Someone's Been Bad - PT1

Posted on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 @ 2:58am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Dean House & Remal Kajun

Mission: New Harrington
Location: Sunfire - Government building

“Remal, Dean, let’s pay the Governor and Lil’High a visit shall we? I’d like to hear how they explain what we’ve just heard.”

Dean just sighed a little bit again over the conversation. Pushing away from his console, turning directly to Rhenora with a nod. “I believe we should. Now it may very well be that the little ‘mishap’ was an attempt to cover this all up.”

“ The ‘mishap’ being the weather station’s going awol? Or the AI? Frankly I hope they have answers to all of the above” She quipped as they made their way to the turbolift, leaving Ensign Thenis in charge until they returned.

"Could have been an accident. Could have been deliberate. They suggested a saboteur, but I don't know why a saboteur would act in such a reckless manner. They would have known they would impact the whole planet and not just the Government officials."

There was a shrug given, moving to follow her. “Not sure of that one. Maybe one was an accident. I’d almost beg to believe the AI was an accident.” Dean waited for the both of them to get in the lift before he did.

“ An accident would be far more palatable than the alternative” Rhenora admitted as she set the lift for the Armory first. Something in her gut told her they weren’t going to be as welcome this time.

"This 'accident' was far from palatable. How many people were on that island, forty thousand? No, that's enough to make your stomach churn. And to think this all boils down to money." Remal commented solemnly.

There was an eyebrow raised, while the turbolift started moving, “Do you really think we need more than just the type II hand phasers? Though..I could pick up this experimental weapon I’ve been working on. It won’t be helpful though for anyone that doesn’t know archery.”

Remal eyed the tactical nature of the man. He always seemed to utilize overkill methods when Remal liked the more simple, tried and true fist to face approach. "Perhaps what we really need is to exercise diplomacy first, fist second?"

“We can try but it doesn’t really seem like it’s going to go that route.”

“Phasers only, let’s hope we don’t need anything more and they come to their senses before we need them.” Rhenora advised, tucking the phaser into it’s holster on her waistband, following it up with a tricorder on the other side. They would win the battle with words, otherwise all hell was going to break loose.

Dean wasn’t going to mention there were those things always, or usually always in lockers in all of the transporter rooms. Just smiling lightly as he equipped himself as well.

Following suit, Remal holstered a phaser and a medical tricorder. Fortune favored the prepared soul and he wasn't about to get caught off guard.

A few minutes later the trio arrived in the transporter room, the tech looking up with raised eyebrow as to the construct of the away team. It was unusual for the Captain to beam down herself.

“ Co-ordinates Captain?” he asked, waiting patiently.

“ Central continent, capital city, just outside the Governor's building” She replied, stepping up on the transporter platform and waiting for the others to join her. “We’ll knock first, and go to plan B if they don’t open the doors”.

‘I know, go figure,’ was mouthed to the Transporter Chief by Dean as he moved up onto the transporter pad to Rhenora’s right. Typically with Remal there that’d be him. However, this wasn’t shore leave. He did leave the phaser holstered for now, though.

Remal stepped up onto the platform and waited. This had already been a long day but now it was going to get worse. He was prepared for whatever may come.

There was a shimmer of blue as the trio disappeared from the transporter platform, rematerializing just outside their destination on the planet. The Governor’s building was grandiose and spoke of wealth and power. Just how he came to be in that position was of course now completely up in the air and begging to be exposed.

"Well, if that isn't the definition of ostentatious, I don't know what is." He added, commenting on the building with the ornate flair.

“Let’s go” Rhenora said to Dean and Remal as she headed towards the imposing steps, the ornately carved timber doors very much closed at the apex.

One step given ahead, turning to look around, Dean’s tricorder came out. Taking a scan of the area, as well as past the doors if he could.

“ Let me guess, they’re locked” Rhenora mused as they approached the doors.

Dean nodded, “Good guess.”

"Let's be polite and knock first" There was a hint of sarcasm in the Captain's tone as she stepped up to the doors and rapped firmly on it three times, waiting a few moments to see if they would open, or at the very least have someone to open a dialogue with.

"He did indicate he would be meeting with the Damon at their usual place. Maybe if we can track where he went we can catch the pair of them in the act. Which reminds me, is this act legally or morally against Federation code?" He asked as an outside observer.

“Probably borderline, but still within our rights,” Dean said.

Rhenora raised her tricorder to the locking mechanism, finding it to be a fairly simple combination access code. She tapped a few controls and the device rapidly cycled through the possibilities until it reached the correct code and the door unlocked with the sound of the bolt retracting.

"Bingo, let's go." She stepped through the door, eyes carefully looking for anyone who may have heard them breaking in. The internal foyer was deserted.

“Looks like nobody’s home.” Remal whispered, still unsure of their immediate surroundings. They were now breaking and entering and all he could do was wonder what they were there looking for.

Rhenora consulted with her tricorder, then found a directory on a nearby wall. 'office of natural resources' was on level 3, and then on level 4 was the governor's office. She tossed up whether to go to the Governor first and demand answers or at the very least inform him of what they had overheard if he was unaware, or go to the natural resources office. Lil'high had an office on that floor according to the directory.

“Hmm…” Taking a look at the directory also. “I think we should document evidence. Well… more first before we confront them.” Dean nodded.

"Remal spotted the name on the directory even as Rhenora was looking at it. He could already imagine her conundrum and so voiced her thoughts out loud. “Do we start at the man who runs the show or confront the man who clearly operates from the shadows?”

"That indeed is the conundrum" Rhenora mused quietly as she considered her options. An aide walked along the marble floors towards them, speaking quietly into a device on his wrist as he approached.

"This area is off limits to the public except on open day…" he started.

Dean tilted his head a little in the direction of the aide. Trying to hear what was being said before the person actually got in earshot.

"We have a meeting with the Governor" Rhenora announced as though that was the exact reason they had broken in. "We're from the Sunfire and neutralized the weather station issue." There was no harm in it, the Governor should be willing to see them considering the weather on the planet was now almost back to normal.

A slight narrowing of his eyes a moment, only catching part of a sentence. ‘Then do it, not before.’ That didn’t really help at all. Dean looking directly to the man now since he was up at the three of them.

"The Governor's office is this way, although I'm not sure why his aide wasn't here to greet you. Most peculiar. Either way, best not keep them waiting" the aide announced and turned on his heel, striding along the corridor.

Remal followed in step, while keeping his eyes to their surroundings. He thought about the missing aide and had to ask, "If the Governor's aide wasn't here to greet us, then whose aide are you?" He wondered as to the allegiance of the man leading them down a darkened and desert corridor.

It was night on this side of the planet and soon the Ferengi would be meeting with the Governor, they just didn't know where yet. Still too many questions unanswered.

TBC