/\Deck 45/\ Aidan straightened his uniform and started to look for subsection 5. He was surprised to see a deck like this one on Bragg, used as he was to the promenade and Docking Bays, but, people had to live somewhere, he thought. Straight corridors with little to no ornament went endlessly in all four directions, apparently forming perfect rectangles of habitable space. Large green letters marked every intersection, in a progressive alphanumerical pattern, helping Aidan identify his position. For once, Aidan was grateful for the Special Forces obsession for rules and order, as he walked along corridor D5. He knew he was close and would be able to get rid of the goddamn package in no time, and with that thought in mind, he entered corridor E5, not noticing the figure hiding in the adjacent corridor. "59... 61... 63... 65..." Aidan stopped muttering and faced the metallic doorway in front of him with a small white 67 painted on eyelevel. He took deep breath and rang the chime. Mendez was crouching behind a Pylon five meters away from the Petty Officer. Whoever he was, he seemed to feel more sure of himself then earlier. Either that or he was being incredibly stupid, not to watch his back. Mendez was convinced of that man's culpability, even though he didn't know of what. Yet, he thought grimly and wagered a glance to the Petty Officers direction, just in time to see the door slide open. "What do you want?" asked rudely a very large Bolian, glaring down at Aidan. Instinctively, Aidan stepped back and hid the package behind his back. "Trazz sent me" he said firmly, trying to hide the fact, the he just recieved the scare of his life. The Bolian measured Aidan with a menacing look, then glanced up and down the corridor. "Come on in" he grumbled finally and turned back into the room, Aidan following suit. Mendez waited a few second after the door closed, then slowly approached the door and took note of the number. He nodded and dashed towards the nearest terminal. "You got it?" asked the Bolian, just as Aidan had reached the middle of the richly decorated room. He nodded and took the package from behind his back. The Bolians face turned slowly into a wide smile, as he took it from Aidans hands and removed the wrapping, disclosing a flat, dark metal box. Caressing the metal, he finally flipped a small switch and opened it. Aidan, against his own will, leaned closer to get a glance at the box content. The Bolian closed his eyes and took a fingertip of what was inside, nearing it to his nose. "Aaah" he said, sniffing satisfied. "Finest Belurian tobacco. Priceless" he muttered and opened his eyes again. Aidan felt his blood rising. "Tobacco?" he asked incredulous. The Bolian nodded with a smile and carefully closed the box. "You mean, all this..." Aidan waved towards the door. "... for a box of tobacco??" he finished. The Bolian made an offended gesture. "Mind you, you know how hard is it to get it? It's a class D trading product, and the bastards here just don't know anything about fine tobacco. Which is..." he looked derisively at Aidan. "... obviously your case, too." With that, he waved towards the door and looked at Aidan. "Now, if you please, i'm a busy man. Tell Trazz i'll pay the usual way. Good day to you" Aidan, still completely thrown off, shook his head and walked wordlessly out of the room. "HIT THE FLOOR, SCUMM, YOU'RE FUCKED!" yelled Mendez as soon as the door behind the Bolians quarters had closed. Aidan jumped at least 10 cm, growing pale in matter of nanoseconds and turned around. "Fuckin 'ell, you bastard! What the..." he started, then saw the phaser pointing at him. Mendez held his aim steadily, as he approached Aidan. "Gotcha, pal. You're under arrest. Now do yourself a favour and don't move a muscle. You're in big problems." he said with a satisfied grin. "What am I being arrested for?" Aidan asked with disbelief. "and what the hell were you thinking, scaring the bejeezes out of me. I could've had a heart condition, you cheeky bastard!" he started, venting all the accumulated Adrenaline. "I am a Starfleet Officer, you bloody idiot. What d'you think the uniform and the pips are for? A Parade? Gimme a good reason not to smack the crap out of you at this moment!" he ended up yelling. Mendez stepped back and raised his phaser. "'Cuz I have a phaser and I am the authority here, pal" he answered coldly. Aidan stepped back again and looked at the phaser. "Listen" he said, suddenly calm. "You are arresting me on what grounds? I am expected at my ship, and my commander is Brigadier General Bretam Keylor, so you better be very careful with what you do" he lied bluntly. Mendez looked at Aidan, feeling unsure for the first time. If what he said was true, that could mean a wagonload of trouble, but... "Allright, name and rank. And fast" he finally said, trying to keep control of the situation. "Petty Officer 3rd Class Aidan Lynch. What's yours? I'll have to know who to blame for all this." counterattacked Aidan. "I..." Mendez felt himself now driven into a corner. Lynch seemed to know what he was talking about, and Mendez was starting to see the mountain of shit he was falling in. "Fuck that!" he finally said. "You'll come with me to HQ and we'll see there. You were observed showing a suspicious behaviour and carrying an even more suspicious object. On those grounds, you're busted until I say otherwise. Clear?" he straightened and spoke with all the authority he could muster. That very moment, the Bolians door opened. "What is all this noise about!" roared the huge Bolian annoyed. Mendez jumped back and pointed at the Bolian. "Sir, this man has placed a suspicious your quarters, I was proceeding to take him in for interrogation..." he finally informed, when he recognized Major Beelais, the Head of Security of Station Bragg. If there was any moment to die, this would've been the best, he thought, hastily lowering his phaser and snapping to attention. The Bolian looked confused from one to the other, then straightened with a wide grin on his face. "At ease Lt." he bellowed and turned to Aidan. "You better go back to deliver my message, I'll handle this situation." he said commandingly, and Aidan, not grasping anything, just turned around and walked down the corridor. His face slowly relaxed, as the yelling at his back ebbed away in the distance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PO3 Aidan Lynch ODA Eng. Spc. USS - Chimera A