Shadows and Moonlight

Posted on Thu Sep 12th, 2024 @ 5:26pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Lieutenant Jackson Smith

4,730 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Long Hard Road Ahead
Location: DS18 Various
Timeline: 25 August, 2396 -1200 Hours

[ON]
Ensign Lun always had a sense of the top-secret SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) somewhere aboard the station. She was never allowed to access it until her department head was killed during an attack on the station. Even after his death, it took the medical officer's expertise to positively identify the man, as he had been brutally shot, burned, and stabbed multiple times.

Lun's mind wandered as she walked into the shadows where the station lights were no longer functioning due to extensive damage from both internal and external forces. The once bustling corridors now felt desolate and eerie.
As she stepped further into the darkness, her skin transformed into a deep jet black, almost disappearing completely in reaction to the lack of light. If it weren't for her bright Starfleet uniform, she would have blended seamlessly into the shadows. With great concentration, Lun was able to control this reaction and reappeared by her new commanding officer's side.

Jackson couldn't help but stare as he watched her skin blend into the darkness. He had read it, she had told him, but still seeing it in real life was amazing. No wonder Intel wanted her, she definitely had some unique skills that will come in very handy.

"I apologize for not informing you earlier, sir. It is simply a part of my condition," explained the Vulcan girl with obvious physical alterations. "I was never given directions to the SCIF onboard the station. I regret not taking the initiative to locate it prior to my superior's passing."
Lun hugged close to the walls as if afraid of being exposed in the center of the corridor, or any room for that matter. Her hands would graze against the walls, causing her skin tone to shift and blend in with her surroundings. In darker areas, she appeared as just an empty uniform floating through space.

Her contacts, designed to mimic human eyes, gave her away in a comical way in dim lighting - making her appear like a cartoon character's eyes in the dark.. She closed her eyes briefly to focus on her surroundings before approaching the center of the hallway and kneeling down to touch the carpeted floor.

Lun's body went rigid, and her eyes squeezed shut as she focused on the void surrounding her. It was an emptiness that seemed to seep into her very being, suffocating and consuming. A skilled blend of unknown alien species and Vulcan exactitude, Lun had an uncanny ability to sense even the slightest changes in her environment.

Lun stood up from the floor of the long corridor quickly and silently, resembling a predator. With a flick of her hand that not even the tricorders could have detected without a pre-programmed map, she pointed towards a specific direction. This was either a hull breach or a room that had been purposely concealed from them by her former boss that was somewhat distant to them in the maze of corridors - and Lun was determined to reach the desired destination.

As she moved with confident strides towards their destination, some may have mistaken Lun for a Klingon with her fierce determination. But to those who knew her true capabilities, she was far more dangerous than any warrior from Qo'noS.

Jackson studied her closely, unsure if she was focusing internally or expanding her awareness. It was difficult to tell as his eyes carefully examined her slender form, noting the graceful way she moved even in stillness. Seeing her in action was definitely something to behold. He shifted unconsciously, realizing he was probably a little too focused on her. Quickly and lightly, he checked the knives and phaser discreetly hidden in his civilian clothes, ensuring they were within easy reach.

Her sudden, fluid movement forward caught Jackson off guard, and he scrambled to keep up with her determination. Her steps were purposeful and confident, each one exuding a sense of mission. He couldn't help but smile slightly as she strode ahead with such confidence. The way her eyes scanned their surroundings and the way her body moved with precision suggested a trained and formidable presence. This was going to be interesting, he thought, his anticipation growing as he followed her lead.

---

Jackson turned the corner and, for a moment, thought he had lost her. His heart quickened as his eyes darted around taking int he dark metallic corridor, searching for any sign of her. Then, he caught sight of her eyes staring at him from the shadows. Her gaze was intense, almost predatory, and it caught his breath slightly. There was something both captivating and unsettling about the way she looked at him, as if she could see right through him.

After a brief hesitation, he asked, "Is this the place?" His voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent of anticipation. He looked around the seemingly empty corridor, the faint light casting shadows everywhere.

The Vulcan Officer delicately removed the contacts from her eyes and meticulously scanned the interior wall of the never-ending corridor. Her slender, nineteen-year-old hands traced along the smooth surface, pausing occasionally as if searching for a hidden mechanism. She hissed through her teeth in frustration, a remnant of her morning ritual designed to suppress any attempts at emotional outbursts. As she inspected the wall with laser-like focus, she tugged at her uniform so violently that the zipper broke, revealing a thick black shirt underneath. It was clear she had anticipated the urge to strip and had prepared by layering her clothing underneath the uniform.

Restless with anticipation, Lun began pacing back and forth before once again dropping to her knees and running her fingers along the walls. Suddenly, her fingertips disappeared into a small crevice in the wall. Without hesitation, she pulled out her phaser and aimed it directly at the spot where her fingers had vanished. The wall twitched and morphed to reveal an entrance, someone's quarters on the station that had been masked by a quick rudimentary facade.

"This is not a sophisticated hologram like those used to hide SCIFs," Lun stated matter-of-factly. "We have stumbled upon a standard living quarters. Our target must be elsewhere."
She let out a sigh as she attempted to pick at the second layer of clothing beneath her uniform, but this time, the fabric was too thick and sturdy for her to damage. Tucking her phaser back into its holster, Lun stepped closer to Jackson.

"Shall we continue our search, or do you think this discovery merits a detour?" Lun asked earnestly, gesturing towards the mysterious door they had uncovered.

Jackson's left eyebrow raised in a quizzical manner, reminiscent of a Vulcan. "A concealed door, even if badly concealed, is always worth investigating," he said with a half grin. "Besides, this could be fun."

In his experience, nothing good was ever hidden in an out-of-the-way corridor on one of the sub-levels. The dim lighting and eerie silence of the sub-level only added to the tension. He pulled a knife from one of the folds of his clothing, almost as if it had just appeared. "Gantt taught me a neat trick. Hold on."

Jackson walked up to the door and, just to the side, felt the smooth metal of the wall. Finding a small gap in the paneling, he inserted the tip of the knife and pried it off, revealing an array of wires and chips. He glanced back towards Lun. "You might want to fade back into the shadows now," he suggested, unable to suppress a smile as a glint of mischief sparkled in his eyes.

The door opened and there was an instant barrage of phaser fire rom the replicator across the room. Lun was glad that Jackson recommended she stay out of the way because if she hadn't, her new nickname would have been Burnie.

Lun leaned over slightly to see that there was an object that was replicated on the reception panel of the replication tray and it was firing high energy beams out the door queued on movement. Lun leaned over and attempted to fire back but her shots flew wide.

"Sir!" Lun yelled. "This might be an inopportune time to mention that I'm not the best shot." Lun leaned in and fired again, and managed to hit the ceiling before ducking out of the way just in time to avoid a blast that set the wall on fire behind her. Lun tried to compose herself as she took cover on the opposite side of the door from Jackson. She was starting to feel more of a hinderance than a skilled officer considering she couldn't hit something fifteen feet away.

Jackson, caught in the crossfire, instinctively lunged back and rolled to his left, narrowly dodging the phaser bolts. "Don't worry, I'm well aware of your marksmanship scores!" he jousted back. He saw Lun take cover, and for a moment, a wave of relief washed over him.

With cat-like agility, Jackson sprang up and pressed his back against the wall, his mind racing through possible scenarios. He was outmatched, outgunned, and quite possibly, out of luck. Yet, the thrill of the challenge made his heart pound with adrenaline.

Jackson needed a distraction. "Good thing that's one of my specialties," he muttered, the corner of his mouth curling into a wry smirk. In a flash, he pulled out a handful of small, metallic objects from his pocket and tossed them into the room. As they clattered and bounced across the floor, the replicator's phaser fire shifted, targeting the noise.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Jackson sprinted through the open door. With one hand, he fired his phaser, blasting a hole in the outer casing of the replicator. With his other hand, he threw his knife deep into the guts of the machine, ending its deadly assault.

He turned to face Lun, his eyes gleaming with a mix of triumph and playful amusement. "See? Fun," he said, offering her a reassuring smile.


Lun had already rushed behind him the moment he walked into the middle of the room. He needed his corners checked which would give him a 50/50 just in case someone was hiding in either-or. She lucked out when not only did Jackson take out the replicator with a knife-throw, there was nobody waiting for them; at least, not in this room.

The door to the bathroom opened and a cat-like creature raised its arm at her to fire. Lun closed the distance and strode into the chest of the bi-pedal lifeform with the likeness of a Tabby. Lun quickly observed its limbs and vital systems. Another one of the creatures emerged behind the cat-like opponent. Lun stepped between the first cats legs to keep it off-balance with one leg while she used the weight of both herself and the fighter whose weapon she was controlling, in order to bury her foot into the crotch of the second fighter so hard that it forgot what a phaser even was.

Lun allowed her first opponent to fall to the floor while stripping the lifeform of its weapon while simultaniously keeping her momentum into the second opponent with her forearm to squeeze down the other cat-like creature until she felt its throat close in. Lun then brought her knee that tripped the first opponent up and buried it into the other persons lower ribs. As he bent over, Lun grappled her thumb into his eyes until she felt the sclara give way to the optronic nerve and she pulled it out of the creatures skull as pain compliance. All she had to do was kneel down to the ground and the cat was coming with her. She fell down with her knee between its neck and jaw until she felt the crack. The creatures entire body jerked one last time and was gone.

Lun pulled her thumb out of its head and wiped it on the other living creatures shirt to clean her hands as she threw the dead creatures gun away. She pointed her phaser at the room across from the living room.

"That must be the bedroom," Lun suggested as she pulled on the Cats head. The great thing about this species is that it had hair all over its body. Nobody liked having their hair pulled. Any time it moved, she just grabbed where the most cartlidge was and pulled hard for compliance while she covered Jackson with her other hand, albeit, she probably couldn't hit anything with the phaser.

Jackson, having disabled the replicator, whipped around just in time to witness Lun's brutal and efficient takedown of the cat-like creatures. He was genuinely impressed as they fell in quick succession, their fate sealed by her swift and merciless tactics.

A low whistle escaped his lips. "Well, that was...efficient," he remarked, a hint of admiration in his voice. He holstered his phaser and retrieved his knife. "Your hand-to-hand training definitely paid off," he smirked, offering a playful wink.

His gaze followed Lun's phaser as she gestured towards the bedroom. "Let's see what other surprises this little hideaway has in store," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Jackson moved quickly past Lun, his eyes scanning the barren room. The two creatures were definitely guards, but the questions remained what were they guarding and how did one gain access? Jackson continued to study the room. Small scratches on the floor near a sparsely filled shelf caught his attention. "Really, using a shelf as a door? These guys need to get a bit more creative with their secret entrances."

With a swift tug, Jackson pulled the shelf open, revealing a larger room occupied by four more cat-like creatures, which he identified as Lorcans. So the alien coalition was maintaining a scouting group on the station, but to what end? His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of four phasers powering up, each Lorcan aiming directly at him.

Jackson calmly dropped his knife and raised his hands, giving Lun a subtle hand motion to wait briefly in the shadows. With a confident smile, he addressed the Lorcans, "Ah, my friends, let's not get hostile here. I'm sure we can work out a deal." He strode into the room, his demeanor unwavering. The Lorcans hesitated, unsure how to respond to this audacious human. They cautiously moved to the sides of the room, keeping their distance as Jackson advanced.

"Look, my boss sent me here to negotiate with you. You're technically squatting in his territory, and he doesn't take too kindly to that." Jackson continued his advance, his hands slowly lowering. One of the Lorcans whispered to another, followed by a brief exchange in their guttural language.

Jackson pressed on, "Now, sure, you could kill me right now, but my boss wouldn't take too kindly to that. Then you'd have something much worse than the Federation to deal with. All the shadows and dark corners would be cut off to you and your entire coalition. I'm sure you don't want to make that mistake, do you?"

By now, Jackson had maneuvered himself to the back of the room, turning to face them. His hands rested calmly at his sides, mere inches from the hidden knives tucked within his clothing. The Lorcans had shifted their stance, their phasers still trained on him, but their attention was now divided between Jackson and their own hushed conversation.


Lun, along with the Lorcan she had subdued both looked up when Jackson entered the room unarmed. Despite being mostly Vulcan, his actions elicited a look of complete shock and disbelief on her face.

"He just, went in?" The Lorcan exclaimed.
"I know, right?!" Lun replied with a squeak rather than her usual whispers. Lun didn't want to do it but she couldn't figure out any other alternatives. She almost displayed an annoyance as she took her outer shirts off and used them to tie the Lorcans paws and hind legs together. She slipped out of the rest of her clothing and knelt down to the captive Lorcan with her jet-black eyes. "If you try to escape, I'll kill you."

For emphasis, she pointed to his dead friend. Lun flattened herself against the wall and quite literally became a shadow. She dropped the phaser quietly to the floor since it would catch the light on the room. Her jet-black body took on small characteristics of the wall behind her as if projected onto the other side of her bare skin. It was an advantage shed rather not have taken advantage of but with her bad shooting abilities, she was more likely to kill Leroy Jenkins than a Lorcan.

She weighed the thought of putting the phaser on stun and just firing into the room, but shooting your boss on the first day wouldn't look good on a resume.

Nobody knew it, but Lun was already in the room.

Jackson's gaze flickered towards the doorway, his peripheral vision straining against the dim light. He masked his intent with a nonchalant shrug, hoping the Lorcans wouldn't notice his subtle reconnaissance. Was Lun in position? The room remained frustratingly devoid of any sign, but then again, would he even detect her shadowy movements in this low visibility?

The nearest Lorcan, its voice raspy and guttural, broke the tense silence. "Who is your boss?" It inquired, its three-fingered grip tightening perceptibly on its phaser. The other Lorcans mirrored the gesture, their weapons held at the ready.

Jackson's heart hammered against his ribs. He had walked into this situation with the bravado of a seasoned officer, but now, faced with the chilling reality of armed hostiles, his confidence wavered. He could only hope Lun was prepared to act.

"My boss..." Jackson began, stalling for time as he subtly shifted his weight, his hands hovering near his hidden knife. "Well... that's an interesting question." The Lorcans' grips tightened further, their alien eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I would love to tell you," Jackson continued, his voice a carefully measured blend of casualness and defiance, "but I'm not sure it's in your best interest to know."

Lun stalked up next to one of the Lorcan's as he stood next to the door. She knelt down beside him and powered his rifle down with a touch that looked as if part of the rooms shadows reached out for him. Confused, the Lorcan reached to power his weapon back on but the shadow reached out for him, caressed his neck, and pinched down. The cat-like eyes rolled back into his head and he was silenty lowered to the floor. She was sure that Jackson could have seen the obsidian spectre pass by the doorway unnoticed by everyone else as the next cat twitched and threw its head back in a momentary lapse of pain before silently being lowered to the floor by a pair of dark arms that seemed to mimic part of the wall behind it. A slight shimmer moved along the walls in the other direction toward the sonic shower.

Lun snuck into the shower and figured she may as well get clean since she was naked anyway. When she flipped the shower on, it was sure to have gained the attention of the Lorcans in the room next door just enough for her fun-loving boss to take the rest of the overgrown cats out.

She wondered how much fun Jackson was having in the next room with his well-needed distraction as she leaned against the tiles with nothing on. Her dark black eyes squinted as her Vulcan ear's twitched. She could hear the struggle in the next room but the cries of the cats were more audible than Jackson's grunts and that told her all she needed to know about the score of the game.

She shook her head and smiled since she was alone; this man was a lot of fun and she liked him a lot. She'd have to bury that thought, along with the grin as soon as she heard enough silence to tell her she could safely step out of the bathroom without getting shot by a feline.

For a fleeting moment, Jackson wondered if Lun's intervention was imminent. But then, the rearmost Lorcan slumped to the floor, unconscious. Jackson suppressed a triumphant smirk and locked eyes with the apparent leader, his demeanor hardening, a palpable darkness emanating from him. The Lorcan hesitated, unnerved by the implied threat.

Just then, another Lorcan in the back collapsed. This was working flawlessly, Jackson thought. But as he prepared to intensify his intimidation, the sound of a shower abruptly filled the room. It took him a split second to realize this was the distraction he needed. The two remaining Lorcans whirled towards the bathroom door, their attention diverted.

Seizing the opportunity, Jackson flicked his wrist, a concealed knife materializing in his hand. With a swift, precise motion, he launched it towards the leader's weapon hand, burying the blade deep. The Lorcan screamed in agony, its grip on the phaser loosening.

Jackson lunged towards the second Lorcan, who had spun around and was now aiming its rifle. In a blur of motion, Jackson slammed his hand onto the weapon's barrel, deflecting it as the Lorcan fired. The searing heat of the blast singed his hand, but he gritted his teeth and continued his relentless advance, shoving the rifle against the Lorcan's chest.

With a ferocious headbutt, he smashed his forehead into the Lorcan's face, momentarily stunning it. A flicker of movement caught his eye – the wounded leader, having yanked the knife from his hand, was now raising his rifle to fire.

Acting on instinct, Jackson grabbed the stunned Lorcan's arm and twisted it behind the creature's back as he moved to use the Lorcan as a shield. The Lorcan cried out in pain, but Jackson held firm, positioning the creature directly in the line of fire. The leader's shot erupted, slamming into his own comrade. Jackson felt the Lorcan's body go limp, its life extinguished.

He let the corpse fall and, in a fluid motion, drew another knife from a hidden sheath on his back. The leader, shocked at having killed his own ally, hesitated for a crucial moment. Jackson, fueled by a primal darkness, closed the distance before another shot could be fired.

The Lorcan, its rifle discarded in the close quarters, swung wildly. Jackson parried the clumsy attack and, with his other hand, plunged the knife deep into the Lorcan's throat. He stepped aside as the creature collapsed, its lifeblood pooling on the floor.

The adrenaline fading, Jackson felt the sting of the burn on his hand. He retrieved his knife, wiping it clean on the dead Lorcan's clothing. "All clear," he called out to Lun.

"A shower?" Jackson chuckled, the tension draining from his voice. "That was your choice for a distraction?" While unconventional, he had to admit, it had been remarkably effective.

Lun stepped out carefully from the bathroom and shrugged her bony bare shoulders. She looked like a normal Vulcan again other than the fact she had nothing on but also trying not to look anything more than mildly amused at the way her boss handles things. She cautiously treaded barefoot into the room and took notice of the corpses.

"I now understand why Starfleet builds quarters compartments no larger than twenty-one feet in either direction," Lun made a joke as she walked directly to Jackson. She obviously had no shame, and she looked remarkably less tense now that she wasn't enclosed with anything that would prevent her from vanishing into the shadows at will when needed.

They're may have been nothing but blackness in the Vulcans eyes but she still conveyed concern as she took his hand and observed his injuries. Without warning she stood on her tip toes and grabbed at the back of Jackson's head to see the hair where he had head butted the Lorcan.

"Forgive my inquiry, sir, but... After we have the survivors collected, perhaps should refrain from journeying on 'Side quests' until after we find the SCIF," Lun went ahead and winked. "It is -- agreeable that you refrained from relative harm. I was concerned when you just," Lun shook her head up at him with relative disbelief and amusement ".... Just, 'went in'". She took her hands off of him, satisfied he was okay. She placed her hands behind her back and held them together. "I calculated a thirty-three point three-three chance, repeating of course .. for survival. That was, until I witnessed your experience with a blade." Lun nodded in appreciation.

Jackson was momentarily speechless as Lun, naked and unashamed, approached him with a gentle touch, tending to his minor wounds. Her words brought him back to reality, and he stammered, "Uh, yeah... well, had a rough childhood." He sidestepped, feeling his face flush with warmth, and averted his gaze. "How about we get your clothes back on before we get in trouble with Starfleet?"

He hastily exited the room, only to discover the remaining Lorcan bound with Lun's discarded garments. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Well, that's efficient..." he muttered.

"Excuse me, we are going to need this back." With a swift, practiced move, he snapped a kick towards the Lorcan's face, rendering it unconscious. "Sorry," he added with a shrug, "didn't have time to figure out what else to tie you up with." He quickly gathered the rest of Lun's clothes and returned to the room, tossing them in her general direction. "That should help," he said, still carefully avoiding direct eye contact.

Clearing his throat, he refocused on their mission. "Nah, this side quest was well worth it. These guys were definitely up to no good, and we should be able to get some valuable intel out of questioning our prisoners. But that will have to wait." He activated his comm badge with a tap. "Jackson to the bridge, we have three Lorcans at my location that need immediate transport directly to the brig." Within moments, the live Lorcans vanished in a shimmer of transporter energy.

Jackson turned back to Lun, his composure regained. "Ok," he said with a decisive nod, "let's get back to the main objective." His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief.

Lun smiled slightly at Jackson. She had pretty much let go of her Vulcan persona as she held her clothes in her arms while picking away the shedded hair of the Loracan from her shirt.

"Don't worry, Jackson... It's a professional circumstance." Lun almost chuckled as she slipped back into her clothes. She sat down on the floor after tucking her shirt into her pants. She threw the over shirt back onto the floor since the zipper was broke anyway. She popped her socks and shoes on and grabbed her phaser. "... just do me a favor. Let's pie the next room. Concealment isn't easy when it requires me to get naked. Cover is nice and we can all use it. As for everything else, you can just buy me dinner next time and it won't even require a phaser."

Lun winked as she walked past the door. The heat of the wall across from the room felt as if it was going to singe her skin as she ducked low over the flashover as the ceiling cumbusted over their heads. They continued down the corridor together as a fire crew shoved past them. Lun looked behind her at the chaos and back at Jackson.

"You're a lot of fun, sir." She admitted.

"Dinner sounds great," Jackson replied, "after the mission, of course. Also, assuming you still think this is fun." He flashed a smile as he navigated around the smoke-filled corridor, leaving the scene of their impromptu firefight behind. His mind started to race. Lun's unique ability to find these locations, while useful, it would take a lot of time for them to search all possibilities. He had to narrow the area down. Focus on a smaller section of the space station.

He turned back to Lun, a playful grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "I have an idea..." His eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief.

[OFF]


Lieutenant Jackson Smith
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298



Ensign Lun
Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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