absconditus est

Posted on Wed Jul 15th, 2020 @ 6:09pm by Lieutenant Shr'Nesh Karadis

669 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: The Sincerest Form of Flattery
Location: Yellow Sector, Outer ring.
Timeline: Current

To say it was a clandestine meeting was putting it mildly. Karadis had been party to many such meetings during her time serving in Starfleet Intelligence with her boss, Starbase Versailles new Chief of Security, Lieutenant Commander Kerr, however, this was an altogether new thing.

Precautions were one thing, so was subterfuge, this was bordering on complete paranoia. The guards had been changed three times on the trip, the route they'd taken to get to the Starbase had been changed twice and she herself had had her quarters and her possessions checked three times plus a strip search, performed by a female escort to the Principal.

Now at the 'base, they managed to use falsified Starfleet documentation to say they were a cargo carrier with supplies for the rebuild and dock in one of the outer rings in Yellow sector. The Principal had then been taken through an airlock and his guard detail had ushered him silently to a rendezvous point where they now were.

The Principal turned to Karadis and gruffly said "When do we get the passes?"

"Once my contact gets here, I told you that before we left, plus during the journey....twice!" Karadis replied "and they'll want payment 'before' they hand them over...of which a verification will take place to see they get what was agreed."

"They don't trust me?" the Principal asked.

"Would you trust someone you've never met to pay you for doing something illegal?" Karadis replied.

"No..." the Principal answered.

"Well then, there you go" Karadis said sarcastically.

"You've got a big mouth Karadis, it could land you in trouble one of these days" the Principal said seriously, looking sideways at Karadis.

"Then whoever tries to bring that trouble better be bigger, faster and tougher than me" Karadis answered.

The Principal just smirked and gave a snort of derision.

Someone moved towards them out of the gloom of the corridor they were in, and Karadis and the guards all raised their weapons at once.

"Who's there?" Karadis asked sternly.

"It...it's...me, Grammon Ter...don't fire" the person coming towards them replied. A woman approached the group, and the guards immediately surrounded the Principal.

Karadis waved the woman off to one side and said to her "They're a bit jumpy Grammon, no sudden movements now, just take it nice and slow."

Grammon did as she was bid to and when she stopped she said "You have the payment?"

From behind the wall of guards, the Principal replied "You have the Security passes?"

"You get the passes once the payments made and verified" Grammon said.

The Principal took a small PADD he was carrying, handed it through the guards to Karadis and said "Alpha Six Three Four, Beta Two Two Nine Eight Six unlock will send the payment...do it now Karadis then show the screen to your...friend!"

Entering the code, Karadis showed the screen to Grammon after a couple of seconds. Grammon took the PADD, read scrolled through the page and nodded her head, saying "Ok, I'll get the Security passes."

Moving back into the gloom, Grammon came back after a couple of moments with the passes and handed them to Karadis saying "These will get you past the outer ring Security doors and into the main ring."

"Thank you Grammon" Karadis said "You'd better go, now."

Grammon handed back the small PADD to Karadis, smiled, nodded her head, turned and started walking away.

The Principal came out from behind the guards and called out "Hey...Grammon, was it?"

Grammon turned back and looked at the Principal and said "Yes, that's right."

The Principal raised his arm, a phaser in his hand. He fired it at almost point blank range, killing Grammon instantly, "I thought so" the Principal replied, walking forward and stepping over the body "Right, let's go, we have work to do..."

Karadis just stared open mouthed at what had just happened, she couldn't believe it...

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Lt Shr'Nesh Karadis
Assistant Chief of Security
Starbase Versailles

 

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