Day 07 [1000 hrs.] Devoted Testing

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Day 07 [1000 hrs.] Devoted Testing

August 23, 2019, 08:32:09 PM

[ Lt. JG Adam Kingston | Enlisted Quarters of Petty Officer Peter Hildebrandt and Crewman Cabrera | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy, Vector 01 ]
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Finally he had time to see the first on his list of Security Devoted and it was amusing that in the same quarters were two. Obviously all Devoted enlisted were put in the same quarters, two by two as they could lock the quarters. Having non-Devoted enlisted sharing quarters wouldn't be productive as they could attempt anything, though Adam Kingston had his doubts they would try because they all seemed accepting of their defeat.

He saw a guard at the quarters door and nodded. It struck him as a possible unnecessary measure to have guards but he wasn't about to question the leaders of Security for why as he just accepted it. "Hello," Adam greeted the guard and saw she was Crewwoman Petra Vansen, she was armed as well. "Vansen, how are they?" Like he cared.

"Sir," Petra snapped to attention as she had been in a casual stance waiting for the next guard swop and just facing forward letting her mind wonder. On the opposite side of the corridor was the wall display, it was showing visual surveillance of the quarters she guarded. She had quickly checked it before reacting to her superior. "They are bored, praying, playing with their joysticks," she actually blushed a little at that but continued quickly, "card games, eating, wrestling after disagreements though sometimes they just hand wrestle betting replicator rations."

Adam decided to ignore the fact she watched them when doing private activities, he wondered if Thea was recording such things as confined to quarters prisoners must be recorded so should they try some method of escape Security would be alerted as Thea would be reviewing more than one footage at a time while the officers in Security did as well while on duty. "At least they are keeping themselves amused," Adam commented, he gestured to the door. "I'd like to go in please, you can join me or remain outside, up to you."

Petra nodded and tapped the controls, it deactivated the forcefield on the door frame and opened the door. Adam walked in and saw Petra decided to remain outside as the door needed someone to operate it from the outside. He was annoyed that he failed to recall that fact, he tapped his combadge in a sequence that immediately connected to the nearest security panel.

The men inside immediately went to attention from their bunks, Adam knew it was a habit from security training. They did a glance over at him and when they recognised him they seemed disappointed. They then had the audacity to return to their bunks and sat down, maybe they wanted me to be the 'All-Knowing-Morali' Adam thought with amusement. "Morning gentlemen, now, I have something for you to watch." He went to the desk and their restricted shared computer, inserted a chip and tapped the main button.

The computer display came up with a Starfleet rotating emblem and 'Accessing...' under it. It finished and the playback footage of Morali meeting with one of the other Devoted began to play. The moment the former Temporal Agent's voice was heard Peter and Cabrera rushed to see the display.

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"Crewman -----. Do you know who I am?"

Morali had said. The identity of the Devoted was both visibly hidden and name removed from the audio to protect her.

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"Why?"

The woman replied, her voice somewhat different again to protect her identity.

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"Why do you think I'm here?" he asked instead, turning it back again. "You do know who I am. And I know what I represent to you. So, give it a bit of thought, and you tell me. Why do you think I am here, in this room, with you. Now?"

At this Peter and Cabrera both mumbled 'Morali' as if they were there.

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"I...do not know....You do not like to talk. Not with us. Not with anyone," Morali's chuckle was heard and the feed then showed his hand making a little circular motion in her direction. "Are you being forced to by Captain Ives? Is that it? Has he ordered you to come to us?" That was followed by a snort.

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"A reasonable guess, but no, I have not seen the Captain since we were returned to the Theurgy and fled down the transwarp conduit. I do not expect to speak with them in any capacity in the near future, either."

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"Then why? You only ever deal with us when ordered to. Why bother now. We are so few. We are confined. We failed you."

A murmur from the men in front of Adam along with some sad sighs at their failed attempt at mutiny in Morali's name, Adam had to smile.

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"Oh, yes. You failed rather spectacularly, but you have all been doing that from the beginning. Do you understand?"

That was the first smack across the face that Peter and Cabrera physically recoiled a bit back from the computer. Adam eased into a defensive stance as he watched them.

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"We...failed to interpret your will, your -" "My will? There wasn't a damn thing to interpret. I have one job, and one job only," Morali barked, his voice rising sharply in the otherwise quiet room.

That too made Peter and Cabrera to jump but they froze before sinking back to get closer to the display. Adam jumped slightly as well but in his defensive stance it wasn't a visible reaction, more an internal one.

TO BE CONTINUED...

OOC: All quotes are used with permission from Brutus.

Re: Day 07 [1000 hrs.] Devoted Testing

Reply #1 – August 26, 2019, 05:34:42 AM

[ Lt. JG Adam Kingston | Enlisted Quarters of Petty Officer Peter Hildebrandt and Crewman Cabrera | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy, Vector 01 ]
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----And Now the Continuation------

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"And that job is to keep those damned worms from using their upstream knowledge to change the past. Your present. I've fucked up quite a bit, just so you're aware. Some ways its been small, Others its been damned massive. To the tune of billions of lives..."

That brought Adam up short, the worms meaning the Parasites? They had future knowledge? Maybe that's how they had taken over Starfleet Command so quickly and quietly. Couldn't the Temporal 'housekeepers' find out when it happened and stop it? Or somehow leave evidence for someone influential to find to expose their takeover? Something? They could have saved so many lives that they had lost on their journey so far. Adam wanted to ask Morali those questions, maybe he'd get to that later.

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"Even fucking up, we delayed the Borg invasion, if not outright stopping it, so there is that. But!" Morali snapped a finger up and then pointed it at her. "It would have been a hell of a lot easier if you lot had just kept your heads down and done your damn jobs. That was, and is, my bloody will. I don't need a cult. I don't want a cult. I want Starfleet officers doing their damned jobs to the best of their misbegotten abilities!"

This too was another physical smack across the face to Peter and Cabrera as they jumped back at their idol's outrage. Adam heard Peter mumble that they were in the way of their saviour, Cabrera mumbled back that they made a mistake. Adam had to agree but continued to remain silent allowing them to watch the playback.

Adam could see they were watching the woman bundled up, her face blacked out, but her body language showed she was scared of their saviour. The Master-At-Arms slowly closed the distance between them and saw that they were in awe of the power Morali had to intimidate the Devoted in the playback. Idiots! Adam thought and smacked the desk with his hand. That shocked them as they jumped away to either side of the room, he hit the computer main button and it paused the playback. "He is not a god, saviour, or an idol. He is a Starfleet officer and although from the future he does not retain that aspect, he cannot guide you to 'salvation' like you think he can. Don't you understand?" He may have had a little more force in his words and tone then he should have, he also sarcastically emphasised salvation, but it just frustrated him to no end how any Starfleet enlisted, non-commissioned or officer could easily fall into such a primitive state of worship.

"So... you.. say." Cabrera said and clearly shaken but still clinging to being Devoted.

"This is Morali in the playback Crewman, this isn't fabricated. I can do the authentic check in front of you to prove it." Adam suggested gesturing to the computer.

The two enlisted shared a glance since they could see each other with Adam now standing facing Cabrera and hand, palm up, indicating the computer. Peter spoke up, just as shaken as his comrade. "Please sir," Finally, some progress. Adam thought as he leaned over to the computer and at a slight sound behind him quickly turned around and into a defensive stance again.

This action further put the enlisted men on alert as they were only slowly getting off their bunks to watch the authentication. They both froze when Adam had reacted to a bunk creaking. They flinched a little at the Master-At-Arms shifty eyes from one to the other and back again several times before using a leg to move the chair behind him out of his way. He stepped back still facing the Devoted and gestured with the other hand for them to take the chairs.

Peter and Cabrera did as indicated but slowly.

Once they were seated Adam entered his clearance and manually brought up the authentication protocol. "You can check the code if I have altered it if you like Petty Officer,"

Peter eyed Adam for a few moments before edging closer, still maintaining eye contact then glanced at the code on the display. The playback still paused in the background. "It's unaltered." He said to Cabrera, who nodded back but watched Adam.

Adam activated the protocol and Thea's voice came over Adam's combadge after the protocol was completed. "Authentication complete, the playback is taken directly from security sensors and protected by current Starfleet encryption." It was the computer, not Thea since confined to quarters do not get access to Thea.

The enlisted men glanced at each other, they shared a look that appeared to be complete and utter despair that they have both made a terrible mistake and probably now ruined their continued service in Starfleet. Peter glanced at Adam and made a help expression.

"Shall we continue the playback?" Adam asked, somewhat ignoring the plea, he wanted to be absolutely sure the two men had seen everything first before he even considered offering any chance at redemption. They nodded as they shifted their eyes to the display again as Adam tapped the main control for the playback to unpause.

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"Would that I could, I'd cast your lot out," Morali hissed, as he leaned in, gripping the edge of the small table that sat between the two of them.

That there was the next slap across the face flinch and it hit the men in front of Adam, hard. They went back into their chairs very quickly with plain shock on their faces, they couldn't believe it, that the Morali would kick their arses out of an airlock for what they did in his name. Adam too was a little shocked but the only physical reaction he allowed was a slight widening of his eyes.

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"We are supposed to be above such petty actions as the ones you've displayed. You helped in an assault on an officer because she did not think I was a god. Well, I'm not a god. So you beat up a woman for no good reason. Not that it would have been a good reason if I were a god. You aught to be in the brig for what you've done,"

Adam could see Peter and Cabrera replay their contributions to the mutiny in their minds as they heard Morali speak of the woman's transgressions. He wondered if this was going to be enough to convince the rest of the Devoted to return to being upstanding members of Starfleet again. He prayed it would be. If not he'd have to beg Morali himself to go through that again and he knew that the Temporal Officer wanted nothing to do with his cult.

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"You have one job now. And one alone. And that is to do better. To be better. To make amends and pretend that you are actually a Starfleet officer, Miss -----. You've already disappointed me once. I think it best that you not disappoint me again. Do you understand?"

The woman's name again was cut out of the recording, they didn't want any of the Devoted going after her to punish her for renouncing their faith. Adam hoped she would be an example of better judgement and help Morali guide the others back to Starfleet service. They had Parasites to expose and save Starfleet Command from whatever nefarious goals the Parasites have planned from being carried out.

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"I want to know, ----- -----, the instant any of you get the bright idea to go off and 'do something' in my name again. Too many people die, when the Devoted walk the halls singing my praises. I want to know, ------, that you can put this...fanaticism behind you. Because you lot seem to value my opinion, well you should know, and reinforce to your surviving friends that I am very disappointed." There was a pause as Morali sat there, maybe going through his next words, Adam surmised. "You will tell me, won't you? I want to hear you say it," he pointed a finger at her as she started to open her mouth. "I want you to make me believe it. And I want you to know that I will know if you lie to me."

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"I will. I promise to follow the will -" "It's not about following my will, ------. It's about following orders of a superior officer. Following Starfleet rules and regulations."

That made the men flinch again slightly as Morali cut her off. It seemed to be sinking in that Morali would do more to push them out of this stupid worship, Adam thought, though he'd probably have to be ordered to do so by the Captain, if they couldn't be convinced.

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"I...that is, yes, sir. I can do that. I will do that." Her tone was still altered but differential, and meek.

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"Very well. I'll inform Deputy zh'Wann of the gist of our conversation and she will take it from there. I imagine you're going to be under guard for some time to come, ------. Try not to disappoint again. Lieutenant,"

That's when the playback stopped as if paused. Adam continued to watch Peter and Cabrera as they took in the last of the recording. They seemed to be processing it as their eyes kept going to the display were a Morali was standing frozen and away from the computer.

Adam knew they were considering their options, he decided to throw them a bone. "I will also inform Deputy zh'Wann of our conversation and if she deems it, your confinement may come to an end, with restrictions of course, but you may have an opportunity to earn your redemption in our senior officers eyes, especially the Captain's." Adam said and folded his arms over his chest in a 'I'll give you some thinking time now' gesture.

The two had looked up at Adam upon hearing redemption and Adam could of sworn he saw hope in their eyes, but it was gone as they shared a lingering look. It was hard to tell if they'd go for the lifeline he offered and frankly he knew Security needed all the help they could get to protect this crew from boarders, away mission enemies and any other hidderences of achieving their goal of exposing the Parasites.

Peter slowly nodded first as he made eye contact again with Adam, he didn't speak though. Cabrera on the other hand stood slowly, a hand going to make a salute. "Please let the Deputy know," he said, Adam knew that they would submit to any conditions set to them so they could contribute to Theurgy's mission once again.

"I can not make any promises as it is not up to me but I will show them our conversation and the deputy and chief will take it from there as Morali explained to your comrade." Adam said as he extracted the chip and walked back to the door. He glanced over his shoulder at the two men, they'd relaxed and sat in the chairs defeated but then they noticed him looking at them and straightened. "It will be good to have you both back with us." Adam said and as he approached the door it opened, along with the deactivation of the forcefield. The door closed first then the forcefield blinked back into existence.

"How'd it go sir?" Petra asked facing him with hope in her eyes.

Was there something between one of them and her? Adam thought with a raised eyebrow. "It's too early to say but I think it went as well as it could have." He said not voicing his opinion that if he had the idea to beg Morali to do this first with him it would have been a for sure outcome. "As you were Vensan, and have a good day after your shift." He said with a smile.

Petra smiled back and thanked him before assuming the previous stance she was in before and he could see that she was now paying attention to the display on the wall. Adam quickly glanced over too to see they were still as they were when he left them. He shrugged and now he had to meet with the Deputy to report his success.

- FIN