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Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #125 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Main Security Office | Starbase 84 ] Attn: Anyone?

The minutes ticked by and F'Rell was more and more certain she was getting herself in too deep. She had made her demands and the security officer had countered, and she had in turned yelled at him some more. It was all good fun, and she had gotten the attention of almost every security officer there. The only problem was she had no way of knowing where her fellow crew members were or if they had gotten away safely yet. She did not in fact know if it was safe for her to get out of there yet. She was trapped until she knew something and it was unlikely she was going to get more information anytime soon. She was going to have to rely on instinct, something most T'fanrell had not done in ages past.

She wanted out, so with that in mind before she allowed the security guard to respond to her newer more ostentatious demands, she coiled herself up and shot herself like a bolt out of the security offices. She moved as fast as her lighter than air body would allow, snaking and coiling to keep her peed up.

When she paused she was some distance from the security office. She tapped her combadge. "Captain, I am away, please tell me you have gotten back to the resolve," she said, the communicator translating and relaying it, hopefully, to the captain's combadge. "I am unsure where the nearest transporter room is, please advise."

OOC: Her combadge should give her exact location, so she can be beamed up or guided to the nearest transporter room with relative ease. If you guys want it more action-y, she could be chased by some security people.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #126 –
[ Lt. Jg. Suq | USS Resolve | Engineering ] Attn: Julia

If a founder had replaced him, Ejek would know. Suq was so bad at acting that a founder could play Suq better than Suq could. Right now, the Efrosian sounded just as socially inept as he usually did. He smiled, but only barely at Ejek's overlord joke. That usually was his favourite. It didn't feel so funny anymore, now that Ejek held the Captain's life in PADD. He had a startling urge to just snatch it from her and hold it tight so no one would ever know what it said.

He felt like his head was spinning as Ejek listed all the possibilities. He had considered some of them, but just didn't want to entertain the idea that they were royally screwed, as the humans say it. He felt so, so tired. He tried to suppress a yawn during Ejek's long-winded speech.

"I...I just want a nap." He rubbed his forehead. Perhaps Ejek knew what napping meant for Suq, or maybe she didn't, but he didn't really care right now. "I'll...I'll go with that story. I don't think anyone would've questioned me otherwise. I'm not...not exactly the face of a villain, you know. Don't have any lizard in me." He turned back to the console and gave it a few taps, as if it would speed up the process. Whether or not he cared for the PADD, he didn't show, but he still wanted to hold it, destroy it. Scheming was not his forte. He was a poor liar, in his mind. He felt no confidence about this plan.

"I guess keep the PADD. I just kinda...figured if, you know, you got held up, or if I got held up or if we both did, we could just say 'we had to delete everything, we were held at gunpoint, but we saved this' and hand it over. Like big damn heroes. Oh, two minutes left, how nice of you..." He patted the console, this time in a more affectionate manner.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #127 –
[ Sera ver Aldnoah | Sabine | Space ]

Sera couldn't help but smile at the confidence that the blonde displayed paired with that silly grin Melissa gave her. "Can't argue with you there." Sera said. The blonde's confidence was almost contagious in all other cases she might have thought that the idea was perhaps a bit crazy and not worth the effort. But just hearing Melissa say that it would work had her convinced for the most part.

As the ship came in for a landing she watched Melissa hop to her feet. She watched the blonde's face for a moment she could almost see the excitement in her eyes as she no doubt began putting things together for their plan to work. As the blonde turned to her she nodded "I'll be there." She said giving Melissa a nod before the blonde quickly raced down the ramp to go finish her preparations. For a moment Sera stood in the cabin of Sabine staring after the blonde before letting a smile form on her lips as she walked down the ramp. She'd never given the thought of having another person aboard Sabine any real thought but now that she was getting to know the woman who'd fixed up her ship a bit better she had a feeling that her days were about to get a whole lot more interesting.

She idly wondered if she should even bother picking up the relics she'd picked up from her last ruin dive. For a moment thoughts of the idiot of a chief science officer this starbase had surfaced in her mind. "No way in hell I'm letting him keep my things." She muttered as she walked down the ramp and began to head to the science wing of the starbase intent on picking up her relics and perhaps giving that smug bastard Simon Walt a good right hook to the jaw.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #128 –
[Captain Tristan Kendrick |Starbase 84| Transporter Room | USS Resolve ] Attn:Triage, Vystori, Haverborn, DocReno, Auctor Lucan, and Arista + senior staff of the resolve.

Kendrick sighed wanting nothing more than to clear out of the transporter room, and have some time alone to think before things could get worse, though when he heard F'Rell's com he felt a wave of relief run through him. "Havenborn can you get a lock on our dragon and get her back on board she said that she is alone now."

He would have pushed the man aside and beamed F'Rell back to the resolve himself,but there were other more pressing matters at hand and he returned his attention to Parnak. He already had a gut feeling that the man was trustworthy on some level. Oblivious perhaps for the number of Starfleet laws he had broken and continues to break, including his own rather unlawful imprisonment. He wanted nothing more than to make the man a comfortable guest aboard his ship if only so that he didn't contact the starbase and raise a thousand more questions as to the happenings of the resolve.

The last thing he and his crew needed was another black mark.

"Yes actually I can escort you to some temporary quarters for the moment, and supply you with a guard who can lead you more around the ship. I also have to have Drauc set up for his stay aboard the resolve so why don't we all take a tour. As for your Bat."

Kendrick paused to think it over, the thought of humanly destroying the creature even if necessary hurt him in some way. He was usually that kind of sentimental fool who didn't like the idea of death while on board his ship. "If you can't use it for your research... would it be suitable to have as a pet?"

He knew he was going to regret asking that question. He would take in Stray Dogs if such a thing were to be found on a space station. He had ten minutes however before his briefing with the senior staff. "Could you perhaps run down it's needs with me, and I will see if I can accommodate the little guy on my ship. I... Don't like the idea of killing it, and any creature taken into a lab usually doesn't fair well when released too the wild."

He offered to take the creature then and there it would need a name, but he would figure that out later. As with everything else it was merely one more problem to heap ontop of the list of many. He turned to Drauc giving the man a small nod, in thanks for the assurance that Parnac was telling the truth. The three of them would make an exit from the resolves transporter room, not waiting to see F'Rell return, not that he didn't want too, but there was currently too much to do and so little time to do it in.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #129 –
[ Lt. JG Zelosa Ejek | USS Resolve | Engineering ] Attn: FollowTomorrow

Suq's napping habit was known to Ejek, but had never gotten into her professional focus. It didn't seem to interfere with the engineer's line of work, and being more exhausted under stress wasn't exactly something to call a fellow officer out on. In this particular situation, however, Ejek found herself reading something else into it. It was as if the nature of their current threat caused Suq trouble.

For the Cardassian, waking up to a ploy was certainly annoying, but not unheard of. She didn't like being trapped or groping in the dark, but the idea of being betrayed, even by Starfleet, even by a member of her current crew, didn't cause her the slightest headache. The situation prompted many questions - who, when, how, why, to what extend, how thorough (was everything they tried to escape already part of the plan?) - but never if it was possible. Ejek had grown up in a world where things were rarely as they seemed, people even rarer talked openly and thus left a lot of leeway for interpretation, and were prone to sacrifice an individual for a benefit it did not understand. If the individual disagreed, it had but one chance: it had to be better in the game.

The Efrosian, on the other hand, seemed to struggle with the idea of being objectified in that manner, and probably even more so by his own authorities. He had lost control over the situation, but he had lost control many times before and had seemed more collected to Ejek, then. In those cases he had known what to expect. This one seemed new to him, and he felt defenceless. He only saw the damage, but no way out. He wanted to press his eyes shut and wait until it was over.

Ejek lowered the PADD, which she had skimmed for cross references with the deleted material, and put her hand on Suq's once more. She wanted his attention. Smiling softly, she said:
"If we say that, then we'll be separated and asked what we saw of what we deleted, who forced our hands, how we saved the data on the PADD and why we haven't contacted the starbase in the meantime."

She shook her head: "We have to keep this very simple, so we don't risk to contradict each other. Therefore: we didn't delete the memory files, the virus did." Simple enough, wasn't it?

"Trying to restore our ship's memory, you found this." Ejek waved with the PADD. "You gave it to me. I should estimate its validity. After all, who knows what the upload was intrinsically meant for. We're cautious, because treason is a hard accusation."
Nodding, Ejek concluded: "That is really all that happened. And if someone asks you why you're nervous." She smiled once again. "This has just been one hell of a day."

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #130 –
[ Lt. Jg. Suq | USS Resolve | Engineering ] Attn: Julia
 
Ejek was startlingly insightful. He didn't talk much about his sleeping habit, it just never came up, but somehow she knew. He didn't see a way out except for a long hibernation. She felt her freezing hand jolt him out of his thoughts. For the few minutes it took for the computer to finish, he remained still, holding her. He didn't speak, he had no idea how to convey what he felt right now. He yawned, quite a few times actually.

The console chimed that it had finished, and Suq sent the thing into sleep mode. He turned around to her, "That's it then. Let's get to the meeting before we're late..." He started to walk off, however he's still holding her hand. It's as if he just plain forgot he still had it. "You know I'm not a very good liar, but you've got a better lie than me, so I'll take it and use it and, you know, do the best I can with it. I might have to alter the time of download on my PADD, though, or it won't add up. The lie, that is."

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #131 –
[ Lt. JG Zelosa Ejek | USS Resolve | Engineering ] Attn: FollowTomorrow

More than once during their minute-long silence Ejek considered breaking it. She thought about addressing his fears, reassuring him that she didn't see the situation as quite as hopeless as he seemed to, but in the end she let him concentrate on his work at the console while further skimming the PADD's log file, herself. Standing close by she kept holding Suq's hand, occasionally squeezing it or stroking it with her thumb.

When Suq started walking out, not letting go of her, Ejek followed dutifully. She had the PADD in front of her eyes, manoeuvring through the ship she knew so well, as it had been her home for the last three years, with paying only mediocre attention to the little of the environment she could see. It was enough not to bump into anyone, possibly also because the officers crossing their path were more attentive, and because she had a guide to push and pull her if needed.
Normally she wouldn't read and walk, but in a situation as pressing as this one, she ought to make an excerption.

The exception didn't last very long. Beaming, obviously happy with Suq picking up on planning out their further steps, she handed the PADD back.
"Why, yes, of course."

Now she freed her hand, turning to him while readying herself to speak anew: "What do you think about the rest? Does it need adjustments?"
Ejek had no idea how many outsiders, if any, had seen the incriminating Romulan on their computer, nor how Suq would have retrieved the Captain's log when nothing else had come back. She didn't have to know, either, as she was no engineer. But if he had any adjustments to make, now was the time to let her know.

"I know it looks bad, but subterfuge is just a skill as any other. In the end we win or we lose, just like every time you needed to keep the ship from falling apart last-minute."
Nothing supernatural or unconquerable about that. Absolutely casual business.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #132 –
[ Lt. Jg. Suq | USS Resolve | Engineering, to hallways ] Attn: Julia

He wished he was just repairing the ship. The Resolve didn't talk back, the Resolve didn't question him. All he had to do was keep her from falling apart, or exploding, or collapsing, or malfunctioning, or anything else. If he put in work, he could reasonably expect her to come out okay. People, on the other hand, people were unpredictable. They could see through his lies. Or not. He has no idea and other peoples' reactions don't seem to be related to how much effort he puts in.
His hand slips out of Ejek's and he taps on the PADD with purpose.
"Havenborn, he knows about the explosion, the virus, but I haven't been able to speak to him, he was supposed to go to the computer core to see what he could do there but he's probably left now that I...I kinda trashed everything. Oh, the Captain...Um....I'm just...gonna edit the time, so that it...it happened like, a moment after the virus. So I can say I got to it before it was totally done with it's deletion... Or something like that. Does that even make sense?"  He picked up his head to glance at her, hoping she'll fact-check his addition to her lie. He spoke as he walked, so when he glanced up, he expected her to be walking with him.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #133 –
[ Lt. JG Zelosa Ejek | USS Resolve | Hallways ] Attn: FollowTomorrow

As expected, Ejek walked beside Suq. She looked more composed than she had when they met in engineering, almost relaxed and reluctantly optimistic. There was still a lot she didn't know and see through, but a start in ordering things had been made. She had adjusted to the new threat and a vague agenda to stick to.

"Havenborn will be in the staff meeting, and so will the captain. You'll get your chance soon enough," the Cardassian predicted. It was likely that they were forced to make a few modifications, discussing the subject with the others, and even possible that they had to scrap their plan altogether in order to obey their superiors. That was fine with Ejek; she did not insist on her version of events, as long as some collective effort was made. Her and Suq's story would have fulfilled its purpose of being a makeshift explanation to be put forth to starbase security as soon as it was replaced by another, and hopefully more advanced one.

"Hmm. If the transfer happened after the complete deletion, wouldn't there be evidence of it on our main computer?" Ejek mused. From the very moment the system was wiped clear, she assumed it restarted storing data. Even though the log file itself could have been lost in the purge, shouldn't there be traces of the connection with the PADD, unless it had been terminated before the completion of the erasure?

"Furthermore," she continued, an idea forming in her head. "If the data is supposed to be saved and not retrieved, wouldn't it be easiest to just leave everything as is? I've come across a Romulan novel, chances are other crew members have noticed changes, too. We shouldn't try to deny them, or we'll provoke contradictory witness statements amongst the crew. We only deny our responsibility for the deletion, as it's rude towards starbase security at best and suspicious at worst."

"Actually, it's both. Of course it's true that we distrust them, and I can easily argue in our favour if I need to defend our motives, but I'm fairly sure it's unwise to set these signals. At this stage we know so little that we can only go by very basic assumptions. One: We're framed. Two: We're at least let to believe that we're framed by starbase personnel. So what's most likely to happen next? We seclude ourselves, which separates us from potential allies. Therefore, how about we say no, and make sure we keep one foot in the door with our friends at the starbase?"

Ejek could have gone on and on about her take on the situation, but she decided to make a cut here. She didn't mean to overwhelm Suq even further, as it might have a similar effect on him as circumlocutory engineering talk had on her.

"Anyway," she said apologetically, "Here's what I think we should do: We stay low and make sure we keep a certain level of neutrality. Force them to prove our guilt, and challenge our allies to aid us disproving it. Hopefully, we'll find out more about our enemy and their motivations on the way."
There was someone out there who knew they'd be lying about the virus. As it became their move to prove it or try again, the Resolve's crew would sit back and expect them.

As an afterthought, Ejek added: "Ah, you should think about a useful answer to the question why you were tampering with the captain's logs, of all the things you could have been saving."
It was fairly easy to find an excuse here, seeing how the captain's logs were supposed to summarise their adventures for their superiors - another reason why their alterations were so incredible. Why would Captain Kendrick be so stupid as to openly admit his involvement with the Romulans? Why would any of them return with a ship full of treacherous data, when they could have wiped out the ship's memory just before returning, and successfully blame the loss of data on complications during their journey? - but she figured it was best to address a few key points about their alibi story.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #134 –
[ Krystal "Meony" Tancredi | Transporter Room | USS Resolve ] Attn: Kaligos, Vystori, Haverborn, DocReno, Auctor Lucan, and Arista

[Show/Hide]

"Rrrrrrr!" Tancredi growled in a guttural manner at the Cardassian. Left holding Officer Useless by his ankles, each tucked under one arm, she bared her teeth, her lips curled into a vicious snarl. He was toying with death, annoyingly calling her princess when she made it quite clear she hated that. As soon as she got her hands on her weapons, she was going to show him just how terrible a mistake...so, his name was Silim Parnak, and an exobiologist. This was information to keep in mind. She didn't leave the room right away, regardless of how awkward she looked holding the still stunned starbase officer in such a manner. But it was not her who was unconscious or being carted around in an uncomfortable manner.

The Romulan's actions, behaviour and words caught her attention, however. She had not seen anything or read anything into his words, but she was curious all the same, with a healthy dose of wariness. These people were all newcomers on board her ship. The ship of her family. So long as Kendrick said nothing against them, she held her peace, such as it was.

But when the matter of the bat was brought up, she sighed audibly. Why did it have ta be a bat? She thought bitterly, and finally began to move, as there was little else for her to do until the meeting was held, dragging the man, "Mind yer head," said the pilot, and grinned to herself when she head a soft thunk as Officer Useless' head went up over the slight bump and fell back down. She twisted her body around, so that she was now dragging him behind her while she trudged on ahead, able to look for other places to hit the man's head on while she took a very long route to the brig.

"Ye're real lucky, ya should know," said Tancredi, as she turned a corner sharply, scraping the man along it, and of course, causing him to hit his head, "me personally? Ah'd have gone with airlock departure, y'hear? Ah don't care none 'bout ya."

She scowled as she stepped over a low-clearance threshold with a raised flooring, "Step over lightly and duck yer head," she pulled hard, knocking him over the threshold and heard an appreciable thunk again, "Ya put Zeshryr in a brig, after shootin' 'er, an' Ah'm willin' to bet ya did it ta save yer own skin, which makes ya a yella-bellied no good coward. Watch your head."

THUNK!

She turned a sharp corner, eventually, and unfortunately reaching the brig, "Howdy do! Gotcha a live one! 'e was the one done gone an' trussed up Zeshryr none too nicely. Whatcha say we show 'im our welcome?"

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #135 –
[ Dr. Silim Parnak | Transporter Room | USS Resolve ] Attn: Kaligos, Vystori, Haverborn, DocReno, Auctor Lucan, Triage and anyone else.

"A pet?..." Silim queried as they stepped out into the corridor, unaware of his forthcoming doom at the hands of Tancredi. Was this really a question that Kendrick was asking anyway? Parnak quashed the urge to ponder how someone like this could have made it to the rank of captain, instead, after hearing his plea not to destroy the subject, Silim replied. "It's a wild animal, Captain. Bats are terrible pets, as they require a large space to thrive alongside a varied diet of fruits, nectars and insects that they need to hunt for themselves. The Carrayan Solus Bat is different in the fact that it is active during the day and is positively phototactic, but still it requires roosting space and not to be disturbed."

By this point, Silim was very nearly into 'lecture' mode; it had been at least three years since he last led a class at his home university in Culat and a lesson plan for the Solus bat was forming itself. Oh how he missed the chance to shape young minds. At this point there was an option to stop, but Silim couldn't help himself. "Furthermore, most bats can live 20 to 30 years, whereas many bats in captivity live only one. That and this animal is a relatively new discovery; this is why I am researching its habits. There's no way to guess how it would respond to long periods aboard ships nor how it would interact with new lifeforms."

Down the corridor they continued to walk and talk, well, everyone walked, Silim talked. "... And what is this about returned animals not surviving?" Silim looked behind him to the Romulan and briefly wondered about trying to include him in the current one-sided conversation. No, no doubt he would have had time with Kendrick in the Security Centre. Anyway this was the time for Parnak to shine. "Is there a problem with Starfleet Science that means they cannot release creatures of study correctly? The Cardassian Science Ministry has been conducting behavioural studies for centuries. While, yes, those animals who have undergone extreme research such as cellular change or the testing of new drugs may not be suitable to go back to a wild state, it should be fine to reintroduce this bat back to its natural habitat."

Stopping outside the turbolift, Parnak turned to Kendrick with a wide grin on his face. An idea had formed in his mind. "Science Lab 47." He began. "You could return the bat to Science Lab 47. Simon Walt, the chief science officer, is expecting it there. The bat is going to go back to Carraya II in two weeks time anyway. You can use the biofilter in the transporter to remove any form of airborne pathogen, if that is the reason behind this quarantine, and it would mean I wouldn't need to check in. In fact, that would leave me to assist in sorting out whatever is going on ..." He shook one hand around indicating the entire Luna Class vessel. "...Here."

It was a great plan. Poor, sentimental, Captain Kendrick wouldn't have to worry about destroying the animal, Walt would get payback for refusing to help capture the creature and Parnak would have something more interesting to do than prod chiroptera in the dark. In the back of his mind, he knew something odd was going on. There was no reason Starfleet would remove an unconscious prisoner from a starbase onto a quarantined vessel, but in the end, it didn't really matter. Silim was swept up in the idea of curing the disease, saving the ship, and having something more interesting to write in his monthly letter to his sister.

"So tell me..." He started again, resisting the urge to rub his hands with glee. "What about this quarantine?"


OOC: Sorry, This one is relatively speech heavy. Kaligos, eventually Parnak will stop talking and allow you to speak ;)

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #136 –
[ Captain Ian Hawthorne | Base Commander's Quarters ] Attn: Brutus, Kaligos & Vystori

With deft motions, Ian was dressing himself while he listened - watching Komial's back from afar while she demanded answers. The amusement he felt at hearing the lie she told the two outside the door was fleeting, because given the fact that the Borg had been assigned to the forensic investigation of the bomb and the late Auroto's body, it was easy to assume that the woman had found evidence to share.

So, he listened as he donned his uniform jacket, frowning as he adjusted the cuffs. Naturally, the thing inside was rearing in fiery ire and wished to kill all three skin-puppets that might have learned to much. Images of how he might do it came to him. Messy, messy imagery.

Yet Ian, he saw this for what it was. It was a development on the Kal-toh table that was unforeseen, certainly, but he was not nearly as phased as the beast. Indeed, it was both the strength and purpose of the host to deal with these things, and doing so with wit sharpened by a second intellect - augmenting his mental faculties. He listened, and mobilised, planning out his counter-moves as he stepped up behind Komial.  After they spoke, he slowly reached across her shoulder and closed the comm-link so that he might whisper to Komial - his warm breath filing her ear.

"It would seem there is more evidence pointing towards the Orion woman's Captain - Kendrick just having arrived from Romulan space. His would be the only ship that could easily have smuggled a Romulan aboard the base." He said this with a concerned tone of voice, his words thrumming against her back where he stood.  "I do not know what might be going on, but we can't have your people openly accusing a Starfleet officer of that rank. I am sure you understand that given the explicit news about the killing sprees of the Theurgy and the Harbinger, this might stir unrest on the base, and undermine the faith that thousands of civilians hold in us to protect them. Discretion, before they stir a riot..."

He laid a hand on her shoulder, continuing in his deep voice. "If their findings would be true, sceptic as I am to trust any evidence sprung from her Borg implants, it would be even more important that they learned to keep things like these to themselves. Order them to send the data to you, and we can go over it together - behind closed doors."

Alas, as confident Ian was that he would get through to her with his reasoning, and just after he removed his finger that had closed the comm-link, there was another unforeseen development. This, in the form of a voice from Komial's combadge - also heard by the two outside the door.

[Security to Lieutenant Komial! The Orion suspect has escaped the detention centre! I repeat, we have a breakout, and she was not the only one. The Romulan raider is gone too!] There was a bewildered pause. [We... We have no idea how it happened! The surveillance system has been rebooted and the recordings are lost! Also, Bradford is missing too! He was the one on call, and the computer says he is nowhere on the base!]

Again, the beast coiled in vehemence... but Ian's scowl was that of the Kal-toh player, finding that he had to adjust his game more than he'd thought. He had believed he played both sides of the table, but evidently... there were far more players than he had anticipated. A moment's thought, then he closed the comm-link again with his finger. "Komial, you can use my computer console to access the entire base's surveillance system and coordinate your staff. As for the evidence... we can look at it together. Tell them to send it, but I don't think you want to let them in..."

A mere glance up and down her dishevelled appearance likely got his point across. He removed the finger and opened the comm-link again, and the stepped away from Komial to let her give her orders.

With his back towards her, he couldn't help the small smile that crossed his lips...


[ Drauc T'Laus | USS Resolve ] Attn: Kaligos & Arista

Walking with the Captain and Parnak, Drauc both listened to the useless information and disregarded it at the same time - his focus instead being on the interior of the Luna-class starship. That, and the thoughts of the two he walked with. Not for sake of prying, but for sake of efficiency. Just having escaped the brig, it seemed to Drauc obvious what was the best course of action would be. For with the crew intact, the next step was to leave the base and remove the ship from the enemy that dwelt there. Leave, and find aide that was less likely compromised.

For as far as Drauc was concerned, based on what A'vura had heard... no one on Starbase 84 could be trusted. The crew of the Resolve, however, had just come to the tainted base, and therefore, Kendrick had his loyalty. Finally, the exobiologist ceased speaking, asking about the quarantine. Drauc looked sideways at Kendrick before raising his rasping voice - looking at the Cardassian though the tresses before his eyes.

"The question isn't what the quarantine might be," he said, eyes unblinking - the only movement to his person being the way he flexed his scarred hands inside he sleeves of his threadbare cloak. "It is whether or not you want to know the answer. Knowledge is not always a merit, Silim Parnak. It can also be a curse. Should you know the answer, the truth might force you to share the fate of this crew. Ignorant, as you are, you may plead innocent and unaware - convincing Starfleet Security you had no part. You could leave this ship, returning to your studies."

Somehow, looking at the Cardassian, Drauc could not shake the idea that the man wanted nothing rather. There was disdain and discontent when he spoke of the flying creature, and it seemed to Drauc that Silim Parnak wanted nothing rather than a change. Having said his warning, Drauc turned his head to look at Kendrick instead - stating what he saw prudent to point out to the Human.

"I know the minds of our present opposition, and I may be of use. Should you need me at the meeting you have summoned, you need merely ask. Like I said, my loyalty is yours." As he rasped it the second time, he realised that the meaning might be lost on the Captain. Perhaps it was time to be more explicit. Perhaps it was time to don the titles of old... "In fact, you may be able to find me in the database. I once ranked Junior Lieutenant in Starfleet after the Dominion War."

Indeed, he would tread the path of the righteous once more.

OOC: Next time I post, I can set up the meeting, unless you do so first, Kaligos! :) It might be quite short, though, given the pending arrival of the Theurgy.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #137 –
[ LT Daniel Havenborn & Ensign A'vura Zeshryr  | Transporter Room | USS Resolve ]

Daniel thought about reprimanding Krystal but decided that he'd let it slide for now seeing as it was his fault for letting the bat loose, although he wasn't that great at operating the transporter.  He wasn't fond of having another Cardassian on board but he'd deal with it, and even though it had been a few years since the war he still didn't trust them and felt that they had no place in the Federation but that was his opinion.  Although seeing A'vura made him he feel a bit better knowing that at least she wasn't in the starbase brig now.  As the bat went into the corridor he watched as A'vura went after it and brought it back a moment later.

He nodded to Captain Kendrick.  "I can try sir but I was lucky to pull you all out when I did." He said as he looked at A'vura.  "Ensign Zeshryr could you help me with the transporter controls?"  He asked her.  "I'm not sure I can accurately target F'Rell's lifesign on my own."  He said as he began to reset the transporter again moving over a bit so that the Orion woman could access half of the control console.

A'vura still held the unconscious bat in her hand while her other reholstered her phaser at her hip. It seemed that no one was going to get her what she needed, so she scanned the room herself for what she needed instead. Her dark eyes settled on a small, clear container with dime sized holes in the sides and top which was just what she had had in mind. Opening the unit she carefully set the bat inside. As much as she was relieved to have settled some of the panic over the creature she was still sorry she had to stun it in order to do so. It wasn't her wish to hurt the innocent being, so once the animal had been placed within she pet it softly with her fingertips and tested its snout to ensure it was at least still breathing.

When she had closed it, she made her way back to Havenborn. As much as he had moved over she still had to press in awful close to him to reach all of the panel at his side. If her green skin could blush, and it sort of did, a slightly darker shade of green mixed with soft pink tones, she'd do so each time she had to reach beyond him, rubbing her side up against him almost uncomfortably. It didn't help that she still looked disheveled and unpresentable, a fact that was starting to wear on her a bit. What she would give right now for a hot shower and a change of uniform. Despite that though she did her task as asked, changing the patterns to look for in order to lock onto the T'fanrell.

"Her lifesigns are harder to pinpoint, but if you change these settings here, and adjust for this frequency, you can lock onto F'rell's unique lifesigns in order to beam her out. Only reason I know this is because I've had to reconfigure much of the ship's life support systems as well as other environmental systems in order to accommodate her, specifically to her quarters." While she spoke she touched the computer pad and adjusted the numbers and frequencies accordingly, showing him exactly what she was doing so he'd know for future use. "I believe we can beam her on board now." she finally stated, turning to look at Daniel with a small smile, her finger hovering just above the slide to transport.

Daniel nodded as he smiled at her maneuvering around him.  Somehow even looking like she did he could tell she was a beautiful woman and he felt very attracted to her.  He realized he was staring and focused back at the job at hand.  He watched as she reconfigured the transporter settings to pinpoint the T'fanrell's lifesigns and a minute later her lifesign was visible.  "Everyone clear the transporter pad, we've got a lock on F'rell."  Daniel said as he waited until everyone had cleared the pad then reached his hand forward and at the same time met her hand as they both activated the transporter to beam F'rell up.

[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Hallway | Starbase 84 ]

For a moment, as the transporter beam caught the much larger form of the T'fanrell she held her breath and seemed to loose some altitude. The beam was designed for much sturdier lifeforms and for F'Rell it was always an unpleasant experience. She tended to loose much of her internal pressure in the deconstruction/reconstruction cycle and as a result it was far from the most comfortable experience. But still, it was one of the primary ways of close range transportation and it only took a moment. She she would had adapted to it a good deal.

The last thing she saw before materializing on the transporter pad was the security guards rounding the corner looking more than a little confused.

[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Transporter Room | USS Resolve ] Attn: Anyone?

As her body formed on the pad F'Rell seemed to sag for a moment as the pressure inside her body equalized. Holding her breath and isolating her internal structure helped a little, but it still left her looking slightly deflated. The effect only lasted about 10 minutes, but it was quite noticeable.

Her long tendrils hung loosely, brushing the surface of the pad. Until she regained pressure it was nearly impossible for her to move them and speak, thus she said nothing. Luckily she had explained this before and the crew of the resolve would know. The only transporter that did not do this was the larger industrial ones in the cargo bay as they were more used to moving non-organic things. For some reason the one in the transporter room gave her no end of trouble.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #138 –
[ Lt. Jg. Suq | USS Resolve | Hallways ] Attn: Julia

Suq cradled the PADD, he watched the floor ahead of him as he thought about their plan of action. Her suggestions came one by one, each met by silence until Suq had time to consider them. Of course they were all intelligent ideas, he could expect nothing less than the best from the Cardassian, but what he worried about was whether or not they were right. Ultimately, though Suq was listening as intently as he could, her discussion was only met with another suppressed yawn. He didn't even think to begin answering her question until they arrived at the turbolift and stepped inside. He scratched his chin while he pondered his own response.

"I guess...I wasn't thinking." He answered, but then realized how that statement made him sound. Unprofessional was an understatement. "Or, well, I was. The story could be I saw the Captain's logs, saw Romulan, and only had a few seconds to save it to my PADD before it got wiped so I saved it thinking that something was off here. Because I'm not privy to any Romulan cahoots, but there appear to be many cahoots with the Romulans.
"That....that sounds awful. I can't say that."

He cringed at the idea of benefiting from this in any way. Making himself look like some glorious hero and the captain like traitorous scum?! If this were literally anyone else's plan, he'd be seeing red and itching to give someone a good sock to the face for it. But this was his plan, he came up with it, all on his own.

"Let's talk about it at the meeting. I got nothing."

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #139 –
[Komial Dotnhil | Starbase 84 | Base Commanders Quarters]Atten: Lucan

In Komial's mind, she pictured a field, utterly barren and devoid of life. That field represented the utter lack of fucks she gave at that moment when it came to what that halfbreed science officer wanted. Unfortunately, her job was to care, regardless of how upset she was. The frown never left her face, her arms remained crossed under her breasts, once her hair was straightened. Her lips - swollen from kisses - were curled into a little snarl. Still, she listened to Hi'Jak and Six, took in everything they said, before glancing back at her Captain. Her lover.

Slowly, she swallowed the snarl and schooled her features. Komial knew she could be the officer he needed her to be just then. But what Six was suggesting - a traitor, of captain rank? If she and Ian hadn't just been discussing concerns about the Resolve she might have dismissed those accusations out of hand. As it was she still had to stamp down on her frustration. For all her faults, Six wasn't nearly as incompetent professionally as she was socially.  She opened her mouth to speak, but then felt, more than saw, Ian stepping up behind her. The comm died with a press of his finger and just in time, because when he whispered, the warmth of his breath sent a shiver down her spine and the softest of moans escaping her lips.

She closed her eyes, listened, and swore that she had to get her reactions under control or they were all going to be in a world of trouble.

The Security Chief was pleased to hear her CO's thoughts mirroring her own, even if she was slightly saddened by the game they would have to play. But the actions of the Theurgy and the Harbinger forced Komial's hands. A riot...deep inside, her stomach churned at the thought. She was responsible for the security and safety of every man, woman, child and being on this station. Thousands of souls in her care. If that meant she had to stifle the concerns of her people, keep their mouths shut to keep rumors from spreading, all while investigating what was looking more and more like the fall of a man that should be a hero - Komail could swallow her doubts and rise to the occasion. For all those lives at stake? It was a sacrifice easily made.

The hand suddenly on her shoulder was a warm, reassuring weight, that helped make what she had to do next easier. Her own hand reached up and squeezed his briefly. A breach of protocol, perhaps, but given what had been said moments earlier, in the privacy of his quarters, an acceptable one. Yet again however, she was interrupted before she could voice her thoughts.

"Acknowledged," she spoke into her combadge, the ire bubbling up in her tone, "Lock down the brig. I'll notify the captain. We are on Security Alert. Do not sound basewide Red alert. We don't want a panic on our hands."  They had gone and done it now. What had just been idle suspicion now seemed to be full on fact. There was a traitor somewhere on her station.

Ian turned the comm back on and Komial addressed her subordinate and the unwelcome tag along that was Hi'Jak. "I am going to be straight and to the point. You are going to listen to what I say and execute without question. We are now under a security one black out. A gag order until I get to the bottom of this. You two are making accusations that could have damming repercussions and if we are going to go down this path we are going to do it discreetly," her voice was laced with cold steel, tone brokering no descent. "You both just heard what we're dealing with. Now, I want you to transfer your findings to Cpt. Hawthorne's computer, now. I'll be coordinating  with him from here. You will speak to now one, and I mean NO ONE, of what you've found."

She waited, impatiently, for the duo to do as she ordered. Any hint of dissent was met with cold authority, and soon as she heard the telltale ping from the captains work station, she nodded to herself. "Get back down to the bring level, Ensign," she said curtly to the borg, keeping her tone flat. "See what evidence you can dig up," It would get her out of the way for the moment at least. "Mr. Jock," she then addressed the science officer, "keep your mouth shut. Do as you've been ordered. Stay out of trouble. We now have an escaped prisoner on our hands. Dismissed."

Killing the comm before there could be any further argument - or any more inane attempts at correcting her misuse of the junior Lt's name, Komial swallowed and turned to face Ian. There was a myriad of things she wanted to say just then, but personal needs would have to wait in favor of Duty. Instead, she nodded towards the computer, "With your permission?" She asked, and once she had it, began to pull up the surveillance logs...

OOC: I can expand upon what she finds in the logs, as per our conversation earlier this morning. Not sure how far you wanted me to take this one post.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #140 –
[ENS K'Ren | Quarters | USS Resolve ]

With nothing to do really but sit tight, K'Ren found her thoughts drifting back to her sleep and the dream, or more accurately nightmare, that seemed to haunt her of late. Some days she wished she could consume alcohol, drink away the nightmares, but a part of her knew that was not the path to go down. She'd seen it destroy men, ruin lives, and hurt others.

The nightmare she'd been reliving was a recurring memory from almost a year before. She'd been on Ready 5, her fighter warmed and on the launch rails in case the scouting party ran into trouble. And trouble they had. On their way back after an uneventful patrol, they'd been jumped by enemy fighters, and by the time she and her wingman could get launched, the patrol was in trouble. The enemy patrol was ultimately destroyed but at the cost of a fighter and it's pilot.

Now losing a squadron mate is tough, it hurts and in the tight knit community aboard the Resolve, so far from home, the loss was even more keen. But for K'Ren it was especially tough. Markus 'Furball' Thorne, one of the younger pilots, was K'Ren's human fiance and the pair were contemplating a future together, one of settling down and raising a family of cute little Neko's together. A tear formed in her eye as the memory of exact moment she lost Markus, the panic'd calls for a beam out, the sudden burst of static, the surge of energy as the fighter's engines erupted consuming her mate and the future they'd planned together.

She'd worked through it with Lt Ejek and after a few months the nightmares seemed to fade and K'Ren moved on with her life. Now they were back, and she felt ill-equipped to deal with them again. She needed to speak with the counselor before this whole sabotage crisis got out of hand. Picking up a padd, hoping the infection that compromised her messages wouldn't corrupt the one she needed to send, she began to compose a message.

It wasn't a long message, asking your counselor for an appointment to discuss things usually wasn't but for K'Ren who was a very independent soul, asking for help was one of those things she had a hard time doing. Finally though the brief message was written and she pressed send.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #141 –
[ Lt. JG Zelosa Ejek | USS Resolve | Turbolift to Briefing Room] Attn: FollowTomorrow, SummerDawn, Kaligos, DocReno, Arista, Auctor Lucan, Havenborn, Vystori

Ejek caught herself laughing. She didn't mean to laugh at her friend - and indeed sounded more affectionate than gleeful - but he had started so well and then retreated so suddenly as the realisation of his meaning set in, that she couldn't help herself. Still chuckling when the turbolift doors reopened, she disclosed: "I love your idealism," as she set foot into the new hall.

Not understanding what, exactly, sounded so awful about Suq's little ruse, she could only guess. Maybe it was racist against Romulans. Maybe it was just bad because it was a lie, or because they attempted to frame their beloved leader. Either way, the acting chief engineer seemed in need of some encouragement to keep up the act, and she knew just the right justification to counter the ever-present: It is wrong because it is wrong.

"We can't save the crew from a prison cell. So, naturally, we'll have to keep a few people in the game. We don't do this to save our own skin, but to set things right in the end."
There it was again, like several times before in their discussions of the last three years: the end that justified the means. But wasn't she right about it? Wasn't she?

"Every Captain goes down with his ship. That's what they say, isn't it? Why do you think Kendrick let you copy this?" She pointed at the PADD Suq still held in his hands. "He knows he can't save himself, so he saves us, so we save him." At least Ejek hoped so.

By now they had reached the meeting room and headed for their seats. Ejek sat down next to Suq and prepared herself by logging onto a PADD, which would soon reveal K'Ren's message to her.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #142 –
[Captain Tristan Kendrick |Starbase 84| Briefing Room | USS Resolve ] Attn: DocReno, Auctor Lucan, and Arista + senior staff of the resolve.

Kendrick frowned slightly as he was told that there was no way to really salvage the bat aside from sending it back to it's home. He had no idea when anyone would be able to make such a journey or if it would be able to survive the transportation long enough. They did fortunately have one thing that no one else did when transporting the small creature. "We can set up one of our holodeck to recreate it's natural habitat for the moment it is the best storage we have that is viable for the poor creature until such time that we can make a journey to return it to it's home. It will be able to wait out the quarantine in relative comfort I imagine."

As for Parnak's use in the situation he had to admit there wasn't much he could imagine the man fixing. It wasn't that kind of out break or virus that had forced Havenborn to shut down the ship's contact with the outside world. "We do have need of a doctor of your talents," he said thinking of the wounded his ship had, but moreover, that he was a third party witness to what he was about to hear, and if accusations would be made towards him and his crew, they would have a completely unbiased spectator. "But for the moment I think it would be best if you got a full picture of what was going on aboard my ship. If both of you would accompany me to the briefing room you can attend our senior staff meeting and then we can all better understand what exactly is going on here."

The question lingered because in truth Kendrick didn't have that good an idea of what was going on for himself either. He was annoyed by that fact, and it was the main reason he wanted to have this meeting.

He was a little surprised when he wasn't the first too arrive at the briefing room, but took his chair anyway. "Our First Officer will not be joining us for this meeting. He is in a debriefing meeting aboard Starbase 84. Chief Science Officer Martin is still on Starbase 84. Everyone else, I would like to introduce Drauc, and Dr Silim Parnak, they are both from the base, and have been swept up in our current affairs."

Kendrick didn't bother to explain that Drauc had been one of the people broken out of the brig, for the moment he was pretending the jail break didn't exist, if only so that Parnak got the full idea of why it was needed. "Now would someone kindly go over what the hell has been happening on my ship? and what we can do to solve it?"

There was of course the small plan that was already in action with the false recordings, but now more than ever he wanted the full picture of what had been happening aboard the resolve.

[Lt Hi'Jak| Outside Officer Quarters| Starbase 84] Attn: Brutus, Vistori, Auctor Lucan

Hi'Jak paused, this time he was getting the distinct impression that Dotnhil didn't like him. He was sure that she was busy, but there was something else there that was aside from the anger. even though he had given her many opportunities to use any other name, she seemed insistent on just making up what ever thing she could as if that would insult him. It didn't, not really. He was used to such insults really, and few words could ever really hurt him anymore. Being a half breed he had heard it all before, but there was still some pain there more to do with his crush on her than anything else.

He shook his head now was not the time to think about personal affairs, and with Six chiming in with her findings and theories it was good that he had at least some support on the matter. Still something struck him as weird. Scientific curiosity perhaps? The fact was that they were ordering him to hand over the evidence he had found but weren't going to let him hear it. That was perhaps the most maddening thing he had heard all day.

He didn't pause however to send over the file to Dotnhil's personal PADD, after all it meant that he now had her contact information! If he had been feeling rejected before that thought alone caused him to perk up. He was going to send a letter to her later if he could. The hopeless romantic inside of Hi'Jak already knew that it wasn't going to work, but he was going to write up some kind of poetry or artistic verse when he got the chance. "Message sent ma'am."

The thought that he would have to shut his face and take this to his grave however didn't sit with him, and once the thing was sent off, Hi'jack made no attempt to delete the evidence from his PADD. If nothing else maybe one day he would find a captain willing to open it. For now he just hid it within all of the clutter and science notes on animal breeding cycles he had.

Being dismissed as they were Hi'Jak turned away from the door and started to walk back to the science center, but also taking Ensign six with him. They both had to head to a turbolift so why not share a ride for a moment. "Six... you have the Federation database in your head. What is the common procedure for this... type of thing? Investigating a captain I mean?"

He was curious because He didn't follow a lot of protocols on his own, but there had be rules for this kind of investigation and for some reason he felt like he certainly shouldn't have been shut out of it.


OOC: The characters who represent the senior staff of the resolve are:

- Cpt. Tristan Kendrick         Commanding Officer
- Lt. Keval ch'Rayya            Chief Tactical Officer (also Security)
- Lt. JG Suq-Reylin-Efreya Xan  Act. Chief Engineer 
- Lt. Daniel Havenborn          Squadron Commanding Officer  
- Lt. JG Zelosa Ejek            Act. Chief Counsellor   
- Ens. A’vura Zeshryr           Act. Chief of Operations
- Ens. Derik Veradin            Act. Chief CONN Officer 
- A nameless Chief Medical Officer

Non-Senior Staff Present:
- Drauc T'Laus
- Silim Parnak

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #143 –
[ LT Daniel Havenborn | Briefing Room | USS Resolve ] Attn: Senior Staff & everyone in briefing room

Havenborn walked into the briefing room and took a seat.  When Kendrick asked what had happened he cleared his throat.  "One of the starbase engineers, a Petty Officer 2nd Class Keith Sanford, was attempting to download our database to check it for digital contamination but it seems like a virus was uploaded instead."  Daniel said as he paused a moment.  "I don't think Petty Officer Sanford was aware of what was going to happen as a console exploded and mortally wounded him."

Daniel straightened his back a bit as he continued.  "I initiated the lockdown and placed the ship on yellow alert thereafter using my officers in conjunction with security to make sure that the rest of the starbase personnel were escorted off of the ship.  I didn't want any more incidents to happen, afterwards I contacted you and while Lieutenant Suq headed to Engineering I made my way to the Computer core to begin a diagnostic it was then that Suq and I discovered that the computer was infected with the Romulan code."  He said as he looked over at Suq.

"You then ordered me to the transporter room and you know the rest from there, at least on my end sir.  Lieutenant Suq may have found something in Engineering that I don't know about however."  He said nodded at his fellow officer, hoping that he had found something to help out their current situation or had more information to add to everything he had said.
Defeat, Genocide; why quibble with semantics.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #144 –
[Ensign Six | Outside Captain's Quarters/Lift/Brig | Starbase 84] Attn:  Kaligos, Lucan, Brutus

Six was about to protest with a, 'But Lieutenant,' when she was cut short, essentially ignored, then dismissed. And when Hi'Jak took the PADD and sent their findings to her, essentially taking over the task that Six was assigned, she quietly fumed in her spot before the Captain's door. Her expression changed quickly to that of nothingness, her ire quietly suppressed for no one to see. This sort of thing happened too often for her liking. It was as though her peers did not trust her ability to do her job, and it was tiresome to say the least.

Thankfully, for Six though, on the way there she had taken the time to link herself through her borg implants to the PADD and download everything from there to be stored in her optic implant, including the communication transmission, even if it still did deny her access to it. She was determined to hear that transmission for herself, and if that meant hacking into the ship's computer later to do so then so be it. For now she had it tucked away in her 'mind' though, safely stored away for later use.

It had not been lost on her that her commanding officer had been acting strangely, nor the fact that she had been the one to answer the Captain's door rather than the Captain himself. Something odd was going on, and Six's love for puzzles far surpassed any anger or resentment she had for anyone at this point, her steps quick and eager to get back to her lab as soon as possible to try and piece the parts together. /That/, after all, was /her/ job, and she intended to do it.

After a few minutes of silence, she finally answered Hi'Jak, speaking softly so no one else could hear should they be around. "Common procedure is to keep an issue like this under wraps until further evidence can be compiled. However, it is not common procedure to request the information to a Captain's computer, when it is a Captain or higher rank that is in question. It is more common for an appointed liaison to oversee any further investigation of a Starfleet Captain or higher ranking officer. Lieutenant Komial, while above us in rank, is not an appointed liaison. Sending her the information, without saving a copy, is highly irregular. Lucky for you I have a hard copy stored," she stated to him, absently tapping her temple near her optic eye.

When they reached the lift, she spoke the deck number that would take her to the brig. While in there, she pulled out her phaser and checked it's settings, making sure that it was set to stun just in case. Today was turning out to be an interesting, if not irksome day for her. More so than usual it seemed. When the lift reached her station she bid a polite farewell to Hi'Jak, then, with her hand still resting on her holstered phaser she stepped out and made her way for the brig.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
[Ensign A'vura Zeshryr | Transporter Room/Briefing Room | Starbase 84] Attn:  Everyone in briefing room

A'vura followed Daniel closely behind him as they finished beaming F'rell aboard and then headed toward the briefing room once she was safely there. She sat down at the large table, crossing her arms over her chest, rather uncomfortable with the fact that she still looked as she did in front of her peers. She usually prided herself on her smart appearance and the fact that she looked so utterly disheveled was disconcerting.

As she listened to her Captain, then again to Daniel, her frown from before seemed to return and deepen across her features. What the hell was going on? It's as though someone over there on the Starbase was trying to frame them for something. But for what? And to what purpose? It didn't make a lick of sense to her.
 
For now she chewed silently on what was being said in the room, thoughtfully trying to process the situation, trying to see if she could come up with some kind of clear answer, some kind of helpful conclusion, or some sort of strategy to aide in the mishaps that seemed to be happening to them currently.
"You wish to knock over cows? What is the significance of this? Do you derive pleasure from such things?" - Ensign Six

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #145 –
[Lt. Jg. Suq |USS Resolve| Briefing Room ] Attn: Briefing Room

Suq didn't see himself as an idealist, but to Ejek, he must seem so. Efrosians were, by nature, idealistic, he supposed. He did not change his posture or expression as he walked into the briefing room, there's no indication that the counselor's words helped him. In truth, they did, but he had to focus on the upcoming meeting.

He stepped into the room and left Ejek's side. He remained silent, the PADD full of lies locked in his arms like a baby. A traitorous baby. Haha.

He prepared to speak. When he did, his voice sounded remarkably different. Instead of wavering and uncertain, he spoke with a solid tone. Rehearsing what he wanted to say in his mind made it easier to speak--and it certainly didn't hurt that he had his own personal support person nearby as well.
"Sir, after Lieutenant Havenborn and I left each other, I went to engineering and found the same thing the Lieutenant did. Everything from correspondence and transporter logs down to our personal logs were corrupted. It looked like we had been scheming with the Romulans. I sent you a message over communications, and as per your orders, performed a progressive memory wipe, saving only the Captain's logs. They're on my personal PADD here."

He hesitated, wondering if now was the time to interject and say he had an idea, but failed to speak up. Right now, the Captain was gathering information first.

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #146 –
[Lieutenant Kevan ch'Rayya| USS Resolve| Briefing Room]

Since coming back aboard the ship, Keval was unusually silent which wasn't something common because he was usually the one who quickly analyzed the situation and started to formulate various types of tactical or strategic plans was uncommonly quiet.

Instead he was trying to analyze what was going on the Starbase which made his brow furrow deeply as he looked over at the base's scientist which was more of a strike against him with another one being that he was a cardassian which while wasn't a thing against his species but the fact that he came from the station which had given him a bad feeling since they arrived which was only made worse by his meeting with the base commander and the story that he told the captain and himself.

Keval looked over at Lieutenant Ejek and looked the young woman over, ignoring her physical beauty to focus on the fact that she was cardassian that he knew and had come to trust over these long few years during the trek back to Federation space...

He stopped that train of thought to pinch the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes tightly as he rewound his last thoughts in his head:

Ignoring her physical beauty...

Keval let out a frustrated sigh, he couldn't believe he had thought that but it was expected after a fashion as he came to an internal understanding that he hadn't a real chance to relax after focusing solely on his dual duties as the ship'separately tactical and security chief for the past few years without any real chance to allow him to let his guard down and relax...

Keval shook his head to help him focus again as he heard the ship's engineering chief speaking at which point the part of him that was the investigator and the part of him that did shadow ops told him of possibilities at which point he looked over at Suq. "Tell me more about your findings."

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #147 –
[ Lt. JG Zelosa Ejek | USS Resolve | Briefing Room] Attn: Everyone in the Briefing Room

Ejek's heart missed a beat at the sight of Captain Kendrick's unexpected companions. She felt something she hadn't felt in a long time: Angst.
Dr. Silim Parnak was the first Cardassian she met in at least five years. Before now, Ejek had successfully avoided discussing her decision to join Starfleet with any one of her kind. Now she got overly aware of the uniform she was wearing, and anxious to discover what implications it held for the Cardassian doctor.
The loop she was thrown into by this development was so severe that, for a moment, the shock even prevented her from paying any mind to the fact that the captain had also introduced a scarred Romulan.

She knew she had no time to dwell on personal problems, however. The situation was too delicate to let herself be distracted. (Wasn't it ironic, though, that the introduction of one of her own people hit her harder than the prospect of being wrongly accused of collaborating with the Romulan Empire?) Yet this was the mindset she still dealt with when she met Lieutenant ch'Rayya's eyes, and flashed him a meaningful look back. She didn't like their current situation one bit, but she was glad to have the Andorian in on it.
Maybe she should be more wary around him, she realised, simply because she relied on him. Or maybe she should know better than to give in to persecution mania. ...Even though it was justified.

"If I may answer on my colleague's behalf," she chimed in. "There was not enough time to analyse the whole log in detail. It is three years worth of altered mission summaries, after all. But I have some of it memorised, and I would suggest to run all available sorts of diagnostics to find patterns both in the text and source code."

Ejek turned to the captain. "As for a solution, Sir. I strongly recommend we blame the complete data purge on the virus or the explosion and make sure we don't lose our good relations with the starbase. Whoever did this to us won't wait forever to make their next move; I expect starbase security within the hour. But I speculate on this: If the whole base was against us independent of reason, there had been little need to frame us. If we avoid to incriminate ourselves too much with this, we might buy us some time to find out more about our enemy. Which should be our first priority. We simply can't successfully fight an enemy we don't know."

Looking from Kendrick to ch'Rayya and back (and carefully avoiding Parnak), she continued after a short pause: "Consider the alternatives. If we seclude ourselves, which I have a feeling our assailant wants, we become even more suspicious and deny ourselves the opportunity to find out more. If we flee, we ultimately admit our guilt. Also, without a thorough check of the ship's computer I wouldn't even exclude the possibility that a dormant part of the virus suddenly takes us off-course or initiates self-destruction."

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #148 –

[ Dr. Silim Parnak | USS Resolve | Briefing Room] Attn: Kaligos, Auctor Lucan, Havenborn, Vystori, Julia, FollowTomorrow, DocReno & anyone else

This day, Parnak mused, this day had been terrible.

It started with the incredibly dull experiment, followed by the escape of the bat, helping to steal a prisoner from Starbase Security and, finally, the quarantine. Silim was almost ready to call it quits, however all of the problems of the day dissolved as soon as he stepped into the conference lounge.

Across the table she sat; a beauty like he had not seen in at least 6 months and 13 days. Delicate argent skin, spotless ridges, enveloping slate eyes; she was Cardassian. He'd spent more than a decade studying beings not from Cardassia, little had he realised that it would take nearly seven months on a Starfleet station near Romulan space to finally understand how much he had missed his people, that familiar sight of home, even if it came clad in a unexpected uniform.

Silim sat opposite and ensured that he didn't stare. Instead, he following whomever was speaking. First was Kendrick who introduced the two guests but not his senior staff, silently Parnak cursed that it wasn't easy to find out the name of this fellow member of his race. Next, the white and yellow collars explained the digital virus ravaging the ship and again, the day from hell had boiled to the surface, if only to add another nail in the coffin; Silim was completely superfluous. With no biological element to this quarantine he was as useless as a solar powered torch. The Andorian wanted to know more and then finally, she spoke.

He didn't particularly listen to what she said, using the opportunity to look upon her again. She avoided eye contact and it confused Silim. Was she shy? Ashamed? Had she joined Starfleet to get away from her kind? And what was with that hair? Why did she style herself with a child's haircut? She was younger than Parnak, he didn't doubt that, in fact, so was everyone else in the room, but why did she try to make herself look even more so?

Parnak's musing was cut abruptly short as she finished speaking, and so as to not make her uncomfortable Silim looked back to Kendrick, focussing on the matter at hand. Didn't the principle of Occam's Razor boil down to the fact that the simplest explanation was usually right? A Romulan virus had infected them and they had just happened to bring a Romulan aboard? It was quite the coincidence.

The scientist in the back of his mind reminded him that correlation does not imply causation; furthermore, Silim didn't feel the need to intrude on this matter, apparently he'd managed to meddle enough already. Instead he ran his hand through his hair and his mind wandered. He thought about the tastes, smells and feelings of home she might have that he hadn't think to bring.

Perhaps, just maybe, she had Yamok Sauce?

Re: Chapter 01: Tensions Rising

Reply #149 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | USS Resolve | Conference Lounge ] Attn: 1) Kaligos 2) Free Posting Order

Seated by the table, Drauc watched those assembled through the tresses of his burgundy hair, absorbing their unguarded thoughts with his jaws clenched - eyes unblinking. At these times, with new thoughts invading his mind, he knew his abilities to be both a gift and a curse upon him - the experiments that his late brother and he had suffered both giving perception and taking away coherence. Unknown thoughts, new minds, they were all invasive, vexing him. He quelled them to make thoughts of his own.

The strongest reaction came from the female Cardassian, thoughts of shame permeating her mind. It had to do with the snake seated next to him, who also reacted upon the sight of the female, only in a more appreciative manner. With no names offered for the senior staff of the USS Resolve, Drauc would have to piece together the names and ranks by listening, by hearing the names unspoken. It held no immediate relevance, since the matters at hand took precedence over coming to know his new crew - provided that Kendrick offered to let him stay. Drauc knew what risk Kendrick took upon himself in freeing him, and he hoped he could compensate the human for his decision. He would thread the path of the righteous for him, and earn trust as best he might.

The pilot and the engineer - an Efrosian - offered little more than Drauc already knew after hearing what had been said to Kendrick over combadge in the Brig. The Cardassian female... Ejek? It was an unsaid word that repeated itself in the minds of those present, and Drauc supposed it was her name. A counsellor, that much was made evident too. She spoke, and illuminated factors worth addressing - vectors of deduction that altered the battlefield. He saw the terrain, and had be been a man of lesser restraint, he would have found it bitterly amusing - laughing at the implications. As it were, he bared his teeth as a smile ghosted across his features. "Sound yet belated advice," he said in his damaged voice, and he realised that if he had said as much, he would have to continue. He flexed his scarred hands inside the threadbare sleeves of his cloak, and his rasping tone rose in volume - eyes sliding between those present. "Captain Kendrick has just aided in the escape of Ensign Zeshryr, not to mention my own, and a certain Security Officer Bradford - being the only witness - has been carried to brig of this ship. I might have been able to erase the surveillance logs that would have shown it happening... but the... the T'Fanrell? F'Rell, I presume to be her name, she courageously and openly acted the decoy for the guards to enable our escape, so this crew has already been incriminated - the degree thereof as of yet unknown."

The creature had done what she could, given the circumstances, but just like his own presence as a Romulan aboard the ship, the T'fanrell's association pointed an accusing finger towards the Resolve. Again, Drauc respected Kendrick's gamble - the boldness of it clearly a mark of a victorious leader, and he could but hope he could offer something in return to clear their good names. They were not, he knew, the true enemy within their ranks. "Upon this field of battle, I second Counsellor Ejek's tactic. The enemy forces must be espied, and their leaders revealed. Else, this crew must fight its way free... and the terrain is decidedly not favourable."

He fell silent then, reckoning that he had spoken too much already - the staff's collective level of trust towards him hardly satisfactory. He did not even consider the fact that he had learned the female Cardassian's name and used it without an introduction. As he sat there, he hoped the Captain would continue to stand with him, and not betray his word. Drauc could only hope Starfleet was somewhat like it used to be in that regard... so unlike the factions in his people's civil war.


[ Captain Ian Hawthorne | Base Commander's Quarters ] Attn: Brutus

Komial was dismissing the walking dead - Ian Hawthorne already devising methods to have them removed and their suspicions silenced - and he had entered his private study. He sat down behind his wide desk and opened his computer console, keying up the surveillance system while he waited for her to join him. With the thing inside honing his sharp wits, he went about making a few preliminary searches. In particular, tracing the movements of the two individuals who had just paid his quarters a visit. As it were, the search was very... very rewarding. He suppressed the smile that almost slipped into his features upon his discovery, since his smitten little kitten had just joined him. Instead, he wore a deeply concerned frown.

"It would seem that neither Ensign Six nor Junior Lieutenant Hi'Jak are strangers to the Resolve's crew," he said ominously, and with a flick of his thumb, he projected the recording he had found on the wall of his study - the view of the Promenade illuminating the room. There, as he magnified the imagery, both the Borg and the halfblood Klingon could be seen with the strange creature that Kendrick had brought from beyond Romulan space. A 'T'fanrell', supposedly, but there was also a fighter pilot from the Resolve present, speaking in apparent familiarity with Six and Hi'Jak. Both the pilot and the T'Fanrell has been seen in the docking bay, arriving with the Resolve, so there was no denying their affiliation. The surveillance of the promenade did not allow for audio either, busy as the area was and with too open space to pick up more than the din of the crowd. Then, he changed to the second recording he had found. "Here... is the Resolve's Chief Tactical Officer together with the very same fighter pilot. Look at whom their company is... leaving the crime scene underneath the subspace acquisition grid."

Indeed, through sliding doors the small party walked, speaking amongst themselves. Ensign Six, the Andorian, and the redhead pilot. "One might wonder where the creature went, if the pilot is here," he said, thinking aloud and ran a new search before the group came close enough to the surveillance unit to pick up the details of their conversation. The search yielded results immediately, the recording signature of the creature quite easy to detect given its unique composition. At this point, seeing what he saw before he sent the image to the wall and showing Komial, Ian was having difficulty containing the mirth of his second nature. It was all too easy... fortune favouring them both.

Captain Tristan Kendrick was seen on several occasions, dozens of feeds conjured on the wall, where he was espied in the company of the T'Fanrell. Feeds showed them leaving the severely damaged Resolve, and... "Where were they heading?" he wondered quietly, making the computer establish the timeline with a couple of taps on the touch screen of the console. The feeds then coalesced into one, and with a fast-forward view of the timeline, it was evident that the two went to the Executive Office Complex, and specifically... towards the Security Centre. Then just before they entered... the feed cut. From that point, the surveillance record had been erased, and while it was unfortunate, Ian had enough to give his orders. Upon seeing the record end there, he tapped on his authoritative voice, rising from his chair. He used the circumstances to his advantage, making Komial think he was profoundly disappointed in how this could have happened on his station.

"Captain Hawthorne to Security, was there a flying creature present when the Romulan and the Orion murder-suspect escaped the Brig?" he said, his words succinct and to the point to whomever sat at the Aide's station.

[Security here, ah... Yeah! There was some representative of the... the Teh-fanrull people, Froll of the 12th House, it said its name was. It demanded to speak with the Federation President, but we meant to report it to you, of course. With the escape, we didn't have time to, and it kinda... left all of a sudden. We figured we scared it off somehow. Why? Should we go look for it?]

As amused as Ian was at the response, the moronic speaker belonging in a holonovel, he did not let it show. The fact that the creature had distracted the personnel evident with the ridiculous claim. No, quite the opposite. The disappointment in his eye when he looked at Komial was plain, for he meant to use this to his advantage. Oh, how she would have to earn his respect again. These were her people, after all, and she would have to put her house in order. He did not even answer the security guard, closing the comm link before speaking quietly to Komial - his dark features a cliff in the apex of deepest winter.

"Right now, it would seem to me... that we might have Romulan conspirators of the same calibre as Captain Ives and Captain Vasser aboard our station," he said, walking around the desk towards her. "We have thousands of civilian lives aboard that depend on us for their safety, and we have let the Romulan Civil War be fought on the decks of our base - a damn bomb detonating in their midst! Tell me, why else would Kendrick free his Orion officer after she killed a Romulan? Why else would he not only free her, but another Romulan held in our Brig? If there is any kind of credibility to the Security Level 10 evidence, why else is there a Captain who set that bomb off? We have failed them all, and only swift action can let us get ahead of these traitors - intercepting whatever they are planning to do next."

Everytime he had said 'we', he had meant 'her', and as much was plain in his authoritative tone - the set of his scowl.

"My fear, Lieutenant, is that the development we are seeing now might be acts that will undermine our defences before the renegade Captains come here in full force... handing over this base to them as if served on a silver plate," he said, instilling fear of the possible repercussion... and then... he shifted gears, gave her an opening for redemption, almost apologetic in his quiet words. Slowly, he even reached out to her, as if her failure forbade him the words of the apology he wanted to give her, and brushed some hair behind her ear in regret. "We cannot afford taking any chances... The time for swift precautionary measures has come, and we need to act before it is too late. Can I... entrust you with this task?"

Or will you fail me again?

Once she gave her answer, he stepped away, as if torn by his conflicting feelings about her, and he seated himself by his desk with a deep sigh. "Go. Leave now, and have Ensign Six and Junior Lieutenant Hi'Jak apprehended at all cost, without them being able to contact Kendrick or his crew." In other words, they were preferably to be stunned on sight. His orders broke no compromise, resolute in their finality. "The escaped prisoners needs to be found and brought back, even if Kendrick might have them in his care. Also, the whereabouts of the Resolve's crew needs to be made, everyone of them. If they are aboard the station, I want them incarcerated at once, but quietly so to avoid scenes for the civilians. I want security in the docking bay, standing ready to board the ship on my order. Also, I want a full scan made, a thorough search of their database made to find anything that ties them to either of the Romulan factions. We had a maintenance team sent to repair that ship, so I want all of the people on the teams accounted for, hearings made about what they've found. Moreover, I want to know the full state of repairs of that Luna-class ship. Is she in any state to do battle, and if so, I want to know how we best disable it inside the docking bay. Go now, and keep me informed. I will look at this alleged 'evidence', and God be willing, we are not too late..."

And thus, as she was sent away, the evidence found would be left with him. He would send it to her, of course... but in due time. Still, he forced himself to not grin in elation.

OOC: Another post coming up for F'Rell, K'Ren and Krystal Tancredi in the Resolve's hangar. Stay tuned! :)
 
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