Plotting the getaway

Posted on Wed Mar 20th, 2024 @ 8:46am by Commander Jennifer Baldric & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Thriss Kla'ren & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Ensign Kitiuas Thenis & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell

Mission: Character Development
Location: DS9
Timeline: Current-ish

As the officers from the Sunfire and the space station headed towards their assigned duties, the woman in the red dress was plotting her escape. Settled in a cloaked ship just off the stations upper pylon C she was biding her time. Starting engines now would only bring unwanted attention to her ship, only the faintest of energy signatures would be visible in the meantime.

[Surgical recovery ward. DS9]

"You have to stay still, you'll undo all the healing we've done so far" the doctor said in a firm but friendly voice. "I don't want to have to sedate you again but I will I'd you give me no alternative" he looked around and tried to catch the eyes on the stations counsellor.

That was it, Kit had had enough of this arrogant doctor. Her left foot flew up connecting with the doctor's head, knocking him down and unconscious before the nurse could react she grabbed her arm and flipped her over both herself and the bio-bed. Kit then got up and staggered in a run through the surgical bay doors and into DS9 corridors. Blinded with both pain and fear she just ran.

Aurora was enroute to DS9’s Infirmary to see what she could do to help when in the distance she saw what looked like Ensign Thenis darting out of the door. The amount of pain and fear radiating from Kit was enough to make Aurora quicken her pace as she tried to catch up. “Ensign Thenis!...Kit! Wait!”

Kit thought she heard her name, but it didn’t matter, she would be damn if she went back to the infirmary. A young Bajoran security personnel sent to assist with Kit and her dash from the Infirmary snatched her left wrist. Someone must not have informed him about Orion physiology and their wider array of articulation of joints. Kit swung both her legs around the Bajoran male’s waist, sliding around him, like a stripper on a pole, flexed her left wrist so that it not only broke free but jabbed the Bajorn in the throat, causing him to gasp for air. Kit the hit the floor and as she was divining into the turbolift kicked back with her right leg, connecting with the left temporal region of the poor Bajoran security guard, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. The Lift doors closed behind Kit.

“Dammit!!” Aurora hit her comm badge. =/\= Vali to security, Ensign Thenis is loose on the station! She’s injured and afraid, she must be found. Approach with caution, she’s already injured one person. Vali out. =/\=

Ensign Thenis put her back to the wall of the turbolift. Where should I go? They will most certainly go to my visitors quarters or the Sunfire looking for me. thought Kit. Pain was searing through her body when an idea hit her =/\=Lift pylon C, cargo area.=/\= The lift began to rise. I’ll find a nice quiet spot and assess my injuries from there. Perhaps call Lieutenant Commander Vali or one of the other Sunfire docs to me for help. Sure as hell not going back to that torture chamber of a medical bay and that arrogant SOB of a doctor. she thought as she waited for the turbolift to deposit her on pylon C, cargo area.

Main Security

In Main security, Hunter and Dean and their team were going over the video footage, sifting through the various moments leading up to the explosion while also scanning for various fragments their tricorders had managed to pickup. together with all of the information they would be able to create a three-dimensional recreation of the bombing which could be then reconstructed in a holo-suite or holodeck.

An image came up on the screen and Hunter stopped the footage, and pointed, "There, this camera feed is from across the promenade. It watches Quark's front door and, here watch, just as the doors open there is a moment right before the explosion." He pressed play, the doors parted, and the silhouette of a woman disappeared in a transporter beam.

He rewound it, slowed it down, zoomed in, pressed play again. This time there was a clear red dress upon that silhouette. "Computer enhance grid 9A." Hunter commanded. The computer zoomed in upon the face of the figure and then corrected the pixels. The door was blocking approximately half the face, but it would be enough. "There, Computer, reconstruct that image and begin a search for the closest known individuals that match." Hunter ordered.

"Working" the computer intoned before speaking again a moment later. "Rubel Bustani, Risian, 85 percent match. "Curella Rackem, Betazoid, 84 percent match. No other close matches found"

Savar stepped into main security, stood silently as the video feed played and when it had stopped he spoke. "Have you uncovered anything so far in your investigation?"

"Not at this point, however we may have two leads" Baldric replied, eyeing this newcomer. She looked at the facial expression and noted the rank pios on the collar. "You must be Commander Savar"

Savar met Baldric's gaze and gave a nod. "Correct, I am Savar. You are? He questioned as his eyes drifted back to the video. "Two leads, that is a start is it not?"

"Commander Jennifer Baldric, I'm here to 'assist' in a smooth transition of command once Captain Kaylen goes on leave" Baldric replied, getting better at not stammering her way through the statement.

"No, I know Curella, she's a regular. Besides, despite looking good for her age, she's like 74 and operates a shop here on the promenade. I can't even recall a moment where I've heard her raise her voice, let alone believe she was capable of something like this." Hunter commented on the suggested matches.

"Bustani, however, has a long rap sheet of targets and run ins with law enforcers. Never met her myself, but Risians have been know to harbor resentment and jealousy, especially when they have been jilted by a former lover. Peaceful on the surface, dangerous underneath the skin, so to speak."

Baldric grimaced at the notion of Quark bring anyone's former lover. But the man had a rap sheet a mile long with an equally long list of failed relationships.

"So there may be motive there. Anyone have her whereabouts?" Jen asked.

Ronson looked up from the padd he was studying then back at the image on the monitor. "That could be her, but she beamed out just before the explosion. If all the ships were locked down shortly after and there were no warp trails evident, she should still be in the vicinity somewhere" he responded, wanting to catch the one behind such a callous attack. "How's Quark by the way?"

"Recovering in the infirmary, and making it known how much he has no idea why anyone would want to see him dead" Baldric retorted.

"Has he been willing to identify the perpetrator?" Hunter asked.

"Colonel Kira," the Stations Ops Lieutenant said requesting her attention. "We are reading a power fluctuation in and around one of the upper pylons. It doesn't appear to be coming from the station itself, more like from outside the station. I'm trying to pinpoint the cause now." He said as he continued to scan.

Baldric's head snapped up at the mentioned of the power fluctuation. "Computer, is Rubell Bustani on board the station" She asked, although her gut had already told her what the answer would be.

"Rubell Bustani is not aboard the station" The computer intoned.

"I bet my left ass cheek that the power fluctuation is a cloaked ship with Bustani on it" Jen muttered aloud before blushing a little when she realized that she'd verbalized her errant thoughts.

Hunter took a glance at Baldric's behind to determine if her left ass cheek was worth a comment and then quickly decided it was not. The console in front of him beeped and the voice of Lt. Commander Vali came through informing them Ensign Thenis was on the loose. He looked up at Jennifer, "Well, now we have a missing person to deal with."

Baldric looked at Dr Wilson, who shrugged and commented "We tried..."She started before thinking better of it "Computer, scan for lifesigns congruent with the data I'm sending in now" Wilson tapped a few commands on her tricorder. "Lifesigns matching sample have been located in Upper Pylon C - Cargo storage area 21 Beta" The computer intoned before going silent again.

"I'll take a medical team, however she wasn't compliant last time" Sarah admitted, rising to her feet and heading out the door. Watching her leave, Baldric redirected everyone's attention back to the attempted murder investigation.

"Let's track the energy signature, and maybe hit it with an EMP, it would knock out most systems temporarily" She offered.

"Yes Ma'am. It will take a few minutes to reconfigure the station emitters to create an EMP. So far it does not appear that the energy signature has moved, so they may not be aware we are onto them yet. Should we prepare the tractor beam?" The young Ops station officer questioned.

"Tractor beam, but don't power up weapons yet. Have them on a yellow alert standby with rapid power up and targeting in case she tries to run" Baldric's mind had switched effortlessly into tactical mode.

"Aye. Tractor Beam on standby, EMP charging, systems at silent yellow alert." The lighting in Ops changed to a yellow hue signaling the changes in effect. "On your command."

"Fire the EMP once charged and as soon as she appears, bring her in with the tractor beam." Baldric ordered, rising and standing by a nearby console as though it may make the mission go smoother.

Savar watched silently as Baldric orders. He remained quiet as he had been late to the investigation along with the fact Baldric seemed to have a firm grip on the situation. He was curious about the outcome.

TBC