Starfleet Noire, Part I

Posted on Fri Dec 12th, 2025 @ 10:07pm by Ensign Garabed "Garo" Hakobyan & Ensign Tenzi Sh'reyva & Master Chief Petty Officer Vashti Rao & Petty Officer 2nd Class Zal Rixi & Crewman Emiliano Echevarria & Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acainus & Josef Forstinger & Lieutenant JG Jason Williams III & Ensign Luciana Aguila & Petty Officer 3rd Class Dallas Reese

1,145 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Shadow in the Static
Location: Holodeck 2, Deck 4
Timeline: 1800 Hours

Josef had received an invite. Something which he was not used to anymore. Tenzi had sent him a time and location, apparently he and several others (though she didnt mention who) were to meet up on the "Holodeck" for some "adventuring". He had no clue what a Holodeck was nor what she entirely meant by Adventuring, but he did agree and eventually received a replicator pattern for an outfit. Having been told to wear it to the event-apparently everyone else had received instructions to dress up too.

After figuring out how to even replicate said pattern he put it on. Dark Beige pants, leather boots, a belt, a light blue shirt...and a flatcap ? He did raise a eyebrow at the whole essemble-but, chose to follow instructions, put it on-and makes his way down towards the proper Deck.

Soon enough, he stepped out of the Turbolift. His stubble-caused by not having shaved in 3 days-making him look like he just stepped out of the literal Holodeck.

Now, where the hell was everybody else ?

Tenzi spotted him first--Josef standing there in the corridor as though he'd literally stepped out of an archival photograph, his cap tilted slightly where the brim wasn't supposed to sit. She lifted a hand and waved at him.

"You clean up real nice, Josef. Very chic."

Rixi leaned against the holodeck program panel, arms crossed, looking like she was born for the stage. Her dress shimmered in the low light--silver beading, low hem, a cut that meant trouble in any century. She gave Josef an appraising look and grinned. "I don't know much about Earth history but I like that cap. On Bajor, you look like manual labourer."

"Likewise, T." Josef complimented the Blue Woman, pointing out her own outfit as he gave her a quick up and down look before moving over to Rixi. "Well, seems like our planets aren't that different. I must look like my grandpa just around my age--if he lived in an American city and worked in a factory or something."

Then Vashti stepped into view. If Rixi glowed, Vashti steadied the air around her. The long black gown she wore caught each corridor light like she was a million constellations twinkling at once. A soft plume of faux cigarette smoke curled from the filter-holder between her fingers--something she'd programmed, nothing real of course--just atmosphere.

"You're right on time," she said, voice all silk. "And trust me, you'll appreciate being in costume once we're inside. It's easier to disappear into the world when you're already dressed for the part."

Tenzi smiled at Vashti. "Looking sexy, Vee. Where's everyone else?"

"You rang, Tenz?" Dallas grinned as he stepped onto the scene. He'd opted for the twisted classic look of a bartender: a long sleeve off-white shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves, a dark green almost black patterned vest with a bow tie to match and black dress pants that came just short of and matched the dress shoes he was wearing. A faux rolled cigarette was behind his ear and a similar flat cap to Josef's was pushed back to reveal his carefully styled hair.

His grin remained and he had to swallow hard as he saw how good the girls looked, and Josef, the man he'd befriended at the bar before Tenzi drunk too much, he scrubbed up good as well. At a loss for words, "Rixi, Vashti. Y'all are putting me to shame here."

"Well look at that. We got the next Marilyn Monroe in the House. " Josef complimented Vashti. Though he still wasn't 100% sure why everyone was dressing up-he didn't wish to spoil the mood and stay silent.

"Oh please, Dallas. Let em girls be girls with their dresses. You look just fine yourself with your bowtie--back me up here girls. At least you got more than just the basics." Josef continued - giving him a rough pat on the back with that piece of slightly before sliding out a -unlike the others- real cigarette, and lit it. Putting it between his teeth with a grin as he inhaled.

"I'm telling you--" came a male voice from around the corner. "These are the specifications Vashti sent me."

Emiliano Echevarria wore a violet pinstripe suit that looked almost accidental in the light of the corridor, as if he’d wandered through a field of dusk and come out wearing it all. The stripes were thin but vibrant and his shirt was a stubborn white, his tie a darker plum, all of it neat in the way detectives sometimes are when everything else in their lives are chaotic and messy. The suit wasn’t flashy. It simply made him look like a man trying to navigate a city with a little dignity, one block at a time.

Garo was looking dapper in a blue-and-white pinstripe suit with a midnight blue tie, a similar patterned vest and shiny two-toned brown wingtip shoes. He ran a hand down the front of his jacket. "I'm enjoying myself already," Garo mused, feeling the rich material and grinning happily. "This could be a fun evening."

Catching site of the congregation idling near the holodeck entrance, Garo whistled. "Looks like my family at Christmas dinner--everyone waiting for the bathroom after my aunt's nevik." Turning to Emiliano, he lowered his voice, adding, "Too much red pepper."

A few moments later, Jason stepped into view, wearing a sharp, navy blue double-breasted suit, black leather shoes shined to a mirror sheen, and a black fedora, worn slightly to the right side of his head. "Alright, guys and dolls, how are we doing tonight? Are we ready to have some fun?" He saw Emiliano in the police officer's uniform, and he froze. "Crap! It's the fuzz!" He started to reach inside his suit coat, but only pulled out his right hand, in the shape of a gun. "Bang! You best watch yourself, copper. You come into my club, you best be respectful. Otherwise, you might wake up with the fishes."

He was still for a few beats, then grinned broadly and laughed as he approached the group. "Sorry, guys, I just finished watching a bunch of historical videos on how a crook might speak back then." He glanced about, a slightly worried look on his face. "Did I get it right? Or was it too much?"

Rixi threw Jason a quizzical look. "Fuzz?"

"American Slang term for Police," Josef answered after taking another drag of his cigarette--which anyone standing close to him could now definitely tell by the smell that it was not a fake. "And I believe it's 'sleeping with the fishes.' Nice Suit, though." Josef commented as he pointed at Jason. Realizing he hadn't met some of the people here--though if they seemed to know Tenzi to some extent--how bad could any of them really be?


~To Be Continued~

RSS Feed