The Jewel Heist
Posted on Wed 28th Feb, 2018 @ 11:01pm by Lieutenant JG Kellian Michaels
Edited on on Thu 21st Jan, 2021 @ 5:27pm
825 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
A Phaser as Deadly as a Candlestick
Location: Security Offices
Starfleet Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent Daisy Pantoufle watched the 1/3 scale hologram play out. It had been created from the compiled helmet cam images of the Marine Raiders who had been present, along with the transport ship's own visual log data. When the playback ended, Pantoufle looked at the three Starfleet officers viewing it with her. "Anyone have anything to add?"
Isabella spoke first among those assembled. "Well sir, as the Doctor previously touched on, I don't think the Colonel was himself when he embarked on this mission."
"That's possible," Kellian said. "Unless I'm much mistaken, he was drinking down a hangover cure this morning--followed by a hefty-sized coffee. it would not seem far-fetched to me to say that Col. Drake's judgment could have been impaired. But he could have gotten through even this incident just fine if the Marine holding our perp had gotten her cuffed and maintained a proper grip on her. I wasn't able to see our 'Nice Lady,'"--He said the epithet in acid tones--"terribly well at the time because these two linebackers"--He pointed to two Marines armed with phasers--"Were blocking my view. Did she do something to him to make him let go of her?"
"Look at this," Pantoufle said, making a rewind motion with her hand. The computer interpreted the gesture and ran the images backward. Pantoufle pointed as Drake spoke with the suspect. "What's he looking at?" The Colonel's gaze flicked to the left of the suspect, then a brief look of confusion crossed his visage, and he gave a minute shake of his head before looking back at her. "And then he points at her clutch."
Perry then remembered something similar from a previous briefing with the Colonel. "You know what? I remember in the briefing we gave the Colonel before we left, he asked me how many people were in the room. Of course I counted the correct number, but all he did was nod and continue on. It struck me as odd for him to ask me that."
"I remember Col. Drake asking Lt. Perry that, too," Kellian said. "It was an odd question. He covered for it well, but it was off on a tangent." He glanced at Perry. "I saw you looking a question at me, but I had nothing. Could he have been having hallucinations?"
"Anything's possible," the Special Agent replied. "But look..." she ran the images forward and back. "This woman is practically dripping with jewelry. There's the... necklace thing... and a nose stud, and earrings, and all that in her hair. And yet, Drake focuses right in on her clutch."
"It does have gemstones hanging from it," Kellian said. "I figured they were costume jewelry. I can't think why Drake would pick her purse out from everything else. But since he did, and she reacted so violently to it, I say we have a look at them. We have a decent forensics lab."
Pantoufle nodded, slowly running the images forward again. They saw Drake point at the woman's clutch, saw her pull her arm from the Marine holding it. She extended the little purse, and Colonel Drake reached for it. Anise -- or whatever her name actually was -- let it go, and Drake automatically leaned forward, trying to catch it. And then, the obsidian knife, pulled from the woman's hair ornament, plunged into Drake's neck. The Marines, firing. Pantoufle shook her head. "She knew what she was doing," she commented. "There's no panic in her face. She intended to kill him, and expected to be shot."
"That means she probably has a plan for getting her purse back," Kellian said. "We should be on the lookout for it when she tries."
Pantoufle nodded. "Do we have the clutch here?"
"Yes." Isabella responded. "It is here with her property in a secured locker." Perry paused for a moment and then continued on. "So, who does she work for? It's obvious that she is a trained assassin. And, I'm sure killing the Colonel was not a part of the original plan, so will her masters try to extract her? Or kill her for creating a bigger problem by killing a Starfleet Colonel?"
"No way of knowing," Pantoufle answered with a sigh. "For now, let's get that clutch to your forensics people, and make sure the prisoner is heavily guarded by your most trusted provost officers. I'll arrange secure transport back to Earth."
"After we take a look at the gemstones on it, I suggest we make replicas of them," Kellian said. "That way, if she is skilled enough to get the replicas and slip from our grasp, maybe we can track her."
"I can take care of the fake jewels." Isabella stated. "Fortunately, I have done this before. Shouldn't take me long to come up with some life-like copies. Trust me, you don't want to leave something like this to a replicator."
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