Star Trek RPG - Mission #8: "Make A Wish"

[stolz]

The Yorktown not detecting an unexpected signal of unknown nature and origin accords with the laws of probability, not that Dr. Mäkeläinen is pleased to hear it. He focuses on the problem at hand. (Cannot stop to think about Rangin... or Onn...)

Responding to Graham, he says, "The cover story concerns me, too. Must we account for and justify our every movement? The Cavinrean government and the Federation are, officially speaking, allies, correct? On the other hand, as soon as we walk out the doors of this Embassy, our movements will be tracked. We would be under heavy surveillance buying lunch from a street vendor, so travelling to a crime-ridden district laced with political dissidents is sure to be... remarked. And if we got there via what is here considered illegal transport technology, we would as likely as not be arrested as spies as soon as they caught up with us.

"Are we dealing here with a ruthlessly efficient police state, an incompetent, corrupt authority barely holding it together, or a mix of both? To know how to treat with the polis, or a surly local... I should like to know precisely what is at the coordinates we received, and who and what is in the neighbourhood. Our answer might be different if we were heading to the entertainment district than to a block of dilapidated factories."

[general_urko]

Graham is heartened and concerned--but mostly heartened--by what Kylah and Mäkeläinen have to say.

This is the making of a great team.

Good questions. Thinking out of the box.

Challenging initial plans.

He looks to Lt. Deng for her point of view.

[Elendil's Heir]

Lt. Deng says, "If we're going to go," she looks at Capt. Singh, who nods, "then we shouldn't go in Starfleet uniform. We can get together enough civilian clothes for all of you here from what we have on hand." She answers Kylah's question: "Those coordinates will narrow the search to about two square kilometers, give or take. We already know that the lieutenant's subcutaneous locator chip is offline, unfortunately, but with tricorders, we'll have a decent chance of finding her biosignature even among all the Cavinreans around."

The Ambassador says, "You should go in a civilian vehicle, too." She turns to her comm unit. "I'll see if we have an unmarked aircar big enough for all of you available in the Embassy garage."

Ens. Baenre says hesitantly, "I'm certainly willing to use my limited psi sense to help find her, but since I've never met her and have no prior impression of her mind, I'm afraid that's probably not going to do much good."

[choie]

"Neither did Ens. Rangin, presumably," Kylah says with a small, encouraging smile to Ens. Baenre. "If the message sender was sending a remarkably strong...signal...she was likely hoping to reach anyone who might hear her. So we must not lose hope that we--you or Mr. Rangin, if he is able--might pick something up." Glad to shift from the talk of nebulous psi abilities, she adds to Lt. Deng, "But it is more likely that her biosignature will be the best way to locate her. The Yorktown has been able to do so from orbit, with--with other missing people on an unfamiliar planet."

The subject of Anubis is only slightly less awkward than the psi discussion, so Kylah just tells herself to shut up and await instruction. Instead of nattering away, she does a quick check on her datapad to see more details of Cavinrean civilian clothing. Yet again their uniforms are a liability. She is not overly fond of her red dress, proud though she is to have earned it, but would rather go about in her Elasian wardrobe than endure second-hand clothes again, for the second time in less than a week. The idea makes her skin itch.

[stolz]

Mäkeläinen doubts they are going to be able to blend in to the point of successfully passing themselves off as any kind of locals no matter what they wear, though it will help immensely not to stick out at first glance. Ambiguously ethical, self-interested offworld businessmen, perhaps? He asks Lt. Deng if she can find out some details about the specific grid square they will be searching--- local landmarks, businesses, markets black and otherwise, criminal or political gangs--- not a meticulously researched dossier, just a few broad strokes so they have some idea what kind of neighbourhood it is.

And, in case some official does insist on formal identification, will the Embassy acknowledge them as visitors? He would rather not present the local rozzers nor gangsters with the equivalent of a Starfleet identification badge.

[Elendil's Heir]

Lt. Deng checks and says, "In that grid square are three factories, several storefronts, a large park and about two dozen high-rise apartment buildings. Local police statistics indicate it's a high-crime area. It hasn't been the site of any political protests in the past three years, however."

She and the Embassy chief of staff soon have arranged civilian clothing for you all, and a non-Embassy aircar that should be of at least somewhat lower visibility than the one in which you traveled from the beanstalk.

"If you're caught," the Ambassador says, "I won't disavow you. But on behalf of the Federation, and because I like my job, I don't want to find myself in that situation... so please don't get caught."

When everyone has changed and transferred phasers, communicators and tricorders to your bland but dark Cavinrean clothing, the Captain says, "Right. Let's get moving." Deng leads you at a trot to the adjoining Embassy garage and starts the engine of the large, older, somewhat dinged-up aircar, quickly going through the preflight checklist.

[choie]

Moving along, Kylah cannot help giving little looks of interest toward Capt. Singh. This is, she muses, the first time she has seen the Captain outside of uniform, regular or dress. The woman seems so...normal. Not that she lacks dignity or control or confidence; Singh seems to wear those as easily as her Starfleet clothing, at least she makes it appear so.

But without the official trappings, a touch of the intimidation that Kylah feels around her is diminished. Indeed, the Captain looks very much like a North Hemisphere Elasian, in coloring and facial shape if not clothing. On Elas, only religious cult members or ministers wear such sedate, plain dress. Otherwise, Capt. Singh could almost be a peer.

Their destination does not sound frightening, either. Although that is easy for Kylah to think when she is not the one who has been captured--if that is what has happened to Lt. Khoury. Obviously one hopes it is a mistake, but they must act on the assumption that this officer needs assistance. She ponders Lt. Deng's description of the area. "Do you think the factories are likely prospects?" she asks her fellow crew members. "Someplace away from residential neighborhoods. Where a captive might not be seen or heard. An abandoned commercial area, a warehouse..."

A few disturbing thoughts quicken her heartbeat, but she dismisses them by focusing on Lt. Deng's activities, eyebrows raised. "It seems very long since we have had the freedom of just taking off," she murmurs. "I wonder if Lt. Pourtash or Lt. Onn would approve. I mean, of our not requiring their expertise. Or that of any professional pilot or driver. Imagine operating one's own personal conveyance."

[stolz]

So, in a matter of few minutes, Bizhi finds himself, if not part of, certainly adjacent to, a cloak-and-dagger operation. Not precisely what he was picturing. No, his mission is to rescue someone who needs help, is possibly injured. It matters not what Khoury may have been doing.

The civilian dress he could have anticipated. Many populations do not respond favourably to what may be taken for a military uniform (at least one belonging to the wrong side!), even if he could explain to them that much of what they do has nothing to do with the military arm of Starfleet. There are always inevitable political associations and implications. Unless one goes where no one has even heard of the Federation...

He gives Kylah a look. "There are reasons to operate a vehicle besides personal conveyance. I would not trust myself to operate this aircar, but I would give anyone a run for their money in a ground-car. We would go out and race rovers purely for the fun of it." He looks wistful.

About Khoury, he asks, "If they did drag her to the back room of a store, or into a warehouse, or up[ to someone's apartment, do we have any way of pinpointing her once we are in the area? A profile we can load into a tricorder?"

[choie]

Kylah nods thoughtfully. "Starfleet Intelligence have likely sent biological identification back when the Security team began their search. Is that not so, Lt. Graham?" He seems deep in thought and silent, and she hurries on to reassure him, "I did impress upon Lt. Thalen the importance of reaching out to Intelligence, sir. I expect you will be hearing from Cmdr. Vargas, if the local Security has not received such data yet."

She keeps her voice low, again eyeing the surroundings even though this is ostensibly under the Embassy's dominion. "In the meantime, could we not scan for a Coridanite's lifesigns? Though she is of dual heritage. Ensign Rangin told me once that has sometimes resulted in unpreditable results." Not surprisingly, she omits the circumstances in which she herself could not be picked up by the ship's sensors. "Perhaps it depends on the races involved."

The possibility of saying too much about their plans leads her to veer back to the doctor's remarks and the hint of his life back home. She transfers her impressed look from Lt. Deng to Dr. Mäkeläinen. "You used to race? For leisure, I am sure, but still, that is--that seems brave but surprisingly reckless, for a cautious medical man. Unless Mars's terrain is less treacherous than we are typically taught. Which would not surprise me, I suppose. There is a lot of misinformation and ignorance about other planets, even now."

The idea of taking such physical risks is unthinkable. The only real voluntary physical danger Kylah has entered into was the orbital diving venture, which certainly did not work well for Velir. "I admire you, Doctor," she continues. "The thought scares me. My family was very protective, and I was forbidden such experiences--not even ground travel without an escort. I had flight training at the Academy, of course..."

She smiles ruefully. "I fear I did not acquit myself well. I passed, but... well..." She gives a tiny, dismissive shrug as her cheeks burn. "My instructor once said I would manage to crash a shuttle while in a maintenance bay."

[general_urko]

Graham is gratified to hear the discussion overall: Lt. Deng seems solid, and Kylah and Bizhi have their heads in the game.

He nods acknowledgement of Kylah's - he's not sure if she's apologizing for a delay or emphasizing that she did her job. But either way, the team is getting off on the right foot.

"Factories..." he says, out loud, not entirely consciously. "Apartments have a lot of cover for coming and going. But also a lot of ears that can hear a scream. While factories...they can make a lot of noise to cover that right over."

[Elendil's Heir]

Lt. Deng says, "I have Lt. Khoury's Starfleet personnel file in my tricorder, including full biosign records. That should help." She completes her preflight checklist, engages the antigravs and takes off. She keeps the aircar low at first, not far above rooftop level, and asks you to keep an eye out for anyone following you.

The Captain calls the Yorktown and orders a full sensor sweep of the target area for Coridanite biosigns, but Cmdr. Vargas soon reports that none have been found.

[general_urko]

Graham frowns, then says to Lt. Deng "I'm guessing there's little reason to hope that any and every departure from our embassy isn't followed."

He rubs his chin. "Any thoughts on what we do about that?" He turns to indicate that he's inviting the rest of the team into the conversation. "Authoritarian regimes tend to have a common problem: employing enough good people. As in not thugs and goons. I'm hoping we may have attracted the bottom of the barrel rather than the cream of the crop as our minders, if we ae being followed."

[choie]

With little experience in evading others except by trying to sense their emotional presence, Kylah knows she had better leave the strategy to the experts--who are surely the Captain and the two Security officers. Lt. Deng, too, must know the locale better than anyone, but her question does imply that she is not confident in her own ability to use geography to avoid anyone following them.

Fortunately, Dr. Mäkeläinen clearly has hidden depths, and was both canny and a quick-thinking problem solver during the last mission.

She knows nothing whatsoever about Ens. Baenre's history, and as for Mr. Delaney... not much more than that. Machinations are certainly not his style: not unless he has learned something since Omicron Ceti III. Perhaps his demotion led him to study up on secrecy and discretion.

A nearly silent hmph of indignation escapes her while she turns to peer at the viewscreens (or windows), a motion that hides her lips pursed in frustration at Delaney's nearly fatal mistake. But she brushes the memory aside and focuses on the task at hand. During her casual search, she tries to look more like a curious tourist than someone scanning for someone--hopefully only a hypothetical someone--in pursuit.

[stolz]

Mäkeläinen observes what he can see of the passing surroundings with interest, the buildings and the people going about their daily business. He also keeps an eye out, as Lt. Deng asked, and if anyone is obviously, identifiably following them he will point it out; he knows there are more subtle ways of keeping track of people, though. The one advantage they have is that this mission was not planned in advance, so no one would have had time to put in place a full team of covert watchers. Also, surely Embassy security, not to mention Lt. Graham, would have noticed any devices planted on them, or focused scans? And they did change clothes.

"They won't know exactly where we are going until after we get there," he says, "so we may have a head start on any followers, general surveillance notwithstanding. The trouble is, we do not know where our target is, either. I hope those biosigns will show up at close range. If not from the air, we will have to alight and start searching. We could try to park, not on the high street, but nowhere conspicuous, ideally somewhere with a few cars around."

He tries to gauge their speed. "Martian terrain is treacherous enough," he volunteers to Kylah during a lull. "Beautiful, but dangerous. Especially if you are not familiar with the route."