Capt. Lia Rouiancet: Patterns in the Noise

[Tony Colella]

(( Rented Office, Regulus Office Space, Helix Station ))

Lia was in with Toven, the Yaderan investigator, and two of her officers, Lieutenant Colt and Ensign Thomas, the former the diplomatic security specialist and the latter the Butler's head nurse. 

Rouiancet: My ship, the Butler, spent a memorable mission with the Danni. (beat; frown) I hope that they're not subject to the same degree of smuggling as the Argrathi?

Thomas: (mumbled) That would be unfortunate.

Colt: Indeed. (nods to Thomas)

This all seemed to be of interest to Toven, but he didn't ask anything more about the Koreli mission. Or, rather, he didn't ask anything more at that moment. Lia was already certain that she was volunteering herself as a potentially lucrative source of information for a long time to come. 

Toven: (shaking his head) They are not, captain. My best guess is their mistrust towards outsiders made establishing smuggling routes too difficult.

Thomas: Well, glad to hear they’re not suffering from drugs like the Argrathi.

Colt: Not yet, at least. If the Black Kris continues to dominate in the sector, their influence may reach to several of the planets.

That was certainly a valid point, even if it was an unsavory one. Yes, the Butler and its crew had helped the Argrathi, and Starfleet had established a long-term mission on Argratha, but -- for a whole planet, that wasn't as much as Lia would've liked. They certainly hadn't ended the crisis, nor had they stopped the smuggling. 

Toven: Introduction may be slower but Ketra Omni is a unique product. Exclusivity creates interest.

Rouiancet: That's one way of putting it.

But it also made a certain kind of sense. A part of her could even see how the incubation of the Rage could benefit the ongoing flow of narcotics into Argratha, even if the particular combination of Ketra Omni and Ketracel-white only affected the Argrathi in that particular way. If Black Kris was not only dominating but expanding, then how long would it be until they had their hooks in the other peoples the Butler crew had dealings with -- the I-Kiyo, the Cheydalanga, the Seytoxala...?

Lia couldn't help but loose a big sigh. This was a thorny problem for sure.

Thomas: I see. Sorry for the interruption Captain.

Colt: (clears throat) I didn’t meant for an interruption either.

Toven: No injury suffered here.

Rouiancet: No, ah, the sigh wasn't about that. It's only that (beat) this may be a larger problem than I anticipated. 

Which was again Toven's cue, since the Butler crew had done its share of speculating, and the various arms of Starfleet at DS14 and beyond their own, but Lia had contracted Toven specifically to help them understand what they hadn't seen and perhaps couldn't see.

Toven: I looked into the Black Kris as you asked. They have done a decent job staying out of the spotlight, so to speak, but I have found their reach is spreading rapidly. Some are not willing to admit officially yet that they are dealing with a drug epidemic. (gesturing to the PADD) That is a list of planets that have increased their orbital patrols.

Lia glanced quickly at the PADD, and while several of the names -- which Toven had thoughtfully translated -- were unfamiliar, there were also a few she recognized. Not surprising, if Colt's speculation was correct.

Rouiancet: Then these peoples are treating Black Kris as a valid threat.

Thomas: Response

Colt: One quick question. Is the Black Kris benefiting from an early foothold in Gamma, and why is this so?

That was a very good question.

Toven: My estimation is they are taking advantage of the independent systems no longer under the yoke of the Dominion.

Rouiancet: (musing) I suppose that's only to be expected. It's what the UDP hoped to do, and it's not totally different from our presence here. (beat) After a fashion.

She wouldn't have described the Federation's aims, or Starfleet's mission to the Gamma Quadrant specifically, of "taking advantage" of the former Dominion members and thralls, but it was an inescapable fact that Starfleet was in the GQ now because of the collapse of the Dominion. 

Thomas: Response

Toven: (shaking his head; rubbing his temple) There is no coordinated response. Each system is tackling the epidemic in their own manner. Some more successfully than others.

Colt: So, it's safe to say that there is a bit of an isolationist policy when confronting the drug market.

Rouiancet: That is something we could help with. 

Expanding Starfleet's mission on Argratha, for one, so that it was one star in a larger constellation meant to coordinate those worlds and people who were being actively targeted by Black Kris. 

Thomas: Response

Toven: I was able to verify one thing. The Sweet Charlotte is a Wadi-class cargo vessel. Heavily modified, no doubt.

Well, score one for the Butler's sensors and, more specifically, the echolocation that Peri and Lieutenant Forsyth had cobbled together. She'd have to let them know that they had made a correct identification. 

Rouiancet: Does it seem that there might be a connection there? That the Wadi might be involved with Black Kris, I mean?

She hadn't seen the Wadi on Toven's list, but then she wasn't sure what their home world was named -- or even if they had a home world in the sector, or any colonies. 

Thomas: Response

Toven: I avoid the Wadi system. I have no skill in games of chance and strategy. 

Colt: (after a slight smile) What of Mad Dog Ives? Our mission reports hinted that she may have high-roller contacts, is any of that true?

Here, for the first time, they seemed to have reached what might be the edge of Toven's investigation. For a long moment, he didn't seem eager to say anything at all, so Lia glanced over at Colt.

Rouiancet: Do you have the report excerpts?

Security meant that they couldn't simply pass along confidential reports, but Lia was sure Colt was ahead of that. 

Thomas: Response

Indeed, Colt unlocked his own PADD and passed it over.

Thomas/Tovan: Responses

Rouiancet: (rubbing her chin) I don't know, but my sense was that Black Kris was not at all unified. Ives was willing to talk with us, at least, even though other Black Kris ships attacked.

Not that they knew that all the cloaked ships in the magentar binary system had been Black Kris, but -- they were all there under cloak, and Peri had identified the system as the source of the long-range transports delivering the narcotics to Argratha. It stood to reason. 

Colt/Thomas/Tovan: Responses

Rouiancet: Only that if Black Kris is divided in its loyalties and its goals, it will be easier to oppose what they're doing.

The Starfleet mission in the Gamma Quadrant (and beyond) was unified by principles and ethos, whereas it seemed as thought Black Kris was unified only for a free-for-all drive for profit. 

Colt/Thomas/Tovan: Responses

Rouiancet: I would certainly be interested in talking to Ives again, if the chance presents itself.

Colt/Thomas/Tovan: Responses

Tags! and TBC!

--

Captain Lia Rouiancet

Commanding Officer 

USS Octavia E. Butler

V238208LV0
she/her/hers (this character)