SNIP

Karina listened and had to replay the words in her head, the speech a little fast for her. Telepathy was so much easier. “Have you spoken to the Oed Police Force yet? Commissioner Karlson is very good, and I’m sure he could help you locate your nephew. Quimby,” she turned to the man and he strode over, “If Mr. Richards gives you a photo of his nephew could you scan the security feeds of the school to see if you get a match?” Quimby nodded with a low rumble of assent. “Of course Mr Richards before I can help you find or interfere with a minor, you understand I will need proof you are one related to him, and two have legal custody or permission of his legal guardian to find and take charge of him.”

“Of course. My sister and brother in law will be contacting the police today to file a missing minor person report. My next stop is the police station. Hopefully I can speak to Commissioner Karlson directly,” Orlando pulled put a second PaDD from his satchel and handed it to the head of security. “There is lots of pictures of him. All his medical records, including DNA and mine as well. Plus authorization from his parents Aysten and Ian Richards. My mothers family the men take the surnames of the wives. There is a whole....it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I think you will find everything you need on that. I doubt he would enrol in classes. I more expect him to make contact and connections with people his own age who would be enrolled at the secondary school and may be University.”

Karina tipped her head to the side. “It’s possible he did. The school provides meals, and without a credit chip he can’t buy from local vendors, and without enrolling and a student ID he couldn’t get food on campus. It is possible he is stealing though. However, Quimby can start checking the security feeds, but I’m afraid we can’t give you any information directly until we confirm all of this.” Karina tapped the PaDD against her opposite open palm.

Pictures of a teenager on the verge of being a young man, filled up a few pages on the PaDD. Some appeared to be from a year or two ago and others more recent. Phoenix Richards didn’t resemble his uncle in the slightest. The younger Richards had more a slim build and less athletic, short ginger hair on the sides, with long locks sweeping up, hazel eyes and softer more delicate facial features. Orlando appeared to spend a great deal of time on the sunlight and was tanned, while his nephew looked like a young Irishman who hadn’t been outdoors for sometime. Both Richards had similar smiles and that was the only feature with any sort of family resemblance. 

She pulled a personal communicator out of her pocket. =C=Police station, please=C= After a moment a deep voice answered, =C=This is the police station, how can I help you?=C=

=C=This is Director Enger, I need to request that Commissioner Karlson come to the school as soon as he is able, or someone per his discretion. We have a possible missing/runaway child.=C=

=C=I will send him the request right away. We will need a current photo, family contacts, access to security feeds.=C= Quimby leaned over and spoke into the comm. =C=Yeah yeah we got it Douglas, just get him over here.=C=

=C=Quimby? That you? Well I guess you got it in hand. We’ll have someone there A.S.A.P.=C= Karina closed the connection and

It was only then that Karina took the PaDD and glanced at it. There were certainly a lot of credentials and experience listed there. One thing Karina didn’t have a lot of yet was substitute teachers, and they certainly had a need for them. “If you are interested in a job with the school I can take you to our human resources office.”

Enger, ED

“I am definitely interested in a job. Teaching is my passion, plus I am not sure how long I will be here. And getting to know the local youths will hopefully help me get some leads on Phoenix. If you could get me into HR faster, I would be very appreciative,” Orlando said slowing his rate of speech. He was feeling a lot more at ease having spoken with the director. She had gone above and beyond to help him when she simply could have passed him onto others for assistance. Though it had been an unorthodox approach, Karina could not have been nicer. “Thank you so much for all your help. My family is in your debt. If there is anything I can do to repay you, dinner, anything. I am sure my mom will be sending you lots of homemade jams and organic goats cheese. I apologise for that in advance. We have a goat farm outside of Vegas. What can I say? Kinda explains how my nephew could have got bored and took off.”

OOC: If I ever create another NE, I will definitely be more careful not to come up with a random backstory like a surfing obsessed goat farmer turned security officer. Though he is supposed to have died being a hero, I decided to keep him lol ----Ty

Orlando, Richards (Teacher)

Karina paused and took a deep breath. The man went at warp 10 it seemed. “Mr Richards, while it is true I am in need of substitute teachers and full time instructors and other support staff at all levels, let me make one thing very clear. The school is not your personal investigative ground. You are not to question or interrogate or converse or follow or watch or pursue information about your nephew while on my school grounds. Oed is a colony rife with factions, underground, criminals, political upheaval, Colonial self reliance, against Federation and Star Fleet interference. Here, on my school grounds, my students, no matter their age or circumstance are safe. I will not have even one feeling that they have to choose sides or feel any level of apprehension because they are being questioned. Any investigation done on the grounds will be done by Commissioner Karlson, Quimby, or myself. If that doesn’t work for you, then we don’t need to proceed to HR.”

Enger, ED

Orlando moved his head from side to side quickly. Karina had said a lot of words, but he had focused on a few that set him on edge. From her tone, he knew he had missed some type of warning and possibly a lecture. Fear started in the pit of his stomach and worked its way up to settle into his chest. Drawing two quick breathes, he repeated the directors words, not hiding the panic creeping into his voice, “What ‘underground criminals, political upheaval and factions’ are you talking about? I thought OED was some sort of vacation colony? This is supposed to be a resort for the wealthy and elite. Business people and university students. Science exploration. Not organized crime. Phoenix has never been off earth without family. He is from earth. A utopia. He doesn’t know anything about crime. The boy has two skills, surfing and milking goats. As far as I know, he has never fired a phaser or so much as played a contact sport.”

Moving to a chair, Orlando sat down heavily and held his head in his hands struggling to come to terms with the very real danger his nephew might be involved in. Not once did it occur to him or his family something else might have been going on with the kid. Orlando’s thoughts and emotions were in a whirlwind and his heartbeat fluttered along with the highs and lows. Looking up, his shoulders slumped back, “I just thought he ran off with a girl. Sorry. Forget about HR. I need to go look for him right now. I can’t wait for the police or anyone else.”

Orlando Richards

Karina set a hand on his arm just briefly. “Yes you can. No, we are certainly not a resort planet. That’s good because the underground there is much much worse. Oed is an up and developing colony, on the very edge of Federation Space, and like any such colony there are lots of dynamics. However, Gov Hyrushi employees only the best people in their fields. Now, you will do more harm to yourself and your nephew if you just go running off with no plan and no idea of what is going on. It is quite possible your nephew ran off with some girl.”

Orlando looked up at Karina, appreciating the comforting gesture of the slight touch. He knew from all his experience and Starfleet training that for most telepaths, physical touch could be intrusive so said nothing and waited for her to remove her hand. This was all just a lot to take in at one time. She seemed to put a lot of faith and trust in the local police, but Orlando wasn’t naïve when it came to investigation. No. It was time to put his mind in chief of security mode. The quicker he found Phoenix and got back to earth and his son the better. An image of Daria floated across his mind and he quickly dismissed it. Whether she was upset with him or not, he would have to deal with that consequence later. Orlando still wasn’t convinced the police would be able to find his nephew and wished Jackson had been here to help. Phoenix had a close relationship with Jackson and blamed Orlando for his death. “Are you sure the police can help? I am not comfortable putting all my trust into someone else.” 

Quimby piped up from his works station and running facial recognition from the security feeds. “Karlson has been here for years and he knows who to ask and when to ask and where to look. He’s a good man and doesn’t quit. He knows the colony unlike anyone else. We could also send a request to the CCDA. They could run a check on all the incoming ships to see when he landed. That Harris fellow, nothing gets by him or his people.”

Enger

“Yes. That’s a good idea. With the ships I mean. He had to have come in through the port. I found some information he stowed away on a cargo ship. As soon as we realised he was missing, I tracked him on a passenger vessel going to the Lunar colony. He used a fake ID with the name Joshua Reynolds. I think whoever he is travelling with knows how to hack into low level systems. They used cleaning maintenance schedules and made employee identifications. On the PaDD I gave you is his and the girl he is with....uh the id lists her name as Alex Qaress. There is only one video of them getting onto the transporter. Alex, or whoever she is, looks half Klingon, though its hard to tell with the hood up,” Orlando paused for a second. Maybe that was the reason the two had ran away. Her parents probably had not approved of the relationship, yet Orlando could not find a missing person’s report and still had no idea the girls real identity. “After that, there is one more of them getting off on the Lunar colony. It’s been nearly two weeks for me to track them here. Would seem the cargo ship they stowed away on was carrying plants and seeds that could be harvested for hallucinogens from OED back to the Lunar colony. When port security did a sweep, they found Phoenix’s DNA, but not the Klingon he was travelling with, which was strange. The crew denied knowing the kids were on board. The name of the cargo ship and crew information is in there too.” 

Orlando Richards (Teacher)