Solaris reached down grabbing her hairbrush off of the counter, reaching up to pull it through her hair. She eyed herself in the mirror, emerald green eyes appreciating the raven black hair she was currently sporting. It wasn’t her normal colour, but it looked good all the same. She had sported this look before, when she needed to be inconspicuous. As it turned out, white hair and red eyes were not, exactly, good traits for undercover work. She ran the brush through the full length of her hair a few times, before gathering it up into a utilitarian ponytail. While it normally hung to the small of her back when down, the ponytail kept it up and out of the way on duty. She set the brush down, leaning on the counter taking a breath. It had been a long time since she had done anything like this.

She looked up as the sound of the warp engines changed. The ship must’ve arrived at its destination.

“Crichton to McLaren. We’ve arrived at the Badlands, Captain.” the voice of her XO reported. Sol stepped out of the small bathroom, looking out the windows of her quarters. From their position in the forward section of deck five, she had a very clear view of the swirling masses of plasma that made up the region known as the Badlands. She reached down and tapped the comm panel.

“Thank you, Commander. Have Commander T’liss and Doctor Tarrant meet me in the main shuttle bay please.” Sol requested.

“Yes, ma’am.” Amaya responded. Solaris tapped the comm panel again and closed the channel, stepping back over to the mirror one last time. What was one more op? She nodded to herself then turned and grabbed the leather jacket that had been draped over one of the chairs and flipped it over her shoulders, sliding her arms into the sleeves. She let the jacket settle, then shifted it slightly, adjusting how it sat on her. She hadn’t worn the jacket in ages, it being the remnants of a long since failed relationship, but it was perfect for the sort of place she was going to, and it was still filled with good memories. That wasn’t all she was going to be bringing, however. She moved to the dresser and began to collect the objects sitting atop it: a small knife which she slipped into her boot, a small hold-out style disruptor settled at the small of her back, under the jacket, and an older styled Romulan disruptor pistol which sat holstered on her right thigh. She paused, glancing at the small necklace that was also sitting atop the dresser, the small orange chunk of stone glowing gently with its own internal light. Her hand started to reach for it then stopped and fell to her side. While she normally wore it, even under her uniform, wearing it on this mission felt unwise. She frowned slight then stepped away, checking her appearance one last time. She no longer saw the fresh Starfleet captain and instead just saw another rogue traveling the outer fringes of society. It was an interesting look, but not one she wanted to stay in for too long.

She stepped out of her quarters, drawing a few eyes from passers by. She slipped her hands in her pockets and paid them no mind. She had somewhere to be.

The shuttle bay was mostly empty, a stark contrast to how it had been when she had arrived aboard the ship. The few crew that were there were too busy with their own duties to notice the newcomer enter the bay and approach the dilapidated vessel sitting on the deck waiting to launch. Its engines were already powered and the hatch already open. Sol climbed in and was greeted with the sight of her Chief Medical Officer and Chief Engineer already aboard, waiting for her. She took a moment to consider them. Both had dressed similarly to her, T’liss in a form fitting leather dress, which was atypical for her and Kael in a similar outfit to her, just with a long duster over it. He also carried a khaki bag with a red cross on it.

“Everything ready to go?” Solaris asked.

“Yes, Captain.” T’liss replied.

“Ready.” the Doctor said with a nod.

“Right then… lets get going…” Sol ordered, taking a seat. T’liss tapped a few controls, closing and sealing the hatch. She fed some power into the engines and the ship lifted off the deck, hovering still for a moment before slipping through the force field that kept the shuttle bay pressurized. As the ship crossed the threshold the comm system beeped. T’liss tapped a control.

“Good luck, Captain.” came her XO’s voice.

“To you as well, Commander. Keep the Yamato hidden for the time being…” she said. ‘Only engage if you are discovered.” she added.

“Yes, ma’am.” Amaya replied, closing the channel. T’liss swung the ship around, crossing under one of the ship;s nacelles, as it began to move off for the debris field that was going to conceal it. Sol watched the Yamato grow slightly smaller in the view port, before they themselves turned and set a course for the location of the station where the auction was to be held. The ship shook slightly as they crossed into the plasma fields. Their course to the station was winding, but that seemed to be how the Orion’s wanted it. It wouldn’t do to have your secret space station be easily found after all. Soon however a small dot appeared int he distance, orbiting a barren planetoid. It continued to grow as the ship approached and it wasn’t long before a pair of Orion ships flanked them and their comm system chirped. Sol reached over and tapped a few controls.

“Welcome to The Jade Exchange. Please transmit credentials  for docking.” an automated voice said. Sol raised an eyebrow, sharing a confused glanced between T’liss and Kael. Kael just shrugged.

“Given the amount of vessels they probably have arriving at any given time… an automated system makes some sense…” T’liss commented. “We should transmit the credentials we have…” she added. Sol nodded, tapping a few more controls. It was time to see if the credentials intel had provided them actually worked. She held her breath as time passed, the pair of vessels flanking them didn’t look friendly, and if things went south, there wasn’t much of a way out. The Yamato was monitoring them, but they were far enough away that it would take time to reach them. Time that the dilapidated vessel they were in wouldn’t have if under fire. There was a confirmation beep and Sol exhaled.

“Credentials accepted. Docking assignment is being transmitted. Please enjoy your stay.” the voice intoned, before closing the channel.

“Awfully polite…” Sol commented. “Remember… when we’re on that station… no ranks… and we stick to the names we chose before…” she reminded, sitting back as T’liss piloted the vessel toward the station. She could see several other ships already docked. She could identify a Romulan shuttle, a Klingon transport and a Cardassian frigate along with several other miscellaneous ships.

“Well there certainly are quite a lot of other buyers for this piece of kit…” Kale commented. Sol nodded.

“Yes… that’s why we need to recover it…” she stated. “So no one else gets their hands on it… could drastically change the power dynamic in a region if someone were to figure out how to mount it on a starship with more power than it currently has.”

The ship banked gently, headed toward the docking bay where the Romulan shuttle had been parked, and gently glided to a stop in front of a trio of Orions, two of which were armed with Nausicaan disruptor rifles.

“Ah… there’s the Syndicate I was expecting…” Sol quipped, standing. “C’mon… best not keep them waiting.” she added. The others stood, following her out of the cockpit and to the hatch. Sol looked back at them one last time, before hitting the release. The hatch hissed and opened revealing the docking bay beyond, a ramp lowering to given them an easier path to disembark. The trio of Orions were there to meet them. The one in the center held up his hand.

“You will be searched before you will be allowed to enter the station.” he stated. Sol nodded, holding out her hands to her sides. She gestured for the others to follow along. The Orion stepped up to her first running his hands  down her arms and along her sides. He stopped when he reached the first concealed weapon, pulling it from where it was at the small of her back. Sol glanced back at her companions who were undergoing similar pat downs. She glanced down at the man patting her down, shifting as he got just a bit too friendly.

“Go any further… and you might lose that hand…” she commented. The man just looked up at her and continued, finally reaching the knife she had stashed in her boot. He pulled it out and checked it as well, before standing up straight.

“You will be allowed to keep your weapons, however, I would suggest you do not use them… any fights will be resolved between the instigating parties without intervention.” he informed them, handing Solaris her weapons back. She holstered them, and nodded.

“I understand.” she stated.

“The main event begins tonight… Until then you are free to enjoy the station.” the man informed her. He didnt wait for a response before turning and leaving with his guards. Sol exhaled, and turned to her companions.

“I could use a drink…” she stated heading deeper into the station.

The Jade Exchange was more than just an Orion station. It was a huge market and trade port dealing in many forms of illicit goods. Solaris passed through the hatch from the docking bay and into the market proper. People milled about, browsing stalls and hawking wares. Solaris kept her head on a swivel, but otherwise kept to herself. She glanced back every so often, making sure T’liss and Kael were still with her. Every so often she would stop and browse at a stall, making notes of objects she saw that she could report back on as well. None of it was particularly interesting or worth much time. It wasn’t until she heard a scuffle behind her that she actually stopped and turned around. She spotted T’liss being approached by two burly men, each of whom had a knife out. A third stood a bit behind them, arms crossed as he spoke.

“Well well… look at this Borg tech just walking right in for us… those implants will fetch quite a price on the markets.” he commented. Solaris frowned, hand slowly moving for her disruptor. From her position, none of the men were facing her, which gave her quite the opportunity. She carefully withdrew the pistol and started toward the one who appeared to be the leader.

T’liss’ eyes tracked Solaris for the briefest of moments before they switch to one of the other men.

Kale slowly reached into his bag, prepping a hypospray quickly.

As Sol reached the man, she jabbed the pistol into his kidneys, holding it tightly.

“I suggest you think real careful about your next move…” she whispered to him, as if nothing untoward was actually happening. The man stiffened up, but didn’t yet speak, as if weighing his options. He clearly wasn’t paying attention to all the variables if he thought he’d get out of this intact.

“Well well… the Borg has a protector… must be paying you a pretty penny…” he commented, holding a hand out to slow his goons movements for the moment.

“Oh no… she’s part of my crew… and I need her just as she is… so here are your options. One: You call your goons off and you get to walk away. I must say, I’m quite partial to option one. Option two: You try anything else, and I pull the trigger on my disruptor… it’s an old Romulan model… and you know how painful those can be, I’m sure.” Solaris said, speaking calmly. Would she actually do it? Only as a last resort. But he didn’t have to know that. He just had to believe she was deadly serious.

“I don’t think so…” he stated, quickly tensing, using his arm to hold Solaris’ tightly, not giving her motion to actually do anything. At the same time his other two goons lunged for T’liss. T’liss wasted to time in ducking the hands of one, shoving him past her. He stumbled and bumped directly into Kael, who had already raised his hypospray, jabbing into the man’s shoulder as he pretended to catch him. He casually dusted the man off and then let him fall to the ground, turning to see how T’liss and his Captain were doing.

T’liss was ducking her adversary’s knife, catching his arm in her grasp. She twisted her hands and there was a snapping sound, the knife clattering to the ground. He let out a scream, but didn’t seem deterred. He lunched for her again and she sidestepped him, using his own momentum against him, sending him careening into a bulkhead with a satisfying thud. She too turned to check on Solaris’ progress.

Sol stepped back from the man just as he tried to turn, lashing out at her with a wild punch. She heard her disruptor clatter to the floor but didn’t even attempt to go for it, instead dropping into a fighting stance. She ducked another punch, lashing out with one of her own, striking the man’s stomach. He doubled over slightly, but didn’t relent, striking out again, catching Sol in the chin. She felt her head snap around, stepping back to recover. She cast a glare in the man’s direction, hitting him with a series of jabs, before striking him in the leg with a kick. She felt the man’s knee crack as he screamed out in pain. He tried to stand, but couldn’t, wincing and staying down on his other knee. Sol straightened up, dusting her jacket off. She calmly walked over, stepping past the man to retrieve her disruptor.

“Stay away from my crew… and we won’t have any more problems…” she said quietly, voice filled with ice. She looked to T’liss and Kael then nodded with her head toward the other end of the market, and the bar that lay beyond it.

“I could use that drink now…” she said, starting off that way, leaving the three men sprawled across the floor of the market. With the excitement now over, things quickly returned to normal. Sol looked back to check that her companions were with her, trying to calm her beating heart. She really did need that drink.