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 Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 4:56 pm
Azimov set the shotglass down alongside the others. He looked around at the other officers seated around the table. All eyes were on him.
"It's fifty to you Commander." Said the dealer.
He looked down at the cards in front of him. "Raise" He picked up one hundred dollars in chips and carefully set them down in the center of the table.
There were four other officers at the table, only two of which were still in. The one to his left was the lieutenant commander of the HMS Harriot 5. He tossed his cards at the pile of chips and stood up to leave. It was just him and the mysterious Major sitting across from him. "Call" He slid his chips into the center.
A familiar sound called Azimovs attention to his left pocket. He reached in and pulled his cell phone out and then let out a heavy sigh before answering. "Captain? Yes sir. I understand sir... You can tell him that I will be there presently." He closed the phone and stood up. He nodded to the dealer and picked up his coat from his chair.
As he turned around he heard a shout from the table behind him when someone slammed their fists into it. "What are you doing Commander?! You can't just leave on a full house!"
Azimov shook his head without looking back. He turned around just in time to see his friend stand up suddenly, knocking his chair over in the process. He grabbed Azimovs' arm at the same time a waitress tripped over the fallen chair. Drinks flew and everyone ended up flat on the ground.
"Idiot" Azmov seethed as he stared up at the tall ceiling.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:24 pm
Katriel hated working in bars. The smell was the worst--sweat, hormones, bodily fluids...it was like breathing a swamp skunk cabbage in full bloom. She only took the job because she knew she could probably get enough in tips with just one weekend of work to fix her truck . Her other option would be a month of babysitting. The bartender had provided her with something to wear, but the dress code here made the Hooter's uniform look like a nun's habit. She was in a black faux-leather halter-top bodice and golden latex short-shorts. Fortunately her 4-inch-heel boots compensated by reaching halfway up her thighs. Still, she had endured enough sleazy cat calls and drunk fumbles to last for a lifetime.
She was just collecting some half-finished drinks from a table to take back to the bar. She turned around, a chair fell into her path, and in the unfamiliar shoes she toppled over. Her tray of drinks flew everywhere. Glasses shattered.Her hip and forehead hit the hardwood floor with a loud crack. She groaned and pushed herself up. She could already feel the bruises on her shins from the chair legs, and her right ankle was throbbing. She tried to stand and nearly fell over again. She stumbled and grabbed onto a large, solid looking man to save herself from falling again.
He was certainly solid.
"Sorry," she mumbled. She lurched to one side and leaned on a table, careful not to put any weight on her wounded ankle. At least it was Saturday night and she already had most of her tips for the night.
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ScarletFrost Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:22 pm
"Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her with an ice blue gaze. "That drunken idiot didn't hurt you did he?"
He was still lying on the floor moaning. The staff were starting to arrive and they seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the man laying on the ground. No one seemed to pay much attention to Azimov and the waitress that he was holding on to.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:22 pm
Katriel tested her ankle. It hurt. It probably wasn't broken, but it was certainly sprained badly.
"Nothing several days of bed rest and copious application of ice and whiskey won't cure," she said with a grimace. "I think I can limp to my truck." It was a lie--her truck was miles away. She had jogged to work to work off some frustration. "Or I can find a hole and crawl in it. No biggie."
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ScarletFrost Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:49 pm
He gave short laugh and said "Come on then. I'll take you with me back to the base and the medics will patch you up and then I'll have someone take you home." He slipped his arm under hers and helped her to walk a step.
Azimov tapped a waiter. who was taking advantage of the mayhem, on the shoulder "go clock-out miss... uhh..." He looked back at the waitress he was holding up. "what's your name?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 7:45 pm
Official medical help? She couldn't afford that! "Katriel," she replied. "And I'm fine, really. I'm made of tough stuff." Too prove it, she took a step away from Azimov's bulk and instantly collapsed. She grabbed his arm to keep from hitting the floor again. Maybe her ankle was broken after all. "Oh, hell."
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ScarletFrost Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:29 pm
He smiled and shook his head. "Come on" He bent over and picked her up like a sack of potatoes and turned back to the waiter. "Go clock Katriel out and tell your boss that she'll be at the naval hospital. Have him ask for Commander Azimov at the front desk."
With that said, he turned to the door and made his way across the bar and outside. "Ever ridden on a motorcycle before?" he asked.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:55 pm
Katriel smiled through her nervousness. "I used to have a Shadow, but recently I've been using a motorized bicycle."
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ScarletFrost Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:50 pm
He nodded and walked over to a black Ducati and said "Okay, here's where you get down." He kneeled down slowly and set her down gingerly and then stood back up. "Here, put this on" he said as he handed her a helmet. He sat down on the bike and helped Katriel on behind him.
"It's a short drive." He said as he turned the bike on. "Maybe sometime I can take you on a longer one."
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 7:59 am
Katriel's eyes widened at the sight of the sporty bike. She put on the helmet and wrapped her arms around Azimov's rock-hard waist. The man must work out regularly. He had picked her up like she weighed no more than a puppy. Wait--did he just--was that really--no, it couldn't have been--that wasn't a pickup line, was it? Her uniform must be working overtime.
"That'd be fun!" she called.
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ScarletFrost Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 9:58 am
He turned the bike on and it started up with a roar. Despite having a fast and loud bike, Azimov took the streets at a leisurely pace. He didn't seem to be in any hurry to get to his destination. He took as many back streets as possible and crossed a cable bridge on the way. After 15 minutes he pulled up to a locked gate with a guard house on either side. Armed men came out and Azimov produced a card and handed it to them. The one with the card said "Welcome back Sir." and handed him back his card. The other guard said "I need to see some I.D. ma'am." "She needs medical attention. Have a medic meet us at my office."
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:18 am
"I don't have any ID on me," Katriel confessed in a small voice. She was still worried about meeting a real medic. What if he found out? She tried to calm herself down. It was just for a sprained ankle. It wasn't like he'd take bloodwork or anything.
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ScarletFrost Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:52 am
"Look guys, I need to get to my office now and this lady needs medical help. Admiral Johnson is waiting for me in my office. Unless you two want to explain how you guys made me wait for an hour outside..." The guards looked at each other.
"So long as she doesn't leave your side."
Azimov nodded and the guards unlocked the gate and opened it. He drove down to a beach side office building and turned off the bike. The light was on inside.
He slid off the bike and picked up Katriel and slung her over his shoulder again.
The building opened up into a hallway with two office doors on the right side. The first one read Commander Sarei and the other was blank. He opened the door to the first one and sat Katriel down on a rather nice leather chair. A woman was sitting in his chair with her back turned to them. "So Hermit, you brought home a valkyrie."
"Admiral, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, but first who's your friend? Aren't you going to introduce me?" The woman turned around to face them.
"Her name is Katriel."
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 11:09 am
Ok, the whole sack-of-potatoes-over-the-shoulder act was crossing the line from chivalry to neanderthal. Still, the sofa that she was unceremoniously plopped on was quite plush. "Hi," she squeaked to the Admiral. "I'm just here because Mr. Azimov wanted to play the good Samaritan. Don't mind me."
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ScarletFrost Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 11:34 am
The Admiral nodded to her and said "I'm Admiral Johnson. It's nice to meet you. Commander Azimov tends to be a little heroic at times but don't pay it any mind or you'll just encourage him." She turned her attention back to Azimov "I need you at MTAC tomorrow at zero five hundred." Without another word she stood up and started for the door. "You couldn't have just told me that with a phone call?" The admiral turned and smiled. "How many did you have tonight?" "Ah... So you were just trying to be a good Samaritan." "No, I'm trying to stop you from embarrassing yourself." "Goodnight Admiral" He closed the door behind her. "Sorry about that." He walked over to his desk and picked up the phone. "Yeah this is Commander Azimov, did you guys send a medic over to my office yet? Okay good."
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