By Any Means Necessary

Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2018 @ 3:57pm by Captain Maritza Soran & Lieutenant Si'Lar Trellis

1,422 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Victory Conditions
Location: Deck 886 - Lower Docking Bays
Timeline: MD 13 0130

[ON]

Xelan leaned against the cool surface of the bulkhead as she checked the time again. She hated waiting on others. Not only did it indicate a lack of respect for her time, but it also caused her to be vulnerable because she was no longer on her set schedule. Despite her aggravation, she was going to wait because the mission demanded it.

It had been just a week since she had arrived on the station. Fortunately, her arrival occurred shortly before the terrorist situation on board the USS Sviriki, otherwise she'd be stuck in customs limbo. She would not have been able to use her credentials as an agent for the Trill Symbiosis Commission since she was presently working undercover. She needed to protect her cover and anonymity at all costs until the objective was completed. She had been sent to retrieve the symbiont of one of Trill's most demented military leaders, General Ovaan.

The man was an absolute tactical genius, but his intelligence was matched only by him being a complete sociopath. The crimes he committed on Orcan-Sceptri VII were still discussed within Trill society, well over three hundred years later. Xelan herself was well aware of the atrocities committed during that war and what General Ovaan's forces had done. Her host at the time, Horsi, was a young private who had just been drafted into the conflict. It did not take long for Horsi to realize the horrors of war and just how much a person could commit when they had no concern for the lives of others.

Xelan had thought that the symbiont would have died and failed to have been transferred to a new host by now. However, current events had proved her wrong. She had been assigned this mission directly from the Head of the Commission, Atris Peral. Xelan had been an agent within the Commission long enough to not ask too many questions, especially when the Head of the Commission herself contacted you and granted you complete discretion.

Xelan looked up and saw movement just further down the corridor. She slipped behind the post she was leaning against and quietly withdrew her dagger as she waited for the individual to come further into the light and within her range.

Elphas was hurrying. His daughter had had a teenage moment, and now he was late for the night’s fighting. He trusted his assistants to coordinate the bookies and the gate take without him, but he'd be held accountable if there were problems. Therefore he was concentrating on getting to that night's location, confident that his position within Gev's organization was all the protection he needed.

Xelan waited for the individual to pass her before she stepped out and grabbed him by the collar and pressed a sharp object into the lower portion of his back.

"That's far enough for you," she said as she pointed the object to emphasize her point. "You are late and I do not like to be kept waiting," she said. "Now I'm new around here and I figure a nice gentleman like yourself would be only more than happy to provide me some quick guidance about the goings-ons of this floating city," she said in a low tone, looking for any additional visitors.

Elphas went stock still. But you didn't rise high in an enterprise like Gev's without nerves of steel, so he didn't panic. "I'd put that away before someone gets hurt." He managed to keep enough iron in his tone that it was clear he didn't just mean himself. "If all you need is a guide, you'll find latinum works better than durasteel, or whatever that little toy you've got is made of."

“You’re assuming that I still can’t get the info I need while you’re a quivering mess on this deck,” she said as he jammed the object deeper into his back, indicating that she wanted him to walk further behind a nearby pylon.

Elphas let her walk him into the shadows, careful to make no sudden moves. "It's not a question of you not getting the information, it's a question of you living long enough to use it," he said, far more calmly than he felt. "And I am genuine. Have you tried to buy the information rather than...butcher it?"

She began to pat him down for a weapon. “We’ll need to keep this short. A little birdy told me that Security is gonna be responding to a random intruder alarm on this deck in about....fifteen minutes,” she said with a laugh as soon as she was satisfied that he was unarmed. “It’s a shame. I heard there was gonna be a real big crowd down here tonight. I hope they’re able to get a warning in time,” she mused.

“I’m looking for a girl. A particular girl. Human. She’s managed to make quite a name for herself amongst the more...desirable elements of the station, particularly some of your friends in this adorable little fight club you’re running,” Xelan said as she stepped back from Elphas and crossed her arms. “She’s been seen with another Trill female that has a thing for cigars,” she said.

The Zeon man raised an eyebrow in surprise. "No one’s seen Hex in weeks. As for Miss Ryan, I really do advise staying well clear of her. She really does have friends in high places. Family, too."

"Your obvious concern for my safety is endearing, but what do you mean 'friends in high places'?" the Trill asked pointedly. "What, is she screwing the station commander?" she asked. "And what about Hex? Where was she last seen, and with whom?"

Elphas weighed his loyalties for a moment, decided he held none to the women, and that no damage would be done to the loyalties he did have. "The last time I saw Hex she was on her way to meet with Ryan. And Ryan happens to be the daughter of the station XO." He hazarded a guess. "Since you are all Trill, can I assume this is personal business?"

Xelan did not appreciate the man's probing questions. She was tempted to shoot him and dispose of the body in order to protect the operational security of her mission. However, she realized that the man could prove to be useful sometime in the future. Plus, it would be easier than trying to hide a body in such a short period of time.

"You can assume that in about..." she paused to check her chronodevice, "oh, I'd say eight minutes, a security patrol is gonna come down here to respond to an intruder alarm that has been going off continuously," she said. "Once they get down here, I don't think they're gonna be too happy to see this little gathering you've organized," she said, gesturing off into the general direction of the matches. "You might wanna do everybody a favor and give them a heads up before the Red-Shirt Brigade gets down here."

Elphas sighed, and touched the small IDIC pin on his breast pocket. "Kem, Elphas. We have a code red. Seven minutes."

There was a gruff grunt of affirmation over the channel. Then he looked at Xelen again. "These corridors are about to get very busy. Is there anything else I can do for you before we both get killed in the rush?" An evacuation would cost them a great deal of money. But he wanted out of this situation alive before he contemplated how to recoup those costs in a satisfactorily retributive way.

"If I need you for anything else, I'll let you know." She said as she stepped away and quickly made her way down a nearby corridor before the flood of participants made their way through.

The conversation had been beneficial to her investigation. Elphas had confirmed her original suspicions that a high-ranking Starfleet Officer was hiding the fact that his daughter was a part of an illegal and truly immoral bonding between a mixed-breed Trill and a viable Symbiont. More importantly, the fact that she was dealing with Hex served to prove that the girl was even more of a threat than Xelan originally thought.

Sounds of running feet came down the corridor. The spectators and participants of the illegal fight were scattering. It was time to go.

[OFF]

Elphas
Underworld accountant
NPC by Yolanthe Ibalin

Xelan Castille
Trill Ministry of Defense
NPC by Si'Lar Trellis

 

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