STF

Mundai Colony - A need to get away

Posted May 11, 2021, 11:42 p.m. by Lieutenant Jasmine Wynter (Chief Medical Officer) (Kate O'Neill)

Posted by Lieutenant Jasmine Wynter (Chief Medical Officer) in Mundai Colony - A need to get away

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Max Wynter (Chief Engineer / 2nd Officer) in Mundai Colony - A need to get away

Posted by Lieutenant Jasmine Wynter (Chief Medical Officer) in Mundai Colony - A need to get away
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Snip

Following her out, Max walked straight to the table and slid into a chair, striking a relaxed pose an instant before Ella opened the door.

The pounding continued as Ella made her way across the living room to the door. She didn’t check to make sure Max was ready. Ella knew he would be. Opening the door, her face changed seeing who was behind it.

“Stanton.” Ella looked back at Max with a surprised look on her face before quickly ushering the man into the room.

“What are you doing,” he looked at her with disbelief before settling his gaze on Max. There was a protectiveness only a man would notice in Stanton’s eyes as they settled on Max.

“What I needed to,” she said rapidly allowing the man to enter. Quickly looking out into the hall before she pulled her head back in Ella took a deep breath. “You shouldn’t have come. They swept the building last night. I am not sure who they took.” Seeing Max at the table, clearly set Ella on edge. “You should have called first.”

Stanton stared at Max glaring at him as if he wanted to tear the man apart. Long slow seconds passed like dead air in a vacuum with no one in the trio speaking.

Max returned the look, cold and judging. If Stanton’s look held a protective glare for Ella then Max’s eyes held no less of a protective focus. They may well have been for different reasons, but Ella’s safety was Max’s responsibility and if this Stanton was so protective, where had he been when she needed him? The thought flashed through Max’s mind, followed by suspicion. Was it too close on the tail of the officiant to be a coincidence?

“I think we are going to need some coffee for that story,” she looked down the hall once both ways before closing and locking it. Ella made her way to the kitchen as Stanton moved towards Max. His posture wasn’t threatening but it also wasn’t friendly.

Ella

“Friend of yours Ella?” Max asked casually. He didn’t stop his relaxed posture, but his wiry frame was tensed enough to spring into action in an instant if this man was to try anything. His eyes hadn’t moved away from him, his look hadn’t changed, but Max had already noted every object in the room that could be used in an emergency. With Jasmine missing, Max was beginning to see why Ella seemed to fear almost everyone on this planet. There were layers of mistrust and betrayal, lies and self serving people out for themselves. Someone like Ella had far too much of a good heart to survive long in this world, but survive she had.

Lt Cmdr Wynter, CE

“I would have called if you answered your communicator,” Stanton fired off angrily grabbing a purse in a chair and rapidly going through it. Tossing the items out at first, Stanton resorted to dumping the contents out in the chair before finding it bounce on a cushion. “Dammit Ella,” he threw the phone at her.

Ella jumped and let out a small yelp as the device bounced off her. Her hand clutched the mug not wanting to drop it and add to the mess. She knew Stanton was going to be livid but not this mad.

“How stupid are you? You were carrying it? On your person?” The anger in the man’s voice was laced every word. As the communicator shattered on the floor, bits of glass and plastic splayed everywhere. Stanton stood glaring at her waiting for whatever lame response she was going to give. It was a mistake ever involving her. She was not only going to get someone killed but also herself.

The sound of a chair being pushed back scraped over the floor, breaking the momentary silence as Max came to his feet and took a step towards the man. “Check your mouth before I check it for you.” The words came out of Max like a low growl, a sound that Ella wouldn’t have heard before. The sound that wouldn’t, shouldn’t be associated with a Starfleet Officer. Mintaran men might take their wives names in marriage, but a person should never insult or threaten a woman close to a Mintaran man without understanding a simple cultural quirk. The Mintaran man would tear the threat limb from limb. Max’s wiry frame was now visibly tensed, like a coiled spring. Before his posture was relaxed, if wary. Now, the wiry engineer looked like he could take down a bear with bare hands.

Glancing at Max, Stanton pointed a finger at him. “Sit down buddy. I am warning you. This is between Ella and I.”

“Not anymore,” Max growled back, and took another step towards Stanton.

Seeing Max stand up, Ella moved between the two men tiptoeing over the shards of communicator littering the ground like a minefield between them. Looking up at Max she put a hand on his chest. “Max....Max give me a few minutes to explain why Stanton is so mad?” Why she was so worried about Max had Ella on edge. She had only known the man for less than twenty-four hours but somehow she felt attached to him.

“Why Stanton is mad,” her friend stated in disbelief moving into the living area ripping the hat off his head. “I can answer that. Stanton,” he used the third person sarcastically, “is mad because you brought a man home that is going to get the entire network arrested and placed before a firing squad.”

Watching him walk into the living area, Max stayed where he stood with Ella’s hand on his chest. He hadn’t relaxed at all, but he had listened to Ella, responded to her touch. Ella wasn’t his wife, but the woman who had risked her life for him clearly meant something to the Mintaran.

“He needed help,” Ella snapped jumping to Max’s defense. “And we do this all the time. It is why we do it.”

“Do what, exactly?” Max said with a frown. This part of the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

“But not to someone as stupid as leaving a message they are going to trace back to our people. When you were sleeping he sent a message. I need to get you out,” Stanton said to Ella. “You…” he looked at Max…”you are on your own.”

Jasmine Wynter CMO

“Of course I sent a message,” Max replied, looking at both Stanton and Ella in turn. “My ship, the Manhattan, recovered the remains of my wife from a destroyed shuttlecraft. Remains that perfectly matched her DNA and medical profiles. I had to confirm that it wasn’t her, because I saw her get beamed away with my own eyes with technology that a simple fake shuttle explosion won’t cover.”

Ella and Stanton exchanged a silent glance between them. They weren’t covert about the exchange between them yet it seemed to slightly diffuse the tension in Stanton. “So how do you know she is not dead,” the man asked Max simply. “If you said they had a body....”. Stanton let his voice trail off. Ella was right and maybe had just done more for their organization than she realized. People here did not care about those they did not see or deemed unworthy. Taking this off worlders wife and a Federation officer at that, might cause more problems than the government would want. The flip side was the government might just kill this guys wife to cover things up.

“The body they recovered was a clone,” Max revealed, “It wasn’t Jasmine. Someone went to great lengths, using medical Technology illegal in the Federation, to make it look like Jasmine was dead. Now, who would have that technology? Why would the trace on this lead here to Mundai?” Max held up the weapon that had been used to shoot Jasmine… “A Transporter Energy Marker, was used to abduct a skilled and qualified doctor in this region of space, only to pretend to Starfleet that she was then dead, using advanced medical technology?” He glared at them both, but turned his full attention to Stanton.

“You talk about some kind of network,” Max spat at the man, and took a step forward past Ella’s hand holding him back, “but you haven’t done a damn thing.”

“Of course we haven’t done a damn thing according to you because you are only concerned with one person. We,” Stanton snarled back, “are concerned with the good of the whole. You would just storm in, safe your wife, and roll back out damning everyone you left behind including Ella.” Pulling his knit hat off his head, the man yanked at it clearly trying to expel his anger on the fabric instead of Max. “I get it. You love your wife but are you willing to sacrifice Ella for your wife. Do you care about protecting her or is that just me.”

“You want to protect Ella?” Max laughed in the man’s face, “How? She would have been taken at the space port if it wasn’t for me! Crushed underfoot or abducted, killed in whatever the hell that attack was! Where were you? Where was your concern and protection for her then? Did you care about her?”

“No you were nowhere to be seen. It was me that took her to safety, when your pointless, toothless network did nothing. She’s not stepping a foot outside that door with you when you have already failed to protect her.” Max’s voice had moved from the accusing tone to a protective growl now. “Ella is going to stay with me, where I know she will be safe and you,” Max’s wrist flicked to the side, emphazising that he was still holding the weapon, albeit pointed at the ground, “are going to tell me who on this forsaken world has the medical knowledge and ability to create perfect clones of people, including their internal organs, and where I can find them so I can rescue my wife. Your network better be useful for something, at least.”

Lt Cmdr Wynter, CE

“You buying all this,” Stanton turned his attention to Ella completely ignoring Max. There was a familiarity in his stare at Ella, a past history. Whether this past history was good, bad, or reciprocal was unclear and hard to interpret.

Ella shifted her feet to buy time. Both Max and Stanton would want a reply to Stanton’s question. If she agreed with Max, Ella had no idea how Stanton would react. If she sided with Stanton, the only result would be to throw Max out and on his own. Neither response would solve the situation they were currently in.

A heavy pounding on the door gave Ella the escape she needed from the conversation. “Miss Rogan.” The pounding on the door was supposed to be akin to a knock only it has harder, insistent, and with hostile intent. “Ella Rogan it is Officiant Darienqueyuel. You are to open your door for spiritual inspection.”

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Medical facility
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“He is not part of this,” Jasmine yelled looking at the man strapped to the table. She strained at the two arms holding her in a seated position as she looked down from the observation platform high about the operating room.

In the center of the room, a man was lying on the cold hard slab of metal. It was clear why he was laying there which added to the terror and tension in the space. His eyes were wide with fear and held the look of a cage animal. The only movement to show the desperation in the man’s body was the splaying of his fingers in his hands as if he was trying to fight his way out of the situation. The rest of his body was held down by thick straps placed carefully to allow access to certain body parts. A muffled scream continued to erupt over and over in the room attempting to drown out all other conversations formed from the gag in the man’s mouth.

“And yet you had his electronic correspondence codes. “Max I do not know where I,” Rag screamed in her face making Jasmine close her eyes. The hot stink of the Fernengi’s breath enveloped her in a fog choking her ability to breathe. “When did Barton help you? When did you two plot to undermine my ability to earn a living.” The anger in the Ferengi’s voice rose above the cries of the man on the table below.

“I do not know Barton,” Jasmine yelled back feeling her throat burn as the force of the words left her mouth. “The computer was unlocked. I sent a message.” Her eyes held a wild look just like the man on the table below her.

“A message that could have cost me my business. Stole the food from my children’s mouths....the roof from the head....the clothes off their back…” A loud crack filled the room as Rag sharply backhanded Jasmine across the cheek. A burning sensation filled her lip as the Ferengi’s hand left a mark on her cheek. “How can you steal from children. You are a selfish…selfish hooman. Now you will be taught a lesson to never do it again. Fortunately for you…you will survive our little discussion however talk is loss of profits.. He will pay for the profits I lost this morning with his own flesh and blood.” A loud scream echoed in the room. Jasmine closed her eyes and tried to block out the events around her by focusing on one thought. Barton may be losing his life and she might be the cause but a message did get out. Max had to have found it. She had to think about how Max was on his way to save her from this hell.

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Ella’s apartment
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“The roof,” Stanton said looking at Max. The apartment was small with only a small balcony on the front. It would take both of them to help Ella scale the distance between each floor but that was the only option they had. Moving to the window, Stanton yanked down the curtains. There was only one way out of the apartment. There was no purpose to hiding their escape route.

Throwing open the door, the wind rushed in from the small three-foot by three-foot Juliet balcony. Hoping up on the rail, Stanton grabbed the bottom rung of the balcony above him pulling himself up. The pounding on the door gave the trio a sense of urgency.

“Max,” a hand emerged from the balcon above reaching down. “Help me with her.”

Jasmine Wynter CMO

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