SquidgeWorld Archive

Ari slumped over, dabbling her hands in the water quietly and considered slipping the rest of herself in as well. Not that she was dressed for it, but ... In a few hours, the guys would be gathering around Trey and they would start playing games, and for some reason, she wasn't welcome. Well, she didn't want to go!

Last week, she'd approached Captain Bridger about getting a short liberty today to visit the underwater colony of Tir na Nog, for the big St. Patrick's Day celebration there and permission to take the others. He hadn't been too sanguine about her chances of getting it, so she hadn't mentioned the idea to anyone, just worked a little harder and gotten her school work out of the way in odd hours before hand, just in case. Then, yesterday, he finally gave her leave to go, and take one person with her.

Naturally, she'd thought of taking Miguel, but before she found him, Trey had dropped her little bombshell. And Ari had known that whatever she said, the older woman would twist it out of shape and use it as a weapon. So, feeling like a coward for avoiding the confrontation, she'd just walked away and had avoided them all since. But it wasn't fair to get into a fight with someone armed with a dart gun, when you have a bazooka. If she ever did retaliate, she knew enough of Trey's weak spots to destroy her emotionally.

Ari had asked Lonnie if she wanted to join her, but the other ensign had duty today, and couldn't get off. So, it looked like Ari was going to have to go herself, except that the captain had specifically ordered her not to, and...

"Why do you sit there like that all the time?" The slow careful question distracted her angry and upset thoughts. With a small sigh, Ari pulled her arms out of the water and turned around, pasting a smile of welcome on her face for the huge gentle dagger. Ari liked the GELF, a prototype for a new breed of warriors, created without an aggressive bone in his body.

"Hi Dagwood. I just feel better when I'm close to water, that's all."

"Do you feel bad?" he asked anxiously, his many-coloured face showing concern for her. Giving a short explosion of laughter, Ari shook her head.

"Not really. I'm just a little upset, that's all."

"Why?" Dagwood clambered down to sit tailor fashion beside her. His warm, soft brown eyes showed intense interest in her answer.

"Because I've got a couple of tickets to go see a parade and no one to go with me." Said like that, it was a ridiculously trivial reason for a snit.

"Miguel would go with you," Dagwood replied earnestly. "Did you ask him?" She shook her head.

"He's playing poker with Tony and Trey."

"Oh." There was a short pause, while the gentle behemoth processed this. "What is a parade?"

"Oh, Dagwood," she answered smiling, her eyes turning inward as she remembered, "It's where a bunch of people dress up in costume and their best clothes and ride floats and ..." She stopped and looked at him curiously. "Haven't you ever seen a parade?"

Swinging his head in a wide arc from side to side, he answered, "Uh Huh! Never." Ari took a deep breath and raised her chin thoughtfully examining him and the idea framing in her mind.

"I think you should. Dagwood, are you busy for, oh, say the next 5 hours or so?" Eyes wide, he shook his head again. Ari got to her feet, a huge grin on her face. "Well, you are now. You are coming with me to see the St. Patrick's Day Parade!" She held out her hand to the dagger. "I'm glad Miguel is busy, because you are going to love this. Come on! It'll be fun!"

"Oh-kay!' he sing-songed, obediently taking her hand and following as she danced ahead, pulling like a tug leading an ocean liner. First she had to get Cmdr. Ford's ok and sign out a transport. But that was just a formality. This was going to be fun!

********

Tir na Nog was very different from Bonchance, a farming community not industry, open and green. Ari breathed in the smell of wet earth, blooming plants and cut greenery with a her head thrown back and her eyes closed. Opening them, she smiled happily up at the huge dagger beside her.

The first place they'd gone after arriving at the colony was the float preparation site, watching while the last remaining touches were put on the displays. The huge rainbow on the centerpiece float was a work of art. After they'd been chased from there by the busy artificers, they wandered through the booths and displays set up on the commons, out of way of the parade route. Dagwood had been bemused by the Riverdance, fascinated by the contrast of fast flashing legs and motionless torsos. At the Jewish display, Ari had pulled him out to join in an Israeli circle dance. A woman in traditional African garments told a couple of Anansi stories, and the ensign laughed at the antics of the sly little spider as hard as the dagger did. Joining a calleagh, she'd discovered that he had a burring sort of a singing voice, well suited for the traditional folk songs they'd tried.

"There's still an hour to go before the parade begins, Dagwood," she informed him, checking her watch. The lilt proclaiming her home was becoming more pronounced, as it always did when she didn't watch it carefully. "We've seen everything once. Would ye be wanting something to eat? Drink? Go back and see something again?" He looked around curiously, with the open-eyed wonder of a little child.

"Could I have an ice cream soda?" he asked, as if expecting her to say no.

"Of course you can," she said laughing and pointing. "If I'm reading this map correctly, there should be a soda fountain right over that way."

A couple of men walked past, giving Dagwood a suspicious, hostile stare as they did so. Ari kept her eye on them, she'd noticed others like them around all day, glowering at the different demonstartions and trying to ruin the more vocal ones with loud and obnoxious comments. One of them muttered to the other, "We aren't needing his kind around here, you know." "Yeah, I know you mean," his companion replied."

As Ari glared over her shoulder at their departing backs, Dagwood sadly observed, "I don't think they like me."

"Never you mind, Dagwood, there are always those who don't like others. Here it is." Dagwood looked quietly perplexed as she led him inside, but before they could take a seat, the aproned proprietor bustled up to them.

"I'm sorry, we don't serve his kind here," he said, a faint lilt in his voice proclaiming his country of origin. "You'll have to leave him outside." Ari pushed herself in front of the Dagwood, protecting him and glaring at the man.

"Sure and you're an Irishman?" she asked loudly the sound of the old country strong and scathing in her voice. "So, this is the hospitality ye'd be giving to an honest working man. I'm not to be believin' of this. I wonder what your parents and kinfolk would be thinkin' of such behaviour from one such as yersel'?" Several of the customers turned to look at her thoughtfully at this.

He held up his hands, trying to quiet her voice. "Shush. Keep it down." he replied. Ari raised her voice.

"No and I shan't be keeping down. Come on, Dagwood. It's thinking I am we should just lodge a protest wi' the planners, informing them that this establishment turned customers awa' based on the colours of their skins."

Taken aback by the fierceness of her tone, he shook his head and back-pedaled frantically. "No! No, I just... You can stay, but it's the... Him ... " He pointed at Dagwood and then looked around at the faces of his customers. "Can you promise me that he's safe? That he won't hurt anyone?" Ari paused and laughed scornfully at him. She could see several patrons waiting anxiously to hear her response.

"Ye ha' more to fear fra me than from him," she declared roundly, while Dagwood nodded his head up and down solemnly. "He's as gentle as a kitten, and twice as sweet."

"I wouldn't hurt anyone," he promised. The man looked worried, but he nodded. Giving a reluctant nod he caved in. "Oh, all right. Come in, come in, I'll do the best I can." As he led them to a table, in the back and out of sight of the windows, Ari noticed, the man continued his apology. "I'm sorry. I've just never had one of them in my shop before." He pulled out a chair and waved her into it.

Dagwood was enthralled with the variety of choices and finally chose an Irish sundae; orange sherbet, vanilla and mint ice creams, garnished with six mint leaves. He chose to have chocolate sauce poured over the top. Ari enjoyed the gusto with which he demolished the confection while she slowly sipped her coffee.

"Hey, soda jerk!" One of the two grumblers wandered in, glaring at Dagwood's oblivious back. "What do you think you're doing, having one of those animals in the place." The proprietor, coming out from behind the counter, made pushing down gestures with his hands, trying to shush the trouble-maker. "If you aren't careful, you'll have the public health officials in."

"There's nothing wrong with my place. And I've seen you and your people around here, trying to intimidate the other booth holders. You can't scare me. If you try to start anything, I'll call the Peelers on you." He gave a snort of scornful disbelief and looked sideways at Ari, who had put her cup to one side and sat there calmly watching to see what he planned to do. Dagwood, his back to the newcomer, seemed oblivious to the disturbance, intent on chasing the last bites of ice cream down with his spoon.

"Now listen here, friend, you don't want to do anything you might regret. It would be a horrible thing if anything happened to this place." Ari glanced over at the dagger, who had abruptly stopped scraping the last of the sauce and put the bowl and spoon down.

"I'm thinking it's time we be leaving, Dagwood," she murmured quietly to him. "Come along then." She stood and approached the proprietor.

"I'm thanking yoursel' and this fine place for the sarvice, sair," she said, deliberately broadening the brogue. As expected, it seemed to make the thug nervous. He licked his lips and blinked rapidly at her. "So, we'll just be settlin' oop the bill an' on our way naow, if ye will." She smiled blindingly at the bully as she followed the relieved owner to the register. "As ye know, we're strangers here, dependent on the hospitality of true Irishmen. T'is good ta find a bit of home sair far from the green isle."

"You aren't claiming that monster is an Irish man, now? Are you?" the bully sneered, following her to the bar and trying to lean her into the counter. Dagwood tapped him on the shoulder.

"I don't think you should be standing so close to Ari," he advised calmly. "I don't think she likes it and it might make her mad. Lucas says that you don't want to make Ari mad at you." Ari gave him a puzzled look at that.

"Does he now?" she muttered quietly. More loudly, she responded to the man. "Now, then, sair, how is it ye can be claiming that he's not? Look at him now. Ye'll be finding all ta colours of the human rainbow, thair. And wi' in his heart, thair's the true gold. I'd be sair proud ta call him brother." And she smiled at the bully, upping the wattage until he started blinking more rapidly as though he'd just walked out of a dark room into the noonday sun.

He backed away, confused by the subliminal messages he was receiving from the two of them. The dagger's bulk should have been the more intimidating, but somehow the small, smiling woman was the one he found himself afraid of. "Umm, well, I don't know," he threw back at them defiantly. "But I'll be back, you can count on that. As for you two, just stay out of my way, you hear?"

Ari waited until the door shut before turning back to the counter, laughing a little under her breath. "Thanks for the assist, Dagwood," she said, accepting the change. The owner of the soda shop leaned forward.

In a quiet voice, he cautioned, "You be careful, he's a dangerous man." Ari smiled at him.

"Aye, but ye see, I'm a mair dangairous woman. But I'm not lookin' for trouble today, so I'll be stayin' awa' from him." She looked again at the worried man, More quietly, she asked, "What did you mean, that he and his people have been doing things? What's going on?" The soda man, looked around cautiously and then leaned over, speaking softly.

"There's a bunch of guys who are trying to close down different businesses, mostly the non-Irish or non-traditional booths. They've knocked over a few places, smashed up the African pottery. There was a lot of rancour about the theme for this year's parade." Ari felt her brow crease with puzzlement.

"The rainbow? But that's traditional Irish."

"Yeah, but not the rainbow of humanity. They think that Ireland should be for the Irish." Ari nodded, feeling subdued.

Back out in the commons, Darwin was silent for several minutes and Ari began to fear that the incident in the soda shop had soured the day for him. Noticing a bunch of kids carrying balloons walking past and, hoping it would help him regain his spirits, Ari tracked down one of the clown vendors and bought a bright red balloon for Dagwood. He insisted on having it tied to his wrist, the way a lot of the children did, and as she was doing so, he asked curiously, "Did you mean what you said about calling me brother?"

"Actually, Dagwood, yes, I did. You are a fine, decent person, and I would like to think that we share some genetic material in common." She sighed sadly. "But given the history of the Irish, that's not very likely. We aren't exactly known for our pacific nature, you know."

"Dagwood has a brother," Dagwood informed her solemnly. "He looks just like Dagwood. And I am sort of an uncle, too." She smiled sadly up at him.

"Yeah, I know. You have a lot of brothers and sisters. I guess I'm still trying to find my own family." With a sigh, she tugged at the balloon cord. "There, that should hold it. Let's find someplace to sit and watch the parade. Ok?"

The parade route was clearly marked with coloured rods and roadblocks and bleachers had been set up at various points along the way. But, having considered the bleachers, Ari decided to try someplace more out of the way, where Dagwood would have a good view of things but they wouldn't have to be too close to anyone else. She didn't want to let anyone else spoil the outing for the big, gentle giant beside her.

Dagwood looked down from the balloon tied to his wrist and, finding himself in the middle of the common, where people were gathering, he stopped, forcing the woman to stop as well. He turned around, rotating in place, trying to see everything he could. There were a lot of children running around, playing tag, yelling and throwing balls. Brightly coloured balloons escaped their owners to ride the air currents up to the ceiling, leaving other children crying beneath them, pointing up. Several people seemed to have brought picnic lunches or had chairs or blankets spread along the parade route, between the bleachers.

"I'm glad my balloon is tied to my hand. Thank you, Ari," he said complacently. "I am enjoying this parade very much, so far." Ari laughed, feeling pleased.

"It hasn't really begun, yet, Dagwood. Hey! I think that's a good spot over there. Let's go and sit on the grass and wait for things to begin." Docilely, he allowed her to lead him and then lay down, raising and lowering his arm to watch the balloon rise and fall. Ari watched the shifting crowd warily. There were too many rough men, not enough women and children around. She began to wish that she had requested a sidearm when she'd left the SeaQuest.

"Would you sing to me, Ari? You sing to Darwin, would you sing to me?" Dagwood's plaintive request interrupted her increasingly gloomy thoughts.

"Of course I will, if you want." Her eyes scanning the faces of the people around, Ari began quietly to sing the songs her parents had taught her.

*******

Tim, taking a longer shift as a favor to another officer, looked up from the comm station with an expression of concern. "Commander, we've just received a request from Tir na Nog colony for police assistance. They got a tip that some terrorist group is planning to disrupt the proceedings." Lonnie looked around curiously from the helm.

Ford looked toward him, puzzled frown on his face. "Why don't they just ban them from the colony." Tim shrugged and transmitted the question.

"They think that a number of the potential rioters are already there. Have been infiltrating them for some time." Ford nodded.

"Contact the Captain," he ordered.

"Isn't that where Ari was supposed to be going?" Lonnie asked, her brow creasing with worry. Tim gave her a quizzical look.

As soon as he'd finished paging the captain, the comm officer replied, "Ari's in her quarters, working on the Sorbonne assignments, just as she does every Thursday evening ." Lonnie shook her head, concentrating on keeping a steady course.

"Not this week. She finished it all up earlier in the week so she could have the evening off and go see a parade. She is Irish, you know."

"Then why didn't she tell anyone?" he asked indignantly. Lonnie snorted disdainfully.

"As I understand it, you are all going to be busy giving Piccolo your money in just a little while. And I think that your relief is finally here," she added snidely.

Tim stood to let the officer take his seat, and Captain Bridger strode onto the bridge. "Trouble in Tir na Nog?" he queried shortly. Cmdr. Ford nodded his head.

"Or so they believe, sir."

"Dagwood and Adler are already there, right?" Ford nodded.

"Yes sir, but I don't know if they took a PAL or not." Standing with his legs apart, Bridger stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Lt. Brody is still out with that shoulder strain. You'll have to go Commander. Take O'Neill and Henderson and see if you can find out about the situation there. If necessary, get Adler and Dagwood and attach them to your command. Contact me if you think that event warrants military intervention." Cmdr. Ford jerked his head at the two officers named.

"Let's go," he ordered sharply. Lonnie grinned impishly at Tim.

"Well, I guess Tony will just have to wait to get your money," she quipped.

Part 2

Ari stopped singing, conscious that her throat was dry and that the coffee she'd had earlier was making it's presence known. Cautioning Dagwood to stay put and not talk to anyone, she made her way to one of the temporary necessaries that had been set up for the anticipated crowds.

Feeling somewhat more comfortable, she worked her way through the increasing crowds, back toward Dagwood, passing under one of the bleachers. A group of the men were gathered there, and her eyes narrowed as she recognized the man in the center of the group as the jerk who'd tried to lean on her earlier. She paused beside a bush nearby, kneeling down as if to fix her shoe, listening closely.

"So, is it done, Pat?" One of the others asked. The man she recognized nodded with a self-congratulatory smirk.

"Yep. Set to blow in half an hour, just as it reaches the packed center, sure as my name is Patrick Mulligan" he boasted. Someone touched her shoulder and Ari caught her breath, suppressing her scream of surprise.

"Are you all right, Ari?" Dagwood asked with concern. Ari nodded, holding up her hand for silence and hoping that the man would give them an idea of what *it* was and where he had hidden the bomb.

As if in answer to her unspoken prayer, one of his comrades asked, "So, which float did you put it on, Pat?" The thug sniggered.

"Where they won't look for it. Believe me lads, it's the pot of gold." He laughed nastily, and Ari nodded to Dagwood, standing in a half crouch and pulling him away.

"We've got to get back to the Stinger, Dagwood, and contact SeaQuest," she said urgently.

"But we'll miss the parade."

"That man back there said that he put a bomb in the parade. We've got to find it! Come on."

"Oh-kay." Feeling saddened and resentful of her treat being spoiled, Ari half-ran back toward where the Stinger was docked, running full tilt into Ford as he turned a corner from the berth,

"Oh, Cmdr. Ford," she breathed a sigh of relief. "Am I glad to see you. There's a bomb in the parade somewhere."

"We heard there'd be some trouble. Do you know where it is." She shook her head no.

"I heard someone say that it was on a float, but I don't know which one. He said something about a pot of gold. Oh, and he said that it would go off in half an hour."

"That was three minutes ago," Dagwood corrected. She nodded her thanks at him.

"Then we don't have much time. Where does the parade start?" Before they could tell him, a couple of constables accompanying their captain arrived.

"SeaQuest? Good! I'm glad you could make it. If you would come with me..."

"You've already got a situation," Ford informed him tersely. "There's a bomb in the parade, inside a pot of gold. We've got to get to the floats!" The colonial force looked at him blankly for a moment, so he turned to Ari and Dagwood, "Let's move!"

Ari turned and started running, hearing Dagwood protest behind her, "But Commander Ford!" She was grateful that Dagwood had insisted on seeing the floats was earlier in the day, so they actually knew where the staging point was. The pounding of feet behind her informed her both her crewmates and the colonial constables were following. One of them, a thin sprinter-type, passed her by.

The constable jumped up onto the first float he came to and rushed to the cauldron prominently displayed, dumping its contents on the ground. A short, fussy man ran up, screaming imprecations at him and scrabbling the fake coins up,

"What do you think you are doing?" A taller, impressive-looking man with a goatee and tiny moustache appeared. By his namecard, he was the Master of the Ceremonies for the parade. As the constable jumped to the next float, he ran after him, yelling, "Stop that! You can't do that!" One of the roadies had grabbed the patrolman and was trying to wrestle him to the ground when the others arrived, a trifle breathless.

Ari jumped up onto the next float and poured the fake coins in the pot on the surface while Cmdr. Ford explained matters to the MC. "You've got a bomb hidden in one of the pots. Which floats have pots of gold?"

"But Commander," Dagwood was the only one of them not breathing heavily. Ford waved him quiet, concentrating on the parade official, who had gone pale at the idea.

"Why, all of them, more than one, in fact. We were going to throw gold coins out along the parade route. As souveniers. My God! This can't be happening!" The parade members backed away quickly, leaving the SeaQuest crew and the constables, more arriving in answer to the captain's call, to check through the floats.

Dagwood, frustrated in his attempts to get the commander to listen to him, approached Ari. "But, Ari," he said as she hopped from one float to the next in line. "The man didn't say that the bomb was in a pot of gold." She looked up at him.

"Yes he did, Dagwood."

"No, he didn't," the dagger contradicted, swinging his head from side to side. "He said it was the pot of gold." Ari froze, her mind replaying the scene.

"You're right," she said slowly. Standing up on the float, she looked around at the confusion until she spotted Ford. "Commander!" she yelled, jumping down and running up to him and the MC. "This is a wild goose chase. It's got to be hidden in the either the first float or the last one. They're the only ones with rainbows on them."

"What? You said it was in a pot of gold."

"Maybe I did," she confessed. "But there's no time to waste. I'll take the theme float, down there." She pointed to the last float at the staging grounds, an enormous rainbow structure with platforms at different points along the arch and a banner declaring it to be 'The Rainbow of Humanity'. Cmdr. Ford gave her a searching glance then nodded.

"Ok, you do that. Take Dagwood with you. I'll check out the first one." Raising his voice he continued to those who had paused in their efforts, "But the rest of you continue what you're doing, just in case." Ari nodded and waved Dagwood to follow her.

Concentrating on the enormous rainbow edifice, Ari took one side while Dagwood took the other, both working their way in toward the middle. The bomb was in one of the housings supporting the center of the multicoloured arch. Ari groaned as she looked it over. The sadists had connected about ten different wires to the device, in every colour possible. "Commander!" she yelled. "I found it! We've got a minute 30 seconds before it blows."

"DAMN!" Ari blinked with surprise as the usually impassive officer cursed, running up and leaping beside her on the float. "The bomb experts isn't here yet. Can you, ... damn," he repeated himself, looking at the mess of wires. "No telling which one is the live wire." He stood up, yelling loudly "EVACUATE THE AREA. GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"

But Ari looked at the wires over closely, remembering the conversation with the ice cream shop owner, and the boasting of the terrorist. With a prayer for guidance, she reached out and pulled the green wire, tearing it from the device. The timer halted.

Standing up, she turned around, watching the roadies, officials, parade participants and others running away. Sitting down, she waited quietly until they realized that time was up and slowly, cautiously returned. Ford was none too happy with her.

"How did you know?" he asked quietly, containing his anger as she handed him the torn wire.

"It was his name, Patrick Mulligan. That was one of the names celebrated in the IRA, and someone told me that it was a protest against the non-Irish participants, so," she shrugged ruefully, "logical that the only live wire would be the green one. A calculated risk."

The Master of Ceremonies peeked at them as they pulled the defunct explosive off the float and the constables carried it away. Only then did
he approach, reaching out to take Ford's hand and pump it enthusiastically, thanking him fulsomely.

But Commander Ford pulled his hand away, nodding at the ensign. "I didn't do it. Ensign Adler found the bomb and defused it. Thank her." The MC turned to her and grabbed her hand, shaking it.

"If there's anything I can do for you," he promised, "just ask. And if I can, I will." Ari looked back at Dagwood, looking sadly up at the rainbow float, and she remembered that they had lost their place to view the parade. It would be a shame to go back to the SeaQuest without seeing something of it.

"Actually," she replied, "There is something that you can do for me."

*********

Dagwood beamed out over the faces of the people watching the parade, a bright green plastic bowler perched on the top of his head, proving that one size does NOT fit all, waving and throwing handfuls of plastic gold coins out to the crowd. Ari grinned up at him from one of the rainbow platforms further down, happy to see him so pleased and amused by the puzzled, confused and perplexed faces of the people looking up to see a dagger in the place of honour of the main float. They didn't know that the gentle man had saved the parade and the peace of the celebration. Turned out that "Patrick Mulligan" had quite a record and was well known to the local authorities, so he and his gang were already under lock and key.

The MC had argued that he couldn't put a dagger there, at the very top, that it wasn't possible. But with Ford, Lonnie and Tim backing her up, she'd convinced him that a dagger, and specifically, Dagwood, was the perfect symbol for the theme. Of course, he'd insisted that they had to be close by in case anything went wrong, and so here they were, standing like targets, waving to people. She gave a happy sigh and turned to toss out another handful of gold coins.

Ari waved and threw the coins out in a wide arc, saving one to toss at Commander Ford, on a lower platforms, while making it appear to be an accident. He kept glaring at her anyway for showing him up like that. She suppressed a smirk and looked up. There hadn't been enough time to tell him what she intended to do. Besides, it was so much fun when she got the coin to bounce off the bowler he was wearing. Then a plunk hit her and she looked up to see Dagwood smiling proudly down. With a grin, she realized that he'd caught on to what she was doing and was doing it to her. Biting her lower lip, she tried to lob one up, but the dagger grabbed it out of the air, and scored another perfect hit, hoist by her own petard.

Tim was almost level to hers, and seeing what Dagwood was up to, decided to try it on his own. Soon the three of them and Lonnie were all bombarding one another with the coins and the people were laughing and calling out advice, while Ford tried his best to remain aloof and apart from the foolishness. With a gathering of glances, all four of his team members began a fusillade of coins, and he finally broke down and retailiated. Ari felt a thrill of victory, silently thanking Trey for deciding to distract Miguel. This was one treat wouldn't have been as perfect with anyone else.

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