Checkpoint
Posted on Tue Apr 23rd, 2013 @ 6:40pm by Captain Liarra Von
Mission:
Reindeer Games
Location: Starbase 332, Civilian Transport Security Checkpoint
Tentiri felt like they were being shuffled aboard the station like cattle. He, along with a hundred other passengers from the little transport, was being led through the line leading passed the airlock and security checkpoint. The week long voyage wasn’t any better, though. He booked passage on the cheapest transport available, a private number owned by a Myaz. The ship had to be at least seventy years old, and definitely showed its age. It was poorly maintained, seemingly held together by rivets and prayer. It was good enough for the refugees running from the Sojourners, but he would have preferred better. Still, he knew that he needed to come in under the radar, and something flashier would have made that difficult.
Security had been a little heavier than he expected. Those that had made previous trips to the station never mentioned anything about the checkpoints being this involved. Tentiri mused that that could be for a number of reasons, but decided that it was either due to the large number of people trying to escape Sojourner raids, or it could have been due to the Federation war games. Either way it didn’t really make a difference. He had nothing on him that he needed to hide.
His turn in the queue finally arrived. He stepped up to the security scanners while the human in the yellow uniform asked his questions. “Please state your name, homeworld, and reason for the visit.” The security officer sounded quite bored with himself. Then again, asking the same question all day would tire anyone.
“My name is Tentiri, I am from Argok VI, and my reasons for visiting are personal.” The man was average height by Federation standards, and did not appear to stand out. That was a major reason why he was chosen. His black hair was cut short, although a little long on the top, and his brown scaly skin with hints of green was his only real distinguishing feature. Even then, that would not have set off alarms since he wasn’t even the only member of his race to be on this particular transport. There were at least two separate groups of his people aboard the Myaz ship, and one of them had already gone through the checkpoint.
“I’m sorry, sir,” the officer replied, “but I’m afraid that’s not a good enough explanation on its own. They’re really cracking down on us completely filling out the forms.”
Tentiri wasn’t really surprised. After all, Starfleet had good reason not to trust just anyone to come aboard the station. After Than and the non-aggression pact with the Ritorians, the Sojourners were likely to try anything to make a statement and really put the Federation in its place. “I’m just travelling. I needed to get away from home, and I’ve heard that Archa IV was turning into a prime resort destination. Of course, I’ve heard great things about the station as well, and decided to start here.”
The security guard nodded and smiled. “You’ve heard right. The Archans are very hospitable, and as you can imagine with all the security, Starbase 332 is the safest place in the Galactic South.”
“I’m sure it is,” Tentiri answered dully, quickly growing tired of the delay.
“Do you have any parcels, Mr. Tentiri?”
“I have just this bag on me now,” he replied as he held up an old beat up duffle. He tossed it on the scanner. “The rest of my things are in a cargo container. I can give you the number.”
The security officer checked the bag. Other than a few beat up PADDs and a few changes of clothing, there was nothing out of the ordinary. “That’s not necessary, Mr. Tentiri. The cargo handlers should be checking those as they come off the ship. They’ll let you know when your things are available to be picked up.”
Tentiri resisted the urge to smile. Good luck with that, he thought. “Thank you, officer. Will there be anything else?”
“No, I believe that’s it, Tentiri. Everything checks out. I’m hope you have a great time on the station.”
“I’m sure it will be very exciting.” He took his bag from the scanner and walked out of the crowded terminal. Being away from all those passengers finally gave him a chance to breathe. Step one was complete, but Tentiri still had a lot of work to do.
NPCs played by Commander Liarra Von
