Third Mission, Part V

Posted on Sep 16, 2018 @ 2:45am by Chloe Nielsen
Edited on on Sep 16, 2018 @ 2:45am

Mission: Section 31

“Third Mission, Part V”

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Location: Ciris, NUMINO
SD: [2.18] 0913.2307
Scene: Spaceport


The journey south from Tirithi to Ciris was short – about half hour including takeoff and landing. After Chloe disembarked from the shuttle, she made her way to one of the tunnels that would take her directly to the pickup area, where someone would be waiting for her. In the morning before departure, Gaven told her that Lord Percy, the lead Syndicate operative stationed in Ciris, had made arrangements to receive her at the spaceport.

The spaceport was busy with Nuimons and Non-Nuimons alike moving about, either getting on or off their respective transports. It not only dealt with off-world transportation but air and ground as well. She entered a wide tunnel, surrounded by white, rocky walls on both sides that inclined downwards – the spaceport was built on a plateau, bordered by mountains on all sides. As the blonde reached the bottom, she spotted a young humanoid man with short, black hair, approaching her and stopped just after walking through the exit. Chloe deduced the man to be Nuimon, when his eyes changed colour from brown to blue. Nuimons bore a striking resemblance to humans with the exception of their eye colour changing abilities.

“Hello, welcome to Ciris,” the man greeted, sporting a friendly smile. “Lord Percy sent me here to escort you.” His eyes moved to her suitcase. “May I take your luggage?”

“Sure.” Nielsen returned the smile, nodding and watched as the Nuimon grabbed her suitcase.

“Okay, this way.” He turned around and began moving with the agent beside him. The pair walked in silence across the wide cavern, which served as the arrivals section and located in the lowest level of the spaceport but would need to use tunnels to head down to the parking area. Chloe chose to pack light with just one suitcase and a small travel bag. Although the agent wasn’t sure how long she was going to be in Ciris, she still brought all the essentials including Section 31 issued equipment with her.

Her attire was simple – a striped dark blue blazer over a light blue top and form fitting navy blue trousers along with plain black high heels and a pair of sunglasses. She was dressed like a business woman as Mwangi’s cell on Numino fronted as a shell company. The Nuimons were unaware of the Syndicate’s presence on their world.

They entered a narrow tunnel, which slanted downwards, with Chloe behind her Nuimon escort. A few minutes passed, when the agent got an uneasy feeling. She glanced around her surroundings and frowned. Odd. The tunnel was empty except for them and eerily quiet. She’d expected it to be filled with travellers rushing out of the spaceport but that wasn’t the case here. Then the Nuimon took a turn to their left, making the blonde more suspicious as she followed suit. “Hey...why’re we taking this route? Shouldn’t we have gone straight?”

The man glanced behind his shoulder and smiled. “This is the short cut.”

“I see.” Chloe nodded, when at the corner of her eye, she spotted something gleaming within a crevice on the wall. “Well, I studied the map of this spaceport, including its tunnel network and from what I recall, this particular route wasn’t there. No turns, just a straight path to the parking lot.”

“Ah see, well it’s a secret route known only to spaceport staff and I have a friend working there,” the man replied, turning around, yet his eyes painted an interesting story – they were staring past her, not at her.

That’s when her hackles were raised, her smile vanished as she peeked behind – a heavy set Nuimon man stood, knife in hand. At lightning speed, she spun around, grabbing his hand, holding the knife and twisted his arm before snapping out a kick to his groin, forcing him to stumble backward and let go of the blade. She followed up immediately with a side kick to his gut, throwing him against the wall. She then turned forward, spotting the first Nuimon approaching her, holding a knife and a menacing look in his eyes. Chloe glanced behind, when a third man appeared, no weapon in sight.

“Look,” the first man said, smiling. “Do not resist. This will all end soon.”

She had no way out as her attackers blocked her on both ends. As the Nuimons made their move simultaneously, Chloe first ducked to the side, forcing the assailant in the front to stab the air. When the man behind, lunged towards her, she sent out a spinning back kick, the sharp edge of the heel, slashing his neck, spilling out blood as he dropped to the floor like a ragged doll.

In one swift move, she swung another kick at the remaining guy’s hand, knocking off the weapon, followed by a whack to his head with her bag, forcing him backwards and finally sweeping her foot around his leg, striking the back of the ankle with her heel. The man, howling in pain, fell back to the ground, his head barely missing the wall by an inch. His eyes widened in horror as Chloe approached him, her heels making a loud clacking sound. She lifted one foot and held it over his neck, the heel barely touching it. The man gulped.

“Who sent you?” The agent demanded, shifting her foot, the heel now in contact with his neck, ready to stab at a moment’s notice. When the man didn’t answer, she pressed her foot a little further, only enough to pierce his skin and blood began trickling out. He opened his mouth, however a greenish hue energy beam streamed towards them. Chloe removed her foot just when the beam hit his head, vaporizing him in the process. Stunned, the agent spun around and narrowed her eyes, upon spotting a humanoid man standing a few feet away with a disruptor pistol in his hand.

“You know,” Nielsen said, “I was about to ask the guy who sent these goons to ambush me when you showed up and killed him before he could answer.”

The man smiled, his pale blue eyes fixed on her and spoke with an English accent. “You’re welcome. Now can you please move aside? I have to clean up here.”

Chloe nodded, stepping towards the wall and watched as the new arrival promptly sent shots at the other two Nuimons, disintegrating them. She watched him return the weapon back into his holster.

“There,” he said, smiling at her. “Fortunately for us, the Nuimons don’t have security cams installed anywhere.” He then held out his hand to her and the two shook hands. “Lord Percy. I believe you were expecting me.” The man grabbed her suitcase and waved at her to follow him. “Come on, let’s head up to the main tunnel and to the parking lot. My car is waiting there for us.” They turned around, making their way back up to the main tunnel.

Lord Percy. The man fit the description in the profile provided to her. From his bald scalp and slim figure with no body hair visible except for his eyebrows, Percy was a Deltan but raised on Earth. He was orphaned at age three and adopted by a wealthy human couple, thus spending his formative years in London, England, including attending university in Oxford – didn’t graduate though and instead just left Earth. How he wound up with the Syndicate was anyone’s guess.

Like the blonde, Lord Percy was in his late thirties and stood an inch taller than her, when she didn’t wear high heels. “How did you know to come here?” She furrowed a brow.

Percy sighed. “I apologize for not coming sooner but when you didn’t show up at the parking area, I realized something was wrong and came here.” He grinned. “But it looks like you can handle yourself quite nicely.”

“It would have been nice to know who wants to kill me,” she said, expressing her displeasure.

The Deltan shook his head as they exited the tunnel. They passed humanoids, Ferengi and a myriad of other species, likely native to this quadrant. The blonde spotted some Karemma – yes, the Karemma were part of the Dominion. It wouldn’t surprise her to find the presence of Karemma or even Dosi, a species allied with the Dominion, on this world for economic purposes. She recalled her own dealings with members from both races during the war, when she spent time behind enemy lines for numerous intelligence operations.

“Wait here,” Percy announced as they stopped on the platform beside a Ferengi couple. Chloe was puzzled – the parking lot was a few metres away. A whirring sound washed away her doubts when a hover car was seen approaching them – its sleek, polished surface reflecting the sunlight. The Deltan grinned. “No need to walk when you can call the car to us.”

Well of course, the car was controlled by an AI. She waited as the hatch on her side lifted open. The Deltan gestured for her to get inside, which she did, and he followed suit from the other side. Then the car lifted a few inches off the ground and sped away.

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Scene: Inside hover car


Percy said, making a turn around the bend, “Regarding the people who hired those locals to kill you.” He shifted the car away to avoid grazing the mountain.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Any ideas on who sent them?”

“Yes I do.” He nodded, decreasing speed as the car made a gentle descent down a slope before turning again. “Those men belong to an extremist group who call themselves, ‘Free Nuimons’, whose sole aim is to kick all off-worlders out and make their world independent again.” The car went around a bend. The path from the spaceport to the city included winding turns around the mountain.

Nielsen looked perplexed. “But Numino is independent.”

“Technically yes.” Another turn around the bend. “However, for a while, a growing number of Nuimons have become unhappy over what they perceive to be an increasing off-worlder population. They fear the off-worlders will take over everything and soon there’d be nothing left for them here. So many gravitated towards the conservative viewpoint of either more restrictions on off-worlders or expelling them altogether.” They had finally found a straight road though it’d be another few minutes before it sloped downwards. “Now what makes the Free Nuimons different is that they use violent means to get their point across like what just happened to you.”

“They were attempting to ambush and kill me,” Chloe said, frowning, not convinced at his explanation. “But why me? I mean, there were so many off-worlders at the spaceport and they just chose me at random.”

“Who knows?” He shrugged as the car made its descent. “A lone, helpless woman make for an easy target…only that they targeted the wrong off-worlder and paid the price.” He grinned.

Something didn’t add up there. It was as if those men were expecting her like they knew the exact tunnel to wait at. How’d they get the information, unless someone tipped them off - someone who didn’t want her in the city? The agent narrowed her eyes, glancing at the Deltan with suspicion.

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Scene: Syndicate local office
TI: 20 minutes later


“Please come in.” Percy waved at the blonde. “Make yourself at home.”

Chloe walked inside, taking a quick look at her surroundings. The living area of her host’s apartment was large, yet not spacious due to the presence of clutter, strewn all over the place. Not much for housekeeping. A tattered old brown couch and some chairs with things sitting on them, caught her eye. She walked along the long, wide rectangular window, her blonde hair, illuminated by the sun outside. The agent turned to gaze outside the window, where she had the eagle eye’s view of the city below.

Ciris, Numino’s capital, was built around the base of the mountain, known by the locals as the ‘Guardian of the Sun’, part of the Cerean mountain range. In fact, the city was located, east of the range in Western Ithlirin, the mountains acting as protection against the harsh winds from the sea. Ciris extended from the base of the mountain to a lake. The city was hilly in the areas closer to the mountain but flat as it neared the lakefront. Chloe caught glimpses of tall, grey buildings, scattered all over the city – structures made of tritanium. Ciris was the only place in the world, where tritanium buildings could be found and compared to the rest of the planet, the capital was quite modern. However, if compared to cities on Federation core worlds, Ciris resembled a large town in the mountains with no skyscrapers present.

“Here’s the information,” Percy said, handing her a small PADD – sleek and slender, able to fit in the palm of the hand, the type commonly used by the Syndicate. “Everything you need is all in here such as directions to the morgue, Goin’s apartment and your accommodations, which is actually not far from here.” He grinned. “Which should be easy for us to get to know each other better. Gaven’s not the possessive type and so wouldn’t mind sharing you with me.”


The agent gave him a cold stare and if her eyes had the ability to kill, then the Deltan would have been vaporized. “If I were you, I wouldn’t try anything stupid unless you want to get badly hurt.”

Percy chuckled. “My mistake. I didn’t realize you and Gaven are exclusive.”

“We aren’t together,” she corrected, struggling to keep the irritation out of her voice.

The Deltan laughed. “I’m sure you will soon get tired of him. The man’s a dullard. You’d do better with someone having a personality.” He winked.

“Don’t hold your breath,” she warned. Lord Percy wouldn’t even have an ounce of a chance with her.

Percy smiled. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

Chloe asked, “So, did you know Goin well?” Ges Goin, a Bolian, was the operative, killed by Jem’Hadar due to leaked information by a double agent named ‘Satchel’, here in Ciris. As far as Lord Percy was concerned, she was sent here to investigate Goin’s death and make arrangements for the transfer of the body as well as the Bolian’s belongings back to his family in Bolarus IX.

“Goin.” He shrugged. “No, barely knew the chap. Only met him once when he dropped by my place to check in.”

The office was part of a row of apartments, carved out of the mountain itself. Many residents preferred to reside in dwellings that were built in the mountain- thus referred to as the suburbs of Ciris - to avoid the hustle and bustle down in the city. She couldn’t blame them and would have done the same. Voices were heard, making her turn around and noticed the Deltan had turned on the large viewscreen on the wall behind his desk, where a news broadcast was taking place. Nuimons were seen camped out on the steps in front of a tritanium building, shouting and holding signs – she couldn’t make out the words from this distance.

“Oh a couple of kids protesting,” Percy informed, chuckling. “Apparently, they finally released those five rangers.”

“Released for what?” Chloe knew the Rangers were a branch of the Planetary Police. Since the Nuimons had no military, the police force had sole responsibility for the planet’s security.

The Deltan explained, “See, five weeks ago, those rangers broke into a Karemma manufacturing facility in Edorii and attempted to sabotage it but they were caught and held prisoner there until this morning.”

Nielsen sighed. The Karemma served under the Dominion. “I’m assuming they got something in return for releasing the rangers.”

“Yes they did.” He nodded. “Permission granted to build another manufacturing facility on the planet. They have two already, apparently would pose a greater risk to the environment, which is why many are up in arms over the decision. While the rangers were released, Hollande has a paid a huge price – hell, she was already unpopular anyway.” The feed now showed the planet’s Chief Consul exiting the building but had to be rushed back inside by her aids as the shouting erupted. He sighed, scratching his bald head. “Things only got worse with the arrival of the Camelot.”

Now her interest was piqued. “Camelot?”

He chuckled, meeting her gaze, “You know, the legendary kingdom where King Arthur reigned, along with his knights of the round table.” The Deltan winked, when she frowned. “Federation starship. Arrived like yesterday. So now a deluge of Starfleet officers coming down will exacerbate an already tense political climate. Things are going to get dicey here.”

The USS CAMELOT’s presence on Numino wasn’t a good thing in the agent’s view – not that the presence of Starfleet in general would be detrimental to the mission. But the Excalibur class vessel was commanded by Anaqueen Spankryz, complicating things, especially with Mirror Anaqueen already present. Somehow, she had to make sure the two Anaqueens did not cross paths. She hoped the Camelot’s stay was brief and the Captain remained on the ship. Chloe sighed, knowing she’d have to monitor the Camelot now to track Spankryz’s movements. Perhaps that quantum signature feature would come in handy, thanks to the Quartermaster’s ingenuity. Then again, she’d likely did not need quantum signature to differentiate between the two women.

What would make the situation more complicated, the agent thought, was this reality’s Kate MacNeil also choosing to visit Numino at this time.

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Location: Tirithi, NUMINO
Scene: Club


A silver haired Trill woman gulped down a purplish blue liquid and placed the tiny glass on the countertop with a thud. “More.” The bartender, a young Nuimon woman with short, spiky pink hair, refilled the glass with more wine, locally brewed in a village in central Ithlirin. Anaqueen gulped down her drink again and demanded another glass, which the Nuimon complied. She was having the time of her life in this club, located somewhere deep within a cave in the city’s lower levels.

Seated at the bar, she observed her surroundings – the place was lively with the music beating loudly and Nuimons as well as a few off-worlders were present and it was only mid-day. But who cared. Chloe was away in Ciris and wouldn’t be able to boss her, though the Trill was quite miffed the agent didn’t give her the details. Chloe rarely gave reasons, Ana thought bitterly and it was always ‘do this Ana or do that Ana. Don’t go there or behave yourself, Ana.’ So infuriating, oh if only she could just go one on one with the blonde and give her a beat down to teach her a lesson to not be so bossy. Ana did seem to forget that in a one on one, she never once managed to get the best of the agent.

The Trill, after taking one last gulp of her drink, stood up and sauntered towards the dance floor, swaggering and waving her arms around. Her outfit was casual – form fitting dark purple pants and a full-sleeved black top with fishnets mesh shoulder. Her long, silver hair swayed in the bright light as she moved. Joining a crowd of young men and women, mostly Nuimons, Ana quickly got into the rhythm of the music beating loudly in the room and danced by herself with a carefree attitude.

Too engrossed in her own world with only the music at the back of her mind, Anaqueen didn’t notice another body brushing against her. In her mind, was the memory of a happier time on Casperia Station, when she was sharing a dance and more with her – that Terran blonde. For the next couple of minutes, she was engrossed in the memory and it was only when she absent mindedly turned around that she noticed a humanoid woman dancing with her. Ana was immediately pulled out of her thoughts and became intrigued at this new dance partner whose big, round eyes turned from a pale blue to green, making her a Nuimon. They danced together for a while longer, not their taking eyes off each other.

Ana studied the mysterious Nuimon woman, standing at the same height as her with a slender figure. The Nuimon had short strawberry blonde hair, styled in a bob that shaped around her round face perfectly. Soon the two women slowly veered themselves away from the dance floor to a private corner in a narrow corridor and with the Trill’s back against the wall, their lips locked and began kissing.

When they finally let go, both women gasped for breath. She needed that, Ana thought, grinning. She watched the other woman’s eyes now turn violet, a smile gracing her lips.

“So,” the Nuimon spoke, “I hear you are the famous Trill woman who helps others fight for freedom.”

Ana raised an eyebrow. “I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“So rumours are true then,” she pressed on, “You are this freedom fighter for hire, Anna Quinn, Queen Anne or Ann Qu.”

The Trill whispered in her ear. “You have me confused for someone else.”

“Meet me tonight at this location if you are interested to know more,” the Nuimon whispered, placing a tiny rectangular shaped chip in the Trill’s hand. “And come alone.”

Ana nodded, watching the other woman head towards the bio-waste removal centre aka public restroom. The Trill was intrigued and curious to know more but wondered whether she should go. What if it were a trap set by a bounty hunter to ensnare her. Maybe she should contact Chloe and ask her what to do. She dismissed that thought immediately. “Chloe would only order me to stay put. You know what, I’ll check it out.” She grinned, returning to the bar. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

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Location: Ciris, NUMINO
Scene: Ges Goin’s apartment


After Chloe left Percy’s office, she headed to her apartment and dropped off her luggage. She next went to the morgue to make the necessary arrangements with the coroner, regarding Goin’s body and brought back a case containing his belongings to her apartment for further examination. The belongings comprised of mostly his personal trinkets but a miniaturized holo-projector caught her attention. When she activated the device, it projected a hologram of Mirror Kate MacNeil and she realized Goin was working with Gaven on the search for MacNeil. So then she decided to pay a visit to the Bolian’s apartment to search for clues.

Now the blonde was standing in front of his door, inputting the access code, Percy provided. The agent decided on a change of outfit as well as a modification to her appearance, prior to coming here. She wore a forest green suit – blazer over a cream coloured blouse and pants. Her accessories included green wedge pumps for her feet, white hat, some jewelry and a pair of sunglasses. She changed her hair colour to a bright red and wore brown tinted contacts to disguise her eyes. The contact lens was designed to mimic a Nuimon eye and set the colour, based on her brain wave patterns, thus allowing the agent to blend in with the locals. Considering the current political climate, standing out as an off-worlder would draw unwanted attention that would be detrimental to her mission.

The door slid open, allowing the agent to step inside. Ges’ apartment was situated closer to the base of the mountain but still high enough to get a great view of the city. She moved with caution, making sure no one was waiting for her.

The apartment was a bachelor pad with one large, spacious area that served as living/dining room and bedroom, along with an adjoining kitchenette and an attached bathroom. The pad didn’t have much in the way of furniture aside from a long, blue couch, a round wooden table, computer console and a double bed, apparently not made. She spotted holos on the nightstand and then at the closet, which was open to reveal his clothes.

From her coat pocket, Chloe pulled out a pair of thin gloves and slid them over her hands. With the help of the embedded cam in her sunglasses, she would be able to record everything to review at a later time. She tapped on a silver bracelet, worn around her left wrist, activating the device to release nanobots that would travel around the apartment, playing the role of tricorders – in this case, collect not just readings but visual recordings as well. The nanobots were linked to her eyewear, allowing her to observe or access the feed.

She strolled around the room, making her way to the console. Chloe doubted Goin would have kept any sensitive information on the apartment’s computer but still decided to check it out. Already one of the nanobots inserted itself into the dataport, having been pre-programmed by Section 31 technicians to target consoles and extract the data.

Chloe walked to the bed, when she noticed a tiny blue dot flashing at the top left corner of her lens – one of the nanobots found something. She accessed the feed of that particular nanobot, which displayed a close up of the nightstand and then spotted a silver gleam from one of the holos. She headed for the nightstand and grabbed the targeted holo, showing an image of the young Bolian, scaling a mountain, smiling at the holocam.

The blonde furrowed her brow, examining the holo, turning it around to the back, when a tiny slit in the middle caught her eye. Something gleamed through the gap. Chloe slid her forefinger inside the slit, feeling something smooth and pushed out a data crystal into her other hand. She returned the crystal back through the slit, deciding to extract the information back in her apartment. Chloe was about to turn around, when her gaze stopped on another holo. She reached out for the holo and then her eyes narrowed – it was an image of Goin with Percy, their arms wrapped around the other’s shoulders and holding glasses of wine, laughing. She next observed the holo’s background and realized it was taken at the Bolian’s apartment. Odd. Why would the Deltan lie to her about not knowing Goin well and only having met him in his office? Chloe sighed, placing both holos in her pocket and zipping it closed to secure them –something wasn’t right about Percy. Her thoughts were interrupted by the whirring sound of the door opening, directing the agent’s attention to the front.

A Nausicaan male stood, its hulking figure blocking the doorway. He took a step forward in her direction, speaking in a deep voice. “You, woman, go out with me.”

“No,” she responded in a calm voice, giving him an icy stare. “You’re not my type.”

“Woman, you will come with me or else,” the brute threatened, edging closer to her.

“Or else what.”

The Nausicaan’s tone was condescending. “Don’t worry, I know how fragile humans are. I promise to be gentle if you come willingly.”

Fragile, Nielsen snorted. The idiot didn’t know what he got himself into. “That’s too bad because I won’t be.”

The brute snarled, “You’re no match for me, woman! Come now or die!”

Considering he stood at over two metres tall and packed a lot of muscle, he technically had the advantage due to his sheer size alone. However, the agent never relied on brute strength to win a fight. In fact, she had a few tricks up her sleeve and actually possessed a functioning brain unlike this goon here. “Alright,” she announced, sounding resigned. “I’m coming with you.” She began making her way towards the Nausicaan, her gaze not leaving him.

When she tapped the ring around her left middle finger, the large being gave her a smug look as he reached out to grab her right wrist, his hand touching a gold button on her sleeve. Then that smugness vanished, replaced by anguish, followed by a guttural scream as he immediately let go of her and stumbled backwards. He watched in horror as red patches formed on his hand as if it were burning. The button on the agent’s blazer sleeve was no ordinary clothing accessory but a Section 31 designed tech that released a toxin into the attacker’s body upon skin contact.

At lightning speed, Chloe swung a kick, arcing towards his infected hand, knocking it and as the Nausicaan roared in anguish, she spun around to deliver a back kick to his abdomen, forcing him to stumble back. The agent sent out a side kick to his groin, this time knocking her opponent against the kitchenette’s countertop, smashing a bunch of items. Despite enduring the pain from the toxin, the Nausicaan wasn’t done as he launched himself towards her with a roar. Reaching out for the dining table, the large alien lifted it off the floor and threw it at the blonde.

Chloe leapt to the side as the table flew past her, however one of its legs hit her shoulder, forcing her to bite her lip due to the pain from contact. The table broke into half upon impact with the opposite wall.

“You won’t escape, woman,” the Nausicaan bellowed, stomping towards her, the ground rumbling under his feet. He then let out a blood curdling scream, clutching his infected hand – the toxin was spreading. “What did you do?” He roared, lunging for her but the agent jumped away before he could touch her.

“I poisoned you,” she informed in a matter-of-fact-tone, shifting her position to avoid getting hit by the chair tossed in her direction. The effects of the toxin was taking longer than expected. It would have been better if R&D provided a toxin that would paralyze this brute immediately, instead of giving him time to have fits of rage and go on a rampage. Maybe they didn’t take Nausicaan physiology into account. She watched him overturn the couch.

“You will pay, human,” he declared, swinging a punch at her but only managed to knock off her sunglasses and hat to the floor. The Nausicaan promptly stomped over the eyewear, his foot smashing it into pieces before grabbing her shoulder.

Chloe pushed him back with a kick to his knees. “If you kill me, then you’ll die too as I’m the only one who has the antidote.”

He stopped, his eyes burning with rage. “Give me the antidote!”

Nielsen shook her head. “Not unless you tell me who sent you.”

The Nausicaan snorted but then grit his teeth to prevent him screaming from pain. The agent could see some skin peeling off the infected hand – the brute didn’t have long now before he was paralyzed and then dead. “The Lady will pay me handsomely for killing you.”

“The Lady?” Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Clearly her name cannot be The Lady.”

“I don’t care so long as I’m paid. Now give me the antidote!”

Nielsen asked, “You don’t happen to know if this Lady is associated with a Syndicate operative?”

“Yes she is,” he replied and stomped his foot. “Now hand me the antidote so that I can kill you.”

Chloe shrugged, her expression devoid of emotion. “Sorry, but there’s no antidote.” She slipped her hand under the sleeve. As predicted, the Nausicaan responded with a roar as he lunged at her. However the agent stepped back and pulled out a Type 1 phaser and fired a shot, instantly vaporizing him. While the toxin would have eventually killed him, she couldn’t afford to wait and used the quickest, yet the riskiest, way to end his life. She didn’t often fire an energy weapon unless absolutely necessary as they were sure to draw attention. But it was likely the Nausicaan’s rampaging already did that anyway.

The agent sighed, picking up the hat and spotting the broken pieces of her sunglasses. She gathered up the pieces and threw them into the incinerator. Not a big deal – she had two more pairs and any data gathered here, were already transmitted to a remote storage unit, accessible only through Section 31 channels. If something happened to her, then HQ would be able to access the data.

Having gathered all the evidence, Chloe turned to the front door, preparing to leave, when a loud siren blared outside and footsteps were heard running towards the apartment. The door chime rang and a voice spoke through the intercom.

[[Planetary Police, please open the door. One of your neighbours alerted us of a noise disturbance in your dwelling.]]

She mentally cursed that stupid Nausicaan for making such a ruckus to the point where the police were alerted. Although, it was possible one of the Nuimon neighbors spotted the brute coming up to the apartment and contacted the authorities out of fear – the Nausicaans weren’t exactly inconspicuous and stood out, especially to those Nuimons, already suspicious of off-worlders.

[[Open the door, otherwise we will override the access code and enter the premises.]]

Chloe sighed, realizing she couldn’t leave through the front door and didn’t want any confrontation with the local police. She glanced behind, her gaze falling on a narrow grey door by the kitchenette – yes, the back door, which led inside the mountain.

[[Okay, we are coming inside.]]

The agent turned on her heel and made a beeline for the back door. She tapped on the panel to the side and the door slid open to reveal the inside of a cave. She slipped out just as the front door opened. The back door slid shut, when a Nuimon enforcer entered the apartment. Chloe decided she’d use the tunnel network inside the mountain to get to her apartment.

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Location: Tirithi, NUMINO
Scene: Corner of street, below overpass
TI: Later that night


Anaqueen growled under her breath, kicking a stone out of the way as if it offended her. The Trill had been waiting for about half hour and her patience was wearing thin. That Nuimon from the bar was supposed to meet her at 2200hrs and she hadn’t shown up yet. Ana swore loudly, which led to a young Nuimon couple sending her awkward stares. The Trill glared at them, annoyed at what she perceived as being gawked at. She yelled at them.

“What are you looking at? Something on my face?” She followed up by raising her hand with the middle finger held up high.

“Damned off-worlder,” the male Nuimon grumbled, ushering his partner as the duo scurried away. While they were unfamiliar with Earth’s gestures, it wasn’t hard for them to figure out Ana giving them the middle finger was considered rude.

The Trill harrumphed, tossing her long, silver hair. She was frustrated, wondering what if the Nuimon stood her up. An uneasy feeling began creeping up inside her. What if this was a trap, set up by a bounty hunter to capture her, using the girl to lure her? If that was the case, Ana wondered if she should just leave and head to a more public location.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Ana turned around at the sound of the female voice and glowered. “You’re late.”

“Emergency at work,” the Nuimon replied in a casual tone, unperturbed by the Trill’s sour attitude. “Come on, let’s go.” But Ana wouldn’t budge.

“How do I know you’re not luring me into an ambush? You are aware numerous bounties have been placed on me.”

The young woman smiled. “You don’t. But I know you will still come because you cannot help it.”

Ana glanced behind her. It wasn’t too late to leave – at least she’d be safe, however she was drawn to a cause, where the struggle for freedom was involved. “Fine, I’ll come.” So safe lost, trouble won.

“Glad to hear.” The Nuimon began walking with Ana right beside her, just when a humanoid male appeared on the scene, laughing with an Andorian man.

“Look, isn’t that the Captain?” The humanoid, a Risean, asked, tilting his head as the women disappeared down the road.

The Andorian shook his head in amusement. “You’re drunk, Kelar. That woman cannot be the Captain. She doesn’t look like her.”

“That silver haired woman is Trill and I swear, Shonar, she looks exactly like Spankryz.” He released a loud belch.

“Well, you had way too much of that wine.” Shonar grabbed his friend’s shoulder and dragged him along the road. “The Captain cannot be the only Trill in this universe.”

“I swear…” he slurred. “That…woman...is the Captain.” He belched again.

“Come on, let’s back to the hotel and put you to bed.” The blue man chuckled. “By tomorrow, you will have a hangover but realize your assertions about that Trill woman was ridiculous as our Captain is back on the ship.”

Their path was blocked by two shadowy figures, wearing dark grey cloaks, their faces hidden beneath hoods. One of them held out a knife and stabbed the Risean, while the other hauled the Andorian away.

-------------------

Scene: Street -> Hidden cavern
TI: Ten minutes later


“Here,” the Nuimon announced, upon reaching a crevice on the wall. They were in the lower levels of the city in a section, where people rarely showed up. She slid her lithe body through the narrow opening and then extended her arm out. “Come inside.”

Ana sighed, following the Nuimon through the crevice to a dark, empty cavern. She glanced around, wondering how they were going to navigate their way, when the other woman turned to face her, her eyes glowing a bright blue – a physical attribute of the Nuimons, including hybrids. Nuimons’ eyes glowed a bright blue colour in the dark.

“This way.”

Ana continued to follow her until the ground sloped downwards into a chasm. They walked in silence and halted when the ground levelled off. The Trill spotted three Nuimons approaching them – their eyes also glowing blue.

The Nuimon woman smiled. “I brought the Trill woman here.”

One of the other Nuimons, a tall man, with a lean build, approached them, his features hidden by the darkness. “Welcome…you have many names. How should we address you?”

Ana shrugged. “Queen Anne.”

“Very well, Queen Anne.” He nodded before taking on a serious tone. “Before we proceed, I would like to warn you that anything said in this meeting will not leave this cavern. We know who you are and where you reside. Breathe a word of this to anyone and we will silence you forever. Are we clear?”

The Trill let out a sigh, nodding. “Yes. Now will you mind explaining to me who you are and why you brought me here?”

“Very well.” The Nuimon man inhaled deeply. “We are fighters of the ‘Free Nuimons’ organization. Our goal is to take back our planet from the off-worlders and are in need of a consultant, who will take us to the next step in our plan to free our world.”

Ana raised an eyebrow. “Free your world? But you all live in a democratic society and the consuls are elected by you.”

“The Council is a farce,” came a harsh female voice behind the man. “All puppets, doing the off-worlders bidding. Have you seen the newsfeed today? Hollande gave into those Karemmans after sitting on the issue for a month. If this keeps up, the off-worlders will take over everything.”

“Fine.” Ana rolled her eyes. “So now you need my help in your fight?”

The man said, “We know your reputation as a freedom fighter and heard tales of how you helped others fight against their oppressors and gain their freedom. None of our fighters have the experience and would like you to teach us the ways.”

Ana bit her lip, the irritation growing inside her. Oppressed? That incensed her. As far as she was concerned, the Nuimons were fortunate to live in a free and democratic society without fear of repercussions from the government – something the Trills on her homeworld in the mirror universe didn’t enjoy. Unlike the parasites (symbionts) with their iron grip on the populace, the Nuimon planetary council permitted its citizens free will. Nuimons were allowed to openly criticize their government without fear of punishment. In her view, the Nuimons seemed to be taking their freedom for granted – something the Trills in her home dimension could only dream of having. “What do I get out of this?”

“We are aware many are hunting for you and offer protection from the hunters,” the man answered. “You will also be compensated handsomely. So name your price and we can meet it with confidence.”

“I am curious. How does a rag tag bunch of rebels have the funds to pay me?”

“We have a backer who provides us the financial support,” he informed curtly. “An off-worlder called The Lady has vast resources at her disposal.”

The Lady. Ana’s interest was piqued. Who was this person? How ironic? An isolationist group, using the help of an off-worlder to get rid of off-worlders. A bunch of hypocrites, making her wonder if she should refuse outright. Yet she was curious, especially about this Lady and why she was helping a bunch of Nuimons, rebelling for the sake of it, unlike the Trill rebels in her home dimension, who were actually fighting against real oppression. It had been a decade, Ana thought grimly - it was possible the parasites had wiped out the entire resistance, especially if they secured outside help. She hoped that wasn’t the case and the resistance still thrived.

“So will you help?”

Ana took a moment to ponder before smiling. “We have a deal.” Chloe was not going to be happy about the Trill partaking in a side project but she didn’t care and had no plans on telling her handler.

*************************************************************************************

NRPG: Here’s Part V. The plot thickens. So who is the Lady? She seems connected to many things. And what about the Syndicate double agent, Satchel? Stay tuned in future installments. In a couple of chapters, you’ll see things come together and questions answered, along with my characters beginning to cross paths with each other.

A fact about the Nuimons. They have an ability to voluntarily change their eye colour though with hybrids like Kate, it is involuntary. But both full Nuimons and hybrids’ eye colour become a glowing bright blue in the dark.

~*~
Ranjani S.
Writing for

Chloe Nielsen
Section 31 Agent