S6 E6 - What's in it for Me?

[Lira Meval]

[Shuttle - Cutty Sark]
With the shuttle at all stop, Ensign Schlemann nodded to Lira to acknowledge her as he waited for a response from Challenger. The pause gave Petty Officer Kelsey time to run a quick diagnostic on the modifications to ensure their part of the mask was still functioning within designated parameters.
Schlemann didn't have long to wait as Challenger sent a one word message on a tight beam.
"Launch."
Schlemann fired the probe and the stealthed autonomous device oriented itself and began accelerating. When it was two million kilometers away from the trio of parked ships, it began radiating the signature of a Lissipian freighter running at top speed.

Had gone with science officer Lira meval to asure that if any problems arose on the shuttle there would be someone from engineering there to handle it.  It had been a Busy day for the Gorn and she had to guess Lira was also having a bit of stressful day. The two were both assigned to the Challenger on the same day. And now They were working on smuggling the shuttles and the U.S.S challenger into enemy spaace.

The gorn had to stoop a little in the cuty shark. Bending her back and hunching over. But even so her head was still close to the roof of the shuttle.  She would look to Lira as she said the probe was ready to launch. So far, the Young Human female had been a very impressive and intellectual capable specimen of her species. The gornwould rumble approvingly and look to the Ensign Schlemann as he Respond.  She was impressed so far, the humans were being very Gorn. Once a course was decided on the gorn would follow through. The Gorn's will was ony of the few thingts know about about the Gorn as an alliance of several reptilian race. That and being fierce warriors and so far the Challenger and he crew was impressin g the Gorn Azsayuk.
She briefly closed her eyelids over her red eyes. Offering a silently pray to the Mistress of Fertility, S'Yahazah.  It waas the S'yahazah who had saved the Gorn egges from The Great father. Another powerful deity in gorn mythology.    She knew Both S'yahazah and the great father would both play their roles in this upcoming missiong. Perhaps with S'yahazah blessing the mission would go well. If it did not. Azsayak hoped she would make the Great father Proud. Azsayak would fight whatever came next not to shame the Great father.  She would look to Lira and ensign Schelmenn before looking at the nearest console to see how the probe was doing.

[Cutty Sark - Inside Toren Autonomy Space]
The tension on board the shuttle was palpable as the Toren Cruiser detected the "Lissipian freighter" and changed course to intercept their decoy. There was a noticeable reduction in the tension as it looked like their feint would work. The three ships waited a half hour before receiving a tight beam message from Challenger.
"Continue on course for Felnarik, warp two."
Schlemann smoothly took the Cutty Sark to warp and it felt comforting to be back on mission. The Onizuka had gained a small lead on the rest of the squadron during the time they had to play possum, which had always been the plan to let the smaller Type-9 pull away and reach Felnarik on its own.

[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]

The tension was almost palpable as Lira kept her eyes fixed on the console, monitoring the probe's readings and the masking system used on the shuttle. The initial adjustments seemed to be working as planned, but she knew even a minor failure could expose the Cutty Sark and the other ships. "The parameters are stable," she commented aloud, more to herself than to the others, as she double-checked the data one last time. She glanced at Azsayak, who observed everything with her usual quiet and watchful demeanor. Meval looked at her and offered a small, confident smile. "We're on the right track," she added, turning back to her work.

After the successful launch of the probe, Lira took another look at her readings, paying close attention to everything displayed on her screen. As soon as the enemy ship altered its course to intercept the probe, she kept her eyes glued to the monitor and said, "The signature is transmitting correctly. They took the bait," her tone a mix of relief and surprise.

After some time, which felt like an eternity, the Challenger's message arrived, authorizing the mission to continue. As Schlemann took the Cutty Sark to warp, Lira exhaled deeply, finally allowing a small wave of relief to wash over her. "It was a good start, but we need to stay sharp," she said, almost as a reminder to herself and the others. She knew that while this obstacle had been overcome, enemy space still held many challenges ahead.

[Neva Cordon]

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cargo Bay >- Docking Pad | Calendar's Dream >- Bathân]
"Apologies, Aya," Alhanjhu responded in his exotic accent, both to his apparent distracted moment and to Aya's real identity. Was it possible he felt some Orion pheromones wafting in the air?
"Right, let's find us a shop. There's salvage to sell indeed," he said. He carried a load of salvage on his back – a load enough that a human, even with huge muscles, would strain in pain under – and made ready to depart. "Where you lead, beautiful star dust, I will follow," he said sappily in his character of Talik.

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon/Aya]
Neva rolled her eyes at his sappiness, but tried to give him a stern look.
"Ah'eet, see that y'do." She said simply, put some of the "better" hover tablesmall hover-table, and headed for the Recycling Center.

Neva, AJ Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre
Having convinced AJ to leave the scrap behind before negotiations, Neva led the way to the nearest metal Recycling centre. Here the air was particularly thick with industrial pollutants and smog from nearby magnasite refineries.
Approaching the yard they saw a trade booth manned by a Romulan worker. A long line of people were standing at the booth waiting to be seen. The recycling prices of various metals were presented on a large display board. The prices were low, even by scrap standards.

[Neva/Aya|In Line]
Neva sighed as she pulled the table closer, trying to keep the fear at bay. She frowned when she read the prices then leaned in to speak in low tones to Alhanjhu, though she tried to keep in character.

"This ain't ah'eet,Takil, me frien'. I ken feel it." Leaning back, Neva continued in a more conversational tone between them.
"If'n I'd had the way of it, there'd be bes' then this!" She gestured up at the place before them with a small snort and frowned.

Neva scanned the area, looking for a speck of evidence of better. Her frowned deepened when she couldn't find anything. It was then she heard a hard, clear cough directly behind her. As she turned to offer whoever it was a general blessing of better health, a tight grip on her wrist stopped her cold. Jaw clenching in frustration at being so handled, Aya's dark eyes followed the fingers up to hold a set of ancient ice-blue ones.

"Wha'ar yeh th-" Her words were cut off with a hissed "shhh" and a tightening of the grip on her wrist.

"Listen and well t'me girlie now," Came the sing-song reply near her ear. "I be warnin ya once-like. The walls do have ears, they do. Aye, our line does lead to inferior pay, so it seems. Ya knowin' what hagglin' is, girlie?" He didn't wait for a reply, just rushed on. "Aye, I can see ya do, so I does. Do it well, do it high, do it quick. These Rommies don' like slow in any form, ya see."

Neva nodded slowly in acknowledgement, expression and body frozen in place. Through a clenching jaw, she pulled back on her imprisoned arm a little harder as she replied in an equal tone.

"Aye, I be gettin' yer point, man! I thek ya fer th' advice. We'll be takin' it easy 'nuff, surely."  *Tug tug*  "Now If'n ya don' mine, gimme mah arm for I take bek me theks!"

The old man nodded mutely and released her. With a bob of the head once more in thanks, she turned back to her comrade. Rubbing her wrist, Neva repeated what she'd been told to Alhanjhu in a rushed whisper.

Neva then tilted her head to the side and asked simply, "Wha'cha be thinkin' a this then?"

[CJ Dawson]

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

"Somebody remind me why I agreed to do this again?"

Jess grumbled as she worked her way through the datawork associated with being the Chief Medical Officer on a ship with a crew of over 500. She sat in her office, but her door was open and she heard a new voice.

"Anything to get away from this console screen."

She rose, exited her office, and greeted the new Lieutenant.

"Welcome to Challenger Lieutenant. I'm Lieutenant Commander Fellows. So happy to meet you and have you join the team. Currently, we have two away teams off the ship, but both are operating undercover, so if they get into trouble, we won't be able to help them. Before I show you around, you have any questions?"

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

She only had to wait a moment before her new chief arrived. A woman walked towards the desk and introduced herself as Lieutenant Commander Fellows. A big smile grew on CJ her face and she greeted the woman. "It's my honor to meet you, sir. I'm happy to be back on a ship. Can't wait to start." She said and nodded at the last thing the Lieutenant Commander said. "Must be a dangerous mission if they needed to go undercover. Not being able to help whatsoever. No questions at this point. Lead the way, sir." CJ smiled and water for the Lieutenant Commander to begin te tour.

[Autumn]

[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]
Ardyn nodded when Autumn confirmed their suspicions.  Disruptors, Empathetic enhancers, and all sorts of goods towering high in the back rooms of this shop.
Guns? Enhancers? I think we might have found the jackpot. Ardy smirked, sending that thought to Alex, all the while looking at who she assumed was Actan himself.
That one eye of his seemed to bore into her as he scrutinized the three. Could his implant see through them? She wasn't sure, and she didn't really want to find out.
"Whaddaya want I don't have all day." He said, glaring dismissively.
"Got some Stuff to sell or trade. Whole cargoload full and everything so there's a whole lot more where that came from," she said,  placing down a Hor'ghan and a small fragment of the Kemocite.  The Bolian's one good eye seemed to go wide at the sight of the Kemocite.
"You don't see that every day, that's for sure.   he said, eying the rare material.
"You said that right.  Mind if my Partner and Associate here take a look at your wares first before we make a deal? See if we can find something.... equivalent? " she asked, opening up Alex and Autumn to snoop through this guy's stash.

"What are you looking for?" The Bolian asked, piercing Autumn with his eyes.

He caught Autumn by surprise, and she would have expected him to direct his questions to Commander Wu instead, but it only took her a second to recover from that moment.

"I will know it when I see it," she said, in that learned Vulcan way that always has a hint of I-challenge-you-to-doubt-my-logic.

The Bolian eyed the science officer from head to toe with his ocular augmentation. Then he grunted, dismissively, nodding and indicating the back of his store with a quick movement of his head. Before long his attention was back on the items that Lieutenant Jaeger had placed before him. Autumn had time to see Actan pulling out a scanning device from under his bench before making her way to the back of the store.

The place was smaller than she would have expected, and it seemed smaller still by the amount of items stacked in piles that stretched all the way to the ceiling creating corridors so narrow she could only walk in sideways. There was a small table near the entrance, though, and that's the place she chose to place the cylindrical transverse bag that contained another Hor'ghan and a second sample of kemocite. Her job was to tamper with the contraband, to make sure they'd be able to track the kemocite to wherever the Bolian moved it. The best way to do that would be to insert traceable amounts of platinum, a common element on Earth that tended to be absent in most alien planets for some reason, but Autumn had to make sure that the Bolian wasn't smuggling anything else with platinum in it, or that might confure their sensors.

Autumn pulled out her scanner from the pocket of her trench coat, abandoning all pretence and scanning the wares for signs of platinum, as well as her second and third choice of traceable metals. The plan was to do a detailed scan, then pierce the bottom of the Hor'ghan in her bag with a platinum needle, and run a simulation to see if her scanner, and more importantly, the ship's sensors, would be able to track the material without mistaken it by anything else. For now it was only a model, as she didn't have access to either Challenger or Calindra's Dream, but it would have to do.

While she was immerse in her first scanner though, Autumn noticed something unusual. Her disguised tricorder was picking up clear indications of polarium. She followed the signal, and sure enough, there they were, polarium cases on a shelf at the back, so heavy they caused the shelf to become curved in the middle. But that couldn't be... Polarium was only used in one very specific circumstance, and it wasn't possible that... Autumn pulled one of the cases from the lowest shelf and placed it in the floor, kneeling in front of it. She opened it.

This was a problem. The Vulcan/Andorian science officer was staring at what looked like eight cannisters of biomimetic gel, one of the most regulated substances in the Federation, if for no other reason because of it's potential to be used in metagenic weapons.

For a moment, the whole reason why she had started that scan had fled her mind. The Bolian had at least thirty cases like this one. Biomimetic Gel was too dangerous a substance to have in store like this, which meant he had to have a buyer and the cannisters would be moved soon. They had to do something.

She turned her head to see if Commander Wu had followed her into the back of the shop, but before she could look back Autumn's gaze stopped at a young Benzite who seemed to have only just emerged from a decaying door just a few steps away from her. From the way he was dressed, it was safe to assume he worked for Actal, probably a poorly compensated servant, or an apprentice of some kind. When Autumn met his eyes, he was pulling up the zipper of his trousers, and before she could close the polarium case in front of her, the benzite spoke:

"Who the hell are you?"

[Alexander Wu]

[Actan's Gear and Rare Goods - Bathân]

Actan ignored the Hor'ghan, being fixatied on the kemocite. He gave Ardy a long, penetrating look with his natural eye before he said.

"I don't know how much of this you have, but if you've got more than 100 kilos, I don't have the cash to cover that much, but I know a guy. He's rough around the edges, especially with those he doesn't know, but he has the network to handle as much kemocite as you have.

"I'm willin' to trade product for information... let's say 10 kilos for how to contact my guy. Deal?"

[Bathân - Exchange - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

Alex let the two women do most of the initial talking, the proprietor clearly more interested in eyeballing them, literally, than himself. He instead took the opportunity to glance around the store, at least at the displays infront. Clearly Actan didn't worry too much about the local authorities if he kept a tallonian  empathic enhancer in plain sight. The other items visible were more run of the mill, but Alex couldn't imagine what might be hidden in the back.

As suspected, Ardyn revealing the ore sample turned them from idle tourists into valued customers, and Alex watched approvingly as Autumn immediately took her cue without hesitation, disappearing into the store. This was but step one of the plan they'd discussed while enroute to Bathân. They didn't just want to take down one or two vendors, this was about infiltrating the entire supply chain so it could be brought down in one vast sweep. To do that, they needed to let the ore distribute through multiple hands, contaminated just enough so they would be able to track it afterwards but not so obvious that it would be discovered. The Hor'ghans would make nice gifts, hopefully the benefactors would keep them close at hand, not knowing they too would traceabled. Suppliers, distributors, and buyers, the whole package deal. That was the plan at least.

Step one was getting the fish to bite, and though Actan seemed interested, Alex wasn't satisfied with what was being offered. If anything, he suspected the proprietor was testing them. "I see far more than 10 kilos worth just in these here display cases." He mentioned, knowing full well the going Orion market rate of 4 bricks per ton. "If ye can't afford a bar's worth, what are we even doin' here?"

For the first time, Actan's bionic eye turned towards Alex. "I see someone's done their homework." He grumbled, though with a slightly more amiable tone. "Fine, we can talk. But first...Kodor! Refreshments!" Actan shouted over his shoulder at some unseen assistant before turning back to the pair. "What do you want?"

"What we's want is ta offload our cargo. What we's need is someone who knows the lay o' the land ta help us do it." Alex pointedly gazed back at the Bolian. "Someone we's can trust ta get the job dun. Someone worth, say 5% of what he can move. We'll even throw in a couple Hor'ghans for ye and your 'guy'."

"10." Actan saw the opportunity and immediately counteroffered, adding, "And I'll introduce you personally. You'll get a fair deal, and more importantly, you'll walk out with all your appendages." Even without Ardyn's empathic powers, Alex knew that last part wasn't entirely embellished for the sake of haggling. Turning to his partner, he raised an eyebrow. "Rynn, whatcha think?"

[Malik Grippen]

[Bathân, Seedy Bar]

All hell broke loose as gang members, patrons and innocent tourists descended into an epic brawl. Apparently this was a common event as the bar staff retreated to a safe room.

The charging Klingon barrelled into Malik sending him flying across the fallen table. The Risan was quick however and brought up his ancient pistol to disable the Klingon.

Malik then moved to one of the injured Romulans that Calindra had taken care of. Malik pressed the pistol into his foe's back, "Your leader, take us to him."

The romulan responded by biting down on Malik's hand enabling him to pull away and run upstairs to the building's second level. Malik got up and gave chase...

As chaos unfolded all around Calindra and the Andorian were in a pocket of calm. He flourished his blades with the skill of a seasoned warrior.

"I was Ferengi arena champion 2395. I won my freedom fighting gladiators far more skilled than you!"

The Andorian launched a surprisingly quick attack forcing Calindra onto the defensive.

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"Next!"

The metal recycling centre customer service assistant called to Neva and AJ. The Romulan appeared sick of his existence and had never achieved his life goals.

"Metal and quantity?" he asked in a uninterested tone.

[Ian Galloway]

[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]
The tension was almost palpable as Lira kept her eyes fixed on the console, monitoring the probe's readings and the masking system used on the shuttle. The initial adjustments seemed to be working as planned, but she knew even a minor failure could expose the Cutty Sark and the other ships. "The parameters are stable," she commented aloud, more to herself than to the others, as she double-checked the data one last time. She glanced at Azsayak, who observed everything with her usual quiet and watchful demeanor. Meval looked at her and offered a small, confident smile. "We're on the right track," she added, turning back to her work.

After the successful launch of the probe, Lira took another look at her readings, paying close attention to everything displayed on her screen. As soon as the enemy ship altered its course to intercept the probe, she kept her eyes glued to the monitor and said, "The signature is transmitting correctly. They took the bait," her tone a mix of relief and surprise.

After some time, which felt like an eternity, the Challenger's message arrived, authorizing the mission to continue. As Schlemann took the Cutty Sark to warp, Lira exhaled deeply, finally allowing a small wave of relief to wash over her. "It was a good start, but we need to stay sharp," she said, almost as a reminder to herself and the others. She knew that while this obstacle had been overcome, enemy space still held many challenges ahead.

[Inside Toren Autonomy Space]

The small squadron consisting of the Cutty Sark and White, leading 100,000 kilometers ahead of and dwarfed by the trailing Challenger had slowly accelerated back to warp five. Because of the near encounter with the Toren cruiser, the squadron had lost six hours on the Onizuka.

It was six hours into Alpha shift and Ian was on the bridge. The squadron had traveled on for a full day and night and now were into the second day of travel when according to his calculations, the Onizuka was ready to make planetfall on Felnarik.

"Helm. All stop."

"All stop aye."

Ian mused aloud as he ran through the mission in his head.

"Once the shuttle is down, this whole mission will depend on Lieutenant Zanut and Master Chief Blackfeather. If'n things go south, we are..." Ian did more calculations, something as a pilot he had learned to do in his head. "Bollicks, 32 bloody minutes away. That is a long time ta wait for the cavalry."

Ian rose from the command chair and paced the bridge for several moments before he continued his revelry.

"Zanut, is an El Aurian and while only a JG, he's got centuries of life experience and you can't find a better man in all of Starfleet than Blackfeather. They'll get it done. I'll nae be writin' two more letters this day."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Onizuka - Felnarik]

Lieutenant Ozoim slowed to thrusters only as the shuttle approached the planet. There was some traffic near the planet, but most of that was in the equatorial region, so to reduce chance of being detected to the absolute minimum, Ozoim chose to do an insertion from the planet's southern pole.

Once they were in atmosphere, she dropped the Onizuka to just 20 meters and kept her speed well below that of the sound barrier. Taking advantage of the planet's extensive foliage, she flew in what was once called 'Nap of Earth' using the forests and mountains to get as close to the capital city of Tonmak. The rest of the settlements on the planet could, at best, only be called villages. If there was a smuggling operation on this planet, it would have to be in Tonmak.

Ozoim settled the shuttle into a canyon and shut power down to minimum, leaving the mask running. Once down, she turned to the others.

"I'm sorry everyone, but 26 klicks is as close as I could get. Terrain starts off rough, but after five klicks, it levels out and should be easy going. I obviously have to stay with the shuttle. Zanut and Master Chief, this is your show. Priidik, you are welcome to stay or go, up to Lieutenant Zanut."

Both Zanut and Blackfeather looked at Priidik with skepticism.

"You think you are up for this?"

Blackfeather growled and waited for a reply.

[Neva Cordon]

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"Next!"

The metal recycling centre customer service assistant called to Neva and AJ. The Romulan appeared sick of his existence and had never achieved his life goals.

"Metal and quantity?" he asked in a uninterested tone.

[Neva/Aya]

Neva tried to put her best "I'm serious and deadly as a heart attack" demeanor in place to address the clerk. She nodded to Alhanjhu to help translate, then smirked.

"Aye. We gots sum Duranium an'Tritanium heah a' th' mo' wi' us'n." Neva waved at Alhanjhu to show their wares. "We be askin' 20 bars a latinum fer jus' this. There be more, ifn yeh wan' t'negosh'at."

The Romulan lifted an eyebrow and laughed. "In what galaxy do you think youd get TWENTY bars of latinum for this? Any child would tell you duranium is worth 1 bar at best!" He grabbed a small handful from the bag and threw it at her as he spoke.

Neva stepped aside enough to let the projectile hit her arm before falling to the ground. Fixing him with a gaze of barely contained outrage and annoyance, she grabbed her PADD from her messenger bag. After tapping a couple things, she turned it to face the man.

"Ya thinkin' so, are ya? Well, ifn ya seen heah me scans o' our hawl, ya kin see we's got qual'y stuff. It be worth that 20 bars I'ma tellin' ya."

The man snagged it out of her hand and looked it over, frowning deep. He all but threw it at her as he sneered. "Is that all you have, Human? I've seen better on a garbage scow!" Once more, he laughed at her.

Neva rolled her eyes and put the PADD away without looking at it as she fixed him with an angry glare.

"Ya be thinkin' i be born yesserday me frehn'? Yer dodgin' th' matter a'hand."

Neva leaned over the desk to look him dead in the eyes and spoke low for only him and Alhanjhu to hear. Meanwhile, her pointer finger stabbed at the desk to emphasize each word.

"I be wantin' 20 bars fer me hawl an' ill be gettin' 20 bars from ya now, Sen'or. I gots prime stuff an' ya know it! Me scans don' lie!" She stood back up and crossed her arms over her chest, a haughty look on her face.

The Romulan sat back in his chair, steepling his pointer fingers over his lips. He looked at the bag then her and back. "Ten."

Neva shook her head. "19."

This exchange went back and forth till they settled on 13 bars for what they brought now, and he'd send people to inspect their cargo. Only then would he discuss payment. "Computers can lie. Eyes cannot." He then looked behind her and yelled "Next!"

Neva shook her head slowly. Ah noh me boyo. Ya don' dizmiz me like tha." She turned her hand up to make the "gimme" sign, a smirk on her face. "Ya be payin' me now fer wha' we broht t' ya." Neva inclined her head towards Alhanjhu and back. "I be shoor me mate got a'same id."

[Gero Priidik]

[USS Onizuka | Cockpit | Co Pilot Seat]

The probe emitting the false signals pinged on their screens. A new freighter appearing from mid space on a course perpendicular to their own flightpath. Steadying their engine output he checked again their automatic beacon and com systems were offline. If the computer tried to ping the probe, not only might it disrupt their shroud, by the delay in response their exact position could be triangulated.

Checking the systems double was extra work but he felt awfully vulnerable in the shuttlecraft, not wanting to test their powered down defensive systems, the effort was well worth it.

As they approached the planetary airspace and the surrounding satellite systems they shut down even the last powered systems. With even the lights turned off and life support diminished to minimal power, the temperature began to rise in the cabin as each of their heart frequencies accelerated.

Some minor satellites hanging in orbit bathed the space around them in scanning rays. Some of them were so unstable that they probably served more neferious goals. None of them should pierce through their shroud tough. Making an efffort to highlight them on the orbital maps in the computer, Gero noted them so in their ascend they could avoid their scans.

[Onizuka - Felnarik]

Lieutenant Ozoim slowed to thrusters only as the shuttle approached the planet. There was some traffic near the planet, but most of that was in the equatorial region, so to reduce chance of being detected to the absolute minimum, Ozoim chose to do an insertion from the planet's southern pole.

Once they were in atmosphere, she dropped the Onizuka to just 20 meters and kept her speed well below that of the sound barrier. Taking advantage of the planet's extensive foliage, she flew in what was once called 'Nap of Earth' using the forests and mountains to get as close to the capital city of Tonmak. The rest of the settlements on the planet could, at best, only be called villages. If there was a smuggling operation on this planet, it would have to be in Tonmak.

Ozoim settled the shuttle into a canyon and shut power down to minimum, leaving the mask running. Once down, she turned to the others.

"I'm sorry everyone, but 26 klicks is as close as I could get. Terrain starts off rough, but after five klicks, it levels out and should be easy going. I obviously have to stay with the shuttle. Zanut and Master Chief, this is your show. Priidik, you are welcome to stay or go, up to Lieutenant Zanut."

Both Zanut and Blackfeather looked at Priidik with skepticism.

"You think you are up for this?"

Blackfeather growled and waited for a reply.

A clod was forming in his throught. Combat was not his strenght but he didn't want to appeare weak before his crewmates.

"Sure, give me a phaser and I will follow you."

He would not leave this shuttle without a weapon he promised his mind there. Some means of defending himself and his comrades, if it came to that.

A short couple of minutes later they left the shuttle behind them. Neatly parked in between two large rocks at the canyons ground. Each of them carrying only basic gear under quickly donned garbs. Gero himself wearing some of his old civilian cloths and a large poncho hiding his meagre kit and protecting him against the winds rushing through the scar in the continental crust.

A long way was before them.

[Alhanjhu]

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon/Aya]
Neva rolled her eyes at his sappiness, but tried to give him a stern look.
"Ah'eet, see that y'do." She said simply, put some of the "better" hover tablesmall hover-table, and headed for the Recycling Center.

[Neva/Aya|In Line]
Neva sighed as she pulled the table closer, trying to keep the fear at bay. She frowned when she read the prices then leaned in to speak in low tones to Alhanjhu, though she tried to keep in character.

"This ain't ah'eet,Takil, me frien'. I ken feel it." Leaning back, Neva continued in a more conversational tone between them.
"If'n I'd had the way of it, there'd be bes' then this!" She gestured up at the place before them with a small snort and frowned.

Neva scanned the area, looking for a speck of evidence of better. Her frowned deepened when she couldn't find anything. It was then she heard a hard, clear cough directly behind her. As she turned to offer whoever it was a general blessing of better health, a tight grip on her wrist stopped her cold. Jaw clenching in frustration at being so handled, Aya's dark eyes followed the fingers up to hold a set of ancient ice-blue ones.

"Wha'ar yeh th-" Her words were cut off with a hissed "shhh" and a tightening of the grip on her wrist.

"Listen and well t'me girlie now," Came the sing-song reply near her ear. "I be warnin ya once-like. The walls do have ears, they do. Aye, our line does lead to inferior pay, so it seems. Ya knowin' what hagglin' is, girlie?" He didn't wait for a reply, just rushed on. "Aye, I can see ya do, so I does. Do it well, do it high, do it quick. These Rommies don' like slow in any form, ya see."

Neva nodded slowly in acknowledgement, expression and body frozen in place. Through a clenching jaw, she pulled back on her imprisoned arm a little harder as she replied in an equal tone.

"Aye, I be gettin' yer point, man! I thek ya fer th' advice. We'll be takin' it easy 'nuff, surely."  *Tug tug*  "Now If'n ya don' mine, gimme mah arm for I take bek me theks!"

The old man nodded mutely and released her. With a bob of the head once more in thanks, she turned back to her comrade. Rubbing her wrist, Neva repeated what she'd been told to Alhanjhu in a rushed whisper.

Neva then tilted her head to the side and asked simply, "Wha'cha be thinkin' a this then?"

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"Next!"

The metal recycling centre customer service assistant called to Neva and AJ. The Romulan appeared sick of his existence and had never achieved his life goals.

"Metal and quantity?" he asked in a uninterested tone.

[Neva/Aya]

Neva tried to put her best "I'm serious and deadly as a heart attack" demeanor in place to address the clerk. She nodded to Alhanjhu to help translate, then smirked.

"Aye. We gots sum Duranium an'Tritanium heah a' th' mo' wi' us'n." Neva waved at Alhanjhu to show their wares. "We be askin' 20 bars a latinum fer jus' this. There be more, ifn yeh wan' t'negosh'at."

The Romulan lifted an eyebrow and laughed. "In what galaxy do you think youd get TWENTY bars of latinum for this? Any child would tell you duranium is worth 1 bar at best!" He grabbed a small handful from the bag and threw it at her as he spoke.

Neva stepped aside enough to let the projectile hit her arm before falling to the ground. Fixing him with a gaze of barely contained outrage and annoyance, she grabbed her PADD from her messenger bag. After tapping a couple things, she turned it to face the man.

"Ya thinkin' so, are ya? Well, ifn ya seen heah me scans o' our hawl, ya kin see we's got qual'y stuff. It be worth that 20 bars I'ma tellin' ya."

The man snagged it out of her hand and looked it over, frowning deep. He all but threw it at her as he sneered. "Is that all you have, Human? I've seen better on a garbage scow!" Once more, he laughed at her.

Neva rolled her eyes and put the PADD away without looking at it as she fixed him with an angry glare.

"Ya be thinkin' i be born yesserday me frehn'? Yer dodgin' th' matter a'hand."

Neva leaned over the desk to look him dead in the eyes and spoke low for only him and Alhanjhu to hear. Meanwhile, her pointer finger stabbed at the desk to emphasize each word.

"I be wantin' 20 bars fer me hawl an' ill be gettin' 20 bars from ya now, Sen'or. I gots prime stuff an' ya know it! Me scans don' lie!" She stood back up and crossed her arms over her chest, a haughty look on her face.

The Romulan sat back in his chair, steepling his pointer fingers over his lips. He looked at the bag then her and back. "Ten."

Neva shook her head. "19."

This exchange went back and forth till they settled on 13 bars for what they brought now, and he'd send people to inspect their cargo. Only then would he discuss payment. "Computers can lie. Eyes cannot." He then looked behind her and yelled "Next!"

Neva shook her head slowly. Ah noh me boyo. Ya don' dizmiz me like tha." She turned her hand up to make the "gimme" sign, a smirk on her face. "Ya be payin' me now fer wha' we broht t' ya." Neva inclined her head towards Alhanjhu and back. "I be shoor me mate got a'same id."

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik |  Docking Pad >- Recycling Center | Bathân]

Alhanjhu - as Takil - transported some metal along and Neva began haggling. He could see things weren't going their way, and he decided he could give it a try.

"Jolan tru, friend," he said exotically. "I should bear this in mind with you, this good woman and I have traveled a long way to do business, and it'll do good to split the profits between us. Besides, it's not easy teaching a human ways of the Elements, and profits induce the bestest satisfaction," he added, placing a hand on Neva's shoulder to imply that they were close partners, in business and intimacy. "Mayhapssss...sixteen bars, an even split between the two of us. A woman is in need of a new dress and jewelry to her deepest satisfactions."

[Calindra Hejaran]

[Bathân, Seedy Bar]

All hell broke loose as gang members, patrons and innocent tourists descended into an epic brawl. Apparently this was a common event as the bar staff retreated to a safe room.

The charging Klingon barrelled into Malik sending him flying across the fallen table. The Risan was quick however and brought up his ancient pistol to disable the Klingon.

Malik then moved to one of the injured Romulans that Calindra had taken care of. Malik pressed the pistol into his foe's back, "Your leader, take us to him."

The romulan responded by biting down on Malik's hand enabling him to pull away and run upstairs to the building's second level. Malik got up and gave chase...

As chaos unfolded all around Calindra and the Andorian were in a pocket of calm. He flourished his blades with the skill of a seasoned warrior.

"I was Ferengi arena champion 2395. I won my freedom fighting gladiators far more skilled than you!"

The Andorian launched a surprisingly quick attack forcing Calindra onto the defensive.

[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]

The Andorian lunged with unexpected speed, his electro-knives flashing in twin arcs. Calindra deflected the first strike with her katana, sparks flying as the electro-knife met the folded duranium blade. The second knife came dangerously close to her ribs, forcing her to twist sharply and step back to create some distance between her and her foe.

The Andorian, however, pressed his advantage, his strikes wild but brutally fast, driving Calindra into a tighter space near the bar. She remained calm, despite the cold sheen of sweat beading down her neck as she waited for an opening. When his next attack overextended his stance, she slid forward with a swift thrust, aiming for his torso. He parried with one knife and countered with the other, grazing her arm with a painful but shallow cut.

Her enemy was relentless, his cybernetic eye glowing faintly as it tracked her movements with unnerving precision. He feinted high and then swept low, aiming for her legs. She leapt back, narrowly avoiding the strike, then surged forward with a diagonal slash.

He parried again, but this time she followed through, pivoting smoothly to deliver a sharp kick to his midsection. He staggered, giving her just enough time to slash upward in a controlled arc, her katana's edge grazing his shoulder and disabling one of his arms. One of his knives clattered to the floor as the nerves in his arm suddenly gave way.

Still, he grinned through the pain. "You're better than I thought," he growled, his remaining electro-knife sparking ominously. "But let's see how you handle this."

With his free hand, he pulled a small device from his belt and activated it. The lights in the bar dimmed further, and a high-pitched whine filled the air.

The Andorian's concussion grenade sent a shockwave through the bar, toppling tables and scattering patrons. Calindra hit the floor behind the bar just as glass and debris rained down around her, the sharp smell of spilled alcohol mixing with the acrid tang of burnt circuitry. Her rars were ringing from the blast, but her grip on the katana remained firm.

She crouched, pressing her back against the back of the bar as her training took over. Her eyes darted across her immediate surroundings, taking stock.

Broken bottles glistened like jagged diamonds in the dim light. A metal serving tray leaned precariously against an overturned stool. And behind her, the Bajoran bartender cowered, clutching a makeshift club fashioned from a broken chair leg.

Calindra turned her head slightly to check on Malik, but he was already gone.

"Come out, little sword-dancer!" the Andorian's voice echoed through the wreckage, dripping with mockery. "Or are you just another fragile flower?"

[Ardyn Jaeger - Wu]

"What are you looking for?" The Bolian asked, piercing Autumn with his eyes.

He caught Autumn by surprise, and she would have expected him to direct his questions to Commander Wu instead, but it only took her a second to recover from that moment.

"I will know it when I see it," she said, in that learned Vulcan way that always has a hint of I-challenge-you-to-doubt-my-logic.

The Bolian eyed the science officer from head to toe with his ocular augmentation. Then he grunted, dismissively, nodding and indicating the back of his store with a quick movement of his head. Before long his attention was back on the items that Lieutenant Jaeger had placed before him. Autumn had time to see Actan pulling out a scanning device from under his bench before making her way to the back of the store.

The place was smaller than she would have expected, and it seemed smaller still by the amount of items stacked in piles that stretched all the way to the ceiling creating corridors so narrow she could only walk in sideways. There was a small table near the entrance, though, and that's the place she chose to place the cylindrical transverse bag that contained another Hor'ghan and a second sample of kemocite. Her job was to tamper with the contraband, to make sure they'd be able to track the kemocite to wherever the Bolian moved it. The best way to do that would be to insert traceable amounts of platinum, a common element on Earth that tended to be absent in most alien planets for some reason, but Autumn had to make sure that the Bolian wasn't smuggling anything else with platinum in it, or that might confure their sensors.

Autumn pulled out her scanner from the pocket of her trench coat, abandoning all pretence and scanning the wares for signs of platinum, as well as her second and third choice of traceable metals. The plan was to do a detailed scan, then pierce the bottom of the Hor'ghan in her bag with a platinum needle, and run a simulation to see if her scanner, and more importantly, the ship's sensors, would be able to track the material without mistaken it by anything else. For now it was only a model, as she didn't have access to either Challenger or Calindra's Dream, but it would have to do.

While she was immerse in her first scanner though, Autumn noticed something unusual. Her disguised tricorder was picking up clear indications of polarium. She followed the signal, and sure enough, there they were, polarium cases on a shelf at the back, so heavy they caused the shelf to become curved in the middle. But that couldn't be... Polarium was only used in one very specific circumstance, and it wasn't possible that... Autumn pulled one of the cases from the lowest shelf and placed it in the floor, kneeling in front of it. She opened it.

This was a problem. The Vulcan/Andorian science officer was staring at what looked like eight cannisters of biomimetic gel, one of the most regulated substances in the Federation, if for no other reason because of it's potential to be used in metagenic weapons.

For a moment, the whole reason why she had started that scan had fled her mind. The Bolian had at least thirty cases like this one. Biomimetic Gel was too dangerous a substance to have in store like this, which meant he had to have a buyer and the cannisters would be moved soon. They had to do something.

She turned her head to see if Commander Wu had followed her into the back of the shop, but before she could look back Autumn's gaze stopped at a young Benzite who seemed to have only just emerged from a decaying door just a few steps away from her. From the way he was dressed, it was safe to assume he worked for Actal, probably a poorly compensated servant, or an apprentice of some kind. When Autumn met his eyes, he was pulling up the zipper of his trousers, and before she could close the polarium case in front of her, the benzite spoke:

"Who the hell are you?"

[Bathân - Exchange - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

Alex let the two women do most of the initial talking, the proprietor clearly more interested in eyeballing them, literally, than himself. He instead took the opportunity to glance around the store, at least at the displays infront. Clearly Actan didn't worry too much about the local authorities if he kept a tallonian  empathic enhancer in plain sight. The other items visible were more run of the mill, but Alex couldn't imagine what might be hidden in the back.

As suspected, Ardyn revealing the ore sample turned them from idle tourists into valued customers, and Alex watched approvingly as Autumn immediately took her cue without hesitation, disappearing into the store. This was but step one of the plan they'd discussed while enroute to Bathân. They didn't just want to take down one or two vendors, this was about infiltrating the entire supply chain so it could be brought down in one vast sweep. To do that, they needed to let the ore distribute through multiple hands, contaminated just enough so they would be able to track it afterwards but not so obvious that it would be discovered. The Hor'ghans would make nice gifts, hopefully the benefactors would keep them close at hand, not knowing they too would traceabled. Suppliers, distributors, and buyers, the whole package deal. That was the plan at least.

Step one was getting the fish to bite, and though Actan seemed interested, Alex wasn't satisfied with what was being offered. If anything, he suspected the proprietor was testing them. "I see far more than 10 kilos worth just in these here display cases." He mentioned, knowing full well the going Orion market rate of 4 bricks per ton. "If ye can't afford a bar's worth, what are we even doin' here?"

For the first time, Actan's bionic eye turned towards Alex. "I see someone's done their homework." He grumbled, though with a slightly more amiable tone. "Fine, we can talk. But first...Kodor! Refreshments!" Actan shouted over his shoulder at some unseen assistant before turning back to the pair. "What do you want?"

"What we's want is ta offload our cargo. What we's need is someone who knows the lay o' the land ta help us do it." Alex pointedly gazed back at the Bolian. "Someone we's can trust ta get the job dun. Someone worth, say 5% of what he can move. We'll even throw in a couple Hor'ghans for ye and your 'guy'."

"10." Actan saw the opportunity and immediately counteroffered, adding, "And I'll introduce you personally. You'll get a fair deal, and more importantly, you'll walk out with all your appendages." Even without Ardyn's empathic powers, Alex knew that last part wasn't entirely embellished for the sake of haggling. Turning to his partner, he raised an eyebrow. "Rynn, whatcha think?"

[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

It was a good deal. Maybe even too good. Deals like that always came with strings, but here they were, spinning themselves in spider's wire and dancing on the threads. But this was probably the best way they were going to take down the whole ring, and all of the people still standing.

"I think that's a great deal." she smirked,  nodding to  "Cheng" as Kodor, the Benzite standing at the side counter,  grumbled as he left the back rooms and  got them some drinks from a back cabinet. She couldn't tell where Autumn was between the heads of taxidermied exotic animals glaring at her and the stacks of crates filled with contraband and otherwise, but given the frustrated feeling she was feeling off the Benzite, she might be back there, and in the nick of time too, it felt like. It left her to do whatever she needed to do.

The Bolian's red, cybernetic eye  glared at her as she took that drink. A rich blue Romulan ale with a really nice vintage, so it seemed. Despite his rough appearance, it seemed like he did have a taste of the finer things.  He shoved away a box of psi-wave devices and cleared a spot for them.

"Well then.  I think we can make a pretty good deal. You ever heard of Jorge the Rock?"

[Malik Grippen]

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"13 bars. Go to the payment booth. Next!"

The customer service advisor called out again, ignoring the pair and their protests of more payment. Behind them an impatient Romulan barged forward to the front of the queue. "I'm next! Get out of my way!"

A few other workers then collected the metal they had brought and began to load it onto a anti-grav sled.

Round the corner of the building was the payment booth. There another Romulan customer service advisor waited. They received their 13 bars of gold pressed latinum.

They then returned to the Calindra's Dream with the recycling centre workers to assess the remainder of the cargo. On arrival they discovered a large gang of what appeared to be 'street-children' disassembling the Dream's external components.

[Bathân, Seedy Bar]

Malik followed the injured Romulan deeper into the building, through tight corridors past startled patrons and workers. Through the back door out into the alleyways of the most dangerous part of Bathân.

The Risan pursued the gang member into a large warehouse. Inside was rows upon rows of crates containing the proceeds of smuggling activities. The door slammed shut behind him and several people levelled weapons at him. A trap.

Malik dropped his pistol and raised his hands in the air. Realising the foolishness of following a gang member in gang territory.

"Well shi...."

Getting impatient the Andorian began to throw liquor bottles behind the counter at Calindra. The noise was a distraction for a cunning move...

"Come on out little bird!"

More bottles crashed around her and amongst them another concussion grenade rolled to a gentle stop at Calindra's feet.

[Calindra Hejaran]

Getting impatient the Andorian began to throw liquor bottles behind the counter at Calindra. The noise was a distraction for a cunning move...
"Come on out little bird!"
More bottles crashed around her and amongst them another concussion grenade rolled to a gentle stop at Calindra's feet.

[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]

Calindra stared at the grenade at her feet, her brain scrambling as the Andorian's mocking laughter echoed through the bar.

"Well... shit," she muttered under her breath, her usual composure cracking under the pressure. She kicked at the grenade, hoping to send it far enough away to avoid the worst of the blast, but her boot caught it at an awkward angle, sending it skittering across the floor — but not toward the Andorian. Instead, it bounced off the side of a broken table and rolled under another booth, landing much closer than she'd intended.

"Oh, come on!" she hissed, diving behind the bar just as the grenade detonated. The explosion rocked the room, sending more shards of glass and splinters flying.

Ears ringing, Calindra groaned and tried to get her bearings. The Andorian's laugh turned into a coughing fit as the explosion filled the bar with smoke and dust.

When the dust settled, the Andorian stumbled out of the wreckage, battered but still standing. His cybernetic eye sparking wildly, and a deep cut above his brow oozed blue blood. He snatched a jagged piece of broken glass and charged towards her like a berserker.

Sidestepping just in time, she parried his wild swing, spinning behind him and slamming the hilt of her katana into the back of his knee. The Andorian buckled, dropping to the floor with a grunt.

Before he could recover, Calindra brought her blade down in a precise arc, stopping just short of his throat. "Stay down," she commanded, her voice calm but unyielding.

The Andorian froze, his chest heaving as he glared up at her. His free hand twitched toward his belt, but a sharp increase in pressure from Calindra's katana made him think twice. "I didn't come here to dance, my friend and I wanted to do business." Calindra's arm throbbed, blood seeping from a jagged cut left by the Andorian's blades. Her sleeve was soaked, clinging uncomfortably to her skin, and every movement sent a fresh wave of pain up her shoulder. Bruises were already blooming along her side and legs where debris had struck her during the blast.

"Call it a draw, and we can fight side by side the next time?" she suggested as the Andorian hissed through clenched teeth, clutching his shoulder where Calindra's katana had torn through his flesh. Blue blood trickled down his arm in rivulets, staining the broken shards scattered across the floor.

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Onizuka | Cockpit | Co Pilot Seat]

The probe emitting the false signals pinged on their screens. A new freighter appearing from mid space on a course perpendicular to their own flightpath. Steadying their engine output he checked again their automatic beacon and com systems were offline. If the computer tried to ping the probe, not only might it disrupt their shroud, by the delay in response their exact position could be triangulated.

Checking the systems double was extra work but he felt awfully vulnerable in the shuttlecraft, not wanting to test their powered down defensive systems, the effort was well worth it.

As they approached the planetary airspace and the surrounding satellite systems they shut down even the last powered systems. With even the lights turned off and life support diminished to minimal power, the temperature began to rise in the cabin as each of their heart frequencies accelerated.

Some minor satellites hanging in orbit bathed the space around them in scanning rays. Some of them were so unstable that they probably served more neferious goals. None of them should pierce through their shroud tough. Making an efffort to highlight them on the orbital maps in the computer, Gero noted them so in their ascend they could avoid their scans.

A clod was forming in his throught. Combat was not his strenght but he didn't want to appeare weak before his crewmates.

"Sure, give me a phaser and I will follow you."

He would not leave this shuttle without a weapon he promised his mind there. Some means of defending himself and his comrades, if it came to that.

A short couple of minutes later they left the shuttle behind them. Neatly parked in between two large rocks at the canyons ground. Each of them carrying only basic gear under quickly donned garbs. Gero himself wearing some of his old civilian cloths and a large poncho hiding his meagre kit and protecting him against the winds rushing through the scar in the continental crust.

A long way was before them.

[Onizuka - Felnarik]

Blackfeather gave Gero a hard, penetrating stare and then nodded. Zanut seemed to accept the Master Chief's assessment and said.

"Very well then, based on local time, we've got five hours before nightfall. That's just about fits how long it will take to get to the city, which suits me as darkness will be our friend."

Turning to the pilot he added.

"Keep a lock on us Miammaso, if this goes bad, we'll need a quick beam out to get off the planet double quick."

"You got it Malus. Good luck you three."

"Thanks."

The group gathered up their gear, which was minimal and headed out and into the unknown.