"Snooping Around"
[Previous post: "When You Expect Them to Zig, They Zag"]
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Setting: IRRAJ, Royal Palace, Courtyard
After having listened to the CMO and Cns going on and on about how incredible their quarters had been, the Hirogen hunter had decided to get some fresh air. All of this luxury had given Uxtar a headache and the attitude of the palace guards towards the entire away team had not help matters any. The way the guards looked down on the away team had made everyone feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. That would likely change the moment the King would openly welcome them but until then Uxtar and the others had to make due with being made to feel even more as outsiders as they already were.
It had not taken long for the Hirogen Sec/Tac officer to make his way to the palace's courtyard which like the rooms they had been assigned displayed a lavish amount of art. The towering walls which surrounded the courtyard and palace had clearly been designed to keep the general population from seeing any of what was happening around the palace which actually made Uxtar feel more uncomfortable.
The few guards that Uxtar had encountered along his trek had ignored the Hirogen as if he had been the carrier of some highly contagious illness. The servants had not been any better although for reasons completely different. The look in the eyes of those who had actually looked up at the ANUBIS' Sec/Tac officer had reflected fear and terror the likes of which Uxtar could not have comprehended. It had been as if each and every servant had feared for their very lives because they had *dared* to look up at him. No matter who Uxtar dealt with on this planet he would be damned either way, being too common for some and too important for the others.
As bad as this situation had been it had at least one advantage which
the Hirogen hunter had quickly discovered and cherished. Since the
palace guards had deemed him to be less than worthy of their time and
that the servants had seem him to be well beyond the reach of their
position, the Sec/Tac officer had been able to venture through the
courtyard virtually alone and away from scrutiny. This had permitted
Uxtar to casually make his way to an area which had visibly been
off-limits to the servants for a yet-to-be determined reason.
At first the Hirogen had figured that this area had been some special
garden reserved for the King and his daughter but the absence of any
exotic plants and works of art had made Uxtar reconsider. It was only
when he saw several palace guards training that the Sec/Tac understood
the reason for the servants' unwillingness to approach. It would not
have surprised the hunter to see one or more of those zealous guards
use a servant as a live target for their training, a thought which repulsed
the Hirogen who had learned to embrace the ideals of the Federation.
From behind one of the bushes which lined the entrance to the training
area, Uxtar observed the palace guards as their practiced various
combat routines which the Hunter had been quick to evaluate and dismiss.
Although they would surely believe themselves to be well trained, the Sec/Tac officer had estimated that a single member of his security force could take at least half a dozen of the IRRAJ guards without breaking a sweat.
For a brief moment the Hirogen let the thought of the ANUBIS' Marines
led by First Lt. Pravat face off against the IRRAJ guards, imagining a
handful of the highly trained Marines easily overwhelming the entire
palace's forces. Once Uxtar had pushed that vision out of his mind,
the Sec/Tac officer began to withdraw so as to leave the training guards
undisturbed and unaware of their spectator. That idea came to an
abrupt stop when the Hirogen heard a voice that had clearly not belonged to
someone of this world.
Uxtar quickly resumed his position behind the bush and scrutinized the
field of guards in an effort to identify the source of the voice he had
heard. Maybe his ears had played a trick on him or maybe it had just
been one of the guards who had a much different voice from the others.
The more the Hirogen watch the field of trainees the more he reasoned to himself that what he had heard had not been what he had imagined it to be.
That was until he saw them move from behind a small structure which had
kept them hidden from the Sec/Tac's sight. His ears had not played
tricks on him and now his eyes had confirmed what he had heard. The
palace guards had been receiving their instructions from a single IRRAJ
man who in turn had been getting his instructions from none other than
a Jem'Hadar soldier.
Now only one thought remained in the mind of the Hirogen hunter, to
withdraw without anyone knowing about his having been there and to
report his findings to Cpt. Rikar and the others with all due haste.
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[Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.] 2006 post #192
Stardate: 61014.1600
Mark Hutchings {h172mark16@fastmail.us}
Ensign Uxtar
Chief Security Officer
USS ANUBIS
