Beg, Steal or Borrow – Trojan Horse - Part 1
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC) & Colonel James Darson & Alderman Dorian Gabriel
Post Details
IC:
At the moment he was reviewing the information that was collected by the station before, during, and after the attack by the Romulan fleet. The fleet's actions were truly an enigma to him at this point. He wasn't surprised that the Romulans had once again launched an attack against their "so-called" allies. He was more surprised at the Romulan's tactics. He had never observed a Romulan Commander lead an assault force, but then leave in the middle of battle without declaring a general retreat. It seemed unlikely that the soldiers would disobey such an order. There had to be another angle to the situation.
David was back in his office, collating the PADDS listing the damage and appraising the actions of the officers and crew that had reacted and acted with honor and integrity in a time of danger. He was not used to battles with such dire odds and the next task was to find out what their motive was. He felt that there was more to this attack than some statues that held a religious connotation, especially where the Romulans were concerned.
He had mulled over the reports for nearly a full half hour and still had to write his own report, but he could not get T'Lan out of his mind and the way she had reacted when he had tried to kiss her earlier that afternoon. There was a bridge to completely rebuild there, but it would have to wait.
He released a deep sigh as he wandered to the replicator and was thinking about a good hard drink, but chose to keep a level head, for the moment anyhow.
He stood idly looking at the device, unable to decide on what to drink despite the hunger pangs that knotted his already troubled stomach.
"Iced tea, sweet in a tall glass." He finally stated and watched as the lights danced and disappeared, leaving the ochre colored liquid standing, waiting to be collected.
He reached for the glass and sipped.
"Computer, locate Commander T'Lan." He asked, taking another sip and deciding he didn't want this beverage and placed it back on the tray, for the station to dispose of.
Before the response came, his own badge chirped.
*Taps* "Gabriel to Davies" Gabriel said in his usual tone.
"Lieutenant!" He exclaimed, somewhat surprised, "Sorry, what can I do for you?" He inquired, making his way back the Captain's desk and the reports, hoping that the newly installed security chief would offer a valid distraction.
"This entire situation seems like a half-hearted pretense." Gabriel said as he continued to review the Padd in front of him that detailed the areas of the station that were hit.
He guffawed silently. "I was just thinking something similar myself. There has to be another reason for that Romulan attack, but have you any ideas?" He wanted to ask if there had been any reports on the saboteur, but that would wait for a short time.
"My department is still interrogating the Romulan pilot that was captured, however I have little reason to believe that he would provide any ground-breaking revelations." He said quickly. Gabriel was sure that his department could get more information out of the man sitting in their brig, however he was not certain that Davies would approve of their method of questioning. For the time being he'd keep information on a need to know basis.
"More to the point, there are too many pieces to this puzzle. The Romulans send an attack fleet to the station at the same time that Captain Tahir leaves the station, Da`nal's family is attacked, and conveniently, Isha disappears from the station all at the same time." He said "That many incidents *can't* be a coincidence." He added.
Davies shook his head, feeling a connection with Dorian, but the news of the Romulan diplomat going missing was news to him.
"Far too many for comfort!" He replied without thinking. He sighed, "and yes, it cannot be a coincidence." He shifted in his seat as his hand came to his brow and rubbed at his forehead. "You say that Miss t'Khellian has gone missing. When did that happen?" He asked as he placed the glass onto the table and watched a droplet of moisture meander downwards in an erratic course to the table.
Gabriel was surprised that Davies wasn't already aware of the situation. It would make sense that the Commanding Officer was still sifting through the damage reports and could not divert the attention to ancillary issues. "The Romulan evacuated the station around the same time that the lead vessel in the Romulan attack fleet began to retreat. Normally I would just put out a warrant for her arrest, however, my security officer Ensign Opaka was assigned as her escort and he was taken along with her." Gabriel reported.
David swallowed. He thought that he would have heard that it was Isha that had been listed along with Jo'el. The report that he had received just said that some members of the civilian personnel had not been accounted for and were currently listed as MIA.
"Evacuated? How is that possible? I had ordered that no ships except for the few that were partaking in the defence of the station, were to be allowed to leave. I cannot see what logic she has in leaving in the heat of battle or why?" He said as he twisted the glass around.
"She's a Romulan, that's all the reason I need to doubt her innocence in the matter. For the time being I'm directing my departments' attention toward investigating the actions of her co-horts. However, she is still on my radar." Gabriel responded. "Once I have more information I'll be in touch with you. Gabriel out." he said as he ended the conversation and resumed his work.
= Lower Decks =
Mokab had squirreled himself in one of the unused storage lockers that provided a little more robust shelter than his cardboard dwelling, but it was the sounds of crates being ripped open that had made him peer through the gap in the door. He tried to adjust his angle of view, but he still could not see whom it was that was searching for something. He held his breath as it went quiet outside his hidey hole, then he heard footfalls coming in his direction. He pushed himself back as far as he could into the back of the locker, away from the light when he heard the voice of the person just a few meters away from his position.
"Too soon," H'haen tr'Rehu muttered, "They've stopped too soon!" How was he supposed to find what he was looking for if they didn't give him enough time? Without the external distraction the station could soon be swarming with people looking for intruders - Rhiu, had really messed up in planning this one, he thought sourly, wishing that his dear and exalted sister was here in his place. "Hta`Dva, hta`Dva, hta`Dva!!"
The language was unmistakably Romulan and he was cursing. Mokab desperately wanted to see who it was and what it was that he was looking for.
He stopped before a stack of cargo crates - where would a thief hide them? he wondered. The relative silence was eerie, though he had not been comfortable picking his way through the storage holds with a bombardment going on at least he was relatively safe from interference - now each step he took echoed and could draw attention.
"Hnaev!" As the lid of the top crate crashed open he tore his fingernail. Sucking the worst of the blood from his skin H'daen began to rummage before moving on. The place was wrong ... it had to be somewhere easy to reach but where no-one would look. He continued into the next area.
Mokab heard the footsteps move away but still he held his breath as his chest began to ache. Fear had a lock on him and he had not felt so nervous since Natrina had threatened him. That was a threat, this was something else.
He allowed the stale air in his lungs to slowly release before curling his fingers around the handle on the inside of the hatch and pulled himself forward. He placed his ear as close to the door as possible, listening for any indication the ferret outside was still about.
Confident that he was not, he scrunched his grubby fingers around the handle and turned it, pushing the door ajar with his other hand, before poking his head outwards, only to have something hard and heavy crash onto the top of his head and darkness quickly ensued.
H'daen paused and glanced back over his shoulder - could it be that he was not alone?
More likely one of the crates he had dislodged had slipped and fallen to the floor, he told himself as he continued, trying, with limited success to think like a thief who had something to hide.
---
Outside in the corridor, a fire team of Marines exited a cargo bay and came to a stop in the middle of the corridor. In light of the several intrusions that had taken place during the Romulan’s attack, Lieutenant Flynn had ordered a top down compartment by compartment sweep of the entire station, in order to make sure that all the intruders had been routed.
Corporal Jones took off his helmet and rubbed his tight haircut. The search pattern was simple. Starting from the top deck, expand outwards from the center in concentric rings, forming a solid perimeter through which nothing in theory could pass. As part of the first wave of search teams, they were the ones who examined an area first, opening every storage locker and Jeffries tube, and poking around in every air vent or sealed container large enough to contain a person. The other teams following behind were responsible for double checking each location just in case the intruders managed to elude detection by the first.
Jones glanced back at his team. This was the 17th cargo bay that had had to search through, and to be honest it was getting kind of dreary. They all looked the same, the lockers had nothing but junk and some pornography in them, and the search of the containers were sometimes interrupted by infuriated civilians, demanding to know if they had a warrant for the search.
Slightly refreshed by the cool air blowing through the corridor instead of through an air filter, he opened a COM channel to the Marine CCC, =^= “Home plate, home plate. This is Charlie-Alpha-1. Cargo bay 547-28-B is clear. Moving onto 547-29-A.” =^=
The response came back immediately in that insanely fast style of speaking that the controllers were known for, =^= “Roger that Charlie-Alpha-1. Acknowledge that bay 547-28-B is clear. You may move on to your next sector at your discretion.” =^=
=^= “Roger that Home Plate. Moving on to next sector. How far behind us is the second wave?” =^=
=^= “Charlie-Alpha-1, second search team is 70 meters behind, right on schedule. Please be advised that we have received reports of squatters in the general vicinity using the cargo bays and lockers as shelters. You have authorization to use non-lethal force if they refuse to cooperate.” =^=
=^= “Acknowledged Home Plate,” =^= With that, Jones turned off the channel and motioned for his team to move up and stack up against the large heavy door. He turned to the panel and punched in an override code. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, revealing a packed cargo bay, with columns of containers forming a veritable maze through the bay.
Jones felt a sweat drop form on the back of his head. This was going to be fun. His team quickly entered and cleared the immediate area, before looking to him for orders. He sighed, then said over the internal COM, “All right guys…you know the drill. Fire and Maneuver, spread and search. Report each section clear as you move through it. Take your time and be thorough. We don’t want to miss anything…oh, and if you see any squatters make sure to give them a good zap on the rear with a buzz baton and check them for weapons before sent
As two of the armor clad Marines moved off, he could swear that he heard something crashing in the bay, and movement coming from deeper inside. “Damm hobos,” he thought. With a grumble, he moved along the side of the wall and began scanning the crates and inspecting the lockers.
---
Think, H'daen told himself as he walked into the next bay. As his eyes scanned the shelves he found it identical to the last. Anyone hoping to hide something here and retrieve it later would be insane unless they had marked the place in some way. The trouble was it seemed that nothing had been disturbed recently.
He passed quickly down the aisle, an uncomfortable idea was occurring to him. There was someone on DS5 that he needed to talk to before he wasted any more time.
To be continued ...
OFF
Commander David Davies
& Mokab Mellibrate by Tasha
H'daen tr'Rehu NPCd by Louise
Marines NPC'd by Major Darson
Lieutenant
Dorian Gabriel
Chief Security/Intelligence Officer
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC) & Colonel James Darson & Alderman Dorian Gabriel
Post Details
| Title | Trojan Horse - Part 1 | |
| Mission | Beg, Steal or Borrow | |
| Author(s) | Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC) & Colonel James Darson & Alderman Dorian Gabriel | |
| Posted | Wed Apr 29, 2009 @ 8:11pm | |
| Location | Security Office / CO's Office / Lower Decks | |
| Timeline | SD8 18:00 |
At the moment he was reviewing the information that was collected by the station before, during, and after the attack by the Romulan fleet. The fleet's actions were truly an enigma to him at this point. He wasn't surprised that the Romulans had once again launched an attack against their "so-called" allies. He was more surprised at the Romulan's tactics. He had never observed a Romulan Commander lead an assault force, but then leave in the middle of battle without declaring a general retreat. It seemed unlikely that the soldiers would disobey such an order. There had to be another angle to the situation.
David was back in his office, collating the PADDS listing the damage and appraising the actions of the officers and crew that had reacted and acted with honor and integrity in a time of danger. He was not used to battles with such dire odds and the next task was to find out what their motive was. He felt that there was more to this attack than some statues that held a religious connotation, especially where the Romulans were concerned.
He had mulled over the reports for nearly a full half hour and still had to write his own report, but he could not get T'Lan out of his mind and the way she had reacted when he had tried to kiss her earlier that afternoon. There was a bridge to completely rebuild there, but it would have to wait.
He released a deep sigh as he wandered to the replicator and was thinking about a good hard drink, but chose to keep a level head, for the moment anyhow.
He stood idly looking at the device, unable to decide on what to drink despite the hunger pangs that knotted his already troubled stomach.
"Iced tea, sweet in a tall glass." He finally stated and watched as the lights danced and disappeared, leaving the ochre colored liquid standing, waiting to be collected.
He reached for the glass and sipped.
"Computer, locate Commander T'Lan." He asked, taking another sip and deciding he didn't want this beverage and placed it back on the tray, for the station to dispose of.
Before the response came, his own badge chirped.
*Taps* "Gabriel to Davies" Gabriel said in his usual tone.
"Lieutenant!" He exclaimed, somewhat surprised, "Sorry, what can I do for you?" He inquired, making his way back the Captain's desk and the reports, hoping that the newly installed security chief would offer a valid distraction.
"This entire situation seems like a half-hearted pretense." Gabriel said as he continued to review the Padd in front of him that detailed the areas of the station that were hit.
He guffawed silently. "I was just thinking something similar myself. There has to be another reason for that Romulan attack, but have you any ideas?" He wanted to ask if there had been any reports on the saboteur, but that would wait for a short time.
"My department is still interrogating the Romulan pilot that was captured, however I have little reason to believe that he would provide any ground-breaking revelations." He said quickly. Gabriel was sure that his department could get more information out of the man sitting in their brig, however he was not certain that Davies would approve of their method of questioning. For the time being he'd keep information on a need to know basis.
"More to the point, there are too many pieces to this puzzle. The Romulans send an attack fleet to the station at the same time that Captain Tahir leaves the station, Da`nal's family is attacked, and conveniently, Isha disappears from the station all at the same time." He said "That many incidents *can't* be a coincidence." He added.
Davies shook his head, feeling a connection with Dorian, but the news of the Romulan diplomat going missing was news to him.
"Far too many for comfort!" He replied without thinking. He sighed, "and yes, it cannot be a coincidence." He shifted in his seat as his hand came to his brow and rubbed at his forehead. "You say that Miss t'Khellian has gone missing. When did that happen?" He asked as he placed the glass onto the table and watched a droplet of moisture meander downwards in an erratic course to the table.
Gabriel was surprised that Davies wasn't already aware of the situation. It would make sense that the Commanding Officer was still sifting through the damage reports and could not divert the attention to ancillary issues. "The Romulan evacuated the station around the same time that the lead vessel in the Romulan attack fleet began to retreat. Normally I would just put out a warrant for her arrest, however, my security officer Ensign Opaka was assigned as her escort and he was taken along with her." Gabriel reported.
David swallowed. He thought that he would have heard that it was Isha that had been listed along with Jo'el. The report that he had received just said that some members of the civilian personnel had not been accounted for and were currently listed as MIA.
"Evacuated? How is that possible? I had ordered that no ships except for the few that were partaking in the defence of the station, were to be allowed to leave. I cannot see what logic she has in leaving in the heat of battle or why?" He said as he twisted the glass around.
"She's a Romulan, that's all the reason I need to doubt her innocence in the matter. For the time being I'm directing my departments' attention toward investigating the actions of her co-horts. However, she is still on my radar." Gabriel responded. "Once I have more information I'll be in touch with you. Gabriel out." he said as he ended the conversation and resumed his work.
= Lower Decks =
Mokab had squirreled himself in one of the unused storage lockers that provided a little more robust shelter than his cardboard dwelling, but it was the sounds of crates being ripped open that had made him peer through the gap in the door. He tried to adjust his angle of view, but he still could not see whom it was that was searching for something. He held his breath as it went quiet outside his hidey hole, then he heard footfalls coming in his direction. He pushed himself back as far as he could into the back of the locker, away from the light when he heard the voice of the person just a few meters away from his position.
"Too soon," H'haen tr'Rehu muttered, "They've stopped too soon!" How was he supposed to find what he was looking for if they didn't give him enough time? Without the external distraction the station could soon be swarming with people looking for intruders - Rhiu, had really messed up in planning this one, he thought sourly, wishing that his dear and exalted sister was here in his place. "Hta`Dva, hta`Dva, hta`Dva!!"
The language was unmistakably Romulan and he was cursing. Mokab desperately wanted to see who it was and what it was that he was looking for.
He stopped before a stack of cargo crates - where would a thief hide them? he wondered. The relative silence was eerie, though he had not been comfortable picking his way through the storage holds with a bombardment going on at least he was relatively safe from interference - now each step he took echoed and could draw attention.
"Hnaev!" As the lid of the top crate crashed open he tore his fingernail. Sucking the worst of the blood from his skin H'daen began to rummage before moving on. The place was wrong ... it had to be somewhere easy to reach but where no-one would look. He continued into the next area.
Mokab heard the footsteps move away but still he held his breath as his chest began to ache. Fear had a lock on him and he had not felt so nervous since Natrina had threatened him. That was a threat, this was something else.
He allowed the stale air in his lungs to slowly release before curling his fingers around the handle on the inside of the hatch and pulled himself forward. He placed his ear as close to the door as possible, listening for any indication the ferret outside was still about.
Confident that he was not, he scrunched his grubby fingers around the handle and turned it, pushing the door ajar with his other hand, before poking his head outwards, only to have something hard and heavy crash onto the top of his head and darkness quickly ensued.
H'daen paused and glanced back over his shoulder - could it be that he was not alone?
More likely one of the crates he had dislodged had slipped and fallen to the floor, he told himself as he continued, trying, with limited success to think like a thief who had something to hide.
---
Outside in the corridor, a fire team of Marines exited a cargo bay and came to a stop in the middle of the corridor. In light of the several intrusions that had taken place during the Romulan’s attack, Lieutenant Flynn had ordered a top down compartment by compartment sweep of the entire station, in order to make sure that all the intruders had been routed.
Corporal Jones took off his helmet and rubbed his tight haircut. The search pattern was simple. Starting from the top deck, expand outwards from the center in concentric rings, forming a solid perimeter through which nothing in theory could pass. As part of the first wave of search teams, they were the ones who examined an area first, opening every storage locker and Jeffries tube, and poking around in every air vent or sealed container large enough to contain a person. The other teams following behind were responsible for double checking each location just in case the intruders managed to elude detection by the first.
Jones glanced back at his team. This was the 17th cargo bay that had had to search through, and to be honest it was getting kind of dreary. They all looked the same, the lockers had nothing but junk and some pornography in them, and the search of the containers were sometimes interrupted by infuriated civilians, demanding to know if they had a warrant for the search.
Slightly refreshed by the cool air blowing through the corridor instead of through an air filter, he opened a COM channel to the Marine CCC, =^= “Home plate, home plate. This is Charlie-Alpha-1. Cargo bay 547-28-B is clear. Moving onto 547-29-A.” =^=
The response came back immediately in that insanely fast style of speaking that the controllers were known for, =^= “Roger that Charlie-Alpha-1. Acknowledge that bay 547-28-B is clear. You may move on to your next sector at your discretion.” =^=
=^= “Roger that Home Plate. Moving on to next sector. How far behind us is the second wave?” =^=
=^= “Charlie-Alpha-1, second search team is 70 meters behind, right on schedule. Please be advised that we have received reports of squatters in the general vicinity using the cargo bays and lockers as shelters. You have authorization to use non-lethal force if they refuse to cooperate.” =^=
=^= “Acknowledged Home Plate,” =^= With that, Jones turned off the channel and motioned for his team to move up and stack up against the large heavy door. He turned to the panel and punched in an override code. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, revealing a packed cargo bay, with columns of containers forming a veritable maze through the bay.
Jones felt a sweat drop form on the back of his head. This was going to be fun. His team quickly entered and cleared the immediate area, before looking to him for orders. He sighed, then said over the internal COM, “All right guys…you know the drill. Fire and Maneuver, spread and search. Report each section clear as you move through it. Take your time and be thorough. We don’t want to miss anything…oh, and if you see any squatters make sure to give them a good zap on the rear with a buzz baton and check them for weapons before sent
As two of the armor clad Marines moved off, he could swear that he heard something crashing in the bay, and movement coming from deeper inside. “Damm hobos,” he thought. With a grumble, he moved along the side of the wall and began scanning the crates and inspecting the lockers.
---
Think, H'daen told himself as he walked into the next bay. As his eyes scanned the shelves he found it identical to the last. Anyone hoping to hide something here and retrieve it later would be insane unless they had marked the place in some way. The trouble was it seemed that nothing had been disturbed recently.
He passed quickly down the aisle, an uncomfortable idea was occurring to him. There was someone on DS5 that he needed to talk to before he wasted any more time.
To be continued ...
OFF
Commander David Davies
& Mokab Mellibrate by Tasha
H'daen tr'Rehu NPCd by Louise
Marines NPC'd by Major Darson
Lieutenant
Dorian Gabriel
Chief Security/Intelligence Officer