Posted by Lieutenant Commander Nicholas James (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Part Two: Desperate Times…(Tag Longstreet)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Nicholas James (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Part One: Dietrich’s Arrest

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Nicholas James (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Prologue: Wandering Amongst the People
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
=/\=Shuttle Tyrdirium, you are cleared for landing. Landing bay 2, vector 301.7. Welcome to OED V.=/\= The small shuttlecraft approached gracefully. =/\=Copy control.=/\= replied the even-keeled voice of Nicholas James. As the shuttle approached, he turned off the auto-landing system and watched the shadow of the craft drift closer to the floor and to a smooth landing. A technique called ghosting he had learned some years earlier.

Heading to the back of the craft, another new transfer to OED, a very eager Ensign was already holding Nicholas’ limited possessions. One travel case and one silver, Starfleet issue briefcase. “Commander, I can carry your stuff to your quarters. Senior staff doesn’t need the burden.” Nicholas looked him up and down. I have to appear at least amicable. “Take the case. The briefcase, I’ll take. Official business.” The Ensign, clearly fresh out of the Academy, smiled and held out the silver case. Once it was in Nicholas’ hand, the young man sprinted off. Wants friends in high places I suppose. Who has the luxury of friends?

He followed the eager young man to his quarters, opened the door and let him in. “There you go sir. Much easier with a little help.” Nicholas nodded. “Indeed. Thank you, Ensign…” he waited for the Ensign’s name. “Carter. Ensign Steven Carter.” With a nod, Nicholas said “Dismissed Ensign.” With a sharp smile the kid said “Yes, Sir” and departed. The silver briefcase was placed neatly at the centre of the desk.

Nicholas unpacked his bag first, uniforms, civilian clothes, but no personal effects. Next he came to the briefcase, from which he pulled a picture frame, holding a generic looking family photo, a PaDD, and a stylus. One final item emerged. A small hand drill. He closed the briefcase, carried it to his closet, where he unscrewed one wall panel. He secured his silver case in the wall, hid the drill and returned to his desk.

After sitting down, he placed his thumb over his own photographed face. “Authorisation code: James Alpha Victor 9782.” When he lifted his hand, the family portrait took new shape. A small computer console. “Encoded transmission, channel 6, mirrored.” A face appeared on the screen, an Admiral. “Sir. I am successfully in place.” The Admiral nodded his approval. “And the asset?”
“Sighted en route to my quarters.”
“Remember. This is important. Make sure you’ve got him before you make the final move. Knight for checkmate.”
“Understood sir.”
“31 out.” The screen went blank. “Close console.” The console took shape of a picture frame again.

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO

(OOC:For those who are curious, I have benign essential tremor and hit enter by mistake because my hand was shaking. Moving on:)

Nicholas left his quarters, PaDD in hand. He scanned his thumbprint over a button on the PaDD. The text changed from an ordinary magazine to a Section 31 agent log.

He wandered through hallways and into businesses, taking notes. [Asset sighted in bookstore 3 times in 6 hour period.] He took care to blend in. Just another Starfleet Officer.

By the time he was done, he had six names on a list. People to visit. Eventually. All in due time.

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO

2 days later…

A man in a green overcoat set down a PaDD. “Everything you asked for.”
“All of it?”
“Duty rosters, shift change times, everything.” From the darkness a human woman slid a bag across the table. Filled to the brim with Latinum. “Pleasure doing business with you.” Nicholas slid out from the shadows holding a type one phaser. He stunned everyone from behind. All except his mark.
…
“Wake up Sgt Dietrich.” Came a voice from over a microphone. The man in the green coat struggled to consciousness. He suddenly snapped awake as he came to understand his circumstances. He was bound, dangling 10 feet in the air. “Let me down! Now!”
“Oh, I doubt you want that. You’ll definitely be injured in the fall.” Nicholas’ voice was unsettlingly calm. “Do you know where you are?”
“Am I supposed to?”
“This is a water runoff tank for a mining facility just outside the main dome of OED. Every 15 minutes, excess water from the coolant system is dumped here. Over the course of two hours it fills, and then the water is filtered back into the coolant system. Trust me Sgt, you won’t drown, but it will be excruciating. And you don’t take up enough cubic capacity of the tank to trigger an alarm. No reason to check.” Once again Nicholas emerged from darkness, dressed all in black in Section 31 tradition. He was in a control booth. “This, Sgt, is the control that has the emergency shutdown. One push of a button, I can have you out of here in less than 5 minutes. Let’s begin.” A rush of water fell over Dietrich. He gasped for air. “You’re a corrupt cop. Everyone knows that. All I need is one scumbag. Philip Roth.”
“He’s a gun runner. I don’t know how to contact him directly. But there’s a bookstore. You’ve probably seen him go in. Ask for ‘The Librarian.’ She’s an information broker.”
“You’re telling me things I already know. Perhaps it’s time we parted ways Sgt Dietrich.” Another rush of water came in.
“Wait! The department is trying to break up a sale he’s handling. In two weeks. There’s no location yet, but the bust is being set up. You can get into our computers, get everything we have on him and his people.” A heavy silence hung in the air.
“That’ll do.”
“Oh thank god.”
…
At street level, “You weren’t really going to drown me over and over, right? Section 31 isn’t that twisted.”
“It depended on how long it took. Your cowardice saved you a good deal of pain.” Dietrich looked appalled.
“Police found the PaDD with their roster on it at the site of a ‘gang shootout.’ It has your prints all over it. And after you OD on an illegal narcotic, your credibility and your career are gone.” Nicholas injected him with a common street narcotic.
…
Dressed in a Starfleet uniform, Nicholas brought Dietrich into the civilian hospital. “I found him in the gutter. I think he OD’d on something.” Once Dietrich was hauled away, Nicholas disappeared. And who would believe the junkie rambling about a ‘man in black?’ On the police report, it was deemed a ‘delusion brought on by his compromised mental state.’

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO

Nicholas decided that Preston Longstreet was someone he wanted closer to on his side than against him. His best bet in the CoS’ office was to play the information broker. He actually pressed the door chime instead of breaking in. Awaiting Cmdr Longstreet, he planned. *What intel would he find valuable? Valuable enough to sell out an old friend.

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO

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