Put a Name to Fear - Part 2

Posted on Sun 10th Jan, 2021 @ 11:55am by Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Renato Solis
Edited on on Sun 10th Jan, 2021 @ 12:01pm

2,124 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Denouement
Location: Refugee Center Midnight (Renato PI office)
Timeline: MD-22, 2305 hours

{Sector 221-B "Midnight" 23:30}

Previously, in Ranato's Office:

Paul frowned and considered what to say as he poured tea for them both. "Renato, investigate Oblivion with great caution. I've been learning about the place over the past couple of weeks. One of its inhabitants has--an extremely callous disregard for life, the worst I've ever seen. If you pose a threat to that person, you will disappear. You're an Ullian and thus too tempting for this person to not find some way to use you."

---

Renato felt his lip curl, emotional control was slipping. "So how much do you know, and how can you abet this on your station?" As soon as the words left his mouth he felt terrible. Starfleet let people live as they chose, it was unfair to expect them to police something off site, and especially something so dangerous required special handling. They had learned about this only recently so he knew words were hasty and in anger, so he immediately added,

"Paul--That's not even close to fair. I'm sorry to be irrational. You are of course right, can we just get each other up to speed?" He began to pull what information he had, hoping to smooth the moment with work. The old feelings of abandonment came back far too quickly, Starfleet had come back, and it was a new day.

Paul waved off the apology. "It was fear and some anger talking, and I understand because I feel fear and anger at this person, too." He let out a breath. "How secure is this room? This is a conversation that might be best held in my office."

Using a deep breath and grounding method to calm himself, he took a split second for himself and answered. "Advantages of a low-tech operation, I can detect surveillance quite easily. However... I would love to see your office. I think some of this might warrant your colleagues' attention as well."

"Colleagues are working on it. If you can detect surveillance, that's good enough for me," Paul said, "my office simply has audio-visual amenities that might prove helpful to you--and highly disturbing," Paul added wryly.

"Oh, I do love visual aids, yes, once we finish our visit here I can come see you at your office tomorrow? For now I'll just turn over my findings. I thought I was keeping hidden, but this scare tonight tells me I have gotten too close to something truthful in my hypothesis."

The PADD and Isolinear rods contained a great deal of observational notes, time stamps, faces, context, even captured audio. Clips of people who were on the run one day, declared missing the next. Ship travel logs collated to those disappearances, discrepancies in public records and filed plans, the evidence pointed to a network of smuggling data and people to some off-base location he had only recently gotten the name for: "Oblivion." Learning that name had cost a priceless eavesdropping device stirred into a drink. The kind of device he could never afford, it had been a gift the first time.

"There's even Starfleet officers involved, I didn't have access to Starfleet records, so that's where you come in. I have hypothesized key OPS staff and Starfleet officers are being used to cover up an illicit operation ongoing the last four years at least."

"If we're talking about the same situation, more like 17 years," Paul said with a sigh as he took a seat, "but we didn't know until two years ago--and I was never supposed to know. Two people associated with that investigation are dead, including the person who read me in. We don't know if their deaths are related to it; one of them was entirely preventable."

Renato couldn't help but feel a fool. Of course they knew of Oblivion. This was simple logic, to say otherwise was the height of arrogance and probably the source of his anger earlier. He knew of preventable deaths, of sending people to a dangerous task. He felt the pressure and enormity of the undertaking corrode his solid grounding. Maybe it was time to step back, if this was already a known threat then the focus could shift to the people.

"I've stepped into a world a bit larger than I'm ready for, seventeen years? I've lived here a long time and it took me... clearly I will not be informing you of much. Still these people are missing, and I can't stamp the case "Oblivion" and call it closed. How do we find these people whilst not grabbing the tiger by its tail?"

"As I said--if we're talking about the same situation. For your sake, I hope we aren't," Paul said. "But if it is the same situation as the one I'm involved in, then your information will add another piece to the puzzle that we haven't known about. There's been a lot of that going on--the discovery of separate threads of information. I dread the thought of more being added to the nightmare, but I won't ignore the information, if there is more." He flitted his senses about and contented himself that no one was eavesdropping, at least in person. "So you've worked out that someone at Oblivion is behind several disappearances down here?"

"I'm close to finding their pipeline, some series of smuggling jobs used to get there and back. People go missing, and when the leads go back to this pipeline I realize it's connected to this place. From what you are saying, there are people of interest we are aware of as potentially operating out of there. I can turn over these cases to you when they end in this particular dead end, and keep you included as I find anything else out... but I ask to be kept in the loop as well, as much as is possible. That way I can focus on my other case, knowing this has eyes on it."

"I can funnel information to you," Paul said, "but I wonder if there is a way to get you some kind of official standing. That would be preferable. Let me think about that."

The notion of a uniform and incumbent pressures was truly terrifying, but taking risks in a new life produced terror on its own as well. He kept a calm face, the more resources, the more access to resources others had, the more he could do for the people here.

"I'd like to think about that too, if you don't mind?" He chuckled to soften the impact of his words, but it was a thin mask for how nervous the thought made him.

"Take the time you need," Paul said. "If it gets to a point where I must have a decision from you, I'll let you know."

Eager to give some space to the topic once it had broached, Renato asked suddenly, "How's the Starfleet side of things? Your work keeping you busy?"

Paul drank some tea and nibbled on a piece of fruit from the bowl that Kya had left. "Very. There's the Oblivion investigation, continued work with the Besm community, managing the Counseling Department, a missing diplomatic officer and shuttle pilot, It's never dull here."

"Besm? I am unfamiliar, but my offer is the same, if I can render any assistance on your missing man, please consider my insights or resources always available for no charge to you."

Knowing Paul was ahead of him in this investigation was re-assuring. Renato knew the Brown sector well, and could keep himself safe. For now his fragile self needed smaller windmills, he needed more information. He hated that today had seen him hunched and trembled in fear, hiding in the dark. He needed to get ready for this, he needed to be better.

"Hey also, there was a girl who came through the center here, Neone... I need you to keep this in strictest confidence, but I was able to scan her mind on accident. Her actual name is... Yuliette Maran or something to that effect, and she is hiding here. There is a monster after her, at least that's how she feels. There's a whole station to watch, I know, but she is terrified of the target on her back."

Paul too was relieved to have a smaller situation to occupy his mind. "Yuliette Maran--pretty name. I'll see what I can find, see if there's a way to keep her safe." He shot a sidelong glance at Renato. "She's not a target of the Oblivion people?"

Renato paused, considering angles before answering. "No. But from her impressions, they have long reach and deep pockets. She doesn't even trust Starfleet." He sent a video log to Paul's device, Neone was eating at their table, demure and huddled low. "When she ran out, I couldn't follow, Kya didn't see her go. I haven't seen her since. I've got a habit of sending people away worse than I found them, I think."

"I don't think so," Paul said. "Look at how much good you're doing with this community center. Whatever's going on with this lady has her quite frightened. I think fear was speaking more to her than your words were when she bolted. I don't think she would have come in here at all if it hadn't been for you and Kya." He paused. "Wasn't she at the Peldor festival? I think I remember meeting her, but all I really did was serve her some oskoid salad; I didn't introduce myself."

Renato remembered the day of, blitzing through the obvious parts to scrutinize the moments he had seen Paul interact with folks. Sure enough, they had an interaction exactly as Paul remembered.

"Thank you, but I didn't mean to sound like I was fishing for a compliment. I'm trying to contribute and going too far in my efforts. I need to learn restraint. As is this case with Oblivion, I've already seen one person injured because I was amateurish in my attempts. I've likely placed myself on their radar as well so for now... And, yes, that was her, knowing what she looks like will certainly make it easier."

"On the small side, delicate, looks partly Cardassian? Otherwise, dresses like she has kidney failure with severe anemia?"

Renato noted the affect for the future, medical diagnoses at a glance was a skill he wanted. "Yes, that's her. I hope she comes back, we discussed letting her use our kitchen space, I would have agreed to anything; poor thing needed to come in from the cold if you understand how I mean. Thank you for looking at it."

Oblivion still played heavily on his mind, "Not tonight, but soon, I'd like to know about the threat we face from Oblivion. I'll take your advice, but please arm me with the facts I will need to protect those I love. Who is this man you've mentioned who seeks people like me, with telepathy yes? Soon we will discuss. Tonight though, it would be nice to know something else besides fear, tell me... do you like Jazz music... from Earth?"

Paul blinked at the change in topic, but he too preferred to discuss happier subjects than Adrian Dobbs. "Yes, I do," he said. "I favor the quieter, more meditative variety; I'm not a great fan of New Orleans jazz. I'm surprised you've even heard of jazz."

Truth be told he was introduced while sleeping in a quiet corner of Tivoli Gardens. At night they played smooth instrumentals for the folks who strolled in twilight. He only replied though with a gentle, "I hear it played often in the parks. Miles Davis, Soul Bossa Nova is a particularly charged piece. I was thinking of taking in some of the shows this year, so if you hear of any I'd make good company."

He took a second to sip, "Do you play anything?"

"Earth has an instrument called the piano. I play that--but I don't play jazz on it," Paul said. "I don't have a sense for how to produce most jazz music, except for ragtime. So much of it is improvised. I get to the parts where the player is supposed to improvise, and I shut down. I can play a mean sonata or two, though. What about you?"

"No, I've always wanted to, but my ear doesn't detect the emotional qualities to music. I've been told I am a mechanical player, I've tried all manner of instruments, but I'll admit that it's not a talent of mine. Violin, stringed instruments are my favorite, I can play a dozen full-length melodies, but none of them would bring tears or feelings beyond boredom."

"A mechanical player? I don't understand how that's possible. There is so much love in you," Paul said.

 

RSS Feed