"Simple"

[FredM 0]

"For every human problem,

there is a neat, simple solution;

and it is always wrong." - H.L. Mencken

 

Jorgan glanced over his shoulder nervously at the mass of people moving thru the busy city streets. He had become paranoid over the last month and had every reason to be that way. This had resulted in the Alpha Centurian getting no more than a few hours of sleep per night, changing hotel rooms almost every other day and paying for everything via one of nine special accounts he had setup a year earlier. If it could work for a Ferengi, he thought, why not for him as well?

 

The man of six foot leaned forward slightly as he entered the ship marked "Fenigan's Spot." IN reality, the owner of the establishment had died almost one hundred years earlier. However, a business savvy individual in the family had taken up the cause and spawned the original into a restaurant lounge empire with over one hundred thousand locations on more planets than even most of the staff could count. With the seasonably cold and rainy weather pattern over the lower continent of Alpha Centuri, the warmth of the establishment was a welcome to Jorgan. He wasn't alone in this assessment, as many people were running off the streets to find shelter until the storm outside passed.

 

For some foreigners, the idea of a storm was somewhat quaint. However, unlike quite a few popular destinations, Alpha Centuri's government almost never used the weather control network unless something serious was developing. It was a decision that set them apart from many, but something almost all of the population agreed with. So, the grid remained offline and the result was days like this one. Yet, none of this really concerned Jorgan. At one point it actually had, but such hadn't been the case for some time.

 

As he glanced around the establishment, he noted the slightly green tinted wood that made up the booths people were sitting in. Over half of the establishment was full, more than now due to the rain than anything else. The man of six foot moved towards the bar and sat, motioning for the bartender to get his favorite lager. If he had been smart, he wouldn't have consumed any of the nonsynethal drinks Fenigan's Spot locations were famous for. However, in his mind, he was under a lot of stress and deserved a break.

 

His thoughts ran back to the days and weeks prior, trying desperately not to think of what had happened in the last five days. As the bartender set a bottle in front of him, he practically consumed the entire thing in one swallow. He never had a chance to finish his drink, as at that very moment the small device in his back pocket beeped. He slowly pulled it out and noted the blinking text message.

 

"Complication. Was unable to recover as planned. Whereabouts are unknown," the device flashed. Jorgan's heart sank into his stomach. What did they mean he hadn't been recovered? It was a simple operation! How could something so simple be screwed up! Had he been killed? Vaporized? Perhaps worse, maybe someone had learned of their operation and tried to stop it. The Alpha Centurian shook his head in anger, grabbing his glass and desperately attempting to get the last bit of liquid out of it.

 

After he had finished spending perhaps twenty seconds trying to get the last drop of liquor out of the tall bottle, he glanced back at the device and noted for the first time it actually contained two messages. Apprehensively he pressed the appropriate control and horror almost immediately came over his face. "Contact lost with primary. Possible Starfleet interference. Will know more soon. Suggest you head back immediately," the small black object blinked. Jorgan cursed under his breath and in almost one leap was out the door.

 

Standing in the rain he glanced upwards in amazement. How could something so simple, so very simple, had fallen apart so quickly? "Don't over react...it could simply be a communication's problem. They'll look into it and we can move forward," he muttered to himself. Moving forward was something he was going to learn would be a hard thing to do from now on.