Sniffing Whispers
Posted on Sat Nov 9th, 2024 @ 2:08am by Captain Mrazak & Ensign Rozreell Purr & Lieutenant Commander Leonora Wolf MD & Staff Warrant Officer Conchobar Breathnacht
1,677 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
S1E6: Where Skies End
Location: Rish Enclave
Timeline: MD 8
Leah had a knowing smirk on her face as she and Rozreel separated from the main group and headed to ask around about transport to the main base. Perhaps even sniff out whispers of Sayuri Onaga's whereabouts.
"Well done, Purr. The terraforming play was creative." She said, looking over at the other woman.
Wolf herself felt very energized and buzzed to be back in the field, attaining information by wile and cunning. It had been long since she'd just done field work. Too long. She was almost grateful to Mrazak for coopting her and Teejay in the Corvan system, now seemingly so long ago.
“Thanks,” Roz said with her own knowing smirk. “Everyone was so caught up on the very idea of terraforming that they failed to ask how long hydraulic landscaping takes and what’s involved. It would take at least fifty years and the constant supervision of a crew of scientists in order to be successful. If they want the water they’ll have to become fast friends with the Federation.”
Rozreell’s offered resources came with a heavy price for a group of scavengers on the edge of nothing. If they wanted it, they would have to commit to playing nice for a rather long time.
“So what are we expecting to achieve with our little side hustle?” Purr’s eyes wandered as they left the dock and headed into the Rish enclave. “Will any mode of transport do?”
"Our little fox," Leah said as they walked further into the port. referring to Sayuri Onaga, "used to run with a guy who's been spotted around the port. Tale has it he has his own transport. Tale also has it he may know of our little foxe's den. If we play our cards right. He used to be one of us, then he went off script. So if we're not careful he'll outplay us, before we outplay him."
Con was skulking about watching the women. Fucking Starfleet skulking around. Someone had warned him about it, and he had been taking pains to try and avoid them, but apparently, the older one knew about him somehow. Someone either sold him out or Starfleet had some sort of source of information on the Green. He wasn't sure which one was worse, honestly speaking. He looped around through a side passage to put himself in their path. He might as well get this over with so he good get on to doing other, less annoying things.
Leah added to the conversation, "anything big enough to fit all of us in." She said loud enough for passers by to hear. It wouldn't take long to find the man in question. Ecologies of these places were quite similar. Either the mark would find them out of a perceived sense of power and territory, or they would be waiting for them, secure in their sense of power and territory.
The latter was harder to deal with than the former, because then Leah and Roz would effectively be walking into a trap. Onto the mark's board where they controlled all the pieces.
If the mark came to them, then there was more wiggle room.
Leah then stepped closer to Roz and spoke more quietly. "Whatever happens, don't let fear and anxiety show. Act like all of this is going exactly as we wanted to, like it's planned."
"It sounds like it is going to plan." Roz murmured in a hushed tone as she continued to casually shop and examine the vendors that lined the area immediately outside of the dock. Leah sounded like she was more than aware of what could or might happen during their endeavor, that knowledge and awareness was good enough for Rozreell.
Despite their need for a ship and the possible encounter with a person of interest, the Trill stopped at a stall with mountains of bolts of fabric for sale. If they were pretending to be nothing more than careless shoppers she would act like one. "Do you have anything like this in purple?" Roz pointed to some cloth that was easily accessible but a drab brown in color, knowing all too well that the color she had requested was stacked up high and would be a pain to reach.
The vendor looked at her with contempt, knowing exactly how hard it would be to reach the fabric in question.
"Sorry, I would just love to match my spots. You understand how important it is to coordinate, right?" Roz give him a ditzy little smile that continued to play into their boring and very mundane exploration of the enclave. "I don't mind waiting for a bit while you grab it."
Roz leaned back on a table and began to examine their surroundings while they waited. If anyone unusual was watching or waiting for them this would at least give them the opportunity to identify them beforehand. If Wolf wanted control over the encounter, Rozreell would give it to her. "See anything you like or anything of interest?" Purr asked Leah as they looked around, the subtext obvious.
Rounding the corner, Mrazak found the two of them and immediately scowled. "I thought you were looking for you-know-who, but it looks more like you're taking in the sights. Save it for shore leave. We have business afoot."
"Can't blame a girl for trying." Rozreell said with a shrug before glancing at the vendor who was just now reaching the apex of their ladder in order to reach the fabric in question. "Sorry but you heard the man, duty calls."
If looks could kill, Roz would have been dead thanks to the nasty glare the fabric vendor provided.
Roz stepped back into line with Leah and now Mrazak. Her idea of 'casual' appeared to be different than their's. "If you want to give me a little bit more intel on the situation, I would be happy to help out. Right now as it stands, I'm flying blind about who we're looking for. There are a lot of people around this place that seem to dislike Starfleet so any type of lead would be greatly appreciated."
The Irishman that the women were targeting watched the entire exchange with an odd sense of detached annoyance. This was getting ridiculous, and he really didn't have all day. Actually, he supposed he could just leave and let them sort it all out on their own, but he had a sneaking suspicion Starfleet had shown up for one very specific reason, one for which he would, grudgingly, say warranted it. Sighing he pushed off the wall and made over to the trio. "I see intelligence still inna one of Starfleet's recruitment requirements," he groused. "Though you ladies give me hope for the aesthetic of the fleet, even if pointy ears here looks like the poor offspring of a targ and sharpei," he added, leering at Roz but addressing Wolf, whom he'd marked as the most competent of the bunch. "I've a schedule to keep, so why don' we skip the pleasantries, and questions none of us are gonna answer and get down to what the bloody hell you want, and why I should give it to ya' considerin' even talkin' to you lot is enough to get a man on the wrong end of the law round here."
"As far you're concerned, I am the law around here," Mrazak said. "Are you the shuttle pilot who makes runs between here and Fiddler's Green?"
The pointy-eared narcissist nearly blew their whole op by being...a pointy-eared idiot. Time to stroke some egos.
Leah sighed dramatically and pulled out several latinum strips out of her side pocket. "There's more where that came from if you find yourself in posession of information as well. Though perhaps we should do that but in private. Wouldn't want your competition to know you tipped off the Feds to this particular gem." She said under breath while waving the latinum towards the irishman. "Bossman," she nodded to Mrazak, "wanted us to find you. You do us a solid, we do you a solid." She said, looking up at Conchobar. "What say you?"
Con looked at Leah. "You I can work with. The Vulcan would do well to keep his mouth shut if that's the kind of thing coming out of it, unless he wants Dedeker to have him shot on general principle," he said. "You lot are Starfleet, so I have a sneaking suspicion I know what you're here for, which is the only reason I'm even talking to you. But you're right, we can't have this conversation in public, at least not if I don't want a phaser to the chest from Dedeker or a neural truncheon to the head from the freaky copperhead." He paused for a minute and took the platinum. "Docking area 4 in 3 hours. I run a cargo route, not a passenger service, so no more'n six of ye are gonna fit unless you pack yourselves in crates."
Leah nodded. "Done." She handed the strips over to Con. "See you there."
When the asset got weaselly, you let them go. Then you hoped for the best that they delivered. Tradecraft was only so exact. The Irishman did reveal one thing, he needed them as much as they needed him, whether deliberately, or by accident. Leah wasn't sure yet. It would unravel itself soon enough.
"Done, indeed. We'll gather our supplies and be back." Mrazak raised his hand and gestured forward, grousing to nobody in particular. "If I know those layabouts, they haven't secured that beacon yet."
A copperhead was a known slur for a Lagashi native. This told Leah one thing at the very least. The irishman had interacted with her recently, potentially even knew where she was. Were they looking down the barrel of a two for one? Hopefully.
"Come along, Commander." Mrazak gave Leah an aggravated side-eye for standing in place rather than stepping lively at his cue. Did he have to do everything himself on every mission? "Time is of the essence."
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