S6 E6 - What's in it for Me?

[Calindra Hejaran]

The Andorian nodded in supplication, feeling the pain from his wounds. He propped himself up and smiled. "You, are a worthy opponent. Well fought."
The Andorian retrieved a small medipack from his equipment and began to tend his various wounds as the brawl quietened down around them. The bar looked like a hurricane had blown through. Broken furniture, glasses, windows and people strewn all around.
"I would go check on your friend. The Romulans enjoy their little traps."

[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]

Calindra wiped blood from her brow with the back of her hand, her arm aching from a fresh cut and bruises that throbbed with every step. The Andorian's words lingered in her mind as she sheathed her katana, securing it firmly at her side. He called her a "worthy opponent," but she didn't feel particularly victorious. The destruction around her — shattered glass, overturned furniture, and groaning bodies — was a grim reminder of how quickly things could spiral out of control.

The Andorian patched himself up in silence, his expression unreadable now. "If you're trying to be helpful," she said, voice edged with irritation, "what kind of traps are we talking about?"

The Andorian gave her a faint smirk, his antennae twitching as he leaned back against the bar. "Go see for yourself," he replied cryptically, gesturing toward the corridor Malik had disappeared down.

Calindra's grip tightened on her katana. She didn't trust the Andorian, but she couldn't ignore the unease twisting in her gut. Malik was walking into trouble — if he wasn't already in the thick of it. She turned away, muttering under her breath, "You'd better still be alive, Cap."

The dimly lit passage reeked of stale liquor and desperation. Her pulse quickened as she stepped deeper into the maze of back rooms. The sound of muffled voices and the scrape of boots on concrete reached her ears.

When she emerged into a wide storage area, the scene before her stopped her in her tracks. Malik stood in the center of the room, unarmed, hands raised, surrounded by six Romulans. The gang members were armed with a mix of disruptors and improvised weapons, their sharp eyes trained on him.

One of them, a tall Romulan with a jagged scar running across his cheek, stepped forward, twirling a blade in his hand. "You really thought you could walk in here, flash some latinum, and leave?" he sneered.

Malik didn't reply, but his eyes flicked briefly toward Calindra's position. He'd spotted her — but if the Romulans had, they gave no sign.

Calindra exhaled slowly, her hand tightening on the hilt of her katana. Her injuries ached, and her body felt heavier than usual, but none of that mattered now. She needed a plan, and fast.

[Malik Grippen]

[Bathân, Landing Pad]

With their leader incapacitated the other kids had the fight knocked out of them and scattered, like rats.

Looking over the Dream the street kids hadn't managed to remove anything valuable, only some sections of outer hull plating which could be reattached with time.

Once the pair had rectified the Dream, they handed over the remainder of the cargo to the recycling centre workers who carted it away for assessment. Neva electrified the hull as a countermeasure.

The pair then received a distress notification from Malik's subdermal communicator. They ran towards the signal's location.

[Bathân, Gang Warehouse]

AJ and Neva found the gang warehouse and spotted Calindra near the entrance. Unbeknown to Malik, he had stumbled upon one of the Rhiannsu gang's primary distribution centres. The intel here would reveal all the smuggling storage locations across the city and the key players involved. Unfortunately for the away team it was also heavily guarded. Charging in would no doubt result in a bloodbath.

The trio needed a plan.

Malik professed innocence. He knew Calindra was near and the others would not be far behind. He needed to become a distraction and focus the guard's attention on him.

"Latinum is what you want isn't it? I have a lot of it, and it can be yours. Can I get a drink first though, the bar fight was thirsty work."

Malik received a hard punch to the gut for his trouble.

"*Cough-Cough* How about a mai-tai?"

Another punch came in, followed by another and another...

[Ian Galloway]

[Lt. JB Dersch | Security/Tactical Officer | Deck 1 - Tactical Station | USS Challenger]

As JB expertly handled the controls, his thoughts briefly drifted to his wife's father's funeral. The memories from just a week ago surfaced unbidden, a mix of grief and duty weighing heavily on his mind. He remembered standing beside Freya, her hand gripping his tightly as they faced the final farewell together. Her father had always been a source of quiet strength, and his absence left a void JB wasn't sure how to help her fill.

He shook the thought from his head, focusing on the task at hand. Not now, he told himself. Freya's doing her best to move forward, and right now, the crew needs me sharp. And Freya told me she could use some alone time, Hence while I'm here Still, the sorrow lingered at the edge of his consciousness, a quiet ache he couldn't entirely suppress.

JB exhaled slowly, refocusing on the shuttle. "Shuttle is secured, Captain," he reported, his voice steady despite the emotions beneath the surface. He stole a glance at the live feed as the shuttle settled gently into the bay, letting the rhythm of his work anchor him.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian fought the urge to contact sickbay. He knew Jess and the rest of the medical staff were occupied with the shuttle crew and knew they would update him as soon as they were stable. His bigger concern was that with the Cutty Sark out of the picture, their 'mask' was severely compromised. They were still sending out a inverse signal from the lateral sensor arrays to impair Toren sensors, but that would only work when the ship was stationary.

It was possible to duplicate the modifications on the Cutty Sark on another shuttle, but since what had caused those modifications to fail was unknown, it wasn't safe to do that yet. That left Challenger very exposed at the moment. When Dersch reported in, Ian answered absently.

"Very good Lieutenant, signal the White and have them return ta the ship. No need ta have anyone else arse out while we figure out what happened."

Ian turned to face the Science One station.

"Evan, we need some boffin magic."

Randall looked skeptical.

"Aye Sir, on it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Club Shiny - Tonmak - Felnarik]

The group shared a glance and Zanut spoke up guardedly.

"If you know as much as you say you do, I'll be blunt. I captain a freighter, word is Tonmak is where you go to find cargo. We're new to this sector and not picky about what we haul. So, Felk, can you help with that?"

The Ferengi pondered for a bit before he replied with a huge smile.

"Straight to the point, that's actually refreshing. Yes, yes, brokering deals is what I do. I believe you hyoomons call me a 'middle man'. It just so happens I know someone in let's call it the 'import/export' business that is always looking to move merchandise. If you follow me, I can lead you to one of his colleagues."

Blackfeather leaded forward, using his impressive height to add to the venom in his voice.

"My friend here may have mentioned we were new in this sector, but new doesn't mean stupid. You cross us and I promise, I will make you bleed."

Felk gulped and nodded.

"No, no, no, double crossing a client before the deal is made is bad for business. Please, let's go meet my contact."

The group shared another glance, nodded and Zanut spoke up.

"Then lead on my friend, and in my world, double crossers are the first to die, so you just remember that if your plan is to do so after the deal is made."

Felk gulped again and nodded.

"I understand, this way gentlemen."

Felk then let the three deeper into the casino. As they followed, Zanut and Blackfeather had their hands on their disruptors ready to act should their new friend choose to betray them.

[Alhanjhu]

[Bathân, Landing Pad]

With their leader incapacitated the other kids had the fight knocked out of them and scattered, like rats.

Looking over the Dream the street kids hadn't managed to remove anything valuable, only some sections of outer hull plating which could be reattached with time.

Once the pair had rectified the Dream, they handed over the remainder of the cargo to the recycling centre workers who carted it away for assessment. Neva electrified the hull as a countermeasure.

The pair then received a distress notification from Malik's subdermal communicator. They ran towards the signal's location.

[Bathân, Gang Warehouse]

AJ and Neva found the gang warehouse and spotted Calindra near the entrance. Unbeknown to Malik, he had stumbled upon one of the Rhiannsu gang's primary distribution centres. The intel here would reveal all the smuggling storage locations across the city and the key players involved. Unfortunately for the away team it was also heavily guarded. Charging in would no doubt result in a bloodbath.

The trio needed a plan.

Malik professed innocence. He knew Calindra was near and the others would not be far behind. He needed to become a distraction and focus the guard's attention on him.

"Latinum is what you want isn't it? I have a lot of it, and it can be yours. Can I get a drink first though, the bar fight was thirsty work."

Malik received a hard punch to the gut for his trouble.

"*Cough-Cough* How about a mai-tai?"

Another punch came in, followed by another and another...

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak/Tarik | Docking Pad >- Gang Warehouse | Bathân]

Alhanjhu grinned. He was glad it worked after all. He was sure one of the children left a whole trail behind him, scared of him as he was. He looked back at Neva's direction and waved at her to indicate it was safe to come out.

"Thank the Great Canopy," he said once he looked over the Dream. "I was worried they took anything of value...particularly the means for us to get off Bathân."

Working together, they fixed the ship up. Alhanjhu held plating in place while Neva sealed up the patches. Once it had been sealed back up, the hull was electrified. "Good precaution," Alhanjhu said to Neva once it was done. He, personally, would've attached traps - and he learned to make better traps since his feral days - but it would've taken too long, and Neva was the engineer and superior officer here.

Then they continued sending loads of their remaining cargo until they got rid of it all. The total amount of gold-pressed-latinum bars, even with Alhanjhu's persuasive haggling, still didn't even make the triple-digit number range, but he felt that, all things considered, they made a profit.

He had just finished counting the bars when they got a distress signal from Malik. He then looked at Neva and said, "We better hurry. Bear in mind, I'm a fast runner." And with latinum in his bag, he was instantly off, the Academy marathon champion he was. Of course, he stopped at times so Neva wouldn't be left behind, let alone be left alone. They were at the warehouse later, and he found Cali near the entrance.

"Cali," he said quietly, taking a brief pause to catch his breath. "What's with the facility? What's the situation? And where's Commander Grippen?"

He studied the building as Cali explained. Heavily guarded as it is, a frontal assault was unthinkable. Stealth had to be the key. There just needed to be a way in, one the guards won't be aware of. And depending on the layout inside, he knew height had to factor in. Jump and disappear. These were his favorite tactics back in Andgarr, and adapting those skills for use among modern technology and artificial environments taught him a lot more.

He was open to opinions from Cali and Neva, of course, and another reason for him studying the warehouse was to not be distracted by how beautiful he found Cali and Neva together.

[Calindra Hejaran]

He then looked at Neva and said, "We better hurry. Bear in mind, I'm a fast runner." And with latinum in his bag, he was instantly off, the Academy marathon champion he was. Of course, he stopped at times so Neva wouldn't be left behind, let alone be left alone. They were at the warehouse later, and he found Cali near the entrance.
"Cali," he said quietly, taking a brief pause to catch his breath. "What's with the facility? What's the situation? And where's Commander Grippen?"
He studied the building as Cali explained. Heavily guarded as it is, a frontal assault was unthinkable. Stealth had to be the key. There just needed to be a way in, one the guards won't be aware of. And depending on the layout inside, he knew height had to factor in. Jump and disappear. These were his favorite tactics back in Andgarr, and adapting those skills for use among modern technology and artificial environments taught him a lot more.
He was open to opinions from Cali and Neva, of course, and another reason for him studying the warehouse was to not be distracted by how beautiful he found Cali and Neva together.

[Kelly Oren - Gang Warehouse - Bathân]

Calindra exhaled a shaky breath, relief evident as Alhanjhu and Neva skidded to a halt beside her, both out of breath. Though she was grateful for their presence, her focus remained on the situation at hand.

"Thank the stars," she muttered, crouching low behind a stack of crates. As she tied off a bandage on her bleeding arm, her fingers worked swiftly but clumsily, her expression tightening with each pull. "I was starting to think I'd have to go in alone."

Her gaze shifted to the heavily guarded entrance of the warehouse, where Romulans stood at rigid attention. Inside, Malik was still surrounded, being beaten, and she did not know how long Malik would survive if it continued for too long.

"What's with the facility?" she whispered urgently, keeping her voice low as she turned towards Alhanjhu. "It looks like a fortress. Heavily guarded, probably their main stash. Crates full of weapons, stolen goods — you name it. It'll be the intel motherlode if we can infiltrate it, but I don't know how long the cap can hold out," she added worriedly.

Her eyes narrowed as she considered the options. "A frontal assault is out of the question," she said, shaking her head. "Too many guards, and they're too alert. Stealth is our only option. We just need to find a way in, one they won't notice."

Calindra's gaze lingered on the structure, her mind working through the possibilities. "If there's any kind of height advantage inside, we can use it. Maybe find a way to jump between levels and disappear. But first, we need a weak point or a blind spot. Any ideas?"

She glanced at Alhanjhu and Neva, genuinely open to their input, though she noticed Alhanjhu studying the warehouse with an intense focus that wasn't entirely about tactics. For a brief moment, she caught the flicker of something else in his expression. A distraction, she wondered maybe even anticipation.

She didn't dwell on it. Instead, she refocused on the task at hand, her grip tightening on the hilt of her katana. "We need to move fast..."

[Alhanjhu]

[Kelly Oren - Gang Warehouse - Bathân]

Calindra exhaled a shaky breath, relief evident as Alhanjhu and Neva skidded to a halt beside her, both out of breath. Though she was grateful for their presence, her focus remained on the situation at hand.

"Thank the stars," she muttered, crouching low behind a stack of crates. As she tied off a bandage on her bleeding arm, her fingers worked swiftly but clumsily, her expression tightening with each pull. "I was starting to think I'd have to go in alone."

Her gaze shifted to the heavily guarded entrance of the warehouse, where Romulans stood at rigid attention. Inside, Malik was still surrounded, being beaten, and she did not know how long Malik would survive if it continued for too long.

"What's with the facility?" she whispered urgently, keeping her voice low as she turned towards Alhanjhu. "It looks like a fortress. Heavily guarded, probably their main stash. Crates full of weapons, stolen goods — you name it. It'll be the intel motherlode if we can infiltrate it, but I don't know how long the cap can hold out," she added worriedly.

Her eyes narrowed as she considered the options. "A frontal assault is out of the question," she said, shaking her head. "Too many guards, and they're too alert. Stealth is our only option. We just need to find a way in, one they won't notice."

Calindra's gaze lingered on the structure, her mind working through the possibilities. "If there's any kind of height advantage inside, we can use it. Maybe find a way to jump between levels and disappear. But first, we need a weak point or a blind spot. Any ideas?"

She glanced at Alhanjhu and Neva, genuinely open to their input, though she noticed Alhanjhu studying the warehouse with an intense focus that wasn't entirely about tactics. For a brief moment, she caught the flicker of something else in his expression. A distraction, she wondered maybe even anticipation.

She didn't dwell on it. Instead, she refocused on the task at hand, her grip tightening on the hilt of her katana. "We need to move fast..."

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak/Tarik | Docking Pad >- Gang Warehouse | Bathân]

"I hear you, Cali," Alhanjhu replied. "It's probably just me, but a ceiling is an ultimate blind spot. Most people never think to look up. We would need to see if we can get in first...and I think those windows could provide a means inside," he added, indicating to the windows...windows that look interestingly like there's one on each corner. "Given the guards are out front, let's try the back. If you please, ladies, Security bids you follow me," he said.

Taking a route around and through some shrubbery, he could see there were no guards at the back. He bade Cali and Neva hold position at some thick trees at one back corner, and checked the other corner. He noted there were windows at all corners, and he was careful enough to get around, in case any guard was looking out.

Thus far, he realized that where he left the girls was the best place to sneak in. Not only where the clumps of trees thickest, but there were no guards close by, what with a corner with so many shelves and whatnot. And the shelves were perfect for him to get to the ceiling.

"Okay, we got a way in," he told the girls in a whisper. "The corner before us. Every corner of this warehouse has a window each, and the one in front of us is the best option. I wouldn't advise smashing our way in, any kind of noise can get attention. Do either of you have a cutter of some kind? It can be a good idea to cut our way in."

[CJ Dawson]

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Four patients shimmered into existence on four trauma room biobeds. Jess immediately saw three were ambulatory and stepped next to the bed holding Petty Officer Kelsey.

"Doctor Dawson, scrub in, these are full thickness burns! She needs immediate surgery!"

As the trauma team moved into the surgery suite, other members of the medical team moved in to treat the others.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Before they even could blink 4 trauma biobeds were filled with patients. The Doctor stepped into action and CJ followed her lead. From what they could see now only one was in critical condition.
In a split second they moved into action. Doctor Fellows ordered her to scrub in immediately and so they did. "Let's get her on oxygen and scan how layered the burns are." It didn't look good but before jumping to conclusions they needed to scan her whole body to see which layers were affected. She looked at Doctor Fellows with a very concerned look.

[Malik Grippen]

[Bathân, Gang Warehouse]

Everything was starting to go fuzzy for Malik as he took punch after punch to the stomach and face. He spat out a glob of blood to the floor and smiled, "You hit like a Ferengi..."

His Romulan captor was made of stern stuff. An old imperialist from the glory days of the empire. Back when the Federation feared the Romulan race and its mighty fleet of warbirds. "You know, back in the time of our great Empire I was a respected member of the Senate. Few were above me and I had the ear of the emperor and a fleet of warbirds at my call. Now...Now the so-called Romulan Empire is a shadow of its former self. And antiques like I have no place in these new times."

"So you made your own little empire here on Bathân? Smuggling illegal goods across the border, extorting the poor locals, reign of terror, etc etc. It's a tired old story I've heard before."

The old grey haired Romulan smiled wistfully as if recollecting his former life, "Perhaps. Our work here is part of something far larger. My dream is to see the empire reforged. And if I have to crush a few pathetic colonists to do it, so be it."

"We can help you with that. My crew and I have a capabable ship..."

The old Romulan cut the Risan off, "The crew of the Federation starship Challenger you mean? Did you honestly think posing as smugglers would work. What was your mission? To bring my smuggling network down from the inside? How predictable. Take a note from the Tal'Shiar rulebook, if you're going undercover - at least mask your DNA. Commander Grippen."

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - TAS Dominator]

The junior officers on the bridge were in a state of complete terror. Anyone that served in the Toren Autonomy military was always scared, but since the 'Lissipian freighter' had turned out to be a decoy that self destructed when the Dominator had gotten close, Great Leader Scornar had been in a rage. He'd applied the pain stick to everyone on the bridge for allowing themselves to be fooled. He'd been especially harsh on the Observer. He'd beaten and pain sticked the man until he had to be carried off the bridge.

When the replacement Observer arrived, Scornar had used the pain stick on her as soon as she arrived and made it clear that was just a taste of what she would receive if he failed to find the source of the decoy. The ship was now cruising a warp six and was scanning at such a high power that it was almost burning holes in the fabric of the local space.

Scornar paced in frustration as the bridge officers cringed in fear, doing anything to remain invisible when the Great Leader came near. He was just turning to discipline the Distributor when the Observer spoke.

"Great Leader, I have detected a variance in a section of space near Fenalik."

"I suggest you be more specific Observer or you will face discipline beyond your comprehension!"

Gulping, the Observer quickly replied.

"As we are scanning at such a high resolution per your wise direction, I am detecting an area that seems to be reflecting my scans. No natural phenomenon can cause this. It is my humble recommendation we close on this area to determine what could be generating this anomaly."

"You recommend? It almost sounds like you are telling me what to do Observer. I could have you executed for suggesting you know better than I."

"I am only reporting what the scans have detected, I would never dream of challenging you Great Leader!"

She squeaked in terror. Scornar's pain stick lashed out before the Observer could blink. The sounds of her screams reverberated around the bridge and added one more layer dread to an already traumatized crew.

"Call for the next Observer Sub-Leader."

"By your command Great Leader."

As the Observer was dragged off the bridge and her replacement took over, Scornar moved to his throne.

"Steerage, maintain speed and head for the coordinates of this variance."

"By your command Great Leader"

[Ian Galloway]

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Before they even could blink 4 trauma biobeds were filled with patients. The Doctor stepped into action and CJ followed her lead. From what they could see now only one was in critical condition.
In a split second they moved into action. Doctor Fellows ordered her to scrub in immediately and so they did. "Let's get her on oxygen and scan how layered the burns are." It didn't look good but before jumping to conclusions they needed to scan her whole body to see which layers were affected. She looked at Doctor Fellows with a very concerned look.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Once they were properly scrubbed and sterilized, Jess, CJ, PO2 Heesou, and PO3 T'Varn entered the surgical suite to operate on Petty Officer Kelsey. With the patient anesthesied Jess handed the laser scalpel to CJ.

"I know this is throwing you into the deep end, but you take lead. I want to see your technique. I know how to handle burns, I'd like to see how you handle them."

[Gero Priidik]

[Tonmak - Feknarik Capital City]

The three Starfleet officers arrived as the sun was setting. Ensign Zanut had the group take a break inside the edge of the forest they'd been traversing for hours. Grabbing a quick meal from their hated emergency rations they waited an hour until it was full dark before slipping into the city.

In comparison to the cities of the core cities of the Federation, even the best parts of Tonmak could only be called provincial. Poverty was clearly endemic here and it was easy to see how smugglers would thrive among so many desperate people.

Working their way to the poorest side of town, Zanut stopped to figure out where to start among the run down bars that were everywhere, when the taciturn Blackfeather spoke up.

"That casino. Look at it. It's the only place we've seen in the last five blocks that doesn't look like a dump. That tells me money is there and since this planet doesn't have any, it's got to be from off planet."

"Sounds good to me, you ready to meet the locals flyboy?"

Zanut quipped as he moved beside the Master Chief who was striding confidently to the flashy casino.

"Keep up son."

Blackfeather growled over his shoulder.

[Tonmak | Plains]

Doing his best to keep pace, he first stumbled over loose rocks and through thick bushes covering the ground. The sun casting their light in a hue looking slightly off to Gero. He was mostly used to working in the confines of a space ship, or a shuttle, or a barge. Anything flying really.

Trekking around planets was still new to him. Much less trekking through hostile territory.

-
[Tonmak | Feknarik Capital City]

Walking through the poorer parts of the city reminded him a lot of his own childhood. Pushed into despair by forces beyond their control, deprived of many of the amenities commonplace in the Federation. The whole thing wasn't fair. If they joined the Federation, their lives could be improved, undoubtedly.

Arriving in the city centre, the surrounding outlook was not getting any better. Although more outsiders were massing in makeshift pubs and avenues, the overall standard of living was still below the average.

"I am right behind you."

[Tonmak Casino - Felnarik]

Gero, Zanut, and Blackfeather entered the casino to a cacophony of lights and sounds. No one reacted to their presence initially, but this quickly changed when an especially smarmy Ferengi in an impossibility loudly colored suit.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome travelers! I see you are new to Club Shiny.  I am Felk, I can help you find what you need, for a small consideration of course. What is it you desire?

[Club Shiny - Tonmak - Felnarik]

The group shared a glance and Zanut spoke up guardedly.

"If you know as much as you say you do, I'll be blunt. I captain a freighter, word is Tonmak is where you go to find cargo. We're new to this sector and not picky about what we haul. So, Felk, can you help with that?"

The Ferengi pondered for a bit before he replied with a huge smile.

"Straight to the point, that's actually refreshing. Yes, yes, brokering deals is what I do. I believe you hyoomons call me a 'middle man'. It just so happens I know someone in let's call it the 'import/export' business that is always looking to move merchandise. If you follow me, I can lead you to one of his colleagues."

Blackfeather leaded forward, using his impressive height to add to the venom in his voice.

"My friend here may have mentioned we were new in this sector, but new doesn't mean stupid. You cross us and I promise, I will make you bleed."

Felk gulped and nodded.

"No, no, no, double crossing a client before the deal is made is bad for business. Please, let's go meet my contact."

The group shared another glance, nodded and Zanut spoke up.

"Then lead on my friend, and in my world, double crossers are the first to die, so you just remember that if your plan is to do so after the deal is made."

Felk gulped again and nodded.

"I understand, this way gentlemen."

Felk then let the three deeper into the casino. As they followed, Zanut and Blackfeather had their hands on their disruptors ready to act should their new friend choose to betray them.

[Tonmak | Feknarik Capital City | Club Shiny]

They had talked about their cover story. Made sure the details would match. Coordinated strategies. Gero hoped he remembered everything.

Mirroring the Officers, he placed his hand on his weapon as well. Doing his best to appear as threatening as possible, he thought about ways to heighten their image as dangerous in the eyes of the Ferengi posing as their middle man.

"Remember theses Nausicaans Captain? Tried to trick us! Where did they end up again?"

His Word accompanying their crossing from the clubs main room, polished with cheap plastic gemstones, lending the establishment its name, the lights refracting in a thousand facets of cheap stones.

Through a curtain of mirror strands, they passed into a much darker backroom. The light creating a myriad of spaces not visible, perfect for hiding muscle or conceal hidden exits.

[Alexander Wu]

[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?"

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

"10 percent, and you'll gift each of my associates here somethin' of their choosing." Alex agreed, adding a final addendum. Actan seemed to pause for consideration before nodding grudgingly. "Done." In lieu of handshakes, he drank from his glass first before holding it out for Alex to take. Taking a long swig of the blue ale, Alex finished it off, giving to Actan's assistant for a refill.

"Jorge the Rock? Cannae say I have." He was doing his best to continue the accent that he'd started on the platform, incidentally Galloway's being the first which came to mind. Alex glanced past the Bolian at the darkened shelves where Autumn had disappeared into, wondering how much longer she would need for them to stall for. "How'd Jorge get his name?"

"Ah, well. I don't recommend you call him that when we meet. He's a Romulan, older fella. As for the Rock, he's got a face like...well, let's just say I haven't seen him smile yet. Maybe you'll have better luck with your cargo." Actan nodded at the refreshed glass in Alex's hand. "That there's a token of his appreciation. If he's happy with you, might be a couple extra bottles for you too. Best get going. Kodor, watch the front. Where's that pointy-ear you came in with?"

[Lira Meval]

[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark → USS Challenger • Sickbay]

Lira barely had time to process what was happening before she found herself caught in a frantic rush to prevent the worst. The fire still burned vividly in her mind, and the sight of Kelsey severely injured lingered as a shadow that refused to fade. Her hands trembled as she worked alongside Azsayak to stabilize the remaining console, searching for any way to keep the Cutty Sark from collapsing entirely.

They seemed to be getting everything under control, and once the immediate danger was contained, Lira began to think about what they could do while adrift. The idea of trying to reconnect the communicators to contact the Challenger crossed her mind, and she was just about to act on it.

It was only when the transporter's shimmering light enveloped her body that she realized how tense she had been. As the Cutty Sark gave way to the reality of the Challenger's sickbay, Lira fell to her knees, the emotional weight of what had happened finally catching up to her.

"Kelsey... will she be okay? Azsayak... what did we do wrong?" Her voice was hesitant, almost breaking, as she tried to collect her thoughts. "I... I tried... but that should never have happened."

She looked up, her eyes wet with frustration and fear. Despite everything, she knew she needed to give a report, but the words were trapped, suffocated by the mix of guilt and exhaustion. She was gently guided to one of the biobeds while Kelsey was receiving proper treatment to recover from her burns.

[Ardyn Jaeger - Wu]

[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods → Gang Warehouse]

Ardy nodded as they made the deal.  Ideally, they  would be able to get some potential contacts and then with enough evidence, send the whole operation crumbling down. Now that they were VIPs in this guy's mind, all the better to loop him in. "I'm sure she's just looking at the merch and got lost in the deals. You gotta lot of good stuff here. She's a bit of a tech junkie. Always looking for the best of the best  in terms of  stuff to upgrade our ship, y'know? She can compare the stats for parts for hours." she smirked, trying to keep him from questioning about  Autumn for a bit longer. "Why don'tcha take us over to the Rock since you know him so well? Would help our mutual prospects to get to know him personally, y'know? she asked.

[shortly later]

[Warehouse]

Coming behind the marketplace, they seemed to end up nearby a warehouse where they saw a big scuffle ensuing in the distance.  Ardy gave Alex a look of concern. Sure fights were common in a place like this,, but if she squinted, she was pretty sure that was Malik's jacket in the cloud of dust that was being kicked up.

" Oy! What's going on?!  yelled their Bolian informant.  Something was wrong.

[As Sedaya]
[Medbay]

"R-right! Triage!  said Sedaya as she ran into action when several people came in all at once. "I have the tools ready for surgery!

[Autumn]

When she noticed the Benzite for the first time, Autumn hesitated, but only for a moment. Her training quickly took over and she attempted to act as if she'd been expecting the Benzite the whole time.

"Ah. Actan said you'd be around to assist me. My associated and I are conducting business with your boss."

"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?"

The Bolian's voice carried from the other room, as he shouted for someone – probably his Benzite assistant – to join them at the front of the store.

He didn't move right away though, eyeing Autumn with suspicion, his gaze lingering in the polarium cases.

"We're saving those for another buyer," he said.

Autumn pretended to be a little disappointed.

"What about the—"

Actan's voice interrupted them, as he summoned his assistant again.

"I better go," the Benzite said, scurrying away.

Autumn took a deep breath.

She had the data she needed. Before heading out of the storage area though, she took a small transparent trace (which looked a bit like a bit of selotape, and would be invisible except to the most dedicated observer, and placed it at the bottom of a couple of the polarium cases. They would be able to trace the polarium, now that they knew what they were looking for, but the patches would let them know that they had the right boxes. She would still need to modify their own supply of kemocite with platinum, but for that, she needed to return to the shuttle.

Actan nodded at the refreshed glass in Alex's hand. "That there's a token of his appreciation. If he's happy with you, might be a couple extra bottles for you too. Best get going. Kodor, watch the front. Where's that pointy-ear you came in with?"

Ardy nodded as they made the deal.  Ideally, they  would be able to get some potential contacts and then with enough evidence, send the whole operation crumbling down. Now that they were VIPs in this guy's mind, all the better to loop him in. "I'm sure she's just looking at the merch and got lost in the deals. You gotta lot of good stuff here. She's a bit of a tech junkie. Always looking for the best of the best  in terms of  stuff to upgrade our ship, y'know? She can compare the stats for parts for hours." she smirked, trying to keep him from questioning about  Autumn for a bit longer. "Why don'tcha take us over to the Rock since you know him so well? Would help our mutual prospects to get to know him personally, y'know? she asked.

Autumn went back to join the others, casting a meaningful look to commander Wu. Kodor was still looking at her with a little suspicion, as he layed a tray of drinks on the counter, and whispered something into Actan's ears. The Bolian's visual augmentation became fixed on the young science officer.

"So, found anything you want?" he asked

"The nanoprobles. And maybe the telomeric regenerator you have, if there's a discount. The screen is broken." she said firmly.

Since Kodor was probably telling Actan about her interest in the biomimetic gel, it was a good move to pretend she was also interested in medical equipment in general. That might be sufficient to placate their suspicions.