"The Chinese Connection - Part 1" - Duty Log - Cpt. Taverain Ramius

Posted on 241510.29 @ 12:09pm by Captain Taverain Ramius

Mission: Reconciliation & Reconstruction [Fleet Plot]
Location: Hong Kong, Earth
Timeline: Current

His chest heaved as he dashed down a dark back alley in Earth’s city of Hong Kong. Cold rain drops stung his face and eyes as they plummeted from the heavens like tiny daggers splashing loudly against the slick brick and concrete surrounding him. The heavy fall of boots parted puddles with violent force like the god Poseidon parting a sea in a fit of anger. He slipped on a loose cobblestone rebounding off the walls of the building that formed the narrow alley. In front of him was his goal which was running at breakneck speed just out of reach. Another couple of seconds and he would have him. Once in his grasp he would make him pay for his actions. There was nothing else in his mind except completing that one, solitary goal.


== Two Hours Earlier ==


Rain poured onto the streets of Hong Kong. A foreboding mist filled the streets as cold rain struck warm pavement. An unusual chill was in the air that cut through clothing attacking the soul. While citizens bundled up and ran to get out of the falling rain there were those present that embraced the weather and used it to their advantage. Clad in dark clothing they were hardly visible. Like ghosts they clung to the shadows as they moved unseen and unheard – imperceptible.

The group stopped in a darkened alley their presence hidden by the falling rain, mist, and dark of night.

“Redstone”, a firm, but subdued voice called out. “You and Akina are with me. Aberdeen stay here and cover the alley and backdoor. Erris take up a suitable position covering the street and alley. Set phasers to heavy stun, but avoid using them at all costs. I want to avoid a firefight. Our mission is simply to tail our target. Once he leaves this bar and is in the open we’ll make our move. No heroics. We work as a team. The target is likely armed and should be considered extremely dangerous. Any questions?” Hearing none, Captain Taverain Ramius drew his own phaser from his jacket and checked its settings before again tucking it out of sight.

“The target goes down quickly and quietly. I don’t want the stray cat or sewer rat to know we were ever here. We'll use our Phantom code designations from here on out. Let's move.”

Ramius entered the bar alone to avoid raising suspicion. The interior of the building differed little from its exterior. Dimly lit, the sleazy, but modestly furnished dive was his sort of place filled with a variety of unsavory characters. His eyes scanned the various tables and booths like a hawk searching for prey. A couple in the corner were heavily engaged with one another drawing little attention except for the voyeuristic stares of a few persons seated at the bar. Displays showcased an upcoming cage fight on some off world planet where such spectacles were allowed and promoted. Perhaps it was a pirated Klingon broadcast, but he had little time to divert his attention to such trivial noise. He slowly moved toward the bar keeping his head down as residual drops of rain fell from his hair and face.

He turned his head only slightly scanning the room searching its many faces for a match to his intelligence. If the lead was correct the target would be here. Ramius approached the bar and took a seat on one of the bar stools. The air reeked of sex, illicit substances, and alcohol. Before him on the wall were multiple woodcuts and paintings of woman and men all engaged in sinful excess. Like fine jewelry the artwork only served to enhance this establishment’s reputation. Sadly, the interior was far less intimate than Ramius had hoped. There were many exit points, dark corners, a staircase to an upper level, and too many people here tonight for his liking. Still, the location and timing couldn’t be helped.
The door to the establishment opened as Akina entered followed not long after by Redstone. They each took a seat on opposite sides of the bar effectively covering its interior. If their target was here one of them would see him.

“What are you having”, the bartender asked in Chinese approaching Ramius. Ramius responded in kind having memorized a few key phrases prior to beaming down. A few moments later a glass of baijiu appeared before him. “Leave the bottle”, Ramius stated as the bartender stopped pouring. He was given a stern look before he tossed several strips of gold pressed latinum on the surface of the bar. Snatching up the payment like a child grabbing candy the bartender released the bottle and moved off to service other patrons saying nothing. Ramius exuded a false aura of a person who wanted to be left alone to drown his troubles and sorrows in the false promises of alcoholic stupor.

Keeping his head down, Ramius sampled the beverage. It was potent with a high alcoholic content, but was a beverage of local appeal and was inexpensive compared to other finer spirits. Baijiu was less likely to draw attention than something more exotic. Still, the drink was harsh and unrefined much like his environs. A few glasses of this and he might just develop a taste for the rotgut.

“Target sighted, ten o’clock on your left”, the voice of Zane Akina quietly reverberated in his ear. Ramius grimaced grabbing the shot glass before him and leaning back to down the potent liquid while using the action as cover to steal a glance at the target. The intelligence appeared to be accurate. With the target now in sight all they had to do now was wait.


== Later ==


“Target is on his feet.”

Ramius glanced in the direction of the man before resuming his false entertainment of the beverage before him. The target was a well-dressed human male known as Raffi Zaleed. Zaleed was a well-known member of the criminal underground with dealings in the black market and other criminal enterprises. Analysis of the bomb debris from London combined with the evidence they had gathered from his interview with the compromised lieutenant aboard the starbase had culminated in a tenuous, but credible lead. If weapons or components had been smuggled onto Earth for the recent attacks then it was likely that Zaleed had a hand in the matter or at least was aware of who did.

“Target on the move. Approaching rear exit.”

“Standby to move”, Ramius whispered into the concealed transmitter attached to his jacket sleeve. Zaleed moved past the bar and down a narrow hallway toward the back exit. Ramius stood unsteadily feigning intoxication. He took several shaky steps in the direction of Zaleed thankful it was in the same direction as the establishment’s restrooms which he could use as cover for pursuit. Stumbling down the hall he sighted his mark who stopped to check an electronic device before exiting the building into the back alley.

Ramius paused only for a moment to allow for some distance before teetering down the hallway. As he approached the exit door he reached for his weapon and looked over his shoulder. Redstone and Akina were just making their way down the hallway. Quietly he opened the rusty door and stepped outside. The rain had stopped, but a chill lingered as did a thin veil of mist. Ramius quickly looked for the target but saw no one. Damn! Had they been made?

“Phantom 1 to Phantom 3, do you have eyes on the target?”

There was no response.

“Phantom 3 respond!” Ramius cursed. “Phantom 5, what is the position of Phantom 3?”

“Lost eyes on Phantom 3 only moments ago. Optical target acquisition compromised. Thermal signatures aren’t registering.”

“Corsair, this is Phantom leader, Code One! Repeat Code One! We’ve been made.”

Ramius’s stomach tightened as several seconds passed without the expected whine of a transporter or audio response. Were his transmissions being jammed? Where was the Corsair?

“Well, well, well”, a voice called out from the darkness of the alley. “Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing? Starfleet Security? Intelligence?”

“I could ask you the same question”, Ramius responded.

“Oh, but you know so well”, the voice stated. “Otherwise, why would you have placed this lovely lady in so much jeopardy? Shameful."

Ramius’s lip curled as Zaleed emerged from the shadows with a henchman in tow. His formidable looking lackey held Lt. Aberdeen against him with a weapon pressed firmly into her temple. Akina and Redstone emerged from the exit door faced with a hostage situation involving one of their own.

“Ah, the family is all here I gather”, Zaleed stated mocking the men. The criminal figure clad in black gloves and an expensive suit adjusted his tie as he moved closer. “If you wouldn’t mind dropping your weapons and putting your hands on your heads I would appreciate it - that is if you value your lovely lady friend’s life here.” Zaleed approached Aberdeen and traced a path down her face stopping for a moment with a finger on her lips.

Akina turned to Ramius who motioned for everyone to comply with the man’s demands despite the dire situation. Three phasers clattered to the damp pavement.

“How did you know”, Ramius asked.

“Straight to business? No introductions? No demands? No passion for me to release my hostage? You intelligence types are all the same. Cold. Heartless. Unfeeling creatures. And you claim to be on the side of righteousness with some twisted notion of morality. Ha. The truth of the matter is that you and I aren’t that far apart. It would take only a nudge to force you operatives out of the light.”

“Spare me the poetry and the employment opportunities”, Ramius answered. “How did you know!”

“Well, if you’ll have your sniper there on the fourth floor of the building across the street join us I will gladly answer your questions. If you refuse I sincerely fear for the wellbeing of your lovely comrade. Xxonn here sometimes has a twitchy trigger finger.”
Ramius masked his displeasure at the situation unwilling to give his adversary any additional fuel or satisfaction. “Phantom 5. Disarm and reveal your position on the street.”

“Sir?”

“Do it.”

Several moments passed as a figure appeared on the street corner at a distance from the assembled group.

“Have him join us.”

Ramius shook his head. “He stays there. We can talk here. You can see he poses no threat.”

Aberdeen grimaced as the goon pressed his weapon harshly into the side of her head.

Ramius remained resolute. “He stays there. If you want to talk. Let’s talk.”

“Fine”, Zaleed answered not taking his eyes off the man in the distance. “And you are?”

“My name isn’t important”, Ramius stated. “You’re going to shoot us anyway so why bother with a name. You can call me Bob if you’d prefer”, he said with a tiny smile.

“Not very imaginative, but very well….Bob. You and your people didn’t show up on our facial recognition systems. We have a lot of regular customers here. Given recent and tragic events on Earth everyone’s on edge these days. It would be negligent not to invest in security.”

“A facial scan would be inconclusive. Do you shoot everyone that walks through your doors simply because you don’t know them? I would think that would be bad for business”, Ramius asked. “Furthermore, I must say erecting a dampening field is quite clever on your part. I was surprised when my transmission failed to get through. Tell me, do you often travel with dampening field generators?”

“In my line of work, Bob, you learn to take certain precautions. To answer your question, it wasn’t just an unknown face. Starfleet isn’t the only organization who employs Betazoids on their payroll. I happen to employ more than a few. I find they come in handy for situations like…well just like the one here!”

Ramius gritted his teeth. It was difficult to defend against telepathic abilities. This Zaleed was far more cautious, meticulous, and dangerous than his dossier had suggested.

“I’ve answered your questions. How about you answer a few of mine starting with how and why you decided to pay me this delightful visit? I’m dying to know.”

“The night has a thousand eyes”, Ramius replied. “A thousand eyes have a thousand whispers. You just have to know where and how to listen.”

“Whose being poetic now Bob”, Zaleed stated moving forward picking up the men’s weapons. “Hmm. Starfleet issue. Mark Ten’s, oh, covert editions. Well Bob from intelligence what shall we do? I’ve enjoyed this little talk, but I’m a busy man with many demands on my time. I might offer you and your people here the opportunity to work for me, but we both know I could never trust you. I can’t exactly let you go as that would be bad for business and my reputation. So I believe we’re left at a crossroads. Essentially, I win this little encounter, and Starfleet loses a highly skilled intelligence team while also failing to stop the tidal waves smashing into it. Don’t you see Bob! Starfleet is a relic. The Federation is broken. Earth has been repeatedly attacked. The people are losing faith in their leaders and governments. It’s chaos out there. The cracks are large and growing larger by the day, by the minute! Corruption, ineptitude, and poor leadership has withered this so called utopia. The unrest in the populace and with our strongest allies is growing and when the whole rotten house collapses under its own weight into a heap of rubble I’ll be there selling merchandise to the winners and the losers watching from the sidelines as this planet tears itself apart either from within or by engaging in yet another costly conflict that it cannot afford or withstand. In any case, I win Bob. I win. And I always win.”


~ To Be Continued ~


======================
Captain Taverain Ramius
CO, USS Corsair
Starfleet Intelligence


Captain Zane Akina
Starfleet Intelligence

Lt. Alexander Redstone
Tactical Officer, USS Corsair

Lt. Commander Heather Aberdeen
Starfleet Intelligence

and

Mr. Raffi Zaleed
Arms Trafficker