Star Trek: Season 9

[X]

"James here," Aeric responded to K'Tan while still on the bridge. "We have had a security breach and a serious breakdown of the chain of command. Dunn is now in route to place D'Callan under house arrest until we can get this all sorted. I could use your help keeping an eye on Joseph while I look into how far this breach goes and the cause of the breakdown. We will need some answers for the captain before he arrives and we don't have much time."

[Dangelus]

Lester didn't think he was "too keen" at all. The was an emergency on board and he wanted to help. Yes his shift did not start for over an hour but it was logical to increase the manpower in these situations, wasn't it? Obviously Security didn't think so! At least they were gracious enough not to report him to the duty engineering officer in charge, Lester contemplated and slipped out a good dose of Human sarcasm before sheepishly turning his head to see if anybody had noticed.

He stopped at the door of his quarters ready to disengage the lock when he noticed the door wasn't actually locked! Although personnel were not required to lock their doors he always felt a desire to keep his living areas private and never left them unlocked. Hesitating, he found himself wishing he was armed.

"Computer, are there any unauthorised personnel in my quarters?" he said expecting the worst.

His right hand began to tighten into a nervous fist while he reached for his communicator with his left.

"Negative" responded the computer.

"I see..." he whispered.

Perhaps in making a decision to volunteer his services against his instincts he had just forgotten to lock his door in his elevated emotional state.

Lester eased his body out and exhaled in relief. His grip relaxed and became an outstretched index finger reaching for the door mechanism.

Entering, he passed the vacant suite next to his bedroom and headed for the wash basin.

"mmmuurrrrpphhmm....." came the sound that could only have come from inside the room.

Lester didn't like feeling emotional at the best of times and Fear was as distasteful as they came. Turning his back to the wash basin wall he picked up a hairbrush, the best weapon to hand.

"Computer, you told me my quarters were empty!" he whispered

"Incorrect." the computer retorted.

Anger began to manifest itself in Lester having the affect of dampening the fear just a little.

"You enquired if there were any unauthorised personnel in these quarters. There are no unauthorised personnel in these quarters." the disembodied voice continued

"Very well." he said.

Either it was Lester or the computer that wasn't functioning correctly and he wasn't sure which.

"mmmuurrrrpphhmm....." came the sound once more.

"That was real!" Lester was convinced.

Without a thought and relying only on adrenaline, he rushed towards the sound, the spare suite.

"What?!" Lester shouted as his eyes gazed upon the source of the moaning. On the bed in a disarranged state was a diminutive figure in a Starfleet uniform.

"Computer...."

[Jen]

The diminutive blond set an icy gaze on the baby faced Lieutenant, "I don't care who sent you down here, Mr. Dunn. He's not leaving Sickbay. He may be under arrest, but he's my patient...and I'm not releasing him until he's made a complete recovery."

Lieutenant Dunn raised his hands in surrender, "I haven't come to take him away, Doctor. Commander D'Callan is under house arrest...and right now Sickbay is his 'house'."  He cast a nervous glance to Lieutenant Commander K'Tan then back to Doctor Drett who was positioned between Joseph D'Callan and the three security officers who had come to 'arrest' their commanding officer. 

"Someone just tried to kill him...If anything, you three should be here to protect him from whoever has infiltrated this ship!" She had honestly tried to quench the red hot anger that annealed her composure, but the fact that Lieutenant Commander James was the one that ordered his arrest, kept her from achieving an even calm.

[Geekyfanboy]

Joint post Just X and Startrekfanatic5

The pulse of the silent red light tinted the shuttle bay as Aeric entered to meet Quinn's recently landed shuttle. Aeric's mind was a blur of sensor information from his connection to the ship. His eyes had taken on a slightly dazed look while he split his attention between the crew and the ship. Security had been breached and until they could determine the extent, they had to use every edge to their advantage.

Aeric smiled to himself as the doors to the shuttle slowly opened with the slight hiss of the atmosphere between ship and shuttle equalizing. When Nathan emerged from the doorway, Aeric nodded slowly, his left hand hanging on to the PADD that contained his reports. "Welcome aboard captain, I hope your trip was more uneventful than our situation here."

Quinn exited the shuttlecraft with Took close behind. He didn't say anything to James at first not exactly sure how he was going to proceed. Nathan keep his mind closed tight not wanting to expose his anger or displeasure with his XO. He was not happy with the events that had happened during his leave and under the command of Mr. James but he also wanted to hear all the details before passing judgment. As he approached Aeric, Quinn gave him a quick smile "The trip was..." he paused for a moment "...relaxing. But we have much more important things to talk about." Nathan turned to Nic and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in a few, I have some business to take care of." Took chuckled to himself as he gave Aeric a nod as he passed by him exiting the shuttle bay.

Quinn walked toward the exit. "Walk with me Mr. James..."

Aeric nodded and fell in step beside the captain, "Glad to captain, there is a lot that you need to be brought up to speed on."

[Meds]

JOINT POST BY  JEN & HAWKEYE MEDS

Joseph D'Callan came to from his slumber but kept his eyes closed, he could hear the angry tone of Doctor Drett. He slowly opened his eyes and rolled them from side to side searching for the reason for her tone.  The good Doctor looked quite formidable standing between he and Lieutenant Dunn.

"Ah, Mr. Dunn...doing his duty" he whispered to K'Tan, who was nearest to him.

Lieutenant Commander K'Tan glanced down at Joseph—his mouth moved slightly to form words that could not be heard. The Chief of security slowly heaved himself up and glared at Christopher Dunn.

"What is going on here Lieutenant?"

[Jen]

"Lieutenant Commander James has ordered that you be detained, pending an investigation...." Lieutenant Dunn gave Ryla a nod and offered Joseph a sympathetic smile, "...sorry sir."

"Why?" asked the Trill—the anger now saturated with shock. She turned her eye from Dunn to D'Callan. The question hung in the air as the the three officers stood staring down at Joseph. The hiss of the sickbay doors broke the silence and a Ferengi shuffled in. Ryla turned to see a nurse greet him then show him to a biobed.

[dinghead]

Darius went down the last hallway in his assigned section. It was clear.

The ensign breathed a sigh of relief... that turned into an iceberg in his guts. A stray memory from earlier, when he'd run down this exact hall. The memory of a prone Starbase tech laying across the floor, sticking out of an access panel with his shoulders up swallowed in the darkness.

"Come on Shane, think... What was the tech doing? What runs through here?" He closed his eyes and thought back to the schematics he'd studied on the trip from Earth. The answer froze him in place. Right the other side of that panel was a primary conduit, and the secondaries for the emergency warp core ejector. The possibilities for sabotage boggled his mind.

Dropping to one knee, he found the panel stuck in place. It didn't open on the first attempt, or the second. It had been sealed shut.

"Grozit..." He muttered under his breath, reaching up under his uniform tunic, he drew the highly un-regulation durasteel blade he carried and wedged it into the seam.

A few moments later, the blade snapped clean in half, but the panel finally fell open. Sticking his head in, Darius gave it a once over. He was no engineer, but he knew what to look for. Nothing wrong in here.

Falling back on his haunches, Darius' combadge beeped. "We show you at an open panel Ensign, report" came the security officer's voice.

He tapped the badge. "Situation normal. I opened the panel to check a hunch, but it was clean."

"Acknowledged. We'll cancel the alarm. Oh, be advised... D'Callan's been placed on house arrest in sickbay. Dunn's taken over until further notice."

"The Boss is... What? That doesn't make any sense."

"Commander James ordered it, all we know."

Darius let slip his feelings about Commander James without bothering to close the combadge.

"Colorful descriptions don't help the situation, ENSIGN," the man at the other end replied stonily.

'No, but they make me feel better,' Darius thought. "Right, sorry. Anyway, my route's clear. Instructions?"

"Stay ready for now. Security, out." The badge fell silent.

Darius played over recent events in his head. First, D'Callan was poisoned on the station. Second, all hell breaks loose on same Station. Third, operatives from 31 show up and try to take charge of the situation. Fourth, they had an inordinate amount of interest in D'Callan.

If the Boss wasn't 31, he was close to them. And 31 didn't believe in loose ends.

Growling every curse word he could think of, Darius bolted for his quarters.  He'd need his old duty harness and it's wizard's bag of tricks. If someone WAS coming for the Boss, he wanted to be ready.

[Feathers]

Sitting on the bio-bed waiting for attention, Galdar surveyed the occupants of sickbay with some concern. The presence of medical personnel was clearly normal, but the three armed guards spaced around the room worried him, not to mention the Lieutenant talking with one of the Doctors and a rather severe looking Lieutenant Commander. Sickbay wasn't a recognized alert duty station for the chief Tactical Officer, yet here was a man who could only be K'Tan.

Thankfully, the guards weren't here for him. They'd raised no protest at his being armed when Ensign Garriss brought him in and the Commander appeared to be ignoring him completely. They offered an unwanted edge of mystery though, that was only somewhat offset by the reassuring presence of Joseph D'Callan. He lay in a bed on the other side of the facility, but even there, something was wrong. The last time he'd seen D'Callan, the human had been departing the starbase for the planet's surface so shouldn't have been here at all.

As he waited, Galdar reflected on his first hours aboard the Arabella. He'd had an unprecedented amount of attention due to his manner of arrival; he'd been up before the Acting First Officer on an informal disciplinary matter; he was probably suspected of collusion in who-knows-what and was now waiting for someone to come and help him remove his clothes. Under different circumstances, the last of these could be...

He winced as he chuckled involuntarily, the movement it created in his shoulder causing his uniform to pull at the fused area. He was feeling more discomfort now and was worried that the charred skin of the wound was starting to come away from the rest of his shoulder. The suspicious dampness at the top of his arm did little to ease that feeling.

He whimpered quietly.

[Jen]

A tall man sat alone in his cell staring at the blue force field before him. Just beyond it, a Starfleet Intelligence officer stared back at him. The incarcerated man stood and approached—the energy causing the hair on his arms and neck to stand as he stepped closer to the force field.

"The information you provided was helpful, but your former Minder remains at large."

The man in the cell scoffed, "I didn't expect you to find Gaius...and if you had, you would be dead before you  felt the burn of the blade as it slipped across your throat." He scratched his chin, "but you tracked down Theran somehow? Didn't you?"

"Yes. We have... agents... in the field who are after him now. What do you know of  Karum D'Callan?" asked the smaller framed SI agent.

The prisoner eyed him a moment in silence.

"Remember, your cooperation will clear her," said the agent—his tone sounding like disapproval.

"Against my better judgment, I've outed two friends...if I knew who this 'Karum' was, I would have told you what I knew about him before I ever turned on them."

"Would Dennis?"

The prisoner straightened at the inquiry, which made the agent smile. "We found his program in the main frame of the Arabella during repairs. Dennis has quite an extensive database of 31 knowledge, which is one of the reasons why we acted as quickly as we have." He narrowed his eyes, "too many spies have slipped in and out of this crew—all acting under the assumption that they were but shadows to us...  to good to be detected by the likes of Starfleet Intelligence... Encrypted messages can be decoded." A grin formed on the agent's face, "but you already know that don't you?" At that, the man behind the field looked down at his feet.

"Well, I have a mission to direct... I'll leave to your thoughts. I'm sure you have some details to recall for the next time I come," said the agent. "As always, we appreciate your cooperation. I'm sure Theran will thank you too, once we bring him in."

[Jen]

Ryla looked once more at the Ferengi, then back to the three officers.  No one had answered the question she posed. No one would tell her why Joseph was being arrested. She wondered if Lieutenant Commander James was overstepping his authority on the matter. She glanced to K'Tan. She hadn't known him long enough to understand what his various facial expressions meant, but the one he wore now hinted that he knew more than he was willing to tell. She crossed her arms, "Fine. Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me...I have another patient to take care of and I don't want to keep him waiting." She stooped to pick up the empty bottle that Joseph had dropped on the floor, in an effort to hide it from her earlier, and handed it to K'Tan. "Maybe next time you'll bring one of these for me." Ryla crossed the floor to meet the Ferengi who patiently waited for medical attention.

[X]

"Zero point power system is online," the computer of the Zephyr said in Rory's voice. It was one of the few conceits that she allowed herself when aiding her father in the construction of the new shuttle. The diamond shaped craft was far smaller than the Aurora and closer to a Type I shuttlepod in size. It was built for speed and maneuverability with limited weaponry. While it was warp capable, it was designed to reach warp five at best. Miniaturization and advances since the time of the NX-01 had allowed the Zephyr to pack much more in the smaller frame.

Rory sat in the co-pilot's chair, located directly behind and above the pilot's seat and tested the warp coils. She had heard alert and chose to remain at her station. Every inch of available space was put into use for the prototype and designed to support up to four crew in minimal comfort. The design of the craft gave it a low sensor profile and size for size, the ship held more RCS thrusters than any other shuttle in use. In theory, this made it the most maneuverable craft in the fleet, but it was a theory that had yet to be tested outside of the simulator. The limited weapon systems were complete, but still offline. There was still so much to do.

Rory smiled to herself as the systems went green from the active power core. "Computer, initiate connection to the Arabella primary computer core and begin download of star charts and systems information. Also update beta software with current LCARS."

"Working," replied the Zephyr's computer.

Rory slid out of her chair and took a seat on edge the rear bench, where the girls had fallen asleep. Although holograms normally did not get tired, she felt that way. It was something that her father had chosen to incorporate into her design and she cherished her ability to sleep and dream. It made her feel more El-Aurian.

Rory stroked the hair of her sister and closed her eyes. "Computer, wake me in ten minutes and begin reboot when transfer is complete."

[Feathers]

Joint post by Feathers and Jen

"That's a nasty wound you have there. Why didn't you come to see me as soon as you came aboard, Ensign?" asked Ryla as she stepped to the Ferengi's bed side.

"I was otherwise...occupied at the time.", he apologized, "So much so that I didn't notice the...problem". He winced again as the doctor gently probed the area. "Since then I seem to have been catching up on my sleep"

Without pausing in her work, Ryla gave Galdar Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number Ninety Three, in his own tongue. She cleared her throat as she opened the tricorder, "Act without delay...the sharp knife cuts quickly."

Galdar opened his mouth, then closed it, giving his com badge a startled glare as if accusing the universal translator of tricking him. Looking up again, he caught the doctor's eye and saw the suppressed mirth.

"I bow to your obvious wisdom, Doctor." He said gravely. "As long as the knife is cutting uniform and not the skin of my shoulder, that is." He tried for a brave smile but felt he achieved little more than a weak grimace.

Ryla smiled at his remark as she passed the tricorder over him. After a moment she looked up to meet his nervous brown eyes, "we haven't been properly introduced." The medical tricorder whirred softly as she continued, " Lieutenant Ryla Drett, Assistant Chief Medical Officer. I'd shake your hand, but that should probably wait until I've repaired the damage you sustained." She set the tricorder aside, removed a dermal regenerator from it's place and activated it. A tingling sensation touched Galdar's shoulder as the device mended the ugly wound. "There you go. Good as new." The Trill put the implement down and offered her hand to the Ferengi. "And you are?"

"Galdar, Si...Lieutenant. Ensign Galdar. Shuttle pilot," he paused, releasing her hand and then flexed his arm, exercising his repaired tissues.

"Until today I was assigned to the Starbase. Today I joined the crew of this ship." He glanced, sidelong at K'Tan and the guards, "Tomorrow may bring other surprises."

Reaching round with his good arm, he gingerly touched his shoulder, almost caressing the smoothness of the newly restored orange skin.

"It appears I am also in need of a new uniform."

Ryla picked at an imaginary piece of lint on his jacket. "I don't know. While gross, this bloody tunic has sort of an edgy appearance. It may get you an Eelwasser, on the house, if you swing by the Afterburner." The doctor suspected the wound he obtained had something to do with the alert status they were currently under. It was possible she could find out more about what was going on, but there was a reason why she was being kept in the dark and her three hundred years of experience told her to wait until it had been volunteered. That, and she trusted K'Tan. Rather than press Galdar further, she decided to let it go...for now.

[Dangelus]

The corridors of the Arabella still glowed red indicating the ship's alert status as Lester made his way from sickbay.

He didn't enter the medical center, instead depositing Ensign Galdar just outside. His presence was unnecessary and would contravene the ship's current alert status; at least that is the explanation he gave to his new Ferengi 'room mate'. There was no need to inform Galdar of his dislike of Starfleet Medical and its various divisions.

With the immediate crisis of escorting the injured Ensign to medical attention over, Garriss began to ponder the revelation that his quarters were no longer his alone. It was a situation he had never considered. During his service on starbases it was never an issue, due to their size every crew member had the luxury of their own personal living space, however small, regardless of rank.

The shadow of insecurity began to waft itself around Lester's psyche like a wailing banshee, raising his pulse and he began to lose control. He felt the need to hurry and began to walk at such a pace for theturbolift at the end of the corridor that he was practically running. His vision blinkered, all he could see were the turbolift doors getting closer and closer when all of a sudden the doors opened attempting to allow a passenger to exit. Being too close and moving too quickly to stop, they collided, knocking Lester down on his rear and initiating a loud grunt from the passenger whose build being larger than Lester's saved them the humiliation of being knocked down.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't see you there, I was...." Lester stuttered.

"You were ordered to quarters Ensign! What is your business here?" the passenger interrupted.

Recognising the voice Lester looked up to see the figure of the security officer he had encountered earlier and knew he had some explaining to do.

[Feathers]

Joint post by Jen and Feathers

The Trill lifted her tricorder and examined it once more through narrowed eyes, "have you been consorting with any Orion women lately?"

"Doctor?", the Ferengi almost squeaked,. "No, no...I haven't...that is I never...that isn't to say I wouldn't..." His mouth clamped shut and he coloured slightly, looking rapidly from left to right to see who was listening. He took a deep breath and his face took on a guarded look. "Forgive me, Doctor, but are you attempting humor at my expense?"

Ryla lifted her pale brown eyes from the tricorder at the sound of Galdar's embarrassed gasp. She shook her head slowly and smiled, "Not at all, Ensign Galdar. Please forgive me, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She turned the device in her hands to share the data with her Ferengi patient. "My findings indicate that your Oplecantus levels have peaked." She closed the tricorder and pocketed it before returning the dermal regenerator to the table. "Orion pheromones are known to cause that. You may feel exceedingly weary after the effects have worn off...it's a side effect. Individuals who've been subjected to these chemicals are highly susceptible to suggestion. Do you recall doing anything out of the ordinary today?"

Galdar blinked and looked over at Joseph D'Callan for a moment before returning his attention to the Doctor. With a small smile, he shook his head slightly before speaking. "Doctor, most of what has taken place since I came off shift has been 'out of the ordinary' with the exception of packing my bag for transfer."

"Finding the shuttle bay empty when I went looking for Nick. That was unusual." He paused, " Then when Mr D'Callan's brother and I were talking, all hell broke loose on the station. That was distinctly unusual. A running phaser fight on the station isn't 'normal' either..."

Lieutenant Dunn, overhearing the conversation, stepped to Ryla's side and interrupted, "How long have you known Lieutenant Commander D'Callan's brother, Ensign?"

Galdar looked at him blankly for a moment before speaking. "Well, Sir, I never actually met him until today". Rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, he tried again, an edge of uncertainty creeping into his voice, "Thinking about it, I didn't know the Lieutenant Commander HAD a brother until today." He paused once more, then said very softly, "If I'm totally honest, I don't actually know that the Lieutenant Commander DOES have a brother." His hands dropped to his lap and he looked questioningly at the two Lieutenants.

"Does he?", he whispered.

[Meds]

D'Callan eye ball'd Dunn who hovered over Galdar.

"Earning your new pips aye Chris?"

Dunn straightened and quickly turned back to the Lieutenant Commander.

"I'm sorry Sir, but its Commander James's orders that i investigate"

D'Callan looked up at K'Tan who raised a eye brow.

"Did you hear that mate. I tell you what Chris, i've got another pole here that needs greasing if you fancy coming over and having a look"

K'Tan coughed and turned to hide his snigger as Dunn began to look flushed.

"Sir, i'm sorry but...."

D'Callan butted in.

"Oh no need to apologise mate, I like nothing more than to be confined to my bed surrounded by burly red shirts. But do you know what really grinds my wheels?"

Dunn shook his head and let out a quiet answer.

"No Sir."

D'Callan leant forward.

"The fact you didnt even bring me any grapes"