Busted

Posted on Fri Jan 15, 2016 @ 3:07am by erie'Riov Rianni Monteros-t'Khellian

1,692 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Verex III
Timeline: MD10, 1530

With the liberated slave women safely aboard the Arrow, Rianni made her way back to the area surrounding the slave market, en route to see this Brent Rubin, ~Hope he likes what he sees in me, since I'm the last thing he's ever going to see.~ She vowed, full intending to torture the information out of Brent Rubin before snuffing the light of his sleaze from the universe. She'd make that part last a long time if it wasn't for the fact Klia's time might be short, ~So he gets off easy..... whatever I guess.~

The attractive half Romulan was doing exactly as expected, heading straight for Brent Rubin's condo, and, if she wasn't stopped, going to blow the whole damn deal for everybody. There was too much invested, too much already lost, for that to be allowed to happen. Her boss already informed, 'Beautiful Lady' as the target had been designated by the now very dead Salamae, had grown one very determined tail.

The feeling of being watched was definitely not unnoticed by Rianni, the problem was determining where it came from, it seemed everybody on Verex III was watching her. Of course, this was the kind of place where a stranger, any stranger, aroused instant suspicion, though she did wonder if someone had seen her go into Salamae's shop, maybe someone who knew now what had happened to the Saurian and her sons, ~That could be trouble....~

It was like 'Beautiful Lady' had navigational systems to rival the best ships in space, not only was she on a bee line for Rubin, she'd actually found a quicker route, "She's going to be more of a challenge than expected." Her tail mused, "Better inform the boss things have changed again." A quick transmission to her HQ would redirect the interceptor force, but they would have to move fast, 'Beautiful Lady' had almost lost her tail twice already.

~Yep. Definitely being followed.~ Rianni decided, though she did nothing to give any indication that she knew anything was going on. She scanned the area for a place to duck out of the way, it wouldn't be all that hard if she could get into a crowd and, thank Eisn, there was one just up ahead, seemed there was an auction of some variety going on. Flipping the hood of her coat up over her head, Rianni began weaving through the crowd, quickly enough to put space between herself and whoever was following her, but not so quickly as to draw attention to herself and risk parting the crowd that comprised her cover.

"Frack!" 'Beautiful Lady' had vanished into the crowd at an auction and was now lost in the sea of hooded heads bidding on all manner of contraband, the boss was not going to be happy about this . There was nothing to do but let her know, "Boss, she slipped into..."

"The crowd at that weapons auction." 'The Boss' replied, "I know. We're on her."

Having made her way through the crowd Rianni, now confident that her tail had been lost, lowered her hood and started back after Brent Rubin. She found herself close enough where she could now look and see his house from her position, another half kilometer at most, she tightened her hand on her disruptor, preparing herself for the coming fight, ~He's probably hiding behind a fracking division.~

Then two men stepped out in front of her, joined by a Vulcan woman and an Andorian man from the right and left flanks. She couldn't take them all if they were armed, she'd have to double back and get to Rubin some other way. That thought died quickly when she found herself face to face with Lalena, the beautiful Deltan nurse, "Little early for a follow up appointment isn't it, Nurse?" Rianni quipped, looking down on the Deltan's phaser, "Not the kind of shot I was expecting, either."

"You should come with us, Lt. Cdr. Monteros." Lalena replied, calling Rianni by her former Starfleet rank.

"Who? You seem to have me confused with someone else." Rianni lied, "And I've got some very important business with Mr. Rubin...."

"I'm sorry, Commander." Lalena replied, "It's over. Come on."

The five, Rianni felt sure they were agents, led her down a back alley to a two story, British colonial style house hidden in a thicket of tropical trees with parapets with armed guards at every corner, escorting her through the gates and into a lift which took them all to the second floor, though they made no effort to disarm her, ~Wonder what this is about? If they worked for Rubin they'd have just shot me in the street. If they're Federation agents why haven't they taken my gun?~ She wondered, though she wasn't about to look the gift horse in the mouth, especially not when it gave her the ability to shoot her way out if she needed to.

The lift opened and a shortish, thinly built woman with closely cropped hair and shiny eyes looked back at her from behind a wicker desk with armed soldiers on either side. It was a face Rianni recognized instantly, "Debbie!" She called out, now wondering why her old friend Debora Carlov was here and why she'd sent armed agents after her.

"Rianni." Col. Debora Carlov replied, not getting up, this was not a friendly visit, "Want to tell me why the frack you were about to blow a five year investigation between Federation Intel, FIS, and fourteen allied agencies to Hell in a handcart to settle a personal score?"

"I was in the neighborhood." Rianni shrugged, adding, "How are Eve and Martiza?"

"They're fine." Debora answered in regard to her wife and adopted Cardassian daughter, "Maritza's in high school now, calls herself Mar. Now, we're not here for tea, Commander."

"Not for a long time, Debs." Rianni shook her head, "Your Lt. Cdr. Burns took care of that."

"And do you really think if I tell command that your discharge wasn't processed properly and have you sent to Jaro II for conduct unbecoming a Starfleet officer that anyone will question me?" Debora threatened, she normally wouldn't treat a friend, especially one so badly mistreated as Rianni, like this, but five of her agents had already been killed by Torm and his organization in the six months since she took over from Commodore Graham, himself murdered by Torm, there was no way she was going to let anyone stop her from taking this organization down. Walking from behind her desk, she reached onto Rianni's belt and pulled a padd from it's holder, "This is Salamae's I presume."

"She wasn't using it anymore." Rianni replied, not really concerned that Debby had the padd now, she'd already sent the information to Papa, who had it going down the line already, "Dead batteries."

"Yeah, hers and her sons." Debora stated, "Brezil was an informant, not that it matters now, but he had us within just a few months of arresting Torm."

"Klia doesn't have months." Rianni snapped, "She might not even have days, Debby. You've got to let me finish this."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Rianni." Debora sighed sadly, she really did hate this part, "But by this point your friend is most likely dead."

"The last four we found were killed within two weeks of Torm's purchase of them." Lalena chimed in, "If your friend put up any resistance her time is up or damn near it."

"That's bullshit." Rianni snarled softly. Klia was alive, she could feel it, "But if you keep wasting my fracking time she will be, Debby."

"Good job running her to us, Lieutenant." Debora said to Lalena, ignoring Rianni for the time being as she set Salamae's padd next to her own on her desk, "That's going to look good in your next officer review."

"Thank you, Colonel." Lalena replied, "But the pretty ones are always at least a little dumb."

Debora stifled a snicker, turning to Rianni and locking eyes with her, "I'm sorry, Ri, but I've got to stop you now, there's far too much at stake and the remote possibility of rescuing your friend is far outweighed by the gains we can make by busting Torm's organization."

"The Spock Principle." Rianni said, "The needs of the many..."

"Outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one." Debora finished her sentence, "I'm truly sorry, Ri, but you know it's true. I'm going to need your weapon now, Commander."

"Well, sort of a farewell to arms then?" Rianni said with a defeated chuckle as she pulled back her coat to reveal the disruptor hanging in a shoulder holster, moving her right hand as if to surrender it to Debora, before simultaneously elbowing Lalena in her face and kicking Debby in her stomach. Leaping over Debby she snatched her padd from the desk and leapt over the rail to the ground below, a phaser blast from one of the parapets hitting right behind her as she ran on her now twisted ankle for the gate.

Struggling to her feet, Debora saw her guards about to fire on Rianni again and screamed, "Hold your fire, damn it! Too many witnesses!" She walked to the rail and looked over, watching Rianni disappear in the blue sparkle of a transporter beam, she was off the planet surface now, leaving their shared target, Brent Rubin, safe... for now, "God help you, Commander."

-Diana's Arrow-

Rianni rematerialized aboard Diana's Arrow, falling into her Grandfather's arms, "We got him." She grinned, though she was tasting blood in her mouth again after that two story impact, "We need to set a new course, maximum warp."

"Just a bloody minute, girl!" Gregori cut her off, "What about this Brent Rubin character?"

"I can come back and kill him later, Papa." Rianni replied, "I got Torm's home address." She proudly held up Debby's padd, inputting the word 'Maritza' into the access prompt.

=A= Greetings, Colonel Carlov.=A= The padd chirped, Rianni was in.

"See what I mean?" Rianni laughed. Lalena was right, the pretty ones were always at least a little stupid, and Debby Carlov was gorgeous.

-TBC

 

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