Zora/Logs/Finding Out the Truth
IC Time: March 23, 2522
Redemption - Double Cabin 6 - A Deck
Wooden walls and stained wood trim line the walls of the simple quarters. Against each wall is a simple single-sized bed with a thick comfortable matress. Sheets, blankets and a single pillow are folded neatly and with a military precision while they rest on the foot of the bed waiting for their next occupant to claim them. The wooden box frame of the beds reveals depressed handles for three drawers on each bed frame. Each is deep enough to hold numerous clothes and a few personal effects without impending into the room's space. Against the far wall just beyond the foot of the beds is a desk for each crew member. Each with their own Cortex display units, work light and plenty of workspace.
Zora tiptoes up to Passe's door, her sweater still balled in her hands. She looks from either side of her nervously before knocking on the door and calling out, "Passe? Are you in there?" She takes a breath, leaning forward to place her ear on the door and listen inside. "I swear to God, if you're in there arming for war, I'm going to kill you." Her logic clearly making perfect sense to her, she knocks once more. "Passe! I'm going to start calling you on the iComm and then everyone will want to know where you are." <English>
Inside, the Frenchman calls out dejectedly, "The door is unlocked, come in." Inside, he's on his bed, his back propped up against the wall, one leg lazily hanging over the side, the other propping an arm up. His hair is damp and he's not wearing a shirt nor shoes, but is wearing a pair of jeans. He's also wearing a scowl. Not much seems to be going right for the Frenchman lately, and it shows. <English>
"Passe," Zora starts, entering the room and hesitating for a moment when she sees his current state. "Oh, come on," she soothes, irritation instantly gone from her voice. She sits down on the bed next to him, crossing her legs Indian style. "It can't be /that/ bad. Can't you just tell me? We'll talk about it, and it will be fine. Do you need to know more? I'll tell you more! I just want to help, and you not letting me help is simply silly." <English>
Passe almost glares at the girl sitting on his bed, but not quite. It's more of a angry, confused look. "Did Wren tell you who got her stoned?" he asks her. Taking his frustrations out on someone taking advantage of la Petite sounds like a good way to spend his afternoon. <English>
Zora sighs. "No, she didn't. She said that she was sick before she got high, and it made her more sick after. She said that she made it very clear to this person that she didn't care to do it again. More than that, Passe, I couldn't get out of her, because you were freaking out. And it was very important to make it clear to her that we weren't angry with /her/. With you being so angry, I didn't feel it was the bes time to start interrogating her. I'm going to talk to Grey about it, and send this ship's Captain a WAVE, alright?" She sighs once more and puts a hand on Passe's arm. "Now, can we talk about what's going on with you for a change?" <English>
Passe opens his mouth, about to defend his forced calm behavior after his initial shot, but can't find a word in edge wise. He finally looks at his wall and mutters, "Yeah, well, last I heard, the two captains aren't on speaking terms. However Grey does seem to like their XO."
Passe seems to slump lower on his bed, the added stress of Wren's recent announcement slamming any relief he might have recently experienced after talking with Grey. And topping it off how his intentions were misconscrued by the nurse here, both where Wren is concerned and his questioning of her background. He looks up at her and says flatly, "So it won't bother you to learn I bombed the shit out of Santo?" His mood is getting the better of him, as he volcabulary slips into vulgarity. "Did I kill any of your family? Friends? Lovers?" <English>
"Well, it doesn't matter if the Captains' aren't getting along. I can be the one to speak to the other Captain, that's not a problem. What's important is that we find out who was with her, so we can ensure it doesn't happen again. Not everyone would pick up on her condition, you know." She takes a breath in as Passe seems to snap, her face going white by the end. But apparently, Zora has a mean streak, or a reserve of bitterness - perhaps both. Because she replies, her voice clipped and caustic. "No, it wouldn't fucking bother me. Hell, I'd likely shake your hand and wish you'd gotten there sooner - oh, about 10 years before you did. And I didn't have any /family/ there. I didn't have any friends. And sadly, none of my lovers are dead." She's shaking by the time she finishes, taken by some strong emotion. <English>
Passe grunts, and promises himself he will find out who was with her and ensure it doesn't happen again. After Zora makes her announcement, he exhales and frowns, not exactly the answer he was expecting. His demeaneur softening, he says, "Well, that's what that wave was about. Grey found out about my past and wanted to, well, discuss it with me. It could spell problems for the crew if too many people know about it, or if the authorities find out."
Passe shrugs and looks down at a crease in his pants. "I got lucky. Captain doesn't seem to mind harboring a fugitive, just need to be careful. Which I thought I always had been, until I stumbled across an old friend last week." He looks off into nothing, remember the surprise of seeing his ex-CO and her brother. "Guess I should have changed my face too, I guess it's rather recognizable." <English>
"So, that's your past?" Zora asks, still shaking slightly. "That you bombed Santo, that's your big secret? I don't understand why that makes you a fugitive. The Alliance won, you know. It doesn't matter what the Independents think, you were on the winning side. I can understand you not wanting it to be public knowledge, but..." she trails off, glancing at Passe's face. "Yeah, well, those of us with dimples are hard to forget," she says. It's a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, and her awkward laugh after likely shows that it didn't work. <English>
"But that's the problem," Passe says, looking at Zora, "I'm still with the Alliance. I'm an AWOL pilot, a traitor, death sentence if I'm ever caught. I left the navy not too long ago, bought a new identity, and fled. This isn't something you go around brandishing like some trophy. In fact, I've done pretty good at keeping it buttoned up until now. My new identity must be a good one too, since it passed this ship's background searches. That's partly why Grey was surprised." He looks over at the nurse, watching her reactions of his revelation. <English>
Letting out a loud sigh, Zora leans back against the wall, much in the same pose as Passe, on the other side of the bed. "That's...really the part you want to lead with the next time you tell someone this story," she mumbles. "So, you saw an old friend. I'm assuming an old Alliance buddy. Did they see you, recognize you? And where were you, here on Persephone, or another planet? Did they connect you with this ship?" She takes a deep breath in, stopping the stream of words tumbling out of her mouth. "I'm sorry for all the questions. But there's no sense in doing anything unless we look at where we are." If Zora notices that she's using the plural to reference the two of them, she doesn't show it. "Because you might need to make some changes, yes, if you're in danger of being found. So let's look at what we're dealing with, and go from there." <English>
"I was recognized and then I wasn't," he says cryptically, then explains, "A brother and a sister, the brother would have probably turned me in had he recognized me, but the sister won't, and, well, let's just say she's going to have a hard time forgetting me. Hell, I thought she tried to kill me once." He rolls his eyes at that memory.
"I spoke with her though, and she's sympathetic to our cause," Passe continues, choosing to use the plural form himself. "In fact, she's using her considerable influence to make sure no one is searching for 'Laurent Passe'. She's a good girl, that Liz." He looks off into nothing, memories flitting through his mind. But just then a more recent one slaps him in the face. "Wait a minute," he says, looking back at the nurse. "What do you mean, 'those of *us* with dimples are hard to forget'? Who's chasing you down?" <English>
Zora opens her mouth to answer him, but then he asks about someone after her, and her mouth snaps shut. "I never said someone was after me," she murmurs, shifting her eyes towards the door nervously and standing up off the bed. After scanning the room and finding her sweater in a pile on the floor, she picks it up once more for the night and crumples it in her hands. "I need to go," she explains flatly, moving a few steps away from the bed. "I'm glad you're going to be fine." <English>
"Zora," he calls after her before she leaves, kicking his own leg off the bed and standing up. He decides to not press the issue, saving that little nugget for another time. Instead, he simply says to her, "Keep this between us, will you? My *ahem* association with the Alliance. The fewer people who know the less chance something will 'slip'." He doesn't add his feeling that it is also the less chance someone else will hate him for who he was. <English>
Zora glares at him, though it's halfhearted. Somehow, Zora's glares always seem to work two ways - as though she's really glaring at herself more than anyone else. Figuratively speaking, not physically. That would be weird. "I told you I wouldn't say anything," she objects weakly. "But of course. It stays with you and I. And Grey. And Sam. And everyone else you mentioned." She gives him a weak, ironic smile, and then she's gone. <English>
Passe shrugs and rolls his eyes. Yeah, the whole crew is probably going to find out, but hopefully not before he can find out if such news will hurt them or not. He suddenly thinks of Wren and frowns. <English>
