Someone's Been Bad - Final

Posted on Mon Sep 19th, 2022 @ 4:23pm by Commander Dean House & Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Remal Kajun

Mission: *CD*
Location: New Harrington

That threw her a little, if he requested asylum, legally she couldn’t refuse it until it had been either confirmed or denied by the Federation. She was duty bound now to protect him. Damn him!

She turned to the camera, knowing that the entire colony was watching, and hopefully those outside were listening.

“ We will take him with us, away from your colony so that he will never plunder it or its people again.” Rhenora said firmly “ If you wish, we can assist in the election of a new Governor, or you may wish to accomplish this with your own democratic process. Please let us know within 24 hours, and be sure, you will never see this man again” She motioned for the camera to cut, and listened to the angry mob still outside.

“ You need to face those people, we will protect them from hurting you, but you need to address them, and apologize for what you have done” The Captain said forcefully, motioning towards the doors. The thought of requesting another security detail crossed her mind briefly, before she pulled out her tricorder to ascertain the size of the crowd. Several hundred people, angry people were outside.

“ Citizens of New Harrington, we will bring your previous Governor out to address you, but you must hear him speak and do him no harm, we will then take him with us so that he never plunders your planet again” Rhenora shouted through the door, once, twice, several times until the din receded.

“Bring him out!” A single voice finally replied, and Rhenora checked her tricorder to find they had moved back from the doors, allowing them a safe exit.

“Kaylen to Sunfire, get a lock on the 4 of us, and be ready to beam out on my signal” She tapped her communicator, just in case. “Aye Ma’am, lock confirmed, ready to energize”

Unceremoniously ushered to the doors, Lil’High tried to hold his head up high. He had planned for this, well sort of. The virus wasn’t his doing, at least that was his story. Always have a fall guy was the lesson his mentors had taught him. The doors burst open, the restless crowd murmured in the darkness. Lights from the press cameras blinding him.

Even as he shielded his eyes, Remal gave him a rather rough shove from behind. The tension from the crowd was palpable. Devastation was wrought, lives uprooted, people unalived all because of one man’s greed. All they needed was for him to utter one wrong word and all hell would break loose.

He smiled his big fake smile. He straightened his tunic and he spoke loud and proud as if he had done nothing wrong. “Friends, neighbors, today mistakes were made, by all sides. Choices, both good and bad, have brought us to this point where we can now learn and move beyond the violence. We should embrace what has happened and be open to forgiveness, to compassion, to…” From the darkness a ripe red fruit was flung, striking Lil’High upon the face. It was a good shot.

That was when the dam burst. At first it was rotten food. But then someone tipped a barrel of oil over, releasing its contents in his direction. A bag of feathers was thrown. Remal foresaw the fire striking the oil and was about to step forward when Rhenora intervened first.

They all ended up a bit sticky as the oil erupted, a few feathers adhering to it and when she saw the fire, all bets were off.

"Sunfire, emergency beam out, now!" The fire was thrown towards them, more at Lil'High but as he was in proximity to the Sunfire team, they were all going to end up in a bad way. Lil'High started to run, screaming at the top of his lungs, like a little tart without her mommy, as the fire licked at the oil. Just as the flames took hold - they vanished in a shimmer of a blue transporter beam.

Rematerializing on the Sunfire's transporter room, Rhenora cast her eyes around, trying to account for everyone. Remal and Dean were feathered but mostly intact. Lil'High was still screaming and trying to run, the flames activating the fire suppression system and dousing them all in a heavy spray of water. When that didn't work the technician who was already in motion hit him with a fire extinguisher, effectively dousing the flames. Without another word being said the quartet vanished again and reappeared in sickbay, giving the medical team a startle.

“Those stupid son of a bitches. Those,” the expletives just kept going through both of the transports. Finally stopping once Dean realized they were in Sickbay.

"It's alright pal, we're in good company now." Remal said as the adrenaline subsided. He then grabbed Lil'High and shoved him onto a biobed. "That crowd was not happy and it is all your fault. I trust you've realized that now?" He then motioned to Sarah, "he's all yours, don't spare the torture tools."

The wink and grin went unnoticed by Lil'High as more panic began to set in. "What, what do you mean torture? I know my rights. You can't… you wouldn't. I asked for asylum, surely there is a law about this sort of treatment.

Remal commented, "We could always check with one of our regent Judge Advocates. I'm sure S'thenosis would love to read you your rights." He was enjoying torturing the man. After what they had been through, this was cake by comparison.

"Dean, make sure you get tended to as well. I need a shower" the Captain remarked as she looked at the state of the team. Their uniforms were coated in globs of oil, the occasional feather, and singe marks where the flames had tried their best.

"I'll get some security posted down here, and he'll be headed to guest quarters under guard until we figure out what to do with him," she continued, making the appropriate arrangements with the security teams.

Dean nodded, “Of course. Though why are we not putting him in the brig?”

As the away team had returned, the AI was now safely and securely on board and the weather network now rebooted and functioning as it was supposed to, and the Ferengi had long since departed the system, the Sunfire was free to go.

What started as a humanitarian mission to aid a planet being attacked by bad weather had ended up as a mission to uncover a conspiracy involving resources for profits. Just another day in the life of the USS Sunfire and her crew.
OFF