Bad day on the job

Posted on Tue Mar 31, 2015 @ 2:46am by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin

947 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: The Box of Delights
Timeline: EOTB MD03 1400

[ON]

[The Box of Delights]

After giving their statements to the Marshals Petty Officer Alan Murray and Sarah Kolowski were sent off duty.

Murray saw Kolowski to her quarters, she was quiet and withdrawn and although he offered to stay with her a while she declined, wanting only to take a long shower and curl up in bed.

Murray was dealing with the unpleasant discovery of the body in his own way and decided he needed a stiff drink or three

He took a turbo lift down to the Promenade and headed for one of his favorite watering holes, The Box of Delights

He'd intended a couple of quiet drinks but there were four of his shift-mates already there and when they saw him they demanded to know if the rumors of Murray and Kolowski finding a body were true.

They ordered him a drink and he told them what they had discovered on the Navigational Beacon.

"I didn't see him floating on the cross and I only caught a glimpse of the body when the Marshall brought it aboard but Kolwoski said that..." Murray proceeded to describe the awful state of the body to his friends. He didn't raise his voice or make a scene of it, but still his voice carried just far enough over the bar to be picked up by one set of ears.

The first few comments about a crucifixion made her ears prick up. Yolanthe slowed the rate she was mixing drinks to let her hear better the gruesome details. As Kolowski continued she found herself turning green, first mint, then lime, and then emerald. Draylin Tal had told her about it once. The syndicate had once used it as a punishment for treachery. It had fallen out of fashion, too long, too gratuitous, even for the syndicate. They called it the Hell Death, and that was an apt name. Only one person in the syndicate kept the sick tradition alive.

Oded Veyr, a demon in andorian form,

She put the glass she was holding down, and picked up a bottle of vodka and some glasses and approached Murray's group. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help over hearing. Sounds like you need this."

Murray looked up, it wasn't everyday you got offered a bottle of real Vodka. He was partial to the good stuff and this certainly didn't look like something to drown in ginger in a Moscow Mule.

"Wow, yeah, thanks Yolanthe" he grinned "Was kinda rough day, me and Kolowski found a murder victim crucified on a navigation beacon! Worst thing I've ever seen!"

"You poor thing." She had to know more. Had to hope she was wrong. "No one you knew, I hope?"

"Dunno who it was, I doubt his poor mother couldn't hardly tell after what they did to him!" Murray replied "Marshal's thought it might be a Ferengi, certainly had the ears for it, or what was left of them!"

"Probably screwed somebody over in a deal!" One of the others commented

"Which Rule is it that says crucify your competitors?" Another said and there was a brief round of nervous laughter

"Ferengi wouldn't do it." Yolanthe poured a round for the group and put the top back on. "They're petty, but not sadistic." She paused. "A dead customer doesn't buy from you."

"Yeah, I guess that's true" Murray agreed "But he pissed somebody off!"

You have no idea. Yolanthe straightened up, the dark green of her skin was starting to pale to a fresh pistachio now the shock was wearing off. "Don't think about it. I doubt we'll see it again. Security and the Marshals will be all over it. Whoever did it must be long gone by now."

'I hope so" One of Murray's companions said "Can you imagine some sadistic maniac like this running around on Deep Space Five?" She shuddered "I'm setting the security lock on my door tonight!"

"Not so easy not to think about it either " Murray said "I don't think Kowolski will ever forget it"

"Maybe not. But something like that..." Yolanthe hesitated wondering how much to say. "Its not a random act. Every part of it was done on purpose. Unless you've pissed off a very dangerous psychopath, you're in no danger."

"And how do you tell if you've done that?" one of the group asked, only half jokingly "Wake up with your head cut off?"

Which brought more nervous laughter, followed by a long silence as Murray and his friends studied their drinks.

Then one asked "Yolanthe, what did you mean every part was done on purpose?"

The group all turned to look at Ibalin. She turned apple green then daffodil yellow, angry with herself for not watching her tongue. "Er, well, just that. Its not a crime of passion. It takes too long. Therefore they have to have a good reason to go to such lengths. Its logical if you think about it. That sort of barbarism is a thing out of history, you'd have to have a damn good reason to do that to another sentient being."

There was a long pause which became an awkward silence as the group of Engineers went quiet. Then one said "Yeah well I guess that's about it for me. I have to be up early in the morning"

Others quickly responded and within a couple of minutes the group had broken up as they each headed off to their quarters, leaving a cluster of empty glasses on the bar.

TAG


[OFF]



PO Murray and group
NPC'd by George

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner, The Box of Delights

 

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