Makin' Bacon?

Posted on 01 Feb 2016 @ 3:51am by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast

1,393 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Rude Awakening
Location: Brig

Camila sat at her desk and muttered as she just finished the last report to send to the Executive Officer on the prisoners that were currently in the brig. If we get one more person in there, I'm going to have to evacuate some enlisted quarters and turn them into cells she thought. She glanced over the reports and decided to see if she could get some information from the Tellarite prisoner that had shot at her on the T'Pring.

She sent the reports and secured her terminal before she headed to the brig and stood in front of the forcefield. "Zhigav brin Garanch" She said formally. "You are hereby charged with smuggling weapons and assault with intent to kill a Starfleet officer of the United Federation of Plans. It's time for your interrogation. Get up."

Camila nodded to one of the Security officers on duty at the brig. "Ready your phasers in case he gives us a hard time," she ordered the man before she looked at the Tellarite.

The Tellarite looked at the prisoner through his tiny eyes, and sniffed at the air. "I am called Gav," he snapped back, and remained seated.

"Set your phaser to heavy stun", she ordered the Ensign and looked back at the Tellarite. "I don't care if you want to be called breakfast. You have no rights at this point in time...and I ordered you to get up."

"The last time I checked," replied Gav, "Tellar was still a Federation member. As such, I have certain rights." He remained seated.

"You fired upon me while attempting to destroy evidence of weapon smuggling. Therefore, you have no rights," Camila said. "I'm tired of this game. Lower the forcefield and prepare to fire at the first sign of hostility," she told the Ensign.

The Ensign nervously lowered the forcefield and brought his Type II phaser to aim at the Tellarite. "Yes, Sir," he said.

Gav looked at the Lieutenant, then at the Ensign. "You are bluffing," he said. "Shooting me would not get you any answers."

Camila moved into the cell and grabbed the Tellarite by the collar and heaved with all of her strength, then turned to the left and braced herself as she attempted to flip him onto his back. "I said get up!" she bellowed.

The move gaught Gav by surprise. The Tellarite started, and involuntarily go to his feet. His small eyes narrowed even further, and he snorted at the Starfleet officer.

"Much better," Camila grunted. He was heavier than he looked, but she was satisfied that he was on his feet if not on his back. "Now you and I are going to have a talk, Gav and without all the stubbornness that your species is famous for. The way I see it, you're screwed no matter what you attempt, but if you cooperate, you get lubricant."

"There is nothing that you can do to me that would compare to what they will do if I help you," grunted Gav.

"A betting man, huh?" Camila asked him. "You do realize that it's your life that you're betting. You're a Federation citizen, so you know the possibilities, and almost none of them are death. Go the other way, and the odds are that you, your family if you have any, next of kin, people you owe, and your favorite pet all get to experience pain beyond imagining. Talk to me, give a full accounting, and the likelihood of survival goes up for everyone and thing I just mentioned."

"I talk to you, and my family has days, maybe weeks, to live," he countered.

"We can relocate them," she pointed out. "The more time you spend stalling for the sake of it, the closer they are to death. Are you willing to let them die for the sake of argument and stupidity?"

Gav laughed. "They have people everywhere," he replied. "Everywhere. Wherever you relocate them, they will find them." His voice lowered to a whisper. "You really have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Tell me who I'm dealing with," Camila practically snarled. "You think the Consortium is everywhere? Right now, brigs are filling up with them and their agents. You want to be responsible for the death of your family? Fine. Let's go open a subspace channel and you can tell them to prepare for death and explain why it's your fault."

Gav nodded. "All right, I'll talk to you," he said, keeping his voice low so only she could hear. "And then what? You write a report and give it to your commanding officer. For all I know, he's one of them. If not, he sends it to whom? Deep Space Eleven? The Queen Bee herself? Then she sends it off to Starfleet Command? The hornet's nest? And who's listening there, the Orion Syndicate?"

"I have a special network," Camila said. "I should be able to get a message through to the people that matter to get your family out and secured." She looked at the Ensign. "Get me a secure PADD," she ordered him and the young man went off to get it while she drew her own phaser. "Would you be willing to give an anonymous statement of everything you've told me so far, Gav?"

Gav sat heavily on his bunk, and breathed loudly. He was cornered, he understood that. His family was at risk, that was also a certainty. Now that he had been caught, there was little doubt in his mind that they would go after his wives, his children, and grandchildren. His only chance, now, was to trust this crazy woman and hope that the Consortium hadn't infiltrated her network. Yet.

"No PADD," he said.

"nojtaHghach targhmey!" she exclaimed. "I need something verifiable to take to Command. I can't go in there with a story about a Queen bee, a hornets nest and the Syndicate. I'll end up here in the brig with you or on anti-hallucinogenic drugs."

Gav grunted. "No recordings of my voice. No holoimages of me. You can write what I tell you, but I will not sign it, or place a hoofprint, or retinal scan or supply a DNA sample."

Camila found herself wanting to kick a puppy down an out of order turboshaft and idly wondered if they were any on board. She suddenly grinned as he reminded her that his vitals and everything were already in the system and could easily be attached to a file. "I'd have to write it on a PADD," she said. "You can verify that it isn't recording."

Gav looked at the PADD, then he looked at her, and nodded.

"Begin," she said as she opened a new file and looked at him. "Who is the Queen bee on Deep Space 11?"

"Commodore Terlexa," said Gav.

Camila wanted to gasp, but she dutifully wrote the question and answer in the PADD. "Who is the hornet in the nest at Starfleet Command?"

Gav looked at her. "I don't know," he said, after a long reflexion. "All I know is that they have someone there, but I don't know anything beyond that."

Camila nodded. The news wasn't good and she knew that she had to get the information to the Captain, but if she went directly to the Captain a second time instead of Commander del Rosario who was now the acting Executive Officer, there would be hell to pay. She was new on the ship and had already bypassed the chain of command once; twice would see her here in the brig or confined to quarters. "Where were the weapons being shipped and why?" she asked finally.

"You know the answer to that. They were going to Gavara. The outpost is being used as a staging area, to attack the Consortium's enemies on Unity."

"Who is in charge of the staging area and when is the attack?" She asked.

Before the Tellarite could continue, the computer sent a message to the Assistant Chief of Security's combadge. =^=Priority override. Phaser fire detected on the bridge. Security alert!=^=

"You'll have to wait," Camila told Gav before she bolted from the cell. "Raise forcefield," she told the Ensign who complied. Not stopping, she headed for the nearest turbolift as fast as she could.

End

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