’t believe what he’s seeing. He hearkened back to when she gave Fiona a sampling of the intoxicating blue beverage.
R.A.G.:
Ya gave her that whole damn bottle of Romulan ale, didn’t ya…?!
Pamela poked the lieutenant commander in the ribs, apparently enjoying the song so far.
PAMELA:
Rag, chillax! She’s from the 21st century...oops…
R.A.G.:
...pffft, WHAT!?!
PAMELA:
(facepalm)
Me and my damn mouth...
Indeed, a visibly drunk Fiona jumps down from the stage and starts flirting around with the other patrons to hilarious results. One such instance involved her giving a Klingon customer a shoulder massage -- which caused him to spit out the bloodwine he had been imbibing. The audience was in full-throat hysteria, laughing and applauding as Fiona approached Pamela and Rag with a cheeky grin on her face.
”I kiss the tear
That drops from your eye
So you can see clearer
All the stars in the sky
Don't say another word
Baby, don't speak
Sadness and sorrow
Your lips are too sweet
Mmm
Dance with me, darling
Dance with me, darling
Forget the world
I'll hold you in my arms
As we twirl around
Hide your innocence in all your sins
And all the love in the world
Won't be enough to help you sail
Through the storm you created yourself
But you're not to blame
You're not to blame”
Fiona goes over to the bewildered tower officer and gently strokes his beard. She then sauntered around their table before grabbing both Rag and Pamela by the collar of their uniforms. The former looked extremely mortified -- the latter, though, appeared to be aroused by Fiona’s advances.
There was a slight pause...
R.A.G.:
I’m a married spud, I’m a married spud, I’m a married spud, I’m…
PAMELA:
...fully functional…
...and then a flourish as Fiona sang the last chorus.
”Dance with me, darling
Dance with me, darling
Forget this world
I'll hold you in my arms
As we twirl around
Hide your innocence in all your sins
And all the love in the world
Won't be enough to help you sail
Through the storm you created yourself
But you're not to blame
You're not to blame…”
Fiona let both officers go before slowly shimmying back onto the stage as the song came to an end. The audience suddenly erupted in a wild round of applause as Fiona appeared to show more signs of tipsiness -- the potent beverage taking full effect.
HOLO-GUS:
OH, MY, GOODNESS!!!
The din of the crowd’s noise overtook the club as Emmy, chirping wildly, fired a dart -- a shot that landed squarely on the black space on the board labeled “Outer-Galactic,” level five on the scoring scale!
HOLO-GUS:
OHHHHH!!! OHHHHH!!!! OHHHHHH!!!!! OUTER-GALACTIC!!! THAT’S SO OUTER-GALACTIC!!! TIFA LOCKHEART IS TONIGHT’S CHAMPION!!!
The last thing Fiona experienced, before passing out due to the extreme and potent effects of Romulan ale -- was Holo-Gus raising her hand in victory! She didn't see a wide-eyed Rag or a jubilantly-cheering cheering Pamela. From her seat towards the back of the club, Admiral Beckham couldn't help muster a seductive smirk as she watched a security detail scrape Fiona off the stage and carry her back to her quarters!
It would be some time before the full extent as to why Fiona drank so hard was revealed.
~TO BE CONTINUED~
Well howdy there pardner.