[V]18.2: The AquaDome I pt 2

"Quoppi... You should have told them I was your courtesan or whatever." Faren was working hard to keep a neutral expression.

"But Captain, I have no sexual attraction toward you." 

Varyna's straight face nearly cracked. How could Quoppi say something like that so matter-of-factly. And, wait, did that mean he was attracted to her? Just what exactly was this perverted fish trying to pull?

"Hey-" she reached out to grasp her insolent squadmate's shoulder, but Faren cut her off.

"I don't like it either, but what's done is done. They'll only get more suspicious the longer we converse among ourselves." He narrowed his eyes at Varyna. "Don't blow our cover with that hot head of yours."

Varyna nodded and reluctantly passed her blaster to the Captain. Then, even though every muscle in her body was fighting not to and her lips threatened to illustrate her displeasure, she linked her arm through Quoppi's.

"I'll relay what's happening through the comm, Captain," she said through clenched teeth.

"Right. You two tell me everything that happens, got it?" 

"Yes Sir!" Varyna and Quoppi turned back to the man in the blue suit. He said something else to Quoppi before bowing and motioning them through the door.

Inside was a small room with three plush-looking couches and a glass table in the middle of them. The laser lights were a little brighter in here, but it was still far too dim for Varyna's liking. 

Two of the couches were already occupied by Nemarians. Some were wearing suits and some were in shiny street clothes not unlike Quoppi's getup. Along the back wall stood one beefy-looking Nemarian and one equally muscular Human, wearing a wetsuit similar to Varyna's. They had blasters in their hands. Their arms were relaxed and the guns pointed at the floor, but the message was clear.

The fattest and fanciest dressed Nemarian sat in the center of the couch on the right, with two female Nemarians cuddled up next to him. Varyna wasn't overly familiar with Nemarian beauty standards, but she thought those girls must be getting paid a lot to entertain that guy. She had to applaud them for the effortless smiles on their faces as they pushed themselves up against the fat Nemarian's orange scales.

The fat Nemarian motioned them to the empty couch. Quoppi sat first, and Varyna sat next to him. She tried to mimic the girls across the table, hugging Quoppi's arm and leaning her head close to his. She felt his arm twitch in obvious discomfort, but he didn't move away. 

Good job, Quoppi. She was impressed at her awkward coworker's acting ability. 

Just as they settled, one of the beefy guys from the back approached Quoppi and said something, holding out his hand.

".. they want to take our comms," Quoppi quickly relayed the message, already reaching for his earpiece.

Faren's voice replied, "Wait! Hey! Make something else up, Quoppi! Don't let them take-"

"Sorry, Captain. Things will become complicated if I protest." With that, Quoppi popped his comm out and switched it to off, nodding to Varyna. She hesitantly did the same.

"If this goes south you better get yourself out of here in one piece, Captain."

After a second ominous chirping sound in Faren's ear, the line went dead. Varyna and Quoppi, the two worst fighters on his squad, were left completely to themselves in a room full of dangerous criminals.

"Just a simple mission, my butt," he grumbled to himself.

Inside, the fat Nemarian waved a hand animatedly as he spoke to Quoppi. Varyna had read up on him before they came. According to his case file, he was called The Whale and was one of the lower bosses in the area. But the paragraphs of notes and blurry mugshot in the file couldn't prepare Varyna for the vile way the Nemarian licked his lips when he spoke and grasped at his female companions with meaty webbed hands. 

Quoppi's arm tightened in her grasp as he conversed with The Whale. Her poor squadmate, no matter how level-headed and intelligent, was bound to feel the pressure of their situation. She wished she could help him somehow, but the best she could do was keep the act up to avoid drawing suspicion.

And to do that, she had to fixate on something else—anything else—besides the foul Nemarian in front of her. She was bound to start gagging if she watched him any longer. Instead, her eyes found their way to the only other Human in the room. He was tall. Really tall. He towered over the Nemarians in the room in a Kremel-like way with wide shoulders and thick limbs. His short dark hair waved in the water above his air converter. 

The most concerning thing about him, however, was that his eyes were laser focused on Varyna. And he didn't shy away when she met his gaze. It was more than just curiosity or natural instinct drawing him to the only other of his species in the room. His eyes blazed with suspicion. 

Right. He was exceptionally massive and muscular for Human standards. He must have worked his butt off for this security gig and still was often overlooked in favor of other Nemarians. So why would some big shot Nemarian have a Human bodyguard and Human courtesan with him?

Blast. I knew we should have recruited Nemarians from another squad for this mission. 

It was beginning to dawn on Varyna just how unconvincing their cover really was. Quoppi would have to be giving an incredible performance to sell this, and Varyna had a sneaking suspicion that her clumsy squadmate's acting wasn't quite up to par.

"Come on Quoppi." Varyna whispered, even though she knew her words died in the water before reaching her friend's ears. "All you have to do is convince them you're a buyer. Faren can take care of everything else as soon as they bring out the drugs."

The conversation between Quoppi and The Whale continued, every second feeling like an hour as Varyna could only sit and hope things were going well. The Whale's Human body guard continued to drill a hole in her face with his stare, and she returned a few pointed glowers.

"... He doesn't have a comm unit." Around the third time Varyna locked eyes with the man, she noticed it. How could he communicate with the Nemarians without a comm? 

As she looked around, however, Varyna realized that none of the Nemarians had comms either. So how did they communicate with the Human? Then, she noticed something else.

Hands. 

It was discreet, but the Nemarians were all making hand signals between each other and the Human. The Whale had his arm propped up on the back of the couch and wiggled his fingers. Then the two Nemarians seated on the other couch exchanged brief looks. One of them crossed his fingers on one hand and drew a tiny 'X'. The other nodded, pretended to stretch, and mimicked the movement to the men posted on the wall. Varyna's heart dropped as the two guards nodded and their grips tightened on their blasters.

Blast it all. We're in big trouble.