The Beginning of the Endgame

Posted on Sat 27th May, 2023 @ 4:52am by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran
Edited on on Sat 27th May, 2023 @ 5:02am

985 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Neither Yours Nor Mine
Location: SCIS Suite, Ori Noi's Office
Timeline: MD-11, 0945 hours

A chime sounded from Damion Ildaran's computer console. He paused in the report he was writing to open and read an encrypted email. Moments later, a string of blistering curses streamed from his lips. Damion let out a breath, got himself under control, and sent an instant message to his manager.

Moments later, Damion stalked into Ori Noi's office, PADD in hand. She glanced up at him as he entered. "Hello, Damion. What's the problem?"

Damion handed Noi his PADD. "This just came in from the intel agent we sent to Oblivion a week or so ago. According to him, that ship we suspect Dobbs has been using as his laboratory base has an internal ambient temperature that matches space. All life support is off and has been off for a month or more. External lighting still functions, interestingly. The blighter has gotten away again."

Special Agent Noi grimaced as she read the scan results. "So no one's home, but they want it to appear inhabited." She sighed. "I'd better let Daisy know. We need to get over there yesterday."

Damion almost wanted to snarl, What's the point? But he knew better and held his peace.

Ori checked SSA Pantoufle's calendar and then tapped her combadge. "Noi to Pantoufle. Damion and I need to see you ASAP."

* * *

Languidly, Pantoufle responded in her most sensual voice, "Both of you? That sounds ... intriguing." She paused to see if she'd gotten a rise from him.

Daisy had clearly been taking lessons from Tanith Alegari, Damion thought. "I'd bring the wine, but it's work hours," he drawled back. Then he resumed his normal voice. "It's to do with the Oblivion case."

The agent made a face which didn't clearly say she was ... or wasn't ... interested, but her pulse kicked up a notch. "That's that admiral ... Dibbs? No, Dobbs, right?" Early on in her career, a mentor had told her to always pretend she knew less than she did. She'd made good use of that lesson, too. People who took her for a dumb sex object always got a surprise at the end of their association with her.

Damion, who had worked for Daisy for almost a year, knew better than to consider her a dumb sex object; she'd demonstrated that the day she'd recruited him. Why she was pulling the airhead routine now puzzled him, but he continued.

"Recon report says they've bugged out of the Klingon ship. Its life support was off, with just exterior lighting running. From the rate of heat loss, they estimate the hull could have been empty for as long as a month."

Daisy sat up a little straighter, dropping her attitude momentarily. "That agrees with some other information we've recovered. Cairo isn't the only apparently abandoned area in that complex. The question is ... or one question I have been considering is ... where have people gone ... and maybe, are these people about whom we are interested in knowing more? Do you have any opinions on that, or more information?"

Damion paused and pulled the recon report up on his PADD. "The report does mention several docking ports being unoccupied that previously had had ships docked to them. The report doesn't speculate on reasons for the departures or destinations where the crews might have gone. I can think of several possibilities: a communicable disease breakout, which could make people flee anywhere--likely to the closest livable planets.

"Possibly there's been a serious failure in the chain of life support that has induced people to leave, which again would send them to nearby planets or starbases. Some of them may have been hired on by any of the pirate or mercenary groups out in the Triangle. I'd want to know who might be hiring crew and why. Lastly, they may have been frightened away for some other reason. Possibly, someone more frightening than Dobbs has moved into town." Damion shook his head. "I haven't received any such intel, though. If it was the case, those people would flee the farthest."

Daisy mulled over the information. "You know, it seems to me I heard there were Gamorreans living on that Klingon battle cruiser. Have they taken off, too?"

She thought of the quote she'd heard from Cllista Ming about such creatures. The pig-lizards are about as smart as the average cement extruder, and aren't good for much besides getting into fights and making little Gamorreans.*

"They don't seem bright enough, from what I've heard, " Pantouffle finally said, "to take fright at much of anything, or leave a good nest. I wonder ... could there be another answer hidden behind information that you've received?"

"Gamorreans? They'd be muscle, and they'd keep away anyone Dobbs wanted kept away," Damion said. "I wouldn't want to wrangle with them if I could avoid it." He glanced at his PADD and then forwarded a copy of the report to Daisy. "I don't see any mention of them--which might mean they've left, too. We can certainly take a second look at the reports."

"I'll reach out to a few ... contacts I have," Pantouffle said, dropping her normal flirty attitude, because this was a serious business. Dobbs had to be stopped, captured if possible ... or eliminated if not. The thought made her a little queasy, but then any thought about the maniacal Dobbs made her feel that way.

"I'll get back to you if I come up with something. Pantouffle out." Leaning back in her chair, Daisy spent several minutes dissecting their conversation. She particularly searched for any deceit or double-dealing on Ildaran's part. She liked him; she'd hired him after all, but she didn't trust anyone, and that included him.

When she couldn't detect anything in his demeanor, she turned to the report he'd sent her. There could still be something there they'd both missed.

*Gamorreans at Starwars fandom

 

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