Star Trek RPG - Mission #3: "Some Other Side of Paradise"

[anyrose]

"Thank you." then "Yes, we can talk some other time." Collins watches as Kylah beats a hasty retreat, and almost smiles. But there is still too much weighing on her mind. Is Ben really okay with all this? Should I have trusted Booker? Could I get in one more hit before I quit cold turkey? Jeremi quickly dismisses the last thought and replaces the Mazine's bag back on the nightstand. She gets under the covers, and tosses several minutes, trying to get comfortable, finally curling up into a pseudo fetal position facing away from Kylah's bunk. She stares at the bulkhead until her eyes get too heavy to hold open, and finally falls asleep.

[choie]

Now in the mess hall sitting by herself, Kylah stares at the datapad in front of her. It is blurry. She rubs her eyes with two fingers, sighing at how exhausted and disheartened she is. The interaction with Collins a pleasant surprise, but it cannot erase the constant barrage of terrible things she has experienced over the past few days.

At last she begins the report. She is determined to include everything--everything but her indiscretion with Jan, of course, and the personal issues with Velir, Graham and Collins.

She writes of Collins and Graham's quick reactions to Fastolfe's attack on Wilson. She praises Graham for the ease with which he assumed leadership after Collins's sudden unavoidable departure, and how he solicited opinions and made assignments accordingly. Much credit is given to Delaney and Garcia's decryptions of the safe and various files.

For Velir, she stresses his calm under pressure, his initiative, his well-considered strategic advice to Collins when it appeared the then-mission commander was overwhelmed and losing focus--although she adds, tactfully, that Collins's distraction may have been due to her health issues. Kylah does not leave out his courage and astonishing ability to save them from Palver's plans.

In every way, Ensign Rangin showed extraordinary abilities of intellect and even leadership. With so much contradictory evidence and data, I fear the crew were often at odds as to how to proceed, and even both mission leaders did not seem fully aware of all the facts of the case. Ensign Rangin consistently strived to maintain focus and peace. That this investigation succeeded, to whatever degree it did, is in no small part because of his pursuit of the truth and willingness to both follow orders and think outside the narrow parameters of normal investigative skills.

I believe him fully worthy of a commendation and indeed a promotion--although of course this is far beyond my responsibility and perhaps it is presumptuous of me to comment. However, as a low-ranking Ensign, I believe it would be inspirational to those such as me to see such merit rewarded.

Kylah swallows and looks down at the words she has written. Her fingers touch the pad as lightly and tenderly as if stroking Velir's face.

Will anyone say such things about her performance? She does not feel comfortable reporting on her own accomplishments and hopes someone recognizes them. Perhaps her disastrous and irrational behavior has tainted whatever positive recollections her team might have--if they even do remember her successes.

She was the first to be suspicious of Hardin: first due his presence on the planet, although those suspicions were merely of impropriety; and then when she was the first to identify the inconsistencies between his claims of not having seen Wilson versus the witness statements. She decoded Wilson's communicator; she found the videotape that both indicated Mrs. Hsu had lied, that Palver had lied, and that Hardin was in fact not guilty of murder. She was able to get a confession from Mrs. Hsu about the affair and took the woman down by herself before the attempted escape to the Trimalchio. All her attempts at leadership when left behind at the resort.

And then there was Palver. Kylah's insistence on his involvement, her refusal to believe Hardin's confession, her suggestion of mind control...

No, no one will remember this, Kylah thinks sadly, her thumb absently rubbing the side of her datapad. I will be remembered for my last cowardly actions. Hysteria. Fainting. Being a damsel in distress.

Taking a soothing sip of hot chocolate, Kylah returns to her report. She finishes her recital of the facts of the case and the praise for those who she feels earned it. But that is not enough. She will not repeat her mistakes after the Sakath mission by assuming others will report the problems and dangers that resulted from the mistakes during their time there. And so she begins...


To be continued...

[CatInASuit]

Rangin doesn't head back for his quarters but goes straight for the science labs. He's not sure he could work in his quarters, the promise of a bed and sleep hanging heavy in the room and he knows that he could easily find respite in sleep, preferably without the dreams that are likely to accompany them. But he still has work to do, and even though Rangin can feel effects of the dinner still upon him, it doesn't matter. If those reports are not written now, they never will be, at least to the standard he would want.

As he enters he the lab he grabs a coffee, the only thing he could really do with now. Dog-tired and slumping into a chair as the sounds of some of his colleagues carrying out experiments and writing up results fills the air with quiet chatter. Rangin gently lobs the datapad onto the table, not really caring about the mission and watches it skitter across the table top to stop just out of reach. Raising the cup to his lips, he considers what he needs to do next: write two reports in double quick time. After the first few sips, Rangin feels more relaxed and ready to set to it and he leans right across the table and picks up the datapad. Reading back over the notes he had assiduously been collating over the last few days, he shakes his head disappointedly, noticing that the further on things progressed, the looser the notes became.

Rangin starts with the easier part, the report of the resort and starts putting together at least the stuff he is happy with. How the resort handled the spores, along with some brief notes on the medical side and the security of the place. It does not take Rangin long, it was the only thing he was really going down to do, so the notes were comprehensive. Finally, he adds some detail in about his concerns on the way WR&R was running the place, even though it never turned out.

With that part done, he sits back and takes a few calm breaths. Relaxing slightly that he is beginning to make headway. He rises and gets another coffee, on autopilot, while he continues to churn through what to write next. Should he write it all, should he leave parts out, if so what should he leave out. He absent-mindedly scratches at the back of his head while picking the cup up and heading back to the desk and settling back into the chair.

He takes a few more sips, looking into the distance as the world around seems to fade out and only his memories remain, before deciding that anything on duty should go in, anything off duty could remain quiet...

Quiet: just how Kylah wanted to keep things, was she ashamed of being with him, was he not good enough for her, was he just some kind of toy she could pick up and use whenever she felt like it.

Rangin stopped when he realised that his knuckles had started to go white around the cup and he took a deep breath to start again. Regardless of how they felt about each other, he still had to give an honest appraisal of her, and the rest of the team. He wondered if Kylah would be doing the same and what she would be writing about her out-of-hours experiences. Somehow Rangin didn't think those would make it in somehow. Sleeping with someone she had met after a few scant hours was not the sort of thing that well in a report.

It doesn't matter, Rangin would be honest and if that meant giving Kylah the write up she deserved, then so be it. After all, she had been persistent, perceptive, brave and daring. She had put her life on the line in stopping Mrs Hsu and had to contend with Security, and oh yes, there was something that Rangin was going to mention, just how bad Security had been. He didn't have to name names, just point out the stupidity of their actions and the rest would speak for themselves. Yes, Security of both the Yorktown and the resort had been below par. Otherwise, how were they going to explain that Kylah was able to prove Hardin could not have committed the crime, and not them. That her instincts for Palver had proved correct more than once.

Rangin leaned back and took a deep breath as if coming up for air. Peering back down at what he had been writing, he was beginning to wonder if he hadn't slightly overdone it with Kylah, but thinking back on it, she had been as useful, if not more so, than anyone there. Trying push all thoughts of Kylah to one side, which was difficult as he could still feel her warm embrace from the planet, Rangin tried to concentrate on Graham and Collins.

Collins had been learning to lead the team and was beginning to do a good job before medical issues took over. Graham...Rangin stopped. How much of Graham's behaviour did he want to include, it would impact Kylah and her dalliance with Svelha and Kylah still owes him an explanation. Rangin shrugs. In the end there was more than enough things that Graham did without having to overdo everything: a few good, but mostly bad. It wasn't as if he is going to write anything other than describe what Graham had decided was acceptable behaviour. It is tempered slightly though. Graham had started off badly, but had improved somewhat before the end, he just needed to be a little more respectful of those around.

For T'Var, Rangin had got on well with the Vulcan Officer who had been as diligent, observant and stoic as usual. Lt Delaney, well Rangin had not really worked with him, but he had done what had been asked, quickly and efficiently. As for the others from the Yorktown, Rangin quickly pointed out the good, Crewman Dobson and the not so good, Lt Kjaerstad, not directly, but through their actions.

When it came to his own role though, Rangin is not sure what to say. He helped Collins with sorting out what to do, he found the files, though anyone could have found them. He'd done what had been asked of him, regardless of who it had come from. He had figured out the teleporter traces, and also stopped the team getting hit by lightning. He'd done several laps of the resort in the rain, and had somehow been the only one capable of taking down the person behind all the murders. But looking back over it, Rangin feels slightly downhearted, it was nothing special, anyone else could have, and would have done the same. Surely.

What did it matter. Security still acts like its runs the place and obviously do not think they do anything wrong. Rangin muses, he should have stopped at do not think....

Now several hours later, Rangin sits back, realising at some point he had retrieved another coffee, but the reports are written, and he was done for the night. Saved, sealed and ready to be handed in.

Rangin calls it a night and heads back to the sweet sanctity of sleep in his quarters.

[choie]

Kylah gnaws on her thumb a bit before concluding her report with the problems encountered.

She begins by acknowledging her own flaws as a junior officer--going above her station, pushing interview subjects past the point of their tolerance, even causing aggressive behavior in others. Kylah finds it painful to acknowledge the truth that, as a Communications officer, she was unsuccessful in gaining the trust of several interviewees. She admits her questioning of her senior officers may have approached insubordination, although she cannot help but add that she did so in hopes of furthering the investigation. It may be an excuse but it is one she feels she must make.

At last she begins to describe what seemed like a systemic disregard for both safety and solid investigative procedure on the part of the Starfleet team as a whole. The rush to judgment against Fastolfe and Graham's treatment of him in his house that bordered on harassment. Delaney's incredibly irresponsible blurting of dangerous facts about Hardin while Graham and Kylah were in front of the man.

Somewhat nervously, Kylah describes the utter breakdown of command during the brief time Graham put her in charge of activities at the resort. Mr. Graham ordered the entire Starfleet team left behind to follow my instructions as if they were his own. Though I am inexperienced and not a Security team member, I believe my subsequent performance was as professional, thorough and strategically sound as could be expected. However, my orders were, time and again, questioned and outright disregarded.

When we learned there was suddenly transporter activity, I asked Ensign Russell to determine whether Mrs. Hsu was still in her office. He gave an answer that did not take into account that there were multiple rooms in that office; we assumed she had transported out, when instead she had escaped through a crawlspace in the bathroom.

I began a search for her and ordered Lt. Garcia to meet me at the transporter room to help catch Mrs. Hsu; this was on an open channel overheard by Lt. Kjaerstad. Without my knowledge or permission, Kjaerstad overrode my order and asked Garcia to help him search some video footage. This left me to face a fugitive--who turned out to be armed--entirely without backup. As a result I had to act alone. Fortunately Mr. Graham was able to instruct me remotely, but I do not believe my orders should have been disregarded.

Kylah continues to describe the repeated failure to accept her orders, including the security officers Russell and Harper, who chose to move Mr. Hsu to a different place entirely without consulting her, and Rawlings's ignoring her request to ensure with St. Croix that transporter signal interrupters were placed outside Palver's quarters as well. Had her suggestion been taken, Palver would not have escaped to the Trimalchio at all.

I was forced to take the entire team to task multiple times. I fully acknowledge that I may not have been worthy of their unquestioned respect, having not earned it in battle or even length of service. But rightly or wrongly, our mission commander Graham had ordered them to obey my leadership. Lives were put in jeopardy as a result--first my own by Mrs. Hsu, and multiple others by Palver's escape. Indeed we would not have confirmed Palver's guilt if the Trimalchio had left orbit. Hardin would have been arrested and convicted for a murder he believed himself to have committed.

Kylah shakes her head when reading all this over. She rubs her eyes again. And finally she takes a deep breath before concluding:

I wish to put it on record that I am concerned about the loose ends and unanswered questions regarding what began as a simple assessment of a resort's worthiness of a license renewal, and turned into an investigation into murder and corruption.

To speak to the original purpose of our assignment: I strongly believe that while WR&R's running of the resort is, on the surface, efficient and elegant, its core is rotten and the judgment of its board is questionable, considering that at least three of the resort's highest-placed personnel were implicated in this corruption scandal and murder. Further investigation is needed as to whether WR&R's board was complicit in the bribery of Vice Admiral Hardin.

Further, Vice Admiral Hardin's ability to convince the licensing board of WR&R's suitability must also shine a spotlight on the licensing board itself. How much did they know? Did Wilson have any additional arrangements with other members? Did Palver? How many competitors were attempting to sweeten the pot for this lucrative license?

And that leads me to the most significant recommendation, which I understand is not in my purview but I believe it my duty as a Starfleet officer and ...Kylah hesitates before continuing to type.. a soon-to-be-Federation citizen. I strongly feel that part of the responsibility for this festering corruption lies in the decision to award the license for colonization of this planet--in the form of a single resort--to one commercial venture. This immediately created an atmosphere ripe for venality and corruption.

In the end, this a planet with unique resources of extraordinary value for the health and welfare of others, yet it has been made available solely to a few of the wealthiest customers of a single company. I believe a luxury spa and resort can certainly be one of the options for this planet, but it should not be the only one. The planet could and I believe shoudl be made available to other ventures such as free or low-cost clinics, so that more can take advantage of the spores' unique qualities.

She closes her eyes, trying not to remember the treacherously seductive bliss that led to such poor decisions on her part.

Allowing a single, vastly wealthy corporation to possess a monopoly and charge outrageous fees without any competition... These are not the values of the United Federation of Planets; not the ones of which I learned in the Academy. I dearly hope this entire policy will be reconsidered, as indeed it must be in light of the nest of corruption uncovered by our investigation.

Kylah bites her lip and stares at the words. Yes, she probably has gone too far. But at this point she is so fed up with the rank hypocrisy in Starfleet and the highly vaunted ideals of the Federation that she wants to make her opinion crystal clear, even if she suffers for it.

She concludes her report and saves it. Her eyes are bleary and she would not be able to write any more even if she could. With a soft groan she stands up--her muscles are knotted and sore--and makes her way back to her quarters, where she takes a shower to scrub the filth of the planet and the day's activities from herself... although her mind remains stained by he memories. Then, clad in her sheer nightgown, she crawls into her bed and lies on her side. Kylah tries to imagine Velir's arms protecting her.

Unfortunately the only experience she has of someone in bed with her is Jan, and she cannot separate the physical memory of him from the much more desired memory of Velir. She tightens her shut eyes and wraps her own arms around herself, hiding under the blanket as if it can protect her from the truth that, even in the safety of the ship, stalks her.

[Elendil's Heir]

The lights soon dim throughout the Yorktown, and ship's night begins. You each enjoy a restful sleep in your own beds.

You awake in the morning to find, on the ship's status updates in your respective comm accounts, that the frigate USS Pyongyang has already arrived in orbit of Omicron Ceti III, as has the Silver Heron. The luxury liner has brought several dozen new guests for the resort, as well as the resort's new director, some other WR&R brass, and at least eight reporters.

Cmdr. Jadwiga Kalinowski of Starfleet Security's Office of Investigative Services is a flinty, dead-eyed Pole with gray hair pulled back in a bun. She leads a team of six which has been at work for several hours already. Collins and Graham attend a mid-morning Security briefing with her and learn that, the search of the Trimalchio having found little of use against Palver, the Yorktown's last boarding party has been recalled, the yacht's crew released from quarters and its captain restored to command. Kalinowski is in close touch with the JAG officer on Starbase 27. Palver remains sedated and is transferred under heavy guard to the Pyongyang.

Later in the day, Kalinowski and her senior aide, Lt. Cmdr. Sanok, a Vulcan, debrief each of the landing party separately. They have obviously read your AMRs and have quite a few questions. Cmdr. Vargas sits in but says little. Kalinowski is all business and clearly does not welcome questions from you, but answers some.

It is almost dinner time before the last of the landing party members, Ens. Kylah, is finished with her debriefing.

[anyrose]

Collins feels more like herself, having stood an uneventful watch. Even her debriefing was uneventful, since she had very little to add to the others' AMRs, except to tell Cmdr. Vargas how well each of the landing party conducted themselves, and to please put Collins' recommendation for commendations to all of them in their jackets.
She messages Cooper that she's heading to the mess for dinner, if he'd like to join her. Then immediately regrets that, but she doesn't want to be alone for too long, so she leaves it as sent.

[choie]

Kylah is sickened, if not surprised, by the quickness with which this so-called investigative team has dispatched the Trimalchio, and the fact that she is unable to point out several issues that were left unanswered. The angrier she gets, the less conflicted she is about the other report she is duty-bound to create: not for Starfleet, but for her Guardian.

If the Federation is this inept and corrupt, she will not mourn if Elas ends up in the Klingon empire after all. For all its claims of holding the higher ground, the UFP does not seem to her much better a prospect than the Klingons--and possibly worse. Kylah detests hypocrisy.

Now that she is done, apparently, with the farce of the debriefing, Kylah is tempted to contact Velir, but from the way they left things she fears contact is best left up to him. Instead, she gets in touch with the person she has not seen since boarding the Trimalchio. On her way from the room where she spoke to Kalinowski, she opens her communicator.

"Kylah to Dr. T'Var. I was wondering if we might have a chance to talk? I would like to find out how you are doing."

[general_urko]

Graham's not surprised that it appears others' AMRs were longer and more opinionated than his own. I was never much for writing anyway, he thinks. But he doesn't second-guess himself: we've got a much better chance of building some unit cohesion if give dealing with the long list of things I could have documented 'off the record.'

Still, once the joint sessions with Pyongyang's officers are over, he leaves a short note for Cmdr. Vargas indicating that he is available at his convenience if the commander would like a private briefing solely with the Yorktown's chain of command.

He's thrilled to have time to fit in a quick workout before dinner. He changes in his quarters, but before hitting the gym he finds a secure terminal in a private location and looks up information on signs of withdrawal--and use--of synthetic hallucinogens.

Well, I feel like a narc, he thinks. But what the hell, 'Sis' if I'm going to help you one way or another I'd best brush up on this...

Once he's done that, he heads for the gym and punches up one of his favorite workout programs: 30 minutes broken into intervals of progressively intense cardio work followed by martial arts maneuvers. Tempted as he is to see if there's a program optimized for fighting Rhaandarites, he figures that a tried-and-true Klingon-based program will be more useful.

[Elendil's Heir]

Kalinowski, Sanok and their OIS team got here on the Pyongyang, but are not part of its crew. The Trimalchio remains in orbit.

Cmdr. Vargas replies, "Thank you, Mr. Graham. Not now, but maybe soon. I want to mull over all of the AMRs some more."

Graham finds quite a bit on the Library Computer terminal in his quarters about the use of synthetic hallucinogens and withdrawal signs. They are all across the board, depending on species and drug.

There is not a martial arts program optimized for fighting Rhaandarites, but there is indeed one for fighting Klingons.

[CatInASuit]

As he leaves the debriefing, Rangin feels like he has just run through another dissertation. Tired, and by now, thoroughly fed up by the whole of Omicron Ceti III, he still maintains a calm and quiet demeanour through the process.

He's not sure how Cmdr Vargas is taking the implicit criticism of his Security team, but then Rangin has done what he promised himself. He has laid out what happened in clear terms and it is for those higher up to deal with it. He doesn't necessarily like pointing things out like this, but in some ways, its the only way people learn not to do them, if they are broken of the bad habit.

Wondering what to do next, Rangin contemplates contacting Kylah, she still owes him an explanation and the consistent picking apart of his AMR just raised further worries in his mind over what she was up to. But if she is going to be as quizzed as hard as he had just been, Rangin isn't going to get anything from here until Kylah is given a little time to recover.

There was one last thing to do, Rangin ponders, as he taps the little monitoring tab he had been wearing. Nothing had happened in the last 24 hours, so it was time to get rid of it.

Rangin contacts Dr Villa in Sickbay, to see if he could stop wearing the monitor, to ask if they had any further idea as to why he was able to move against Palver's ability, and also to pay his respects to Fujishiro, who was still in a coma last Rangin knew. He may not have known her long, but still feels guilty for surviving the Sakathian Virus in a much better state than she did.

Anything else, well that could wait until tomorrow.

[Elendil's Heir]

Cooper replies to Collins, "Sure. Mess Hall 3 at 1800?"

Dr. Villa has both Kylah and Rangin turn in their biometric monitors. She says, "There've been no unusual readings for either of you since you returned from the surface. I can't explain why you were able to resist Palver, Mr. Rangin, but I do have a theory. Would you be willing to have your psi abilities retested?" Fujishiro remains in a coma, and the Yorktown's Chief Medical Officer says sadly that there's little likelihood she will ever emerge from it.

[CatInASuit]

As Rangin is not yet ready to meet up with Kylah, he heads to Sickbay while she is running through her AMR.

When it comes to his psi abilities, Rangin shrugs. He can't remember any Coridanites showing any psi abilities, although it might occur in perhaps one or two in total of the entire population of the planet, if indeed it actually did exist for his species.

"Why not, ma'am. If it can help to try and explain what happened, I have no problems with that, though I doubt you will find anything. I tend to rank on the completely random guesswork average end of the scale when it comes to any kind of mental abilities."

"As for Fujishiro, I take it then that even the OC III spores for all their value are not capable of reversing what damage was done?" Rangin sighs, "Would you mind if I sat with her for a while, maybe read to her? It may not mean anything, or do anything, but no-one should be left alone like that."

[anyrose]

"1800." Collins messages back. She's not sure what they'll talk about, but it will be nice to have the company.

[general_urko]

Before his workout, Graham sets up a password-protected search for the latest and greatest information specific to Terran females and common drugs that he intends to let chug away overnight.

By the end of his workout he's feeling better than he has in a long time. As he hustles through a quick shower, his mood sours a little. What I'd like to do is have dinner with Cecilia... He resists the urge to check her duty schedule, however. I think she actually did enjoy our little chat, he thinks. So don't push it, Booker...

His list of other to-do's is not thrilling: Clearly I need to round up some of the Security folks who were on OC3 and debrief. And put the kibosh on any bullshit around not following Kylah's orders. And then there's continuing the conversation I started with her planetside... He's not sure how to approach that, or even what the outcome is. Better not to do that after a long day of briefings anyway....

Other than suggesting to Rangin that he might want to consider being more diplomatic expressing his contempt for me personally and perhaps my whole profession, I don't really have anything we need to discuss, he thinks. But then again, Rangin seems to be close to Kylah and might actually be helpful on that score...

He decides checking on Collins is the only absolute "must do" today. Well, if I'm lucky--fat chance, I know--we'll run into each other at dinner. Otherwise I'll track her down...

Once he's dressed he heads for the main mess hall.

[anyrose]

Collins makes a u-turn on her way to the Mess, and goes to her quarters to put on the earrings. I might as well enjoy them, and show them off. She looks in the mirror and the sight of the sparkling gems against her red hair actually makes her smile.

She enters the Mess and looks around for Ben.

If she sees Ben, she goes right to him. If she see Booker first, she'll go there. If she sees neither of them, she picks an empty table and waits.

[Elendil's Heir]

Dr. Villa says, "Good, thanks, Mr. Rangin." She schedules him for a battery of tests the day after tomorrow. "As for Mr. Fujishiro, I've been in touch with Dr. Anderson at the Starfleet research station on OC3 and she didn't think the spores would do her much good. I'm still considering the option, though. Feel free to read or talk to her; we take turns doing it every day, and she often has friends drop by."

Graham begins his computer search; it won't nearly take overnight. He sees no one he knows in Mess Hall 1.

Cooper is already in Mess Hall 3 and smiles as Collins approaches.

[general_urko]

Graham's not surprised at his lack of luck serendipitously happening upon Collins. He debates asking comms for her location or contacting her directly, then decides it's best if he tries to keep things "accidental." I'll have plenty of chances to convince her 'big brother' is more like 'mother hen,' I'm sure, he thinks. He makes contacting directly 'plan B' and starts going from mess hall to mess hall hoping to stumble across her "by chance."

[anyrose]

As Collins approaches Ben, she "subtly" moves her hair behind her ear, and tilts her head to let the earrings catch the light. She, too, smiles at seeing Ben. When she gets to the table, she leans over to kiss him, then takes her seat.

[CatInASuit]

"Thank you Dr Villa. It would feel wrong if I didn't help out."

Rangin sends a note to Lt. Cmdr. Roble to confirm what Dr Villa is intending to do and re-arranging what ever watches are necessary to accommodate the tests.

Then he heads in to where Fujishiro is, gets a glass of water and begins to read to her. He doesn't know if what he is doing is helping, or even having an effect, but it just feels like the right thing to do.

[Elendil's Heir]

Remember it's "watches" and not "shifts" in Starfleet parlance.

Cooper says, "Wow! Those are some beautiful earrings. New?" He resumes his seat.

Science Officer Roble acknowledges Rangin's message. He can do the testing while off-duty. What will he be reading to Fujishiro?

Graham arrives in Mess Hall 3 and sees Collins and Cooper together. The room is about a third full.

[CatInASuit]

Rangin opens a copy of The Tea-Leaf Thief by Murasagi Sutaki an interesting mystery of honourable samurai, evil ninja and the Daimyo's finest tea set, stolen from a palace in old Edo.

Looking across at the slight comatose figure, he cannot help but think that there but for the grace of...

He settles back in a chair, near the head of the bed and begins to read out to her, quietly but clearly.

[anyrose]

Collins puts her fingers behind her ears to show the earrings off. "A souvenir from OCIII," she tells him, "actually a gift from my roommate. I helped her pick out a dress, and this is how she thanked me." Nice to have money, she thinks. "Pretty nifty, right?"

[WES]

T'Var responds rather quickly to Kylah's message. She has been wanting to speak with the ensign.

"I am free now, if you are," the doctor says. "Perhaps we could meet in my quarters?"

[choie]

Kylah agrees, a bit reluctantly--she was hoping just to get a quick update on how Dr. T'Var is feeling, during which she planned to avoid any reciprocal questions--and heads to T'Var's cabin. When she gets there, she steels herself and rings the chime.

[general_urko]

Graham approaches the table where Collins is sitting with some dude, just in time for her to be showing this guy--boyfriend?--some damned fancy earrings.

Man, the lieutenant's pay scale must have been seriously increased since I held that rank...Anyway, nice timing, as always, Booker, he thinks. On the flip side, a 'clean' boyfriend would bode well for Collins...but a user would be very bad indeed...

He clears his throat and tries to stay as casual and relaxed as possible while also noting their pupillary reactions...

"Uh, L-T, sorry to interrupt...just, ah, saw you here--I'm going to get the Security folks who were temporarily reporting to me down on OC3 together in a few, just wanted to keep you in the loop, but there's no need at all to interrupt your dinner..." He glances and nodes apologetically to her companion. "Uh, how are you doing, he asks Collins. "All good?"

[anyrose]

"Much better, thank you, Mr Graham" Collins replies. "This is Ben Cooper," she introduces the two men, "Ben this is Booker Graham, he was on my landing party. He took over when I had... uh, when I got sick." As they shake hands "Would you like to join us, Booker?" she asks, glad to have a third party there to increase the possible conversation topics.

[general_urko]

"Good to meet you, Ben" Graham says. At Collins' invitation, he shakes his head. "No, no, I don't want to intrude...plus, you know either Gelil or St. Croix burned down a historically significant building--granted, on my direct orders..." He smiles and shrugs . "But I really need to give them the business, you know, while it's fresh."

He takes a step back. "I'll leave you be...happy to grab a drink or have dinner later," he adds to Collins, "if you're ever looking for 'fifth wheel, of course.'"

[Elendil's Heir]

Dr. Villa listens to Rangin reading for a few minutes before drifting away with a rueful smile.

Cooper does seem to like the earrings. When Graham comes up to the table, he says, apparently sincerely, "Are you sure you won't join us, Booker? You really are welcome."

[WES]

T'Var answers the door. "Please come in, Kylah. I was hoping we would have a chance to talk a bit."

The doctor gestures at two chairs near the door. "I was wondering how you are feeling as well."

[choie]

Kylah glances at the chair T'Var indicates somewhat warily, but only hesitates for a few seconds before sitting down. "I am all right, thank you," she says in a measured tone. "Very glad to be off the planet. Everything we experienced there is in the past. The more distant we are from both the planet and the events, the better."

She clutches her knees and leans forward. "I have been worried, Doctor. No one has told me of the results of your examination, or how you reacted after hearing Mr. Palver's claims, his boasts, of having faked the autopsy by using you. Claiming to have controlled you, forced you, into changing the time of death." Her eyes are wide in intense concern. "I did not believe it. A Vulcan with your advanced mental control... surely you could not be taken advantage of so easily. And we were all there when this allegedly occurred, all surrounding the body. I was inches away from you! I cannot believe I would not have sensed such an invasion happening to someone. To a friend." Kylah starts to reach out and then drops her hand. "Please tell me Dr. Villa confirmed that you were not--not manipulated in this way," she says softly.

[WES]

T'Var reaches out and takes Kylah's hand. It is obvious to the doctor that Kylah is not yet ready to share her own experiences from this last mission. Perhaps with time....

"I am more curious than anything else," T'Var says. "Apparently Mr. Palver was able to use mind control to his advantage. I am unsure of how he was able to do this. I would very much like to speak with him about it. I have learned that what we might consider impossible can be very possible, indeed, Kylah. Yes, I do have a strong Vulcan mind. Still, this does not mean that what happened to me did not happen."

[general_urko]

Graham raises his hands and takes a step back from the table. "You're both too kind, but, seriously, I'm way under-dressed..." He taps his nose. "I left my diamond nose stud in my quarters and all. "I'll catch up with you later," he says with a nod as he turns to go.

[choie]

Kylah shakes her head in despair, her hope of gaining any control of her own mental powers dwindling. "But--but Dr. Villa tested you. Could she not tell? What about Wilson's body, the notes... Do you remember any of it? Do you remember the autopsy? Did it feel... different? I knew when I was not in control, I can remember it all." She swallows and slowly removes her hand from T'Var, pretending she needs to push her hair back. "I mean, when Palver paralyzed me. Us. It was obvious. I tried so hard to break free but nothing I did worked. And then he silenced me, I could not even talk. I knew it was happening the whole time, and I could not fight it even though I tried."

She tries to focus on T'Var. "I just--are you not afraid? I know Vulcans have feelings, you just control them. Is there not fear, somewhere, that something happened and you could not prevent it?"

[WES]

"There are many things in life we cannot prevent, Kylah. Fear is a concept I have a difficult time grasping, in all honesty. Perhaps my curious nature neutralizes some of the fear."

T'Var pauses a moment to gather her thoughts. "I know that I was unaware of Palver's manipulations. I remember the events as they occurred. This is why I am so interested in Mr. Palver and how he was able to control me -- all of us -- in such a way."

[choie]

"If you do not remember that he controlled you, then he may not have done so. Why should we believe his version of events?" Kylah will not let this go. "He was determined to place Hardin at the scene of the crime, to frame Hardin. If I had not pressed Palver, he would not have admitted that he was the murderer after all. All evidence points to Hardin being in the nightclub, it is only Palver's outrageous claims that make you think otherwise." She sits back, her chin hard as a rock. "I do not think we should take Palver's lies as truth. Will you not agree with that much?"

[WES]

"Perhaps it is best to let the authorities sort everything out -- truth vs. lies. My prescription would be for us to let go of this mission for a while. We need to rest and recover from it."

[choie]

The words are coming from a woman who looks like T'Var, but they do not appear to belong to the Vulcan Kylah thought she knew. Kylah stares at her in disbelief, then stands up. "I thought you were an authority. I thought we were the ones who investigated this case and knew its every detail." Or at least Velir and I know its details. It seems no one else truly cared enough to pay attention. Even a logical Vulcan is throwing up her hands...

"You may trust in authorities, Doctor. That may be your experience. It is not mine. If it had been, I would not have suspected Vice Admiral Hardin of--at the very least--impropriety from the start." After a hesitation, she adds, "I am glad you are not feeling any ill effects, not even concern, regarding what may or may not have happened to you. I wish I had your confidence and ability to shake such things off. Thank you for meeting with me." She walks to the door.

[Elendil's Heir]

Cooper waves as Graham walks away, and then turns back to Collins. "So... how are you feeling? Good to be back on duty?"

[anyrose]

"Oh, yes. Very good to be getting back to my routine," Collins says, maybe a little too enthusiastically. "Shall we get some dinner? I'm in the mood for some sushi." And some sake, or maybe plum wine.

[Elendil's Heir]

"Sounds good to me," Cooper says.

Mahmoud bumps into Graham in the corridor, an odd expression on his face. "The reporters who came on the liner have been busy," he says. "Have you seen these?" He hands a datapad to Graham, who tabs through several articles, all posted in the past few hours.

The Wall Street Journal: "WR&R and Palver Group stocks dropped sharply today on news of the arrest of Fellim Palver for murder, and reports that Starfleet corruption and payoffs may have resulted in WR&R being awarded the lucrative resort franchise on Omicron Ceti III over more qualified applicants...."

FedNewsNow: "Starfleet sources would not confirm reports that Palver is being held incommunicado while the investigation continues, but Gorr Venablin, exec VP of Palver Group, said he has been unable to reach Palver and is 'very concerned' that...."

The Solar Post: "A senior aide to the Attorney General confirmed today that she may take the case away from Starfleet so that an independent investigation may be conducted, given evidence of corruption by Vice Adm. Patrick Hardin and the possible political and economic impact of charging Rhaandarite billionaire Fellim Palver...."

You Know You Want It: "Singer/actor/pop demigod/bad boy Lord Fastolfe says in an exclusive interview with us that only his torrid romance with a curvy young Starfleet officer kept him from being charged for the murder of a top WR&R exec on the 'spore planet,' Omicron Ceti III. 'She knew I was innocent of murder and did all she could to clear my name. I will forever be in her debt....'"

Word soon spreads throughout the ship. Vargas sends a high-priority comm message to each of the landing party members, reminding them of Starfleet regs prohibiting personnel from speaking to the press without authorization of their commanding officer.

[general_urko]

Graham sighs as he reads through the reports. "Well, I'm pretty broken up Fastolfe didn't mention how the 'curvy officer' didn't also save him from the abuses of the Nazi-esque Starfleet Security goon...I'm going to have to call my freaiking publicist," he says to Faisal, shaking his head. "Glad we got the hell out of there when we did, before this circus started..."

After a pause he adds, "Hey is there a particular lounge Security prefer to hang and blow off steam in? I want to get the folks who were under my command temporarily down on OC3 together briefly."

[Elendil's Heir]

Mahmoud says, "Crew Lounge 6A is the closest to the Security Office and Brig. Redshirts tend to gather there. I'll pass the word, if you like."

[general_urko]

Graham claps Mahmoud on the shoulder. "Yeah, please do, if everyone could gather in 30, I'd appreciate it...'drinks on me' of course."

[Elendil's Heir]

"Sounds good to me," Mahmoud says. In half an hour, all of the Security personnel who were on OC3 are gathered. It is a veritable sea of redshirts. Graham has their attention as he walks in.

[WES]

"My apologies, Kylah," T'Var says. "I did not mean to upset you further. You make some valid points, of course. And I would very much like to speak with Mr. Palver. Perhaps he is a liar. Perhaps not. Still, the authorities are now in charge of this matter. I am sure they will seek our input. You can address your concerns with them. You could also address them with Cmdr. Vargas or the captain or both."

[choie]

Not turning around, Kylah just stares at the floor outside T'Var's quarters through the now-open doorway for a few seconds. Then she backs up a step, letting the door whoosh closed again. "No, I am sorry, doctor," she says at last. "If something did happen to you, you were a victim as well. I should not be angry at you for being better equipped to handle such a possibility. I understand I must seem erratic and irrational. I just... I cannot bear knowing I was not in control of my own actions. My own mind."

She faces T'Var again, although she still keeps her focus on the floor, unable to meet the other woman's gaze. "I told you, the night before we left for the mission, that I have spent my life trying to gain some mastery over my mental abilities. Once we spoke, I felt some hope that you might help me. Unfortunately, down on the planet, I was twice in situations where it was made clear to me just how weak I am. Both times I tried hard, so very hard, to fight back and protect myself. Both times I failed miserably.

"And now, after hearing Palver's claims about what he did to you..." Finally Kylah blinks and looks pleadingly up at the Vulcan. "I do not want to believe it, Dr. T'Var. Not only because it makes little sense given the evidence. But because most of all, if someone like you could not maintain control, what chance have I?"

[WES]

"You have not failed," T'Var assures Kylah. "You have done your best. That is all anyone can ask of you."

[Elendil's Heir]

Kylah's communicator beeps.

[choie]

Kylah listens to T'Var's kind words and just nods slowly, not accepting them but appreciating the doctor's effort. Then, asking for T'Var to excuse her, she picks up and opens her communicator. "Ensign Kylah."

[anyrose]

Collins walks up to the replicator, taps the screen a few times, and receives a tray of assorted sushi, including a Vulcan roll, 4 kinds of unpronounceable vegetables of assorted colors, wrapped in rice paper and doused with wasabi oil; and a glass of plum wine. She takes the tray, smiles at Ben, and steps aside while he taps up his meal.