Cautiously Optimistic
Posted on Thu Oct 30th, 2014 @ 3:28pm by Commodore Kathleen O'Shea & Captain Jey Cleh & Lieutenant Commander Aryll LeStrat & Commander Andrew Matheson
Mission:
Bloodpath
Location: Hretyer Marina
Timeline: Morning After Explosion
[Starbase 80-Captains Yacht Bay]
Kathleen sat in the main passenger area going over the latest intel from Taranok...which was essentially nothing new...as she waited for the rest of the group she had selected to accompany her. After sleeping on it, Kathleen had made the decision to go down to the explosion site just to have a look around. Not an 'official' investigation, but at the very least they could hopefully recover enough data to try to rule out any foul play. One of the city council members and the chief constable was waiting on site for them. It just had to be handled gently.
Andrew walked into the main passenger area of the yacht with a PADD in his hand. He'd finally gotten his diplomatic updates that had piled up over the last three weeks, and there was a fair bit of information he had to parse. He saw the commodore and offered up a salute. "Lieutenant Commander Andrew Matheson, reporting as per your message, ma'am."
Kathleen returned his salute with a warm smile. "Don't hurt yourself there, mister. I'm not that formal. Please...have a seat." She waited until he had settled in before continuing. "As you are well aware, there was a bit of an incident down below us last evening. I want to make sure it was an accident. To have access to do so, we may need your talents."
Andrew took his seat, pocketing the PADD as the commodore spoke. "Yes, ma'am. I tried to get a feel for anything out of place last night, but being across the bay distinctly limited my perceptions. Is there any particular evidence for or against it being an accident I should be aware of while I'm keeping my eyes, ears and mind open?"
"Actually there is nothing to indicate that the explosion was nothing more than a tragic accident. But given the situation on Taranok, I don't want to take any chances."
He nodded. "With regards to my talents - I had the computer parse through Stratkas Four's legal and civil codes looking for any variations from or further restrictions to Starfleet's codes on telepathy, empathy, and uses thereof. I didn't come up with any, but I know those databases rarely touch societal beliefs or religious practices in any detail. Are there any cultural or religious sensitivities you've encountered in that regard?"
Aryll walked/staggered in. "Commodore." She said, nodding. "Whoever you're supposed to be." She added, to the man she didn't recognize. She nodded to him, too. She collapsed on a bench. "Disengage safety. Deactivate." And promptly fell asleep, on the bench.
Andrew looked over at the now unconscious medical officer. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance too, I'm sure." he said quietly.
[Stratkas IV-Hretyer Marina]
As the Yacht set down in a spot designated for shuttles, and other small craft, various teams were going back and forth, each doing their respective jobs to ensure that the investigation, and clean up went smoothly.
It seemed most, if not all of them were reporting to, or coordinating with a woman standing under a makeshift tent. She held the markings of the local law enforcement.
"Contact the medical facilities here, and here to see if there is more room." The woman ordered, pointing to two spots on the digital map she was holding. "Starbase 80 is also going to be providing medical help as well."
"Yes constable." The man standing there said, before walking off to follow orders.
The woman noticed the small craft landing nearby, and approached, waiting near the hatch as it opened.
The first thing she noticed about the woman that exited the craft was her red-hair. Not one to fall to the old superstitions native to her planet, none-the-less it could be a distraction. The woman was followed by several others as she made her way down the ramp.
Walking over to where the constable stood, Kathleen extended her hand. "Good morning. Kathleen O'Shea, base commander."
The woman took the offered hand, giving it a firm shake. Her long brown hair was straight, going nearly all the way down her back, with some of it sitting along her shoulders. "Mirenda Kellis, Chief constable for Meurdin city Authority." Mirenda said by way of greeting. "I assume you're here to learn about the current situation here?"
Andrew walked over to the tent that seemed to be the center of activity. He was keeping his eyes and mind open and his mouth shut for the moment, just getting a look at the activity and trying to gauge the emotional climate to see if anything felt out of place. He noticed the commodore shaking hands with a woman and took a few more casual steps in that direction.
Aryll followed the Commodore, quietly. "Yes. In preferably as few syllables as possible, Constable. I would like to get to work. Doctor LeStrat. Rank unnecessary." She said, somewhat groggily.
Mirenda looked at the rather straight forward doctor that approached. "Well, right now, everything that happens here goes through me." She finally said, looking between the three officers. "We've put out the fires, and recovered 15 dead sailors, and 26 survivors. Unfortunately with the intense heat, and steam still coming from inside what's left of the ship, we can't get to any other personnel inside, or get any real idea of what caused the explosion."
Aryll scowled. "I'm in charge of the medical relief teams. To clarify something, and it clearly needs to be done right this moment, my staff answers to me, and me alone, and I answer to my Commanding Officer, and her alone. If you want my help, those are the terms. They are not negotiable." She said evenly, and with a practiced calm.
"I completely understand that, Doctor." Mirenda replied, her stoic expression unphased by anything the woman told her. It was as if she was Vulcan, without the pointed ears. "According to the information I've been given by my superiors, we've requested medivac assistance, which was granted to us by your Commanding Officer, and as you can see, an investigation is underway to attempt to determine the cause of yesterday's incident."
Aryll relaxed, slightly, at this. "They're both going to make it." She said, quietly.
"That's good to know." The voice came from a few steps away, as an older man with gray hair approached from under the tent. "Please forgive Officer Kellis. She's good at what she does, but she's all business these days."
"Councilman Ronset, it is a good to see you again, although I wish the circumstances were better." They turned for a moment as Aryll left without further word and headed toward the medical tent. "Dr LeStrat was awake most of the night working, and still managed to accompany me on this trip, so a bit of latitude would be greatly appreciated. One of the projects we have in this years plans is to upgrade and expand our medical facility here on-planet to better serve your people."
Mirenda watched Aryll, until she disappeared into the medical tent. She then returned her attention to the two officers still standing there, keeping quiet, until her input was needed.
"It is likewise good to see you again, Miss O'Shea. Latitude is fine, but as you know, coordination is a must. Having people running around, doing as they please would create chaos, and impede our own efforts." Ronset said with a smile. "When we're not dealing with such pressing matters, I'd love to hear more about this project."
Andrew stepped forward into the spot vacated by Aryll. "I couldn't agree more, Counselor. Coordination and cooperation are indeed crucial concepts in times of crisis." While continuing to smile at and address Ronset, he shifted his gaze ever so slightly to include Mirenda. "That said, we can only cooperate in matters where we have all the pertinent information; otherwise we risk adding to the chaos. Are there any recent developments that we should be apprised of?" As he said this, his eyes slid over to Mirenda. He was getting a sense of evasion from her, and if everything here was in fact running through her this was going to cause problems.
'Well played.' Andrew heard in his head, as Kathleen continued to look at Ronset, that damn charming smile plastered on her face.
"Everything that we've found so far tells us that this was merely an unfortunate accident." Mirenda answered, without missing a beat. "At this point, we have no reason to believe that our findings will be otherwise."
"Unfortunate indeed." Ronset added. "It's hard when lives are lost, whether it's an accident, or not. Mirenda here believes we will be able to get more definitive findings by tomorrow evening at the latest."
Andrew nodded. "Indeed, it is most unfortunate. And it's fortunate more lives weren't lost; I was across the bay when the explosion happened and the blast wave still knocked me on my..." He blushed and stopped himself, and then looked over at Mirenda again. "I hope my science background is deep enough to understand the answer I'm asking for. What events do you think could cause an explosion like that, and what have you found that rules any of those causes out?"
"You are awfully curious about the results of an investigation that is not yours." Mirenda said simply. She continued to wear the stoic expression that was most notable from Vulcans.
"Mirenda, don't be so rude." Ronset said off offhandedly, then turned back to the pair. "Miss O'Shea, what you see here is merely an accident that was caused by someone's negligence. I assure you there's nothing to worry about."
Deciding that diplomacy was the best approach, she decided to drop it...for now. "Yes, accidents do unfortunately happen. I think that Commander Matheson's main concern is if something like this were to happen again, some of our people could get caught up in it. As he said, they were on the beach at our complex and were knocked down by the blast. Fortunately nobody was injured...this time."
"Then let us hope that it does not happen again." Ronset replied with a smile, then changed the subject. "I've heard rumors from some freighter captains going around about two of the neighboring planetary systems. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this would you?" Though genuinely curious, Ronset was also deliberately turning the tables on these two.
Not skipping a beat, Kathleen assumed a genuinely quizzical look on her face as she answered. "I'm not exactly sure what you are talking about. There are always rumors about places floating around. Could you be a bit more specific?" She laughed as she spoke, playing the comments off as if the subject was completely non-existent. But inside, a silent alarm was sounding.
'Two planets? Have we missed something critical?'
"Something about a loss of communication." Ronset answered calmly. "Rumors of distress are also prominent, but nothing very specific I'm afraid."
"Well, I can't say that I have heard anything like that, but we will definitely keep our eyes and ears open. Did they happen to mention any locations in particular?"
"I'm sorry, but no." Ronset replied. He was inwardly smiling at himself. He had successfully diverted attention away from their investigation. "If I hear anything else, I'll be happy to let you know."
Mirenda's attention was diverted for a moment as something came through her ear piece. "I'm sorry. I have something I must attend to." She said, turning her attention back to Kathleen, and Andrew. "Excuse me please."
Andrew nodded respectfully to Mirenda before returning his gaze to Ronset. "I haven't seen anything rising to the top of my diplomatic communiques about local disturbances or distress. The most recent one of those arrived just this morning." That sense of evasion had increased, and there was a sense of satisfaction lining up with Ronset's speaking. Something was afoot here. However, getting written up for insubordination on his first day on the job was not a wise career move. He would simply have to speak to the commodore before they left the planet - and away from local staff.
"Perhaps one of the merchants in the area could give you more information." Ronset said, turning his attention to Andrew. "Most of what I hear is second hand."
As Mirenda walked away, she entered into the main operations tent. From where the trio stood, anyone watching would see someone hand her a PADD. She looked at it for a moment, then pointed to two places on the PADD, speaking to the woman who had handed it to her.
"Most of what I hear is second hand, so I can sympathize." Andrew said, smiling ruefully. "I'll make a few discreet inquiries into local rumor mills once this other investigation is sorted out and see if I can come up with anything more actionable." He did intend to make the rounds, if only to acquire some of that glorious tea. And he was sure questions would be asked in due course. Whether the questions had anything to do with planetary bodies farther away than the one he was standing on - that was an open question to be settled later.
Ronset was about to reply, but didn't get the chance, when Mirenda came over and interrupted. "Councilor, can I speak to you in private for a moment?"
"Sure." Ronset said, then turned from Mirenda to the two standing there. "Excuse us for a moment." he said, and then followed Mirenda into the main operational tent.
Andrew leaned slightly towards the Commodore and pitched his voice at the extreme bottom end of the human hearing range. "Two things. If you didn't think that was well played, I may be a security risk; and there are two people playing a game of three-card monte down on the beach." An outdated reference to an old card game relying on misdirection and confusion was the best he could do to get his suspicions out. The voice he had heard in his head earlier was still bothering him, mainly because he didn't know who it was.
Kathleen simply stared at him without speaking. And yet...
'You heard me just fine. Rosaleen isn't the only one that can speak without speaking.'
Kathleen turned her attention back to the tent, silently wishing she had mastered the art of moving within a moment to the degree that Rosaleen had. While Rose could seemingly hold a moment for as long as she choose to, Kathleen had yet to be able to do so for longer than about thirty seconds. Nowhere near enough time to get into the tent to see what they were up to.
Andrew nodded and extended his focus toward the tent, trying to pick up on their surface thoughts. He wasn't going to pry into anything they weren't throwing off, but most non-telepaths tended to broadcast their surface thoughts at least a little bit. Andrew likened what he was doing to tuning in the frequency to try to improve reception. He wasn't thrilled about doing it, but he'd asked nicely for straight answers and hadn't received them yet.
As he listened for their surface thoughts, the only thought he caught was that of Ronset. The older man's projected thoughts were like a whisper in Andrew's head. ~Get rid of them...~
A moment later, Ronset stepped out of the tent, approaching Andrew, and Kathleen. "My apologies that we weren't able to provide any new information for you." He said, the wording practiced in classic diplomatic fashion. "With this being a local matter, I'll have to ask that you, and your officers leave us to complete our investigation."
Kathleen called bullshit, however...it was not their jurisdiction, and Ronset's request was completely within his right to make. Well, it wasn't exactly a request...
"I understand. I'll go see to Dr LeStrat then, and we shall take our leave." She shook the man's hand again, and turned to walk to the Medical tent, leaving Andrew with the man.
Andrew shook Ronset's hand as well. "And I'll go see what I can run down about those rumors you referred to earlier, Councillor. If I find anything useful I'll route it over to your office." With a diplomatic smile that had three decades of practice behind it firmly in place, he followed the commodore over to the medical tent and found an out-of-the-way spot to stand and think.
"I look forward to hearing from you." Ronset said as Andrew walked away towards the medical tent. He continued to watch the man, until he entered the tent, then turned and walked back into the Operations tent. He would keep an eye on them, and if they stayed around too long, he'd ask Mirenda to see them off personally.
--------------------------
Kathleen walked into the tent and immediately located Aryll seated at a table by herself, going through a stack of some type of paperwork. "Doctor...anything of significance?"
"More paperwork than I care to care about." Aryll said, glaring at it. "I'm not being allowed to actually check on patients, but someone didn't mind me looking through this mischieva. All I can tell you about this place is that they're further behind on their paperwork than I am."
Kathleen smiled a knowing smile...she was probably even further behind. "So do you see anything that requires your attention? If not...we need to get you and your team prepped for transport to Taranok."
Aryll shook her head. "Not worth my time." She said. "Ready to go whenever you are, ma'am. This is almost an insult."
Kathleen looked sympathetically at Aryll. Her first couple of days aboard the station had been rather hectic. Unfortunately, it was about to get much worse. "Let's go guys...there's nothing else for us here. For now." She turned and made her way back to the craft. It was obvious that something wasn't quite right, but they did not have the resources to waste on it. They did manage to get one important detail though...
Taranok might have only been the beginning.
Commodore Kathleen O'Shea
Commanding Officer
Starbase 80
Lieutenant Commander Andrew Matheson
Chief Diplomatic Officer
Starbase 80
Lieutenant Aryll LeStrat
Chief Medical Officer
Starbase 80
NPCs played by:
Captain Jey Cleh
Executive Officer
Medical Systems Specialist
Starbase 80
