#32 The chase

Posted on Sat Sep 19th, 2020 @ 10:54pm by

Mission: Star Base Mercury
Location: Starbase Mercury
Timeline: current/somewhere in between

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"Make a hole!" Shouted Kahn as she sprinted down a corridor on Mercury. The small group of officers she was speaking to as she ran plastered themselves against the walls to give her room. ZOOM! She never slowed as she ran passed them and came to a four-way, spining this way and that as she looked down each hall in succession. She could hear the footfalls of her pursuers from the direction she had come. "Psst! Hey, folks, slow 'em down for me. Mwah!" She blew a kiss at the group as she decided to go down the right passage, the group of officers aiding her by getting in the middle of the corridor again.

She had set a training exercise where they not only had to find her, but then they had to catch her. So far, none of base security had been able to arrest her, or even get a clear shot to stun her, and she was damned determined to keep it that way. She thanked the stars that she was an athletic woman with plenty of stamina, continuing to move in no direct pattern. Just keeping out of reach. Seeing a maintanence hatch for a crawlspace, Liza came to it and input her Security codes to unlock it, removing the cover quickly and setting it aside as she got inside the jeffreys tube. Grabbing the hatch cover she then pulled it into place and leaned back against the inner bulkhead, breathing heavily from the running and allowing her body to recover. A sheen of perspiration was now covering her body.

Listening, hearing the muffled voices, Liza placed her ear against the hatch cover.

"Damn it! She came this way! Where the hell did she get to?" A man's voice.

A female responded. "She's gotta be close, or way ahead of us. Shit!"

"What?"

"We have tricorders and here we are trying to use just our senses. Lieutenant Kahn never said we couldn't use them."

"Now I feel like an idiot," said the man.

"Yeah, me too." Then the distinct sound of a tricorder signal could be heard. All the voices had ceased.

That told Liza that with tricorder in hand the female had discovered her temporary lair. She could picture the security officers pointing at the hatch, drawing their weapons and preparing for anything. She heard the keypad being accessed and sat up and spun her tush to face the opening, sitting lotus. When it was opened and the two officers looked inside, phasers pointed, Kelliza gave them a smile and a silly wave. "Hi, guys. Took you long enough."

"Bite me, Sir," said the man, a grin on his face.

"Ohhh..don't offer a girl such a treat unless you mean it." Kahn giggled and climbed out of the crawlspace, replacing the cover. "Good job. Glad you realized the tricorders weren't off-limits. They can be your best friends when finding someone is imperative. Friend or foe."

The woman called the rest of Security and told them they had located their target and that the exercise was over. The three of them got to walking.

"Is it true that Trill, your homeworld, has never fought a war amongst each other?" Asked the woman.

"It's true, yes." Answered Liza. "We never saw the need, or logic, in killing each other over politics, religion, resources or, anything else for that matter. That, and water and sky are both a purple color, not blue like say--Earth. Still water, just a different color due to atmospherics and chemistry."

"That I would love to see," said the guy.

"Next time I go home," offered Kahn. "You can come with me. We'll exchange comm codes so we can keep in touch. I never tire of new friends."

"Friends?" The woman gave a grin. "Friends with bennies?"

Liza wasn't afraid or ashamed as she answered. "Possibly. I wouldn't rule it out and, in my experience, it is better to live life to the fullest. Have fun and relax as often as possible. I once had a suite on Casperia Prime that was so large and comfy that I felt kinda guilty for having it. But, at the same time, the size was needed for the number of party-goers who showed up every couple of days."

"Casperia Prime?" Asked the woman.

"Never heard of it?" Both security officers shook their heads no, so Liza explained. "Casperia Prime is the 'vacation capital of the Horvian Cluster', and is on par with Risa. I've been to Risa so many times I find it boring now. So, I found a new vacation spot. A ringed planet that has a great view of those rings from the surface, especially when the sun is rising or setting. Refreshing seas with a tropical and sub-tropical atmosphere that is warm all year round. I even stayed there on purpose during the rainy season, and it was just as epic."

"Damn, that sounds awesome." Said the man.

"When there, I rarely wear anything except a bikini with a sarong around my waist," said Kahn. "The rain is so warm it feels like you're in the shower while standing on a beautiful beach. When we take a break I will take a warp shuttle to Casperia Prime, every time." She gave a big smile. "Anyway, good job you two. I need to get back to the Dora. Take care." She made a right turn down a corridor, ending the conversation as quickly as it had begun.

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