A Stranger's Face - Part II

Posted on Tue Feb 14th, 2023 @ 7:38am by Captain Robert Burke & Lera Mel'nyk

1,338 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: EPISODE 1: SHAKEDOWN
Location: Laredo XII - Federation Colony
Timeline: Two months before launch

::ON::

Some sort of small cargo shuttle. Configuration unknown. At least, she had never seen the type before. Not that it means much, she grunted to herself as she crouched on one knee and scanned the area with tricorder and rifle. Khitomer’s already changed a lot.
There. Movement.

An Andorian crouched beside a fire. Can’t be for warmth. Must be for food. Mel’nyk allowed a smile to cross her face. He’ll be vulnerable. The rules, however, required she announce herself. She crabbed closer, then got to her full, rangy height.

‘Shrohl Ch'ozhohreth, you are under arrest by the authority of the Federation Security Agency!’ Mel’nyk advanced, phaser rifle ready. She flipped over a collar of her ex-Starfleet field jacket, the insignia of the FSA standing proudly against the fading maroon. ‘Come quietly and it will be reflected in your sentence!’

Shrohl looked up, eyes widening in surprise. He scrambled to his feet, fumbling for a phaser pistol in its holster. He grabbed it, pointed it in Mel’nyk’s direction, but made to run for the shuttle.
She smiled, then bellowed, ‘freeze!’ and popped off a shot to his side. The snow evaporated into steam with a hiss as the Andorian looked down incredulously. He snapped a glance in the Security Agents’ direction, then raised his phaser and fired from the hip.

Mel’nyk dove behind a boulder and grunted as she hit her shoulder against it. Breath rapid, she snapped up her phaser rifle to her other shoulder and rotated the barrels to the least lethal setting. FSA required the criminal alive, per their standing orders. Stun would do. She breathed deep, peaked over the boulder in Shrohl’s direction.

An answering volley of fire peppered her cover. She noted no splinters of rock. Energy weapon, she observed grimly. No telling how much fire was left in his pistol, then. Mel’nyk set her jaw, popped up with a swivel and laid down a supressing hail of fire. Keeping up the volley, she manoeuvred herself out across the open ground, and closed the gap.
Shrohl panicked, dropping his weapon and turning tail.

Lungs burning, Mel’nyk pressed home her advancing, bounding across the space between them as Shrohl scrambled on the loose, stony ground. Throwing herself on him, she landed a cracking blow across the Andorian’s head, sending his antennae spasming, and causing him to slump to the ground unconscious.

She frowned as she turned him over. ‘Guess I’ll read you your rights later,’ she grunted, out of breath. Pulling the snood down, she gasped a deep breath of frigid air. ‘Not getting any younger are you?’ she asked rhetorically.

Setting him down in the bike’s sidecar, she made sure to pop a visored helmet over his bearded face. His hands were cuffed in front of him so he could slump in the well with little danger to himself. Gunning the engine, Mel’nyk swept the bike round in the direction of home and jammed the accelerator down as hard as possible.

Slowing as she approached the main municipal building, Mel’nyk brought them to a slow stop. The Town Council building also doubled as the town bar as well. They were doing a roaring trade as Mel’nyk dismounted and threw a salute in the direction of two of the patrons smoking at the door.
She turned to Shrohl, taking her helmet off as she bent down.

The crack of his helmeted head against her nose forced a realisation of her mistake. She dropped to the floor, legs flying out from under her as her nose exploded in a rush of blood. Groggily she rolled around on the floor, cupping her face for a moment.

Shrohl wriggled out of the sidecar, and managed to get his legs underneath him to start running towards the treeline, helmet and all.

Cursing, Mel’nyk got to her feet and set off at a jog, following the fast retreating figure. As her head cleared, she sped up, belatedly realising she wouldn’t catch up with him. He was still within phaser distance, however.

Unholstering her sidearm, she knelt on the floor, ignoring the slowly creeping freezing sensation and drew her weapon up to eye level. Steadying it with her off-arm she took careful aim and snapped off a shot.

And missed.

Cursing under her breath, she drew out her cross necklace and gave it a quick soft kiss before re-sighting, shooting and clipping the Andorian on the shoulder. A decent shot.
Getting to her feet, this would be the least fun part of the day.

Having hauled the unconscious Andorian to the town’s holding cell, and transmitted a report to the FSA Regional Office, Mel’nyk had settled herself into a stool by the bar and was nursing a local beer. Reflecting on another job well done and a broken nose, she felt a warm glow of satisfaction.
Not all bad out here on the frontier, she lied to herself.

‘You know, when you said you were heading as far away as possible, I didn’t think you meant it literally,’ a voice drawled behind her. Turning she saw the shorter figure of Burke standing there. A decade older, calmer and wiser, but Burke nonetheless.

‘It’s good to see you, Captain,’ Burke said softly, a smile quirking his lips. He took a seat next to the older woman as she shook her head.

‘Haven’t been a Captain in a long time, Commander,’ she reminded him with pointed emphasis of the rank he had held the last time they had seen one another. ‘It’s been ten years at least since I resigned. And five since you had to start wearing those glasses.’

Burke placed a hand on hers, a familiar gesture he would have refrained from with anyone else. ‘You’ll always be the Captain to me.’ Smiling warmly, he nodded in the barman’s direction, ‘another two please.’ Sighing he turned to her, ‘I hear you had another good day out here. Another felon apprehended, rendered to justice.’

He smiled, ‘it doesn’t seem like you left Starfleet far behind.’ Pointing at her SFA ID he pressed, ‘it seems like you just swapped military for civilian badges, if I’m honest.’ Mel’nyk scowled and said nothing.

‘I meant it when I said I’d left.’ Taking a deep swallow from her glass she looked at him accusingly. ‘You don’t make social calls, so you mind telling me why you’re here?’

Burke thought a moment, then went for the simplest option. ‘They’ve given me a new command. Excelsior class. Called the Hecate.’ He hesitated, ‘it’s out of my wheelhouse if I’m honest. Exploration. Diplomatic missions. I’ve been given leave to pick my crew as I see fit.

‘We’re heading into Klingon space,’ he said flatly. ‘That was always your expertise. You know them and Imperial Intelligence better than any person I know.’ He produced something from his pocket, fidgeted with it as he continued. ‘Starfleet won’t give you your old rank and department back. But they will allow me a Mission Adviser.’

He set his fidget spinner down on the bar in front of her.

‘We ship out in two months. It gives you a week to think about it, and head out on the next civilian transport.’ Burke shrugged as he got to his feet. ‘It’s your choice. If you’re happy here, stay. If not … Hecate will wait.’

He shrugged, said his goodbyes, and left.

She drew Burke’s fidget spinner to her and considered the way it lay in her hand. The old intelligence officer sighed as she considered the decade-old Starfleet delta in her hand.

If I’m happy here … .

::OFF::

Captain Robert Burke
Commanding Officer
USS Hecate

Lera Mel’nyk
Federation Security Agent
Laredo XII District

 

RSS Feed