Mission 7, Day 1

[Ciara Mei]

[Amanda Rose]

[Quamie]

[Brian Pendragon]

“REO Speedwagon?” murmured Brian to Tegau. “That’s… old school…” He wondered if they’d hit a theme night and whether he could recall anything from the right period. As he was trying to work out whether the Beatles were in the same century, a hand brushed his shoulder and he jumped what felt like a mile but was more likely to be less than ten centimetres.

"What are you two love birds doing?" O'Connor pounced.

“B… B… B…” Brian stalled.

Tegau looked up from the tenor currently serenading their new crew member to their Captain and stifled a groan. "It always makes me nervous when you look like the cat that ate the canary."

“Love birds are from the parrot family, not canaries,” Brian blurted, “Oh, that wasn’t… yeah… well…”

Still grinning, O'Connor replied, "I've got our new orders. We leave in 48 hours or less. What say both of you?"

Tegau frowned. "Or less? Is shore leave cancelled, then?"

“Probably not time for Bohemian Rhapsody, then,” added Brian.

[Amanda Rose]

[Quamie]

"What are you two love birds doing?" O'Connor pounced.

“B… B… B…” Brian stalled.

Tegau looked up from the tenor currently serenading their new crew member to their Captain and stifled a groan. "It always makes me nervous when you look like the cat that ate the canary."

“Love birds are from the parrot family, not canaries,” Brian blurted, “Oh, that wasn’t… yeah… well…”

Still grinning, O'Connor replied, "I've got our new orders. We leave in 48 hours or less. What say both of you?"

Tegau frowned. "Or less? Is shore leave cancelled, then?"

“Probably not time for Bohemian Rhapsody, then,” added Brian.

O'Connor laughed boisterously. "Pendragon, you've got quite the sense of humor when you want." She looked at Tegau, "I am not going to cancel shore leave yet. But, I don't know why in the world you would be the least bit worried. Her grin widened and became more toothy.

"I was planning to see my family tomorrow, that's all," Tegau remarked casually, though in her eyes was the awareness of what the Captain was none-too-subtly hinting at as well as its denial.

tag - Brian?

Looking back to Pendragon, O'Connor said, pointing at Leyla and Doctor Arvin, "Tell you what, why don't you push those two love birds over there aside and belt out Bohemian Rhapsody for us. I doubt that will take 48 hours."

The doctor snorted. "Trust me, you do not want to hear me sing. I think it would violate about fifteen treaties prohibiting torture." She grinned.

tag - Brian

The crooked grin got wider as O'Connor gave Brian a shooing motion, trying to encourage him to go to the stage and grab the mic. She did not know whether he would take the bait or not, but she was more than enjoying making him uncomfortable, as usual.

Tegau shoved a chair out from the table toward the Captain with her foot. "Unless, that is, you want to get up on stage, since you're so eager," she grinned.

<tags>

[Brian Pendragon]

The doctor snorted. "Trust me, you do not want to hear me sing. I think it would violate about fifteen treaties prohibiting torture." She grinned.

"Oh, surely not," Brian protested. He couldn't believe someone so pretty couldn't have a pretty singing voice to go with it. She was probably being unnecessarily humble.

The crooked grin got wider as O'Connor gave Brian a shooing motion, trying to encourage him to go to the stage and grab the mic. She did not know whether he would take the bait or not, but she was more than enjoying making him uncomfortable, as usual.

Tegau shoved a chair out from the table toward the Captain with her foot. "Unless, that is, you want to get up on stage, since you're so eager," she grinned.

"A good Captain would never ask their subordinates to do something they aren't prepared to do themselves..." observed Brian. "Leading from the front and all that?"

[Amanda Rose]

[Brian Pendragon]

"Do they sell..." Brian gulped in anticipation of the words, "actual alcohol here?" Synthohol had the right taste, but nowhere near the effect. If it was Dutch Courage, it would need the genuine article. Something he had only met a few times and either remembered less than fondly, or not at all...

[Amanda Rose]