Not So Gentle Persuasion

Soma Nightclub : Starbase 901

As she continued to dance, the dance floor got more and more crowded. Suddenly she felt something stab her in the back of the neck and moments later, she lost consciousness.

Azri awoke and upon opening her eyes to see where she was. The room she found herself in was dark and damp and there was more than a slight humming. Knowing the general layout of the station, she guessed that wherever she was, she was in the bowels of the station, close to the massive power core. She had no idea how long she had been out, but had obviously been drugged.

She had infact been drugged, a small hypospray injector concealed in a ring. The drug had taken effect almost immediately and within a minute a ‘medical team’ was on the scene diagnosing exhaustion and dehydration. The ‘medics’ had placed Azri on a trolley and taken her out of the nightclub. Once out of sight of everyone, the trolley and the medics had taken a cargo lift to their current location.

Azri tried to move, but found herself restrained.

“Ah I see our guest is awake.” A voice announced from out of the darkness.

As the male voice said the words, Azri felt herself being tipped upright, but even from her new position, she could still not make out who she was talking to.

“Who are you ?” She enquired. “Where am I ? and what do you want with me ?”

“Who I am is unimportant, as to where you are, you’re safe for now.” The voice replied. “As for why you have been brought here, well I’ve tried on several occasions to meet with you my dear, but you’ve always refused.”

Azri realised that whoever this person was, it could only be one of two people, either the Ferengi Kol or the mysterious Vulcan.

“I am a Starfleet officer and I have no interest in working for anyone but the Federation.” Azri announced firmly. “However, I am a fair person and if you release me and leave me alone from now on, I will overlook this act of kidnapping and not report it to my superiors.”

“Such an assured figure aren’t we.” The voice said. “Alas I cannot release you just yet, I have a job that needs doing fast and you are the most qualified person on the station.”

“I do not work for criminals.” Azri protested.

“My dear, I am not a criminal, merely a businessman in a hurry.” The voice announced. “I have recently come into possession of a device which I have been seeking for sometime now. However, the person I ‘purchased’ the device from lied when they said that it was fully operational. All I need you to do is take a look at it and fix the problem. If the device cannot be fixed, then I’ll just have to get a ‘refund’ from the seller. You will of course be suitably reimbursed for you time and effort.”

“I will not do anything for you.” Azri reaffirmed.

“We shall see.” The voice replied.

Suddenly Azri felt a pinch at her neck she was injected with a hyporspray once more.

For the second time Azri awoke in a darkened room, but she soon realised that she had been moved. The room was dimly lit and there was no humming of the stations power core, no dampness in the air and there was a definite smell of fresh, recycled air. As she got up, she looked around the room and discovered that it was about three metres square. The bed she had been placed upon was standard issue and the sheets appeared clean. On the far wall was a replicator and in the very middle of the room was a large table.

The lights in the room brightened slightly as Azri started to walk around the room, then she heard the voice again.

“I see you’re finally up.” The voice announced. “Good.”

“I will not co-operate.” Azri announced.

“On the table is the device I mentioned earlier.” The voice continued. “All I need from you is your expertise to fix it. We’ve taken the liberty to bring you your toolkit, I know there are many engineers who cherish their tools. If you require any specialised tool, the replicator is at your disposal, which is also programmed for food.”

“I will not co-operate.” Azri repeated.

“We shall see.” The voice said.

June 28, 2385

It had been two days since Azri had been kidnapped by her ‘host’ and is was becoming clear that she would not be released until whoever he was got what he wanted. Weighing up the options, Azri admitted defeat and decided to co-operate, or at least to see what all the fuss was about.

Walking from her bed, she sat down at the table and looked at the device, turning it over and around. The device was not small, but it sat on the table and was light enough for one person to at least lift it, if not carry it around. Azri examined the outside of the device, but could not make head-nor-tail of it’s function or purpose.

After a couple of hours of careful examination, Azri sat back and took a breather.

“So Miss Garner, can you fix the device ?” The voice of her host enquired.

“It would be a lot easier if I knew what it was for.” Azri replied. “I’ve never seen such a device before.”

“To be honest I have not idea of it’s purpose.” The voice announced. “What I do know is that it cost a lot to get this device, which in my eyes means that it is something I want.”

“I’ll need to examine the inside of the device.” Azri stated.

“Please proceed.” The voice said.

Reaching into her toolkit, Azri stared to remove her tools and open the casing of the device and examine the innards of the device. It soon became apparent that the device was incomplete, there was a vital part missing.

“I think I may have found the problem.” Azri announced. “The link between the power transfer manifold and the power distribution system is missing. Without it there’s no way to activate or power the device.”

“Interesting.” The voice said. “Can you fix it ?”

“No.” Azri replied. “This device is totally alien to me and I doubt any Federation technology could be used to replace the missing link. The device is useless unless you can find the missing link.”

“Thank you for your time.” The voice announced. “I’ll get back to you.”

Stunned, Azri realised that she was not yet finished.

It was several hours before Azri heard the voice once more.

”Ensign Garner, I have something for you.” The voice announced.

As Azri looked up from the bed, she saw something materialise on the table.

“I think you will find that this is the missing component.” The voice stated. “Now if you’d be so kind as to put the device back together our business will be complete and you will be free to go.”

Azri rose from the bed and walked across the small room to the table. Examining the new device, she realised that it was indeed the missing component. As she examined it more closely she noticed something else, a spot of blood. Wiping the blood off the link, she inserted it back into the main device and checked all the connections. Finally she re-assembled the outer casing and sat back.

As she did so, she felt the familiarly sensation of a transporter beam and almost instantly found herself in one of the holodecks, much to the surprise of the officers who were using it.

Apologising, Azri stepped through the station and headed for her quarters. Removing her dank, dirty and somewhat smelly clothes, she took a sonic shower and replaced them with a fresh uniform.

An hour later, she was sat in the office of Chief Warrant Officer Tara Carmichael. Azri went over the ordeal she had just been through and explained what she could about the device.

The Security chief said that she would investigate and keep Azri informed of any progress, but somehow Azri thought nothing would come of this. Whoever the mysterious kidnapper was, by the time Azri had reported it to the authorities, all trace of them would be gone, most likely left on a vessel.

Returning to her quarters, she sat at her console and opened the schematic of the station, looking for areas where she could have been held.