Opening Gambit

Posted on Sat Nov 21st, 2015 @ 3:08pm by Lieutenant Commander Leto & Eldren Tohr

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: IKS cha'Do

* IKS cha’Do *

The conn beeped and Leto checked the small screen. It took only a few seconds, then she leaned back in the captain’s chair and sighed aloud. The report was relatively good and she could feel the tension in her shoulders ease just a little.

“Eldren?” she called out. They’d been en route for two days and in such close quarters, their interaction was become a little more casual.

“I’m here.” He responded quickly climbing his way up the stairs to reach her “Any news?”

“Just a short text from Jens. Seren’s still alive at least,” Leto answered. “There’s also good news and strange news. He’s not in one of the detention centers which is common for telepaths. He’s in a house but it seems to be a weird situation. He’s under constant guard and locked in, which makes no sense. Normally, someone like him would be hidden away in one of the centers, which makes me wonder what they have planned.”

“A juicy trap perhaps. Do they know who he is? Maybe they want to cause an ‘incident’. I suppose it would be embarrassing for Federation should we be caught red-handed but… If this is not the case then this will be a walk in the park. Well removed house, few guards... We could be in and out in no time. They’ll never know what happened.”

“I don’t know.” Leto frowned slightly. “I always worry when it looks too easy. They could be expecting someone to come for him and making it look easy, then it could blow up in our faces. Or….” She turned to face Eldren as she pieced together her thoughts. “Maybe they’re trying to turn him into a tool to use on the telepaths they have captured already.”

“Some form of subdual and psychological torture is in order for every prisoner, especially those keeping desired information. You should have seen what Cardassians did during the occupation… Let’s get focused on what we have and I would deem wise to have a ‘plan B’ too.”

“I saw first hand what the Cardassians did to Nico.” Leto’s tone was bitter. “I agree though. Whatever they are up to with Seren, I don’t think we have long. Which means we need the layout of that house and it’s location. We need to know where is the best spot to blast in and if we think that’s a bad idea, how to infiltrate it otherwise. I want to be able to hear what’s going on in there.”

“How do you plan to do that? Is this Mr. Jens able to give any better insight?” Eldren took a seat on the chair beside Leto and leaned back on it. “All of this mission seems faulty to begin with. Perhaps packed in too much haste following the emotion of the moment.” Tohr paused an instant his grin unpleasant. “In the moment we set foot on that planet everything must function as a clock or we’re history.”

“Jens is his first name,” Leto answered. “He’s working on that now. As for too much haste, delay in this case likely would mean death, and that’s an unacceptable option.” Finally she smiled at Eldren. “We are, however going to do a few modifications to our faces so we’ll fit in. Nothing major so it shouldn’t take too long. You ready?”

“I like my face…” Eldren started to complain “And no way about taking away the family’s heirloom. Kind of a lucky charm,” he added pointing to the golden earring he wore “In any case I don’t plan to leave witnesses if someone sees us.”

“We have to get there first without setting off any alarms. I don’t think they know much about Bajorans so they likely won’t place the earring as anything specific.” Leto reached out to take his chin in her hand and turned his face slightly as she studied it. “You’ll do very well. Will you answer a question for me?”

“Shoot.”

“Li says you can’t be read. Why is that?” She patted his cheek, then let go of him. “I”m really curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat as they say.” He looked her intently then and decided it wasn’t a threat to let her know “Because of an experiment. Many years ago. I volunteered.” he ended leaving his words linger as if those explained it all.

“So they did it on purpose? Why?” It occurred to Leto if the Fleet knew about that experiment, it might interest them where their covert agents were concerned.

“It was during our war against Cardassian occupation. The chances to come out with a success from that experiment were low and the intent was to field a number of freedom fighters impervious to telepathic reading and controlling should the Cardassians have chosen to resort to such methods by involving or bribing allies with those faculties.” Tohr grinned after a moment of silence “They wouldn’t have ever known from where the blow came.”

“I see.” It made perfect sense to Leto and she said as much. “So how did they do it? Was it painful? Not that it wouldn’t be worth a little pain for something that useful under the circumstances.”

“Painful? Yes it was… For a while. As for how our scientists achieved that result I was never told. I went in under anesthetics and, after all, it was a secret. They deemed me lucky enough to come out able to move, speak and use my hands and body again. I know they did not try a second time on anyone else, so this makes me kind of… Unique.”

“And very lucky.” Leto smiled briefly. “Both to be alive and to have me along on this trip. That’s almost a guarantee you’ll live through it.” She traced the line of the scar on his cheek gently. “Where did you get that?”

“Sheesh… You’re a curious woman and modest too.” he chuckled softly “A gift from a Cardassian torturer. I was just a boy then, shortly before being taken in the Kohn-Ma. I had lost my parents in a Cardassian raid on the village where I lived and was herded with the other prisoners… The few that had survived that is. He leaned back on the seat then, exhaling as he touched the scar with his fingers. “I could have had this removed a long time ago. But I don’t want to forget.”

“You don’t need a scar on your face to remember, Eldren.” The look she gave him then was serious. “I know that better than anyone. This is a relatively new face for me and while it has no outward scars, there are plenty on the inside.”

“You would be surprised to count the ones you don’t see on me.” He responded in a whisper “They remember me of all those my people had to suffer… The war has never ended to me there are many out there that ought to pay for what they’ve done… I will not stop until I’ve seen the last one of them.”

Leto’s eyes narrowed as she watched him and finally she nodded. “We may, perhaps, have different ones in our sights, but I’ve said the same many times. If you don’t mind an observation, though, you seem a little far away from those who made your people suffer. We have few Cardassians out here, and only one or two that stay. One of them could be considered your fellow employee….of Suresh. How’s that working out for you?”

“I’ve been trained to bide my time like a predator. I’m not leashing out on small fishes despite the hate I may feel and I don’t want to bite the hand who pays me… For the moment. I need… I need to gather something before I set out on my objectives.”

“What’s that?” Leto asked. Her curiosity about this man was rising by the moment. “Anything I can help with?”

“I don’t think so.” He responded suddenly on the defensive “Perhaps we should focus on our mission while we have time.”

Leto recognized the signs of getting too close to a secret immediately. Whatever this something was, it had suddenly caused Eldren to clam up and that made her even more curious. He’d been forthcoming with her but this? He didn’t want her to know, which of course made her determined to find out.

“Why stop talking now?” she asked, her voice soft. “You’re looking at one of the best keepers of secrets in the universe.”

“Yes, sure.” He laughed “There are things better left unspoken. For how pleasant this talk can seem to me... I cannot forget I’m talking to a Federation Intel Officer.”

That got a laugh from Leto. “You should see my file sometime. It would probably scare even you.” A beep from the console sounded and she entered a slight course correction. “Li and I were never the typical intel officers.”

“The Captain Hawke you mean?” he asked, suddenly attentive, even if he already knew the answer “You two are close? I mean, does the Head Department of Intel find time to have a social life? With subordinates?”

“She’s one of my closest friends and we go back a long way.” Leto laughed once more. “You are behind in the news aren’t you? She became the station XO quite some time ago. You need to climb out of the Pit more often.”

“I do that from time to time. But it’s in the Pit that you get the information firsthand. Even before SB900 security and Intel come to know.” He responded with stinging irony “Coming to know of something before anyone else is everything in our ‘world’, don’t you agree?”

“Got something specific in mind?” she asked. “That I would be interested in anyhow?” Slipping to the edge of her seat, she reached around to rub her lower back. Too many hours in the same seat was getting to her. “I might have something for you too.”

“They say that Captain Li Hawke has vanished from SB900…” He said with a mischievous grin.

“That was some time ago, when Suresh lost his mind for a while and landed them all in the alternate universe. Quite the news at the time, but I can assure you that she’s home safe and sound.” Leto’s gaze swept over Eldren once more. “It might interest you to know, however, that Six has disappeared. From what Gilroy gave the press, Niro grabbed her, a security officer and a JAG officer and took off.”

Tohr smiled listening to Leto and asking himself why he tried destiny’s hand that way sometimes. “I’ve heard. This Niro is quite the nail in the arse for Suresh. I wonder why he hasn’t issued an order about him yet. People crossing that romulan do not last long.”

“That’s very true. I don’t expect Niro will be around long once they bring him back. It seems his brother got all the brains in that family,” was Leto’s considered opinion. “Niro should have known better but he didn’t and now he’s jumped into the fire big time.”

“Headlong, I would say. I wonder how much money can he be worth to Suresh… But I think I’ll come to know soon enough.”

“Oh?” She turned to face him once again and crossed her arms. “Start talking.” There was a curious light in her eyes now. “You willing to dirty your hands more than they already are?”

“I said I’ll come to know not that I’m going to accept a job about that.” He responded to placate her. “And how much dirty do you think my hands are, by the way?”

“I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I didn’t know about everyone of interest on the station, Eldren,” she answered. “I know more about that station than you do and I don’t live down in the Pit. But to answer your question, you came to my attention especially about six months ago when we found a Cardassian who had a hand in the Occupation chopped up into little pieces and stuffed in a storage locker.” She was watching him closely now.

“I’m innocent.” he answered, his face completely inexpressive “should any proof been leading to me, I wouldn’t be here but in the brig. Having this pleasant conversation with Commander Zeferino.”

“I know you didn’t. Still, that doesn’t mean I didn’t get curious.” She laughed again and nudged him in the arm. “Oh relax. You think I’m going to get squeamish because you’ve killed people in your past? Honey, I am the last person to do that.”

“I did that for a just cause.”

“It always is, isn’t it?” Her smile lingered and she turned back to the console when it beeped. “We’ll be arriving in an hour. Jens has sent the rendezvous point. The fun’s about to begin.”

“Better double-check equipment then.” He said rising from the chair “I’ll be in my cabin. Call me when we’re ready to land.”

Leto watched him go and her smile returned. She had no doubt, based on his reactions, that she’d perhaps gotten a little too close to something he held dear. Before this little jaunt was over, she intended to find out just what it was.

*************************
Lt. Leto
Eldren’s Surprise

Eldren Tohr
Adept At Fencing Almost As She Is