A Quack, 2 Cats, and a Drug Ring (Part 2)

[Daena 0]

Space stations, as a general rule, usually had vermin running around. No matter how thorough maintenance crews were, there was always a mouse or a vole to be found in the ductwork. However...Kansas JoNs was a teeny bit bigger then a mouse or a vole, and she currently found herself traversing the maintenance ducting of Starbase 718.

 

The Caitian had docked at the Starbase using the shuttle from her family ship, blending in with hundreds of other travelers that used the facility everyday. She wore charcoal gray civilian attire, wore tinted contacts to change her eye color, and had dyed her mane a dark brown color.

 

Once safely past the checkpoints Kansas had entered the ducting of the station, making her way toward the quarters of imperial officer Aaron Westler. With another glance at the data padd containing the schematics of the station, she made a left down another cramped access chute, mentally cursing.

 

Daena, the Mithraan, quietly slept amongst her cushions on the floor of Aaron Westler's quarters. Sleeping was pretty much the only thing she could do without her master's permission. She was flanked in the cushions by her two "guardians" Cozy and Fluffy. They were actually pets of Westler, but they quickly became Daena's only true friends.

 

Westler was fast asleep, snoring loudly.

 

Kansas arrived in the general vicinity of the senior officer's quarters, and began to move even more quietly, pausing whenever she came to a section of the grating allowing her to see down into the quarters. Her ears pricked up as she heard some really loud snoring echoing through the ducting.

 

The young Mithraan's ears perked up briefly, detecting a slight noise, but not enough to disturb Daena. However moments later, she sat up sniffing the air. The unusual scent seemed to come from the air duct.

 

The Caitian born mercenary with a day job as an Imperial Fleet officer watched Daena through the grating overtop the living area for a few seconds. Mithraan? Highly interesting.

 

What was that scent? It was so mesmerizing to Daena. It somehow reminded her of Mithra, her homeworld, before the fist of the Empire crushed it.

 

Kansas gently disengaged the grating lock before dropping down without a sound into the quarters about ten feet from Daena. She whispered with a wicked grin exposing her fangs. "You ordered room service?"

 

Cozy, the black panther, immediately began to growl. She was the more aggressive of the two large cats. Fluffy, the white tiger got up as well, but stayed near Daena. The Mithraan said nothing as she stared at the Caitian.

 

Westler turned around in his sleep, grunting loudly.

 

Kansas eyed the large black panther, and was soooo not moving at that point. She spoke quietly to the felinoid without looking at her. "Miss, would you be interested in getting away from here permanently?"

 

Daena put a hand on Cozy's muzzle to calm her. It was clear the stranger wasn't going to harm her. "Getting away?" she said softly. Looking down, the purple headed woman placed a hand on a collar around her neck. It looked innocent enough, a white lace trim with a small golden bell dangling from it. "I...I can not..." It held a deadly secret. A small device embedded in the collar prevented her from leaving.

 

JoNs gazed at the female, like her yet also different. The Caitian had fur all over, whereas the Mithraan did not. "Sure you can. I even promise to not hurt your master...too much."

 

Tears began to form in Daena's maroon eyes. "How do I know you can be trusted?" Too many times she has been betrayed by people she thought she could trust.

 

Kansas moved closer, did a low level passive scan of the Mithraan, and the little device blipped at the collar. Her now golden eyes looked into the eyes of the crying woman. "Is there a way to remove this collar? And no, I can not convince you to trust me."

 

"I…do not know. My master would have the means to deactivate it."

 

"Call him out here." JoNs moved to a wall, pressing her back up against as she covered her muzzle and lower face with the blue scarf tied around her neck. A handheld tazer gun appeared in one paw.

 

Daena wasn't sure about this, but the thought of freedom was too great. She rose from the floor, moving toward the Aaron's room. "M...master? I...I'm sorry to wake you, but there is someone at the door. They say it's urgent."

 

Westler mumbled.... "Tell them to go away!"

 

Daena flinched at the sound of his booming voice. Her tail drooped, barely swishing. "I...I can't, Master. It is an officer of the Empire."

 

Westler sat up. "Damnit to hell.....Tell them I’ll be right there...." He fumbled around, looking for his uniform.

 

The Caitian almost had a heart attack at that, but then realized - Westler really would have no idea who she really was.

 

"Y...yes Master..." Daena moved from the doorway, back into her cushions on the floor. She pet Cozy and Fluffy to keep them calm.

 

He moved to the door, doing the Picard Maneuver. "Yes? Who is it?"

 

JoNs waited, out of sight, for Westler to step out through the doorway. Once he came into view, she shoved the tazer into his lower back. "Hello there ######."

 

"######", went down like a log, twitching. He couldn’t get words to form on his mouth.

 

The tazer was powerful enough to drop him, but low level enough to keep him conscience. Kansas stooped down to look right into the man’s eyes. "Key or code to get that thing off her neck, now." Her claws rested warningly on his carotid artery.

 

Daena looked away as the Caitian struck. Somehow she felt guilty.

 

JoNs moved to where Westler’s eyes had latched onto - a small desk set into an alcove, and pulled open one of the drawers. Inside, was a small device. The Caitian deftly grabbed it and then walked hurriedly over to the Mithraan. She whispered to her fellow felinoid. "Which button releases that thing?"

 

Daena looked up at the Caitian with a confused look. "I...I do not know."

 

A fleeting look of panic manifested on Kansas' features. She looked at the device. "Well, red is usually considered a bad thing, so let's try green." A paw digit pressed the green button.

 

With a small beep, the bell on the end of the lace collar fell to the floor. "You did it."

 

The Caitian’s liver flip flopped. "We need to move." She glanced at the panther and the tiger and sighed. "They need to come with us don’t they?"

 

Daena looked at Cozy and Fluffy, a concerned look on her face. "Do you have room for them?"

 

"No, but we'll manage." She reached into a belt pouch and pulled out three small rectangular devices that looked like credit sticks. "Hold this. It’s a cargo tracker. It will make us look like cargo being transported. Attach the other two to the, uh, cats."

 

The young woman blinked at the devices for a moment, before doing as she was told, attaching them to the two large cats.

 

Kansas stifled the urge to kick the still downed Westler, instead speaking into a civilian wrist comm, activating her shuttles on board computer. "Four to beam up. Oz Mekleth Four Six."

 

Within seconds the two female felinoids and the large cats disappeared in a shimmer of sparkles.

 

Westler slowly got up, realizing what had happened. "Damnit No!" He quickly ran to his desk and sounded the alarm, hoping he wasn’t too late.

 

 

To be continued...