Shadowing The Local Law Enforcement

Posted on Apr 15, 2018 @ 3:07am by Lieutenant Jasmine Yu
Edited on on Apr 15, 2018 @ 3:07am

Mission: The Trouble With Triticale

“Shadowing the Local Law Enforcement”

(contd from ‘Office Politics’)

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Location: SHERMAN’S PLANET
SD: [2.18] 0415.0126
Scene: Sheriff’s Office -> Street

After leaving Sheriff Edwards in his office, Jasmine made her way to the exit, feeling a slight creek under the wooden floorboards as she moved. The Asian grinned – this was something to get used to as well as entering buildings, constructed out of wood or even brick as was common on this world. While she was with the Sheriff, she got news from the ship that Governor Chisum invited the officers to be guests for the night at their finest hotel on the planet. Jasmine wondered for a moment, what would their ‘finest’ be in comparison to something in one of the core worlds. Well, she’d find out later that night. For now, she was going to take a tour around town, get to know the colonists and their culture, in order to better understand them.

As she was about to leave, a woman appeared in front of her, a smile gracing her lips. “Ya’ll must be Lieutenant Yu, that lawperson of yer ship?” She held out her hand to the security chief.

Jasmine returned the smile, accepting it and the two women shook hands. Yu took a quick glance at the new arrival. The woman had olive skin, long, jet black hair that was tied in a loose ponytail under a chocolate brown cowboy hat and eyes, matching the colour of her hair. She was of a similar build and height as the security chief but slightly older. She was wearing a brown vest over a cream coloured shirt and brown trousers whose ends folded into mud stained black cowboy boots. However, something on the left side of her vest, caught Yu’s attention – a five pointed iron star, similar to the one, Edwards wore, but smaller and encased within a ring with the word, Deputy written around the top half. “You must be the Sheriff’s deputy.”

“One of his deputies,” the woman replied. “Sheriff’s got two since Port Emily is ere like the biggest town on tha planet.” Her smile widening, she let out a dry chuckle. “Uh where’re mah manners. Mah name’s Treena Hobbs.”

Jasmine smiled in acknowledgement. “Pleased to meet you, Deputy Hobbs.”

“Where ya’ll off to?”

“See more of the town,” Yu replied.

Treena suggested, “Well, Ah’m about to make mah rounds, makin’ sure no one’s gittin in trouble. Yer welcome ta join me.”

“Thank you.” Yu nodded. “I’m happy to tag along with you.”

“Great, now come along.” She waved at the young woman to follow her out through the door and before long, they were walking down the street. Some horses, carrying some young men and women, passed them by. One of them, a male, tipped his hat to them. Treena responded to him in the same manner. Jasmine would, if she were wearing a hat but she wasn’t and felt the bright, sun shining down on her back. It was late afternoon and the weather was warm but a little breeze blew occasionally from the direction of the lake. The duo passed a lot of people, who either gave them polite nods, greetings or friendly smiles. Perhaps, Yu thought, it was a good idea after all to accompany the deputy sheriff. No sensible person would try to mess with her, not with Treena around.

“So,” Hobbs began as they were turning around a corner to their left. “How do ya like it here? Lemme guess. Too primitive for city folks like ya’ll.” There was hint of amusement in her eyes.

Jasmine said, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible but at the same time be friendly, “I’ll admit it’s different than what I’m used to…and not in a bad way. Just that it’s different and I look forward to my visit here.”

The deputy made some clucking noises with her tongue and shook her head, all the while her mouth curled into a smile. “Yer lyin, Lieutenant Yu but Ah I appreciate your answer.” She winked.

“I’m curious, though,” Jasmine brought up. “Why refer to us as city folk? Not all of us in the ship have lived in cities.” She was met with a burst of laughter.

“Oh Ah know,” she said, her laughter dying down. “We may be backwater country folk ta ya’ll but we ain’t ignorant. It’s more like an expression ta describe ya’ll core worlders with yer fancy lifestyle and giant cities with buildings that touch the sky.”

Not everyone on the Phoenix came from the Federation’s capital worlds, but Yu held her tongue on that point and just gave her fellow lawperson a friendly smile. Then she heard a soft tweeting sound coming from the deputy.

“Hold on a sec.” She pulled out what looked to be a communicator and flipped it open. “Hobbs here….”

Jasmine waited in silence, while the other woman spoke over the communicator, the latter’s expression turned serious. Wait, flip communicators. Jasmine arched a brow – she hadn’t seen one, except in museums, when Starfleet used them back in the 23rd century. She wondered if it was by choice, the colonists were using an older design, because after all, they could have received later models from the Federation.

“Ah’ll be right there. Hang on tight.” She flipped the device shut and turned to the Phoenix officer. “Come on, Yu. A rare opportunity ta see a local law person in action.” So, both women left in a hurry.

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Scene: Inside a shop

The trip took no more than a minute and when they entered the shop, they saw a violent altercation was taking place between two men with one chasing the other, hurling insults. The man, doing the chasing, was obviously drunk, just from his slurred speech, the stench of alcohol, sensed even from this distance and well, he was in a fit of rage. He was ragged in appearance - dressed rather shabbily and smelly, greasy, black hair with a bald patch on top. Jasmine cringed, the man so desperately needed to take a bath.

The culprit grabbed the other man, shorter in stature but much older, judging from his silver streaked dark hair and punched him in the face. Jasmine deduced the victim to be the shopkeeper. Taking a quick sidelong glance of her surroundings, she realized, they were in a clothing shop, upon noticing a variety of multi-coloured fabrics on the shelf.

Jasmine remained behind, while Treena sprung to action. In a quick move, she pulled the large man off the shop owner and pinned him down on the counter. She held his hands behind his back and cuffed them together. She pulled him up to a standing position as the man let out a loud belch, reeking of foul stench. “Ease up on the booze, Cal,” the deputy scolded, dragging him away from the counter. “A night in tha jail cell ta sober up fer ya.”

“Thanks, Deputy,” the shop keeper called from behind her.

“Anytime, Baz.” Approaching the Asian woman, Hobbs nodded towards the door. “Come, Ah’ll just drop this here loser and we’ll be off showing ya the sights.” As they left the establishment, Jasmine waved at the shop owner, who returned the favour, sporting a grateful smile.

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Scene: Street
TI: Fifteen minutes later

They returned to strolling down the street after Treena dropped the drunken man in jail. “So, Ah’m guessing, ya don’t deal with drunken fools like Cal.” The deputy smiled at the security chief.

Jasmine let out a dry chuckle. “Oh we have our own share of trouble makers to deal with. Fighting under the influence of alcohol or for any other reason and me and my people throw them in the brig – jail as you call it.”

The other woman let out a friendly laugh. “Well, looks like ya’ll are no different from us then.”

“In terms of enforcing the law,” Jasmine said, smiling. “I think we may have something in common.”

“Ya bet we…” She was interrupted, when a deep voice called in their direction. Treena’s expression brightened, when a humanoid female approached them. The deputy greeted her with a smile and pulled the other woman into an embrace.

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, observing the new arrival. She stood at close to half a foot taller than her and Treena with a heavier build. Long, bright red hair, fell over her broad shoulders. She was adorned in a similar outfit as the deputy except it was a silver grey vest over a black shirt and trousers of the same colour. But something caught the Asian’s interest – a Bat’leth hanging over the red haired woman’s right shoulder. Jasmine raised an eyebrow. Was she a Klingon? She noted the lack of cranial ridges that she was used to seeing on Klingons. From what Jasmine read, she knew the Klingon minority on this planet, were descendants of those infected with the augment virus and bore an exact resemblance to humans. Yu didn’t really believe she’d meet one in person until this mission. She watched as Treena led the other woman towards her.

“Lieutenant.” Treena pointed at the taller woman. “This here’s Pam, mah partner. She works in shipping. If ya’ll have any questions about travelling on water, Pam’s yer girl.” She winked at the woman named Pam.

“Nice to meet you, Pam.” Jasmine smiled as the two women shook hands. The three woman began moving again.

Treena asked, her voice filled with excitement, “So, how was the targ hunt?”

“Awesome,” the other woman replied with a shrug. “Well, except for Rusa, who was as usual gittin on mah nerves by pickin on me. She’s just upset Ah’m a better hunter than her. The little princess’s now cryin to her daddy about how the half-breed beat her.”

Jasmine wore a perturbed expression, her eyes darting to the Bat’leth. “Rusa?”

“One of Sompek’s daughters.” Pam let out a soft laugh. “Now don’ be shy, Lieutenant. Ah know ya’ll been dyin to ask.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Well, ya’ll been staring at mah Bat’leth.” The redhead grinned at the Phoenix officer. “See, Lieutenant. Ah’m half Klingon. Mah ma’s human and mah pa’s Klingon from one of the lesser houses here on the planet. But they split, when Ah was a child. Ma took me to live on the farm, just outside this town, while mah pah remained in the wilds with his clan. Ah only git ta see him once a year.”

Jasmine nodded, when Treena suggested, “Lieutenant, since ya’ll gonna be here for some time, why don’t ya’ll come ta our home for dinner? Pam’s a great cook.”

“Hey, ya’re not so bad yourself, Treena.” The tall woman kissed her partner on the cheek.

Jasmine smiled. “Alright, I’ll accept your invitation and will have dinner with you.” The three women chatted for a while until they reached a gathering in the middle of the road. Yu felt her muscles tense, when some shouting was heard from beyond the crowd. “What’s going on here?”

Pam peeked over a middle aged woman’s shoulder and let out a low growl. “It’s Lumpek. Givin his usual speech, protestin the festival on behalf of Sompek.”

Treena rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “This happens every year, right before tha festival.”

Jasmine asked, a puzzled look in her eyes, “Why do the Klingons have a problem with the festival?”

“Just Sompek clamourin fer attention,” the deputy replied, her voice dripping with annoyance. “Well, he gits it, every year. If only folks had some sense and ignored him, then maybe the Klingons would stop makin all this fuss.”

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, wondering if there was more to story and noted the silence in Pam, who chose not to respond to her partner. She watched as some of the humans shouted back, leading to heated arguments between the two sides. The security chief heard one young man complain to his friend.

“Geez, why’re the Klingons makin such a stink about the festival every year?”

His friend, a woman who looked to be of the same age said, releasing a sigh of exasperation. “Yeah, lighten up. Us folks just wanna have fun, eatin and playin games with our loved ones. What’s wrong with that?”

However, the loudest voice came from an elderly woman, who pushed through the crowd and stood a few feet from the Klingon, the one who had been leading the protest. She launched into a huge tirade of nonsensical ranting. Jasmine craned her neck, having difficulty understanding her words.

“Nah look here, you filthy animal,” the old woman ranted, while the group of Klingons growled and hissed back at her. Some of the other humans groaned, shaking or smacking their heads in frustration. “Ya’ll Klingons’ve nah business bein in our town. Bunch of animals, ya’ll are. Runnin about in tha woods and drinkin blood outta cattle ya’ll stole from poor farmers like us, howlin like a bunch of wild animals. ” When a human woman attempted to pull her away, she shoved her aside and continued with her ranting. “I’m tired of them sissies who let ya’ll roam around, shovin yer barbaric practices in our faces. Ya’ll be grateful we let ya’ll stay on our planet and learn ta be civilized.”

Pam grumbled, “Ole lady Maggot is at it again, just like every other year.”

“What’s her problem?” Yu asked, though she already guessed what the redhead’s answer would be.

The Klingon hybrid sighed. “One of them racists. Good thing, there’re only a few folks who think like Maggot and they mostly livin’ the country side, keepin ta themselves. Most human folks are fine with tha Klingons and leave them be.”

Ole lady Maggot shouted when a tall young man began dragging her away from the scene, “If ya filthy animals don’ like hah us folks do thins here, then get off our damn planet.”

Treena announced, pushing her way through the crowd, while Pam and Jasmine remained behind, “Alright, folks. Break it up. This show’s over.”

Lumpek shouted over the crowd, “Well, you just made my point, when the town’s deputy is here to suppress our voices on behalf of the government.”

“Hey, Ah’m only keeping the peace here, Lumpek.” Soon the crowd began dispersing, returning to their regular activities and the road was empty, except for the three women and the Klingons.

Jasmine sighed, noticing the hostile glances in their direction from the Klingons as they began approaching them. This was anything but good. Maybe they should back away. It wasn’t that Jasmine was afraid of them because she wasn’t. Just that, the young woman didn’t want any trouble with the locals, both human and Klingon alike.

“Well, look who we have here,” the Klingon named Lumpek spoke, his eyes shooting daggers at the hybrid. “The filthy half-breed with her human mate and…” His eyes then fell on Yu and they narrowed. “Oh, someone from the orbiting ship.”

“Leave her out of this, Lumpek,” Pam argued, stepping forward to stand between Jasmine and the Klingons. “She’s not part of this world and is only here to drop off our grain for the festival.”

A female Klingon hissed angrily at the hybrid. “Don’t you see, everyone? The Federation is sanctioning this racist practice and have officially endorsed the festival. A bunch of hypocrites, they are.”

Jasmine spoke in a calm and polite voice in the hopes of diffusing the situation, “Look, we’re just following orders and only here to bring the triticale to you. That’s all. We have no intention of causing trouble for you.”

Lumpek yelled, “You, Federation, are a bunch of hypocrites and are truly racist against the Klingons and that’s why you’re here to endorse this festival to humiliate us. Bet you enjoy seeing our empire in ruins, do you?”

“I’m only sorry to hear you feel this way,” was all Jasmine said before she turned around to walk away. The Klingons began shouting behind her.

Treena stepped forward, drawing out her blaster. “Alright, enough! If ya’ll cause any more trouble. I’ll throw ya’ll in jail. Understand?” With loud grunts, Lumpek and his group walked away. Turning to the Phoenix security officer, the deputy gave her an apologetic look. “Lieutenant, sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Jasmine said, giving her a smile of assurance. “I can manage.” She made a mental note to report to the Captain about this incident.

Pam grumbled, “This is why Ah moved ta Port Emily. Some Klingons and a small number of humans can’t stand hybrids like myself.”

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~*~
Ranjani S.
Writing for

Lieutenant Jasmine Yu
Chief of Security and Tactical
USS PHOENIX