Adepts Night Out

Sharra Parada and Lessa Ransome, the two full time Adepts, arrived at the "Home Comforts' Inn," The two women walk into the Inn wearing their robes with hoods up.  They keep to the edges of the room and the shadows.  They stay out of the main dinning room and head to the Lounge.  "Do you feel that?" Sharra asked Lessa in a low voice.

"Yes,"  Lessa responded as they found a table in the corner and she passed her hand over the mock candle in the centre of their table and extinguished it leaving them even further in the darkness.

Lessa a chemical engineer watched the crowd.  Sharra stood and walked over and placed orders for drinks, collected them and returned to the table.  Sharra was a specialist in communications and computers technology.  Both women spoke multiple languages but when in public like tonight they spoke Illaren.

Lessa's family had left orbit and returned to their own mission. Rumour had it that '31' was shadowing them and that something new was possibly going on...  Lessa took a sip of her drink and watched the Inn keepers Alicia Devries, and Keung Lee.

Alicia had been alerted by the barkeep of their strange visitors with the hooded robes.  She sipped a cup of coffee and watched out of the corner of her eye while holding a conversation with Keung.  They knew that the Adepts lived in the keep on peak, but as far as they knew the two had never been in their Inn in the two years they'd been the owners.  "What do you think, honey?"  She asked not wanting to point them out but curious as to what they were doing here.

Lee had been discussing the menu with Alicia "shark fin soup, fresh plate of suckling pig & oysters.  Noodle salad & aromatic duck with a red snapper covered in tomatoes and mushrooms, red peppers, fried rice followed by a rich chocolate sponge covered with ice cream and fresh fruit."  Lee looked discreetly at the mirror behind the bar and could see the two hooded visitors. What they were called, Adepts. But he didn't know much about them. "Doing nothing wrong here, love.  They're Adepts!  But who exactly are the Adepts anyway....not shape shifters are they?"

Alicia put her cup down on the bar and shook her head no.  "They have been rumoured to be many things but I have never heard any that suggest shape shifters.  They are from what I've heard scientists, magicians, mystics, pirates, and spies.  Saw them once when we were on SB901.  They'd had a conference with several of the ambassadors and with Captain Mallory just before the war.  They're very private and come from many worlds.  I wonder what they are doing here?"  She picked up her cup again and then added, "It's been believed that they are only seen as an omen of change." 

"Omen of change, eh?  Well, in that case being here might tell us we're in for a bit of prosperity." said a bemused Keung.  "Then again...you fancy being working for Starfleet again they’re always looking for good window cleaners!!"

"That's what I've heard," she said finishing her coffee.

"Well.  There's only one way to find out.  Talk to them!  After all, we are supposed to mingle among our guests" said Keung, now looking around the bar.  He noticed the two Adepts who had not removed their hoods were still drinking and in deep conversation.  Now again, one of them would glanced in the direction of the Lees.  "Work your way around the guests then join me at the Adepts table.  I'll make a straight beeline to them." 

Alicia made her way around the room talking to this individual, this couple, that party--all the time welcoming them, asking how their meals or their drinks were. Finally, Alicia joined Keung at the table with the adepts.  She said, "hello--I'm Alicia."

Keung casually walked over to the table where the Adepts were sitting.  "Greetings! " smiled Keung "Welcome to the Comfort Inn.  I am Keung Lee, the owner.  I've not seen you before."

As the Adepts looked up at Keung, they uncovered their hoods to reveal to Keung's surprise, that they were both women.  He was slightly taken aback as for some reason, he was expecting to see males

"We are visitors to your Inn, heard this was the best place for dinner."  Lessa did something with her fingers and the electric candle in the middle of their table flared back to life.  "Join us?"  She asked.  Sharra looked at her partner and said something in their mutual language of Illarnan."  Both women noted that Alicia turned her head slightly and had a puzzled expression while she worked on translating the language.  Both women knew that Alicia was a communications specialist like Sharra.  Lee glanced at the re-lit candle.  Neat trick, he thought

Alicia smiled, and said, "This was only a mistake if you're here to make trouble."  It took her a few minutes to puzzle out the dialect and the language which is used in certain area's of the galaxy.  It was a language she hadn't expected to hear here on Serenity.

Lee moved around the table and pulled out a chair for Alicia and they took a seat.  "You live in the keep up on the hill,"  Alicia said.  "What are you doing here?"  Alicia asked in their own tongue.

Lessa held up her glass and said, "just a friendly drink...aren't strangers welcomed here?"

Lee who was never good with alien languages decided somehow he had to install a Starfleet issued universal translator.  "Would you be interested in our speciality tonight" offered Lee, playing for time..  He turned to one of the barkeepers standing nearby with her Padd.  Lee had already decided that there must be a reason for the Adepts to be here and not just so they can have an entertaining evening.  "In my culture, we have a tendency to get to the chase!  Get to the point.  So what are you really here for?"

Lessa who had already decided that the Lees were the people that might be in a position to help her and Sharra.  She had heard a number of unfounded rumours about the Lees.  She simply couldn't believe that a pair of Starfleet officers would leave a secure career path to becoming innkeepers especially these two. Her own research discovered that former  Lt Commander Lee had headed up a special forces unit on Starbase 901 and had been involved in a number of 'black' operations.  His wife was also worked as a special forces operative and had a reputation as a communication expert!  What a waste of skills? thought Lessa.  Shara was thinking among similar lines but had come to her own conclusion that this couple...what was the expression that Earth people used...shadow people, sleepers, freelance, not mercenaries!!

The silence was only for a moment but enough for Lee to confirm that the Adepts were not just here for a friendly drink  As for Alicia

Alicia smiled, and looked at Lee and said in standard, "I think w e should move this conversation somewhere else, dear."

Lee noticed  that the Adepts were slowly attracting attention from the other guests!  "Is there anywhere private that we could talk without being overheard, Lt Commander?" said Lessa

Lee thought about the holosuite which was not booked for another hour. "Yes. There is. Alicia, could you take these two to the holosuite. Use one of our personal programmes. I join you in a bit." said Lee "Oh by the way I left Starfleet over two years ago, so I no longer have a military title."

Alicia escorted the Adepts to the holosuite. "We have a holosuite…not a large facility and in the basement of the Inn. Alicia adjust the privacy mode and selected a conference room with a view out into space.  Everyone took seat. Moments later, Lee arrived with a bottle of wine and a tray of glasses after speaking to one of the bar keepers to make sure they were not disturbed.

Lee started to pour the wine into the glasses and passed the glasses. What your names?

*I am Lessa” introduced Lessa “..and this is Sharra.”

“So what is this about?” said Alicia

Picking up her drink, Lessa looked at Lee and Alicia “Two years before the war, we were Federation council members for this sector of space and there were plans to change the reform the highest echelon of the governance for this sector. We had been appointed to a committee to investigate corruption and fraud inside the Federation. Our remit was to establish the extent of it and recommendations. Such committees have come and gone over the years but nothing much has ever changed.”

“So did your committee fare any better than the ones before it?”

Lessa shock her head sadly “I don’t think most of the wider members of the Council took it that seriously. Although there been recommendations. Such committees have come and gor. over the years, but nothing much has ever changed: We, that’s and Shara, are passionate about Federation unity especially in this part of the Galaxy. Then the war came and the committee was dropped:

After the war, we tried to revive the Committee thinking this was the ideal time to re-establish the strength of the Federation. No one seemed to be interested yet we knew, since the war, there was sill corruption within the Federation. So we decided to investigate on our own.

We by passed the top Federation officials guarding their own reputations and spoke to knowledgeable outside experts, journalists and security advisers first. That was to give ourselves a better idea of where to start looking.”

Shara continued ‘Then we began investigating at lower grades in the Federation apparatus. We targeted junior civil servants, clerks and secretaries. We contrived introductions at a social and .recreation level. We befriended them,. Well, some -r -"le results were astounding. These people were the foot soldiers just carrying out orders. And many did not at all like what they thought was going on. But usually they kept _- mouths firmly shut. They were on superb salaries and perks wives and families to support didn’t what is you Earth people say ‘rock the boat.”

But other people still opened up to you?' Alicia pressed.

“We used a technique “ said Lessa. “Told them a few of our secrets so they'd feel safe telling some of theirs.. Huge sums cross Federation borders and individual planetary members resent interference from Federation interference.. As a result no one is really account­able and no one wants to rock the boat. The shock to us was not so much what was going on, but he size and organisation of it….all orchestrated from somewhere deep inside Federation What seems to began as ad hock fraud has slowly and steadily been hijacked by organised crime. These beings are professional. They gradually set about building a network of agents that reached through out the Federation apparatus like..” Lessa struggle to come up with a earth comparison..”like an octo..pus. It is they who have the real control and power – and they intend to keep it that way.”

Lee who has been listening carefully in silence until now but was clearly getting impatient and glanced at Alicia who had that glazed look in her eyes.

The power went out and then came back on momentarily and Alicia and Keung sat alone at the table...