Flashback to Head's Up, Pt.1
Posted on Sun Sep 28th, 2025 @ 12:47am by Shadowy Figure & Commander Daynah Ral & Lieutenant Commander Jayden Meran
Edited on on Sat Oct 4th, 2025 @ 4:45pm
1,512 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
On the Trail
Location: Empok Nor, Various
Timeline: Just After Neverwinter Boom
Sitting at the helm of the SS Adelaide at warp, Rhu glanced at the displays and made sure everything was reading normal. They were currently pushing the Adelaide's engines, running just over warp four point eight. There was a slight shudder felt occasionally through the deck and Rhu had caught a couple of indicators flash yellow before settling back down. But they'd babysit the test for the next hour before dropping back down to normal cruising speed. Rhu planned to pull them out of warp then, run a level three diagnostic on the engine systems, then get them back on mission. They'd test fire the weapons systems and test other systems that needed it in deep space, away from prying eyes.
Looking over to where Dayna and Jayden sat, Rhu said "Ok. Tell me again about what happened after talking to Brexis?"
The cloaked and masked figured darted through the confusion of people on the promenade, stoping in front of the bar named Zulgs. Pulling the hunk of metal from a deep pocket, it pulled back and threw it through the window, breaking it. Amid the cries of confusion and surprise, they followed it with a smoke and dye grenade (the purple one with the glitter). Two people were standing there outside the Ferengi’s place and the figure tossed yet another grenade at them, the words, “Hey friend. Hold this for me?” In a voice altered by the masks vox box.
Throwing a final ball toward another wall, the figure took off running. The ball proved to be a small drone, which spray painted “The Ashen Hand was here.”, before falling to the ground spent.
As they ran, the figure dumped handfuls of the balls from its pockets.
Daynah only had moments to think. She wanted to stop the perpetrtator from getting away, wanted to make chase. However, there was no time for that the hooded figure made sure of it. She grabbed Jayden and dove opposite of the grenade. "Get down!" As both her and Jayden came to the ground the grenade went off spraying purple smoke and glitter everywhere. "A distraction technique. Brilliant. Have to admit this guy is pretty good."
Jayden let himself be pulled down. Jayden could feel the adrenaline rage through him now as his heart beat faster in his chest. He tried to keep his emotions under control. He could sense a lot of emotions around him, which was normal considering the situation. He wasn't sure what to say in this moment. He was collecting himself. Finally he let out. "It's quite messy. I think we need to get out of the smoke. It's hard to see anything." It was also messing with his focus too.
"Agreed. Follow me." Daynah said and made her way toward an open area in the promenade. She surveyed the area as quickly as possible to see if she could catch sight of the bomber. However, for the moment it seemed as if they had gotten away. At least she could not see them. "Jayden, do you have eyes on the bomber?" It was a longshot but perhaps the Counselor had better luck than she did.
Jayden looked around. There was a huge crowd running around. His eyes moved around quickly, but it was hard to see. "I am sorry, Commander, I can't see anything, there are too many people going about. We need to cover more crowd. Should we split up?"
Daynah kept her head moving in all directions she had to get eyes on this bomber. "No, splitting up will get us lost in this chaos." She intended to say more but at that moment she saw the figure that started this whole situation. "There!" she pointed in the direction of a corridor where the person ran. "Everybody move!!!" She shouted and the masses seemed to make a path. "Come on!" Daynah took off at top speed. She did not know what she would do if she caught this figure but she knew she had to catch them.
The Shadowy figure darted down an corridor, weaving ably through the thinner crowd. Then collided with a woman emerging from a hatch. She chose to look the wrong way as she stepped out and they both went down in a tangle of limbs.
That was the moment that Daynah needed. All at once she pounced on the Shadowy Figure. "Gotcha!" She said as she pulled the figure off of the innocent woman. "I think you and I should have a chat."
Squirming and twisting, the cloaked figure tried to get free and let out a muffled yell of, "Lemme go." In the struggle, the mask came away and the pimpled face of a teenage human with a shock of red hair yelled out. "Help!!! I'm being bothered by this adult!!!"
"I'm his big sister now shut it little bro." Daynah shouted with the authority that only an older sibling could have. "If you relax and come with us. Have a little talk, there is a high probability that you will be on your merry way. If you don't then there is a high probability that you will not see the light of day. So, what is it going to be." Daynah was not about give the runt up. She had him, and he had the answers that they needed.
Pushing back unruly curled bangs, the teenager glared at both Dyan and Jayden, "Whaddya want?"
Daynah was pretty sure that the direct approach would not work. But since the kid asked she thought she would give it a shot. "Well, if you answer honestly you will be on your way and no one will be the wiser. Who do you work for?"
Sniffing, the red head grew stubborn and said, "Meh. That doesn't do me any good turnkey. Go ahead and give me to security again. Won't be the first. Aint going to be the last, Spots."
"No darlin you don't seem to understand. You won't be going to security. You are going to disappear, it will be simply that you didn't exist. Now, do you want to try and answer me again." Daynah made sure that the tone in her voice helped drive the point home. She wanted to make sure that the fear of the universe was placed into this kid.
Peering at Dayna at first, then through her, glancing around, the life in the redhead's eyes seemed to dim and they slumped. "So, more bullies. Fine. Whatever." The green eyes glimmered with unshed tears but a sniff escaped and the teen said, "What do you want to know."
"Who was the first bully?" Daynah did not like the concept of being a bully. BUt she did have a mission to complete at the moment. If this little one cooperated she would make sure that there was a meal and a way off the station to safety in place. Ral was not the kind of person who would leave someone high and dry.
Mouth puckering to keep from laughing, the red head half snorted, "Who hasn't? Do you know what happens on a Federation rehabilitation planet where your parents get near life sentences? The counselor's and warden get to make all the calls. So for twelve years I got to be in prison cause they didn't want to break up the family unit." The red head let their arms fold and jutted out their chin, "Even though both dear old mom and dad could care less about me, I was used as a treatment to help try and cure them. That worked about as well as a fart in church, but I had to keep trying for them."
"And when the Hand came round and offered liberty the first time, well...they both jumped at it. But no kids. So I got left behind. THEN the warden decided me being there raised too many questions if inspectors came round so I got a trip off world. To nowhere. My birth was never recorded in the Federation and I got dumped at a colony in the Neutral Zone. Bullied and put at labor for eight months till I stowed away and ended up here. With nothing. Then I got a job offer here by the Hand. A chance to eat and place to sleep. Just do a couple jobs and spit a little into the Federats and Cardies eyes."
Shrugging then, the red head said, "What would you have done, huh?"
A Joint Post by
A Shadowy Figure,
Known as Eve.
Lt. Com. Jayden Meran
Chief Counselor
USS Valiant
Commander Daynah Ral
Executive Officer
USS Valiant
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