Pick A Card, Any Card (part 2)

Posted on Thu Oct 29th, 2020 @ 12:42pm by Lieutenant JG Talia "Phoenix" Richards & Lieutenant JG Juanita "Puma" Sanchez & 1st Lieutenant Kara Melo & Major John Kayhill & Lieutenant Aenar Torek & Lieutenant Bela Swain & 1st Lieutenant Johnathan Askard & Lieutenant JG Teenah Spartacus

1,235 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Storm

A petite human-looking woman walked into the room. There was a smile on her face and her blue eyes scanned the room for someone who needed assistance. She walked up to the card table and with a smile and a voice that spoke of spring and hope, mildly complained, "AwwWwww. I missed the start of a card game. Phooey!" The Chief Counselor gave everyone a pretty faux pout and then giggled girlishly.

"We just started. Pull up a chair," Kara said, smiling at the newcomer.

Bela gently placed her right hand on the back of Kara's shoulders and asked sweetly, "Where do you think that I would fit?"

Kara was surprised at the question. "Wherever you want. Actually, since we just dealt the cards, the major should be able to deal you in."

"That would be out of order and unfair to everyone else. I can wait for the next hand." She let her hand trail down Kara's shoulder until her hand gently dropped off Kara's body. She looked around the room and finally found a chair. She pulled it next to Kara, "Mind if slip in here?"

"Not at all," Kara said, but she wondered why the counselor was so tactile.

"I think with the first round going that it would be easier for the Counselor to sit out this round", John said. "So you are aware Lieutenant, the stakes are relatively low, depending on your perspective. The payout is a reversed, the winner of the hand tells the story of what got them into Starfleet or the Marines."

"I don't mind," Bela answered. "Though, I have to wonder why it is being done that way. I may never end up telling my story. I'm absolutely atrocious at cards." She beamed at the group. "By the way, what are we playing?"

'Straight Five card poker,' replied Aenar uncertainly stumbling over the unfamiliar title of the game. 'I probably won't get to tell my story either, don't worry.' He held out a hand, 'Lieutenant Torek Aenar, Chief of Science.'

Bela took Aenar's hand. "Well, then perhaps you could tell me after the game. I am Lieutenant Bela Swain, the new Chief Counselor," she answered Aenar, her words carrying a smile with them as she spoke. "Five card poker. That's the one where matching cards or making a run is better, right?"

Aenar returned the smile, 'I think that's the idea from what I remember, yes.'

"The Major may be telling his story several times tonight," Kara said, grinning at her boss. "Okay, let's see how bad we really are--and hopefully it's not just me."

'It wouldn't be so bad if he did - we'd be well-versed at least,' Aenar flashed the table a nervous smile before asking, 'are we ready to ... 'call'? Is that the term?'

"Well then", John said with a smile. "How about we change things around a little. Let's say the winner picks the next person to tell a story. A person can't be picked again until everyone else has told a story. Does that seem a little better?"

"Or we could just skip the game and everyone could tell their stories in turns," Bela offered with a smile. "Seems like quite the pretext for playing, but that's just me."

"We should at least play one hand," Kara said. "Since we already have the cards. After that, we can play it by ear."

"I'm good with whatever we decide," Talia added.

'We've gone to this effort - let's see how it plays out,' said Aenar, eyeing his cards once more.

"Since we're not betting money, we'll skip that. Unless you want to use peanuts."

The bartender brought over a large bowl. "Why not. Here you go."

"Okay then, we're playing for peanuts." Kara grabbed two and put them in the middle of the table. "I start with two."

Bela laughed at Kara. The stakes were now even lower than they were before. However, she knew that she would have to wait until the next deal because she was tardy. Consequently, she took two large handfuls of peanuts and started eating some peanuts from one hand.

Kara grinned. "I had a terrible hand. I'll do better next round."

Aenar arched an eyebrow, and placed three peanuts in the middle of the table, 'I'll see you then, and raise you one.'

Talia glanced at her cards. "I'll match your four." She put four peanuts in the center of the table.

Juanita "Puma" shook her head. "Bah. I have nothing." She set her cards, face down, on the table. "I, too, am out."

John looked at his cards and said, "I'll see your four and raise you a half of a shell."

"Six peanuts." Spartacus said flatly.

Kara watched the others as they bet, trying to read their faces and determine how they played. This next round, where they could swap out cards, would be even more telling. At least she hoped so.

"Fold," Askard said laying his cards down.

Flashing a smile more to mislead the others than out of satisfaction, Aenar took his new cards and crossed his fingers he could press his luck.

John, being the dealer, waited until everyone else had gotten their swap cards before he took two. His face twitched a bit, but other than that there was no give aways that anyone could see.

Talia also took two. She sighed, but made no other reaction.

Bela studied all of the players. She was in the next round. One thing that she knew, even though she was a lousy card player, is that people playing the game revealed a lot about themselves by the way they played.


John threw his cards down, shaking his head. They were a mish-mash and didn't amount to anything. He chuckled.

"I think it is the deck," Puma stated. "Everybody has a bad hand, no?"

Aenar tugged at his ear and smiled ruefully, 'it's not the best, I admit ...'

The Latina pilot laughed. "At least lady luck is treating everyone the same."

'Well that would make it interesting again,' laughed Aenar, 'how about we play?'

"Perhaps it was just very well shuffled," Bela suggested neutrally. "After all, when there is randomness, anything is possible."

The game ended with Spartacus having three queens. "Looks like you win. That means you get to tell us about yourself."

"I am Spartacus," She gave a smile. "I was adopted by a Merchant that showed the best of what the Federation projects; taking an Orion female into their family; an only child no less, and raising her. The federation Citizen ship saved me from slavery. It was a small thing to repay all the Federation has done for me so I joined Star Fleet ; my Betazoid heritage helped with my training to be a counselor and I love designing clothes and do so as a hobby." She grinned. "Spartacus Rule 37, never wear off the replicator what you can have altered to fit." She looked around. "That is all you get for that size of a pot." She winked.

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Bela Swain
Chief Counselor

2nd Lieutenant Kara Melo
Platoon Leader

Lieutenant Aenar Torek
Chief Science Officer

Major John Kayhill
Marine CO

Lieutenant JG Talia "Phoenix" Richards
Flight Leader

Lieutenant JG Juanita "Puma" Sanchez
Pilot

Lieutenant Teenah Spartacus
Counselor

1st Lieutenant Jonathan Askard
Marine XO

 

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