“Oh that’s just not fair,” said one of the two masked figures as they crested onto the roof of the three-story building on the edge of the heart of the city of Krem.

“It was predicted for today after all,” the other said, quieter and calmer than the first. “But it is a few hours early.”

The subject of their discussion was the rapidly approaching wall of sand and dust, its leading edge alight with the occasional flash of lightning or failing electrical transformers as the sandstorm crashed upon the outskirts of Krem. At its current rate, it would settle onto the city centre within ten minutes, but its effects were already being felt.

The shadow of the kilometre-tall wall was already blocking out the sun, dropping the temperature in the city by a handful of degrees. Streetlights had come to life but were swallowed into the gloom as the dust poured through the streets, smothering all it came across.

“They’re on the roof!” came a shout from the street, followed by an errant phaser blast. The Cardassian security personnel, purely civilian and not related to Central Command, were just as well armed and equipped though. Moving in pairs, the second of the two turned to where his companion had fired and raised his weapon.

“Move!” the first masked figure shouted as they started to run across the roof.

Krem was an old city, founded centuries ago during Cardassia’s first major expansion wave. She featured numerous small alleys and side pathways alongside her major arterial roads. Buildings were built close to each other and cast plenty of shade on the streets below when they weren’t spaced far enough to allow troops to march in a parade for all to see. Considering the world and the location where Krem had been founded, these provided multiple advantages – fitting into elements of Cardassian architecture; providing shade and relief from the overbearing heat of the day, even for Cardassians; and finally a helpful defence against the semi-frequent sandstorms that washed over Krem.

Right now it helped in that the two figures weren’t trapped on a single roof as they sprinted for the far edge, leaping the gap to the next building with ease, their transit answered with more ascending phaser fire from below.

“How much further?” the individual in the lead shouted back at their companion.

“Two kilometres,” came the response.

A beam went past both of them – a Cardassian on the previous roof firing at them as soon as he’d made it onto the roof. He dropped prone in response to the first masked figure turning, raising the snarling mouth of a Klingon disruptor in his direction and letting loose a shot. And then a second at the guard climbing up next to him, convincing him to drop down the ladder a few steps and wait.

“We aren’t meant to hurt anyone,” the second hissed as they both continued running, leaping across another alleyway.

“I know that! I made that a requirement, remember?”

“Then why are you,” the second started before being cut off as the first ran past them.

“Shut up and run!” the first yelled.

As more guards joined the first brave ones on the roofs the amount of phaser fire increased. Some got close, but the act of chasing was compounded by the need to occasionally vault an alleyway, or ponder such a vault for some of the larger guards. And then the increasing dust and sand in the air was another factor, one which the guards weren’t prepared for at the outset, unlike their quarry.

“How much further?” the first shouted back towards their companion.

“Another kilometre to the beam out point. But this storm might be an issue.”

“Let me worry about that!”

As the storm truly settled in, visibility dropping to a mere handful of meters, both masked individuals had to stop running, lest they find an alleyway without any warning. Their pursuers had given up, retreating to the streets below and likely inside as quickly as they could, looking for shelter from the storm. Dropping from rooftops to the streets themselves, both masked individuals stopped for a moment, breathing heavily before the taller of the two pointed silently in one direction and they both continued once more.

“They’re around here somewhere,” a deep Cardassian voice bellowed out. “Find them!”

“Seriously?” the first hissed before walking gave way to sprinting. “I get being persistent, but out in this weather?”

“It is their planet, some of them must be prepared to be out in this at all times,” the other answered.

It was only a few minutes before they cut down into an even tighter alleyway, and then stopped. “This is the spot,” the second said before producing an old banged-up communicator, only a century out of date but still a functional piece that flicked open with a quick wrist motion. “Levne to,” they stopped momentarily, then resumed, “home base. Ready for beam out.”

“Negative on that,” came the response. “Dust storm is kicking up a heck of a lot of interference on top of those overlapping inhibitors the Cardies got running.”

The first masked individual stopped by a crate against the alley’s wall and opened the lid, reaching in and pulling out a black carry bag, clearly ladened with goods. Set down and opened, the cylindrical device was produced and offered to the other individual in quick order.

“You brought transporter enhancers and didn’t inform me?”

“Hey, look, I brought transporter enhancers.” The tone of voice was definitely unhelpful. “I beamed down an hour after you. We’ve been busy, it didn’t come up. Now set it up already.”

There wasn’t much space in the alleyway to set them up, leaving just enough space between the three devices for one of them at a time. “Go,” the first ordered as they turned to face the open end of the alley, where shouting voices could be heard approaching. Furst whirled in the air but it was so much less dense here unlike the rooftops, the repeated breaking up of pathways between buildings blunting the severity of the storm.

“You should go you’re the,” and they were cut off once more by the first.

“Go, that’s an order.”

No counterargument came this time, just a chirp of a communicator, a spoken phrase, an acknowledgement of a good signal and the hum of a transporter whisking one of the two away.

“Transporter signal over this way!” came a shout!

“Only one alien life sign now!”

“Hurry up and catch them!”

The first then stepped backwards until they were between the three enhancers, disruptor raised to cover the alley entrance. “Come on,” they muttered. “Now would be good.”

A Cardassian guard turned the corner, their weapon raised. They dove to cover quickly as the sickly green bolt went over their head. They stayed there because of the handful more that followed.

“Disruptor fire!” came a shout.

“This way!” another confirmed.

“Any minute now,” the masked individual muttered again.

Just as another Cardassian guard arrived, braver than the first, the lights on the enhancers flared to life. As the world filled with light around the masked individual, they gave a cheeky salute to the guard, the return phaser beam passing through empty air.

And then the transporter enhancers flared even brighter before exploding in a shower of sparks, destroying themselves.

“Goddesses that was close!” Sidda Sadovu exclaimed as she stepped down off the transporter pad, stripping off the filter mask and goggles she’d been wearing. Her hair was caked in sand and dust but her face was clean, though covered in a sheen of sweat from where the mask and goggles had trapped moisture. “Nice work Chief Kruck,” she said, throwing the Tellarite behind the transporter controls a compliment, which seemed to have gone down like a lead balloon with them.

“Well?” asked Captain MacIntyre as soon as the doors leading from the corridor outside parted for him. He’d barely stepped in, barely gotten his one-word question out before Sidda’s had was raised, two Cardassian isolinear rods clutched in her gloved hands.

The other masked individual, a similarly dishevelled Lieutenant Selu Levne, produced an isolinear rod as well, but instead of the standard ruddy brown, this one was dark emerald green in colour.

“Not a single hitch,” Sidda offered with a smile.

“Aside from alerting the facility security, a chase across rooftops and being the talk of the entire planetary security communication sub-net as a request for any information about you has gone planetwide,” MacIntyre replied as he accepted all three rods from the two Orion women. “Gul Lemec is already working to quash the security alerts but Central Command can only do so much about local security.”

“Before or after we beamed out?” Sidda asked. “The alert that is.”

Mac looked at Sidda, eyes narrowing for a moment. “After,” he finally admitted.

Sidda barely restrained herself from barking out a laugh. “Gul Lemec owes me a bottle of kanar.”

“Of course he does,” Mac muttered, shaking his head as he turned to leave. “Clean yourselves up, and have something to eat. Staff meeting in two hours.”

“You made a bet with our Cardassian liaison before we went on this mission?” Selu asked as she settled into stride next to Sidda as they wandered down the halls of Republic.

“One bottle of kanar against one bottle of Avalon whiskey,” Sidda clarified.

“Not what I would call standard operating procedure.”

“That’s me.”

As they parted, Sidda made her way not to her quarters, but to the Pnyx, the doors sliding open at her approach. Only a few of Republic’s more elevated officers were present, those recently off duty, or not long before going on duty. But one in particular was present, the most junior officer by far in the room, stationed behind the bar.

“Hello gorgeous,” Sidda said as she settled upon a barstool opposite Revin, who’d been busy cleaning while reading from a padd on the bar top.

No words were said as Revin produced a plate and a glass from behind the bar and settled it in front of Sidda in quick order. “Cream cheese bagel and orange juice,” she said, then looked up, eyes firm and not lacking in resolve. “What have I said about missing breakfast?”

“Most important meal of the day,” Sidda answered, playing the chastised little girl.

“Good answer,” the Romulan woman said, then leaned herself over the bar counter, hands on the bar to support her as she planted a quick kiss on Sidda’s lips. “You need a shower,” she said after just a moment.

“I’ve got just under two hours,” Sidda answered with a wink as she picked up the bagel. “Join me?”