Shearing Bolian Sheep

Posted on Mon Aug 17th, 2015 @ 1:31pm by Commander Oralia Zeferino & Lieutenant Commander Gilroy & Ensign Leela Carter & Seyla
Edited on on Mon Aug 17th, 2015 @ 2:01pm

Mission: Further Challenges

* Security Offices *

"The information is confirmed, Commander. F&H Imports and Exports has a shipment departing on an independent freighter, the Kohana, in thirty minutes," Gilroy reported.

"Thirty minutes?" Oz's brows rose. "We're cutting it close, aren't we? We don't have a warrant...?"

Gilroy paused, "Ah... No. But probable cause based on a reliable informant's tip."

"Great, let's hope Ray doesn't ream us out later," Oz grumbled, checking the energy level on her phaser and holstering it. "Carter, call Air Control, get them to delay that ship's departure."

"Yes, Ma'am," Carter acknowledged the order.

"And contact Piper. If this pans out, we'll have some patients for them." Oz motioned for the others to wrap up their preparations. "Let's go."

* Independent Kohana, Cargo Bay Six *

"This is uncalled for, Commander! My Assistant is contacting your Admiral right now!" The Kohana's Captain was apoplectic about having her departure slot taken from her.

Oz turned a bored look on the woman. "You and your assistant are welcome to contact Admiral Wegener. But we have a credible, reliable tip about some cargo on your ship. You can either get out of my way and let me open that container or we can keep arguing. Either way, when we find what I'm here to find, every piece of cargo on this ship will be opened and examined. Is that clear?" She ended with an angry tone.

Whether it was her tone or her words, the Captain backed down. "Fine, but the representatives for each shipment must be present when the container is opened."

"Good, that's progress, Captain," Oralia said, sighing. "Find the representative for the ...," she consulted a padd with the bills of lading, "...seventeen Bolian sheep."

The Captain signalled for someone to do just that. Meanwhile, Oz turned towards Gilroy and quietly asked, "Bolian sheep?"

Gilroy nodded. "I researched them, hence the shields, face masks and gloves." He pointed at their team and Oz raised a brow at him. "They're cute. Their wool is highly prized by cloth makers and knitters around the galaxy. But... they have an effective weapon against predators: they spit acid when stressed."

"Acid?" Oz looked at Gil then nodded. "Right, then. I'll hang out with the Captain and cargo rep while you and the team go in."

"Gee, thanks," he chuckled.

A few minutes later, an angry Bajoran entered the cargo bay. "You can't open the container! Are you crazy? The sheep will spit and melt yer face off! And if they miss yer face, you'll wish they hadn't 'cause they'll hit each other and destroy their wool! And that's thousands of latinum strips gone!"

Oz tsk'd at the man and said, "Well, if they do spit acid, that's... that's just a risk we'll have to take. After all, my mom is a knitter and she'll skin me if I don't get her some of this crazy special wool." Her tone turned steely, "Now open the container."

The Bajoran frowned, hedged for a moment longer, then punched in the security code for the container. A door hissed open, spilling out an unclean stench, the kind one might expect from a livestock container. The interior was dark and Gilroy advanced into it first, shield up.

The cargo rep fidgeted and when there was a scream from inside the container, then several screams, he jumped. Oz watched him and waited for Gilroy, working to show no reaction to the screams. The noise died down and Gilroy came out, looking grim.

"Commander, eight. Seven female, one male," he called. "Piper medics are on the--"

The cargo rep turned and ran for the door. Oz calmly pulled her phaser and stunned him before he got three paces away.

"-- way. Nice shot, Oz."

She turned to the Captain, who was looking a little paler than before, and said, "You'll need to power down your engines, Captain. Every piece of cargo has to be checked."

* Piper Medical *

"Oh, my dear!" Seyla fussed over the woman in the biobed. Two other occupied beds were close by. Seyla had already checked the girls in those beds over. Both were fine and relieved to have been rescued from the dank, dark container. All three had been shackled, hand and foot, with tight manacles and loose chains; all three now had marks around their wrists and ankles where the doctors had healed their wounds. Bella's were pink.

"I thought I'd gone blind, Seyla! Really! They say that masturbating will make you --"

"Oh, please, Seyla! Make her shut up! She's been in that container with us for... who knows how long! And that's all she keeps saying!" Vivien complained.

Lisha agreed, "Seriously, Sey, she kept telling us that at least her hands weren't hairy. What kind of twisted, fucked up culture tells people that about sex?"

Seyla smoothed Bella's hair back and hushed her, Lisha and Vivien. "You'll be fine now. Oz's people found you." She hugged Bella tightly. Bella wasn't the smartest girl in her employ, but she was, Seyla knew, the one with the biggest heart. And that made her one of Seyla's favorites; one of Seyla's family. Tears came and she sobbed as the reality of how close she'd come to losing Bella hit home.

**********
Ensign Leela Carter
Lt. Gilroy
Commander Oralia Zeferino

Seyla
Bella
Vivien
Lisha