Nico paused outside the building, adjusting the box that he was carrying under his arm. He certainly hoped that the time and money that he spent finding this bribe would pay off, but knowing SF Marine NCOs, he was sure it would. It had taken the better part of two days and a trip to a fairly seedy bar to meet a fairly seedy smuggler.
Walking inside the Quartermaster stores, he immediately walked up to the desk. The Lance Corporal who manned the desk looked up and noted the StarFleet uniform. Containing his slightly amused look, the Corporal spoke up. "Can I help you, Chief?"
"Yes, corporal. Who's top kick in this backwater hole?"
The corporal looked back at Nico, "Why does a Fleetie want the Sergeant?"
"Well, Corporal," Nico looked at the nametag, "Sillvan. I have a case of Romulan Ale that wants to speak with the Sergeant about some supplies that I need to get."
Corporal Sillvan chuckled slightly as he looked at the case under Nico's arm. "Well then. Let me go get the Sergeant right away, Chief." With that, the Corporal disappeared back into the shelves lining the other side of the counter. Nico relaxed slightly, knowing that the major hurdle was crossed.
After several minutes, Sillvan reappeared with an older NCO wearing the stripes of a Marine Sergeant. The man looked like he had served the greater part of his years with the SF Marines. "Name's Sergeant Gaithers, what can I do for you Chief?"
"Pleased to meet you, Sergeant. I have a list of equipment that I need for the SAR unit at Serenity. I figured that a retired Marine might be able to bring over a friend and discuss getting some of that gear from you." With that, Nico slid the box of Romulan Ale across the counter. The Sergeant grabbed the box, pulling it under the counter, and then grabbed the PADD from Nico's hand. "Well hell Chief, you and your friend are always welcome here. Let me see how I can help an ex-Marine." Gaithers moved over to the door and held it open for Nico. As Nico walked through the door, Gaithers grabbed Sillvan and started moving through the stores. As Gaithers pointed at various boxes, Sillvan pulled them down from the shelf.
As Gaithers got to the bottom of the list, he turned and looked at Nico. "Are you pulling my leg, Chief? What does the Fleet need with a Bloodhound and a Shepard suit?"
"Well, Sergeant, let's just say that as an ex-Marine, I fully believe in being prepared. Plus, I may wear the uniform of the Fleet, but I trust the gear that I was trained on. There isn't anything better for a search mission than a Shepard suit in the Fleet inventory, so I figured that I would get the best gear I could."
"Roger that, Chief." Gaithers furrowed his forehead as he pondered the request. "I know that I received them, but the local Corp unit doesn't have a need for them. I'm not even sure if we have them in stores. Why don't you wait over in the office."
After waiting for several minutes, Gaithers came into the office with a grin on his face. "Well, Chief, looks like you got lucky. Not only did I find the suits, but I also found the maintenance kits for them. Since we don't need them, I can declare them surplus and forward them to the Fleet for use. You want us to sent this gear over to the SAR base for you?"
"Outstanding, Sergeant!" Nico stood up. "Anytime that I can help you guys out, let me know. If you could, I would really appreciate getting this gear over to my Lieutenant."
"I'll take you up on that offer, Sergeant." Gaithers turned around, "Sillvan! Get this gear over to the Fleetie base for the Sergeant, I mean, the Chief."
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