Chimaera's Den
Posted on Sat Mar 8th, 2025 @ 6:55pm by Captain Mrazak & Commander Sayuri Onaga & Lieutenant Commander BaoJun Qiao & Ensign Rozreell Purr & Ferrofax & Lieutenant Commander Leonora Wolf MD & Lieutenant Commander T'Bela
6,149 words; about a 31 minute read
Mission:
S1E6: Where Skies End
Location: Fiddler's Green
Timeline: MD 8
The decommissioned maintenance bay stank of damp air filters and stale lubricant, a sensory assault Sayuri found almost nostalgic. Almost. The hazard signs plastered over the bay doors had deterred any curious souls for weeks, which made it the perfect place for clandestine dealings.
She stood near the rusting carcass of a diagnostic console, the stark glow of her lavender eyes cutting through the shadows like a predator waiting for prey. Her long black coat flowed behind her as she paced, the soft crunch of debris underfoot betraying her agitation.
This wasn’t where she had planned to be. The Chimaera—her Chimaera—sat just a docking ring away, guarded and inaccessible. It was both her prize and her prison, a Prometheus-class ship turned albatross, and now Starfleet had come to meddle. Again.
The sound of a pneumatic hiss announced the arrival of her unwelcome guests. As the maintenance bay door shuddered open, the faint light from the corridor spilled in, revealing silhouettes of figures that could only be a Federation wetwork team—A Vulcan, Human, a Cardassian, a Trill, a Bajoran with a backpack that was digitally aglow with a subspace transceiver, and... another Lagashi. Sayuri turned to face them, her expression set in a mask of cold disdain.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she said, her voice dripping with sarcastic contempt. "To what do I owe the honor of Starfleet gracing my doorstep unannounced?"
Mrazak, ever the picture of Vulcan smugness, stepped forward. His hands clasped neatly behind his back, he regarded Sayuri as though she were an insect under a microscope. "Onaga Sayuri," he intoned, "we have traveled far to reclaim what you have stolen."
Sayuri laughed bitterly. "Oh, is that what you’re calling this? Reclamation?" She gestured broadly to the dilapidated maintenance bay. "This? This is what you wanted to reclaim? Or is it my ship, sitting out there like a trophy on loan?" Her violet-within-blue eyes narrowed. "You’ve come a long way to claim a defector," she said icily. "What are you really doing here?"
"You misunderstand," said Mrazak, unfazed. "We are not here for the Chimaera or for you. Both appear to be nearing their end of life. We are here for Mazikeen. You will surrender it now."
Sayuri’s jaw tightened, her enhanced physiology doing little to hide the faint twitch in her temple. "Mazikeen," she repeated softly. "You think I went through hell and back for Starfleet just to hand over what little leverage I have left? You must be dumber than the average Vulcan."
"Team," Mrazak said through clenched teeth. "Relieve her of it—by any means necessary."
Eyes flashing violet, Sayuri didn't make any sudden moves, but her weight shifted in preparation for whatever they might try.
Leah observed the interaction quietly for a moment. The fact that she mentioned herself and her ship first, and then Mazikeen didn't quite sit right. Something was off. Someone with something that valuable and powerful didn't mention it as an afterthought. And she was using it as leverage? Here where she could be found with it and relieved of it as easy as breathing? Under Max Dedeker's nose? Nah, that didn't sound right.
"Let's shake that tree a little bit." Leah stepped a little closer, arms spread out in a conciliatory gesture. "The Treaty is in danger. The goo people are up in arms and are threatening the peace if we don't recover it. We can't fight a new war this close out of the gate. Obviously, if we screw up, we're disavowed, and we're not officially here, all that hooplah, you know the story. Help us keep the peace, Onaga," she said in a calm tone, but keeping her eyes on Sayuri, watching for any kind of a tell. Anything to tell her the actual state of things.
"Kusottare." The skepticism on Sayuri's face burned hotter than her profanity. "It wasn't theirs to begin with. Max had me steal it back from them..." There was more to the story but she wasn't saying anything else on that front. "If you're going to appeal to my honor, you're about six months too late. You wouldn't believe what I've had to do to... just..." She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Backup isn't coming for you. Sensors have confirmed that by now."
Her neck twitched to one side as her onboard AI muse activated a remote trigger. A forcefield shot up around the team. "You were stupid enough to come here all together. Why the Pentad allied with the Federation, I'll never know. Probably the same reason I didn't stay with the Lagashi fleet." Realizing that she was losing her cool, Sayuri reset her disposition to cold indifference. "Can't change the past, can we? You all can stay here and ruminate on that inconvenient fact while I sneak back aboard my ship."
"So why haven't you given it back to him yet, hm? If you did it for him?" Leah raised an eyebrow. "You know the real power of that thing. You know in his hands it'd be too dangerous." Wolf pressed, "I've had to make the same choice, only my bid came from the Security Council, itself. I destroyed the weapon instead. It was too dangerous for Starfleet to have. That had its consequences...I mean, it landed me here, with a demotion and shut my team down." She calmly turned around in turn with Sayuri's movements.
That made Sayuri's violet eyes flash. The more Leah talked, the more her scowl deepened. "It's not what you think," she said. "Max Dedeker is a monster, a foul shinigami with the power of countless mononoke on his hands. The Dominion refined his yokai into something abominable. War comes either way. At least I bought the galaxy time." She cursed again under her breath. "I've got nothing more to say to you. Good luck getting out of here alive."
There it is."You don't have it..." Leah said simply, still staring at Sayuri.
"What do you mean she doesn't have it?" Mrazak asked Leah. Before she could answer, he looked back to Sayuri. "If you don't have it, then where is it?!"
Sayuri said nothing. She merely stood there, glaring in passive anger, likely navigating the computer network through her implants.
Leah canted her head slightly, looking between Sayuri and Mrazak. "You bought the galaxy time, you said. That to me suggests common sense, morals might be pushing it. Is it destroyed? Or disabled, Onaga?"
"Neither," Sayuri said cryptically. "Both. That's all you need to know." Now that she had snapped out of her cybernetic reverie, though, her disposition has changed. There was a kink in her plan besides them.
"Why? Why is he here?" She hurried to the end of her bolt hole and made sure it was locked from the inside. Satisfied that nobody was getting through from that side with anything less than a plasma torch, she leaned against it and breathed a bit easier.
It was answer enough. Whilst Leah thought it was a good idea to keep such power out of powerful grasp, that was not their mission. Then again missions changed, this was nothing unusual. Adapt on the fly.
"Why's who here? Who else is after you?" Leah pressed.
Sayuri cocked her head at the maintenance view screen. It jumped between different feeds until it showed the Alpha section of the USS Chimaera, which was essentially its bridge portion, in Docking Bay 94. Walking through the middle of the space, swearing a blue streak to anyone and everyone, was a redheaded behemoth of a man whose profanity was left to the imagination due to the lack of audio. "Shamus O'Tool." She spat his name as if it were rancid in her mouth. "Max Dedeker's favorite new hound and my former merc commander." Her glowering, probing stare begged an obvious question. What was he after and how was she going to get around him?
Bao resisted the urge to smirk. "Well, well, it appears you are rather stuck here, Onaga xiaojie" he said, intentionally using the standard Chinese as opposed to the Japanese he knew the woman spoke. "The Pentad is closed to you, seeing as mutiny and piracy lead to a short walk out the nearest airlock. One need not compromise the local networks to know you are not well-liked here. From your reaction, I would warrant the tall ugly ghost outside would happily visit violence upon you. As of now, we have no reason to stop him. Might I suggest you give us a reason to not open the door and wish this O'Tool the best of luck with whatever purpose he has with you?" he continued, with more than a slight note of disdain in his voice. "And I suggest you make it quick. We are on a rather tight timetable here."
"Like we said, we're not after you. But you know things we need. We help you. You help us." Leah added.
"I'll tell Shamus you're Starfleet and that you're helping me," Sayuri said pointedly. "Then I'll leave you to him inside that force field while I make my escape. Or..." Her lips pursed together like she'd bitter into a sour lemon. "We help each other."
Mrazak crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you propose?" he asked as if he had any bargaining power and was not stuck inside a force field.
"I need to access the Chimaera's Alpha Section warp core," Sayuri said. "And I need that fool out of the way when I do."
"To what end?" Mrazak asked. "And how does that help us?"
"I'll explain more once we're off this station," Sayuri said. "There's more to it and this is not the time or the place to explain."
"I want Mazikeen. You will give me Mazikeen." The hard look on Mrazak's face said that he would try her bluff.
Sayuri sighed impatiently. "Yes, fine. I'll give you Mazikeen in exchange for helping me access my ship."
"Deal." Mrazak smirked in haughty victory. "Now..." he said, biting his teeth into his lip with each word, "drop the forcefield."
The force field came down, allowing the team to spread out a little and give one another some elbow room.
"First thing is drawing Shamus out of sight of the ship's airlock. Who's up for that?" Sayuri looked around the group, wondering who might be best for the task.
Leah looked over at Roz. "I think spots will do better than blonde hair for this one." She said to the young Trill. "Go flaunt some spot, girl!"
“What?!” Roz gasped at Leah’s comment, “I thought the Federation had evolved past the universe’s oldest profession!” There was a long pause as they all just looked at Rozreell, who eventually huffed and grumbled in defeat. “I don’t even like gingers.”
“Do me a favor and find me a bag of big heavy tools or engine parts or something.” Roz said while she got herself ready for her next performance.
Tugging on the zipper of her mechanic’s jumpsuit, she pulled it down to a height that was far from appropriate, practical or professional. She then reached in and rearranged her breasts until her cleavage was best described as ample. Roz finished the change in her appearance by removing the barrette from her hair and letting down her long dark curls.
Rozreell rummaged through the bag of ship repair parts and tools that had been found for her and she found one part that was exceptionally greasy. She completed her look by placing a smudge of grease on her cheek and another across her chest. Roz picked up the heavy bag, it looked like it was a struggle for her to lift it but that inability to carry the items seemed to be desirable. “At least do me a favor and work quickly.”
Exiting the maintenance area, Rozreell made a face that was best described as a girlish pout. An adorable look of discontent that a day of hard work as a ship mechanic would have created. She struggled with her bag as she moved and only when Shamus came into view did her expression change. “Well, howdy there stranger!” Roz’s eyes lit up and a look of pleasant surprise brightened her face. “What’s a tall drink of water like yourself doing here?”
Sun Tzu, who was either a grand strategist of ancient Earth or a mythical figure like Robin Hood or Barack Obama, is famed for having said 'The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy so that he cannot fathom our real intent'. This is either a very thoughtful and insightful means of suggesting an enemy is best confused so as to make all of their actions less than useful. It could also just be the sort of saying that makes you money on every fortune cookie.
In either case, Shamus O'Tool was not a mental powerhouse.
"Well, you're new here ain't you. And here I thought old Dex kept the pretty ones from himself," Shamus said with a leer best described as predatory. He was a man who in a darker, more brutal age, would have ruled as a butcher king. He gestured to himself as he leaned against the bulkhead. "Your name, sweetness, is by chance one of the four sacred names of the Goddess? She who moved and shapes of wills of men and such?"
“You can call me whatever your heart desires if you help me with this bag.” Roz struggled to lift the oversized bag and all the tools and parts it contained. “My first day on the job and they give me this big load to handle.” She glanced at his large oversized forearms and smiled. “I’d owe you a favor if you helped be out.”
Meanwhile, Sayuri had led the group along the far edge of the docking bay and toward the Chimaera's Alpha Section. The ship's battered exterior loomed before them, a reminder of both its potential and its peril. She stopped at an empty emergency escape pod hatch and knelt down, her fingers dancing over the keypad.
"This will take us straight inside," Sayuri whispered. "Stay behind me and stay out of sight until we’re past the entryway."
The hatch hissed open, revealing a dimly lit corridor beyond. The team slipped inside one by one, leaving Roz to her precarious distraction. Sayuri sealed the hatch behind them and let out a breath she hadn't realized she’d been holding.
Once aboard the ship, Sayuri used her cybernetic muse to remotely access what dwindling reserve power remained. The corridors were eerily quiet, illuminated by the emergency lights that painted everything in a dim orange glow. Sayuri pulled back her hood, her glowing lavender eyes scanning every corner. She gestured for the team to follow her as she moved toward the heart of the Alpha Section: the warp core.
"This is a Prometheus-class starship," she explained in a low voice. "Three warp cores for three sections. The Gamma Section is at Max's ghost fleet on the Locker, the next moon over in orbit. The Beta Section is in my old harborage—an obvious trap, so that's my last stop. The Alpha Section is here. If we’re going to power this thing up, we need this warp core online.”
Mrazak frowned. This was sounding more and more like a suicide mission. "And once the core is active?"
Sayuri’s mouth quirked into a humorless smirk. "Once it's online, every bounty hunter, merc, and pirate on this station will know it. That includes Shamus O'Tool." She glanced back toward the docking bay. "Roz has him distracted for now, but the clock will start ticking the moment we light this up."
"But to what end?" The miniscule level of patience Mrazak had summoned for this gambit was rapidly dwindling. "What are we doing?"
"If we make it out, I'll explain everything," Sayuri said. "There's no time now and if we fail then it won't matter anyway."
"Outstanding," Mrazak deadpanned. "So what happens when you try to access the systems? I assume Max didn't leave the Chimaera’s firewalls open for your convenience."
"No," Sayuri admitted. "He didn't. I can crack them but it will take time. Any additional help from any of you with info systems expertise could shave precious time. "She pointed toward a nearby console. "I’ll need help overriding security measures and bypassing the firewalls. The rest of you should prepare an exit strategy. The maintenance area we came from is the best option, but it may be a fight, especially if you want to save your comrade."
"Fine," Mrazak said tersely. "Qiao, get on that console. Ferrofax," he looked at the Bajoran officer Bolk carrying the subspace transponder on his back as if he were just a soulless vehicle, "do what you can as well. Cassandra, T'Bela, work with me on securing our escape route. Sayuri..." He looked at her with obvious skepticism. "Remember our deal."
Sayuri’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t lecture me, Vulcan. Just be ready when the core comes online."
Leah checked her weapon, "yes, sir." She made a mental note to check in Roz as soon as possible, to make sure the young woman was alright.
The group split up with the tense efficiency of too little time and even less trust. Mrazak’s orders hung in the air like a sharp-edged blade as everyone moved into position. Sayuri strode confidently to the console nearest the warp core housing, her cybernetic eyes glowing faintly as she interfaced with her muse. Bao took a station just behind her, doing the same with a separate terminal to bypass additional layers of security. Ferrofax, perched in Bolk's backpack, hummed to life with a sardonic tone.
"Ah, the thrill of mediocrity," Ferrofax quipped as his digital presence began worming its way into the Chimaera's fragmented infrastructure.
"Focus," Sayuri snapped. "I need you digging through Max's overcompensating firewalls, not delivering a stand-up routine."
"Please don't upset the angry AI on my back," Bolk said flatly.
"At least somebody has read the situation correctly," Ferrofax said. "I am the only one present whose egress is certain."
Ignoring the insolent AI, Sayuri worked quickly, her hands gliding over the interface she had used a thousand times. "Qiao, begin stabilizing the auxiliary power flow to the core diagnostics system. Max installed redundant cutoffs to make it look like a cascade failure. If I bypass them too early, we’ll trip his dead man’s switch."
Bao resisted the urge to point out that he was a xenoscience specialist and not a computer scientist or a ship engineer. With a mental flick, Sunny had pushed through the interface and integrated into the console as well, allowing her to flash the relevant keystrokes on his entopics while she herself set about assisting in assaulting the firewalls. She offhandedly pinged Ferrofax. ~These firewalls are rather cute. How much assistance should we give the organics?~
~My organic can hear you~ Sayuri's muse, Koi, was intrigued by Sunny's cavalier disposition. ~She pities your host~
~He would probably find that amusing,~ Sunny gave the virtual equivalent of an amused shrug. ~Although, at least my host only has criminals wanting him dead instead of criminals, two governments, and a third looking to imprison him for life, so there is that. Not that it would matter anyway.~
Mrazak motioned for Leah and T’Bela to follow him through the dim corridors. The Vulcan moved with clipped steps as they made their way back toward the maintenance bay.
"Cassandra, keep an eye on the rear and check on our distraction," Mrazak ordered without looking back. "T’Bela, you’re with me."
Leah pulled out a tricorder and released the safety on her weapon. Wolf dropped to a crouch, leaning her weapon arm against her angled tricorder arm, so that she could check readings and had a weapon ready to go as they moved. Periodically she turned and walked backwards, before scanning ahead as well.
Mrazak cut his hand through the air, signaling for silence as they reached the maintenance bay exit. He pressed himself against the wall, motioning for T'Bela to do the same on the opposite side. The Vulcan Without Logic peeked around the corner, his sharp eyes sweeping the area for threats.
"Clear for now," Mrazak said. "T'Bela, secure the route. Cassandra, you're on overwatch with me." In other words, Mrazak was keeping himself center point between the most dangerous spots and Leah was his bodyguard.
"Yes, sir..." The situation wasn't lost on T'Bela who moved forward to do as instructed. "I'm a doctor, not... whatever this is."
"A person trying to save the galaxy, T'Bela." Leah added quietly as she too found a wall, though her weapon was still drawn as was her tricorder. "Get your tricorder out and watch your corners."
T'Bela rolled her eyes at the other commander. Saving the galaxy was well and good, but right now they were just staying alive while Mrazak led them into danger.
Back at the warp core, Sayuri wiped sweat from her brow. "Auxiliary power is stable. I'm routing the core startup sequence through manual controls to bypass the automated systems."
As the firewalls fully fell, Bao got a good look at the full plan. "I want it on the record, that this is entirely insane and in any civilized system would ensure none of us ever see the light of day again," he muttered.
"That explains why you are here, then. And not in a civilized system." Ferrofax quipped with open sarcasm. "While you two were jabbering, I did the hard work. You are welcome, by the way. The firewall is down."
"About time," Sayuri muttered. She glanced at Ferrofax's glowing indicator light in Bolk's pack. "Now let’s hope your friends can keep their end of the deal."
Outside the ship, Roz continued her forced flirtation with Shamus, her fake laugh echoing uncomfortably loud in the docking bay. Tension mounted as the faint hum of the warp core began to reverberate through the Chimaera’s walls.
Inside, Sayuri turned to Bao. "Once the core goes live, we will be on borrowed time. We move fast or not at all. Get ready."
The warp core thrummed to life, its blue glow illuminating the corridor. Sayuri looked at the others. "Shōtaimu da."
The situation exploded into chaos almost immediately. Rozreell's forced charm faltered the moment Shamus barked into his communicator, his guttural voice reverberating through the bay.
"Docking Bay 94, get yer arses down here, now! Got some rats to kill while I have meself some fun." He turned his back back to Roz. "Ah now, ain’t you a sight," he said, his grin spreading, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "But I tell ya what, little lamb, I seen plenty sweet t'ings in me day, an' not a one's ever come round lookin' fer me unless they was after somethin'. Takin' you in and we'll see what comes out betwixt yer squealin'."
“Oh well, damn it all.” Roz grumbled as she pulled a wrench out of the mechanic’s bag that was almost comically large in size. Suddenly showing far more strength and grit then she had moments ago, Rozreell lifted the wrench up high and slammed into the back of Shamus’ head as hard as she could manage. "I do not envy the headache you will have when you wake, but in the meantime rest well and dream of large women."
Shamus staggered forward with a grunt, touching the back of his head. His fingers came away wet with blood. He looked at them. Then he looked at Roz. And then he laughed.
It was a low, guttural chuckle at first, bubbling into a full, teeth-baring guffaw. "Oh, you filthy little bitch." He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck to one side like he was shaking off a bad cramp. "That was cute. Real cute. But you know what I love more than a good pair of spotted tits?" His dark eyes gleamed with pure, savage joy as he pulled a wicked knife from his belt. "Watching the life drain out of 'em."
The reinforcements finally arrived. Looking away from Roz, Shamus jabbed a meaty finger at her while yelling at his men, his grin never faltering. "Kill them all and float their carcasses out the airlock. The pretty mouthed one is mine."
T'Bela barely had time to register the thunderous noise from down the corridor before her world ended in a flash of energy. The Jem'Hadar soldier's polaron rifle discharged at range, vaporizing T'Bela's head in an instant. Her lifeless body crumpled to the deck, smoke wafting from the cauterized stump.
Mrazak's sharp intake of breath was drowned out by the Jem'Hadar's war cries. "Fall back!" he barked, retreating without waiting to see if Leah followed. His survival instincts overrode any semblance of teamwork. "Retreat to the Chimaera now!"
Seeing T'Bela's lifesign disappear from her tricorder reading told Leah all she needed to know. As the screaming Vulcan bolted past her, she fired off a few covering shots then opened comms to Rozreel, "Wolf to Purr, keep your head down and meet us at the ship. Shoot to kill." The Norwegian sent off as she began retreating as well.
Sayuri and the others emerged from the Chimaera's glowing corridors, weapons drawn and eyes scanning for threats. The warp core’s resonant hum pulsed in tandem with the tension. Sayuri’s satisfaction at seeing the core online quickly soured when she spotted Mrazak sprinting toward them, Leah firing over her shoulder.
"Why are you back here and not securing our retreat?" Sayuri demanded, her glowing eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"The maintenance corridor is overrun!" Mrazak shot back, his tone devoid of apology. "Jem'Hadar."
Sayuri groaned, a string of curses in Japanese tumbling from her lips. "Son of a..." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. "Plan B."
"Plan B?" Mrazak shouted, his phaser igniting as she covered their position. "What the lek is Plan B?"
Sayuri ignored the question, turning to the others with a glare. "Cover me while I save your asses," she said sharply, already interfacing with her muse. The glow in her eyes intensified as her neural link reconnected to the Chimaera's systems.
"Purr, step on it!" Leah opened comms again, ignoring Mrazak's questions. In a situation like this, you had to trust people you normally wouldn't. They needed Onaga, and Onaga needed them.
The other Lagashi stepped towards a covering position and flicked his collapsible spear into his hand. Sadly, unlike Klingons, most Jem'Hadar would not feel compelled to forego their rifles in favour of hand to hand, but it was better than nothing.
"You might want to check your EV suit seals," Sayuri muttered through gritted teeth.
"What are you doing?" Mrazak asked, barely keeping the irritation from his voice as he took a position to cover her.
"Creating some breathing room." Sayuri smirked, though it didn't reach her lavender eyes. "Or the opposite, as it were."
"We're gonna vent them, or us. Do as she says!" Leah cut in as she ducked behind a wall and did a quick check. "Boss, we need to live, I suggest we listen to the local."
"Everybody get vacuum ready!" Mrazak ordered as he pulled the pressurized hood up over his stolen maintenance suit. It was easier said than done while under a hail of disruptor fire.
Bao ducked down momentarily, being by far the largest target definitely had disadvantages, as he slid all of his suit into place, rather more easily than Mrazak considering 'get vacuum ready' was something every Lagashi born after the Dominion War learned how to do as soon as they had the motor control. "Find something heavy, hang on, and if your seals are imperfect, close your eyes, exhale fully, curl inward, and try not to panic."
Exterior explosions were forceful. Interior ones were devastating. If not for the protection of their EV suits, the shockwave alone might have killed them. Even through the suits' protection, they were still shellshocked. If that weren't disorienting enough, the instantaneous depressurization sucked them into space, leaving the Chimaera and the docking bay behind.
As the debris cloud swirled in the vacuum, the field team drifted helplessly, silhouetted against the shattered remains of the docking bay. Their suits' thruster packs had limited range—nowhere near enough to maneuver back toward the station or anywhere for that matter. The emergency forcefields had cut them off from their attackers, but they were still dead in the void.
Mrazak scowled within his helmet. "Brilliant plan, Onaga," he bit out over the comm. "Now what?"
Before Sayuri could snap back, a sleek shuttle coasted through the debris field, its navigation thrusters flaring in short, precise bursts. The silhouette was unmistakable, especially to Sayuri.
The comms crackled to life, accompanied by a deep, distinctly unimpressed voice. =/\="I swear to the ancestors, you have got to stop doing this."=/\=
Sayuri's lips twitched into something between relief and exasperation. "You were supposed to be standing by."
=/\="I was standing by. And if I hadn’t been, you’d be nothing but a fine red mist."=/\= The sarcasm was heavy in the Caitian's voice. "You're lucky I have a bad habit of cleaning up your messes."
The shuttle's tractor beam engaged, pulling the floating bodies out of the void and into the rear airlock one by one. As soon as the pressure equalized, the hatch hissed open, and Sr'asi stood there, arms crossed, tail flicking in irritation.
Sayuri pulled off her helmet, shaking out her dark hair as she exhaled. "Timely as always, Sr'asi."
The Caitian's ears flattened slightly, his emerald eyes narrowing. "Lucky you. Next time, try not to make getting spaced part of your strategy, yeah?" His gaze flicked over the motley group now crowding his shuttle. "Great. You picked up strays."
"Not strays," Sayuri corrected, brushing past him into the cockpit. "Assets."
Sr'asi snorted as he turned to follow. "Right. That's what you said about the last bunch, and look where that got us." He dropped into the pilot’s seat and flexed his claws over the console.
"Play nice," Sayuri ordered, ignoring the sleight. "They're going to help us bring down Max."
Leah slowly picked herself off of the floor. Another thing these haphazard suits didn't have was Federation range of mobility. "Now...ungh..." Wolf grunted as she finally managed to right herself, "my memory maaaay be fuzzy from the knockabout, but that wasn't the deal. Was that the deal boss?" She looked over at Mrazak, knowing full well it wasn't but trying to provoke Mrazak into an outburst. They needed a stance, not forgetful meekness.
Mrazak yanked his helmet off and threw it against the bulkhead. The clang reverberated throughout the cramped shuttle, punctuating the barely contained rage on his face. "I knew it!" He jabbed a gloved finger at Sayuri. "You renegotiating mid-mission was inevitable. I should've had you blasted out of the airlock the moment you dropped that forcefield on us!"
Sayuri, to her credit, looked entirely unimpressed. She leaned back against the bulkhead, arms folded, eyes cool and measured. "You want Mazikeen? You need me." She gestured sharply at the shuttle's viewport. "So you're going to help me take Max Dedeker down. Otherwise, you’ll be leaving Fiddler's Green empty-handed... if you leave at all."
Mrazak clenched his jaw so tight it looked like his teeth might shatter. "That was not the deal!"
"No, it wasn't," Sayuri admitted with an infuriating smirk. "The deal was that you'd help me access my ship, and I'd give you Mazikeen. But the ship's system is divided into three sections—Gamma was at the Locker, and I’ve already cracked it. Alpha was on the station, and thanks to your noise-making, we had to scrap the quiet approach." She stepped closer, her voice dropping just enough to let the irritation slip through. "That leaves Beta, the last piece, down on Fiddler’s Green. And that’s where things get complicated."
"Complicated?" Mrazak scoffed, spreading his hands. "Of course it's complicated! Because you're a liar!" He whirled on the rest of his team. "I told you she was a liar!"
Sayuri inclined her head slightly in appreciation at the insult. Vulcans always thought they were the smartest ones in any given room. "As I was saying," she continued, "the last section is in my old harborage. Max still has control of it, and I can't just spoof the security like I did at the Locker. The place is crawling with thugs, bounty hunters, and every lowlife on the Green who wants the price on my head. I'm not getting in there with my Disciple act, and I’m not getting in there alone."
Mrazak exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You do realize I don’t care about your personal vendetta, right?"
Sayuri tilted her head, her expression turning sharp. "You do care about Mazikeen, though, and this is the only way you get it."
The silence that followed was thick with unspoken threats. Sayuri let it linger just long enough before delivering the killing blow.
"I don’t have it," she admitted, her voice calm and matter-of-fact. "Max does. And if you want it, you’re going to have to go through him. With me."
Mrazak's eye twitched. "You conniving, duplicitous—!" He stopped himself, inhaled deeply, and exhaled through gritted teeth. He turned to the team. "Fine. Fine! But if she double-crosses us again, I will have Commander Qiao kill you and feed you to Ferrofax."
Sayuri smiled. "Now that is a deal."
"As delightfully scintillating as all of this was," Sr'asi cut in with a faint hiss of his Caitian tongue, "I don't see how a bunch of Starfleet morons who got themselves spaced are going to help us get back to the harborage."
"Because they have something we don't," Sayuri said with a knowing smirk. "A true, unbound General Artificial Intelligence."
Leah looked over at Bao and Mrazak. While she could see Onaga's angle, the potential danger of Ferrofax getting trapped in the Fiddler's Green Systems was almost too great. With Onaga seemingly prone to changing the deal on a whim, there was no telling of ways she could change the deal again.
"What the Starfleet morons are failing to convey to you, little human who thinks they could," came the disembodied voice, "is that, and it pains me to admit this, we need them to accomplish this little exercise of yours. Send the sheep to distract the meatbags, and I shall show you how it's done." Ferrofax spoke casually, almost as if relishing his tone.
Bolk shifted uncomfortably where he stood, glancing between the Starfleet officers and Sayuri as if only just now realizing how deep he had been dragged into this mess. It wasn't that he had much say in the matter—being the unlucky bastard carrying Ferrofax around had made him a part of it whether he liked it or not—but now, hearing the AI speak so casually about using them, he was seriously reconsidering every life choice that had led him here.
He muttered something under his breath in Bajoran, likely a prayer to the Prophets for guidance—or a curse against the Pah-Wraiths for putting him in this situation in the first place.
Meanwhile, Sr'asi let out a low, exasperated sigh, flicking his tail in irritation. "Tch—while you lot play your little word games, I'm just trying to figure out where the hell I'm supposed to park this thing."
Sayuri smirked, leaning against the bulkhead with a casual ease that only someone very used to chaos could manage. "Don't worry your pretty little whiskers, Sr'asi," she purred. "I'll scrub the shuttle's transponder and swap it for a Cockayne registry. We'll slide in nice and smooth with the next convoy."
The Caitian's ears flattened, and he jabbed a clawed finger in her direction. "Oh no, no. I am not flying around pretending to be one of those idiot pilots. Do I look like I'm about to crash a shuttle on purpose?"
Sayuri rolled her eyes. "It's the safest way down, and you know it. Max's security grid monitors everything coming groundside. If we slip in with a registered convoy, we won't raise any alarms. Besides, Cockayne shuttles are—"
"What in Fusion's name is a Cockayne vessel?" Mrazak interjected, arms crossed, his impatience stretching dangerously thin.
Sayuri’s grin widened. "Oh, you're gonna love it."
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