Quid Pro Quo

Posted on Mon Jul 29th, 2019 @ 9:05pm by Ahreva Malana & Az'Prel & Ensign Varnok Jahal & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan
Edited on on Wed Jul 31st, 2019 @ 9:08am

Mission: Mudd on the Souls of Mankind
Location: Inris Four
Timeline: 2396

The unmanned surveillance station for the Orion Syndicate was a half a kilometer from the Drelax Club in an otherwise random-looking office building just off the main strip of clubs. And it was the newly acquired target for the quartet of agents from the U.S.S. Hera who had a mission to achieve and little time to do it in.

From across the street, three of the Hera's crew waited inside an abandoned housing complex marked as due for demolition. Jaeih Dox paced slightly, watching the door as the Hera's resident biologist of stone, Ahreva Malana, stood stoically in the corner of the burnt-out hallway next to the Cardassian Intel agent, Ensign Varnok.

Turning to the stoic Ashrevanian, who Varnok knew was a biologist and not an Intelligence operative whose unique biology would require her stepping into radioactive conditions to complete their mission, he said. "Do not worry. We will be able to talk you through whatever needs be done."

The stone woman nodded, looking over the data tap she would be expected to plant one more time. "I am used to monitoring biologicals with my own senses for extended periods of time, which sometimes includes surveillance gear, however... This is new territory for me."

After a few moments of silence following the exchange, the elder Romulan's sensitive ears perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, nearly as soft as a Caitian's, as the fourth member of the group slipped through the door, returning from a brief recon of their target.

"Az'Prel…" Jaeih asked plainly, betraying no anxiety. "What kind of security are we looking at over there?"

The Vulcan freedom fighter nodded and handed over a tricorder with the scans she had covertly taken. "No life forms, thankfully. However, both entrances are each covered with six independent disruptor turrets. The windows are plated over. It looks like a daily check is made and access is granted through a terminal at the front of the building. Encryption is fob authentication which relies on some sort of optronics system that I think I can overload with a pair of tricorders. It resembles Klingon systems I am familiar with. It will likely not deactivate the turrets though."

Checking the time, Jaeih frowned. Zhedda gave them an estimate of no more than a half hour to complete the task of bugging the surveillance station and returning, and the recon took seven of those minutes away. As such, they had to move fast but efficiently.

"So, we can get past the door locks but not the disruptor turrets at the two entrances. The windows are effectively shut off. However, out instructions are also to make this look sloppy. We can make a right mess." Jaeih commented as she thought over the situation.

"One possible idea is these walls on the second level. Scans indicate that hey are not reinforced and are far out of disruptor range." The clever Romulan pondered. "One possibility is a calculated leap from the second level of the adjacent building. And while you may not be disruptor-proof, Miss Malana, I suspect at the appropriate running velocity you might make a decidedly sturdy wrecking ball. Thoughts? Alternate ideas?"

Malana put two fingers to her ear for a moment as her communicator tried to translate fully for her. She then shook her head. "I am sorry but I do not understand. The closest word my people have for 'leap' is bounce. I have never bounced before, but you are correct - my people are quite destructive at higher velocities. My matron once fell from her perch on a cliff and shattered a shrine to dust while she only suffered a few chips to her extremities. She fell asleep holding a thousand-year vigil."

"That sounds... less than ideal." Jaeih replied with a sigh. "That this mission requires exposing you the radiation, regardless of it not affecting you, is already putting you at too much risk. There must be some alternate way of gaining entry and disabling the Repulsor turrets."

"Our transporter tags act as pattern enhancers. We can beam out back to the ship with ease, but with the transporter inhibitors all over this planet we can't get a clean signal in. Suggestions?" Jaeih addressed the group.

Az'Prel spoke up as she peered out one of the windows. "I have an idea. We punch a small hole in the upper floor with an energy weapon, then I throw one of our communications devices through it to use as a transport enhancer so we can get over there surreptitiously."

Pondering for the slightest of moments, Jaeih nodded. "I believe that may be our best and most covert option. I'm assuming that you are confident in your throwing skills or you would not have suggested it, Az'Prel?"

The Vulcan woman nodded. "At this distance, I am able to reliably hit a three centimeter target with ease with my daggers. With the added comm device, four centimeters would ensure enough clearance."

"Mr. Varnok, our ship is hardly federation-issue. Can you control the transporter from here... get us in and back out again remotely?" Jaeih asked.

'Aye' the Cardassian Ensign replied, "Just say the word."

"Well then, our clock is running down. Let's get this done." Jaeih said confidently. It was a solid plan and they were a skilled team. As such, it took only a few moments for Az'Prel to position herself to do the deed.

Skillfully, she recalibrated the phaser pistol she carried to punch a hole in the wall. Once the hole was there, she pulled out one of her throwing daggers, taped her cochlear comm device to it, and threw it across the alley almost casually, slipping it through the hole and landing it in the far wall with a solid thunk. "The device is planted."

Simply allowing a slight smile, Jaeih nodded approvingly at her partner as she turned back to the group. "Mr. Varnok, if you will."

Varnok took over the controls on his tricorder and plotted their coordinates, watching the women disappear. Seconds later, the trio of intel operatives appeared inside the unmanned surveillance station, ready to work. Whispering, Jaeih looked around as Az'Prel walked over and secured her throwing dagger and earpiece from the wall where she had expertly thrown them. "Fantastic work. Mr. Varnok is our fixed point to extract us. We only have a few minutes to manage this in, so let's get this done."

Nodding, Malana set about her task, unsealing the access crawlway to the rooftop transmitter and climbing inside to plant her data tap. "It is pleasantly warm inside here and there is a strange blue glow. Is that from the radiation?"

Sighing slightly and raising an eyebrow at Az'Prel, Jaeih replied through their comm line. "Yes. That is, in fact, the radiation. Please be quick as I do not want you to spend any longer in there than necessary."

Handing on of the remaining two tags to Az'Prel, the pointy-eared operatives silently got to work, ransacking the office and pocketing a few items at random to create the illusion of a break-in. While they did, Malana finished her task and made her way back down to the main chamber as Az'Prel and Jaeih each hid their own tags in much less well-hidden locations, designed to be found but not painfully obvious. After only a few short minutes, the trio was complete and reunited.

"Mr. Varnok..." Jaeih spoke into her comm. "We're ready for extraction. FULL radiation decom, thank you." And with a slight chirp, the three women vanished in an array of sparkling blue light, leaving the room a scattered mess as planned.

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

28 minutes after they had left the office of the Orion club owner, Zhedda, the quartet walked back in the doors, now expected and with time to spare. The two Nausicaan guards had been replaced by somewhat more intimidating Gorn, though none in the room seemed to be overly concerned with their blank, angry staredowns as they passed.

"We've completed our end of the agreement, Zhedda." Jaeih commented, flatly to the cagey criminal behind the ornate wooden desk.

The Orion woman greeted them with a wide grin and a raised glass of brandy. "And I've been getting a good feed from about eighty percent of Kor'aah's holdings on the planet for several minutes now. You've held up your end of the deal admirably. I owe you thanks and as much DNA as you like. Do you need blood? Tissue? A finger? A hand?"

Gesturing with her head to the massive Ashrevanian woman of stone, Jaeih said flatly, "Miss Malana is our biologist. She will procure the needed samples. If you would please, Miss Malana. Thank you."

The stone faced woman pulled out a pair of customized sample containers and held them aloft. "This will be relatively painless. I only need 130ccs of blood and 13ccs of tissue samples, preferably from dense muscle fibers. Your thigh meat would be a prime candidate for extraction of both."

"Relati... Biologist? You didn't even bring a doctor that could feel pain?" Zhedda just shook her head and got up to come around her desk and rest her ample rear on the edge of the front. "A deal is a deal though... Just try to be quick about it."

Malana nodded and moved in with the first sample container, pressing the business end against Zhedda's bare fleshy thigh and activating it. As it pierced her and sucked out the preset amount needed, the Orion woman winced in pain but amazingly did not flinch. Once it was done, she sealed it up and prepped the tissue sample container, pressing it hard against Zhedda's thigh just below the other location. "This will be... Uncomfortable..."

Once it was activated, 'uncomfortable' seemed to be an understatement, as Zhedda had to stifle a short scream of agony and nearly slipped off of the lip of her desk. Thankfully, the tissue sample was obtained much quicker and the torment was over quickly.

"Remind me never to hire you as my physician..." The Orion woman joked with a weak grin. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

"Indeed. I think you for honoring our agreement, and I can assure you that in light of what you have done here today, Queen Telvan will honor her's until her last breath is drawn and beyond. You have made a gracious friend today." Jaeih said plainly as she lifted and eyebrow.

Then the Romulan operative looked over her shoulder at Malana who was checking and securing the contents of their sample containers. "Miss Malana, Do we have what we need?"

The stone woman nodded as she tucked the sample containers away safely, the blood and tissue sealed away and in stasis. "And five percent extra just in case, just like Doctor Dael asked. With this, we'll be able to save Moira's life."

"Very well." Jaein replied, turning back to the sore club owner who did right by them. "Thank you again, Zhedda. It was a pleasure doing business with you in such a peaceful fashion."

"It was both mutually beneficial and a noble cause so..." The Orion woman winced as she returned to her plush chair behind her desk. "Yeah, it was a pleasure. Tell your queen her people are welcome here at any time, but no hunting. I intend to make sure that part of the deal is upheld."

"I will convey both messages and the queen will ensure that as well. Jolan Tru." As Jaeih spoke, giving a traditional Romulan 'farewell', with a nod the four operatives did what should not have been possible with the transport inhibitors in place and simply vanished from the room in a twinkle of blue light while Zhedda looked on. It was a less than subtle reminder that they could have easily taken what they wanted, but chose instead to seek friendship. A friendship that would bear the most precious of fruits for the life of little Moira Artan.