Ensign Gnai - I'd Rather Be Framing A Painting...

[Lich]

((Administrative Building, Ki Baratan, Romulus))

The Romulans at the gates were not going to let them through easily, not with an alien and an unknown robot in tow, it seemed. As soon as they had been spotted, all attention diverted from the Starfleet officers disguised as Romulans to those disguised as something else... perhaps a stroke of good luck, given how quickly the Romulan disguises were thrown together. Panicking, Gnai forced out a few robotic 'beeps' from its speakers, and hoped that it would be left alone in the questioning. The other officers would surely do better than it had, right?

Sadar: E-E-Eyla Thevn, Sirs… I-I’ve been given leave to demonstrate the efficiency of the latest series of maintenance robots to-

Adea: Quiet, fool!

The volume and intensity of the Commander's yelling startled Gnai - he was playing his part, and he was playing it well. Even though it knew that it was just an act, Gnai couldn't help feeling a little intimidated, past the normal levels of intimidation it felt being around officers that out-ranked it.

Romulan Uhlat: H'treain aren't allowed past this security point. This one ::pointing to Sadar:: can stay behind as you work.

Sadar: I-I really must insist, Sirs! According to the Tenet of Commerce, “The obligation of the peddler is to present his wares with integrity”, and-

It was a good cover, if a bit strange to be referred to as 'wares'.

Adea: I said, quiet fool! ::he turned to the Uhlat:: This ryakna is with me.

Jovenan: What we mean is that the Command has approved supervised access to planetary defence turrets to the alien and its robot under this unit.

Romulan Uhlat: You're testing our patience. If Command has authorised you and the alien to work past this point, we didn't hear it.

Gnai did everything it could not to jump when the cane hit the floor. The sound startled it, and seemingly everyone else around it as well. It hoped that any involuntary flashes of surprise hadn't been visible through the thin mirror coating of its tank.

Adea: And do you hear everything from Command, veruul?

Sadar: But, surely-

Romulan Newscaster: ::muffled by the windows:: -ttle on approach to Romulus, and discussions are expected to take a turn. We’ve yet to receive news on our guests from the Dom-

Genkos stepped very close to the private and stared right into their eyes.

Adea: Listen here, if you think I am going to put up with your hnaev then you have another thing coming, officer.

Jovenan: I’m sure you don’t want us to bother your superiors about a matter like this.

Gnai watched the two officers play off of each other in awe. Sure, the Commander was terrifying, but it seemed that the more gentle hand of Lieutenant Jovenan was helping as well. If it hadn't known better, it would have assumed this to be a rehearsed routine.

Sadar: W-Well, i-if it’s truly impossible, then perhaps I can instruct you on the robot’s use and various protocols? ::fumbles with her anxiety band:: It will have to be comprehensive, as I haven’t actually had opportunity to observe the machinery that it interacts with, but I’m certain that, if assisted, the repairs could be completed in a couple of hours. Of course, we won’t meet the projected window, but-

Romulan Uhlat: Enough!

And the 'terrifying-engineer-nice-engineer' routine had clearly worked. The Romulans had had enough, and stepped aside, letting the small group of disguised Starfleet officers past into the turret room.

Adea: Thank you.

Jovenan: Much appreciated.

Gnai beeped a thanks as it followed the others past the Romulans, excited and thankful to be out of their sight as soon as possible. That was nerve-wracking. Every second that they spent there could have led to discovery but somehow it hadn't.

As the doors closed, Gnai watched as Lieutenant Jovenan slumped forwards, looking like the weight of the world had been dropped onto her shoulders. She hadn't seemed this tense at all during the discussion with the Romulan officers, at least not to Gnai. Gnai was feeling the tension as well, and it was glad that it could speak freely again now.

Gnai: That was... impressive, sirs.

Sadar: Response

Adea: Okay, that went better than expected. Sadar, I want you and Gnai to start setting up the scene for our Dominion entrapment, whilst Jovenan and I work on getting the turret to fire at our target. Also probably best if we barricade the door somehow.

This was good, an order was useful. If it kept its hands moving, there would be less time to worry about being caught, or being spotted, or being charged with espionage and executed, or any of the other worries that came with trespassing on Romulan soil and tampering with military installations with the express purpose of assassinating a high-ranking Romulan political figure. Why was this its first mission??

Jovenan: Aye, sir. I think the controls are up there.

Gnai looked up where Jovenan was pointing, although it would not be obvious to the others. The two-level construction of the turret was interesting, it hadn't expected it to be as big as it was, nor as complex. Most of the lessons on tactics and military engineering that it had had to sit through at the Academy had gone in one... well. Not really ear, per se. But the phrase still somewhat fit. In one side and out the other. It did not care much for the subject, regardless.

Gnai: Aye, sir! ::pulling fake tubes out of a compartment in the suit:: These will hopefully pass inspection...

Sadar: Response

The two commanding officers climbed up to the second level of the turret, leaving Gnai and Lieutenant Sadar alone. Alone and with the task of faking an entire Dominion attack. This was... a challenge, to say the least.

Above them, a conversation between the two commanding officers continued, and Gnai caught snippets of it, but the distance and its focus made it hard to tell exactly what was being said. It had a mission to carry out!

((Jovenan and Adea are out of earshot - can be found in Jovenan and Adea's sims!))

Jovenan: Sir… I have to say, I wouldn’t have thought you knew so many Romulan swearwords.

Adea: Ah, well, you don’t serve with Valesha Sienelis without learning a little Romulan.

((End out of earshot))

Gnai: Lieutenant, these tubes ::holding up fake ketracel white tubes:: can be scattered around the base... What about the face mask?

Sadar: Response

((Out of earshot))

Jovenan: There are plenty of ships on the orbit or approaching the planet. Let’s see if we could ::click:: Oh, we get identification information of each vessel! Do you know what kind of a vessel the Senator would be using?

Adea: I imagine some kind of diplomatic vessel - perhaps there was one that left an escort in orbit? Look for a vessel that broke away from a well-armed pair or trio of ships before starting to come in.

((End out of earshot))

Gnai: Hm. That is a good point. Perhaps the tubes should be damaged? ::it snapped one of them in half:: Does this look more realistic?

It thought that it looked somewhat more realistic anyways. These cylinders were just the refuse, and held no significance to the Jem'Hadar after being used, right? Perhaps one of them had stepped on a discarded tube while wandering around the base of the turret on patrol.

Sadar: Response

With that, Gnai wandered around the base, strategically dropping off empty false ketracel white tubes in corners where they might be overlooked. Overlooked by a military force intent on escaping the scene of their crime, of course. Hopefully not overlooked by the infinitely paranoid Romulan intelligence forces that would be investigating the building as soon as they had fired upon the shuttle.

((Out of earshot))

Jovenan: We’ll also need to cut the connection to the planetary defence command network and breach the firing control lockout. And, um, there’s also the thing… Do you happen to know how to shoot this thing, sir?

((End out of earshot))

Adea: Sure thing, it’ll be like falling off a log. ::he called down:: Sadar, Gnai, how’s the frame job going?

Gnai looked up once again to the second level of the turret, hearing the call from above. The phrasing of 'frame job' made Gnai feel far more criminal than it wanted to. But that was what they were doing, and it wasn't good to hide that fact.

Gnai: Progressing well, sir! The Romulans will certainly believe that this was a Dominion attack. ::quietly, to itself:: Hopefully.

Jovenan/Sadar: Response

Adea: Fabulous, now see if there’s a way to disconnect the planetary defence network. Perhaps a few cables that can be pulled out?

Gnai was listening a bit more intently to the conversation above, and was unsure if the order was directed to it, or to Lieutenant Jovenan.

Gnai: ::calling up to the second landing:: Was that an order to the Lieutenant Jovenan?

Sadar/Jovenan/Adea: Response

Well, that answered it. Gnai was glad that it was not an order that it needed to worry about, and instead it could continue to try and sort out the fake crime scene that they were putting together. It walked up to where Lieutenant Sadar was, and turned around to survey the work they had done.

Gnai: Perhaps... it looks too clean?

Sadar: Response

Gnai: Hm. ::thinking, inspired by the order to Jovenan to 'pull a few cables':: Would the Dominion know how to operate Romulan technology...?

Sadar: Response

Without any perceptible response, as it was encased in metal and otherwise had very little to gesticulate with, Gnai walked back to one of the spare consoles directly below the second level of the turret. With one of the tools that it had brought from the workshop, it was able to wedge under one of the panels and use it as a level to peel the metal plate covering a variety of isolinear chips and other computer components. It wouldn't be smart to start pulling them out without a plan, while the turret hadn't fired, but...

Gnai: ::turning its speakers up to call to the second level:: Perhaps opening panels could better sell the lie that this was the Dominion. The Dominion are likely unfamiliar with the technological systems outside of the Gamma Quadrant?

Sadar/Jovenan/Adea: Response

With that, it turned around to take the tool to another panel, hoping that the brute force of leveraging panels would make it seem like some soldier under orders from his Vorta had torn the place apart. The rougher it was, the better.

Gnai: ::to Sadar:: When the turret has fired, perhaps some wires should be pulled out down here as well.

Sadar/Jovenan/Adea: Response

Tags/TBC

((And thanks for the patience with my slowness today!!))

--

Ensign Gnai

Science Officer

USS Artemis-A

A240102G11