Natural Greens
Posted on Fri Oct 21, 2016 @ 2:09am by Commodore Michael Aravan & Vashkele & Captain Madelina Weisz
Mission:
An Orion to Die For
Location: Brig Interrogation Room One/Ready Room
Timeline: MD 2 || 1400 Hours
Vashkele looked around the brig on deck nineteen of the massive ship and leaned back against the wall as if she had no cares in the galaxy. The short Orion woman studied her fingernails while humming a tune under her breath before she looked around the cell and idly wondered how much energy was going into the shields and if it were connected to the main ship power or through a separate source. If it was hers, it would have both, but it wasn't hers. Yet. She smiled again and continued to hum while she waited for one of the big shots to come and see her.
Maddy walked into the brig and approached the cell that the Orion woman occupied alone. She'd purposely kept everyone separated, but there was a reason for that. Should they all be full of crap, and the red headed woman suspected they were, there'd be no chance of them collaborating on another story. Sure, there was the slightest chance they'd all been telling the truth, but she wasn't taking any chances there. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. If their 'guests' didn't like that, then that was on them.
Behind her, two armed guards followed, flanking the Commander on either side when she stopped in front of the cell. "So... you requested immunity for information... how about you start talking, then I'll speak with the Captain and decide if that's what's going to happen or not."
Vash pushed herself off the wall and sauntered forward as the redheaded Commander she had seen when she first came aboard the ship and studied her for a long moment. "How would you like to have the credit of taking down several operations that the Syndicate doesn't want taken down?" She asked casually, her green eyes looking directly in the other woman's blue ones.
Blue eyes narrowed. "I'm not in the mood for games. You either start talking, or you'll be spending a lot of time in this cell."
"I can give you Raimus," Vash declared, naming off one of Starfleet Intelligence's Top Ten criminals and a high ranking official in the Orion Syndicate. "Of course, I'm not going to give you everything with just your word that you'll consider deciding if I get immunity or not. We both know that New Sydney is a non Federation world with no extradition but I have info that he often goes to Stameris to get a few bites of fresh meat from the slave market there and the routes that he takes."
"Just as I'm supposed to go on your word that you're telling the truth right now?" Maddy asked, clasping her hands behind her back as she studied the green woman. "If you want me to trust you, then give me more to go on. When is he going to Stameris next, and what route is he going to be taking? If we can get Raimus, I'm sure the Captain will allow you anything you want."
"In a days time, Raimus is going to take his ship to Invernia II from New Sydney to Stameris," Vash told the Commander. "He always has at least ten guards with him and his ship is heavily shielded and has a lot of firepower that's disguised from most sensors. The exact time he's due to leave and arrive changes all the time so he stays safe and he has two body doubles that are in charge of similar ships. You can tell his because it'll be the one that has a warp signature of a smaller ship than the class."
"I'm sure you understand that I'm going to need to speak with the Captain about this information and find out just how credible it is, which I'm going to be doing right now," the Commander said, looking to the two armed guards. "No one but Captain Aravan or myself comes in here. Understood?"
"Understood," the guards replied.
Vash laughed. "How are you going to verify something that can't be verified by anyone that wouldn't know? Talk to the one who holds your leash, Commander. Send him here if you wish, but I'm putting my card on the table. If you do good on this one, I may show more."
"Don't worry about how this information will be verified. It's none of your concern. However, minding your tongue is, so you should think twice about how you speak to me in the future," Weisz said, narrowing her eyes at Vashkele once again. "I wear no leash, and it's do you well to remember that in the future." She turned to the two female guards. "I meant what I said." With that, she made her way out of the brig to go speak to the Captain.
Vash laughed as she watched the redheaded Commander walk off. "If I minded my tongue, Commander," she called after the woman. "You'd be stumbling around in the dark!"
Maddy made her way to the Captain's Ready Room and pressed the chime, waiting for Michael to grant her entry. She'd used the short time making her way from the brig to her present location to calm down a bit. Sadly, if Vashkele kept up with her smart mouth, she'd be forced to do something about it.
"Enter," the Captain's voice called out as the door sensors activated on his command. He stood at the head of the table looking at a map of the Orion sector and was shaking his head before he looked up. "What's brought you here, Maddy?" he asked her informally.
"One of our newest 'guests'," she replied, saying it like it was the worst four letter word that existed. "She wants immunity for information, but instead of just going on her word, I told her she needed to give up something useful. If there's truth to what she's said, Raimus could be taken into custody."
"Raimus?" Michael said and gave her his full attention. "We've been after him since 'seventy-three. What makes her think that she can lead us to him?"
"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" the Commander asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs. If this was going to be a long conversation, and she had a feeling it would be, she was going to want to be comfortable while it took place. Before asking her next question, she filled him in on everything the Orion woman told her about Raimus without leaving out a single detail. "So, Captain, what do you think we should do? Do we take a chance and call in some reinforcements and take her at her word, or do we simply trust she'll do what she says? I require proof that she can be trusted, and so far she's given me none. This is your call."
"We are the reinforcements out here," Michael pointed out. "If she's telling the truth, it'll be a major step towards taking the Syndicate down another notch. We need to find out more about the Orion Sector Tactical Command and see what information Lieutenant Rho is going to bring back for us, too. As for the information she provided...well, I think we should consider offering her immunity...if the information turns out to be true. The question I have is this: How does someone like her know information about someone high up in the Syndicate to have even a loosely based schedule?"
"I don't trust her. She shouldn't know any of this information," Maddy pointed out. "Besides, it's no secret that the Orion women are the brains behind the operation while the men do what they're told. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, Captain, and you don't have to like it, but it's happening. Everything about her screams bullshit just because she is an Orion female. Granting her immunity is your call, and if that's what you want, I won't question it. That being said, I will be front and center with an 'I told you so' when this bites us in our asses."
"Feel free to speak freely, Maddy," Michael said dryly. "Actually, it would just be my temporary call to grant her immunity or not. If we get our hands on Raimus, you know that Starfleet Intelligence is going to want to get their hands on her and when that happens, we'll never see her again. Regardless of how she knows this information, if she does know it and it isn't a trap, we'll have a major accomplishment that others haven't even came close to in almost two decades. Imagine what kind of report that would generate and the assignments we could choose to take afterwards."
"This is your call, Michael. My only duty is to carry out your orders. If you want to grant her immunity, I'll go release her from the brig now. It might not be a bad idea to keep her under constant female guard," she said. The redhead woman already didn't like where this was going, and she was beginning to like it less and less as the seconds ticked by. Of course, she had zero control or say over the situation.
He laughed. "No chance of releasing her from the brig now," he said. "Especially knowing how Orion women are. No, we'll leave her in there for now and see if her information pans out and then we'll take it one step at a time. As soon as the Victorious gets back and we find out more information, then we can make our move and see about getting Raimus. I'm trusting your judgement on this, Maddy and I appreciate your advice."
"We need to prepare ourselves for a potential trap. I recommend General Quarters Four while we're see if this information pans out. I also suggest we put all Security protocols into place and lock down critical areas of the ship with security bulkheads. If she's lying, then I don't want us bent over a barrel with no chance of protecting ourselves against it. Sure, maybe it's overkill, but there are the souls of over a thousand people who would disagree," she said, brushing a stray lock o hair out of her face that somehow managed to escape the bun she wore. As soon as she had a free moment, she'd have to do something to fix that. "Would you like me to meet the Victorious when it gets back?"
"Let's hold off on any calls like that, Commander," Michael said. "I'll meet with Lieutenant Rho when the Victorious returns. In the meantime, tell our guest that her request for immunity will be considered if her information turns out to be correct. I won't sign any blank PADDs for an Orion."
"I will gladly let her know, Captain. I don't think she'll be too happy about it, but she'll have no choice but to accept it. If you need me at the Victorious for whatever reason, let me know," she said, rising to her feet.
"I will," Michael said. "If you can get anything else from her, bring it to me immediately. I'm going to try to get Admiral Grant and inform him of the situation."
"I will. Time to go pay another visit to our new green friend," she said. Trying to compose herself, the redhead Commander made her way out of the Ready Room and headed back down to the brig where Vashele was waiting for the Captain's verdict.
The short Orion woman was laying on her back in the cell she had been placed in and singing softly in Orion, whether it was to the guards who had remained at their post or to herself. She had a hand resting on her forehead and her right leg raised with her sole on the bed and seemed to be ignoring everything around her.
Maddy watched the woman for a moment before she cleared her throat to interrupt whatever it was she was singing. "I've met with the Captain, and your request for immunity will be considered based on if the information you gave us is correct or not. You will also be remaining right where you are for the time being. I'm sure this won't please you, but this is how things are going to be for now."
Vash looked over at the woman and gave a nod. "You have every right not to trust me, Commander," she said. "But try to remember that we aren't enemies. Things have been going bad for too long and it's time to set things right."
"Oh, I know I have every right not to trust you, and I don't. Not even a little bit. There's no hope of that changing until the information you've provided proves to be true and Raimus is in our custody," Weisz said, looking at the woman. "We'll see what happens as all of this pans out. I'll see to it that our Chief Medical Officer arrives first thing in the morning with your inhibitor. You will have no contact with any males on this ship until I know you aren't full of complete shit. You have a good night." She looked toward the two armed female guards once again. "My orders still stand. No one comes in here unless it's me or Captain Aravan. Anyone else will require my authorization." With that, she turned and made her way out.
Vash watched the redheaded Commander walk out and gave a soft laugh to herself as she turned back to look at the ceiling again. Oh, you can think whatever you want to think, human, she thought. It's what is going to happen that will change your opinion of me.
