Interlude – Better safe than sorry
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek
Post Details
::ON::
Yolanthe looked over her bar with satisfaction. She and Kli had got up early and got it all set up ready for the Romulan ambassador's inspection. Everything was in place, and in order.
"Do you think they'll find anything?" Klia, Yolanthe's business partner, a diminutive Orion girl, was chewing on a fingernail.
Yolanthe reached out and pulled Klia's hand from her lips. "No. Because there's nothing to find." She thought about it. "Or if they do, its nothing we know about. So it should be fine. Why are you so nervous?"
Klia shrugged. "I think I met the head of security. I kind of put my foot in it."
Yolanthe smiled. "You? Make a mess? I don't believe that."
"I called her a Vulcan." Klia confessed
Yolanthe sighed. "Well, now's your chance to grovel. They're here. Lets go let them in." Opening the shutters for the waiting Romulans, she waved crossed fingers at Klia. "This should be easy."
As the doors opened, the Head of Security, looking as serious as ever, walked in, along with a dozen equally serious-looking officers. She said a quick good morning to the two women in the bar. "Where can we set up our equipment?" she asked them, motioning to the case she was holding, and the one another man held in his arms.
"The bar's fine. If you need space you can pull the tables over." She looked doubtfully at the cases. She had no idea what the Romulans were going to do. "Do you need access to the main power relays? they're out back. And the holographic controls are all up in Klia's office."
"Centurion, take over the power relays in the back," Arrienye instructed and the man put his case down and went to the back, obviously knowing exactly where to go. Arrienye, for her part, we over to the bar and opened the case she carried with herself. Taking out a small device, she pressed a button and a holo projection of the bar, or at least a 3D model of it, popped up. Reaching up, the young Romulan woman rotated it to get a floor plan.
"Alright, we may begin," she announced. "Dais'Gehka N'alae, begin your scans," she ordered the short woman at the back of the group, who pulled out a device and, activating it with a loud beep, began moving around the bar.
"What are you looking for?" Yolanthe asked t'Merek in a whisper. It may have been her bar, but she suddenly felt like she was imposing at the Romulans began to move methodically back and forth across the expanse of the ground floor.
"She is looking for explosive devices," Arrienye motioned to the young woman in the green uniform, "And the erie'Arrain there *should* be looking for possible beam in points before setting up some disruption devices," she said, a bit more loudly, pointed at the officer who was standing around. He cleared his throat, bowing his head respectfully before going off to his duties. ~Honestly, do I have to *tell* them their job each time?~ she asked herself, shaking her head before looking back at the floor plan.
Yolanthe frowned. "I'm not expecting explosives, but were pretty open as far as beaming is concerned. Can your disruptors cover the entire bar, I mean all three stories?"
"If there is enough of them in key locations," Arrienye answered. "Now, I've decided that none of your security personnel will be needed. My people will take that part of the proceedings over completely."
"Fair enough, but I'm still going to leave someone with you, explain to the great unwashed why they can't come in." As an after thought she added, "Don't worry, whoever it is will be under your people for the evening, its purely a PR thing. A friendly face, so to speak."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Arrienye asked, looking up at her curiously.
Yolanthe sucked her teeth, choosing her words carefully. If Klia had already insulted t'Merek once, it wouldn't do to do it again. "In my experience, when you close somewhere down for an evening, people get curious. And a whole bunch of stern faces in uniforms makes people very curious indeed. But I don't want to upset future custom, so I want someone on the door who can explain things, who represents me. Your people can then concentrate on making sure no one who's not on the list can get in."
"So, what you're saying is that my people would upset your clientele so much that you need someone there to explain things," Arrienye nodded. "Fine," she shrugged off, getting back to her work.
The bartender followed her, pinching the bridge of her nose. This one was prickly when not under the influence of several cocktails. "No, I'm saying that I need someone front of house to assure passers by that I'm still in business. That's all."
"That's alright, I understand. Though I'm quite sure that, by opening the bar the next day, they'd get you were still open. But do what you want, just make sure the person stays out of the way," Arrienye nodded simply. The short officer in the green uniform walked up to them once more. "Arrain, the entire area is clear. Should I speak with erie'Arrain t'Rev about setting up the disruptor field?" she asked politely. "Yes," Arrienye nodded.
Yolanthe gave up and moved on. "What about my staff. Do they all make the grade?"
"I'm afraid not. This is the list of those that are acceptable," Arrienye explained, taking one of the PADDs from her case and handing it to Yolanthe. There were a dozen names left on the list she had originally given her. It wasn't a mystery that the Security Chief had spent a lot of time the day before speaking with most everyone on the list.
The Bokkai read the list in stunned silence, her skin moving through shades of dirty yellow, apricot and gray. "You're not serious?"
"Do I give off the impression of someone who would joke about this?" t'Merek asked in turn.
"I can't manage all of this with just twelve staff. Not for five hundred. I'd need twice that, better yet three times." She scanned the list. "My head waiter isn't even on here. Blake Lofton? Why is he not on the list? Or Seronna Laclan? She's my best dabo girl."
"Hm...Blake Lofton....oh, yes, he has been arrested fourteen years ago, and I don't want criminals in here. And Seronna Laclan is on antidepressants. They showed up during the medical scan I asked everyone to get," Arrienye explained in perfect calm. The woman in front of Yolanthe, despite the rather jovial mood she was in while intoxicated, seemed to be unnecessarily thorough in her job. At least, 'unnecessary' in other people's views.
"You're being a bit severe aren't you?" Yolanthe couldn't quite believe it. "Seronna's hardly going to open a vein whilst spinning the dabo wheel, and Blake? I'm sure what ever he got up to as a child hardly counts now. The only thing criminal about him is how good he looks."
"Well then, he can go flaunt his good looks somewhere else for that night," Arrienye said back, crossing her arms over her chest. "And as for being severe, some of the Stelam Shiar's finest citizens of the very best social class are going to be attending this celebration. And I'm in charge of making sure they are completely safe...here." Arrienye said the last motioning to the bar with a far from happy look on her face. "I mean, let's face facts, this bar is a security nightmare," she told her frankly. "And you should be happy that you have twelve people in your bar with perfect records."
Yolanthe sat back in the chair, and looked t'Merek over. "I'm sure your very good at protecting the great and the good. But I'm very good at serving them. This isn't my first VIP function, and I'm telling you now, that 12 staff will mean keeping the 'Stelam Shiar's finest citizens'," she quoted t'Merek directly to emphasize she understood what was at stake, "waiting, and waiting. And I doubt they'd like that. So why don't you tell me who else of my staff I can have? I'm going to need at least another 10 of the waiting staff, three more croupiers, and at least another barman. Unless of course, you'd prefer unhappy VIPS?"
Arrienye looked her over. She did have a point, but it wasn't *her* fault that the woman hired more than questionable staff. She looked over the staff list. "Fine, then I'll just leave the drug addicts. And let me say, you definitely have a few," she told her, tapping the PADD a few times. "And I suppose I can lower the non-conviction period to twelve years so your Head waiter can make the cut," she allowed, though it was obvious she wasn't happy. "Will this list make things more manageable?" she asked Yolanthe, handing her the new list, which gave her 15 new waiting staff, two more croupiers, and another two barmen."
The Owner of the Box of delights perused it. It would still be tight, but there were things they could do to manage. Thank the stars for holodecks and holo-people. If push came to shove, Klia could always make her some serving staff for upstairs. "I can manage with this." She handed the PADD back. "Just to be certain. I assume I make the cut too?" She meant it as a joke.
"Well, as the organizer, I had to put you on the list. Same with your Orion holo-programer," Arrienye answered, the 'joke' obviously going way over her head. She had of course checked into both women, but as they were significant players in the whole celebration, she had to keep them in the cut, despite anything she might've found in their records.
t'Merek's straight face and serious tone told Yolanthe that the Romulan obviously did not approve wholeheartedly of either of them. "Arrain," she began, "can I ask a personal question?"
"Go ahead, but I can't guarantee an answer," Arrienye allowed.
"Have you been to many of these 'diplomatic functions' before?"
"My father is a Senator. So, yes, I've been to quite a few. Why do you ask?" t'Merek inquired, signing off on a PADD that was handed to her from one of her officers before giving it back as she waiting for Yolanthe's answer.
"Then you'll know that the threat rarely comes from the established staff. They know each other, they recognize strangers in their midst, and they're normally at more danger from lecherous drunks than the drunks are from them. As for my bar being a security nightmare... Well its always a compromise between a relaxing atmosphere and security. I can't help that, but I can assure you that I have as much to lose from anything happening as you do. I'm not going to do anything that will stop you doing your job. But I need you to trust me to do mine." she smiled at the woman to try and put her at her ease. "And when its all over, and everyone is safely home, I will mix you culture shocks until you can't see straight."
Arrienye listened to her and couldn't help give a small smirk at the last. "Believe me, I have sworn off Culture Shocks for the rest of my, hopefully long life, considering the last four I had probably did quite a number on my liver," she explained. "As for the threat from the staff, you'd be surprised how many times a waiter or someone from the staff had actually been an assassin in disguise."
"well, if one of mine does turn out to be an assassin, I will personally help you shoot them." Yolanthe meant it too. Too many things had gone wrong since she'd opened. "So, is everything in order Arrain?"
"Not quite. We still need to do work out the proper placements of the disruption devices and the weapons scanners to make sure no one enters armed that isn't supposed to enter armed. Calculating the proper locations and the strength the devices will need to be configured to can be done back at the Consulate, but we still need to gather all the data on the bar, which should take another hour. On the day of the celebration, my people and I will arrive several hours earlier to set everything up," Arrienye explained.
"In that case, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, my office is through that door. Its on your plan. " Yolanthe stood. "I sincerely hope that all your work isn't needed."
"So do I," Arrienye added, watching the woman leave before going back to work.
::OFF::
Arrain Arrienye t'Merek
Head of Security
Romulan Consulate
&
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek
Post Details
| Title | Better safe than sorry | |
| Mission | Interlude | |
| Author(s) | Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek | |
| Posted | Tue Jul 06, 2010 @ 9:20pm | |
| Location | Box of Delights | |
| Timeline | SD 27 |
Yolanthe looked over her bar with satisfaction. She and Kli had got up early and got it all set up ready for the Romulan ambassador's inspection. Everything was in place, and in order.
"Do you think they'll find anything?" Klia, Yolanthe's business partner, a diminutive Orion girl, was chewing on a fingernail.
Yolanthe reached out and pulled Klia's hand from her lips. "No. Because there's nothing to find." She thought about it. "Or if they do, its nothing we know about. So it should be fine. Why are you so nervous?"
Klia shrugged. "I think I met the head of security. I kind of put my foot in it."
Yolanthe smiled. "You? Make a mess? I don't believe that."
"I called her a Vulcan." Klia confessed
Yolanthe sighed. "Well, now's your chance to grovel. They're here. Lets go let them in." Opening the shutters for the waiting Romulans, she waved crossed fingers at Klia. "This should be easy."
As the doors opened, the Head of Security, looking as serious as ever, walked in, along with a dozen equally serious-looking officers. She said a quick good morning to the two women in the bar. "Where can we set up our equipment?" she asked them, motioning to the case she was holding, and the one another man held in his arms.
"The bar's fine. If you need space you can pull the tables over." She looked doubtfully at the cases. She had no idea what the Romulans were going to do. "Do you need access to the main power relays? they're out back. And the holographic controls are all up in Klia's office."
"Centurion, take over the power relays in the back," Arrienye instructed and the man put his case down and went to the back, obviously knowing exactly where to go. Arrienye, for her part, we over to the bar and opened the case she carried with herself. Taking out a small device, she pressed a button and a holo projection of the bar, or at least a 3D model of it, popped up. Reaching up, the young Romulan woman rotated it to get a floor plan.
"Alright, we may begin," she announced. "Dais'Gehka N'alae, begin your scans," she ordered the short woman at the back of the group, who pulled out a device and, activating it with a loud beep, began moving around the bar.
"What are you looking for?" Yolanthe asked t'Merek in a whisper. It may have been her bar, but she suddenly felt like she was imposing at the Romulans began to move methodically back and forth across the expanse of the ground floor.
"She is looking for explosive devices," Arrienye motioned to the young woman in the green uniform, "And the erie'Arrain there *should* be looking for possible beam in points before setting up some disruption devices," she said, a bit more loudly, pointed at the officer who was standing around. He cleared his throat, bowing his head respectfully before going off to his duties. ~Honestly, do I have to *tell* them their job each time?~ she asked herself, shaking her head before looking back at the floor plan.
Yolanthe frowned. "I'm not expecting explosives, but were pretty open as far as beaming is concerned. Can your disruptors cover the entire bar, I mean all three stories?"
"If there is enough of them in key locations," Arrienye answered. "Now, I've decided that none of your security personnel will be needed. My people will take that part of the proceedings over completely."
"Fair enough, but I'm still going to leave someone with you, explain to the great unwashed why they can't come in." As an after thought she added, "Don't worry, whoever it is will be under your people for the evening, its purely a PR thing. A friendly face, so to speak."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Arrienye asked, looking up at her curiously.
Yolanthe sucked her teeth, choosing her words carefully. If Klia had already insulted t'Merek once, it wouldn't do to do it again. "In my experience, when you close somewhere down for an evening, people get curious. And a whole bunch of stern faces in uniforms makes people very curious indeed. But I don't want to upset future custom, so I want someone on the door who can explain things, who represents me. Your people can then concentrate on making sure no one who's not on the list can get in."
"So, what you're saying is that my people would upset your clientele so much that you need someone there to explain things," Arrienye nodded. "Fine," she shrugged off, getting back to her work.
The bartender followed her, pinching the bridge of her nose. This one was prickly when not under the influence of several cocktails. "No, I'm saying that I need someone front of house to assure passers by that I'm still in business. That's all."
"That's alright, I understand. Though I'm quite sure that, by opening the bar the next day, they'd get you were still open. But do what you want, just make sure the person stays out of the way," Arrienye nodded simply. The short officer in the green uniform walked up to them once more. "Arrain, the entire area is clear. Should I speak with erie'Arrain t'Rev about setting up the disruptor field?" she asked politely. "Yes," Arrienye nodded.
Yolanthe gave up and moved on. "What about my staff. Do they all make the grade?"
"I'm afraid not. This is the list of those that are acceptable," Arrienye explained, taking one of the PADDs from her case and handing it to Yolanthe. There were a dozen names left on the list she had originally given her. It wasn't a mystery that the Security Chief had spent a lot of time the day before speaking with most everyone on the list.
The Bokkai read the list in stunned silence, her skin moving through shades of dirty yellow, apricot and gray. "You're not serious?"
"Do I give off the impression of someone who would joke about this?" t'Merek asked in turn.
"I can't manage all of this with just twelve staff. Not for five hundred. I'd need twice that, better yet three times." She scanned the list. "My head waiter isn't even on here. Blake Lofton? Why is he not on the list? Or Seronna Laclan? She's my best dabo girl."
"Hm...Blake Lofton....oh, yes, he has been arrested fourteen years ago, and I don't want criminals in here. And Seronna Laclan is on antidepressants. They showed up during the medical scan I asked everyone to get," Arrienye explained in perfect calm. The woman in front of Yolanthe, despite the rather jovial mood she was in while intoxicated, seemed to be unnecessarily thorough in her job. At least, 'unnecessary' in other people's views.
"You're being a bit severe aren't you?" Yolanthe couldn't quite believe it. "Seronna's hardly going to open a vein whilst spinning the dabo wheel, and Blake? I'm sure what ever he got up to as a child hardly counts now. The only thing criminal about him is how good he looks."
"Well then, he can go flaunt his good looks somewhere else for that night," Arrienye said back, crossing her arms over her chest. "And as for being severe, some of the Stelam Shiar's finest citizens of the very best social class are going to be attending this celebration. And I'm in charge of making sure they are completely safe...here." Arrienye said the last motioning to the bar with a far from happy look on her face. "I mean, let's face facts, this bar is a security nightmare," she told her frankly. "And you should be happy that you have twelve people in your bar with perfect records."
Yolanthe sat back in the chair, and looked t'Merek over. "I'm sure your very good at protecting the great and the good. But I'm very good at serving them. This isn't my first VIP function, and I'm telling you now, that 12 staff will mean keeping the 'Stelam Shiar's finest citizens'," she quoted t'Merek directly to emphasize she understood what was at stake, "waiting, and waiting. And I doubt they'd like that. So why don't you tell me who else of my staff I can have? I'm going to need at least another 10 of the waiting staff, three more croupiers, and at least another barman. Unless of course, you'd prefer unhappy VIPS?"
Arrienye looked her over. She did have a point, but it wasn't *her* fault that the woman hired more than questionable staff. She looked over the staff list. "Fine, then I'll just leave the drug addicts. And let me say, you definitely have a few," she told her, tapping the PADD a few times. "And I suppose I can lower the non-conviction period to twelve years so your Head waiter can make the cut," she allowed, though it was obvious she wasn't happy. "Will this list make things more manageable?" she asked Yolanthe, handing her the new list, which gave her 15 new waiting staff, two more croupiers, and another two barmen."
The Owner of the Box of delights perused it. It would still be tight, but there were things they could do to manage. Thank the stars for holodecks and holo-people. If push came to shove, Klia could always make her some serving staff for upstairs. "I can manage with this." She handed the PADD back. "Just to be certain. I assume I make the cut too?" She meant it as a joke.
"Well, as the organizer, I had to put you on the list. Same with your Orion holo-programer," Arrienye answered, the 'joke' obviously going way over her head. She had of course checked into both women, but as they were significant players in the whole celebration, she had to keep them in the cut, despite anything she might've found in their records.
t'Merek's straight face and serious tone told Yolanthe that the Romulan obviously did not approve wholeheartedly of either of them. "Arrain," she began, "can I ask a personal question?"
"Go ahead, but I can't guarantee an answer," Arrienye allowed.
"Have you been to many of these 'diplomatic functions' before?"
"My father is a Senator. So, yes, I've been to quite a few. Why do you ask?" t'Merek inquired, signing off on a PADD that was handed to her from one of her officers before giving it back as she waiting for Yolanthe's answer.
"Then you'll know that the threat rarely comes from the established staff. They know each other, they recognize strangers in their midst, and they're normally at more danger from lecherous drunks than the drunks are from them. As for my bar being a security nightmare... Well its always a compromise between a relaxing atmosphere and security. I can't help that, but I can assure you that I have as much to lose from anything happening as you do. I'm not going to do anything that will stop you doing your job. But I need you to trust me to do mine." she smiled at the woman to try and put her at her ease. "And when its all over, and everyone is safely home, I will mix you culture shocks until you can't see straight."
Arrienye listened to her and couldn't help give a small smirk at the last. "Believe me, I have sworn off Culture Shocks for the rest of my, hopefully long life, considering the last four I had probably did quite a number on my liver," she explained. "As for the threat from the staff, you'd be surprised how many times a waiter or someone from the staff had actually been an assassin in disguise."
"well, if one of mine does turn out to be an assassin, I will personally help you shoot them." Yolanthe meant it too. Too many things had gone wrong since she'd opened. "So, is everything in order Arrain?"
"Not quite. We still need to do work out the proper placements of the disruption devices and the weapons scanners to make sure no one enters armed that isn't supposed to enter armed. Calculating the proper locations and the strength the devices will need to be configured to can be done back at the Consulate, but we still need to gather all the data on the bar, which should take another hour. On the day of the celebration, my people and I will arrive several hours earlier to set everything up," Arrienye explained.
"In that case, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, my office is through that door. Its on your plan. " Yolanthe stood. "I sincerely hope that all your work isn't needed."
"So do I," Arrienye added, watching the woman leave before going back to work.
::OFF::
Arrain Arrienye t'Merek
Head of Security
Romulan Consulate
&
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights