>>5079024
>only the Honolulu with it's tiny arse crew and handful of security personnel is sent deep into a politically unstable region full of tricky people historically hostile to the Federation/its ideals
This can't possibly end well.
>get drunk with crewmates on the main holodeck

>>5079024
>Go to the secondary holodeck and run the most ridiculous holoprogram you can think of.
Cupcake vs igaunadons vs pillows war over the last golden microphone

>>5079024
>>Get drunk with some crew mates on the main holodeck.

>>5079024
>Read up on the Cardassian situation.
then
>Get drunk with some crew mates on the main holodeck.
because the situation is probably fucking depressing

>>5079024
>>Get drunk with some crew mates on the main holodeck.

>>5079024
Supporting >>5079201

>>5079024
>Get drunk with some crew mates on the main holodeck.
We’re on a suicide mission. Great

>>5079201
supporting

>>5079201
+1

>Read up on the Cardassian situation.

>Get drunk with some crew mates on the main holodeck.

You decide to read up on the Cardassian situation a bit more.

The Cardassians achieved warp travel capabilities many centuries ago, and despite their authoritarian tendencies, managed to gain a reputation as an honest broker who befriended many nearby civilizations, which allowed them to establish a formidable network of colonies in systems with strategic resources, acquire key resources and technologies quickly through trade, and perhaps most importantly, team up against hostile races for protection.

This system worked well enough that during the late 2000s, and early 2100s, the Cardassians had entered a golden age, but infighting between political factions almost collapsed the economy in the mid 2100s, which led to the oligarchical Cardassian Union being replaced by a Republic for nearly a century. However, the Republic proved inept and corrupt, and the Cardassian Union made a comeback.

Rebuilding the Cardassian economy and later fending off a Klingon invasion gave the Union massive amounts of political capital among both Cardassians, and many other races living in the region, but in the early 2300s, the Union chose to use this goodwill to deeply entrench their power over common citizens and occupy many worlds home to less advanced peoples. Throughout the early-mid 2300s, they fought a series of pointless wars against the Federation and other regional powers which many felt occurred solely for the Union to justify its draconian controls.

Then of course the disastrous Dominion War crippled the Obsidian Order and the military Central Command both functionally and morally. The old Detapa Council of bureaucrats and honored families was dissolved by the military during their alliance with the Dominion.

Since then, things have very much been in flux. A new Detapa Council, made up of representatives of any political or military faction strong enough to demand a seat at the table, has managed to keep the Cardassians from fighting among themselves, but not much else.

“Rogue” militant factions have made several failed attempts to drive Federation and Klingon vessels out of the Cardassian region (with lots of “secret” backing from the Romulans), but lately traditionalist and progressive factions have dominated the Council with one group advocating isolation, and other advocating getting limited assistance from the Federation.

However, you never really know what group you will run into while travelling in Cardassian Space, terrorist attacks against Federation vessels have occurred even in systems dominated by progressives.

Meanwhile, many former subject races of the Cardassians are trying to find their own way forward now they are free from intimidation from the Union.

>>5080246

It doesn’t help that the Cardassians deliberately withheld resources and technology from their subject races and own civilian population. Combined with the massive infrastructure loss of the Dominion War, large segments of the population are still living in poverty.

Ugh, sounds like the whole region is a dangerous shithole.

You head down to the main holodeck to hang out with your crew mates, but instead of the usual Risa beach program, inside is a massive pillow fort made of blankets and rectangular foam pillows.

Lt. (junior grade) Cara O’Conner, the vessel’s CMO (and only medical personnel) walks by in pajamas and holding a bottle of liquor. She makes a comment about you being “overdressed for a slumber party”.

Shaking your head in mild amusement (Cara is usually one of the more responsible crew members) you ponder what to do next.

>Wreck the pillow fort, try to start a war.

>Ask people what they think of the mission.

>Go get changed from your uniform into pajamas, get very drunk.

>Go get some of the Dazzle Gum, get high, then drunk.

>>5080250
>Go get changed from your uniform into pajamas, get very drunk.

>>5080250
>>Go get changed from your uniform into pajamas, get very drunk.

>>5080250
>Wreck the pillow fort, try to start a war.

>>5080250
>>Go get changed from your uniform into pajamas, get very drunk.
That actually sounds terribly comfy given the situation.

>>5080250
>Go get some of the Dazzle Gum, get high, then drunk.

>>5080250
>Go get some of the Dazzle Gum, get high, then drunk.

>>5080250
>Go get changed from your uniform into pajamas, get very drunk.

>>5080250
>Go get changed from your uniform into pajamas, get very drunk.

>>5080250
>>Go get some of the Dazzle Gum, get high, then drunk.

>Go get changed from your uniform into pyjamas, get very drunk.

Well if everyone else is getting in on this, why not you?

When in Rome and all that.

You go to the change room, switch into some comfy pajamas, then head back into the holodeck and order the computer to materialize a large bottle of chocolate rum right into your hand.

You chug about half of it in the few seconds it takes to walk from the entrance way into the pillow fort.

An impressive structure with several distinct rooms/chambers, you wonder how long it will be before someone starts knocking down walls.

You spend a bit of time speculating with Cara and Hacker who left porn running on the holodeck yesterday while waiting for the alcohol to hit your system.

The rest of the night goes by in flashes.

You remember someone, perhaps yourself, knocking down several walls in the pillow fort, then helping rebuild parts of it, then trying to ride around on a pillow like it is a horse, or an iguanodon, then someone summoning an actual iguanodon for you to ride, then playing guitar by a bonfire (which may or may not have been the same holoprogram).

You wake up the next morning back in bed, with no memory of how you got there.

Luckily, you only ever get mild hangovers, and rarely ever get sick, so you are probably better off than several members of the crew.

You take a sonic shower to remove the chocolate rum smears, put on a fresh uniform, then relax for a few hours while waiting for the security briefing to start.

At the briefing, Maxim gives out yet another summary of the situation on Unefra III, politically fractured, miserable climate, yadayadayada. It is not much different than the past couple briefings, not to mention your own readings on the subject.

The update on the hostage situation is a bit more interesting though.

Although there are no signs yet of hostage takers, a Klingon ship belonging to House Mar’kal has been spotted in the area. As rulers of a former Kriosian colony in Klingon Space, they would be certainly willing to pay a high price for a Kriosian Princess, no matter how minor.

Also, the Captain has made contact with a former Obsidian Order cell leader, who now works freelance as an information broker.

If anyone knows any information, it will likely be her.

Based on the latest information, the Captain has ordered the formation of three away teams, one to visit the information broker, one to visit the planet’s Klingon Quarter to see if anyone knows anything about House Mar’kal’s operations in the system, and one to serve as a reserve force in case something goes wrong on either mission.

>Volunteer for the away team visiting the informant.

>Volunteer for the away team visiting the Klingon Quarter.

>Volunteer for the away team being held in reserve.

>>5082530
>Volunteer for the away team being held in reserve.

>>5082530
>Volunteer for the away team being held in reserve.

>>5082530
>>Volunteer for the away team visiting the Klingon Quarter.

>>5082530
>>Volunteer for the away team visiting the Klingon Quarter.
Nimue's good at infiltration

>>5082530
>>>Volunteer for the away team visiting the Klingon Quarter.

>>5082530
>>Volunteer for the away team being held in reserve.

>>5082530
>>Volunteer for the away team visiting the Klingon Quarter.

>>5082530
>Volunteer for the away team being held in reserve.

>>5082530
>Volunteer for the away team visiting the informant.

>>5082530
>Volunteer for the away team visiting the informant.

>Volunteer for the away team visiting the Klingon Quarter.

You volunteer to investigate the Klingon Quarter for signs of House Mar’kal’s plans.

The away team is lead by Lt. Aphrodie “Baywatch” the ship’s Risian second officer, as well as chief conn and tactical officer. Also present is your boss Maxim, and fellow security officer, the Tellarite Nikwid.

You beam down to the Klingon Quarter without difficulty.

Unefra III’s government(s) make no real effort to monitor who enters and leaves the planet. The official government, made up of native Unefrans, has allowed several foreign mining consortia to open mines on both the planet itself, as well as several dead worlds and asteroid belts in the system. In addition to Cardassian firms, there are also Ferengi, Pakled, and of course Klingons, among others.

The Klingon Quarter is a grimy slum where working class Klingons, their vassal races, and some of their local employees blow off some steam in between intense two week shifts in the mines.

You spot several Kriosians among the indentures, suggesting that perhaps House Mar’kal, or another House with access to Kriosians, has some stake in one or more mines.

You spot a few Orions as well. Not surprising as your kind often can be found working for Klingons on any task they see as beneath them.

Good, since it helps the away team blend in.

Although you made no real effort to disguise the fact you teleported down from a Federation ship, in order to avoid antagonizing drunk locals, you are all dressed in grimy coveralls, and Baywatch and Maxim took the additional precaution of disguising themselves as Lakal, a timid but extroverted vassal race of the Klingons who look near-human (or near-Bajoran, near-Betazoid, etc., depending on your perspective), except for silvery eyes and distinct forehead ridges.

Baywatch orders the team to split up and see what information can be gathered by eavesdropping and making small talk.

>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

>Buy some food from the nearby Unefran food vendor, make small talk.

>Try mildly intimidating one of the Kriosian indentures, they don’t look like they would resist much against some forceful questions.

>Try tricking one of the Klingons into giving up something.

>>5083512
>>Buy some food from the nearby Unefran food vendor, make small talk.

>>5083512
>Buy some food from the nearby Unefran food vendor, make small talk.

>>5083512
>>Buy some food from the nearby Unefran food vendor, make small talk.

>>5083512
>>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

>>5083512
>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

>>5083512
>>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

>>5083512
>Buy some food from the nearby Unefran food vendor, make small talk.

>>5083512
>>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

>>5083512
>>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

>>5083512
>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

Hello fellow Orions

>>5083512
>>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

>Try talking to some fellow Orions, the “I am new in town” routine worked okay last time, and you see at least one strip club largely operated by Orions.

You decide to check out one of the strip clubs run by Orions while pretending to be a sex trade worker looking for a new home.

Your disguise is more “laborer” than “stripper” but with a few minor adjustments you manage to make yourself look at least a bit credible.

It is not like a club catering to lower class workers can afford to be that picky anyways...

The strip club in question is a run down two story building with a flicking neon sign outside that you think says “Big Green” in one of the more common Orion languages, along with some creative depictions of body parts usually covered in clothes.

Inside it consists of a bar, centrally located stage with poles, assorted tables, and stairs leading upstairs for “private sessions”.

The staff and most of the performers are Orion, while the clientele are a mix of Orion, Klingon, Unefran, Cardassian, plus a scattering of Klingon vassal races.

Many of the Orions aren’t even really paying attention to the stage, and are instead eating meals, smoking hookahs and socializing. You wonder what it says about your race that a strip club doubles as a local cultural hub.

You head over to the bar, order the cheapest drink on the menu, and pay a single lek, though prices are also listed in darseks and local currency. Much like the Klingons and many Orion colonies, the Cardassians seem to believe in making people pay for the smallest things, probably as a means of control.

As you sip your foul tasting drink, you make small talk with the bartender.

You quickly let it slip into the conversation that you are looking for work, but have had negative experiences in the past working for Klingons, particularly House Mar’kal. The bartender assures you that the club is privately owned, and seems dubious that a Klingon House would involve themselves in the marginally profitable, and dishonorable (by Klingon standards) world of low end sex clubs.

You lie that you have worked in a club in the Risa Sector where House Mar’kal took over and drastically cut back staff and performer take home pay, and replaced anyone who complained with unwilling Kriosian slaves.

The bartender seems a bit concerned by this, and mentions a second hand account he heard of a distraught Kriosian woman briefly escaping an unmarked building a few blocks away before being subdued by a Klingon and a Cardassian.

You spend a bit more time speculating with the bartender about the potential existence of a secret Klingon run sex lair, but in reality, you are hoping that the Kriosian in question may be the missing Princess.

You finish the drink, ask a few basic questions about how much performers are paid, then head outside, presumably to check out work conditions at other clubs, but in reality seeking out other members of your away team to share the information with.

>>5087375

You track down Baywatch after a few minutes, and share what you have learned.

She seems fairly impressed that you found a lead, albeit not a very solid one, though she does half heartedly caution you that impersonating a sex trade worker isn’t a very professional thing for a Starfleet officer to do, particularly one with no undercover training.

Baywatch and Maxim haven’t found much yet, but Nikwid has bribed some locals for information on buildings owned by House Mar’kal in the district.

One instantly stands out, a building rumored to be used a meeting place between House Mar’kal and various dishonorable factions, particularly Cardassians. The description and location of the building seems to match the one from the bartender’s story.

>Recommend the away team does reconnaissance on the building.

>Recommend the away team launches a raid on the building.

>Recommend the away team falls back to the USS Honolulu and waits until the Captain’s away team is done speaking with the Cardassian information broker.

>>5087376
>Recommend the away team does reconnaissance on the building.
>Recommend the away team falls back to the USS Honolulu and waits until the Captain’s away team is done speaking with the Cardassian information broker.
Have a look, give the big man something to work with.

>>5087376
>>5087426 +1

>>5087376
>Recommend the away team launches a raid on the building.

>>5087376
>>Recommend the away team does reconnaissance on the building.
>>Recommend the away team falls back to the USS Honolulu and waits until the Captain’s away team is done speaking with the Cardassian information broker.

>>5087376
>>5087426
supporting

>>5087426
This

>>5087376
>Recommend the away team does reconnaissance on the building.

>Recommend the away team does reconnaissance on the building.
>Recommend the away team falls back to the USS Honolulu and waits until the Captain’s away team is done speaking with the Cardassian information broker.

You recommend that the away team does a reconnaissance of the building before falling back to the USS Honolulu.

Baywatch is polite enough to pretend your input is meaningful and not what she was going to do anyways, and she orders everyone to split up and investigate the building discreetly from different sides.

You take the back alley and do a quick walk past the rear of the building. It is a large, grim pre-fabricated structure with no windows and few doors.

You figure there are some recording devices monitoring you, and your unusual interest in the building, so you approach one of the Unefrans loitering behind a dive bar and ask her conspiratorially if that is the building where Kriosian sex slaves are kept.

The Unefran shrugs nonchalantly, then ignores you.

You really weren’t expecting anything different.

Similar to humans in appearance, but stocky, hirsute, squinty faced, large browed, and generally pretty surly, Unefrans may not seem intelligent, but according to the briefings, they are pretty smart in their own way, but have a strong tendency towards minding their own business.

You meet back up with the others.

Aside from the fact that the building is very unfriendly looking, you also find out from Nikwid it is protected by anti-scanning and anti-teleportation devices.

Not uncommon in this area, but definitely further evidence that something unusual is occurring inside.

You then beam back to the USS Honolulu and hang out in the briefing room while waiting for the Captain’s away team to be done.

Luckily you don’t have to wait long.

The Captain’s away team and the backup away team join yours in the briefing room and from the Captain (based on his meeting with the Cardassian information broker) you find out that although the Kriosian Princess was once held in the building you were scoping out, she has been moved to a secure location in Hoyta, a former “Model City” built during the Cardassian occupation, now largely abandoned after much of the city’s key infrastructure was removed by Cardassians leaving the planet following the Dominion War.

It is suspected that the Cardassians holding the Princess hostage were trying to start a bidding war, between the Federation and the Klingons, but were bullied into handing over the Princess directly to House Mar’kal instead without letting the Federation enter a bid, and now House Mar’kal is holding onto her until a ship can take her back to Klingon Space.

>>5089629

With his briefing done, the Captain now opens the floor to ideas.

>Recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house in disguise for plausible deniability.

>Recommend lodging a formal complaint with the Klingon Empire regarding House Mar’kal’s purchase of a kidnapped Starfleet officer.

>Recommend contacting House Mar’kal and trying to ransom the Princess.

>Recommend paying some local mercenaries to raid the safe house and rescue the Princess.

>>5089636
>Recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house in disguise for plausible deniability.
Let's all paint up badly as Orions, befitting the effort the Klingons have put into this.

>>5089636
>Recommend paying some local mercenaries to raid the safe house and rescue the Princess.

>>5089636
>>Recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house in disguise for plausible deniability.

>>5089636
>Recommend paying some local mercenaries to raid the safe house and rescue the Princess.

>>5089636
>>Recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house in disguise for plausible deniability.

>>5089636
>Recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house in disguise for plausible deniability
Doesn’t look very fortified. We could probably do it with minimal casualties.

>>5089636
>>Recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house in disguise for plausible deniability.
>>Recommend lodging a formal complaint with the Klingon Empire regarding House Mar’kal’s purchase of a kidnapped Starfleet officer.
There's no reason we can't do both.

>Recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house in disguise for plausible deniability.

You recommend raiding the House Mar’kal safe house while in disguise.

This suggestion is very controversial to say the least.

Maxim and some others wanted to do a raid in full uniform because screw anyone who buys a kidnapped Starfleet officer. Other people want to move it up the chain of command and have someone file a complaint with Chancellor Martok.

The Captain eventually agrees with those who want to launch a raid in full Starfleet uniform, arguing that House Mar’kal knew full well who the Princess was when they bought her, and therefore would have little basis to lodge a complaint with the Chancellor.

In addition, he calls in several experienced away teams from the USS Ganymede, which is en route to an unrelated border incident nearby.

With these added resources, the planned raid can now send in five teams of five, though who knows how many Klingons are hiding in the safe house, which ends up being an abandoned refinery, as it is protected by sensor dampers and teleportation blockers, much like the location you scouted out in the Klingon Quarter.

You end up on the support team, with Baywatch, Farzaneh, Nikwid, and Doctor O’Connor. Your mission profile includes; guarding the med-evac shuttle, finding a good vantage point to watch exits on the south side of the factory, and guarding the “guest of honor”, the Cardassian information broker who the Captain has been in contact with, who is coming along for some additional consultation.

>Request to join a different strike team.

>Go talk to the other members of your current strike team, particularly the Cardassian.

>Watch funny cat videos while waiting for the mission to start in order to relax.

>>5092046
>>Go talk to the other members of your current strike team, particularly the Cardassian.

>>5092046
>Watch funny Iguanodon videos while waiting for the mission to start in order to relax.

Love those big chonkers!

>>5092046
>Go talk to the other members of your current strike team, particularly the Cardassian
And slap an explosive collar on him while we're at it.
And shackles.
And chinese finger traps.

>>5092046
>>Go talk to the other members of your current strike team, particularly the Cardassian.

>>5092046
>Watch funny cat videos while waiting for the mission to start in order to relax.

>>5092046
>>Go talk to the other members of your current strike team, particularly the Cardassian.

>>5092046
>>Go talk to the other members of your current strike team, particularly the Cardassian.

>Go talk to the other members of your current strike team, particularly the Cardassian.

You decide to go talk to the other members of your away team.

The Cardassian is up in the main conference room, so that is as good a place to start as any.

Baywatch is already up there briefing the Cardassian, and the others on the strike gradually drift in, either having similar thoughts to you, or just assuming that is what they are supposed to be doing.

The Cardassian is a sultry, buxom female named Glana. It is not hard to see why the Captain gets along so well with her, if the rumors are true... Given her flirtatious manner, it is hard to remember she is was an Obsidian Order station chief, and no doubt had done some pretty nasty stuff over her career. You aren’t really sure why she is coming given she doesn’t seem to have any particularly specific insights on safe house. Perhaps she cut some sort of deal with the Captain.

As for everyone else; Baywatch is focused and professional, Nikwid is stoic, but you can tell he is a bit uncomfortable with doing a combat mission, Cara is clearly stressed as she is talking too much and too fast, and Farzaneh is trying a little too hard to convey how excited she is to finally “get some action”.

You really aren’t feeling that great yourself. Although you have never hesitated to jump into action on past missions, you have never gone on a mission knowing how dangerous it was going to be ahead of time either...

-----------------------------------------

The initial stage of the mission goes as planned.

All five strike teams, including yours, teleport as close to the safe house as possible, then activate sensor baffles as they sneak in closer.

Two teams, including your own, are under orders to clear out outlying buildings, then hold position and wait for the shuttles to arrive, then guard them.

The initial phase of sneaking about and visual recon is honestly a bit of a blur, and in no time you find yourself clearing some sort of shuttle pad control tower with Baywatch and Nikwid.

Using her tricorder, Baywatch picks out five different life signs in three different rooms on the top level, and uses hand gestures to indicate each member of the team should enter one of the rooms simultaneously.

Your room only has one life sign in it, and you can hear muttering from the door, which doesn’t seem to completely shut as intended.

You have a feeling the room is fairly big, but it is hard to tell for sure.

Your phaser rifle is set to heavy stun, though sometimes it takes a few such shots to take down an armored Klingon.

>Try to snipe from the hallway through the door gap.

>Open door, shoot anything that moves.

>Open door, try to sneak closer for a better shot.

>>5094267
>>Open door, shoot anything that moves.

>>5094267
>SET TO WIDE BEAM, Open door, shoot anything that moves.

>>5094294
+1

>>5094267
>>5094294
support

>>5094294
This, Stun first ask questions later

>>5094294
supporting

>>5094294
support

>>5094294
+2

>Open door, shoot anything that moves.

You decide to throw open the door and fire on anything that moves.

You check your phaser rifle to see if it is one of the ones with rapid pulse fire or wide beam settings, but as expected, it is not. For some reason Starfleet is extremely reluctant to hand those out.

As you fiddle about with your phaser’s settings, you hear the muttering again, and your combadge picks up something about “how menfolk never get stuck monitoring the weather”.

Worried you are taking too long, you impulsively mash the door button and try to rush in as the door opens, only to get stuck as the door only opens about half a foot before grinding to a halt.

You manage to enter anyways by turning sideways and worming your way in, but by this time the very surprised looking Klingon within knows you are there and has drawn her disruptor.

A bright beam of energy narrowly misses your head, and you hit her in the shoulder with a heavy stun beam, knocking her sideways, but not quite having the intended effect.

Remembering that Klingon body armor can sometimes nullify stun shots, you aim for her face, but end up hitting her in her exposed décolletage instead.

Either way it seems to work, and she slumps to the ground behind some control panels.

The room you are in seems to be some sort of auxiliary control room with several spaced out work stations, and large windows overlooking the desolate, windswept tundra to the east of the safe house / refinery.

On the north side of the room is a door leading to what you are pretty sure is the main control room, the one that Baywatch went into.

>Make sure the Klingon you stunned isn’t getting up soon.

>Head through the door to the main control room where Baywatch has taken on three life signs.

>Backtrack to the room Nikwid entered, although there was only one life sign in the room he entered, he probably isn’t as combat capable as Baywatch.

>>5096431
>>Make sure the Klingon you stunned isn’t getting up soon.
Tie her up or stun her again, then:
>Head through the door to the main control room where Baywatch has taken on three life signs.

>>5096431
Supporting >>5096444

>>5096431
>Make sure the Klingon you stunned isn’t getting up soon.
Double tap, always double tap

>>5096444
+1

>>5096431
>Make sure the Klingon you stunned isn’t getting up soon.

>>5096431
>Make sure the Klingon you stunned isn’t getting up soon.

>>5096444
-1 to tying her up, it will be too time consuming

>>5096444
support

>>5096431
>>Make sure the Klingon you stunned isn’t getting up soon.

>Make sure the Klingon you stunned isn’t getting up soon.
>Head through the door to the main control room where Baywatch has taken on three life signs.

You head over to the fallen Klingon.

House Mar’kal uniforms look a lot like standard KDF uniforms, perhaps not surprising since the line between KDF and House forces is often very blurry.

The cleavage exposing opening in the uniform is also typical of many KDF and House uniforms. You suppose that much like your own people, the Klingons sometimes equate sexuality to power.

You shoot her again point blank with the heavy stun setting. Probably not entirely medically safe or in keeping with Starfleet Regulations, but it is better than what she had in mind for you...

You glance at the large burning hole in the wall where her shot missed your head by a foot or so.

You gulp audibly, then decide to keep moving rather than contemplate how close you were to having your skull and upper torso incinerated.

You decide Baywatch probably needs your help more and head in her direction.

As you guessed, the next room seems to be the main control room for the landing pad.

Two Klingons are already down, but the third one somehow disarmed Baywatch and is now trying to bisect her with a bat’leth as she ducks and weaves between control panels.

>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.

>Engage Klingon in melee.

>Rush forward and shoot anywhere Baywatch isn’t to distract the Klingon.

>>5100032
>>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.

>>5100032
>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.

>>5100032
>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.

>>5100032
Throw something at the Klingon while shouting, hopefully the distraction will give either Baywatch an opening or get him to move towards you giving you an opportunity to shoot

>>5100032
>>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.

>>5100032
>>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.

>>5100032
>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.
Gonna comically fail this one

>Wait for a clear shot, then use heavy stun.

You decide to wait for a clear shot, hopefully Baywatch doesn’t mind serving as a distraction!

Luckily one presents itself pretty quickly, and you hit the Klingon twice in the torso to slow him down, before hitting him in the face.

Without ceremony, you jog over and shoot him again in the face just to be sure.

By this point, Baywatch has regained her breath and thanks you for the save.

Nikwid enters the room and reports he has stunned a Klingon in his room as well.

You and Nikwid painstakingly drag the other two Klingons into the main control room and Nikwid goes to find something that could potentially be used to tie them up.

Sometimes Starfleet issues handcuffs for missions like this, but for some political reason the Captain nixed that idea for this mission.

While Nikwid is busy looking for cables or something, you and Baywatch keep an eye on the prisoners as well as the refinery-safe house.

Once it is clear contact has been made between the Klingons inside the refinery and the main strike teams, Baywatch will call in the second half of your team, who will also bring the shuttle.

From the windows of the control room, you have a clear view of the south side of the refinery.

It has typical Cardassian architecture, and outside in a small park there is a statue showing Cardassians and Unefrans working together in harmony. Like the rest of the “Model City” of Hoyta, it was abandoned when most of the Cardassians pulled out.

Judging by the creative vandalism, some Unefrans clearly aren’t too fond of Cardassians, despite the planetary government retaining fairly close ties with what is left of the Union.

Lost in thought, you are startled when Starfleet officers from the other strike teams emerge from the cover of the tree line, then quickly come under fire from hidden sentries.

Baywatch calls in the shuttle, which arrives and lands on the nearest shuttle pad to the control tower in less than a minute.

Suddenly, some extra thick and bright disruptor shots start raining down from somewhere in the refinery onto the shuttle, however, the shuttle’s shields easy absorb them.

Instead the wielder of the disruptor starts firing on the control tower instead, having somehow determined that Starfleet has taken possession of it. The beams are powerful enough to punch through the walls and windows of the control room!

>Recommend relocating to the shuttle.

>Try sniping out the disruptor wielder.

>Recommend the shuttle hunts down the disruptor wielder.

>Hold position, make sure no one tries to leave via the south side of the refinery-safe house.

>Hide for a bit in the hallway, hope the disruptor wielder loses interest or gets taken out by one of the other strike teams.

>>5103128
>>Recommend relocating to the shuttle.
And possibly volunteering for a seek/destroy mission on the sniper with help from the shuttle.

>>5103128
>Recommend the shuttle hunts down the disruptor wielder.
There's obviously already a line of fire, it's not a danger, and ship-scale weapons can be set to stun too as Captain Kirk proved.

>>5103128
>>Recommend the shuttle hunts down the disruptor wielder.

>>5103128
>Recommend the shuttle hunts down the disruptor wielder.

>>5103128
>Hold position, make sure no one tries to leave via the south side of the refinery-safe house.

>>5103128
>Recommend the shuttle hunts down the disruptor wielder.

>>5103128
>>Recommend relocating to the shuttle.
>>Try sniping out the disruptor wielder.

>Recommend the shuttle hunts down the disruptor wielder.

Apparently this was the obvious option, since Baywatch is already ordering it even before you finish your thought, and Farzaneh is already in the air even before Baywatch finishes her order.

Farzaneh expertly hunts down the disruptor wielder, and hits him or her with a heavy stun beam from the shuttle.

The rest of the fight is rather anticlimactic.

The shuttle lands, and the Cardassian Glana scurries out to join you in the tower.

Together you watch the south side of the refinery, but no one tries to exit that way.

Glana’s only noteworthy insight is when she advertises that she is banging the Captain in an attempt to annoy Baywatch, but no one in the tower finds this revelation particularly surprising.

The refinery is cleared, and the Princess is retrieved after just 10 minutes of fighting, though to be fair, that must have seemed like an eternity for the strike teams fighting inside the refinery.

Fortunately, no one is severely hurt during the fighting.

Some local armed shuttles are scrambled from a nearby city, but Glana proves herself useful for once and calls in a favor to get them called off.
You don’t remember much about the shuttle ride back to the ship.

Or the first two days of the trip back to the Risian Sector for that matter.

It turns out both you and the Princess have a fondness for a certain Earth plant known simply as “weed”.

Also alcohol.

You wake up on the third day with a splitting headache and a foggy memory that something important is happening today.

Oh right, the award ceremony...

Is in 20 minutes...

>Go back to bed, it isn’t that important.

>Go see if the Doctor is willing to patch you up, again.

>Get cleaned up as best you can and head over.

>>5107189
>Get cleaned up as best you can and head over.
>Go see if the Doctor is willing to patch you up, again.

>>5107189
>Go see if the Doctor is willing to patch you up, again.

>>5107189
>>Get cleaned up as best you can and head over.
>>Go see if the Doctor is willing to patch you up, again.

>>5107189
>>Get cleaned up as best you can and head over.

>>5107189
>Get cleaned up as best you can and head over.

>>5107189
>>Get cleaned up as best you can and head over.

>>5107189
>Go see if the Doctor is willing to patch you up, again.

>Get cleaned up as best you can and head over.

You decide to head on over to the ceremony with fairly minimal preparation.

It is not like it is a super big deal anyways, a couple people are getting awards, and rumor has it you will be promoted to Security Officer, 2nd Class, something that usually happens after a few months anyways.

You drink two glasses of water, eat a protein bar and a breakfast sandwich, take a sonic shower, and throw on your dress uniform.

Fortunately the ceremony is a toned down affair where the Princess handed out a few Kriosian awards, and the Captain handed out a few Starfleet awards.

As expected, you got your promotion to Security Officer, 2nd Class.

But it is provisional until you get several more months of experience, and do a bunch of courses, in short, all the stuff you would normally have to do in order to get a 2nd Class promotion.

Oh well, it is not like there is any practical benefit to being a 2nd Class crewman anyways.

With the ceremony over, you now have some spare time.

>Go smoke up with the Princess.

>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.

>Go loiter on the bridge.

>Go get treated for your hang-over.

>>5109644
>>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.
Nothing will make Starfleet life worse than getting booted down from the very first promotion.

>>5109644
>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.

>>5109644
>>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.

>>5109644
>>Go smoke up with the Princess.

>>5109644
>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.
>Go get treated for your hang-over.

The best of Starfleet’s Chairforce

>>5109644
>>Go smoke up with the Princess.
Perhaps we could get a recommendation from her.

>>5109644
>>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.

>>5109644
>>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.

>Go figure out the least number of courses needed to get promoted to 2nd Class.

You decide to check out what courses you need to become a Security Officer, 2nd Class.

It is basically just a bunch of refresher courses for classes you took at Starfleet Security Academy. Generally the more boring ones about ethics and laws and regulations and such.

Also, you aren’t allowed to take them anyways until you have at least four months of job experience.

Apparently Starfleet feels new security officers need some time in the field before they can really appreciate the values of certain lessons.

Or, less charitably, they think enlisted security officers are slackers who can’t be trusted to take refresher courses seriously without some sort of carrot and stick.

-----------------------------------

Two weeks later...

You sigh as you wake up and realize you are still at Security Station 13A on Risa Station, pretending to monitor the outputs of security cameras and other such devices on the main promenade level of station.

It is a pretty dull job most of the time, although technically anyone can beam onto the promenade level, why would you when you can just beam down to Risa itself instead? Or take a shuttle to one of its equally wild space stations if you don’t have access to a teleportation device.

Instead, most of the people here are off-duty Starfleet officers, civilian employees, and assorted family members grabbing lunch or doing some shopping.

Risa Station is pretty undisciplined by Starfleet standards, but even then, not much happens except the occasional drunken shenanigans, or petty smuggling minor prohibited goods, which you usually turn a blind eye to anyways.

From hostage rescuer down to glorified mall cop, Starfleet sure has some weird ups and downs.

Unfortunately you are stuck here another two weeks while the Honolulu undergoes repairs after some drunk cargo vessel pilot rammed it during a routine anti-slavery sweep.

Just for something to do, you start an impromptu census of the pedestrians on the busiest section of the promenade your cameras cover.

Lots of humans obviously, since they have always treated Starfleet like it is their own personal navy. A few Risians as well since they don’t like being deployed far from home, plus the usual keeners from worlds where support for the Federation is high.

And an Orion, like yourself...

Curious, you zoom in closer, only to realize you recognize this particular Orion from Chalender Depot and the kidnapping of the Princess at the Iguanodon Museum.

You try reporting it to the main security ops room, but then you remember comms are down due to some dubious repair project.

>Try to detain the Orion yourself.

>Rally some security personnel from nearby posts.

>Spam the internal security message board with warnings, since it is the only comms system available to Security that works right now.

>>5111280
>>Rally some security personnel from nearby posts.
>>Spam the internal security message board with warnings, since it is the only comms system available to Security that works right now.
Since we can probably do both at the same time.

>>5111280
>>5111488 +1

>>5111280
Supporting >>5111488

>>5111280
>>Rally some security personnel from nearby posts.
>>Spam the internal security message board with warnings, since it is the only comms system available to Security that works right now.

>>5111280
>>Try to detain the Orion yourself.

>>5111280
>>5111488
supporting

>>5111488
+2

>>5111488
This

OP dead?

>>5119781
Pretty much.

I wanted to do a sort of slow stakes, light hearted version of TNG, but never found the time to do decent character development for the main character or the crew, so it just became a string of short, barely related adventures which were increasingly boring to write.

I think I will take a break from this for now, and see if the new seasons of Picard, or more likely Strange New Worlds reignites my interest in Star Trek.

Sorry everyone, hope you enjoyed it while it lasted, and maybe I will see some of you again in a few weeks/months.

>>5119882
I can see why you said that. The stories are pretty disjointed and the crew does not get explored much. Hope you can find more time to refine the concept and get it together.