Third Mission, Part IX

Posted on Jan 27, 2019 @ 1:00am by Chloe Nielsen
Edited on on Jan 27, 2019 @ 1:00am

Mission: Section 31

“Third Mission, Part IX”

Location: Ciris, NUMINO
SD: [2.19] 0125.2136
Scene: Street -> Lord Percy’s Apartment
TI: Three days after the events in Part VIII

It had been three days since Mirror Anaqueen had returned to the Free Nuimon cell in the city – only this time as a spy infiltrating the group to gather intelligence on the Lady and Mirror Kate MacNeil’s whereabouts. But the Trill woman had the challenge of getting them to trust her and so far there was not much progress on that front. Ana had been checking in with the agent at least once per day using coded messages to not arouse suspicions amongst the Nuimons.

The blonde was walking down the narrow street, overlooking the city below on one side and the mountain on the other, where the various apartments were carved into its wall. Her outfit was casual and form-fitting – black leather jacket over a linen top and pants of the same colour. Accessories included ankle high black boots, thick black wool bands around her wrists and neck. However, these were no ordinary bands as devices – courtesy of Section 31 R&D fashion team - were embedded within the layers of clothing only requiring her touch to activate.

On the previous day at around dawn, she had visited a nearby park on an early morning jog, bringing the grenade – the bioweapon used in the assassination attempts on Glina and Captain Spankryz. She had placed the weapon, secure in a small case, under a tree and had attached a miniaturized mobile transporter unit to it. She had then initiated a one-way transport of the item to the Camelot and once the transport had been successfully complete, she had left the park.

It was now early in the morning, still an hour before the first sunrise and the streets up in the mountains were quiet. She was on her way to the Syndicate cell in the city, also Lord Percy’s apartment to rendezvous with the Nuimon informant. Percy never provided her any information as to the identity of the informant aside from the fact that he was a high level government official who was desperate to leave the planet. Well, she’d find out in a few minutes. She reached Percy’s apartment and pressed the door chime. The doors parted and the agent entered a dimly lit room.

[[In here,]] Percy called out, which made the blonde realize he was in another room and made her way there.

As she entered the other room – his bedroom, the agent spotted the Deltan, leaning against the wall, a smug look in his eyes. Her gaze shifted to a tall Nuimon man in his early fifties - quite handsome for his age – with a clean shaven face and short, sandy coloured hair. He was standing at the far corner of the room. Chloe raised an eyebrow. So this man was the informant. Percy wasn’t kidding about the high level government official part. This individual was one of the consuls. Her eyes then flickered to Percy approaching her.

He spoke, pointing at the Nuimon, “Meet Yesper Breg. He’s a consul and might I add, a former Chief Consul.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Consul Breg,” Chloe said in a polite tone. “I hear you want to leave your homeworld.”

Breg nodded, slowly approaching the blonde. “Yes. I have no choice as they want me dead.”

“Who?” Chloe asked.

“Hollande and the Dominion Ambassador.”

Nielsen’s eyes widened, yet had this nagging suspicion that there was more to the story. She then felt Percy brush against her elbow.

“You can chat during the trip,” the Deltan said. “But first you both need to leave. The car’s waiting for you outside.”

---------------------------
Location: USS CAMELOT, in orbit over NUMINO
Scene: Main Bridge

The doors parted, permitting Captain Anaqueen Spankryz to enter the bridge and was on her way to the Ready Room. She was actually quite early as her shift didn’t start for another hour. Ana’s thoughts were on the communique from Starfleet Command – their response to her report regarding the conversation with the Dominion Ambassador. Command neither confirmed nor denied the existence of this doctor except that the matter was handled and that she needn’t concern herself over it. While she wasn’t pleased with the response, she also wasn’t surprised, knowing full well that it was their (with pressure from Starfleet Intelligence, no doubt) way of warning her to not interfere in whatever operation Intelligence were running on Numino. Ana also discovered why the Camelot was sent on this mission, instead of the USS Black Sea. Apparently, some of the latter ship’s crew were under investigation on suspicion of conspiring with the Orion Syndicate in a smuggling operation so the Black Sea was detained at the Gateway.

“Captain.”

Ana turned around, spotting the first officer approaching her, carrying a mug. “Commander, I see you are up early as well.”

Azula Sol handed her the mug. “Here’s your coffee, just the way you always like it.” It wasn’t a regular occurrence, the ExO bringing the CO, her morning coffee.

“Do you have something to report, Commander?” Spankryz inquired, knowing whenever Azula brought her coffee or any other beverage, it usually meant the other woman had something important to share.

“It’s regarding the package that was transported to us anonymously yesterday.”

“Yes? What did you find?”

“Lieutenant Lith conducted a forensics analysis on the item in question and compared the results to the one done on Kelar and Shonar’s remains as well as samples taken from the site of the assassination,” the ExO replied, the two women walking towards the CO’s Ready Room. “The analysis confirms the item is the weapon that this mysterious person took from that other assassin, who still hasn’t woken up.”

Ana sighed. “Well command has confirmed that the Syndicate did place a spy in Adeyami’s team and tasked us with catching him or her in the act. So Commander Cato is already on it and will be briefing Dr. Adeyami, regarding the various security measures she and her team need to take to ensure no more artifacts get stolen.”

“So we think the Syndicate was behind the attempted assassination and killing our officers as some kind of demonstration to showcase this doctor’s skills?”

“We’re not sure and I wouldn’t put it past them to try selling this doctor to the highest bidder,” the Trill said. “But Command ordered us to stick with our current mission so that’s what we will do.”

“Captain,” an Andorian man, manning the tactical station, announced, “A Klingon bird of prey has dropped out of warp just off our starboard.”

The CO and ExO turned to face the viewscreen, showing the green silhouette of a bird of prey partially blocking the view of the planet below. She frowned, concerned over the presence of a lone Klingon starship.

“They are hailing us, Captain,” the tactical officer informed.

As Ana made her way to her chair, a young humanoid male officer from the helm, offered to take her coffee to the Ready Room and she readily handed him the mug. Sol followed her.

“On screen.” The viewscreen flickered to a bridge, where a tall Klingon male, the ship’s commander, stood before them, surrounded by his warriors. Quite an imposing figure judging from his heavy build. The Klingon sported a thin beard with long, oily, black hair tied behind in a loose ponytail. A scar in the shape of a partial lightning strike was visible across his right cheek. Overall, he looked battle weary.

“This is Captain Anaqueen Spankryz of the Federation starship Camelot. What is the reason for your hail?”

The Klingon spoke in a deep voice, {{I am Chop’taQ, Captain of the Imperial Klingon Vessel, JoHTagh. Upon our arrival, we noticed the presence of Starfleet and so I ask the purpose of your visit to this world.}}

That was when the Trill realized the reason behind the Klingon starship’s hail. Like Glina, Chop’taQ was also fishing for information. “Captain Chop’taQ, my crew’s mission is to provide assistance to a Federation scientific expedition.”

{{I see.}} The burly man eyed her with skepticism.

Anaqueen arched a brow, when she inquired, “Tell me, Captain. You seem a long way from home. So I am curious about the purpose of your visit to the Nuimon homeworld. From what I heard, your people hardly have any interest in this sector.”

{{We are here to capture a dangerous outlaw who had stolen valuable intelligence from us to sell to the Orion Syndicate and our search led us here.}}

“I see.” Anaqueen nodded, sharing a sidelong glance with Sol – both officers not believing the Klingon Captain. “A friendly warning. The political climate down on Numino is not favourable towards off-worlders like us. So I advise you to keep that in mind and take caution when dealing with the Nuimons. Also, it is not their policy to grant asylum to any off-worlder so they will not stand in your way in capturing this outlaw.”

{{Thank you, Captain. I appreciate the warning but do not be concerned. My warriors can deal with any hostile elements that come our way.}} That last sentence was uttered with a bit more aggression than the Trill would have liked.

“I am sure you can.” Ana nodded. “I just want to make sure you and your warriors do not feel it necessary to harm the Nuimons.”

{{Well, I am glad we had this conversation so that there won’t be any misunderstandings between us.}} Chop’taQ’s expression turned cold. {{Now here is my friendly warning. Make sure your crew and the locals do not interfere in our mission.}}

“I can assure you we won’t and I will convey your message to the Nuimon council.”

{{Very well, Captain. I must take my leave.}} Thus the communication ended and the viewscreen reverted to its previous image.

Sol asked, “Do you think he’s telling the truth?”

“Not sure. But if he were, why bother hailing us,” the CO said flatly before addressing the tactical officer. “Ensign, scan for any other cloaked vessels.”

“Yes Captain.” A moment later, the Andorian reported, “Sensors show no sign of other cloaked vessels in the vicinity.”

“So the JoHTagh came alone.” Azula sighed. “A B’rel class starship, which makes sense for the Klingons to send a scout ship if their mission is to find and retrieve the outlaw. It also means they aren’t here to battle with anyone unless provoked.”

“This will not go over well with the Nuimons and from the reports I had read, regarding the incident at Sherman’s Planet, the Klingon’s presence here is troubling.”

“That Klingon ship won’t be any match for us as well as any Jem’Hadar vessels, especially not with their outdated technology,” the younger woman pointed out. “That ship itself seems to be like over fifty years old.”

“Well, unlike the situation with Sherman’s Planet, we are not in Federation space.” Ana sighed. “This is neutral territory. So we will just monitor them like we are doing with the Dominion.”

A moment of silence until Sol remarked, “So who’s next to arrive. Romulans.”

Ana thought in tense silence, hoping not. With the Dominion, Klingons and the Orion Syndicate all present in this system, the tension in the ship had already heightened. Not to mention the volatile political situation on the planet with many Nuimons unsettled over the presence of outsiders. She doubted many of the Nuimons had ever laid eyes on a Klingon and Romulans possibly getting into the mix, while not surprising, didn’t help ease the tension.

---------------------------------
Location: Ciris, NUMINO
Scene: Hotel room

Mirror Anaqueen yawned, leaning against the wall as she eyed the group, huddled together in the middle of the room. Hubon or as she’d like to call him, Hubris, was laying out the plan for their ‘big day’, which, no one knew, when that would happen. According to Sela, Hubris and Jini – the young woman with short, black hair, styled in a bob, were waiting to hear from their leaders and so far, nothing, other than to wait till they heard from the Lady. Some in the group, including Hubris, were becoming impatient. In fact, that big boorish man or manboy, began shouting about why the leaders put their faith in an outsider like this Lady, who he pointed out, hadn’t shown herself to them. Some of the children yelled with him. Well, they were adults – just that Ana liked to refer them as children because they were very young like around sixteen or seventeen years. On Numino, the age of majority was sixteen. She laughed mirthfully – the Trill was the only one in the room over 40 years old.

They began dispersing when she heard Jini telling Hubon to shut up. This was quite a comical scene to witness, Ana had thought with amusement. Hubon acted like an overgrown brat, stomping his foot and shouting and Jini, being the adult in the room, had enough of his behavior. Hubon did shut up and skulked out of the room. Her gaze shifted to Sela, sitting comfortably on the couch. For the last three days, Ana had been trying to ingratiate herself with the Free Nuimons and had made some strides. Tonight was the first time she had been allowed to observe a cell meeting as long as she remained silent. Sela, the young woman who first introduced her to this group, was the key, the Nuimon having developed some fondness for the Trill. Jini had started to warm up towards her but not Hubon – that manboy protested her inclusion in the meeting but Jini being the senior member overruled him.

She made her way to the couch and plopped down beside the strawberry blonde haired Nuimon, ensuring their bodies touched. The Trill was attempting to cozy up to Sela, taking advantage of the latter’s fondness for her. She inhaled deeply a little nervous over how she was going to pull off this act – pretending to like someone wasn’t her thing. Ana preferred to be more forward with the objects of her affection. **How does Chloe do it with such ease? ** Her mind raced to Nielsen. Ana bit her lip. **Being a spy is not my thing. ** Then again, the Trill thought, shrugging. **I guess it doesn’t hurt that she’s a good looking woman. **

Ana rolled her eyes - of course she’d find the agent attractive after all the latter was the doppelganger of the woman who held the Trill’s heart. But despite their identical physical attributes, Ana’s feelings for each version of Chloe were different. Whenever she thought of the blonde from her home dimension, she had felt her heart skip a beat, her breathing elevated and some other sensations that kept her up at night. Now, the Section 31 agent on the other hand, it wasn’t quite the same aside from Ana feeling a pang, a reminder of what she had lost when coming to this dimension, which might be partially the reason the Trill often lashed out at the blonde including calling her ‘bossy’.

“I am very excited for the big day!” Sela’s declaration broke Ana out of her thoughts.

The Trill raised an eyebrow. “What happens on that day?” At the corner of her eye, she spotted cartons of weapons, all neatly arranged against the wall. **Giving weapons to a bunch of children is bound to lead to disaster. **

The young woman’s eyes narrowed. “It’s when our planet will be free of off-worlders and Hollande and all the traitors will be sent to prison.”

**She seems so sure of herself like a child excited about getting a new toy. ** Ana nearly rolled her eyes. “I see the Lady has provided you with weapons. Do you plan on launching an attack?”

“Not sure.” Sela shrugged before lowering her voice. “But I overheard Jini and Hubon talking. They mentioned of a resort in Riivenvale, frequently visited by off-worlders. I believe that’s our target and you know what else I heard.”

“Yes?” Ana pondered over the information. So if Sela was correct, the Free Nuimons could be planning a major attack on a resort and possibly take non-Nuimons as hostages to use them as bargaining chips to make their demands to the council.

“Well, my cousin, who works there, told me that Dahlis Alenvin, the traitor who opened our planet to off-worlders, is there with her family. Oh and apparently, Alenvin’s half-breed spawn and her mate, that green alien witch who uses sex to prey on innocent men and puts them under her spell, are there too, along with their green alien brats.”

Ana’s brow furrowed, masking her disbelief at the filth spewed by the Nuimon woman. **Green alien witch. What kind of drug is this little girl smoking? Because it’s making her really stupid. ** From what Chloe told her, Kate’s wife was a successful medical researcher and not unlike any other Orion female.

“Everyone,” Jini announced. “A messenger from the Lady is here and has important news for us.”

Ana sat up straight, her interest peeked. She fixed her gaze on the front door, where Jini stepped aside and a bald humanoid man strolled inside the room, sporting a smug expression and his eyes glinted with mischief. The Trill froze, her eyes widening. **Unbelievable. Chloe warned me about him. **

Lord Percy’s lips curled into a smile, greeting the Free Nuimons. “Hello Everyone. Well, I have some excellent news for you.” He paused, his gaze moving around. “The Lady tasked me the honour of informing you that the special weapon will be ready to be deployed in three days and you are all hereby ordered to head to Riivenvale. So get your gear and go up to the Three Peaks Resort within the next 24 hours. Once you have arrived there, remain on standby until further notice.”

Sela grinned, whispering in Ana’s ear. “The resort my cousin works at.”

Ana clenched her fists, deciding to contact Chloe at the first opportunity. Special weapon. The Trill felt a sudden sense of dread. **MacNeil. That weapon will be of her design. ** She began feeling chills down her spine, the hairs on her skin standing up. She was all too familiar with that lunatic doctor’s designs, having seen them implemented firsthand. During her time on the SHIV, Ana had witnessed the deployment of Kate’s creations in various forms, comprising of poisonous neuro toxins or genetically mutated creatures that were borne out of the splicing of different species’ DNA. She recalled how Kate’s monstrosities were sometimes utilized by the mentally deranged lunatic Captain to execute prisoners, dissenters as a warning or just for entertainment. The Trill had nightmares over it, having been forced to witness those atrocities that had happened on the Captain’s whim.

When Percy finished speaking, he made his way towards her. Ana could hear her heart beating loudly against her chest and felt the tightening of her muscles. She needed to get away now and tell Chloe about the Free Nuimons’ plans. By the time she got up to leave, the Deltan already reached her and blocked her path. She clenched her fists, tempted to wipe that smug smile off his face.

“So,” Percy said, standing closer than she was comfortable. “You must be this famous consultant that I heard so much about. Queen Anne, I’m presuming. Lovely name and pleasure to meet you.”

**Well, it’s unpleasant to meet you. ** But all she said was, “Likewise.”

“Alright, I’ll cut down to the chase.” He inhaled in a deep breath. “See, the Lady is very pleased with your work in getting this group into shape and is keen on meeting you in person.” He inched closer, their bodies nearly touching.

Ana cringed, when she felt his breath on her but then her blue eyes widened. “Really? The Lady wants to meet me?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she?” Ana asked. “Is she here at the hotel?”

The Deltan shook his head. “No, she’s not in the city so you will have to ride with me in a private shuttle to Riivenvale, where she will be waiting for us at a private cottage. The journey won’t take long.”

The Trill bit her lip, twiddling her thumbs out of nervousness. A meeting with the Lady was too good to be true. She needed to contact Chloe first before agreeing to go with Percy. “When do we leave?”

“Now.”

“I need to make a last minute errand here. Is it possible to delay this trip by an hour?”

“I am afraid not.” Percy let out a sigh. “See, the Lady is a very busy person and can only meet at that specific time.” He gave her a wry grin. “You’re welcome to decline but you forfeit your payment and this is your one and only chance.”

**Well, it’s now or never. I’ll call Chloe after the meeting. ** Anaqueen sighed. “Okay, I will come.”

“You made a good choice.” He smiled, patting her shoulder. “Come on, a car is waiting for us outside the lobby.”

-----------------------------
Location: Riivenvale, NUMINO
Scene: Shuttle cockpit
TI: 20 minutes later

The trip was uneventful and the journey to Tirithi was expected to be short at about half-hour. Chloe leaned back in her seat, observing the man sitting opposite her in the cockpit. While the exterior of the shuttlecraft was of Nuimon design, the interior was Orion. She glanced forward, where the pilot, an Orion man with a lean build and short black hair, sat. The shuttle was currently flying over the white mountains, belonging to the Cerean range and were about to cross the town of Riivenvale, situated deep in a U-shaped valley – quite famous for various mountain resorts, the kind that the blonde would enjoy.

“How could it all go wrong?” Yesper moaned. “Anuita and I used to be so close. We were like partners with the same goals for our world.”

Nielsen sighed. She had read up on the rise and fall of the political alliance between Yesper Breg and Anuita Hollande – a relationship that was both professional and personal. They first met in 2430, when Anuita was elected as Consul for the first time and Jesper was selected as Chief Consul. To make a long story short, the two hit it off instantly, both representing the two most conservative districts on the planet and yet neither fully represented the views of their constituents. They even had a sordid affair for close to three years, which apparently ended, when Hollande joined with his opponents and voted yes in a non-confidence motion against him. She replaced him soon after and from that moment onwards, the two became staunch enemies.

The Nuimon sighed. “I guess she got drunk with power and stole the position from me.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, wondering when this journey would end so that she’d find the chance to get him to reveal Mirror Kate’s location. She wasn’t interested in listening to his political or relationship woes. Apparently he was married with a young child during that affair with Hollande.

“But I didn’t expect her to collude with the Dominion Ambassador and try to kill me.” He chuckled dryly. “She is truly threatened by me, isn’t she? After all, her popularity has suffered and mine is increasing as the people want me back as Chief Consul. The bitch told lies to the Dominion about how I was part of the Free Nuimons’ assassination attempt against their Ambassador and the Starfleet Captain and I encouraged those rangers to sabotage the Karemman facility.”

Chloe furrowed her brow, giving him a look of suspicion. If the Dominion were truly after him, then why hadn’t they picked up any Jem’Hadar fighters? She had a nagging feeling that Breg was lying and this was a trap. “So, Consul. First time leaving your homeworld?”

“Yes.” He swallowed a lump down his throat. “I am actually quite nervous. Lord Percy said I will be going to a world called New Sydney. I wonder what it is like.”

“I hear it’s nice at this time of the year,” Chloe said with a shrug. It made sense for him to go to New Sydney, a non-aligned, independent world in the Sappora planetary system, where he wouldn’t be extradited back to Numino.

-------------------------------
Scene: Another shuttle cockpit

“Almost there,” Percy informed, grinning as he held up a glass filled with swirling reddish blue liquid. His leery gaze unnerved the Trill. He took a sip of his drink. “Why, Queen or Anne is it? You haven’t touched your drink.”

Anaqueen peered at her untouched glass. She wasn’t going to accept anything he offered. “Not my kind of drink.”

“Sorry to hear. Perhaps after we land, I will find something more to your liking then.” He flashed a wide smile, revealing his perfect white teeth.

The Trill clenched her fist – her heart rate and breathing elevated due to the increased tension in the room. If it wasn’t for the chance to meet the Lady, she wouldn’t have gotten onto a shuttle with this untrustworthy man.

A Bajoran woman announced, “The other shuttle up ahead, about to cross Riivenvale.”

**Other shuttle? Chloe? ** Ana thought with worry. **Why are they following another shuttle? ** She froze, her eyes widening. **Oh no! **

Percy ordered, addressing the pilot, “Inform the other pilot to execute the plan.”

“Yes sir.”

The Deltan then turned his attention to her, a sinister smile gracing his lips. “Sorry, love, I’m afraid this is the end of the line for your blonde friend.”

Anaqueen’s mouth dropped, now in a state of disbelief. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Don’t play coy with me,” Percy said, sneering at her. “I am well aware of your close relationship with that blonde who has been trying to ingratiate herself into our organization.” He paused, smiling, clearly enjoying her squirm. “And I hear you have lots of bounties placed on you so I sent a message to every bounty hunter or common criminal in the network, informing them of your location.”

**No! ** Ana heard herself screaming. “So,” she began slowly. “I was never going to meet the Lady.”

Percy laughed. “No, sweetheart. That was never the plan. The only thing that is true is I am going to have a big payday once I hand you over to a bounty hunter.”

Ana felt her heart sank – a feeling of hopelessness creeping inside her.

-------------------
Scene: First shuttle cockpit

Chloe overheard the Orion pilot say something over the comms to another person and raised an eyebrow at the words spoken.

“Understood, I will execute plan,” the green skinned man said, his back turned to her and Breg. He moved his fingers along the console and then paused before leaning back. The pilot then whirled his chair around to face them.

Nielsen’s eyes fell on a disrupter pistol, held in his hand and turned cold. **So it was a trap all along, confirming Percy to be the double agent ‘Satchel’ in league with the Lady. ** She watched the Orion stand up and aim his weapon at her. When he fired, the agent jumped out of the way and the green energy beam hit the chair, vaporizing it.

In one swift move, the agent grabbed the Orion’s hands. The pilot stood a head taller than the blonde woman. A struggle ensued between them as Chloe twisted his arms, still holding the weapon, to the side but then her opponent pulled it back, the pistol now aiming upwards. She slid to the inside of him, lifting her arms to push his upwards with all her strength. The Orion pushed back a little but now the disrupter was now pointing to his chin. Before the olive green skinned man could react, the agent pressed on the trigger. A green energy beam was shot, disintegrating him in the process. Chloe stumbled forward, the disrupter in her hand, breathing heavily.

[[Warning!]] The shuttle’s computer blared. [[Reactor core overload in thirty seconds.]]

Chloe’s eyes widened, grabbing hold of the Nuimon. “We need to evacuate.”

“But how?” Yesper blinked, the fear shone in his eyes. “Are we going to jump?”

“No. We use the transporters.” As she took a step forward, the consoles in the front exploded. Chloe pushed the Nuimon to the floor and ducked to avoid the debris hitting her. “That option is out.”

[[Core overload in fifteen seconds.]]

Breg wailed, “I wasn’t expecting to die.”

“We’re not going to,” Chloe said. She realized the shuttle was sabotaged to explode.

[[Core overload in 10 seconds….9 seconds…8 seconds…]]

“What are you doing?” The man gave her a confused look.

[[…5 seconds…]]

“Getting us out of here.” She pulled up her left sleeve and tapped on the wristband. “Another shuttle tailing us.”

[[3 seconds…2 seconds…]]

“Hang on tight.” Chloe wrapped her arms around him, when a reddish orange beam engulfed them.

[[…1 second…]]

-------------
Scene: Second shuttle cockpit

The shuttlecraft shook, alarming Anaqueen, who began fearing the worst. **No, no. This can’t happen. Not Chloe. What a nightmare! **

“The shuttle has been destroyed, ” the pilot reported, glancing behind her shoulder.

The Trill was in shell shock, not ready to believe what had happened. She felt her body shaking, her mouth hanging open, when her gaze moved upwards to find Percy approaching her. The sight of his smug smile brought her out of the shock and now she narrowed her eyes, her expression hardening. She then clenched her fists, the ire rising within her, bringing with it the burning desire to kill the man.

Percy spoke in a mocking tone, feigning sadness, “Awww, it pains me every time I have to kill a beautiful woman. What a waste!” He stopped an inch away from her. “See, I love beautiful women and that blonde…well I wish I didn’t have to kill her and instead love her and…you. The blonde, you and me together. Hmm…” His smile widened, when Ana growled, giving him a look of disgust. “You are so beautiful and I would have liked treating you like a queen.” He winked, which only added more fuel to her anger. “But I have big plans and they don’t involve you.”

“I could give a damn about your plans and will kill you.” Ana’s voice was harsh.

“Kill me? You are very funny.” The Deltan chuckled. “Wish I could keep you with me for entertainment.” He then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. Ana was repulsed, when the man spoke, “I want a promotion…to be a high ranking boss like Eric Mwangi and so I made an alliance with the Lady, who actually contacted me first, offering to fulfill my dreams if I helped her with some jobs. I never met her. She is a recluse I guess.” He shrugged. “With her backing, my plan is to get rid of Mwangi and take his place as head of the Syndicate’s Numino operations. I also desire another Syndicate member, Elena but so far she has ignored my advances and the Lady shared with me the reason….I was of a lower rank than her. She’s a boss like Eric and if I want to make her mine, then I would have to be her equal.”

Ana felt a bitter taste of the bile rising up to her mouth, feeling the revulsion of his touch and words. She needed to get away and her gaze moved to the transporter pad at the back.

“Now the Lady told me of a double agent that is causing trouble for Mwangi and big boss, Klars,” he continued. “This double agent, ‘Satchel’, whom I believe your blonde friend was tasked with finding and eliminating him or her. Well…” His eyes lit up. “I will deliver Satchel to Klars myself.”

“You are delivering yourself?” Ana’s remark dripped with sarcasm as she glared at him.

“You think I’m Satchel?” He laughed. “Honestly, I don’t know who Satchel is. The Lady apparently doesn’t either.”

“What?”

Percy grinned. “But Klars and Mwangi will believe it is Gaven after I plant false evidence that will frame him and that as far as the bosses know, your blonde friend was recruited by Gaven to help him betray the Syndicate and both were in cahoots with the Lady. Brilliant isn’t it?” His smile widened. “Because Mwangi vouched for both Gaven and blondie, he is majorly screwed as Klars will execute him and promote me to take his place. So…”

The Bajoran woman interrupted him. “Sir, someone hacked into our transporter systems just prior to the explosion.”

The Deltan’s smile vanished as he inquired in a cold voice. “The pilot? But why would he…” His voice trailed and his expression darkened.

The pilot shook her head. “Our transporter was used to send two to the ground. In fact, I am picking up bio signatures somewhere in the outskirts of Riivenvale, matching that of a human and Nuimon.”

This piece of news washed away all the negative feelings from the Trill and she felt elated. **Chloe made it. ** She turned to the Deltan and taunted, taking immense pleasure in his disappointment, “Sorry to hear your plans are ruined. Looks like you won’t get that promotion after all.”

Percy barked at the pilot, “Transport me to the coordinates where they landed.” He grabbed a Romulan issued disrupter rifle. “Why won’t she die? Why is it so difficult to kill one human female? Those pesky Nuimons failed! That stupid Nausicaan failed! Looks like I will have to do it myself.” The Deltan turned around and grabbed a fist full of Anaqueen’s silver hair, dragging her towards the transporter pad. “You are coming with me.” Ana kicked him in the chin and Percy slapped her in response, producing a sly grin. “I see you like it rough, eh.”

“You won’t win,” Ana declared, stomping on his foot as the transporter beam engulfed them.

----------
Location: USS CAMELOT
Scene: Main Bridge

“Captain,” the Andorian tactical officer announced, “Sensors have picked up an explosion in the planet’s stratosphere.”

Ana raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in her chair. “An explosion? Where?”

“In the southern continent, Ithlirin, just above the outskirts of the town of Riivenvale.”

Azula’s eyes widened. “Riivenvale? Isn’t that where Commander MacNeil and her family are staying?”

“Can you identify the cause of the explosion?” Spankryz inquired. She watched the tactical officer check the readings on his screen.

The Andorian looked up. “Unsure at this point. I have ship sensors sweeping the area for debris.”

Sol pointed out, sighing, “Captain, if we picked up this explosion, then others may have as well such as the Dominion. I bet the Nuimons are unhappy right now, considering some of the debris will fall to the ground.”

“I concur, Commander.” Ana nodded, knowing her first officer was right. The Nuimons were going to be very displeased about the explosion happening, considering the environmental impact it would have on the region. The damage wouldn’t be permanent as the Nuimons had advanced environment maintenance technology and should have no problem cleaning up all the mess. But still the incident would leave a sour taste in their mouths, providing ammunition for the conservative groups to push for restrictions against non-Nuimons, putting even expulsion on the table.

“Captain,” the Andorian informed. “From the readings provided by the sensor sweep, the metallic debris belonged to a shuttlecraft.” He added a moment later. “Also, sensors detected ion trail left behind by another shuttle of Orion origin about thirty feet from the explosion site.”

Azula arched a brow. “I am guessing there may be a chase involved where one shuttle was chasing another.”

“Where does the ion trail lead to?” Ana asked.

The Andorian replied, “The trail leads north to the D’olrattia Mountain range and is then lost.”

“Wonder what went on down there?” Sol sighed.

The tactical officer alerted, “Captain, I am picking up transporter activity from the JoHTagh.” The Trill and her ExO glanced behind their shoulders. “It appears a landing party has beamed down to the surface. I am detecting four Klingon biosignatures on the ground in the vicinity of the explosion.”

Ana became concerned. “What does the Klingons have to do with the exploded shuttle? Was it one of their own after all an Orion vessel was near it?”

“Captain.” This time the Andorian’s voice was raised, filled with alarm. “More transporter activity detected from some of the surrounding privateer vessels, all having beamed down to the same location as the Klingons.”

“What the heck is going on here?” Sol sported a bewildered expression.

Ana inquired, standing up. “Any movement from the Dominion or the Nuimons?”

“Negative,” the Andorian promptly replied.

Sol suggested, “Maybe the Nuimon authorities are still figuring out how to deal with this explosion.”

Anaqueen ordered, turning to the tactical officer, “Open a channel to the Chief Consul’s office.”

“Yes Captain.”

“Captain, she may not be awake yet,” the ExO pointed out with a sheepish grin.

The Trill said in a dismissive tone, “I am pretty sure news of the explosion has already reached her and she is wide awake now.” She sat back down on her chair. “Riivenvale and the surrounding areas are about to be a battleground for what I think has something to do with that doctor and the Nuimon planetary police are not equipped to deal with the situation.” She let out a sigh. “I am calling Hollande to try convincing her and the council to let us assist with their police force in diffusing the situation.” The Trill knew, because of Starfleet General Order three, she needed the cooperation of the local authorities to enable Starfleet to assist in stopping whatever was brewing around Riivenvale.

This situation harkened her back to around ten years ago, when the Trill Captain led a humanitarian taskforce in response to a pandemic outbreak on Numino. With the combined efforts of Starfleet and Nuimon doctors, a cure to the plague was found and the mission was deemed successful. Beside the pandemic, there were other challenges that had taken many lives and dealt serious damage to the planet’s infrastructure. Also it was the Nuimon Council that had requested help from the Federation. Ana recalled back then the trouble given by the conservative faction on the planet, who had not supported accepting aid from Starfleet but they were outvoted by pragmatic minds in the council. Now she hoped pragmatism and the determination to protect their planet would enable the council to make the right decision before the situation went from bad to worse in Riivenvale.

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NRPG: Here’s Part IX. So now the road towards the conclusion has begun :) Few more chapters left. Note the event described in the last paragraph was taken from a set of two novellas I wrote between 2009 - 2013.

Part X Preview (may change): Chloe in a race for survival as she tries to get Breg to safety while enemies descend upon them including Lord Percy with Mirror Anaqueen in tow as his captive. Meanwhile, Prime Kate and her family get unexpected visitors at the resort. Mirror Kate receives a surprise guest as she conducts a big experiment.


~*~
Ranjani S.
Writing for

Chloe Nielsen
Section 31 Agent

And

Special Appearance by
Captain Anaqueen Spankryz