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The Situation Just Got Complicated (Tag Vonn)

Posted Dec. 2, 2022, 11:41 a.m. by Civilian Kodek Vonn (Colonial Intelligence Agent) (James Sinclair)

Posted by Civilian Eryn Romanov (Colonial Intelligence Agent) in The Situation Just Got Complicated (Tag Vonn)

Posted by Civilian Kodek Vonn (Colonial Intelligence Agent) in The Situation Just Got Complicated (Tag Vonn)

Posted by Civilian Eryn Romanov (Colonial Intelligence Agent) in The Situation Just Got Complicated (Tag Vonn)
Posted by… suppressed (23) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
The car returned around an hour and a half later. Eryn slipped out of the car carrying bags containing heavily insulated and cold containers. “Put zhe trunk inside zhe door, Matar. Zhank you, ve won’t be needing you zhe rest of zhe day. Let me know vhen his packages arrive. Do not disturb him.” The large Orion gave a little bow after setting the trunk inside. Eryn secured the door behind her and set the bags down. This location was huge, far beyond her actual tastes but it served their purposes quite well. She moved into another room and returned with two anti-grav straps. She was never going to lift that trunk herself. She carried the bags of food down the stairs and set them outside Vonn’s door and then returned a few minutes later with the trunk. She opened the door to the dressing room and with the help of the straps set his trunk down quietly. Then she set the food by the inner door. She knocked loud enough to be heard if he was still awake, but soft enough to not disturb his rest. Then she left. She would check in a couple of hours to make sure he had retrieved his things. If not, she would don the suit and, at least, set the food inside.

Eryn made her way to the very top floor where the master suite took up the entire space. It was hers…it was Eryn’s. She sat down on a sofa that faced the windows and the sprawling lawn and watched. The disk Vonn had obtained was safely in her pocket, but it could wait. It needed to wait, until she was more centered and able to be calm about what she may or may not find.

Eryn


It was late the next day. The sun was setting low on the horizon; long shadows cast by the tress around the ‘artist’s‘ home. There was a beep on Eryn’s comm and a synthesized voice said “Thank you. I am awake now, but my suit is in need of some small repairs which I will do in my quarters. But if you wish to talk, I am available.”

If Eryn hadn’t been so worried about them, she might have teased Vonn about being bored or lonely. Instead she was simply relieved to hear the synthesized voice. It wasn’t Kodek’s real voice of course, but after their long acquaintance she had learned to recognize the slight nuances to it that conveyed so much. When they had first arrived on Oed, when she had finally woken up, she had maintained the character of Eryn religiously. It was too easy to slip when recovering from such extensive injuries. But now, when it was just the two of them, Eryn dropped the pretense. No one else was in the house. Having sent the security outside to leave her in peace. She’d made quite the eccentric show of it. It was exhausting. “I will be down in a moment.”

Eryn made her way down the main staircase from the top floor and then around to the door that led to the basement stairs where Vonn’s rooms were. She entered the outer room and slipped on the heated suit. It took a moment for the suit to calibrate. She wondered briefly if she should put a blindfold on out of respect. Then dismissed it the worry. She was sure the helmet would be equipped with such if Vonn wanted to maintain the custom. She slipped the helmet onto the suit feeling around for any such function and then pressed the chime and entered when the door opened.

The inside of Vonn’s quarters were, to put it simply, hostile and frozen to anyone that was not Breen. There was a faint tinge of ammonia in the air. Not enough to cause a headache, but enough to be noticeable to those with a more than average sense of smell. The walls were covered in sheets of white ice, and white icicles hung from the ceiling in places. The air was dry, and there seemed to be not a hint of heat in the place; with the temperature hovering near minus sixty degrees Celsius.

Vonn’s quarters were divided into several rooms. A main living room much like the one they had on the Leviathan; piles of furs and hides surrounding a central stone pit with multicolored stones that radiated heat in waves that were visible to anyone looking through the pit to the other side. One door led to Vonn’s sleeping quarters. A space off of the main living area was dedicated to food preparation, and currently housed two large circular tanks with transparent lids. Inside was some kind of algae. Another door led to their communications room; and finally another, much larger and very well secured door led to Vonn’s personal armory.

Eryn liked it. Oh she couldn’t live there that was certain, but it was beautiful. The ice reflecting the multicolored stones with the icicles providing depth and texture. The air, even filtered through the heat suit, was dry and cold and had a slight ammonia odor. It didn’t bother her, and she liked the suit didn’t completely block things as it gave her yet another insight.

The figure of Vonn themself sat on one of the piles. Even seated, Vonn was tall and broad-shouldered. They were muscular to the point that every movement showed the ripples of musculature that covered their massive frame. Bronze-colored skin was barely visible under the stark-white hair that covered their body, most densely on the extremities. On the chest and back where the hair was thinner, the skin appeared to be almost metallic; and as they moved the skin flexed in a way that would indicate to anyone seeing it that it was very tough and resilient… more akin to hide than skin. Their hands were bronze-colored skin with a layer of gray and white hair over them. The fingertips ended in a dark red, thick, claw-like nail. The Breen’s face was similar to what one would expect (somewhat) from a humanoid, with some prominent exceptions: The face primarily flat, with eyes and nose being almost on the same plane. Two forward facing eyes of deep jade green with no whites sat atop a wide nose with flared nostrils. A large jaw supported a mouth of darker bronze lips. Two large, black, tusk-like teeth jutted out from the bottom lip, and when Vonn opened their mouth wide to breathe in the cold air, it revealed teeth designed more for rending flesh than crushing plants. As was their habit when at home, Vonn wore nothing on his body save a dark brown leather belt with a pistol, a wicked looking stone knife, and a small device with a blinking green light. Next to them on the floor sat the helmet from their suit.

Vonn, CIA

Eryn stepped over to the furs and sat on a pile across from him. “Thank you for the suit. Are you recovered?”

Eryn

The Breen nodded once and they took the device from their belt and held it in front of their mouth. As they growled and grunted, the voice issued simultaneously from the helmet on the floor beside them. “I am. The food was most welcome, thank you. And the rest was much needed, although I didn’t expect to sleep that long.” They took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. “I hope I haven’t delayed anything.”

Vonn

“You obviously needed a long sleep. I didn’t know how much to order so there will be another delivery tonight.” Eryn lifted a shoulder, “I have heard nothing from James and the consensus, when I checked in, is that your patient still has too many drugs in his system to question him yet. It has been quiet. It allowed me to stay out of sight and make progress on another piece for Turner’s Gallery.”

Eryn

The lage head nodded. “Good. And at least he is stable. The surgery was… complicated. Kudos to James’ doctor. She was very good. I took the liberty of getting facial shots of her for recognition. Her skills could be useful if needed.” Vonn said. The jade eyes fixed on her. “Have you looked at the data we garnered from the Thresher? Was it worth the trip?”

Vonn, CIA

“She was quite competent. This didn’t seem to be the first time she has performed such a procedure. I haven’t heard if any of the techs have had luck figuring put what the device did.”

Eryn nodded slowly. “There is a lot. Ryan York has made looking into these people a high priority. There is a lot of information there, but it seems to be connected to a syndicate that Holloway displeased.”

Eryn

Vonn nodded and then was silent, thinking. Finally they said “Once we get some time, perhaps building a database on said Syndicate would be worth doing. And then making sure they learn to not operate on Oed V.”

Vonn, CIA

“I agree. It is also possible I can get more information from the Korda family. They may or may not have dealings with them, but they may know something. They will tell me more than they would someone paying for the information.” Eryn tapped a gloved hand on her opposite forearm. “There is a lot going on around the colony. These attacks are very focused on the Holloways but I don’t think that is their end goal. There was a rather embarrassing incident at the Duroc embassy. Minor and neatly resolved, but a distraction I think. If it had gone badly though, it could have weakened the colony. Someone was obviously orchestrating those protests and HHI was just a scape goat.”

Eryn

Vonn nodded. “Agreed. And the sooner we can identify the players, the sooner we can start making plays of our own”

Vonn, CIA

“That would be best. The sooner we can comb through the entirety of the files you procured the better. Might save us some leg work. Might give us a way in. Karlsson has been around for awhile. Longer than James. He probably has some contacts that could get information. Whether he would share with us though…” Eryn shrugged. They were playing catch up, and it was a tricky position to be in.

Eryn

The dark bronze lips curled back in a truly terrifying smile. “Well… we could ask him, could we not?”

Vonn, CIA

Eryn had to wonder what kind of predictors were on Vonn’s homeworld because he was terrifying. Of course she wasn’t sure she was truly appreciative of how terrifying. Maybe she knew him too well. It wasn’t a lack of respect but more she’d learned when to be wary and when not to be. “Oh I think we absolutely should ask him. One of the problems I’ve noticed is there is too much division on Oed and not enough cooperation.” Eryn shrugged it was the way of things. “Let’s see what’s in that file and then maybe we will have a starting point to ask Karlson about.”

Eryn

“Or…” and the figure leaned forward, its jade eyes narrowing, “… we take the file to him before and review it with him. It would be a peace offering in a way… and it could be said that we may be able to call in a favor in the future for our willingness to be… ‘cooperative’.”

Vonn, CIA

Eryn nodded, “That works. At the very least having someone more familiar with the colony might make the analysis go faster.” It was unlike her to do things with more than a single partner or very small group. That small group included other members of the colonial intelligence agency, and only a handful of those. But it made a lot of sense and really was a good approach. And colonial intelligence needed these connections. James was former Star Fleet and hadn’t exactly been making connections for this type of purpose in that position. “Shall we just show up? We don’t really have time to waste for an appointment in a week. We don’t have time to waste sitting in uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area either.”

Eryn

“Something less public.” Vonn said. “We send him a message anonymously. Tell him we have information pertaining to the attack. Only will talk to him. Have him meet in a place of our choosing. We make sure he comes alone, then we meet and… discuss.” The figure stretched and then said “If we are going to do this, we will be exposing our identities to the police. Its a risk, you know. But… I think it may be worth it.”

Vonn, CIA

Eryn shrugged, “Two ways to do that. One we just take the risk. I’ve already played that card to get in to see Harris. It also wouldn’t hurt for the Police Commissioner to know who we are and we work for Oed. In case something happens later. The other option is you run surveillance, and I go in disguise.” They both contained risks. Going in disguise meant not telling him she worked for James, which meant he could attempt and possibly succeed at detaining her. Not likely, but the man’s skills were unknown. “He cares about the colony and the people in it. That much was extremely clear the day of the protests. If this information can help him, he’ll want it, and I’m willing to share it with him.”

Eryn

Vonn shook their head. “No no… I mean to keep our identities from others, not the Commissioner. As you said, he cares for this place and its people. Him knowing who we are I don’t see as a problem. It could even prove a bion at some point should we find our aliases in conflict with local law enforcement. I just believe we should take care that only he knows.”

Vonn

“I agree. Perhaps Ms Davivica can book us a room under one of our aliases at a local hotel. She knows the kinds of things we like. Or we could bring him here. The security staff is loyal or scared or both.” An amused yet wicked grin crossed her face. “If it was put to them that you became aware of a threat to Eryn and needed to discuss with the police, they wouldn’t find it at all strange. It would also make them more alert for anyone tailing the commissioner. Assuming of course he would agree to meet us here.
Another option would be my working studio.”

Eryn

Vonn said “I would prefer that we keep him from our own spaces for as long as possible. He is no fool, he will find where we are soon enough. But we should at least make him work for it.” They stood up and walked into the ‘kitchen’ and raised one of the transparent lids. Taking the stone knife off their belt, they stuck the blade into the gelatinous mass inside and cut out a cube the size of a small block of ice. Walking back, they tilted back their head,, opened their mouth very wide, and dropped the algae into their open maw. Chewing, they sat back down and took a deep breath. Picking up the device they ‘spoke’ into, the helmet said “Apologies. That is my… ‘medication’… for lack of a better word.” They leaned back a bit and said “I do like the idea of a hotel. Especially one of the more… ‘out of the way’ ones.”

Vonn

Eryn laughed, “Eryn has made quite a stir, he already knows about this place, and the studio. No need to give him a look at her yet, I suppose.” She waved off his apology. “You do what you need to do,” then she asked point blank, “Is it something I should know about?” It wasn’t like she and Vonn had anyone else if something happened. It was a genuine question born of potential concern.

There wS a pause where the jade eyes regarded her with… well, with what was hardvto tell in the alien face. But Vonn replied with a question of their own. “What do you mean?”

“You said it was medicine. If something were to happen to you, do I need to make sure you get that? Or make sure you get seen by a specific docotor? Is there even anyone on Oed that could treat you if you needed a doctor?”

The head nodded in understanding. “Medicine, yes. My species is both blessed and cursed with a unique physiology. The algae-” and they pointed at the two containers in the kitchen, “- is all we have to have to survive. It feeds us, helps us grow, survive the cold, and heals any health issue we have… be that a laceration, burn, broken bone, or illness. So, blessing. But we have to have it. We cannot subsist on anything else. We can eat almost anything that most other species do; but our bodies do not metabolize the nutrients anywhere near as efficiently as it does with that. So it it is entirely possible that, without the algae, one of my particular breed of Breen could eat hundreds of kilos of food over several days and starve to death. As for what to do if I am incapacitated, my suit has many algae compartments that will shunt it into my system. But it would be advisable to bring me here and get me out of the suit and into one of those tanks as quickly as possible.

Well that was certainly information that was vital. Eryn nodded, “Noted. And the tea room has this on hand for you.” If somethi g did happen she would have to make sure there was plenty here and at the Garden.

“Let’s get in touch with Devivica then. Tell her we need to rent a suite for an extended time. Maybe permanently. It might be good to have such a site available to us.”

Eryn

“Private dining room at the Tea Room would also be a potential. We know its not being surveiled inside. And a ‘dinner’ invitation may keep his suspicions at bay… at least until he walks in the door.” Vonn replied.

Vonn

“The tea room would be ideal and they are familiar with you and me. Our presence won’t attract attention there like we might somewhere else. I can set that up.”

Eryn

“I will send a dinner invitation for tomorrow evening to the Commisioner. We will need three stand-alone PaDDs air-gapped from any network and a chip reader. And a de-encryption program in case we run into any issues.” Thry thought for a moment and then said “8 pm, I think would be ideal.”

Vonn

“I will make the reservation and prep thae PaDDs. I will inform Tevin to have a car ready, unless you want to arrive a different way?”

Eryn

Vonn stretched and said “You take the car. I’ll come separately, just to make sure the Commissioner is alone.” The head swiveled and looked around for a moment and then they said “I will send the message now. 8 tomorrow night.” and they stood up.

Vonn

Eryn stood as well, “Get more rest, Kodek. We have nothing pressing, so take it. I’ll be up stairs if you need or want anything.” She left, stepping into the outer room and removing the heat suit. She took the time to check it and make sure there was no general maintenance that should be done after each use. She moved down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. She pressed her hand to the lock and went into the office, pulling out three PaDDs and sat down to work. She made the arrangements with The Tea Room and Tevin, and then began on the PaDDs.

Eryn

Vonn watched her leave and then shambled to the communications room. They thought for a moment and then composed the following message:

“Commissioner,

Please excuse the short notice; but I have a need to speak with you, privately, on a matter of great importance to you, the Colonial Government, and the colony as a whole. I do not know who else to go to with this information, but I assure you it’s importance cannot be overstated. Please meet me tomorrow at the Russian Tea Room at 8 pm. I’m sure uou are aware of the place. I will have a private room at the back. Please come alone. Again, the matter is most sensitive. Thank you, Commisioner. Your dedication to the colony is a testament to your department.”

Vonn encrypted the message and began bouncing it through hundreds of systems… Colonial government, private, Star Fleet… even a few known criminal ones. And even if it was traced back to it’s ‘source’, it would look like it was sent from the Commisioner himself. As it made it’s journey, they sent an unencrypted message to the Commissioner’s personal communicator as well, this one from a public terminal by the Government Tower. It was simple string of characters that morphed and changed every thirty seconds. Once it was opened, it would allow the encrypted message to be read. They watched for confirmation that both had arrived, and then they closed and powered down the terminal.

Vonn


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