<USS Avalon> "The Searching" Pt. 3

“The Searching” - Part Three
by Commander Javan Sierra
Junior Lieutenant Savannah Eckstein
& Ensign Ryan Hollander



The shuttle sped ahead of them. Javan Sierra, with cohorts Ryan Hollander and Savannah Eckstein, sat silently in the shuttle approaching stealthily. They were just out of sensor reach and it was exactly where Javan had figured they’d be. It was the perfect surveillance spot. They could watch and not be detected.

“Status?”

“They’re holding course, sir.” Ryan said from his co-pilot’s console. His eyes moved quickly from display to Javan’s eyes, “They’ll enter orbit of Ferenginar in approximately fifteen minutes.”

Savvy leaned over the two men’s shoulder, “then we can beam over, capture that little rodent, and drag him back kicking and screaming to the Avalon. Sound good? A good amount of pain is needed as well.”

Ryan looked at Savvy, an unmistakable gleam in his eye, “All right, calm down amazon woman. You just take a breather and let me handle the situation on that vessel, OK?” He smiled at her and then at Javan before returning his attention to his duties.

“You?” Savannah eyed her younger companion for a moment before casting her suspicious gaze onto her commander. “Commander, you said that I was to beam over to handle the non-Federation aspects of this mission if any were to occur.”

Javan tilted his head down and rubbed his eyes before answering her. “That was before you freaked out and passed out on me, Savvy. You know that I can’t afford for that to happen again while you’re over on a non-Federation vessel. That could mean more trouble than I’m willing to undertake.”

“That’s crap and you know it. The doctor said it was because of anxiety. Post traumatic stress disorder or some other medical bull shit like that. I’m fine and you know it. I’m the best person for this mission...” She folded her arms and glared at him. If looks could kill, he would’ve been dead.

“Other than myself and Javan, Savvy, you’re the only person for this mission,” Ryan’s joke fell helplessly short and he knew it. He stifled a smile that was looking for praise and acceptance, and frowned before moving back to the rear compartment. “Care to take the helm? Oh, wait...”

Savannah slugged him hard upside the arm, “Shut up, you jerk! It is nothing that I could have avoided and you know it. You don’t know the hell that I suffered through for so many years while I questioned whether or not my parents still loved me!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Savvy,” Javan started, attempting to place a calming hand on her trembling arm. “Sit down and relax. Ryan knows what he’s doing. And, look at it this way, if he fails we can always send you there after him and you can bring him home. Wouldn’t that be humiliating.”

She smiled at him, knowing his genuinely good heart trying in vain to keep her happy. She knew that she wasn’t the easiest to please, but Javan always managed to say the right thing. “Good, now I’m hoping that he fails. Saved by a girl; wouldn’t that be a great story to tell the people when we get back?”

Ryan stared Javan down as he pulled on his bio-discriminator. Something Starfleet Intelligence had cooked up some time back to make sure that lifesigns of secret agents were discovered by proximity alarms when beaming over to non-Federation ships. Granted it had its flaws, but what didn’t? “You’re giving her ideas again, Commander, I would appreciate it if you stopped.”

Javan smiled as he noticed the small Ferengi cruiser ahead of them drop from warp and go to impulse. Javan, subsequently, made the necessary corrections. “You almost ready to go, Ryan? We’re going to have to run some interference to get you over there before Mr. Kendrick beams off the ship. No doubt he is aware of our presence.”

“So, let me get this straight. The Ferengi aren’t aware of our presence here, nor are they aware that Lol Kendrick is a stowaway onboard their ship. And, in addition to that, Mr. Kendrick knows we’re following him and we know he’s there, but this is all in obscurity to anyone outside of Starfleet.” Savvy’s mind swam and it was obvious as he eyes went from side to side as if pilfering through horrible amounts of information. “That’s messed up.”

“It’s Starfleet Intelligence,” Ryan chimed in.

Javan reached back and triggered another console. “I’m charging up the deflector with the anti-lipton particles. That’ll allow for about ten minutes of sensory aphasia in their sensor array. You have that long before our little deserter can get to the planet and then, in all honesty, we’ve probably lost him. Got it?”

Ryan holstered his phaser and whipped out his tricorder. “I got it. Minimal exposure, right?”

“None if possible.”

“Geeze, Ryan, don’t you know anything?”

“Why don’t you go pass out?” He laughed.

“I’m going to - ”

Javan rolled his eyes and tapped the console in front of him. “Releasing anti-liptons and initiating transport. Good luck, Ryan, contact me when you’re ready for beam out. And, with any luck, we can go and enjoy the rest of shore leave.” Javan watched the man demolecularize.

“Can you disperse his pattern?”

Javan chuckled.



**********



Ryan Hollander materialized on the foreign ship. He instantly pushed himself against the dust-covered wall and waited for a set of footsteps nearby to diminish. Ryan breathed out a sigh as he opened his tricorder and began running scans - Javan’s field was firmly in place and the countdown had begun. Ten minutes, Ryan thought, he could do that.

The room smelled like...like...success. His nose was saturated with the smell of gold pressed latinum. Usually it was pleasant to be blinded with mass amounts of currency, but the smell that accompanied it made him dizzy. He guessed it was true that Ferengi kept their money wherever they went, regardless of the distance. Ryan pocketed a bar as he moved to the room’s exit.

After passing a couple of holds - all filled with money - Ryan’s tricorder began to beep. Over and over again, the sound deafened him in the silent corridor. He picked up his pace as he sprinted down the corridor and into the hold in which his technological contraption told him to go. It was the only barren place he’d seen on the ship. Moreover, it was the only that wasn’t furnished or decorated with lavish antiquities and elegant tapestries.

Lol Kendrick was in the room. He didn’t know where, but there was definitely a signature of an attempted transport coming from somewhere in the vicinity. The question suddenly changed from where the rebel was to whether or not the young man was aware of his pursuer’s presence. Ryan’s eyes roamed the room and the walls, stopping gently on the cargo containers and other obstacles in the room. As far as he was concerned, this wasn’t the first place in which he’d choose to have a battle or struggle.

“You won’t stop me.”

The voice caused him to turn on his heel, but he said nothing.

“As soon as this field is gone I’ll be heading out. Clever trick for Mr. Sierra to try, but every third-year cadet knows that trick. I’m not as easily fooled as he thinks I am. Now tell me, Mr. Hollander, what is it that you want?” The voice continued to emanate from seemingly no where, but the tone was still human.

Ryan hesitated to speak, afraid to give away his location in the room. He was assuming that Lol still had no idea where the ensign was. Either way, he was going to have to tread carefully. “You know that what you did was wrong. You killed a man in cold blood and there will be repercussions.”

“You’re making me want to come with you, Ensign, stop before I throw myself helplessly at your feet,” Lol’s voice rang out with sarcasm. “I’ll beg for forgiveness and lock myself away. It’s the right thing to do. You know, an attack of conscience.”

Moving over and peering over a cargo container, Ryan was still baffled as to where the petty officer was. He was making up ground, however, but the time was dwindling away. A quick glance at his tricorder yielded his time: four minutes. “All right, I’ll take you on hand-to-hand. You want to go out fighting, I’ve got no problem bringing your ass down.”

“You almost sound desperate, Ensign.”

Internally, Ryan was swearing up a storm. He was good at infiltration and rescue, not espionage and interrogation. He was hoping that the rather obvious lure would be taken hook, line, and sinker. In the end, unfortunately, his hook was gone and his line was tangled. “Overconfident, you may say. Let’s just assume that I’ll win and you can come out quietly, OK?”

There was a laugh and a pause. “Three minutes, Hollander. You’re going to have to do a lot more than this sorry excuse for compromise and negotiations. You don’t do very well.” There was another snicker before the petty officer revealed his location. On the second level to the hold behind a set of cargo containers. “Time is running out, sir.”

“Mr. Kendrick, you’re not going anywhere. We’ll track you, and when we find you we’re going to...”

“You’re going to what?” Lol interrupted, drawing a phaser, “you don’t scare me in the least ensign. I’ve seen my fair share of war and violence and, as you know, I’ve dished out a little bit of it myself. You don’t scare me. If that’s what you’re going for, then I suggest you change your strategy.”

Ryan smirked, stepping onto the lift. He gripped the rail as he ascended to Lol’s level. His eyes never left his target and Kendrick moved towards the top of the lift to meet him. “I’m not changing my strategy petty officer. If I have to beat you into submission to get you back to the Avalon I will. And, I have that authority.”

“Two minutes.”

Lol’s words were like daggers to Ryan’s heart. The time limit wasn’t helping. Ryan took a page out of Javan’s playbook and began a pacing patrol around Lol, who moved with Ryan’s circling movements. “Why are you running? You know we’re going to get you.”

“Shut up! You’re not phasing me so just stop!”

Ryan took the change in demeanor as an opportunity. He threw himself into Lol and listened as the phaser clattered to the ground. The two rolled around for a moment or two exchanging punches and kicks, but neither was able to gain the upper hand. It was going to be a battle of attrition and one that Ryan, even with his inexperience, was sure that he would be able to win. A sudden kick between his legs sent him spiraling over Lol’s body and into a cargo container.

“I told you, Ryan, I’m getting out of here. Time’s up.” Lol tapped his communications badge and tapped a tricorder that he had taken from the holster on his belt and shimmered away in a blue glow. Just after, a mere second maybe, alert klaxons blared throughout the hold.

The young ensign heard footsteps. Looking around to check for signs of anyone being on board, Ryan tapped his badge, “I’ve been compromised, get me out of here.” Just like Lol, Ryan disappeared as the Ferengi stormed into the hold. He saw the cargo hold turn back into a shuttle and stared at the frowns of Savannah Eckstein and Javan Sierra. “He got away.”

Javan shook his head, “Damn. Looks like we’re going to surface.”

“Sir, I didn’t think - ”

“We’re going to the surface, Lieutenant. All of you, prepare for rain.”



Other related posts: