#*his

This scene may or may not make it into the final cut of Call Sign, but it was a good warmup in characterization and dialogue.

Mildly suggestive but that’s about it

Rizel wasn’t paying attention when she went to stow her bag; the stack of actual flimsi-bound books inside the locker that wasn’t hers fell into a cluttered heap, other personal effects spilling out onto the floor in front of her. Cursing under her breath, she set her own pack aside, scooping up the pile and messily trying to sort it.

As she did, however, she couldn’t help but notice the titles and covers of most of the books.

The Bounty Hunter’s Bride. Knights of Dawnguard Manor. The Courtship of the Queen. The Marriage of Two Masters. Staver and Vasilisa. Mandalore’s Plight. Pledge of the Night Count. Serenno’s Silver Fox. The Princess and the Scoundrel. To Lure a Zeltron. Spies and Sabotage.

“Are you snooping through Barak’s stash?”

Djao appeared at her side and looked at her expectantly, leaning against the lockers. Rizel, unashamed, flipped through one of the books.

“How did he manage to smuggle all these in?” she asked. “I didn’t think you all had much in the way of personal effects.”

“I’ve found it’s best not to ask what the captain does ‘behind the scenes.’ You’re always guaranteed to hear more than what you bargained for.”

“ “Taming the Kaleesh Warlord” ?” Rizel asked with barely restrained laughter. The cover had a masked, tattooed, bare-chested Kaleesh male whose attire left little to the imagination, embracing a woman who appeared to have swooned under his affections in a rugged wilderness setting. “How are you supposed to kiss— Scratch that, how are you supposed to bed a Kaleesh? What kind of equipment are we talking about here?”

“Do you actually want to know?”

“Kind of, yeah.”

“Let’s just say their hearts aren’t the only thing they’ve got two of.”

“That’s a good one,” Barak said, appearing from behind them and reaching past her to grab his canteen. “You can borrow it if you want.”

“I’m almost morbidly curious.”

“It’s not for the faint of heart.”

“Now I’m very curious.”

“What are you guys— Oh come on.”

The three of them turned, Hollis having materialized from the ’fresher hall looking prim and disgusted. “The ‘library’ again?”

“Seems you’re familiar with Barak’s guilty pleasure?” Rizel said.

“Tch. That would imply he felt any guilt at all. Barak forced us to listen to his “findings” on Ord Mantell after he raided an abandoned kiosk.”

“Purely research,” Barak said.

“It’s undignified,” Hollis grumbled. “You’re a commanding officer.”

“What happens when you accidentally initiate the wrong courtship ritual with another species and aren’t aware of it? It’s good to be in the know.”

Djao slapped a hand over Rizel’s mouth the second she started to turn his way. “Not a word,” he said, glaring. “Don’t even ask.”

“What if I wanted to initiate a courtship ritual with a Nautolan?” Rizel teased, pulling his hand away.

“I’d have to say I’d be disappointed,” a fifth voice cut in.

The other men burst out laughing. Rizel cringed, her neck and face coloring with embarrassment.

“Commander.” Maybe if she played it cool he wouldn’t notice. “I see you’ve found your way back to the roost.”

“And I see someone’s been digging through the captain’s contraband,” Mayday said, amused. Rizel didn’t realize she still held one of the books; she shoved it into Djao’s chest without looking, forcing him to take it as he squawked in protest.

“I was trying to stow my pack.”