" Unexpected Associate "
Previous Post: "The Show Must Go On"
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Stardate: 60321.1145
Setting: TANGIERS ORBITAL, 2nd Floor, Observation platform
Keeping tabs on the Bajoran known as Niema Sol and
the bounty hunter called Kreedar Brell was a much more
difficult task than the Romulan/Terran hybrid could
have expected it to be, the job made even more
complicated by the presence of the Dralian Guntiz by
the COO's side.
Pretending to be a Vulcan commodities' trader named
T'Pring had given the undercover COO the opportunity
to learn about the possibility that the Stone of Gol
had not been destroyed as the Vulcan government had
claimed almost a full century ago, and doubling at the
Tal'Shiar operative referred to as Sevaal, the
Romulan/Terran hybrid had been made aware of a rogue
agent who was on the TANGIERS ORBITAL. Juggling all
of these identities and the responsibilities of each
was starting to weigh heavily on the ANUBIS' Ops
officer who was growing increasingly concerned for
David, Susan and Lea.
Having searched the casino for the last couple of
hours for the two shipmates whom she had been charged
with keeping a watch on, the Romulan/Terran hybrid
silently cursed the Dralian for his distracting her
enough to not have been able to perform this simple
task. Trying to think as her undercover identities
dictated, the Vulcan dismissed her anger as having
been illogical and doubled her efforts to locate David
and Susan as any self-respecting Tal'Shiar Operative
would.
Looking down at the floor below from the overhang,
the Romulan/Terran could see a large section of the
first floor as well as a fair share of the second
floor which extended around her. Searching for any
sign of the Bajoran or bounty hunter and finding
nothing, the COO was forced to accept that something
had happened and that they had been drawn out of the
casino's main area leaving her with nowhere to go.
Seeing the Dralian approaching, the Romulan/Terran
hybrid hid as best she could her disappointment and
frustration, hoping that maybe Guntiz had found
something worth reporting. Appearing a little
perplexed, the Dralian leaned over the banister next
to the Vulcan and reported on what he had discovered.
"That bounty hunter you had me asking about, several
of the employees remember him and from what I was able
to gather he and some Bajoran girl were escorted by
someone to the higher levels. Now will you explain to
me *why* it is so important to find this bounty
hunter?"
Using Guntiz to help her locate the two officers she
had been given the task to keep a watch on had been
the Romulan/Terran hybrid's way of not having to deal
with the Dralian. Following his report, the woman
pretending to be Vulcan could not help but momentarily
smile thinking that as annoying as Guntiz had been he
had proven himself to be useful in at least one way.
Figuring that any extra assistance could come in
handy, and of course not wanting to tell the Dralian
as to the actual purpose of her presence on the
TANGIERS ORBITAL or the problems that the undercover
team of the USS ANUBIS had stumbled upon, the
Romulan/Terran hybrid gave Guntiz a story that she had
been working on for the last half hour or so to
explain just that. "I am sure you are familiar with
the name Kreedar Brell, are you not?"
Hearing the name of the renowned bounty hunter made
the Dralian swallow a lump the size of his eyes which
had grown to almost twice their normal diameter. "Who
hasn't? Are you trying to tell me that the bounty
hunter you had me looking for was Kreedar Brell? Why
didn't you tell me this in the first place?"
Answering the question as her persona of T'Pring
dictated, the Romulan/Terran hybrid suppressed any and
all external emotional reaction. "Would you have done
as I asked had I mentioned the man's identity?"
Raising his hands in clear desperation the Dralian
replied as the Romulan/Terran hybrid had suspected he
would, logic having strangely enough accurately
predicted the alien's reaction. "Of course not! That
beast is said to have killed people for simply looking
at him the wrong way, so I can only imagine what he
would do to anyone asking too many questions about his
or his date."
Trying not to think too much about the image created
by the Dralian, that of David and Susan being anything
more than what their roles demanded, the
Romulan/Terran hybrid continued with her explanation.
"Then logic dictated that I withheld the information
from you. The reason why I required your assistance
in this matter will become clear in a few moments."
Looking rather unhappy with the way that he had been
used, Guntiz crossed his arms over his chest and
glared at the Vulcan. "You mean other than to have my
head added to his list of bounties?"
Remaining unemotional, the Romulan/Terran hybrid
continued the charade with the Dralian. "I would not
flatter yourself so much, unless you have not been
entirely truthful about your identity and your past
deeds; I doubt that Mr. Brell would be interested in
someone like you. The reason why I wanted you to
locate him is that I believe that we can make use of
his skills in locating and retrieving the Stone of
Gol. It is logical to assume that someone with the
experience and skills of such a renowned bounty hunter
would have resources unavailable to individuals such
as you and me."
Not appearing entirely convinced by the Vulcan's
explanation, the Dralian still showed a more relaxed
attitude as he tried to make sense of what he had been
told. "I'll give you that he has friends and
connections that few others might have, but from what
I heard about that guy his price is way over our
budget. Even if you could convince him to help us in
locating the Stone of Gol, what would there be in it
for him? The Vulcan government is refusing to
acknowledge that the stone was not destroyed and I
don't think that there would be too many others
interested in paying both our and his price to get
their hands on it."
Keeping the Dralian working for her was at that
moment a priority since the casino was simply too
large with too many people. Also it could not hurt to
have someone unrelated to the ANUBIS to be part of
this little operation if only to strengthen their
cover story and possibly divert some of the heat they
might encounter away from them. So following that
train of thought, the Romulan/Terran hybrid did her
best to convince Guntiz of the logic of this course of
action. "There are a few details about the bounty
hunter that I have acquired, details that may prove
useful in convincing him to assist us in our quest."
Appearing intrigued, the Dralian nudged over to the
Vulcan so that his whispered words could be heard by
none other than T'Pring. "You intend to blackmail
Kreedar Brell? You have more guts than I gave you
credit for, which can only mean that you are either
insane or a genius. Either way count me in, I would
hate to be on the wrong side of any table you sit at."
Having secured the help of the Dralian, as little as
it might prove to be in the end, the Romulan/Terran
hybrid returned her focus onto locating David and
Susan so that they could put an end to chaos
surrounding T'Preel and Zulot.
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Lieutenant Commander Serenna 2005 post #202
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Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Chief of Operations / Second Officer
USS ANUBIS
