Take Seven With You…

“Take Seven with you…”

La Sirena... Floating in orbit above a small planet which is home to several growing cities renowned for their massive and ever growing gambling establishments.
Or... Yet another stop off at yet another planet where nothing could possibly go wrong? Right?

The two sets of footsteps, one sounding as if it were trying it’s best to outpace the other, tapped their way along the metal of the upper deck walkway of La Sirena.
“What’s the big deal anyway Raff, it’s just a casino?”, Captain Rios shrugged as he walked briskly along the deck of his ship while trying unsuccessfully to keep well ahead of his pursuing best friend.
The conversation had started over a chat in Rios quarters and now after revealing his plan for the evening he sought to escape from her.
“You Cris? At a casino? Alone and unsupervised? Oh no, no, no, no, no, no…”, Raffi’s arms flailed outwards as she sped up behind her good friend as she followed in the direction of the bridge, “you really think that’s a good idea? I mean after last time?”.
Rios quickened his pace, straightening the black tie of the smart(ish) suit he had chosen for his evening.
With just a few more steps he reached the bridge and stopped abruptly at his command chair which as a result caused Raffi to crash straight into him with a “Mmphf!!” as he halted.
He noted Seven as Raffi stepped back and flicked curls from her face.
The Ranger sat with her coffee mug in one hand and was looking down in concentration as she keyed in system updates with the other hand at the starboard side bridge console.
He turned back to Raffi and discreetly lowered his voice. Interrupting Seven was never a good idea at the best of times.
“Look, last time was a mistake”, he replied quietly, his voice now little more than a subtle whisper.
“A mistake? You bet the damn ship and lost it?”, Raffi reminded him but with absolutely no attempt made at all to lower her own volume.
The captain blew out a huff - Yes, THAT last time, and he didn’t hear the end of it back then either.
His eyes darted from Raffi and then to the quietly concentrating Ranger whom it was obvious they were about to disturb.
“I won it back in an hour didn’t I?”, he whispered in frustration.
Raffi’s arms flopped to her sides as she gave up. She’d heard this all before, many times and yet it always inevitably ended with the same story - Rios, broke.
She glared as Rios moved to sit himself in his chair. He activated the holo screen and began to call up the casino information network listing all the possible gaming and gambling franchises the vast complex had to offer.
Distracted by the intrusion Seven paused her work and looked round to observe the two friends who had now fallen into a stubborn silence.
“Dare I even ask?”, she looked up as Raffi stepped away from Rios, all the while shaking her head and taking a few steps in Seven’s direction.
Raffi looked to Seven, then back to Rios, then back to Seven’s inquisitive expression.
“Captain Calamity here wants to go to the mega casino on the planet below”.
“So?”, Seven prompted. She required a little more information.
“Honey let’s just say Rios doesn’t exactly have the best track record with casinos on his own”.
Seven leant over in her seat and looked round to see Rios still scrolling, lost in his casino information.
“Can’t you take Agnes?”.
“Not interested”, the Captain gave a shake of his head, “Soji and Elnor are a bit young for that sorta place and Raffi’s agreed to help Picard catalogue his wines for next year… or rather she was going to before she started yelling at me”.
“I am not yelling at you!”, Raffi’s voice raised then she looked again to Seven while pointing repeatedly to herself, “Babe, am I yelling at him?”.
“Yes”, the Ranger simply said it as she saw it.
The huff Raffi blew out was exaggerated. Where was her Ranger backup when she needed it?
“Shame”, Seven simply remarked to Rios and then turned back to her work installing a system update to a glitching thruster control programme.
After a few long moments Raffi looked to Seven sat in her chair at the console.
She entertained a thought as she watched the Ranger sip her coffee.
An idea was forming and, she brushed her fingers through her curls as she considered, it was quite possibly the perfect answer to everything.
Dropping to an uncharacteristic silence Raffi drifted delicately away from Seven and placed herself quietly beside Rios.
She reached and tapped her hand gently on his shoulder to pull his attention from the casino network and back onto her.
He returned the look of his friend of so many years and watched as she smiled, winked and then slowly pointed towards Seven.
“Take Seven with you”.
There was a splutter and a cough from the Ranger as she almost miss-swallowed her coffee upon hearing the suggestion.
“WHAT?!”, both reacted in surprised unison.
Seven spun her seat round to face both Raffi and Rios and frowned as she quickly wiped her hand to clear the spluttered coffee from her clothing.
Rios raised his hands in innocence as he looked from Raffi to the mildly irritated Ranger.
“Raff, I do NOT need a babysitter”.
“Then think of Seven as your bodyguard”.
At this point the Ranger put down what remained of her coffee, rose to her feet and stepped away from the console.
“Guarding him from what?”, she enquired as she slowly stepped towards both Raffi and Rios with hands now placed firmly on her hips and having given up any further hope of getting the system update finished today.
“From himself. From losing all his damn money, or if the impossible happens and he wins big then from getting mugged for everything he’s got”.
Seven and Rios exchanged a wordless glance.
“I do not need a bodyguard”.
“It’d make you look important tho, hmmm???”, Raffi quipped with a change of tack and her eyebrows raising in hope.
She stepped delicately between the pair and placed one hand first on Rios’ shoulder and the other a moment later on Seven’s arm.
“Just think of it… rocking up in your posh suit and looking all important with your badass bodyguard, hmmm?”.
Raffi knew Cris would crack, she knew him of old, knew how he thought and most of all she knew how to get under his skin.
“Well…”, Rios stroked his beard in thought as he looked to Seven stood before him in her Ranger gear, holster around her waist and gun at her hip.
Showing up with Seven in tow could he supposed certainly stand him in good stead at the poker table and give the impression of a rich and important VIP - one rich and important enough to require an imposing bodyguard.
He stroked his beard once more.
“Look Seven Babe please”, Raffi interjected, “if he looks like his gonna lose every penny his ass owns then just bring him straight back here and if he wins big then, well same, bring his ass straight back here”.
Seven looked to Rios, her shoulders raising in an ‘it’s up to you?’ gesture.
Rios it seemed still remained unconvinced.
“Cris Honey just leave Seven watching you from the bar, she’ll have your back and you won’t even know she’s there”.
He thought again… Perhaps it would be good to have some company. He often enjoyed Seven’s companionship over a late night drink on the occasions when Raffi had the bridge and the pair had indeed formed a good bond of friendship.
He took a cigar from the inner pocket of his suit and took it between his teeth as he reached his decision.
“Alright”, he said and then nodded towards the Ranger’s waist, “but I have one rule - that stupid gun doesn’t leave it’s holster”.
Seven folded her arms over her chest as she listened and considered her own terms.
“Then I have a rule too - Rios pays for all drinks”, she countered with her own demand and stood tall.
“Damn you know how to drive a bargain Ranger but… Deal”.
Raffi smiled, watching with little surprise that Seven had already checkmated Rios within seconds of him agreeing.
She winked at Seven with a grin.
The deal was done and Rios rose to his feet, making straight away for the direction of the transporter pad and leaving Seven and Raffi finally to themselves.
Raffi sidled up closer alongside Seven, pulling her closer with a hand around her waist and an appreciative smile.
“I think you just saved the day Honey…”, Raffi said, “because it’s a long walk back to Earth if he lost the damn ship again”.
She noted Seven suppress a smirk.
The Ranger turned to stand before Raffi, holding her before her with both hands placed warmly on her waist.
“We’ll I’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen while you spend the evening sat up here thinking of ways to…”, Seven stepped back slightly and released Raffi from her gentle grasp, “…compensate me”.
Raffi’s brain crashed at that moment.
“I’m very expensive…”, Seven leant in and whispered into Raffi’s ear.
They looked to each other, the smirk on Seven’s face growing quite proudly as Raffi tried to assemble a response.
“Seven?? Are you coming or not??”, Rios voice called from where he now stood waiting impatiently on the transporter pad.
“Very expensive…”, Seven again repeated and then with a wink and a smile she turned and left the wordless Raffi and strode towards the transporter with perhaps just a little more swagger than normal.

The long night out was about to begin…