S'Krellen

S'Tlak rubbed his chin and smiled. Larana had rubbed his chin as she kissed him last night. It was a small and unconscious gesture, probably, but it always made him smile. That and remembering her scent. Both of them knew that each kiss could be their last.

Walking, rubbing his chin, S'Tlak was on his third appearance change in this trail. He and Larana had identified an Orion, nicknamed Mungo, as a gopher for the Syndicate. Like many men who try to rise to power Mungo fancied himself a connoisseur of good things. His thing of preference, oddly enough, was ancient Vulcan literature. He had been more than happy to find a disgraced Vulcan librarian who had contacts with the black marketeers in such antiquities.

S'Tlak smiled as Mungo nervously looked around and then walked into the Prancing Pony. Watching from across the alley, S'Tlak looked around to make sure that he was observed; just one more timid tourist trying to talk himself into tasting the forbidden delicacies the Pony offered. He guessed, unlike real tourists, that the door frame was a high resolution scanner that could detect any sort of weapon, explosive, or biological chemical that might do harm. Well, almost any weapon. It wouldn't trigger on the data chips in Mungo's pocket, the ones S'Tlak had let Mungo think were stolen. Simply because they were data chips. Who cared if they used different crystals or had a small power source for longevity? Really, they weren't a weapon until inserted into the PADD S'Tlak himself carried. Even the PADD didn't seem to be a weapon. It was an upgraded version with a larger power supply, of course. Even these scanners couldn't tell that the screen was pre cut to break into a palm knife with a molecule sharp blade. Nor that the base plate could take Mungo's data chips and become a short range phaser.

Mungo hadn't wasted any time running to his masters when he thought he discovered one of the slave Orions sharing her charms with S'Tlak. You could almost see the mental gears stripping themselves as he thought of the reward he'd get from the boss for uncovering a spy and the chance to search S'Tlak's quarters for the manuscript they had been negotiating about. Mungo was too excited to watch his trail clearly and S'Tlak was too close to finishing this job to let him get away. He had his own dreams of reward, of course. But not from the Syndicate. And no reward if one doesn't live to collect it. The Marines would be starting their show in 72 minutes and he had to be across the city to help with that. At the Pony, however, was one lose end Larana shouldn't have to worry about.

S'Tlak made himself nervously shuffle in his over large coat and then clutch his PADD close to his thinned frame. Larana had made fun of his looks; she could almost lift him herself. His ribs had stuck out of his chest and his face had been made gaunt to reflect how a broke and underfed Vulcan might look. Widening his eyes and looking nervously around, he approached the Pony's front door.

"We're you going, Vulcan?" the big bouncer on the left said. "We don't usually serve your kind here."

"I have credits." S'Tlak said nervously, holding up a good handful of large numbers. "Mungo said this was the place for a man to...ummm..I have credits."

"Mungo, eh? That fat pig?" The other guard snorted. "Even he can't normally afford to be here." Grabbing a few credits, he added. "Well, I guess you can take a look. Not sure you'll know what to do, but hey, that's your call."

Blushing on cue, S'Tlak moved inside. The scanners picked up a Vulcan male, just like he looked. The scanners weren't yet good enough to detect the embedded device in S'Tlak's body, the one that made him look like a Vulcan male in decent health. He could be lying on the floor missing both arms and one leg and still register as in good health. Of course, he wasn't really a Vulcan, either. So much for technology.

Looking for Mungo, S'Tlak found his prey waiting at the bar. The thick crowd was going to work to S'Tlak's advantage, within a few minutes he had brushed by Mungo and retrieved the data chips. Within his coat pocket the PADD was broken down and put back together as his more powerful tools. The pen beat the sword but there are times a phaser beats a PADD.

A few minutes more and they came to get Mungo. The fat man had commed in while huffing and running from their hourly quarters. He had said it was a matter of life and death for the boss and for this once he didn't have to wait long. Of course, he knew if the boss didn't think it was worth the rush, well, Mungo would pay the price. One of the guards led the way and the other fell in behind Mungo. S'Tlak quickly moved through the crowd in a parallel fashion, acting drunk and slipping a credit in here or there to keep things moving along. When the front guard unlocked the door S'Tlak made his move.

Springing forward he buried the knife in the rear guards kidneys and twisted up and around while pushing them all forcefully through the door. The now dead guard flopped forward and entangled Mungo who tried to turn while stumbling forward. "Hey, What the..." was all the front guard could get out before S'Tlak had leapt forward and pulled the guard back by the hair before running the knife through his throat.

"What...what are you doing?" Mungo quietly whined, trying to get up while entangled in two grossly bleeding bodies.

"I need to talk to your boss." S'Tlak hissed. "Shut up and live."

Lifting the fallen guard's still warm and mildly living body S'Tlak pressed the dying man's hand to the security lock. As the door opened the guard fell and S'Tlak walked in.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be..." the well dressed gentleman behind the desk said, before slumping as the phaser beam caught him in the chest.

"I thought you were going to talk to the boss!" Mungo said, sputtering.

S'Tlak raised an eyebrow. "I thought I made my point quite well, no sense dragging things along."

"What...what are you going to do to me?"

S'Tlak put his index finger on the front of Mungo's clavicle and the thumb behind his throat. "You know of the Vulcan nerve pinch?"

"Yes! yes!" Mungo said, closing his eyes tight in anticipation of the pain.

S'Tlak grabbed a heavy award from the port police authority from the shelf by the door and slammed into into Mungo's head. As the other man fell to the floor unconscious, S'Tlak replied. "I'm not Vulcan."

Stepping over the fat man and going behind the desk, S'Tlak quickly searched the well dressed boss and relieved him of a few dangerous items. "The admiral wasn't really happy you decided to run a side op for personal profit, boss. tsk tsk..." Keeping the heavy award handy for good measure, S'Tlak fired up the computer and brought out one of his own data chips. Inserting it into the computer terminal he sat back for a few minutes, checked the time, and watched as the software on the chip took control of the computer and gave him access.

Checking the time again, quickly, S'Tlak whispered. "Let's read a little before we change history, shall we?" Licking his lips he skimmed through and found the file he was looking for. "Well, she really is a keeper, isn't she?" He said to the unconscious man. "Well, well, well...my love. Interesting."

Sighing, he set the software lose on it's prey. In moments the boss really was an Orion Syndicate head and not an Federation agent. His bank security was now sloppily maintained and enough evidence available to put him away for the rest of his life and a few more. Larana's files were completely changed, evidence of her being in Section 31 erased, and in place just one more illegally held Orion woman, destined to be freed by the Star Fleet Marines in 8.5 minutes.

Pulling out the data chip, S'Tlak smiled. He left the knife with Mungo, pulled off his fake print gloves, and exited the office. The Marines had been briefed on a secondary target and a squad of them were going to materialize right next to the PADD, it's homing beacon now on and laying on the office floor.

Within a few minutes S'Tlak the skinny librarian had been beamed across town to the used book store he had set up last month. The musty smell drowned out his memories of her in person but just made him miss her all the more. She was so alive to him, and so free! They had talked about going back to, well, somewhere and starting out as a normal couple. He had kissed her every time she said it, and every time he knew she was lying. Thrown together for this mission they had grown too close to hide their thoughts. He was madly in love with her and would run away to the stars if she would have him. But she wouldn't, and they both knew it.

S'Tlak intentionally left the door ajar. This was one more loss for him; dusty books, stolen moments with "she who stole his heart", and the facade of respectability a businessman might have. The shop would be ravaged before anyone official realized the owner was gone for good. Checking the time he smiled sadly. "Time to meet the Marines." he whispered. "Good bye, my love."

---

Captain Davidson

"Captain, thank you for seeing me. I appreciate your 'open door' policy and will try not to intrude too much."

Any captain would recognize S'Krellen's body language; many junior officers view the captain as semi-divine and knowing every little thing. They often come clean on some petty this or that. More embarrassed than criminal, assuming the captain already knows and they just need to confess their sins.

"I assume you've read my record, Captain." He looked at Captain Davidson directly. "I appreciate your willingness to take on a junior officer with such a lackluster history. My commitment to the ship, and its mission, is foremost on my mind. That said, I..."

He pulled out a small data chip and offered it to her. "My family values loyalty, Captain. This is my only violation, a little piece of contraband. I offer it out of loyalty to you and the ship."

"You would be right if you guessed my family's influence got me on the roster for space duty. Mostly right, anyway. Mister Sloane wasn't overly pleased with my request for a transfer but my family has been in the community much longer than he has." He nodded to the chip. "You probably recognize the read once nature of that chip, Captain. That's my service record. My real record, not the one Star Fleet has."

"I understand if you would prefer me serve elsewhere Captain." S'Krellen stepped back and came to attention.