Covert Meetings (part 2)

Posted on Sat Jul 27th, 2019 @ 8:53pm by Morticia & Drake
Edited on on Sat Jul 27th, 2019 @ 9:06pm

1,157 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Pirating Typhon resources
Location: A bar somewhere

[CONTINUED]

[OLD]

"Mister Gibbs?" Kilgore replied softly, his gaze still on Morticia.

"Aye, Captain. I'll see to it." Gibbs began to walk away.

"Forgetting something?"

[NEW]

"Captain?" Gibbs questioned as he turned around. Kilgore held out his hand as he continued to look at her from across the table. "Ahh... yes. My mistake." Gibbs said as he reached into his pocket and removed a long rectangular box. He placed it in Kilgore's hand before walking away.

"A gift. From my travels." Kilgore said as he placed the box on the table and slid it across the table.

"For me?" she asked. "You are too kind." She smiled at Kilgore and picked up the box, opening it slowly.

"Allow me." Kilgore said as he stood up and walked over to her. He removed the necklace from the box. "This treasure was among a stash my crew, and I, obtained from an emperor of a pre-warp civilization. We took it as payment for defeating his opposition..." He paused for a moment before adding. "Then we killed him." He undid the latch and brought it down in front of her as he whispered. "We took what we could carry and left the rest to his people. He used them as slaves and tortured them for disobedience. He kept food from them as he remained in riches, growing fat and obscene, until we came that is. Normally, I would have taken everything and left his people to wallow and die slowly, but... I don't know." Kilgore looked off slightly before adding. "That day I was feeling... generous."

That was surprising, coming from Kilgore--if it was true. "Then I am doubly flattered," she said, putting a hand on the necklace. "Thank you." He was being particularly charming, and it put Morticia on her guard. She hadn't survived this long by being foolish. Not even the man she loved knew all her secrets. Not yet, anyway.

She smiled at the Pirate Captain. "You always did have a way with you."

"Always did?" Kilgore replied, walking over to his chair, then sitting down across from her again. "I'm not dead, Morticia. Unless you know something I don't." He laughed before smiling.

"Did as in you did when we had occasion to work together," she said, smiling to show that she meant no offense. "And now that we're meeting again, I see you're still as charming as ever."

Kilgore smiled as he took a hold of her bottle and poured her more wine before putting it down and grabbing his own. "I haven't heard from you for a long time, Morticia. What happened between then and now?" He said as he poured himself some more of his blood wyne. "I hope you've been well, if not, just give me a name and he or she will regret ever crossing you."

She chuckled softly. "As I said, I've been keeping a low profile. My operations are limited, but then, I saved enough to afford it. It allows me to pick only the jobs I like. And you?"

Gibbs finally returned holding a tray and both plates of food. Morticia was met with exactly what she asked and Kilgore with what was expected. A thick meat with pasta and salad.

"Same old same old." Kilgore replied with a smile. "Go after one treasure, then to the next, with only so much time for myself in between. That and making sure this lot stays in check." He looked around before focusing back to Morticia. "Please enjoy. Let me know if the food is to your liking."

She tried the coq au vin and smiled. "Excellent. My compliments to the chef."

The rest of the night progressed as expected. Small banter between the two as they ate. Small stories here and there of their travels, none of which revealed more than the other already knew. It was a verbal game between the two. Each of them were entertaining, as well as cautious not to reveal too much, so as to keep the other guessing or those involved safe.

Soon Dessert arrived and Kilgore did not disappoint. A cake with strawberries and whip cream with two layers. It was as delicious as it was impressive to look at. Once they each of them had taken their last bite it was finally time for business.

"So, Morticia." Kilgore said firmly, breaking the silence first but keeping to his smile. "What brings me here, to this awful place, to see you? Please say it was because you missed me." He chuckled softly.

"I will say that you are unforgettable," she countered with a smile. "But that is not why I brought you here." She looked around and frowned. "Safer here, though. I need information. There's a band of pirates working this area and they're clever enough not to be caught but they're incautious. And now Starfleet's involved and that is interfering with my own business." She paused, her eyes focused on him. "I've been looking around for information, but have found nothing yet. So, I decided to ask the one person who has his finger on the pulse of this business. Do you know anything about this group?" She was careful to tell the truth without revealing too much. "And how I can stop them from ruining what has up to now been a profitable venture? I know you have no stake in this, but if they aren't stopped by me or someone like me, they're going to make it almost impossible for any of us to do business, yourself included."

"Pirates?! Here?!" Kilgore let out a loud and hearty laugh before slamming his hand on the table. "Morticia, my dear, I am aware of every pirate in this sector. I have a standing with all of them. I've made it a personal goal to make sure I am ware of where they all are and what they are up to. There is no pirate working around here." He grabbed his glass and raised it slightly before adding. "What you have is a group flying under a pirates flag who aren't pirates." He took a sip before concluding. "And... why you? You're just a small, delicate, thing. A woman whose brains exceed her brawn. Unless there is something you aren't telling me that is making your profits suffer." He narrowed his eyes and looked at her curiously.

"That's what I thought," she said to his comment bout pirates. "You're right. My profits aren't suffering, but my ability to gain them is. Whoever these pretenders are have brought unnecessary attention by the Federation, and that bothers me. I don't want them sniffing around. I may have to shut down operations for a while and I'd rather not do that." She was more concerned about being discovered, but he didn't need to know that.

(To be continued...)

Captain Thayne Kilgore
Captain, Blackheart
Pirate

Gibbs
Pirate

Morticia
Independent Merchant

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