"The Money Shot"

[Kansas 0]

Note: with regard to JoNs’s new male Zaldan bodyguard, Zalano, first introduced in the “Grim Reaping” and “Loose Ends” logs: his name has been changed to Darjhan.

 

02.28.09

ISS Agincourt NCC-81762

“The Money Shot”

 

The Breen and Ferengi mercenaries that had been involved in a series of raiding attacks on the outlying Imperial colony network had indeed led the ISS Agincourt on a merry chase, but it was only a matter of time before the big Prometheus class warship caught up to them or started sniffing down the right trail. Then, the renegades would be nailed to the bulkhead.

 

Despite being a starship of the line in service to the Imperial Navy of the Empire, the Agincourt was still a starship. Most of the time, without direct orders, the ship was free to go about her business and patrol the sectors for any threats. It might not have been quite as romantic as the freedom enjoyed by the ancient mariners, or the modern day mercenary or pirate, but the Agincourt and her crew still went where the winds took them, so to speak.

 

At times though, Commander Kansas JoNs deeply missed the way of life enjoyed by the mercenary. The felinoid had grown up surrounded by a gaggle of them on her family ship and it was not easy to shake what had been ingrained in her from almost the time of her birth. Not that she would want to forget her roots, mind you.

 

But, for now her life path was with the Imperial Navy, and she enjoyed her work and the small amount of prestige that went along with the waist sash and rank bars of a senior Imperial officer.

 

The ship was on a two day layover at the Draconis planetary colony, re-supplying and also canvassing the general area for any new leads on the Ferengi and Breen mercenary group. The Draconis colony catered to both civilian and fleet ships that stopped by for shore leave or supplies, and so there was the slight chance that JoNs and the crew might get fortunate and locate a lead on the criminal band, because there was no way the mercenary band would have passed through the sector without resupplying first – beyond the sector borders of the Draconis pleasure colony, the chances for resupplying were few and far between. Colonel Harper had informed the local authorities of the senior command teams plans to canvas the general colony area, and between the support from the local authorities and the Agincourt in orbit above the planet, some information - if not some suspects - would eventually come to light.

 

The Agincourt crew had been marginally cleared for staggered shore parties, and a good portion of the crew enjoyed some quick shore leave, welcoming the overall break; they were a good crew, and deserved the down time.

 

The golden furred Caitian sat on a stool the open air bar located within the main concourse of the colony, and was enjoying the view. The tavern was completely open, looking out over the palm fronds and beaches that were the environmental hallmark of this lush and tropical port planet. The weather was beautiful, and you only had to watch out for the rain storms that invaded the planet in scattered weather patterns.

 

The ships XO sipped her drink casually, alternating between the gorgeous view and watching the bar patrons for any one suspicious, basically. JoNs had sent her two bodyguards off to their own devices, because, honestly, they needed some of the down time as well. The blue skinned female Andorian Mical had flipped out at the amount of silks and fabrics available in one of the nearby open air markets, and she was surprised that Darjhan - a humanoid originally from a water world - didn’t have a heart attack when he had first gotten a look at the nearby ocean. Her lover, Lieutenant Conrad Zimm, was off enjoying the local golf course. Seriously, the tall, lean muscled, and blond crew cut haired Zimm did not look like the golf type, but hey - who was she to judge? JoNs had instead made a quiet mental note to buy him a set of the best available golf clubs for his upcoming birthday.

 

The wind moving through the semi-enclosed space was merely adding to the general and relaxed atmosphere, also moving the grove of palm trees that separated the open bar area from the hotel with an aeolian grace.

 

The XO of the 'Court hung out at the bar for a good two hours, nibbling on a couple of appetizers as she scrolled through reports on a portable data Padd. She had made it a point to keep her full uniform on, crimson sleeveless wrap top, black trousers, with the gold sash in plain view. Most of the patrons flat out ignored her, as it was a common enough sight to see Imperial officers debarking for some shore leave.

 

It was the few patrons who didn’t ignore her that would interest her the most. And, if JoNs were still running with a mercenary crew, the local hotel bar was exactly where she would head first for some booze and relaxation.

 

A mature Ferengi male entered through the main entrance, accompanied by a kid who was probably about sixteen. They both wore khaki colored cargo shorts and Hawaiian type shirts, but with lurid and bright Ferengi patterns emblazoned on them. The shirts were large enough to maybe hide a smaller weapon or two, tucked into a waist band.

 

Kansas made eye contact with the older male. Now, he would be home free if he didn’t freak, causing her suspicion meter to go bonkers. However, he freaked and took off running back the way he came, hauling the younger male with him. Typically, you only ran when you had something to hide, and you never went to a resort bar that welcomed Imperial officers if you had something to hide. Ferengi could be twitchy in general but this guy obviously had some big time issues.

 

JoNs was moving and running across the bar in seconds, leaping from the edge into thin air and clearing a couple of tables and seated patrons with ease. She landed squarely on her hind paws and ran like the devil after the suspicious duo.

 

She brought her arm up, speaking into the communications band she wore about her wrist. “This is Commander JoNs to Chief Kittridge.” Her voice came through clear despite running full tilt after the suspects.

 

The director of hotel security, a very capable human male that had not hesitated to work with the Agincourt command team while they searched the resort for any suspicious activity and had offered his forces without question, came back over the wireless link within a second, “Kittridge here, go ahead Commander.”

 

“I have tone with two possible suspects, heading east to the main lobby annex. I assume they are armed, but this information is currently unknown. Have your men intercept from the south annex corridors, weapons on heavy stun.”

 

“I’m sending my Alpha and Beta squads now, Kittridge out.”

 

JoNs then contacted Darjhan, who was the closest geographically of her body guards to her current position. “Darjhan! I need an intercept team for the inner perimeter of the hotel and bar. Call the ship and get the security squad on Alpha watch down here, standard perimeter inclusion patter, and then move your ass and get over here – I’m pursuing a suspect!”

 

The Zaldan male’s response was prompt, “On my way and the order is received Commander!”

 

The tense chase went on for several minutes through the pool area, access corridors, public shower and locker room areas, eventually spilling out into the main lobby. The suspects probably figured that they would lose themselves within the crowd that usually seemed to congregate within the lobby, but thankfully, it was a slow time of day for the hotel, so other then a few beings here and there checking in, the lobby was semi deserted. And most of the people unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time knew to dive or duck for nearby cover.

 

The two Ferengi miscreants ran full tilt for the garden sitting area that was the centerpiece of the hotel, attempting to lose themselves within the trees, waterfalls, and tables and chairs that dotted the carefully manicured landscape. That is of course, if they were not being pursued by a felinoid with sharp eyes and a strong sense of smell from the rear, and the hotel security guards coming at them to intercept from the front vector. Kansas dove full on into the garden area, her disruptor weapon out and ready to fire. The entire chase was rapidly coming to a halt as the Imperial officer and the hotel security squads swarmed over the garden area. JoNs caught a quick glimpse of Darjhan zooming in from a side entrance as well, phaser out and at the ready – you couldn’t miss the big, web footed Zaldan humanoid in those bright yellow swim trunks of his.

 

Now, Kansas had always been the hands on type of officer, preferring to handle things on her own and not willing to send other officers where she herself would not go. This leadership quirk, while commendable, also caused a predilection for dashing in where the angels feared to tread and damn the consequences. A former bodyguard had often commented to her that she would either end up very dead or very hurt one day if she didn’t change up her tactics a little better.

 

With time, the young executive officer would learn better ways of leading from the front, and not necessarily in the literal sense. And, if the time spent within the command track didn’t break her of the habit, then perhaps a well placed buckshot projectile in the present time would?

 

Ferengi are a short people. Their children, prior to their growth spurt, are even shorter. So therefore, when the little squirt that had taken off with the older male fired his sawed off shotgun at the officer’s back as she ran past his leafy hiding spot, the shrapnel fragments nailed the Caitian officer at a lower impact point. She caught his scent right as he fired, but it was a good thing that she didn’t turn full around towards him, otherwise, the blast would have impacted with her lower abdomen and possibly caused a more serious injury.

 

The weapon was a black market grade sawed off shotgun, perfect for close quarters combat but did not have a powerful blast radius. Basically, it functioned as a great beginner mercenary weapon, and Kansas herself had used one in her youth when she had first started carrying a weapon.

 

 

As it were, the force of the blast from the weapon knocked Kansas’s hind paws out from under her, and she instinctively twisted and rolled in mid fall to avoid landing on her injured leg and rear section. She landed on her stomach, the impact with the tiled floor jarring right through her body. Her phaser pistol flew … somewhere off to the right.

 

A member of the intercepting Beta squad came flying into the far area of the lobby and easily took down the fleeing adult Ferengi with a textbook tackle as he cleared the large garden seating area.

 

“Veken!” The Imperial officers voice roared across the concourse as the pain from the injury hit her within seconds of the impact.

 

Three of the authorities that made up the Alpha team bolted into the area on JoNs’s heels and drew down on the kid, amidst two of them yelling for the kid to hold his fire and drop the weapon. One of them whacked the kid with the butt of his rifle, ensuring that he would cooperate.

 

Her inner voice was yelling for her to blow the little bastard away, but her conscience kicked in and overrode the bloodlust. From her downed position on the tiled floor, Kansas called out to the security teams, “Hold your fire! He’s just a kid! He’ll be needed for questioning dammit!”

 

Not a serious injury, no, but it still hurt like hell. Kansas fought against the need and desire welling in her to scream out in pain, and managed to scramble back up into a standing position with some modicum of decorum. The Ferengi kid’s ballistic shrapnel fragments had pierced her right at the skin crease where the upper left thigh and butt cheek met; not the most glamorous spot to get nicked, no it was not, but no bones seemed to be broken. She quickly clamped her paw to the wounding, and she could feel the warm blood oozing out from the section of her trousers that had been shredded and going in between her paw digits.

 

Darjhan retrieved her phaser pistol from where it had landed among some shrubbery and placed it back into the holster on her utility belt without a word, and then retreated and assumed a parade rest stance a couple of feet away from the annoyed and hurt senior officer.

 

The leonine feline braced her free paw on one of the nearby garden tables, and started to give orders to the head of security who had gone right into the fray along with his two teams; a working security chief whether they were civilian or a fleeter was always the best kind to work with.

 

“Mister Kittridge, inform the Agincourt’s day watch officer of this capture, and process the prisoner using your normal methods. Two of our men will beam down in short order to take full custody of the prisoner and escort him back to the ship. And get this lobby back in order so these people can enjoy their vacation again.”

 

The general commotion of the pursuit and capture that had unfolded in the lobby died down, and the local hotel authorities started to file out with their temporary prisoners. The manager manning the front desk looked a little freaked out, but he started about his business of checking in the new patrons that had filed in. Only one would be client, a Talaxian business man dressed in a blue and purple business suit, grabbed his bag and left the hotel grumbling about finding a safer place to stay. For the most part, the entire cluster fragged situation died down quickly.

 

The feline officer stayed put for a few moments, her keen eyes searching the hotel lobby and making sure that all was well before she beamed back up to the ship to seek medical attention.

 

Darjhan chose that moment to sidle up to JoNs. The Zaldan male’s swimming trunks still dripped with sea water, and he whispered in a low tone to the obviously vexed and in pain Caitian. “You might want to get that looked at sir.” One of his webbed hands pointed to her obvious injury.

 

A low growl. She knew, she knew that the Zaldans as a species could be very blunt with the advice. No JoNs, you can’t smack him. Plus the fact the movement would hurt way too much. “You don’t say Petty Officer, really?”

 

“And, the hotel offers a great massage program staff. You might want to check it out after the medical staff looks at your ass, you know, in case you need to get any muscle stiffness worked out.”

 

“You. Don’t. Say.”

 

Darjhan did get a clue.

 

“Uh, right. I’ll be heading back to the beach now … “