Beg, Steal or Borrow – Red Handed
by Lieutenant Vincent Tan & Alderman Dorian Gabriel
Post Details
ON:
Vincent wiped his sweaty palms on his the side of his pants. He was performing a task that he had never performed before. However, he needed information on the senior staff of Deep Space 5 and he needed to know who or whom they were communicating with. Today's attack had left the station in all-sorts and Vincent had decided to use the confusion to do some snooping around the communications department. However, the terminal he was trying to access was doing its best to foil his efforts.
Muttering a few choice swear words, Vincent tried again to hack into the communications archive. The swearing drew a few glances from some of the other staff in the room, but they were either too fatigued or immersed in their own work to do anything else. In his past he would have thought nothing of asking or even demanding one of them to help - it was the reason why he never really bothered to learn how to do it properly - but under his current circumstances he decided against it. His rank was lower, his position was lower and his mission demanded the utmost of secrecy. Despite missing the action, Vincent could not allow the events of today, and the near disaster, to be repeated.
Gabriel's patience was non-existent as he continued to make his way through the station's battered interior attempting to find any survivors, and at the same time prevent the inevitable looting that would occur. However, it was going to be even more difficult now that his own department was in complete disarray.
He had no clue what the hell Isha had done with Ensign Opaka. His new Chief Assistant was still recovering in sickbay after being involved in the previous battle. Wallace was still missing in action and the damn Cardassian spy and her friend had managed to escape minutes before the battle took place. There was so much that had to be put in proper perspective.
Gabriel entered the computer terminal room expecting it to be clear of any officers since this was not on the list of designated safety shelters. However, he was surprised to see an officer feverishly hunched over the console, no doubt attempted to access information that was beyond his classification.
Vincent's fingers, were more used to manipulating a scalpel or drumming the armrest of a command chair, did their best to dash across the keyboard as Vincent tried once again to hack into the database. He was so focused on this task that he missed the man coughing gently behind him. He did not realize his predicament until a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
"Would you prefer I shoot you and throw you in the brig, or shoot you and throw you in sickbay. Or how about I just shoot you and figure out the rest later?" He said irritably.
Turning around in shock Vincent could not think of anything to say but his carefully rehearsed introduction line. His nerves, ensured he even stumbled through that. "I'm Comm-, sorry, Lieutenant Junior Grade Vincent Tan, the new Assistant Strategic Operations Officer. I'm... I'm..."
"What the hell does that have to do with you being down here instead of at Ops?" Gabriel said as he observed the pips on the obviously older man's collar. "Strategically you have no business down here and I don't have time to babysit." He added.
"Oh, yes. Sorry," Vincent blurted out, and remembering his cover, added a belated, "sir." Flustered, he went on; "I must have gotten lost - the turbolifts must not be working properly - ended up here by mistake. I just followed the people with gold trim. No idea. So sorry, sir. It won't happen again, I promise. I know you're busy and important and..."
" . . .and you are still wasting my time instead of leaving this area." Gabriel said. "Strategic Ops? There's more of you here?" He said in an exasperated tone. "As if it wasn't bad enough that the head of the department is was off on the Freedom playing Cowboys and Romulans, now his lackey's are rummaging around int he lower levels." He said more to himself than anybody else.
"Just what *are* you doing on this computer terminal anyways?" He asked.
"I was just, ah..." Vincent said, looking around. "I was checking the communications for, ah... signal intercepts. We need to know if the Romulans called for any reinforcements or if they had friends in the area..."
"Signal interception, huh?" Gabriel said without a hint of sincerity. "That is a matter of Intelligence, therefore you will go speak to Chief Petty Officer Ayers, since he is an Encryption Specialist. Any questions Lieutenant?" Gabriel asked, putting emphasis on the last word?
"None, sir," Vincent said promptly. From his junior years until now, he had no yet found a better method to appease someone than by simply repeating what he had just been told and agreeing with it totally. "It is an intel matter. I will follow it up with Mr. Ayers, sir."
"Good, this station is still on lock-down and the last thing I need is for random people to be in unsecured locations and that includes *you*" He added.
"I'd hardly call myself random, sir," Vincent said, regaining some of his confidence now that he knew he was effectively off the hook. "But I agree that all personnel should be at their appropriate stations and not off chasing random things, sir."
"Good, now leave this area and report back to Ops. I'm sure you are needed up there." He said as he stepped to the side to allow the man to leave.
"Of course, sir," Vincent said, eyeing the man's collar. It was not everyday that a mere lieutenant threatened to shoot him, let alone one who had failed to introduce himself or state his position. For all Vincent knew, this gentleman had reasons of his own for wanting Vincent out of communications. He made his own mental note to follow it up.
As Gabriel watched the man leave he made a mental note to look into the man's file. Something about him was offsetting.
OFF
Lieutenant
Dorian Gabriel
Chief Security/Intelligence Officer
Lieutenant JG
Vincent T. Tan
Asst. Chief Strategic Operations/Inept Spy for Starfleet Command
by Lieutenant Vincent Tan & Alderman Dorian Gabriel
Post Details
| Title | Red Handed | |
| Mission | Beg, Steal or Borrow | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant Vincent Tan & Alderman Dorian Gabriel | |
| Posted | Sat Apr 25, 2009 @ 5:41am | |
| Location | Deck 11 - Main Communications | |
| Timeline | SD 8 16:20 |
ON:
Vincent wiped his sweaty palms on his the side of his pants. He was performing a task that he had never performed before. However, he needed information on the senior staff of Deep Space 5 and he needed to know who or whom they were communicating with. Today's attack had left the station in all-sorts and Vincent had decided to use the confusion to do some snooping around the communications department. However, the terminal he was trying to access was doing its best to foil his efforts.
Muttering a few choice swear words, Vincent tried again to hack into the communications archive. The swearing drew a few glances from some of the other staff in the room, but they were either too fatigued or immersed in their own work to do anything else. In his past he would have thought nothing of asking or even demanding one of them to help - it was the reason why he never really bothered to learn how to do it properly - but under his current circumstances he decided against it. His rank was lower, his position was lower and his mission demanded the utmost of secrecy. Despite missing the action, Vincent could not allow the events of today, and the near disaster, to be repeated.
Gabriel's patience was non-existent as he continued to make his way through the station's battered interior attempting to find any survivors, and at the same time prevent the inevitable looting that would occur. However, it was going to be even more difficult now that his own department was in complete disarray.
He had no clue what the hell Isha had done with Ensign Opaka. His new Chief Assistant was still recovering in sickbay after being involved in the previous battle. Wallace was still missing in action and the damn Cardassian spy and her friend had managed to escape minutes before the battle took place. There was so much that had to be put in proper perspective.
Gabriel entered the computer terminal room expecting it to be clear of any officers since this was not on the list of designated safety shelters. However, he was surprised to see an officer feverishly hunched over the console, no doubt attempted to access information that was beyond his classification.
Vincent's fingers, were more used to manipulating a scalpel or drumming the armrest of a command chair, did their best to dash across the keyboard as Vincent tried once again to hack into the database. He was so focused on this task that he missed the man coughing gently behind him. He did not realize his predicament until a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
"Would you prefer I shoot you and throw you in the brig, or shoot you and throw you in sickbay. Or how about I just shoot you and figure out the rest later?" He said irritably.
Turning around in shock Vincent could not think of anything to say but his carefully rehearsed introduction line. His nerves, ensured he even stumbled through that. "I'm Comm-, sorry, Lieutenant Junior Grade Vincent Tan, the new Assistant Strategic Operations Officer. I'm... I'm..."
"What the hell does that have to do with you being down here instead of at Ops?" Gabriel said as he observed the pips on the obviously older man's collar. "Strategically you have no business down here and I don't have time to babysit." He added.
"Oh, yes. Sorry," Vincent blurted out, and remembering his cover, added a belated, "sir." Flustered, he went on; "I must have gotten lost - the turbolifts must not be working properly - ended up here by mistake. I just followed the people with gold trim. No idea. So sorry, sir. It won't happen again, I promise. I know you're busy and important and..."
" . . .and you are still wasting my time instead of leaving this area." Gabriel said. "Strategic Ops? There's more of you here?" He said in an exasperated tone. "As if it wasn't bad enough that the head of the department is was off on the Freedom playing Cowboys and Romulans, now his lackey's are rummaging around int he lower levels." He said more to himself than anybody else.
"Just what *are* you doing on this computer terminal anyways?" He asked.
"I was just, ah..." Vincent said, looking around. "I was checking the communications for, ah... signal intercepts. We need to know if the Romulans called for any reinforcements or if they had friends in the area..."
"Signal interception, huh?" Gabriel said without a hint of sincerity. "That is a matter of Intelligence, therefore you will go speak to Chief Petty Officer Ayers, since he is an Encryption Specialist. Any questions Lieutenant?" Gabriel asked, putting emphasis on the last word?
"None, sir," Vincent said promptly. From his junior years until now, he had no yet found a better method to appease someone than by simply repeating what he had just been told and agreeing with it totally. "It is an intel matter. I will follow it up with Mr. Ayers, sir."
"Good, this station is still on lock-down and the last thing I need is for random people to be in unsecured locations and that includes *you*" He added.
"I'd hardly call myself random, sir," Vincent said, regaining some of his confidence now that he knew he was effectively off the hook. "But I agree that all personnel should be at their appropriate stations and not off chasing random things, sir."
"Good, now leave this area and report back to Ops. I'm sure you are needed up there." He said as he stepped to the side to allow the man to leave.
"Of course, sir," Vincent said, eyeing the man's collar. It was not everyday that a mere lieutenant threatened to shoot him, let alone one who had failed to introduce himself or state his position. For all Vincent knew, this gentleman had reasons of his own for wanting Vincent out of communications. He made his own mental note to follow it up.
As Gabriel watched the man leave he made a mental note to look into the man's file. Something about him was offsetting.
OFF
Lieutenant
Dorian Gabriel
Chief Security/Intelligence Officer
Lieutenant JG
Vincent T. Tan
Asst. Chief Strategic Operations/Inept Spy for Starfleet Command