Late night mission

Posted on Fri Sep 13th, 2024 @ 2:34am by Lieutenant Connor Hayden & Ensign Camille Fortin

1,486 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mystery at Ryloth
Location: Buzzbird Cafe
Timeline: 2315 hrs
Tags: Character Development, 2396

On:

The night air was cool, a lone figure walked briskly down the street toward the market square. As it passed a collection of small Kiosks the hooded head looked left seeing a dimly lit cafe open, the figure walked briskly toward, the buzzing neon sign said Buzzbird Cafe. As the figure entered they lowered the hood revealing shoulder length brown hair, she looked around seeing only seeing a woman behind the counter, "Can I get a coffee?"

After taking her drink she went over to a table where she sat down, she looked into the coffee when she heard the door open seeing a man walk through the door, he was slightly older than her and she didn't recognize him either, she set her hand down on the table next to her cup.

Connor looked around only seeing the one woman, he hand was on the table so he casually walked over to the table, "Monica?" he asked it wasn't her name.

"Mr Black?" she replied

Connor sat down, "I assume we don't have much time left?"

"No, as in I shouldn't have ordered this coffee." The woman replied "I managed to avoid being followed but we have a complication."

"What?" Connor looked over too the young woman hoping that she hadn't been followed.

"The local authorities have transporter inhibitors all over the town itself, we'll need to get toward the spaceport on the cargoport side of it." she paused setting down the cup "So unless you want to play hide and seek until dawn we need to get out of here."

"That wasn't part of the plan, but there might be a way out of this." Connor paused as he looked around "I think that I can hide you until dawn and get you off the planet quietly."

She looked up and out on the street, "Were you followed?"

"I came alone." Connor said, "You have an jewelry or other stuff from your boss?"

"This." she slid a pendant out from her pocket "I figured it was bugged, but I couldn't prove it."

"There's a washroom down the hall along with the back exit, walk down there and use the back exit, I'm going to sit and wait as if I'm waiting for you, then I'll act as if I'm ditching you and leave, if he follows me I'll bang on the dumpster and head back to where I came from, you go back in and act as if I bailed on you." connor said

She nodded as if they had made plans for a rendezvous and she acted as if she excused herself, Connor waited for a count of five and stood walking out, he made a motion toward the girl behind the counter who just nodded and went back to her work behind the counter, as he exited the door the man the duo had seen, he was standing there as if he was waiting for someone, Connor turned the corner next to the cafe and waited for a few seconds then he peered back around the corner and saw that the man hadn't moved, he counted to ten and looked again, the man just stood there, "now!" he whispered as they both started to walk quickly away.

A few blocks away Connor looked behind him, "Looks like we lost him for now, there's a safe house around this corner in the apartment building we can hide out until dawn, I can get in touch with my contact to get you off planet."

As they approached the building Connor looked around, "Up the stairs quick!" he pulled out a keycard and followed her up the stairs "This way!" he said pointing to the left after walking down the narrow hallway hearing the door locking behind him he pushed the keycard in the slot opening the door, he pressed the small switch turning on a lamp next too the couch.

"Not exactly Risa." She commented

"Starfleet intelligence sheeque." Connor replied "Did our friend follow us?"

The woman peered out the drapes "He's there, but he looks confused."

"He doesn't know which building we're in and it might be smart to stay put until dawn, so what do I call you?"

"I'm Camille, and you are?" she replied

"Connor." he offered his hand to shake.

"This assignment was only supposed to be a few months and I could just fade into the background." Camille said as she sat on the couch. "Some mystery admiral offers me a chance at as a fast promotion all I had to do was collect some info for him and his staff."

"An admiral? did you get a name?" Connor was confused and curious.

"No, his face was messed up, lots of scars." Camille said "He looked a little but like some admiral I saw at a meet and greet when I was taking a tactical class at the academy but I'm not sure."

Connor didn't say anything else except, "Get some sleep I'm gonna keep an eye on our friend."

The next morning Connor looked through the side of the drapes, the streets were not very active yet but a few people were beginning their day he looked in a few directions, he paused. Across the street was the man from the previous night along with another individual, an Andorian. He looked over too Camille she'd slept through the night, most likely for the first time in days, he reached into his coat and checked his sidearm. he started to hate the idea of waking her up but there was a chance they were going to have to run. "Okay, looks like our friend has been joined by someone, we might need some help now."

Camille yawned, "By who?"

"An Andorian with some green discoloration on one antene." he said

"Damn it!" she sat up with with a fright "That's Mazar."

"Hired muscle? " Connor said.

"No just muscle, if there was a couple of Nausicans with them we'd be in more trouble, they'd likely be looking to break down doors and force their way in." She said.

"I don't want to burn this cashpad, we can stay here for now, since we're behind locked doors, if this was the apartment building next door which is what I think they're looking at." he sat down "There's a hoverbike stored on the first floor in a storage locker if things get crazy get it and get away and take this." he handed her a communicator "The rest of my team is on channel two, they'll get you out of here."

Camille took the communicator, "What about you?"

"I'll manage, ask for Patton and he'll get you out of here." Connor said he peered out of the side of the blinds, "The original plan was to beam you up to a transport shuttle and get you out of the system, if we have to adjust and get you back too the spaceport then that's what'll happen."

Camille stood to stretch, she walked over to the other side of the window and looked out "Is it me or are they leaving?"

"Looks like they're headed back towards the cafe, it might be wise to get on the hover bikes and head for the warehouse district we're set up there." Connor said

"You think your CO is gonna be pissed if you bring me in?" Camille said as he picked up her battered jacket.

"More than likely, you were supposed to fly out with a pilot back to a starship we have stashed on the outer edge of the system, but the fact that there's transporter inhibitors everywhere in the main part of the town threw that out the window."

"The transporter inhibitors were added by the local cops to curb the smuggling keeping it confined too spaceport, but some of the local law enforcement are crooked enough to be bought of to turn them off or keep them on as needed."

"That's reassuring, we knew the local cops were bad but that's concerning." Connor said as he check his sidearm again "Down the side stairwell at the end of this hall then straight ahead to the storage lockers, number seven."

As Connor locked the door he turned left leading the way to the stairwell, he looked behind them, no one was there. They started to walk down the stairs Connor paused, he could hear voices, he waved for her to pause, he looked to Camille her response was enough for Connor too wave her back too the crash pad as the walked quickly Connor unlocked the door and pushed Camille though it locking it behind him, "Okay...we're up a creek."

"Okay what's plan b?" Camille said as they stood back of the door.

"I'll call in the Calvary." Connor said pulling out his communicator

End

Lt Connor Hayden
Chief intelligence officer
USS Oceanus

Camille Fortin
Starfleet Intelligence

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