Arroz Arum brought the shuttle to the ground with a large bang. So much for his training. He grimaced, wondering how much damage he'd caused, and how stupid he might look to the natives here. He felt a spurt of anger towards his Chief, who ignored his pleadings for a proper sized away team, and instead assigned this one Astra police officer to come along. He snorts as he gets out of his seat, pressing the button to open the door. "We're here," he says unnecessarily to his companion, to whom he has hardly said a word during the 4 hour flight. Slip stream to past the system, turn back and impulse to the moon. No sensors, no communications, no nothing.
Buni watches the small craft land completely unemotional as always. She does not look back at Babu, only watches, knowing he is as well. The soft ones leave the craft and she takes a step forward, having always been the one who mimics soft creature movement the best.
Detective Evan Torg APF (Astraionian Police Force) looks around the area. 'Drugs,' he thinks. 'Can't these yahoo's find another way to have fun?' He relaxes as the starfleet security officer flies the shuttle toward a landing. He hadn't said two words since the initial briefing at the station. 'So much the better,' he thinks. Grimacing at the bang as the ship grounds, he prepares to debark.
Arroz Arum: steps away from the shuttle, noticing one of the natives nearby, her blonde hair attracts his gaze. Her skin is strange looking. The rest of the place looks like a dusty warehouse area. Others are standing around like statues. In fact, it's hard for him to tell if they are real or stone, except that the breeze might move their hair or clothing. He glances back to see if Torg has followed him. The sun is strange here. It's almost as though he can feel the nebula in his bones. It's odd and discomforting, and he doesn't like it. "Let's get this done," he snaps to Torg. To the female he says, "Esign Arum, Starfleet Security. I'd like to ask you a few questions."
Buni Sees the craft land with a thud. There isn't much damage, she calculates it in her head. The craft is Starfleet. Jude had described it to them. She glanced up even if the eyes in her head did not appear to move, as they were gemstones. The waving of the long hair told her they were being watched by Jude. Unless they tried to get into the caves, he would not interfere. But she wondered what these two soft ones wanted. One of them speaks and he seems slightly agitated. Her gravely voice replies. "Welcome to N'Doto. I am Buni." it rumbles like a small landslide. "What sueations to you have Ensign Arum Starfleet?" The voice caries all the emotion of the rock she is made of. Her hair, golden and indeed made of a golden like material, flutters slightly.
Detective Evan Torg APF: steps out of the shuttlecraft. "So this is Gati," he says to no one in particular. His eyes scan the area, following the starfleet security. He nods to the female as they approach. Beginning to speak, he closes his mouth when the ensign barks to him. Silently he wonders if this young ensign can handle police work. He listens to the females greeting and smiles. He is soothed by the voice. 'Don't lose your edge,' he warns himself. He frowns, hoping it puts her off guard. "Evan Torg, ma'am. APF"
Arroz Arum: looks to Torg, then back at Buni. "Recently Starfleet runabout NXC-442451 visited this village. The Helm Officer, Ens Slate Talc, left the vessel and somewhere here, purchased a drug or substance. Any idea where someone would go to buy such a thing?"
Buni cants her head at the other ... the one in red. "We welcome you also Evan Torg." she recognises the word ma'am from long ago memories. It meant manners, which some soft things had and some sof things did not. The other one the Ensign did not have them, apparently. She cants her head in the other direction as the mannerless one speaks. "We noticed that vehicle." she pauses. "We do not know if drugs were taken for soft ones elsewhere. But if you wanted to buy them, they are easy to come by here. They relax the soft ones. Keep them from trying to hurt each other....." she pauses again. "Most of them, at least." there were some that caused soft ones to be violent.
Detective Evan Torg APF: He listens and watches her intently, watching for signs of deception. Perhaps that was a slight wink, directing us in the wrong direction. Could that have been a grimace? Would that mean 'we do not know' was a lie? "Thank you, ma'am." He turns to his partner, "Ensign." He puts a tone of caution in the word.
Arroz Arum: raises his eyebrows. "I assume by 'soft ones' you mean humanoids? Astraionians? Humans? Anyone unlike you?" He examines her more closely. She looks like a shapely, walking rock of some kind. Torg says his rank, and he feels another spurt of indignation at this situation he's in but, hell, he has a job to do and the APF is watching, so better do it well. "THank you for your welcome, much appreciated," he says in a softer tone, "Forgive my ... unease. It's odd to me, to be here on a place near the nebula. It causes me to feel irritable." He puts his hands behind his back, looking at her, "Thank you for answering our questions so quickly. Would you know who the Starfleet officer might have visited while he was here?"
Buni looks at the mannered one that thanks her and gives the usual reply of "You are welcome, Evan Torg." and looks to the ensign. She is not being deceptive, only emplying the usual Gati neutrality that all of her people possess. They know and understand lies, and do not like them. Se turns to the ensign. "All who are not Gatian are soft, yes." she agrees. "Life here seems to have that effect when the technology so many of you have grown used to fails completely here." She keeps her face impasive, as there is really no other way for it to be. "We do not log the names of anyone visiting us." she tells him. "Soft ones come and go. Some stay ... some remain only a few hours and then leave. But the only one in a uniform anything like yours was the friend of Souleymane Senghor. I hear that was called a Fleet Captain and not anything else. You were looking for an ensign. That is a rank in your Starfleet, yes?" she asks, as politely as her falling rocks voice allows.
Detective Evan Torg APF: "Are you sure that you don't have a way of knowing who comes and goes? Does someone have a way of keeping track of such things?" Evan puts a slight edge to the tone, knowing that the ensign has eased up a bit. 'good job,' he says to himself, 'make sure she does not get the the upper hand.' He considers her answer further. Would that mean that the starfleet officer's communications badge be around here somewhere? Would the Fleet Captain being here be a clue that the drugs and the missing comm badge were to infiltrate the station or the colony? He eases again and smiles, adding a polite 'ma'am' as an afterthought to his last statement.
Arroz Arum: says to her, 'THe man we call Ensign Talc may have worn plainclothes when he was here to avoid detection. Our devices," he pulls out a PADD, "Do not function effectively here. However, I can show you an image of him. If this will work." He fiddles with the PADD, swearing under his breath. Can nothing be easy? "Well okay he was six feet two, black hair, grey eyes, slim, and about 24 in Terran years." He sighs at the end of this, looking around, wondering how many people they would have to talk to and when they would be able to leave.
Buni looks between them. "Your communications may work sporadically here on the surface. Even in orbit. I am told it is like trying to whisper in a typhoon. But on the surface you may be able to ... but the most reliable communication is by land line or by face to face communications. Many here employ runners to get messages back and forth quickly." quickly on Ndoto is a relative thing. She nods stiffly at the ensign. "We have seen the Starfleet plainclothes uniform here. Once by the Fleet Captain Toocool and once by another who visited Vacuum for a bit and then was seen by the Blue Door. he one who was at the Blue Door is liek the one you describe. But then he met with Jude Murphy and thenn he left." she pauses. "Jude Murphy has been known to distribute calming substances to others. It is very helpful to us. He keeps rumbles from occuring."
Detective Evan Torg APF: He waits a moment and listens to the exchange. Would that description help? Would her judgment of humanoid
subtleties be sufficient to discriminate from the other humanoids that come to Gati? As she answers he knows that his concerns are unwarranted. 'The Blue Door' and 'Jude Murphy' were clues that could be followed. "Can you direct us to the Blue Door, ma'am?"
Arroz Arum: glances to Torg, "Or better yet, this Jude Murphy? Would he be around? Let's cut to the chase and see the most likely person involved," he says. He makes no mention of the Fleet Captain, assuming she's not involved in buying drugs for junior grade officers. He makes a grunting noise at that thought. Hasn't had the pleasure of meeting her except from afar. "We know from someone on Astra that this Slate Talc made it here and planned to buy a drug that would help with... ahem... sexual ability." He shifts his weight, "Would this Jude fellow have that?"
Buni nods slowly. "You will not speak to Jude Murphy." she states. He has been tending the sick and will rest. But the Blue Door is right over there." she points to the high cliffs ... possibly through them. If thy look and move their eyes they may note in the black a black shadow with flowing black hair on top of the lighthouse. "But to reach it, you must walk around the island that way." she pointe between the purple building and the place that looks like a run down hotel. "Follow the path to the right .... then the board walk." she looks at them. "If you would like help with sex, the Blue Door has people who will help you."
*
Latite Porphyry is walking down the stairs after a little ... meeting with one of the men that frequents the club. She is starting to get the hint she will have to work years on her back to make enough money to afford transport off this rock. But there will be others who may come through that will exchange her body and sex for transport off this moon and to a place the poilice will never find her. She opens the door to leave and runs BAM right into a Starfleet Uniform. Her eyes grob big and she begins to cry immediately. "He was gonna LEAVE me! You were going to send him AWAY from me!!" she begins to blather on. "I didnt think two pills would KILL him! Just ... just ,,., make him see how he loved me more than Starfleet!!!" she confesses, crying loudly.
Detective Evan Torg APF: He looks to the woman and listens to her blathering. It could be most anything, but he senses it is a confession. However, he knows that jurisdiction is everything. "Kill who?" He asks, sensing that there is more to the story.
Arroz Arum: is feeling the results of the long walk to this place called the Blue Door. The world around him is turning grey. He arrives at the Blue Door - which actually has a blue door - just in time to run into a female who starts crying and making loud noises. He feels dizzy. There's a bench by the door, he disengages himself from the woman and goes to sit down. With a sigh he says, "Why did you run away."
Latite Porphyry moves to the bench. Maybe she could get out of this after all. she sits beside the Starfleet officer and places her hand on his knee as if thinking that could get her out of this. "So I wouldnt get arrested." she blinks her pretty eyes, seductuively. "It was an accident, after all." she shrugs. "I was just being silly I guess. So I should go back and convince everyone else of it too, shouldn't I?"
=^=
