Digging Deeper

Posted on Sun May 30th, 2021 @ 4:51pm by Lieutenant Xalanth & Lieutenant JG Miaxi Etaalu

3,973 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 110 - An Endeavor in Discovery
Location: Starbase 400
Timeline: MD1

Xalanth let out a sigh as he walked down the corridor. The computer had gotten a list of current starfleet admirals who matched the description the ferengis had given, but it was over two hundred and fifty possibilities. He'd included females whose species could be altered at short notice and recent KIA/MIA individuals. It would take him a while to go through.

" Well that's the suspect list." he said handing it to his second in command. " Will take us a while to go through. Will need to inform the federation embassy and my brother-in-law on Magna Roma to be on the lookout for two more starfleet personnel."

"That's going to be a mess." Miaxi groaned. "We should see if Engineering or Ops can go through the computer systems on that freighter and tell us when it was at Starbase 123, and also on Manga Rome. If we can pin down when the freighter was at the Starbase, we might be able to narrow down the search for the admiral in question also."

" I'll get a team on it as soon as we finished our questioning. I still can't believe a federation admiral could be involved in the slave trade." He said bitterly. " We're supposed to better than this."

"And not just the slave trade, but the trade of other Starfleet personnel." Miaxi was almost fuming. She took a deep breath. "I never did ask you how the trip was." she said. "I could do with some happy news."

" The commanders wedding went off without a hitch as the humans say. The ship's weapons and systems are working fine as well." The lizard replied more happily.

"That's really great to hear. I'll have to send them something." Miaxi said, a smile forming on her face. "Weddings are always lovely. I'm sure everyone was pleased the ship's weapons and systems worked well also." the news took at least some of her concern about the upcoming interview off her mind. She idly wondered if treating the woman as a survivor and not a criminal mastermind had allowed her to walk out of those quarter last time unscathed. She hoped the guard was all right. Guarding could be boring, and when you were bored, you let your guard down. Everyone had heard the stories, but no one expected it to happen to themselves.

" I know I have had four of them myself. " Xalanth responded fondly remembering the three he'd had in his mate's culture's and one in his own.

"Four weddings..." he had said Fulvia was his third. "I'd love to hear about them." she had met people who had been married two or even three times, but something told her this was not the case with Xalanth. "Although perhaps not right now." she added. Now was not the time to get distracted over much with talk of weddings.

" Indeed right now we need to...." Xalanth began before they turned the corridor. The guard outside their guest temporary quarters was on the floor with blood dripping from a wound in his neck. Drawing his phaser the dragonian was at the mans side in seconds. He had a pulse but it was very weak. Placing his combadge on the wounded security officer the lizard tapped it speaking softly " Xalanth to security beam my combadge to sickbay and I need a security team down here now." He said as he indicated Miaxi to take up a breeching position on the other side of the door.

Miaxi, who'd had her phaser out a split second after Xalanth, was at the other side of the door right after he suggested it. She had nearly anticipated, but she wanted to be sure what he wanted. She hoped the officer next door was ok, but he was locked in, so the woman who had called herself Zuri would have to take time to get in the room. Time she didn't have. She gave Xalanth a nod to let him know she was ready as soon as she was in position, ready to fire on anyone who was in the room.

Xalanth nodded in return as he entered his emergency overide. The door slid open and he the security chief ducked and rolled inside. It was lucky he did so as a disrupter blast shot past his head. There were three people in the room masked and clad in black. Xalanth fired his phaser catching one in the chest sending it flying to the floor.

Miaxi had crouched down, and from her position near the floor and behind Xalanth, took aim at another person. She hit the stomach, and swung around to hit the third person before they could fire, thankful for the adrenaline streaking through her system that gave her extra speed. The third person collapsed on top of the second as she raked her phaser beam diagonally up their torso.

She stood up carefully, holding her phaser on the inert bodies. "That was slightly unexpected." she murmured. "We need to clear the bedroom too." she indicated with her phaser the door to the next room. If she tried, she would be able to differentiate the unconscious people in this room from anyone in the other room, but it was a grey area in the law. She mentioned it to Xalanth anyway.

The lizard nodded as he took up a position before he opened the door. Inside the bedroom, another black-clad figure had a disrupter to Zuri's head. She mumbled out something as it seemed like the universal translator was trying to catch up with her speech. " Get back or her she loses her head." She began as Xalanth and Miaxi began surrounding her


"And why would you want to shoot an innocent woman?" Miaxi asked quickly, lowering her phaser slightly and stopping where she was. She dropped her shields just enough to let her feel the emotions in the room. Zuri didn't seem to be scared, but she couldn't get much from the black-clad person: obviously someone professional who was good at masking. Either they could kill in cold blood, or they were putting on a show. She kept her attention on the duo.

" Innocent? She ran from her mistress and tried to hide among you filth. She's lucky we didn't kill her and rend her skin as a gift to her mistress. " The individual almost hissed through what became obvious was pointed teeth that didn't seem to fit in it's mouth. Genetically engenered Xalanth thought to himself.

He could feel his namesake calling from the past telling him to pounce and rip these vile creatures' head off as he did with the vile queen of his homeworld who's skull was still mounted in his tribes holy cavern as an example for any who believed they could owner another sentient life. He thought back to the rage he needed to remain calm.

" Slavery is illegal in the federation. Whatever rules you live by you have no right here. " He said calmly which earned him a spit from the attacker as if they very thought was poison to her.

" We do not accept your federations right to exist." She spat which Xalanth noticed was hissing on the floor. " You will realize us and let us depart by order of her holy empress."

Miaxi threw her shields back up: they were doing her no good. "We don't recognize your empress." she said coolly. Her eyes flickered down to the spit on the ground, then to Zuri's face, then to the masked face. "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

" I am the empress blade in the dark and you blaspheme against her with your very words." the being spat as it pressed it's disrupter further against Zuri's head.

" If your empress is so powerful why does she need a scrawny runt like you to do her dirty work,"Xalanth said hoping that this would do what he was hoping it would do.

" How dare you." The black-clad figure said as she began to move her disrupter towards Xalanth.

That was all Miaxi needed. She barely moved her phaser, moving herself instead to make sure her aim was good, and firing straight to hit the black clad figure in the head. The disruptor fell to the floor as the figure collapsed.

" Good shooting Mia..." Xalanth began before his eyes darted as Zuri dived for the disrupter. Jumping on the woman Xalanth was doing his best to restrain the woman without breaking her wrist with his species greater strength.

" Let go of me." Zuri yelled as she struggled to reach the disrupter.

Miaxi was already in a fairly awkward position: kicking the weapon was out of the question. Instead, she dove for the disruptor, and grabbed it by the barrel, pulling it out of the way. With her hands full of weapons, she took her time getting to her feet before turning to face Xalanth and Zuri. "Thank you, Xalanth. We had to put extra time in with weapons practice during the war, in case we were boarded or something." she pinched her lips together. "Why send four people to kidnap one?" her eyes met Zuri.

Zuri was continuing to struggle free from Xalanths grip yelling out a " Let go off me please." With increased panic in her voice.

" Easy easy your safe now." Xalanth said calmly as he noticed what looked like a tear falling down the woman's face. " It's okay no one's going to hurt you anymore."

" No no no. They found me. They take me back." She let out with a sign of panic rising.

"We're not going to let them take you back." Miaxi said firmly, moving closer to the woman. "But we can protect you better if you tell us everything you know."

The woman stopped struggling and started sobbing. Xalanth did release his grip on her as the woman pulled herself into a ball as she cried hugging her legs close to her. " They said this would be safe. That they couldn't reach us here, but she found me."

Miaxi tucked her phaser away on the side furthest from the sobbing woman and handed the disruptor to Xalanth. Then she slid down next to Zuri. "Who is they?" she asked gently. She was still a little wary, worried this could be some elaborate trap.

" The masters. " She managed to sob out. She was clearly terrified.

Xalanth had walked over to the assailant and carefully removed the mask. His blood would have run cold if he was warm-blooded at what lay underneath. She may have been human long ago, but whatever the warped creature was now she clearly wasn't. Her skin was a dark grey with almost hawk-like eyes along with her sharpened teeth. She also had no nose with a simple slit where it should have been.

Upon her head was a brand of a planet that was obviously earth with a flaming sword running through it.

"Let's get you out of here." Miaxi said. She didn't have to say it, but she was sure they were all thinking it: 'away from these monsters.' "You might be the only one who has answers my boss, Xalanth, and I need." she pointed to the lizard. "To stop a chain of slavers here in the Federation. But first, I want you to feel safe. There's a security office not too far. Can you walk?"

" I'll catch up. I need to cuff these guys." Xalanth said as he began his task. As he finished his task the security team arrived to take them into custody. After barking orders to keep them under priority containment he hurried after Miaxi.

Miaxi had taken Zuri down to the nearest security office and gotten her a hot drink to help her calm down. they was sitting in the relatively small space with two other security men, and Miaxi was introducing herself and the newcomer, giving Zuri a chance to collect herself before she started asking her questions. She also wanted to hear from Xalanth that the intruders were in the brig.

The woman took the drink with a shaking hand. After she appeared to sniff it several times she finally gave it a sip before giving out a weak " thank you."

"It's ok." Miaxi said with a smile. "When you're ready, I need you to tell me where you came from, and who helped you get to the station. Who put you in the cryostasis chamber." she tried to look serious, but encouraging. "A group has been selling Starfleet people as slaves, and we need to stop them."

" One of the Ferengi crew of the ship. He said he'd help me reach the federation. They said they could help me. They said this place was safe" She softly said not taking her eyes from the mug.

"He was right, but he never told us you were in danger, that you were running. We thought you were a potential slave that the captain of the freighter you were on was trying to smuggle." Miaxi said with a sigh. "Now that we know differently, we can do more to keep you safe." They would have to explore the other avenues to track down the rest of the slavers.

" No I heard him talk about how much he could get for me as he froze me. He said he was the second mate I think?" She replied clearly not knowing what the term ment.

"He's not going to get anything for you. Thank you so much, you just gave me a possible way of saving more people." Miaxi said. She tapped her commbadge. =^= Etaalu to Xalanth.=^=

The sound of Xalanth combadge going off sounded from just outside the room. " No need Miaxi I'm here. We've got those four locked up. Gees there some messed up things. Multiple gene engineering all done post embryotic stage. Hell one of them has a poisonous stinger in her wrist."

"That's...beyond disturbing." Miaxi said, shuddering. "Our new friend says the second mate was responsible for her being on that ship. She said she heard him talking about how much he could get for her as she was she was beginning to freeze. We need to talk to him."

" I'll have him dragged up to a questioning cell. Any idea what this symbol is. They all had it burned onto their head." He said showing her the brand.

Miaxi looked at the symbol, frowning in concentration. "No. Wait... yes." she said, adding the affirmative quickly. "We had a briefing that included some of the more obscure Romulan sects that might try to cause trouble - because we were such a big ship. I don't know much. They don't like humans, but I'm not sure why. They're good assassins, obviously, and believe in the supremacy of the Romulan race. We were told about this mark, but not that they were actually human themselves - or began as humans, I suppose. This is their symbol. They call themselves the Elon Sinda."

" So we have a Romulan supremacy sect that using what appears to be genetically engineered humans as assassins involved with slave traders. Could be the four in the brig are slaves as well." The lizard said shaking his head. " Nothing can ever be easy. Perhaps if we can find out which admiral is working with them we can find out more."

"Or it could be that we had someone running away from being a slave get tangled up with slavers, and these assassins were sent to bring her back." Miaxi replied. "Those four in the brig could be slaves, but they would have been raised from birth as such, and brainwashed to think they were doing the right thing. Either way, it's a huge mess. If the second mate doesn't have a name for the admiral, it's going to be a slog. We can't rule out anything. If there's a tie between this sect and the Ferengi slavers, the admiral herself could be a plant."

" Here's hoping he does or else we'll have to do a manual look through all the admirals we have that could match the description. " Xalanth said as he walked over to the consol to see if the second mate had been dragged into an questioning room.

"I wonder how much he knows about those assassins." Miaxi mused. "I could imply they got past us one." she gave a wicked grin. "Technically true. Did you put them in the maximum security brig?"

" A good ploy and yes he's in the brig. Nasty little creature, he's tried biting one of the officers." Xalanth said as he look at the two guards. " Do not let this girl out of your site and no one except me and the lieutenant are allowed to visit her."

The guards promised they would keep a close watch on her. Miaxi looked at the girl and wondered how she had been found. More might come for her. She voiced this to Xalanth as soon as they were in the hall. "I meant were the assassins in the maximum-security brig. I'd hate to think of some more coming for her and breaking them out." she said.

" Fulvia and a whole team are watching them and yes they are in the maximum security brig." Xalanth said as he lead the way.

"That eases my mind a little." Miaxi said as they walked towards the interrogation rooms. She knew very little about the subject of this interrogation, but it didn't matter. Circumstances had gone beyond her using every tool available to find out what the prisoner knew. Her mind drifted to Zuri, and how the sect had found her. Medical report in the system, probably. It would have listed her quarters. She made a note on the PaDD she was still carrying to keep Zuri's details out of the computer system, just in case.

Fulvia was guarding the interrogation room a look of annoyance on her face. " This ones going to be tricky sir. He tried to bite me after he offered to buy me for two slivers of latnium." She said with a tone of annoyance yet still keeping her tone professional.

" Have we encountered a freighter of Ferengi cheapskates." Xalanth wondered out load. " Fulvia can you go to Zuri's new quaters and keep her safe," he asked to which his third nodded and headed on her way. " Would you like to take the lead with this one?" he asked turning to Miaxi.

"Yes... although I'm concerned he won't take me seriously. You may have to step in if I can't get him to." Miaxi said.

" Well, i can inform him that under my own people's laws Fulvia can now challenge him to a fight to first blood drawn from the chest. Who do you think going to win him or a trained gladiatrix?" Xalanth said before stepping into the room.

" How..." the second officer who was short even for ferengi began before Xalanth snorted angrily to shut him up.

Miaxi liked the idea of Fulvia beating up the cretin in front of her. ""Trading in slaves." she began. "Wow. What do you have to say for yourself?"

" What? How dare you." The ferengi began before another angry snort from Xalanth quitted him.

" We've been to your quaters idiot. We found your padd with your list." Xalanth lied, but judging by the look of terror on the ferengi's face it was a lie that hit the nail on the head.

" It....it.....it was only three. The captain she's cruel and doesn't give us a fair....... share of the profits." The ferengi blurted out sweat pouring from his brow.

"Uh huh." Miaxi said, sounding like she didn't believe him. "If you want to make sure you don't spend the rest of your life in a penal colony, I need to know everything you know. Where you got the slaves. Where you left them. Who they were, as much as you can remember. Any races, genders, that kind of thing. People you worked with. If you tell me, I'll make sure no one find out it was you. Except, of course, the judge hearing your case." she smiled.

More sweat formed of the Ferengi's brow. " They were nobody's I picked them up in bar's and red light area's of the planets we stayed in. The girl a human and an Andorian. I sold them in the next port for as much as I could before the captain realized I was using one of her pods."

If Xalanth's look could kill it would be classified as WMD. He looked on in pure anger at this creature and was having to run through happy memories with his family to stop himself from strangling this creature. " And where did the captain get her slaves from?"

" Some human female she never told any of us her name. " it managed to squeak out.

"You must have the names of the ports you sold those people in." Miaxi glanced back at Xalanth. Well, if someone had insulted her spouse, she would be fuming too. "Where did you pick the slaves the captain got up from, and where did you take them?" she pushed.

" I don't know where the slaves came from. We meet her on a ship that had them all. I can get you the port's we sold them in." the ferengi stammered out.


"Good, that would be very good. " Miaxi said, smiling. "You met her on a ship, you say? A Federation starship?" this was new. It could be how she was getting around the attention having a bunch of people in cryosleep would draw on a station.

" A federation freighter. One of your newer ones." the ferengi squealed.

"A freighter. Very good, thank you. Now for the ports. This is very important. We need them all. The ports you sold your slaves at, and the ports the captain sold hers at."

" Aldebaran III ,Nu Octantis III and Gopa VI. I'll need a padd to list all of them the captains sold them at." It whimpered.


Xalanath produced a padd and let the pathetic creature scrawl out a long list of ports. His blood was boiling at this point and he had to breath in hard as he took the padd so as not to hit the creature.

"You have been a big help." Miaxi said, glancing at Xalanth again. "Word of advice? Never ask a woman if you can buy her again. You don't know when they'll be the mate of the chief of security." she indicated with her thumb over her shoulder, where Xalanth was sitting. "You're lucky we believe in our oaths. Now we have to go undo the damage you and your captain have done, and hopefully prevent war from breaking out again."

The fernegi gulped as Xalanth gave him an evil grin as he licked his lips. A faint tang filled the room as the two officers left the room.

Outside Xalanth let out a sigh. " Nasty little creature that one. At least we have a list to start narrowing it down."

"Yes." Miaxi agreed. "Do you want to split it up? We can each do half." she was exhausted, running on the coffee she had drunk earlier, but she knew she would never settle down to sleep until all the puzzle pieces were in place. Or until the words started spinning on the PaDD.

The security chief nodded. " I'll try and start finding are admiral and her mysterious ship. Can you try and track down the other missing personal?"

"Yes." Miaxi replied. "Sounds like a plan."

" I'll sssee you tomorrow then." Xalanth said as he headed for his office. He had a lot of work to do.

OFF:

Lieutenant Xalanth
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Starbase 400

Lieutenant JG Miaxi Etaalu
Assistant Chief of Security/Tactical Officer
Starbase 400

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