04 - Delay at Gunpoint
Posted on Fri Oct 25th, 2024 @ 10:05am by Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Remal Kajun & Patin & Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Mission:
The Beginning of the End
Location: DS9
Timeline: Early Morning
Deep Space Nine - Local Time 04:15am
"You can't just come in here and demand a shuttle. They're all reserved, only Captain Kira can override the authority on shuttle requisitions" the hanger supervisor retorted gruffly. He had had just about enough of people demanding shuttles lately.
Jenna, sensing Patin was about to pounce on the hanger Supervisor, took that moment to step between them. She had options, and she had clout but on DS9 Jenna also had a reputation. One of the previous times she had been there, there had been an explosion that had taken a large chunk of the habitat ring with it.
"Look I don't suppose you'd be willing to wake the good Colonel?" She could see the immediate hesitation. "Alrighty then." She tapped her badge, "Commander Ramthorne to Colonel Kira." And she waited for the woman with power to respond.
The Supervisor paled and looked around nervously. He knew his career was about to get flushed down the nearest receptacle.
"Kira here" the voice had the slightest tinge of sleepiness to it, but was covered with an almost expected level of alertness.
"Colonel, this is Commander Ramthorne, our mutual friends have gone down to the surface alone and we have reason to believe they are in imminent danger. We need a shuttle." She remained vague given their current company and hopeful Kira would get the message.
There was a pause before Kira connected the dots. "Your shuttle is authorized. I'll be there in a minute" the sound of the rustling of clothing being hastily thrown on could be heard before the comm closed.
Cocky, Jenna couldn't help but smile a bit. "Looks like having the right connections makes all the difference wouldn't you agree?" She asked the attendant, who didn't respond. In fact, he suddenly appeared to shift his feet uncomfortable. Perhaps is was because they had woken the boss, perhaps it was because she was coming down on a shift she wouldn't normally visit. Perhaps it was something else.
Patin meanwhile had taken to pacing, growing ever impatient with the situation. She kept resting her hand on the flask at her side, then moving it to one of her many pockets before having it come to rest on the bad she held strapped to her side. Jenna surmised the woman was prepared for war and was an army unto herself.
Exactly 2 minutes later Kira strode into the shuttle bay, weapon strapped to her thigh and ready for action.
Jenna sensing her entry, turned, "Colonel, I didn't expect a personal appearance, but I do appreciate it. Do you intend on joining the party?" Jenna asked jovially. She knew Kira cared for Rhenora, but she figured her duties to the station would give reservations about going planet-side in the midst of a civil battle looming.
Kira looked confused for a moment before her thoughts retuned to the present. When Captain Sisko was around she would have gone with them in a heartbeat. Federation and Starfleet be damned. Now though, her responsibility bore heavily on her shoulders. "Commander Farthington can run things for a few days. He is more than capable" She replied, stepping over to the shuttle supervisor and using his console for a few moments. "He won't be overly happy about it, but he'll cope"
On Kira's lead, the three started walking towards a nearby runabout, the Murrumbidgee, a mouthful if ever there was one. They had made less than ten steps when a sharp voice sounded behind them, the Hangar Supervisor. "I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to do that." He commanded. "Turn around slowly, hands up. No sudden movements and no one will have to be harmed." His phaser was drawn, aimed at the trio.
" Stand down Misford, explain yourself" Kira moved her hands away from her weapon but her gut told er to keep them low. " Drawing a weapon on a senior officer is never a good idea." Her mind raced, was he a Wraith Operative or was there something else again going on.
"I cannot allow you to go down there Colonel. You and your friends cannot help, not now, so I implore you again." He used his phaser to gesture towards the doors. His intent was to walk them to the brig, no sense in killing when they would see reason eventually and join the cause of their own volition.
"What are you going to do? Kill us? Stun us? You know that discharging your weapon will have every security officer on the station here in under a minute. What will that accomplish?" Kira challenged, knowing she was buying time until someone else walked through those doors. Or until Misford saw reason, whichever came first.
Sure he was a low man on the totem pole, whatever that Human phrase meant, but in this moment he held the power and however brief it may be he was going to enjoy it. "Just shut up and move." He pressed, knowing she was right but 'show no weakness' as the master would say. When she started to open her mouth again he added, "Have I ever told you that you talk way too much specially for someone about to be shot."
Patin and Jenna were walking ahead of Kira. Between them, Patin started moving ahead, pissed by the delay. She was smaller in stature and planned to use that to increase the distance. Jenna recognized what she was attempting and slowed her own pace while also trying to block Misford's view. If they could get to a connecting corridor, Patin could dart out of line, then get the drop on this waste of space that held them at gunpoint.
Kira was stalling still, moving as slowly as she could get away with without a weapon being prodded a little too gleefully in the small of her back. "You're making a big mistake Misford, holding a weapon on a senior officer is a one way trip" her voice was loud and echoed along the corridor.
It was early in the morning, but that didn't make it safe to have a raised voice in an empty corridor. Patience growing thin Misford pushed Kira forward, "Keep your mouth shut or so help me I will shoot you. Either way works at keeping you from your goal." His motivations clearly on display.
"The only thing I'm trying to do is stop you from throwing your career away" Kira retorted hotly, her voice still raised. " Besides, you haven't got the faintest clue what to do with us. Some crackhead from whatever movement you're into told you to stop them from going down to the planet, so now what?"
"Are you stubborn or just thick headed? Hard of hearing perhaps? I'm taking you to the brig, now shut up and keep moving." They walked for another twenty seconds before Misford continued, "Besides after today a career on an enemy station with no view of Bajor will be the least of my worries." He began to shift, looking around just in case there was further opposition.
Jenna caught his exposition and decided to play along, providing Patin a little more distance. "What do you mean, after today? What is happening today that will change your little world?"
Kira listened intently, if he was dumb enough he would reveal who his string pullers were. She could tell he was getting flustered with their lack of compliance and the increasing risk of being caught holding senior officers at gun point. She noticed Jenna blocking the view of Patin and inwardly grinned, ready for the former resistance fighter to get the drop on their captor. Timing would be everything.
"Ugh." He grunted in frustration, "Let's just say the new Wraith order is about to wash away the old Bajor and replace it with something much better and it starts with your little friends down on the surface. Now, shut up and turn right up ahead there." he gestured towards a junction 10 paces ahead.
Patin to her credit had already reached the junction and quickly turned right. As soon as she rounded the corner she checked for a spot and found what she needed. In one quick motion she jumped up placing one foot on the wall then leaped up and caught the connecting ceiling joist where she then hoisted her body up and out of sight. As long as Misford didn't look up, which who does right?
She was gone so fast that by the time Jenna came around the corner, even she was shocked to not see Patin at all. She could still smell her faint scent of cigar and alcohol however and knew right away she was close. As an added distraction she kept the conversation going, "What does washing away old Bajor have to do with our friends?" She asked, keeping the questions light and vague.
"You really think your whack job Wraith Movement that has been around for like a second is going to take down the Prophets who have been there for thousands of years? After all the work of the Emissary, and now the new Emissary about to be born, you really think you can stop all that?" Kira was above challenging anyone's faith or beliefs. If she could get him angry enough, he'd make a mistake or miss an opportunity.
"Gah@!" Misford exclaimed out loud while reaching up and stress-pulling his hair. "This is why I never married! Mother always nagged about kids, but I told her, time and time again, women just... they're... they drive me crazy. Talk talk talk, incessantly going on and on about this that an another, never a moment's peace." His eyes were large and he was now off on his rant. "Had a girlfriend once, would lay down to sleep and that's when... that's the moment she would choose to talk.. WHY?!"
Kira now turned the corner as Misford continued to decree his need for peace and quiet while waving the phaser around, expressing himself. Close to Kira, Misford now turned the corner where he seemed to pause for a moment in his rant, collecting his thoughts maybe. As soon as he continued on, it was obvious he hadn't seen the loss of Patin yet. Three steps later...
Patin dropped down low behind him with a thud. This sudden noise and motion caused him to turn, now alert. She smiled, "You talk too much." A swift right hook later and Misford spun around and fell to the floor, out cold. "You two good?" She asked of Kira and Jenna.
"Thank the Prophets, I was getting sick of the sound of his voice. Don't men ever know when to shut up?" Kira retorted with a wry smile, echoing Misford's comment from before. "Good job Patin, now let's get to that shuttle and get the hell out of here!"
TBC
Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Commanding Officer, USS Sunfire
Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer & Mission Advisor, USS Sunfire
Remal Kajun
Counselor Aide, USS Sunfire
Husband of the Captain
Played By Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Patin
Friend of the Captain, USS Sunfire
Played By Commander Jenna Ramthorne
