Keeping An Eye Out

Posted on Mon Oct 12th, 2015 @ 8:29am by Gavich [P: Steiner] & Commander Narayn Ballard & Micheletto Corella

Mission: By Dawn's Early Light
Location: The Atomic Punk [Deck 588, Promenade]

[ON]

He stared into his drink as the Starfleet officer passed him on the way to the bar. The standing tables in the centre of the newest bar on the Starbase's promenade had offered him very little protection from being spotted but, after a solid thirty six hours of surveillance, he was fairly sure that the man calling himself Commander Narayn Ballard would not recognise him.

After all, it had been a good fifteen years since he had last seen Ballard and he had developed the crevices of age in the intervening period. They had met at his Manufacturing Facility on Celli V but the man he knew as Ballard had been an engineer for the Vinarian Syndicate. What the hell was he doing here wearing the uniform of a Starfleet commander? Had he gone over to the Sojourners?

He wiped some grime off the arm of his coat and tried to remember the few conversations they had enjoyed. Ballard had never seemed like a fanatic and the Sojourners had always seemed like too much of a blunt object to try inserting deep cover agents.

That could wait though, he had noticed that hulking figure again, the one he had seen at least twice since yesterday and on a station this size, that couldn't be a coincidence. He would normally try to disappear into the crowds and be off the station by the next morning but what if this guy wasn't interested in him - what if he was interested in Ballard? That couldn't be permitted, at least not until he knew why he was there.

He approached the table where the man, one of whose eyes appeared to be augmented in some way, sat. "You getting a good enough view there?"

Gavich didn't know who had approached him, but he clearly could see what he was. "I suppose that depends upon who you're looking for..." As an invitation, he pushed a chair out from his table with his foot. "...and why." He figured that since the stranger hadn't opened fire by now that he wasn't his target.

"And what are you looking for?" Gavich's new companion asked, picking up a drink from a passing tray and downing it before even considering what it was. The taste barely even registered.

Gavich stared at him for a few moments. The direct question was either confidently bold or incredibly naive. "I can tell you what I'm not looking for. I'm not looking to kill anyone." He looked around, "Well, unless the Sojourners show up." He smiled, "I was hoping to enjoy some long overdue 'training'."

Deciding to take him at his word, Micheletto lifted another two drinks from the tray of a passing waiter and placed one in front of the mercenary. The waiter looked incensed at once again having drinks taken out from under him but was quickly placated by the few slips of latinum - worth more than the drinks - which were tossed onto the tray. "In that case, we'd better have a drink."

"My turn for social chat. What's your vacation interest, here?"

"Oh, just passing through."

Gavich's team member quietly approached the table, "We've got a problem."

Whatever the problem was, the fact that he mentioned it openly indicated that it had nothing to do with their Steiner mission. The veteran merc pensively studied his table guest for a few moments, then instructed his ally, "If it's a matter of mutual survival to all present, then let's hear it."

"One of our associates spotted a beacon being planted one deck above a primary reactor."

Startled, Gavich nodded in realization, "Sojourner agents are planting targeting boxes near vital points. All enemy ships need to do is have their weapons home in on them once the battle starts." He looked to Micheletto, "How would you like to have some fun? Whataya say we move those beacons to someplace harmless and then hunt down those agents?"

"You certainly have an interesting idea of fun there, friend." He looked at his empty drink and felt his pocket - he was a little light on latinum and he'd need it to get off this damned station. "I'm in."

[OFF]

----------------------------

Cmdr. Narayn Ballard [P: Gunning]
Micheletto Corello [P: Gunning]
Gavic [P: Steiner]

Starbase 332
Pegasus Fleet