Facility 4028
Federation Ultramax Penal Facility
Undisclosed Location
─•~:~•─
4028 was the Federation's most secure prison.
And, quite possibly, the most secure prison in the entire galaxy, considering that Chancellor Martok had ordered the "Alien's Graveyard" Rurhra Penthe closed earlier in the year.
The Klingon Empire simply didn't have the manpower to keep the asteroid secure anymore. The 1st Klingon Armoured Division was sent there to empty out the prison, the four hundred or so inmates there were told that they would be "moved elsewhere". They were led up to the frozen surface of the asteroid, told to line up and wait for transport, and shot dead moments later.
The Klingon Empire now simply executed anyone convicted of anything worse than petty theft, and true to their nature, the sentence was carried out immediately after judgment via disruptor beam.
FNN called it "barbaric" in a documentary on the subject, but Martok simply pointed out that crime rates in The Empire dropped a full 90% within the first month of his new policy.
Technically, a Federation Marine, even someone like S1 Jack Marshall, shouldn't have even known where 4028 was, much less be able to visit it.
4028 was administered by Fed-Sec, and for once, the organization that was the butt-end of jokes by Sharkie and Fishie alike put up something that was deadly competent.
The "prison" was a decommissioned ore-hauler, embedded into an asteroid orbiting a D-Class planet an awfully long way from any known trading or transit lanes.
An armed Fed-Sec Cutter patrolled the system, the only one the organization possessed.
The Cutter was well armed with pulse phaser modules and photon torpedoes and had strict orders to fire on anything that didn't broadcast a proper clearance code.
It cost Jack and Salimov almost eighty thousand creditsof General Castle's "bottomless" discretionary account to get a code from a shifty-looking Fed-Sec agent in Billings, and even then, the Cutter had almost blown their Raptor out of the sky when Salimov forgot how to make a subspace broadcast.
Most unique about 4028 was that there were no human – or humanoid, for that matter – guards.
The facility was staffed entirely by security holograms, armed with very mean-looking phaser rifles.
Each hologram was about seven feet tall and looked to be dressed in armour not dissimilar from a Molotok, although in actuality if Jack had taken a shot at one, the round would simply pass through.
Their weapons were very real, however, and would have easily killed Jack in seconds.
As he stepped through the very heavy airlock door, he noticed a red sign that listed the basic rules:
Welcome To Facility 4028
For your own safety, please obey the following rules:
All visitors must register with Security and are expected to wear their visitor's badge at all times. Any individual who has not registered or is found without their badge will be shot immediately.
While visiting this facility, no unauthorized individuals may carry weapons or transmitters of any kind. These devices must be reported to Security, and they will be safely stored for the duration of your visit. Any Visitor who is encountered by Security in possession of such a device will be shot immediately.
All visitors must obey any instructions given to them by Security. Any Visitor who does not comply with lawful instructions will be shot immediately.
Visitors are not permitted to speak to any inmates without authorization. Any Visitor who attempts to speak to an inmate without authorization will be shot immediately.
Visitors must not impede the work or movement of Maintenance crews while visiting this facility. Any Visitor who attempts to interfere with a maintenance crew will be shot immediately.
All visitors must stay within the specified walking paths as indicated by Security and clearly marked lines. Any Visitor who deviates from these paths will be shot immediately.
Thank you for visiting Facility 4028. We hope you enjoy your day.
"Okay, I get sign. We fuck up, we get shot," said Salimov, who was still sweating buckets of nervousness at being inside a prison.
The two men stepped through the second airlock door and found themselves in a well-lit and otherwise comfortable – if spartan – waiting room.
There were rows of comfortable-looking seats, and some pleasant elevator music was playing in the overhead comm speakers.
Before they could sit down, however, a Security hologram approached them and pointed to a red tote bin next to the airlock.
With a robotic voice, the hologram ordered, "Place any weapons and communicators into the bin. You have thirty seconds to comply."
Jack and Salimov both turned quickly and dropped their holstered assault phasers into the bin. They also added their wrist comms and power packs.
Salimov was about to turn away when Jack stopped him, "Armour too. Sali, don't wanna piss these guys off."
Reluctantly, Salimov reached into his pocket and threw his micro-block on top of Jack's.
After exactly thirty seconds had passed, the red tote bin was beamed away.
The Security Hologram took a step forward and ordered, "Face the hologram for a spectrometer scan. Remain still and keep your hands and or other body parts at your side. You have twelve seconds to comply."
Both men turned, and from the "head" of the hologram, a red laser scanned both twice.
Jack flinched when the bright laser passed over his eyes but was incredibly careful not to move.
The scan finished shortly later, and the hologram again spoke, "Non-belligerency confirmed. You may be seated. Wait for a concierge hologram."
And without another word, the black armoured hologram turned and faced the airlock, standing as still as a stone.
Jack sat at a table and picked up a PADD, skimming through a three-month-old edition of At Home Cooking Magazine by AC-130 of the Cydberian Central Network Cooking Node, trying to act as naturally as possible.
Across from him, Salimov sat still and looked nervously around the room.
"I not like fucking jail, man. Why you bring me?" he asked, nervously.
"Because you're a big tough guy, and all the other Black Star operators ran away when I asked for volunteers. Besides, this place doesn't look so bad, for a jail anyway," Jack replied, looking at a recipe for .cyber-tacos.
"Jail in Russia is much better. You give money to guard, guard give you hooker, vodka, Bowers Bacon. This jail, you go outside line and hologram shoot you. And no hooker allowed," Salimov said.
Just then, a blue female hologram materialized next to their table.
This one looked more like a greeter one would find at a shopping mall or a spaceport and spoke with a much friendlier – although still robotic –voice, "Hello, my name is Assistant #126. You may call me 126 for short. Welcome to Facility 4028. Please state your names for registration with Security."
Jack got up from his seat and nodded, "I'm Elmer Fudd, and he's Daffy Duck," pointing at Salimov and using the code names "suggested" to him by the shifty Fed-Sec agent who gave them the location and clearance code.
The Blue Hologram nodded back, "Welcome Mr. Fudd and Mr. Duck. Your clearance code authorizes you for a one-hour visit with one inmate. Please specify the inmate you wish to speak to by name."
"Eighty fucking grand for one hour?! We get fucking robbed Boss J- er, Mr. Fudd," Salimov protested.
Jack ignored him.
He'd deal with General Castle's wallet later, "We're looking for a Cardassian inmate, Imlat is the name I have. He was part of the terrorist attack on Risa?"
"One moment while I consult the register," replied 126 as she bowed her head.
After a moment, she looked back with a friendly but robotic smile, "Inmate #57896-X is in Cell Block A, Cell 14, Level 1. Sentence is Life Without Parole for terrorism and murder in the first degree. Please follow me and I will take you to his location."
"Fudd" and "Duck" rose from their seats and followed 126.
Before they came to the airlock that would lead to the cell blocks, she turned and with the same automatic smile said, "For your own safety, please remain within the yellow lines and do not follow me at any less than twelve feet. Failure to comply will result in your immediate death under use of force policy 118-191. The Federation Security Agency is not responsible for accidental or intentional death for failure to comply with lawful instructions."
126 raised her hand, and a pair of visitor's badges with Jack and Salimov's faces beamed in seconds later.
Each man took a badge and hooked the clip onto their chests.
Jack was wearing a black leather jacket and a white t-shirt with the logo of the Terra Nova Terrorizers parasee squares team, while Salimov was wearing a red hockey sweater with the old 'CCCP' logo on the front.
The large airlock opened, and the two men began following the hologram at a brisk walking pace, taking care to stay between the two yellow lines on either side of the floor, and not getting too far behind her.
"How many inmates are here?" Jack asked, figuring he'd either get an answer or get told to be quiet.
"This facility currently houses two hundred and four inmates, with a maximum capacity of one thousand in total. To date, we have never achieved more than 40% maximum capacity, which allows The Federation Security Agency to proudly state a 0% serious incident rate," replied 126 without turning around.
"You mean no one escapes? How this so?" asked Salimov, staring straight ahead and marching as though he was a first-year recruit at the parade deck of Camp Nath.
"Facility 4028 is an Ultramax classified penal facility, the only one of its kind in the United Federation of Planets. All inmates assigned to this facility are classified as violent offenders with high-risk escape status, and as such, measures are taken to comply with Ultramax classification."
"Sounds like a recipe for abuse to me," Jack replied, daring to test the patience of the Hologram.
"The Federation Legal Adjutant regularly reviews our status of compliance with prisoner's rights provisions as set out by the Federation Charter. To date, Facility 4028 has never been cited for any charter violations and is the only such penal facility in the Federation that can report a 0% rate of successful escape attempts," came the robotic but friendly sounding reply of 126.
"What kind of measures, specifically?" Jack asked in turn.
The hologram stopped, turned around and bowed her head.
After a moment, she looked back up again still smiling, "Your clearance code authorizes disclosure of C grade facility information, Mr. Fudd. I will now detail this information as authorized by my disclosure protocols. Please continue to follow me, and please note any attempt to access information rated higher than a C grade classification will result in a lethal response from Security."
As she turned once again and started walking, Salimov whispered to Jack, "She fucking creepy, man."
"Each cell is a self-contained unit built from storage tanks of the former ore freighter… [information redacted] …inmates are beamed directly to their cells from transport, and once inside are not permitted to leave again without authorization."
"All dietary requirements, sanitation facilities and authorized entertainment materials are provided to inmates from within the cell. Inmates who achieve a positive developmental note in their files are permitted access to a holodeck in level three for recreational activities, based on defined programs that cannot be altered by the inmate," 126 replied.
"What do you do about aliens? I know Cardassians and Humans can share environments, but what you get, like, Tholians or Sheliac here?" Jack asked again, having to drag Salimov along when he stopped to look at a cell door.
"Accommodations are made for non-humanoid inmates to ensure basic livability. However, all other rules still apply. We have arrived at our destination, Cell Fourteen to your left." Replied 126, pointing to a door on her left.
The corridor was again well-lit and wouldn't have looked out of place on a hospital ship.
The one thing that shocked Jack was how quiet it was. Jails on Terra Nova were loud, rowdy places.
But other than 126's robotic voice and the men's footsteps, there wasn't a sound to be heard except for the faint humming of the overhead lights.
126 politely bowed, "I will now discontinue my avatar. However, please note that your clearance code has not been authorized for private conversation, and your conversation may be monitored for security reasons under FSC Title 9, Section 187. If you require further assistance, please use the panel to the right of the cell door, and my avatar will appear again. One-hour visit time begins now. Thank you for visiting Facility 4028. Please have an enjoyable day."
The hologram faded away, and the large cell door opened and slid to the left.
A heavy red force field instantly snapped in place, and another bulkhead containing more traditional prison-style bars was raised to reveal the interior of the cell.
It was nicely painted, with white walls and bright overhead lighting, but that was the only thing nice about it.
The cell was furnished with a small metal bed, on which was a thin pleather pad for sleeping, a single thin pillow, and a thin blue blanket.
Across from the bed on the right was a small table and a metal stool to sit on.
Above the bed was a polished sheet of Duranium, which Jack guessed served as a mirror, and beside the mirror was a small terminal that looked like it only displayed books.
Behind the table was a sonic shower and a wash bin. But beyond that, the only other thing in the cell was Imlat, a Cardassian comms Tech who formerly served under Gul Eddal when his battalion attacked the Ambassador Resort on Risa.
The Cardassian, wearing a simple grey one-piece coverall, nodded, and politely smiled at Jack, "Ahh, visitors. How lovely, something to break up the monopoly of another long day in this incredibly beautiful facility."
"Imlat. How's it going?" Jack asked, casually, despite knowing that this man and his commander killed two hundred of Jack's friends when his ship, the Keldon class destroyer Kentar, destroyed the little repair ship, USS Vestal.
Daniel was still aboard that ship, and not a day went by when Jack didn't think about him, or any of his former friends on Vestal.
Imlat again smiled, "Ensign Marshall? Well, this is quite a surprise indeed. I hadn't really expected to see you again after Risa unless, of course, the Federation has now allowed post-conviction executions. In which case, if you are here to kill me, could you please wait for about ten minutes? They are about to serve my lunch."
"It's S1 Marshall now. And how's the food, Imlat?" Jack replied.
Imlat sat down on the metal stool, "Oh it's quite disgusting, as you can imagine. We get three meals a day that they beam into our cell directly from, wherever the kitchen is, I guess."
"It's enough to keep me alive, but I would never call it tasteful or filling. I had tried to ask one of the assistance holograms for a small container of Yamok sauce and a glass of Kanar, but instead, one of those dreadful security holograms appeared and hit me quite hard with something called a stun baton."
The Cardassian sighed, and continued, "It's a shame that prisoner abuse is the only thing to break up the monotony of this place, present company accepted of course. This pathetic terminal only lets me read a limited number of dull books from Earth, no interesting vids or news programs except for some awful children's entertainment called Bugs Bunny."
"I particularly despise the stories about the coyote who chases the running bird around the desert. A Cardassian would simply have shot the damned bird and been done with the whole affair. Small-minded human children enjoy such things though, from my understanding."
"Fucking Spoonies talk too much," replied Salimov.
Imlat frowned, "Really, S1 Marshall? I see no reason why I should be subjected to racist remarks from Mr. Salimov of Black Star Emergency Contract Services. You are guests in my current home, and although my hospitality is not what it should be, given that I have no Kanar to offer, I don't think I've earned quite that level of scorn."
"Hey, Spoonie?! How you know me?!" Salimov asked sharply.
Imlat smiled, "Prior to my, misguided, decision to join Gul Eddal on Risa, I had considered employment with Black Star ECS. It's common among Cardassians to research an organization thoroughly prior to seeking employment with that organization. We must figure out how best to fit in, after all."
Jack sighed, "Sali's an asshole, but he's also right. Cardassians talk too much. I only paid for an hour, and I need to ask you some questions. Have you ever seen this before?"
Jack held up the data rod in his right hand, tensing up as Imlat looked it over.
Imlat rose and smiled, "Ahh, an Optilithic data rod. 2386 if my keen sense of vision serves. Tell me, S1 Marshall, on the bottommost portion of the rod, do you see the numbers 187?"
Jack looked at the bottom and read '187'.
He nodded.
"That means that this rod once belonged to me. In fact, it is the rod that contains the information we pulled from the stellar traffic uplink in orbit above Risa. I am afraid, however, that I'm not entirely certain exactly what information was on it. I didn't have time to analyze it before your friends from Starfleet Command arrested me. And that dreadful woman shot my poor friend Zolin in the head. I wonder why she isn't here as well?" Imlat replied
"Don't really care to be honest with you. How do we get the data off without an Obsidian Order reader?" Jack asked.
Imlat sighed, "And why should I tell you that?"
Jack laughed, "Imlat, you're locked up on a life sentence in here. If you don't tell me, I'll just pay that shifty little Fed-Sec guy another eighty grand to beat it out of you."
Imlat frowned, "Your logic is unassailable. Very well. You'll need to manually extract the software packets somehow. The Borg could do it. As could the Romulans, although I've heard that the Tal Shiar has since joined the Obsidian Order in the pages of history."
Jack smiled, "Good, I happen to know a Borg guy that can help us."
Salimov turned for the corridor back in the direction they came, "Okay, we get intel. Let's fucking go, I not like jail man!"
Instead, Jack pulled a picture from the pocket of his jacket, "Do you know who this is?"
The picture was of the yellow-haired woman from Alister Smythe's memories.
Imlat studied the picture closely through the force field, "Hmm. I have not seen this woman before. But her uniform looks identical to the man that provided Gul Eddal with Kentar and told us which hotel to attack on Risa."
"What man? What was his name? What did he look like?" Jack asked quickly.
"He never revealed his name to us. And we couldn't discover it on our own. His organization is exceptionally good at operational security, better perhaps even than the Obsidian Order was. He had blue hair, and a goatee, surprisingly stylish for humans—" Imlat said before his words were cut off.
His lunch materialized next to him, and the Cardassian prisoner immediately sat down at the table.
He had two pieces of bread, a gelatin fruit cup, and a glass of water.
"Ahh, pardon me, lunch is served. As I was saying, this man-" Imlat started saying as he took a sip of the water.
But before he could continue, he swallowed hard and put a look of concern on his face.
"What, Spoonie not like water?" Salimov teased.
Imlat swallowed hard, "Oh. This is quite interesting."
And then, without another word out of him, he fell over backwards onto the metal floor of the cell. Jack had seen enough bodies on Risa to know he was dead.
Jack immediately hit the panel outside the cell, and 126 appeared before him.
"Hello, my name is Assistant #126, Do you require—" She said before Jack cut him off.
"That man needs a med team down here, now!" Jack said urgently, pointing at Imlat's body.
126 turned, scanned the body with a blue laser from her forehead quickly, and turned again to look at Jack, still smiling her holographic smile, "Medical intervention will not be required at this time. This inmate is dead."
"Spoonie is fucking dead?! Why you kill him?" Salimov asked the hologram.
"He appears to have consumed a lethal substance. This is not a normal dietary supplement and will require investigation by Security. For your own safety, your clearance code has been revoked and you will now be returned to your shuttle. Thank you for visiting Facility 4028. We hope you have enjoyed your day," 126 replied before both men were beamed into the Raptor on the landing pad.
When Jack materialized, He looked around quickly and sighed.
His equipment hadn't come with him.
He was about to start figuring out how was going to explain losing an assault phaser and his Molotok to General Castle when Salimov beamed in across from him, holding the red tote bin in his hands.
"Jail is fucking creepy, man. I told you I not like," were the first words out of Salimov's mouth.
Both men quickly retrieved their equipment and Jack started setting a course on the shuttle's helm.
Salimov sat in the co-pilot's chair, "So where we go now, Boss Jack?"
"Shanghai, the Puzzle Palace. That's the only place I know with a guy that has Borg parts," Jack replied.
Salimov smiled brightly, "We see Boss Virnas?! I like Boss Virnas! He best HLT player, always make money with him! He not like hooker though. He says is irrelevant."
Jack allowed himself to laugh, "Yea, LT Vir doesn't strike me as the type to associate with the galaxy's oldest profession."
He then turned his expression more serious, "But we do have a problem, that's two people so far who started to give us actual intel who died seconds later. I think we've been had, Sali, we gotta be careful."
The surly Russian nodded, "Da boss Jack. But if anyone shoot us, I fuck them in asshole for you. I not get paid if you die and Boss Mark says he fire me too. I not want to be fired, can't afford hooker then."
Jack raised his eyebrow in annoyance, "Okay Sali. You know I'm gay, right? Do you mind toning it just a bit down on the whole hooker and fuck in ass-hole thing? It's a little offensive."
Salimov laughed again, "You shoot people for living, Boss Jack, and you kill big Gorn for no reason, but you mad I say fuck in asshole and talk about hooker? We go to Crimson Star then and get you boy hooker. There is one I know, Ivial. He play good pool, you like."
Jack laughed.
He had met Ivial before when General Castle –over several rounds of Vodka – invited him to join the Federation Marines, and as his first official order, the General told Jack to "show him those big muscles of yours, Marine."
With nothing better to do and trying to move on from Daniel, Jack went to join Ivial at the pool table of the seedy club.
He was a kind man and a talented nine-ball player, and in a private suite later that night, Jack was impressed with his ability to handle both a pool cue and Jack's own big stick.
And it had been a while since he'd been to the Crimson Star.
"Alright, you're forgiven, for now, Sali. But business before pleasure." Jack said.