Part 35
Another time, another place, and another reality. Here, where humanity has spread from their home world out across the stars, they have emerged as the dominant species. Their forces have become so powerful that no one in the universe is foolish enough to risk their ire.
Four people arrived from outside the universe. The rules didn't apply to them... they rarely do.
Mara looked about, blaster rifle held at the ready as she tried to sense any threats. The station they landed on was not what she’d have expected; the floor was marble and the walls ivory. In the glow of the lights far overhead, it looked almost classical rather than mechanized. This was as far from the Borg ship of their last encounter as you could possibly get, she thought as she checked back over the rest of the group. It was just a routine look, though; Starbuck, Lara, and Seven were experienced enough to know what the situation called for - they stood at the ready.
"Weapons on stun," Mara reminded them, heading up the hall. "There's no need to kill anyone. It's not as if the witnesses will be able to set the police after us." The floor felt very solid; she'd almost swear that they were on the ground floor of a building the way it felt, as if it was on unmovable foundation. Still, she crept along carefully, and the others followed her lead. Even Lara, who wasn't inclined to listen to anyone, and Starbuck who had made a career out of insubordination, obeyed. They were a team here; mess with that and someone would get shot, and it was doubtful the enemy had set their weapons on stun.
They stopped at the first intersection, and Seven stepped up with a device she'd built the day before. There was a slight squeaking sound that grated the nerves, but unavoidable. The four of them ran around the corner and past the remote camera until they were well past it. Seven switched the device off; the frozen image of the empty hall she'd projected into its sensors had kept the security system from identifying anyone in the area. They continued on up the next hall and repeated the process, moving steadily closer.
The station was mostly empty at this late hour, but it was still patrolled. Two guards appeared around one of the corners, but Mara had managed to avoid detection thanks to her danger sense. She gestured to Lara, who walked with cat-like steps into position. Together the two of them slipped around the corner, Mara taking the one on the right, Lara the one on the left. Both were down before the other could respond. Seven took up their weapons and communicators, and the group continued. The storage room was just a few more meters away. There was no guard; there didn't need to be, the security computer monitored it without rest. Seven took the lead for the last leg, stepping into the room.
"Unscheduled presence," it intoned as she strode confidently towards the holographic interface of the security system. "Withdraw or you will be charged with violating Terran Imperial Security Code One Four-"
"I am here on Emergency Protocol 14.21.6a," Seven interrupted.
The Security system slipped smoothly from its recitation to respond. "You are not a recognized agent of the Division of Weights and Standards."
"I have undergone reconstructive surgery," Seven said. "My name is Wallace, Janet. Serial Number 14-217-81-HF-4-Sigma.
"Wallace, Janet, is listed as terminated," the computer stated.
"A necessary deception," Seven said. "You will note that my account is still active." It was, though that was something they had been lucky enough to stumble upon. Whether Janet Wallace was actually dead or in hiding, someone was still using her account. There was no reason Crossroads Facility couldn't borrow it for a time.
"That is confirmed," the security system stated. "I will require an access code for Sigma level security-" Seven rattled off a series of numbers and letters. "Code confirmed. How may I assist you, Ms. Wallace?"
"I require access to unit 04A," Seven said.
"For what purpose?"
"Inspection," Seven stated.
A door on the left hissed open. "Access granted. In accordance with Imperial policy I must inform you that any attempt to remove the cargo is a security violation, and you will be arrested and reprogrammed."
"Understood," Seven said, leading the way into the adjoining room, the other three taking up the rear. The computer didn't comment; it often required several people to perform inspections, so there was nothing unusual about this.
And there it was - a stack of platinum bars the size of a small car. At twice the value of gold, there was close to forty million dollars here... if they could get it back. Mara, Lara, and Seven took out the transmitters and began affixing them to the stacks while Starbuck covered the door just to be safe. Less than a minute later they were done and back in the Gate. Another fifteen seconds and they watched as the bars arrived as well.
Ms. Danoob was waiting on the floor. When she stepped forward, her smile seemed to be genuine for once. "Very good... very, very good. And it seems your alcove did its job quite well," she informed Seven.
"Yes," Seven said. "Though it was hardly a significant amount of information; I could have simply read that and memorized it."
"We did not want to overwhelm you the first time out," Ms. Danoob said, though her eyes were still fixed on the platinum. "Fantastic... take the rest of the day to relax; tomorrow we'll be doing it again. The day after that, the redecoration will begin."
The four of them checked their gear in, Seven adding the new equipment she'd taken off the guards, and they retired to their quarters. Mara hauled her boots off immediately; they were much heavier than the ones she'd used all those years as the Emperor's Hand. However, before she straightened up she was tackled from behind and sent sprawling onto the bed. "Seven?!" she exclaimed.
"We have the rest of the day," Seven informed her, pulling up the front of Mara's shirt. "I intend to use every moment."
"Can you at least let- AH! HAHAHAHA!!!" Seven was tickling all over her exposed tummy, and pinned like this Mara couldn't work to escape. Seven used all ten fingers on her tummy using the tips like she was performing a scalp massage, but it was hardly relaxing. "Seven-hahaha stop it! I want to shower!"
"Silence," Seven ordered, though it was impossible to think she'd meant it considered she was tickling Mara even more, moving around to her flanks. She wasn't subtle; Seven grabbed on each side and wormed her fingers around while Mara laughed madly. Fortunately in this new position Mara was able get an arm out, and Seven's breast was a close and vulnerable target. Seven yelped as Mara tickled it right through the uniform and soon she was laughing almost as much as her victim.
"Enough," Seven finally gasped, grabbing Mara's hand and catching the second that lunged up for a counter attack. Seven held her by the wrists a moment, then slid further up them. Mara couldn't stop her as Seven tightly gripped her arms until finally Seven was nearly up to her shoulders. Seven held Mara's arms out a little and -still with her iron grip- put one index finger into each pit. Mara laughed and swung her arms at the elbows, but couldn't actually get close enough to stop the worming in her armpits. Seven would stop every once in a while and give Mara a peck on the lips, but then it was right back to tickling her underarms.
Mara managed to twist her body around enough so that she could swing her hand around and prod Seven in the ribs. Seven shrieked at the unexpected tickle, and tumbled sideways off the bed and onto the floor, Mara coming after her. Having the momentary advantage, Mara kept it up, tickling Seven's ribs while the blond laughed hysterically. But it didn't last long; Seven rolled and Mara was on the bottom, pinned. Then Seven pivoted and rolled Mara again onto her stomach, then spun around and slid down her legs. Mara was fighting now, knowing what was coming but knowing she didn't have a chance. Seven pinned Mara's legs, reached down, and tickled the bottoms of Mara's exposed feet. Mara shook with laughter, pounding weakly on the floor with her fists as Seven ran her scratching nails all over the soles. "This is a better position," Seven commented. "Thank you for suggesting it."
"Hahahaha! Seven, get off! Hahahaha!"
"I expect I will," Seven remarked in a rare double-entendre, still not stopping in her tickling of Mara's feet. "But first things first. If you are not adequately prepared, I'm not sure you will enjoy it as much." Mara shook with laughter as Seven concentrated on a nasty spot on her instep. “Another couple of hours and I'm sure you'll be ready. We must do this right, after all. You must be tension free if we're to succeed again tomorrow."
"Heheehee I'm relaxed! I'm relaxed! Hahahaha!!!"
"No," Seven said. "I will inform you when you are relaxed... and I will make certain that there is no room for doubt." She began tickling harder, until tears ran down Mara's face. Half her mind was loving it, and the other half plotting revenge. None of it thought at all about the mission.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ronald Tetz was the Senior Security Chief of the Imperial Weights and Standards Division, and he'd thought he'd seen it all. Attacking ships heading to and coming from the Imperial Distribution Centers was uncommon, but they did happen. And every once in a great while some ambitious and corrupt employee would conspire to try and make off with some of the chemicals, minerals, herbs and fuels that were required by law to submit to the detailed inspections of the Terran Empire, but they all ended the same.
But now, someone had done it. Somehow tons of material was removed from one of their distribution centers, and there were no leads. It was impossible, absolutely impossible... but that didn't change the inconvenient truth that it had still happened. And what was most shocking of all was that the perpetrators had ignored the five hundred kilo containers of purified sub-micronic fuel and crates of concentrated mulva herbs -either of which could have made a person rich beyond their dreams- and settled for platinum. Of course, platinum wasn't the most common element of the galaxy, but it wasn't that uncommon. Maybe with all that had been stolen you could afford to by a small cruiser, if you could even unload that much. It was an astonishing paradox: a raid that only a criminal idiot would want to perform, yet could only have been accomplished by a criminal genius.
Ronald, of course, wasn't stupid. Forget the preconceptions and look at the facts: someone had defeated their security, someone clearly brilliant. That meant whatever they did was worthy of the effort - if he couldn't see it, that didn't mean they were dumb, just that they had a motive he hadn’t pieced together yet. Therefore, it was reasonable to conclude that they might strike for similar targets again; it was thin, but so far the best lead they had, since at the moment there'd still been no records of any ships coming to or leaving the distribution center that could have done this. If he was going to catch them, he'd just have to hope they'd try again... because if they did, they'd step right into his trap.
Another time, another place, and another reality. Here, where humanity has spread from their home world out across the stars, they have emerged as the dominant species. Their forces have become so powerful that no one in the universe is foolish enough to risk their ire.
Four people arrived from outside the universe. The rules didn't apply to them... they rarely do.
Mara looked about, blaster rifle held at the ready as she tried to sense any threats. The station they landed on was not what she’d have expected; the floor was marble and the walls ivory. In the glow of the lights far overhead, it looked almost classical rather than mechanized. This was as far from the Borg ship of their last encounter as you could possibly get, she thought as she checked back over the rest of the group. It was just a routine look, though; Starbuck, Lara, and Seven were experienced enough to know what the situation called for - they stood at the ready.
"Weapons on stun," Mara reminded them, heading up the hall. "There's no need to kill anyone. It's not as if the witnesses will be able to set the police after us." The floor felt very solid; she'd almost swear that they were on the ground floor of a building the way it felt, as if it was on unmovable foundation. Still, she crept along carefully, and the others followed her lead. Even Lara, who wasn't inclined to listen to anyone, and Starbuck who had made a career out of insubordination, obeyed. They were a team here; mess with that and someone would get shot, and it was doubtful the enemy had set their weapons on stun.
They stopped at the first intersection, and Seven stepped up with a device she'd built the day before. There was a slight squeaking sound that grated the nerves, but unavoidable. The four of them ran around the corner and past the remote camera until they were well past it. Seven switched the device off; the frozen image of the empty hall she'd projected into its sensors had kept the security system from identifying anyone in the area. They continued on up the next hall and repeated the process, moving steadily closer.
The station was mostly empty at this late hour, but it was still patrolled. Two guards appeared around one of the corners, but Mara had managed to avoid detection thanks to her danger sense. She gestured to Lara, who walked with cat-like steps into position. Together the two of them slipped around the corner, Mara taking the one on the right, Lara the one on the left. Both were down before the other could respond. Seven took up their weapons and communicators, and the group continued. The storage room was just a few more meters away. There was no guard; there didn't need to be, the security computer monitored it without rest. Seven took the lead for the last leg, stepping into the room.
"Unscheduled presence," it intoned as she strode confidently towards the holographic interface of the security system. "Withdraw or you will be charged with violating Terran Imperial Security Code One Four-"
"I am here on Emergency Protocol 14.21.6a," Seven interrupted.
The Security system slipped smoothly from its recitation to respond. "You are not a recognized agent of the Division of Weights and Standards."
"I have undergone reconstructive surgery," Seven said. "My name is Wallace, Janet. Serial Number 14-217-81-HF-4-Sigma.
"Wallace, Janet, is listed as terminated," the computer stated.
"A necessary deception," Seven said. "You will note that my account is still active." It was, though that was something they had been lucky enough to stumble upon. Whether Janet Wallace was actually dead or in hiding, someone was still using her account. There was no reason Crossroads Facility couldn't borrow it for a time.
"That is confirmed," the security system stated. "I will require an access code for Sigma level security-" Seven rattled off a series of numbers and letters. "Code confirmed. How may I assist you, Ms. Wallace?"
"I require access to unit 04A," Seven said.
"For what purpose?"
"Inspection," Seven stated.
A door on the left hissed open. "Access granted. In accordance with Imperial policy I must inform you that any attempt to remove the cargo is a security violation, and you will be arrested and reprogrammed."
"Understood," Seven said, leading the way into the adjoining room, the other three taking up the rear. The computer didn't comment; it often required several people to perform inspections, so there was nothing unusual about this.
And there it was - a stack of platinum bars the size of a small car. At twice the value of gold, there was close to forty million dollars here... if they could get it back. Mara, Lara, and Seven took out the transmitters and began affixing them to the stacks while Starbuck covered the door just to be safe. Less than a minute later they were done and back in the Gate. Another fifteen seconds and they watched as the bars arrived as well.
Ms. Danoob was waiting on the floor. When she stepped forward, her smile seemed to be genuine for once. "Very good... very, very good. And it seems your alcove did its job quite well," she informed Seven.
"Yes," Seven said. "Though it was hardly a significant amount of information; I could have simply read that and memorized it."
"We did not want to overwhelm you the first time out," Ms. Danoob said, though her eyes were still fixed on the platinum. "Fantastic... take the rest of the day to relax; tomorrow we'll be doing it again. The day after that, the redecoration will begin."
The four of them checked their gear in, Seven adding the new equipment she'd taken off the guards, and they retired to their quarters. Mara hauled her boots off immediately; they were much heavier than the ones she'd used all those years as the Emperor's Hand. However, before she straightened up she was tackled from behind and sent sprawling onto the bed. "Seven?!" she exclaimed.
"We have the rest of the day," Seven informed her, pulling up the front of Mara's shirt. "I intend to use every moment."
"Can you at least let- AH! HAHAHAHA!!!" Seven was tickling all over her exposed tummy, and pinned like this Mara couldn't work to escape. Seven used all ten fingers on her tummy using the tips like she was performing a scalp massage, but it was hardly relaxing. "Seven-hahaha stop it! I want to shower!"
"Silence," Seven ordered, though it was impossible to think she'd meant it considered she was tickling Mara even more, moving around to her flanks. She wasn't subtle; Seven grabbed on each side and wormed her fingers around while Mara laughed madly. Fortunately in this new position Mara was able get an arm out, and Seven's breast was a close and vulnerable target. Seven yelped as Mara tickled it right through the uniform and soon she was laughing almost as much as her victim.
"Enough," Seven finally gasped, grabbing Mara's hand and catching the second that lunged up for a counter attack. Seven held her by the wrists a moment, then slid further up them. Mara couldn't stop her as Seven tightly gripped her arms until finally Seven was nearly up to her shoulders. Seven held Mara's arms out a little and -still with her iron grip- put one index finger into each pit. Mara laughed and swung her arms at the elbows, but couldn't actually get close enough to stop the worming in her armpits. Seven would stop every once in a while and give Mara a peck on the lips, but then it was right back to tickling her underarms.
Mara managed to twist her body around enough so that she could swing her hand around and prod Seven in the ribs. Seven shrieked at the unexpected tickle, and tumbled sideways off the bed and onto the floor, Mara coming after her. Having the momentary advantage, Mara kept it up, tickling Seven's ribs while the blond laughed hysterically. But it didn't last long; Seven rolled and Mara was on the bottom, pinned. Then Seven pivoted and rolled Mara again onto her stomach, then spun around and slid down her legs. Mara was fighting now, knowing what was coming but knowing she didn't have a chance. Seven pinned Mara's legs, reached down, and tickled the bottoms of Mara's exposed feet. Mara shook with laughter, pounding weakly on the floor with her fists as Seven ran her scratching nails all over the soles. "This is a better position," Seven commented. "Thank you for suggesting it."
"Hahahaha! Seven, get off! Hahahaha!"
"I expect I will," Seven remarked in a rare double-entendre, still not stopping in her tickling of Mara's feet. "But first things first. If you are not adequately prepared, I'm not sure you will enjoy it as much." Mara shook with laughter as Seven concentrated on a nasty spot on her instep. “Another couple of hours and I'm sure you'll be ready. We must do this right, after all. You must be tension free if we're to succeed again tomorrow."
"Heheehee I'm relaxed! I'm relaxed! Hahahaha!!!"
"No," Seven said. "I will inform you when you are relaxed... and I will make certain that there is no room for doubt." She began tickling harder, until tears ran down Mara's face. Half her mind was loving it, and the other half plotting revenge. None of it thought at all about the mission.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ronald Tetz was the Senior Security Chief of the Imperial Weights and Standards Division, and he'd thought he'd seen it all. Attacking ships heading to and coming from the Imperial Distribution Centers was uncommon, but they did happen. And every once in a great while some ambitious and corrupt employee would conspire to try and make off with some of the chemicals, minerals, herbs and fuels that were required by law to submit to the detailed inspections of the Terran Empire, but they all ended the same.
But now, someone had done it. Somehow tons of material was removed from one of their distribution centers, and there were no leads. It was impossible, absolutely impossible... but that didn't change the inconvenient truth that it had still happened. And what was most shocking of all was that the perpetrators had ignored the five hundred kilo containers of purified sub-micronic fuel and crates of concentrated mulva herbs -either of which could have made a person rich beyond their dreams- and settled for platinum. Of course, platinum wasn't the most common element of the galaxy, but it wasn't that uncommon. Maybe with all that had been stolen you could afford to by a small cruiser, if you could even unload that much. It was an astonishing paradox: a raid that only a criminal idiot would want to perform, yet could only have been accomplished by a criminal genius.
Ronald, of course, wasn't stupid. Forget the preconceptions and look at the facts: someone had defeated their security, someone clearly brilliant. That meant whatever they did was worthy of the effort - if he couldn't see it, that didn't mean they were dumb, just that they had a motive he hadn’t pieced together yet. Therefore, it was reasonable to conclude that they might strike for similar targets again; it was thin, but so far the best lead they had, since at the moment there'd still been no records of any ships coming to or leaving the distribution center that could have done this. If he was going to catch them, he'd just have to hope they'd try again... because if they did, they'd step right into his trap.
