Too Many Coincidences

[DrDMatthews 0]

There was a lot going on aboard the small, unnamed runabout. For one thing, they were finally off the ground. For another, they still couldn't make contact with the Reaent....a fact that was becoming of increasing concern. And then there was the addition of a new member to their crew. The Ferengi bartender called Darion had been persuaded to turn informant in exchange for a ride out of town.

 

Down below, Jontilles Shamor, concealed by his personal cloak, had managed to infiltrate the highly secured base he'd located the day before. Much to everyone's surprise, initial scans indicated the base was now pretty much abandoned. They were probably on one of the ships Kat spotted leaving a few minutes earlier. Shamor was still looking for any flight logs that might offer a clue as to where everyone disappeared to. The odds of him finding anything were slim and none.

 

Deb Matthews had taken a seat in the aft section of the runabout. She was trying to focus on all that was going on but found it difficult to concentrate. Two things were foremost on her mind. First was Lt. Ian Montgomery, whose jacket was draped across her lap. And secondly....what happened to the little dance troupe from whom they'd taken the jacket not more than ten minutes ago.

 

Glancing at the jacket, Debbie shook her head and gently stroked the dark red fabric. It was in remarkably good condition considering it had been out and about for over four years. She thought it strange that after all that time, the jacket was only slightly soiled. She speculated that it probably hadn't been worn in years. Instead, it had been stored somewhere for safe keeping.

 

She wondered how a ragtag band of aliens had gotten their hands on it? How long was it in their possession? "Not that long," she thought to herself. "They would have traded it for something more valuable...or worn it until it was thread bare."

 

So why was one of them wearing it today? Was it because their shuttle was in close proximity to a suspicious runabout? Were they paid by someone to dangle this enticing piece of evidence in front of that runabout's crew hoping to draw them out into the open?

 

If that's what they wanted to do, they'd succeeded. Debbie and her companions walked right into that one. She was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the entire scenario. Especially after the little dance troupe disappeared. Kat conducted a thorough scan of the area looking for them. They weren't in their shuttle or anywhere else in the vicinity. The only explanation was they'd been taken aboard one of the two ships seen leaving the planet's surface shortly after Deb and the team confiscated the jacket.

 

There were just too many coincidences. Debbie was now convinced the entire thing had been carefully planned. A thought suddenly popped into her head and she quickly jumped to her feet. Moving forward, she tapped Kat Shawnsee on the shoulder. When the security officer turned around, Deb handed her the jacket.

 

"Scan ever centimeter of this thing. Let's make sure there are no bugs or tracking devices sewn into any of the seams."