Mira disembarked with a good handful of other crew members on shore leave. Theoretically, they were the first of several rotations. In truth, the Tanjura didn’t have nearly as many people as it should have, and this was an attempt to reinforce the appearance of a full crew.

She was dressed in black pants, crimson tunic and a battered leather jacket that had seen her through more dicey situations than she could count. She did feel a bit naked without a pistol at her hip, particularly in a place as dodgy as this, but it was what it was. The ups and downs of being a team player.

Passing through minimally maintained corridors, she made her way to a much flashier bar area.  It wasn’t overly busy, which is what she expected considering the limited number of other ships parked outside.  

She took a seat at the bar next to two members of a race she did not recognize. Her attention, however, was, for the moment, on the bartender.

“What have you got that’s local?” She asked. “I’m in the mood to try something new.”

“Tired of that Federation synthehol swill?” the ferengi bartender asked.

“I’d rather stay sober than drink that,” she quipped.

“Ah, a lady of discerning tastes! I’ve just the thing! Mixed with juice from the finest kavan fruits of Indira III.”

Mira had absolutely no idea what any of that meant, and she doubted she was getting the “finest” anything, but she smiled and thanked him as he placed a small bubbling drink of swirling peach and cream colors before her.  It actually smelled quite pleasant, although as she sipped it the fruitful tones were overpowered by the burn of alcohol.  Nursing this thing was going to be… interesting.

“Oh, not like that!” the bartender exclaimed. “You’re supposed to knock it back.”

Mira looked at her drink suspiciously.  “Am I going to be able to walk back to my ship afterward?” she asked.  “Because if we all get fall-over drunk I can guarantee you the Commander is not going to let more of us have shore leave.”

“Oh, no, it….” the bartender, recognizing the potential loss of business, slid the drink back toward him. “You know, actually, I’m sure I have something far more suitable for your refined palette.”

A pair of Ferengi in working gear watched the Federation crew arrive and ducked their heads in discussion.

A red-skinned Orion man in a garish costume was arguing with a humanoid Alien with small horns and blue-grey hair.  The argument probably had to do with a set of sealed boxes on the table between them.

Ensign Azril Pakoty, an Andorian man assigned to Operations, drifted in the wake of Mira, taking it all in.

Mira nursed her new drink for a while, listening to the conversation around.  The two people to her right were lamenting not being able to find a part of their ship.

Mira looked to the Ensign. “You know, I’m not very good company right now.  A lot more fun for you if you join some of the others.”

 

Azril nods.  “Yes, ma’am.  Call if you need help.” 

Mira glared at him, hoping he would take the hint, which he did, disappearing deeper into the bar toward the gambling tables.

Mira’s attention now went to the two men beside her.  “I might be able to help with that.”

They seemed incredulous. “You just happen to have a Type 3 plasma coil coupling laying around?”

“Oh no, not at all,” Mira replied. “What I do have is access to a replicator. If you have the specs and I can take the broken elements, there’s a good chance I can replicate one.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Mira replied.  “Straight up transaction. I would love to get hold of some star charts. Particularly those with space phenomena marked out. Even better if they’ve got points of interest. We’re new to the area, and I’d love to show off my skills ‘predicting’ stellar storms and what not.”

The two men watched her with an air of interest, before they turned to each other in a silent exchange that only lasted for a few seconds before returning to Mira. The one on the left with sheared ginger hair began first. 

“We’re interested in your transaction, but gotta ask why you’re so interested in this area? Not the kind of place you just stroll into normally without a star chart.” He asked curiously, his partner nervously tapping the table watching the interaction between the two. 

Mira chuckled, knowing how silly her answer would probably sound to them.  “We’re explorers. Investigating uncharted waters, so to speak, except I’d really like to actually work with a chart. Meet new cultures. Investigate stellar phenomena. Generally increase our knowledge of people and places. I know this place has history.  A lot of dangerous stuff lying around. Part of the reason we historically haven’t paid much attention to it.”

The man on the right, with long shaggy hair, couldn’t hide his chuckle at her response before the other man elbowed him. “Come on, Zel, she sounds like one of those fancy Starfleet types if they’d actually be dumb enough to end up here.” He retorts back with a tired anger but also a bit regretful of his display. 

The ginger man, Zel, gives him a hard look out of the corner of his eyes before continuing to Mira. “How long you plan on sticking around Qualik’s station here?” 

“Day or two,” Mira replied with a shrug. “But now I gotta know, why is it so dumb for the fancy Starfleet types to come around here?”

“I mean I know they like charity cases but even they’ve kept their noses out of this part of space and I don’t think they’re changing it anytime soon.” The shaggy haired man responded, taking a swig of his drink. “Who needs ‘em anyway? I say it just saves the rest of space for us.” 

“What my… passionate friend here is trying to say is that this isn’t the type of place you don’t find a lot of those… types.” Zel tries to take a swig of his own drink before he puts it back down with an almost slam of the table. 

“You said it so yourself, there’s plenty of ‘dangerous stuff’ lying around that even they can’t fix.” He says simply. 

“Fair enough,” Mira concurred as she waved the bartender over.  “Another round for me and my friends here.”  She looked back to her two new associates.  “Apologies, never did introduce myself.  You can call me Mira. So, what can you tell me about this corner of space?”

The two Ferengi watch Mira and the two men talk, obviously. They seem to be considering something but are not ready to interrupt, not yet in any case.

The two men take the drinks with nary a complaint, taking a moment of silence for things to settle before Zel answers. “Well you know my name already, but my friend here is Lan.” Pointing a thumb to the shaggy haired man who did a half hearted wave with his drink. 

“First and foremost I’d say you’d already found a decent spot with Qualik’s Junkyard, it ain’t no paradise mind you, but it’s left alone by those who typically have no trouble taking what they want if you get my drift.” Zel’s voice lowers at the end of his sentence, almost like he’s referring to everyone around him as Lan does his best to ignore any lingering looks.

Mira nodded in acknowledgement as she took a quick casual look around them, noting who might be particularly taking interest in them.

“Some of the folks that are moving in… seem to have worse tempers than the previous tenants that left this side of space a minefield to get through.” Zel began his explanation gently as he noted Mira also taking a look around. 

“Poetically put Zel, but I don’t think those pointed ear bastards care if you call them ‘hot headed’, not when they’ll just shoot you out of the air.” Lan interrupted, “that is if they don’t stumble into a ratting zone first.” Finishing his thought with a chuckle at his thought. 

“A ‘ratting zone’ is one you definitely don’t want to run into; explosive mines that’ll sneak onto your ship to implant itself on your engine. If you catch it, you can shoot it out of the sky but I haven’t seen a ship escape one that got onboard. Used to be worse back in the day but it slowed down until those arrogant pricks started to move in and now they’re getting started up again. Good thing their radius of attack is so small it’s easier to avoid them.” This time Lan explained, with seemingly a single breath before taking a drink. Zel just nodded along nursing his own drink. 

“Lots of arrogant pricks in the galaxy. Which ones are we talking about?” Mira asked.

“Romulans, you know with the ears and eyebrows.” Lan pantomimed over his own body parts in a cruel mockery.

Mira took a long drink from her glass. “Some of my best friends are Romulans,” she replied, testing the boundaries of the conversation. “Although probably not the ones who are troubling you.”

Lan made a quick wave of his hand, “and my cousins a Vulcan.” Zel couldn’t stop his chuckle into his glass before catching himself. 

“But… I’d just be careful around the ones moving here. They want something but not wanting to share it either, you’re lucky if you get a warning shot if you get too close.” He does a distant point with his finger in an imitation of a phaser, with Zel rolling his eyes. 

Mira chuckled into her drink at Zel’s expression. It was nice, hanging out.  WIth a purpose, yes, but this was more like her old stomping grounds. For the last six months she had been stuck in San Francisco, and the idea of partying with a bunch of cadets more than a decade her junior had not exactly been appealing. 

She was glad she had cut Ensign Pakoty loose. She was pretty sure he had never been off Andoria until Academy, and maybe hadn’t been off campus until his first posting. This conversation probably would have gone much more quickly and less productively if the guy just radiating Starfleet vibes had been at her side.

She had been pacing herself drinkwise, but as things continued, she had picked up a good buzz. Of course, so had Lan and Zel, and they continued to be helpfully chatty. 

Even Zel had started to slowly loosen up as Lan kept up the commentary, seemingly more comfortable to sit back and watch his friends antics. With his eyes now and then laying on Mira, maybe gaging her reaction. 

“And there we are, face to face with an animal I still haven’t learned the name of, but it’s 4 meters tall but only about 30 kilos; it was so creepy how the skin stretched..” Lan had gotten started on one of their escapades, before being interrupted by Zel.

“Please you’d promise to never tell that story while we were sober enough to remember. Besides we have… business to be tending to and a deal to finish.” Looking across the table with a smile to Mira. Lan lowered his hands from their performance, nodding his head slowly. 

“We do,” Mira said, finishing the dregs of her drink as she stood. “Get me the part and I’ll get you a replacement.”

They glanced between each other, “it’s shot to hell, will you be able to replicate one in tact?” Zel asked. 

Mira shrugged. “Do you have the specs? I could work from that.  Otherwise, I’ll see what I can do with what you have.”

With that Lan grinned, holding up a data stick. “Here and present, just needs a working replicator.” Even Zel had a hint of smile on his face, locking his hands behind his back. Lan moved his to motion Mira to move first and they’ll follow behind. 

Well, that’s mighty convenient, just happening to have that in their pocket, Mira thought.  She looked from one man to the other.  Their smiles were no longer charming to her. A half dozen plans went through her head.  “Turn my back on two men I’ve just met?  I’m not dumb, boys.” She was, however, still almost jovial about it in tone, as if maybe it was all a misunderstanding.

Their smiles didn’t change, “well I didn’t want to make any assumptions about your ship.” Lan replied, sliding next to Mira as Zel walked a step ahead. 

“Oh, tiny little thing,” Mira said. “I swear, some days the only thing that works is the replicator. Hang on a sec…need to pay the bar tab.  Hate to have an angry Ferengi after me.” She started to move toward the bar.

Lan stopped her, “well since you’re doing us such a big favor, why don’t you just put it on our tab. We come around here often enough.” He slipped a small slip of latinum on the bar with a wink. “Pay it off to only acquire a bigger tab.” 

Mira crossed her arms, looking Lan dead in the eye. “Or maybe I just stay here and make a scene. Push off.”

He raised his hands in surrender, eyes glancing towards Zel who glared at him. He took a step back, “sorry, we just… really need that part.” 

Mira eyed both of them now. “Ok, here’s how this is gonna work.  I’m gonna walk out that door to my ship.  You’re gonna keep your asses in these chairs for five minutes. Then you go to your ship, get the parts, get the navigational maps, and bring them to Dock 2, and I will replicate the parts. Alternatively, I make enough of a scene that Qualik probably tosses all of us out, which I figure is a good deal more inconvenient for you than me. Agreed?”

Zel moved his way next to Lan, both with hard but careful looks as they sat down. A close eye could see Zel having a careful hold on Lan’s shoulder. “We hear you loud and clear, get the parts and meet at Dock 2.” With Lan nodding after him. They stayed firmly in their seats. 

Mira took several steps backward, eyeing Zel and Lan until she got to the entrance, where she turned around and walked out, heading briskly – albeit a little unsteadily – in the direction of the Tanjura. It had been a mistake to mention the dock number, but there was nothing to do about that now.

They kept their eyes on Mira as she exited the bar, but stayed seated as their gaze turned towards each other, a quirk of the brows before finally they stood again and followed in her footsteps. They kept their eyes peeled with the distance, trying to keep that leather jacket in mind against the crowded station. 

There was the advantage of knowing just exactly where Dock 2 lies, after a month stuck on this station, Zel and Lan did their share of hanging around the various Docks trying desperately to get off this hunk of metal to no success. There were no words exchanged as they silently stalked through the corridors, the crowd slowly but surely dispersing further away from the flashy entertainment. 

Their gait slowed close to Dock 2, before they stopped in front of the door. No one in or out. Lan thought as he stayed behind with Zel venturing inside with his hands tucked in his pocket, bumping against a small phaser giving him fear and comfort at the same time, as he passed the threshold.

Mira’s hands were jammed into her jacket pockets as she quickly moved toward Dock 2, throwing glances behind her the entire way.  She knew they weren’t going to actually wait the requested five minutes. It had just given her a bit of breathing room after getting out of the bar.

Now she stepped into the docking area, rather surprised neither of them had caught up to her. Honestly, the whole thing pissed her off. She had invested a good amount of time with those two yahoos, and now it seemed unlikely she’d even get the star charts, and she could, at best, take anything they had told her with a very large grain of salt.

Zel tried to hide himself in the shadows of the wall, but felt his heart was giving him away with how it pounded against his ribcage. Like a homing beacon, but he knew their time was coming short without a ship, without a means of escape. He grasped the old phaser in his hand, he’s barely used it himself, but now felt like his lifeline. Mira had sniffed them out pretty quickly, he wouldn’t be shocked if she had her own tricks up her sleeve; but it didn’t matter if he could just get one good (lucky) shot in. Which should stun her enough to find a way inside her ship. 

Suddenly the sound of muffled footsteps became clearer, he could tell it wasn’t the heavy footfalls of his friend. He held up the phaser with a slight shake, and at the first sign of life, he fired. 

Mira had fully expected to get jumped.  Maybe a knife pressed up against her ribs or a phaser leveled at her head.  She hadn’t expected them to just shoot her. The shot struck her in the arm, and her head swam.  Well, more than it was already swimming, and she dropped to her knees.

She could hear someone approach from behind. She wasn’t sure what their next plan was. So she swept one leg across their path.  She felt them trip over it and heard them hit the ground.  There was also the clatter of a weapon, and she dove to snatch it up before her assailant could. There was a brief tussle, but Mira got her finger around the trigger and fired.

Zel went down.

But the skirmish had given Lan time to jump in and level his own phaser. “Drop it.”

Mira tossed the gun away. Still on the ground and disoriented, there wasn’t a chance she was going to win in a straight up shooting match.

“Let me guess.  This is the part where you demand I turn over my ship to you, ‘or else’?” she asked. “You’re gonna be so disappointed.”

“We’ll take what we can get,” Lan replied.

“That’s…. Also going to be disappointing. Look out the window.”

“Not falling for that.  Get up.”

Mira shrugged and did as she was told, keeping her hands raised and moving deeper into the docking area as Lan commanded. As she approached a window, Lan couldn’t help but see the Tanjura sitting majestically behind her.”

“Told ya it’d be disappointing,” she said with a smirk.  “But, by all means, take it if you can.  There’s only about 400 crew members to overcome. I’m sure you two will figure it out.”

And it was then station security arrived, ordering everyone to keep their hands visible.  One of them looked at the unconscious Zel.  “What happened to this one?”

“She shot him!” Lan replied.  Which might have been the first truthful thing he had said.

“Alright, all three of you are coming with us.”