Storming The Castle

Posted on Sun Jun 18th, 2023 @ 11:36am by Lieutenant Rohan Read & Lieutenant Commander Tiandith 'Tia' Tobru & Lieutenant JG Osil Haistro

2,804 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 6 - Point Of Enlightenment
Location: The Ferryman

ON:

"Oh I do love it when you have some time off," Niska said happily running a finger down Tia's arm as they lay together. Evidence of their tryst - a line of discarded clothing was dotted from her office door to the large sofa they were currently wrapped round each other.

Tia's combadge had chirped with a message earlier, she hadn't looked at it yet as she was off duty. If it had been a message of great importance then they would have called she thought and left it. Truth be told it was on a piece of clothing that was somewhere on the floor. She went to speak but was stopped.

The chime on her office kept being pressed. Niska begrudgingly took her empathic senses off her lover and sat up surprised. There was feelings of surprise and anger. from her staff.

"Somethings up," she muttered leaving the warm embrace of Tia and pulling on a silk robe.

Tia could feel it as well. As Niska began to put on her robe Tia began to get dressed and brought up the message on her combadge. As she read it she sighed as Niska turned to her.

"Whats up?" she asked securing the short robe round her waist.

The plan to raid Niska's establishment had put Tia in a quandary. One, she was in a relationship with this woman and wanted to prepare her for what was to come, and two, she was XO and Chief of Security and had a duty to the station and those she served.

"Security are paying you a visit." Tia said simply pulling on her top.

"Well it won't be the first time today," she winked at Tia. Running a hand through her hair she mentally pulled on her game face before opening the door and stepping out wondering why these silly fleeters were in a tizz.

"Easy boys," she said seeing the younger one ... Bobby was it practically hyperventilate at her attire. "To what do I owe this pleasure. If I had of had more warning I could have received you better."

"Niska," Zoe one of her waitresses said, "They are claiming its a safety inspection."

"Funny that you did one very recently after fitting the last piece of my new holodec yesterday. Paperwork not caught up," Niska said calmly.

"They are lying," a booming voice rang out from chef in the kitchen the man hidden away as always. "Lying sneaky fleeters."

"Ms O'Trei, I'm Lieutenant Read, Assistant Chief of Security." The broad dark haired male said stepping forward. "After the recent Romulan attack, we need to just do a safety inspection of your establishment and storage areas. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes." Rohan explained, his tone professional and even.

"Lovely to meet you Lieutenant Read. You do know however I am half Betazoid and empathic. So you better have a better explanation as to what your up to right now. As your very much lying about a safety inspection," Niska stated firmly. Everyone arounds eyes were suddenly on the Lieutenant.

Liam taught to ignore a lot of people emotions. But when it involved potentially compromising her business, Niska was calling the man on it.

"See I was right," Chefs loud voice boomed out again. "Lying sneaky fleeters."

"Alright, Ms O'Trei." Read replied simply. "You've recently received a large amount of yamak sauce. This order is highly irregular to your usual ordering regime. We'd like to take a look at this shipment and make sure everything is as it should be." The Lieutenant explained. He didn't want to reveal too much about what they thought might be in the shipment but everything he said was accurate and truthful.

Niska laughed. "Yamak sauce. Your doing some sort of raid on me over sauce? I do not do the ordering. Chef have we had Yamak Sauce come in?" she said loudly in the direction of the kitchen hatch.

"Yeah been meaning to speak to you but you have been "busy" lately. We got about 15 times our usual order. Clearly been a mistake on the suppliers end," he said back.

Niska looked back at the Lieutenant who clearly thought there was much more darker things going on. "Apparently we have. I will get you your sauce."

In the crowd, a female stepped closer. She hadn't planned on revealing herself yet and causing Niska headaches. She had just been delivering Patton and Cade to her place and was going to disappear straight after but It seemed the station staff had faster plans. How were they on to things? There was no way that they could be close to using any of that shipment of sauce. She would have to contact her new "friends" now and explain things had been elevated. They might not "like" that.

Leaving the irritating yet good looking marine and kid behind in their seats she was surprised how she did react seeing Niska again. It was never fun running into an old lover. Or even worse ... she groaned. Two.

Having kept a slight distance and staying more towards the entrance, Osil turned his head as he sensed something from the crowd. His eyes scanned the gathered gaggle of curious people, trying to figure out whose thoughts and feelings he had picked up. They were certainly different from the curiosity that was mainly present in most spectators.

Tia exited the bar from the back room, the room Niska had left from and looked out at the sea of yellow uniforms that now littered The Ferryman. Some looked her way, others did not. She had heard Read's explanation of why he was there and felt slightly annoyed at not at least being informed of her department storming a rather prominent and well liked establishment on the promenade. Even if there was foul play there were optics that should have been considered should this not fall security's way. "Besides the delivery order, what other evidence do you have Lt. Read?" Tia asked. "And who authorised this?" she gestured to the room.

Read passed the PADD he held in his hand to the Chief of Security. "As you're probably aware, as you get the same security reports from Starfleet, an amount of unlicensed Dilithium crystals have been moved through this sector. It would probably only a matter of time before it came through the station. An unusual amount of yamak sauce arriving is very odd and the timing couldn't be worse. As for the order, ma'am, I gave it myself. I've heard the rumours of your relationship with Ms O'Trei and I couldn't run the risk of you warning her." Read explained, his tone neutral and respectful. "If I'm wrong, you can gladly have my badge, ma'am. However, from my experience my hunches are never wrong."

"I have seen those reports." Tia answered as she accepted the PADD from Read. She read through what information had been collected and frowned a little due to the circumstantial nature of them. "The rumours are true, Lieutenant. I do have a close relationship with Ms O'Trei, even though we haven't actually defined it as being a coupling yet." Tia admitted looking over at Niska.

They were having fun together and where as Tia would like to make it a bit more definitive she would never press that one someone else. Plus, it was hard to read another empath, or someone with mental abilities.

"However, I do understand your thought process behind not telling me but at the same time am disappointed that you would question my integrity, my loyalty and even my very character. I have given more to Starfleet in this universe and my own than I'd care to share. More than 40 years of service." She saw Read go to speak but stopped him. "As I said I do understand your reservation. None of you know me here, and I do not know you. Trust takes time." she handed him the PADD back.

"Carry on, but you will treat Ms O'Trei and her staff with the utmost respect and courtesy. Everything goes back where it was found and there will be no baseless accusations. When nothing is found an apology will be given. Is that clear Lt. Read?" Tia felt she was being fair, she knew they wouldn't find anything here. Even if Niska was dealing in stolen dilithium she was far smarter than to hide it on her own premises.

"Thank you, ma'am. I assure you Ms O'Trei and her staff will be treated fairly and with the respect they deserve. An apology is not a problem with nothing is found." Read replied in agreement. "For the record, ma'am, I would never question a long serving officers integrity or loyalty but its fine line to walk in this situation. By doing it this way, it keeps you clear of the investigation."

Niska returned with a large jar and pushed it into the hands of the Lieutenant.

"Do you monitor all your civilian proprietors orders Lieutenant?" she asked deliberately rather unhappy about this intrusion. "I want a full list of everything you have on my establishment and its orders and my suppliers. When I bought this unit it was not specified anywhere in the contracts that your people would be scrutinising all my food orders."

"We only monitor unusual activities. This shipment was highlighted as unusual." Read replied before looking at the large jar. "Whats this? The yamak sauce?"

"Its what it says on the label yes," Niska stated at what was a very stupid question. What else would she bring him when he insisted on looking at her sauce and she had stated she would fetch him some sauce.

"So for you to deem something unusual you must have data of other orders to compare it too. Ergo Starfleet are monitoring the public vendors in this station," Niska said with some disgust. "Believe me I will be bringing this up at the next vendors association meeting."

The female in the crowd laughed inwardly. Niska's logic was sound as always. Read though was stubborn and overly confident. The group around them was getting bigger. It seemed since her first old flame had mentioned contracts some had gone and fetched other vendors.

Niska spotted her cousin Teena who had opened up the new apothecary shop join them. Perhaps that was the sense of someone overly familiar she had started to feel going to get the man the sauce?

"Is that true?" Teena asked the Lieutenant. "Do you monitor my orders too?"

"All orders are monitored for security purposes." Read explained. "For public businesses to be on a Starfleet installation, their business will he monitored for any unusual activities. This is all in the terms of business contract you signed."

“There is no such wording in my contract,” Niska stated firmly. “And I had lawyers look it over very carefully,” Niska stated.

“Nor mine,” Teena said looking at him incredulously, “and I literally just signed mine.

So basically your federation charges us a ridiculous rate to buy or rent a unit to provide amenities for your people and then don’t trust us to conduct our businesses that you have made us pay for the privilege to do,” the young Betaziod glared at the security man.

“It’s not even their station,” one of the diners yelled out. “It’s a Cardassian one that they laid claim too. Anyone can make claim to it. But they’re bigger than most so most don’t challenge them. That’s why they get away with atrocious behaviour like this.”

“Hell they can’t even keep the vole poop off the promonade …” someone yelled. “But have time to secretly do all that.”

“You have your sauce,” Niska told him, “Go do whatever the hell you’re going to do with it and get the hell out of my bar before you have half my punters rioting against your precious Federation.”

Osil kept glancing around, hand on his rifle though it was currently lowered down. "Just cooperate ma'am," he suggested calmly, "and we can have this all sorted quietly. There's no need for a riot. No one needs to get hurt, do they?"

“I have cooperated even though I caught him in a lie,” Niska said incredulously. “It’s not my fault if how you choose to conduct things is upsetting your civilian population. Also that is an awful lot of fire power for an irregular amount of sauce that my chefs already confirmed is a mistake on the suppliers end don’t you think,” she looked down at the rifle.

“They’re all armed to the teeth,” another diner yelled.

The Betazoid security officer smiled pleasantly. "Just protocol ma'am," he he explained calmly, "I do suggest you caution your tenants over there though, it feels like they are going to start a fire soon. He's trying to rile them all up. We don't want this to escalate,do we ma'am?"

“They are not my tennants. They’re your tenants as you lay claim to current ownership of this station. They are my customers. And don’t call me ma’am. I am Niska,” she told him.

“However as I am just as worried about this situation exploding as you are I agree action is required.”

She stepped forward and raised her voice, “I’m very sorry but I’m going to have to close the establishment this afternoon until such time these Starfleet officers have finished conducting whatever they are currently doing. Do not worry about any bills. Everyone eats on the house tonight. Zoe get everyone’s dinner boxed up. Chef close down the kitchen.”

There was a lot of disgruntled chatter and cursing as diners started to rise.

While there was chatter, Rohan took the time to pull out his tricorder and scanning the sample he was given. Of course, this could be a decoy and the rest of the shipment would need to be checked.

He looked at the results, at an untrained eye or brief glance the seemed exactly as suggested, a jar of yamak sauce. However, a particular spike in the reading caught his eye. He'd seen it before while on an undercover mission, something was off.

Read replaced his tricorder in the holder and proceeded to open the jar and up end it onto the floor. There was a clank as something hard hit the floor. A Dilthium crystal.

"Ms Niska O'Trei, I'm placing you under arrest for smuggling illegal Dilthium crystals. This establishment is now closed and a more detailed search lf the premises will be carried out."

Niska blinked several times as the words perennated her brain. Finally she looked him right in the face and said, "I don't know which to be more insulted over. That you think I would change my whole life, build my bar completely afresh and then try to kill everyone after all that cost and effort or that you think I would be so stupid as to house smuggled goods in my establishment if I actually was smuggling. I am nothing to do with this," she said firmly looking over at Tia. It was more important to her, her lover knew that.

"Hell you have a full betaziod right there over armed for a civilian establishment, but can tell you I'm telling the truth."

"I'd be more insulted over the second Nis," a female voice rang out. "But don't worry he tried to pin something on me a couple of years back and got nowhere."

"Zion," she looked over at the alien. Well wasn't that a turn or events? Was this an elaborate play for the Batinica Brothers to get her back in play again she wondered. "And why pray tell are you here, right this moment of Federation stupidity, dropping in on an old ex?" she demanded.

"Ex's." she smiled walking up to and nudging Read. "I'm accompanying the decorated Marine Patton from your old space station returning the boy you sent to my door. We were getting lunch while we located one Liam Reynolds who sent him on the mission."

Niska shut her eyes briefly. Patton. That lump. AGAIN. He was a huge part of the reason she had left Poseidon Station. Her eyes zoomed round her bar but it seemed he had already gone. And what the hell did Liam have to do with this?

"Talking of children," Zion smiled at Read, "When your done storming the castle we need to have a little talk Daddy."

She left that parting shot and exited with the last few customers. The rumour mill now going into overdrive.

Niska held he hands up for them to cuff her. "I think your in more trouble than I am," she said dryly.

Read swallowed hard as he placed Niska's wrists in cuffs.

 

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