STF

Defend by any Means Necessary

Posted April 8, 2021, 6:50 p.m. by Civilian Genesis (Gen) McCallister (Anomalous Individual) (Calé Reilly)

Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in Defend by any Means Necessary

Posted by Civilian Genesis (Gen) McCallister (Anomalous Individual) in Defend by any Means Necessary

Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in Defend by any Means Necessary
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Casela’s ‘How Not To Be A Spy’
Mistake 1: Answer the spy pager when you are too sick to think straight
Mistake 2: Not asking your doctor to field the terms of your medical leave
Mistake 3: Do not leave immediately as odred, instead spend time saying good by to those that matter
Mistake 4: Sleep on your transport instead of studying valuable intel reports

“Alfred…”
“Yes Valkyrie?”
Casela groaned, how she hated that name. She was no collector of the honored dead. She took the lives of those deemed unworthy. Jake had explained the lore to her all those years ago. She’d thought he was joking, trying to make her feel better. She had been piloting the shuttle manually for the last couple hours, but she couldn’t anymore. The headache was returning and the guilt just wouldn’t go away. She input her destination, “Alfred, take over the shuttle. Wake me up only if there is trouble.” Casela found the med kit and Hydrocortilene for the pain and inflammation, for both the headache and her still healing ribs. She flipped the port side bench out to a cot, grabbed a blanket and quickly wrapped herself up in it lying down on the cot.

Alfred’s physical form reappeared and he took the pilot’s seat. He didn’t need to sit there to control the shuttle, he was connected to the ship’s computer, he was the ship’s computer. But if they should encounter someone else, it was easier this way. He glanced many times at the sleeping form of Casela. He was an AI and emotional responses were simply a figment of his programming, but a frown of concern crossed his visage each time. Tellek Bog had programmed him to see to her safety and she didn’t look safe at the moment. Medical scans told him she’d had surgery and was still not recovered. She slept most of the way, waking only to eat and administer an anti-inflammatory. Once, she stayed up longer, recording preprogrammed messages, something about wine that he didn’t understand, and then giving him specific instructions on when/if and how to send them. Her override program stopped him from turning the shuttle around. He left her be, not needing the social interaction, and woke her when they were a day away from their destination.

Rho Puppis was a planet inside Federation space, between the old Romulan border and the Klingon Empire. The 2nd planet from the sun was where she was going. It was remote and not highly populated. There were some Federation and Klingon citizens still there, but after the Romulan star went supernova a Romulan relocation colony was set up there. It was just over the border and was more of a way station than anything else. The Federation and it’s allies were more than willing to move out when the Romulans arrived. Casela dropped the shuttle into a high orbit over the southern magnetic pole, using the distortions of the pole to help hide the shuttle. There was some traffic going in and out, but she felt better knowing she wasn’t so easily detected. Rho Puppis was on the right outer edge of the Ion Nebula; she could use that Ion interference to her advantage as well if she needed to hide.

There was a single settlement near the equator, where it was warmer and more to the liking of the Romulans. “Alfred, let’s make Valkyrja look a little less inviting and then let’s land.

After landing she began the power down sequence. “Alfred keep the holo image going but keep an eye on the power readings. Don’t draw attention to yourself.” Shuttles here usually stayed in stand-by mode, and thanks to Bog Valkyrja could run a lot of systems and still look like it was simply in stand-by mode. She moved to the locker by the starboard bench and opened it. She reached behind her neck and released the clasp of her necklace. She placed it in a heavy velvet bag. Stitched in runes it read “Only you can give this back to me,” and she placed it into the locker. She turned to look at Alfred, “You know who to give that too and if and when you need to.” Alfred nodded, “Turn yourself off. It is safer for everyone if they don’t find out there is an AI on this planet.”

She was simply a traveler on her way into Klingon space. She was taking a job at one of the smaller houses, but it had been a long journey and she was staying a few days. She contacted, what could only be described as, the local Inn. She paid for a room with gold pressed latinum. No need to leave a trace with Federation credits. She landed, left specific instructions for Alfred, and with a change of clothes and her bag, she locked the shuttle behind her.
Lt Synthi-er, S31

Rho Pupis was a class M planet and so the breathing was easy but there was a heaviness to the air or maybe she just wasn’t used to being so active since she’d been on bed rest. Either way by the time she arrived at the local Inn she was having to force the easy gaite and relaxed attitude. She paid the proprietor up front and scanned her palm. Casela didn’t even flinch at doing so. A lovely little trick picked up from Klingon Intelligence. A very fine biogel applied to the palm, pre sequenced, to change the palm print. It was grafted onto her hand so she didn’t have to worry about replacing it or it falling off. She hefted her pack and made her way to the 2nd floor. Most operatives preferred either the ground floor or the top floor. Casela preferred not to do the norm, no matter her preference. A room on the middle floor in the middle of that floor. It made for more difficult escapes but who would look for a spy in the middle of it all?

Alfred had turned off his holoprojectors and powered the shuttle down to standby mode. But he continued to monitor the shuttle’s systems and the outside of the hull. He had closed the blast shutters on all the view ports. The reason was simple enough and would not draw suspicion - privacy. It also meant that when the traffic around the landing pad cleared he would be able to work on repairs. Not that they had taken any damage, but traveling through space took it’s toll. Unfortunately he would not be able to do any exterior work.

About 20 minutes after Casela left the shuttle Alfred’s voice was heard over the shuttle’s speakers, “I don’t know how you got on board, but I suggest you stop hiding. I can suck the air right out of the cabin or fill it with gas. It won’t hurt me, but I bet it does a number on you.”
Alfred, AI

There was a humph sound and a flicker as a slightly pale and tired looking Gen phased out of the shuttle into existence. She scowled at the AI’s voice, “I don’t care what you do!” She said in the defiant tone of children everywhere. She looked around “where did she go?” She asked.

Alfred had the entire Leviathan crew manifest in his protected data banks. Casela had it set up that way so the shuttle would not incorrectly identify anyone working nearby in the shuttle bay as a threat. But in addition to the crew who went with her to Delotha, she had put Gen into the system as well, just incase they ever went anywhere with her. Once Gen materialized completely, Alfred was able to get a solid scan of her and immediately recognized her. His image flickered to life from the holoprojectors. He was also programmed to answer her questions and, much as Big had done to Casela, Alfred was programmed to protect her. “You are Gen, Ms Casela’s daughter. I am Alfred, the shuttle computer. Your mother left when we landed. You look very tired.” He flipped down a cot and then ordered her favorite food and drink from the shuttle replicator. “You should eat and lie down.” Alfred sent a small message to Casela. An automated signal that would indicate a problem with the shuttle systems. Most people had such a system set up on their shuttles to indicate if their shuttles were in need of maintenance. “I have contacted her. You should rest till she comes back.”

Gen took the food and drink as if she was starving and drained the drink quickly. She sat down on the cot but didn’t lie back.

This time Casela had very little of a disguise. Other than changing her eyes to a very rich emerald green and curling her hair she appeared the same. This was supposed to be an easy task. She took the time to aquant herself with her room. A quiet but quick scan with a small palm sized scanner assured her of no listening devices, cameras, or other telemetry coming or going from her room. A quick addition to the heavy linen dress with short sleeves and high neckline, resembling the local attire, was a knife sheath strapped to either leg and a garrotte threaded into the linen belt. From her pack she took what looked like a messenger bag. Into the underside of the flap when both of her fighting fans into special loops. She added a bag of latinum slips. Today was simply the goal of learning the layout. She wouldn’t be looking for places to listen until the following morning. So the first place she went was the market and she was lucky enough to find a Klingon vendor and a stuffed Toby the Targ. She seemingly wandered the market, aimlessly, looking at items and putting them down. She was looking for something for Ryder, but the problem was, like she told him, nothing she gave him came close to immortality. Eventually she found something, it didn’t tell him how significant his presence in her life was, but she was sure he would like it.

She wandered the market making note of alleyways, access points to the roofs, main roads, and the location of busy businesses and social points. Anywhere that would be easy to disappear into the shadows or a crowd. She should already have this information, but she didn’t take the time to read everything in the files sent to her, instead she had slept. There was a wide range of cultures represented in the market. Rho Pupis seemed to be thriving with the influx of the Romulan colony. She chose a stall serving traditional Romulan cuisine. The tables were tall and no chairs. In small establishments like this Romulan’s tended to stand while they ate. Casela ordered soup. It was light but had a robust flavor and was filling. She looked around the area while she ate. Taking note of faces, groups and who was not engaging with others. She was distracted though, returning to faces, landmarks, patterns in the social rhythm. She felt like she was missing something. The concern heightening her senses and flooding her system with adrenaline. She observed and checked and ‘listened’ but couldn’t pinpoint the reason for the feeling. She finished her meal and made her way back towards her accommodations. She stopped several times, with no purpose in mind, other than to ensure she wasn’t being followed. It wasn’t until she was sitting on the bed in the room, taking in the ‘quiet’ and the sounds of the building and surrounding area, to get the rhythm that she realized what was wrong. It was like a thought was missing from her mind. It was like his presence was gone, she could barely feel the connection where he should be just on the edge of her mind, but he wasn’t on the other end. She sighed, she was lonely without them. “I miss you both.” She’d send them a message in the morning and get this assignment done, as quickly as possible.
Operative Valkyrie, S31

Gen

Sitting in the quiet Casela noticed a flashing light on a small older style communicator. A message flashed across the small screen indicating a malfunction with Valkyrja that needed maintenance attention. A common enough message if it had been any shuttle but Valkyrja. Casela grabbed her weapons, tucking them into pockets, and left her room, heading for the shuttle. She took a direct route, checking on one’s shuttle not being strange. She stumbled once, the headache and disorientation getting to her…and it did not go unnoticed.

She checked around the outside of the shuttle from a distance just in case. Then palming the access panel she stepped inside to hatch closing behind her. She stood dumb founded at the sight before her. Gen on a cot and Alfred activated despite having told him to turn off. She walked over to Gen and hugged her, not even bothering to check to see if it was some sort of trick. “Baby, what are you doing here? I just talked to you and Daddy yesterday. How did you get here?”

“I couldn’t let you go alone. You’re hurt and it’s dangerous.” She said her eyes big the way children did. “She shrugged
” I phased, it was hard. I’ve never stayed phased so long. I’m tired.” She said honestly.

“Alfred, send a priority message to the Leviathan, to Cmdr Raauhl.” She turned to Gen while Alfred made the connection. “Your father is going to be very angry at me.”

On the Leviathan, Raauhl’s console would light up, blinking indicating a priority message from Casela’s shuttle.
Lt Synthi-er CNS

This made her hang her head. “I’m in trouble aren’t I?” She asked.

Gen


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