Day 19 [0900 hrs.] Unfortunate Timing

December 12, 2022, 05:14:50 PM

Pierce had just sat down at her desk, with her caffeinated drink as she caught the sight of a troubling report. Lieutenant Nick Chambers was now...missing. Which was unfortunate as the man had just recently been promoted to the Assistant Chief of Operations, and was on a routine mission for supplies the day before. But the man had requested shoreleave from what she could tell from his immediate chief commander in operations.

She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes as she set the PADD down and took another drink before looking into the screen again. She tabbed the associated message however as an indicator was blinking. Somehow missed by those who reported his person missing but maybe not. Either way, it was now in her purview to investigate the missing man.

Tapping the controls a video display popped up and the look of a worried Nick Chambers appeared. She placed her mug down on the desk as she propped the PADD upward to look more closely. She tapped a fiew controls before sliding the display to a larger desk mounted holo projector to expand upon the details therein the video feed.

"This is Lt. Nick Chambers. I pray...pray? Hope? No that's not the right word either. I just need this message to get to Commander Pierce." His breathing erratic on the feed. Looking around with wild abandon."I think I've stumbled upon a major development in our infested buddies. Here I was minding my own business when I heard some guys talking about something that perked my ears. I followed them to their hideout and then when they left, I began copying the data. I'll begin transmitting the file on an encrypted channel to you now. Just be sure to check your power allocations. You know that it can handle it?"

Alana looked at the controls for power allocations and was a bit confused what the heck Chambers even meant by that until the realization came that he'd hidden the contents of the data in a new relay he'd created for the power allocation. That's when it clicked for her. But she'd check and transmit that data later. For now she listened on to Chambers.

"I have reason to believe I am being stalked or chased or...just used as prey. If I come up missing...well...likely I am dead or been captured and used as their experimental play toy."

She shivered as she thought of the results of being captured by the Savi or by the infested. Both prospects didn't sound appealing. Granted neither did what happened to Fisher on both the torture or the subsequent death. Placing her fingers to her chin, she rubbed it as she thought about the implications this man stumbled upon. Pressing play once more she scanned the area in the video to discover he was being tailed and it wasn't by what he thought. It was a Romulan. Or what appeared to be one, but not of normal stature lurking in the background. Wanting nothing more than to yell at the man to run, she saw him realize he was being tailed and book it. The video feed going black briefly.

When it came back, Chambers was sweating and had a few cuts and bruises already on his face. Likely crashing and getting into a fist fight. "Again, Pierce, you have to do something. I think this might be my final relay. The data should be already to you. I did what I could to disguise it. But it's up to you and the powers that be..."

Pierce realized that he was again alluding to the 'power' aspect to draw attention and allow the Romulans or whomever to search for the encrypted file but not as they'd think. He'd piggybacked it off the power relays as a new stream but not of energy, but data. Brilliant regardless of the outcome. Looking back there was fire and the video screen went black, and didn't come back on.

Leaning back in her chair, she placed the PADD back on her desk and looked at the terrified image of the man in the video knowing his time was up. She wondered if she'd looked that way on her last mission in the 23rd century. Not something she could afford to dwell on. Instead, Alana focused on the obituary for Chambers and prepared to submit it to the Captain. But not before analyzing the data he'd sent on the stream.

Unpacking the hidden protected memory, she saw streams of data unfolding before her on the screen. Passing the data to the main viewer in her office, she looked and saw various spacial coordinates, starships, names of elite individuals in various galactic powers, and the next phase of their strikes. It was going to get messy and more sporadic and scattered. The Theurgy had clearly dealt a damaging hand to the infested at Qo'nos but not without further attempts. They didn't count on the individuals and the help they'd obtained on the way.

So much data poured out now, all that remained was to pass it over to Captain Ives. As she stood up and peered at the data once more that continued to unfold, she was at awe how much he'd managed to swipe and at the incriminating information he had uncovered. For now, just as it had been with the temporal data, this data needed to be in the eyes of only those it pertained to. Things were going to heat up and she now found herself at the focal point of it all.

"Computer...copy the data to this Isolinear chip and store in protected memory for this office. Security clearance 9 and above."

Acknowledged, the familiar sound hummed.

Pierce closed off her terminal and began her mission to take it directly to Ives.

- FIN