In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

[Innogen Belo 0]

The last few steps were the most painful. Collapsing on the cot in her quarters, she kicked off the offending stilettos and peered down at her pitifully abused feet. While it was a mystery to Innogen why anyone would wear something so ridiculous, they were the trademark footwear of her infamous third cousin Maris Bilton. It would have been impossible for Innogen to impersonate Maris wearing more comfortable shoes or an outfit that had enough fabric to adequately cover a person. Innogen just thanked her lucky stars that she looked enough like Maris that it only took a new hairstyle and heavy cosmetics to finish up her disguise. As complicated as her relationship with her family was, the association did come in handy at times.

 

Unfortunately all her hard work had been for naught. Schrute was merely a grandstanding egotist, an idiot sycophant who wished to raise his status in the sector by claiming affiliation with the Black Kris. In a vain attempt to gather intel, she had been forced to spend the evening being regaled with harrowing and obviously embellished tales of his martial arts conquests, as well as a very dry account of his beta vulgaris ranch, which was tedious enough to put even the avid agricultural enthusiast in her to sleep. Schrute was nothing more than a bragging flunky and, in Innogen’s opinion, the perfect match for the real Maris.

 

The only real information she had been able to glean from the encounter consisted of incoherently ominous warnings about how those who crossed the Kris had either disappeared to some mysterious place or ended up brutally murdered as a warning to others. All in all, the entire exercise had been a failure, and Innogen needed to return to the drawing board and see what other leads she could glean from the cyberchatter floating around out in the ‘verse.

 

Retrieving her iCommanche from the knockoff Booney & Durke handbag replicated as part of her disguise, Innogen checked her inbox, noticing that she had missed an encrypted communiqué sent from Starfleet’s JAG offices. She opened the message, frowning, aware that anything sent this early could not be good.

 

Lieutenant Belo,

 

We have completed a preliminary review of your situation and found that there is no sufficient evidence at this time to substantiate further investigation. Given the delicate negotiations currently in progress with the Kriosian Empire, Starfleet is opting not to take action at this time. Should the situation change so that our assistance is required, we shall be glad to review the situation again. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

 

 

Commander Tam Reynolds

Starfleet Judge Advocate General

 

Innogen exhaled sharply, making a sound of disgust. Things were just getting better and better.