"Yorktown, we're clearing it with APC now," comes the response.
"One minute," Kendin says, looking up from the Helm console.
Graham continues his patrol, definitely cheerier than he was earlier.
Cheverez comes on the line shortly. "We do have those components available, Mr. Rangin. Talk to Ens. Delaney and he'll see to it. If there's anything else you need before we break orbit and we don't have it, we can probably get it on Anubis."
Collins signals Kylah to mute the audio "Mister Kylah, please hail Anubis Port Control." Collins declares. "I want to know what their response was to the Chorell. Mister de la Paz, please keep tabs on that ship. And," she pauses, and decides to say the next as a question rather than an order "If we raise shields, will they intersect her trajectory?"
Kylah performs all the orders.
"Thank you for your input," T'Var tells Roble. "I will certainly contact the crew members you've mentioned."
"No sir, that should be fine, the monitoring capability can come from the sensor terminal that's already here and a few extra pieces of monitoring equipment from the Science labs. I'll talk to Ens. Delaney and start to get it all set up. Thank you sir."
Rangin contacts Ens. Delaney to start laying out what is required. He hopes that Delaney has recovered from the OCIII debacle and is holding up ok given the demotion. Last time they had spoken briefly he was quite down on himself, hopefully this set of experiments would give Delaney a chance to show just how good he is and gain some standing again.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Everyone on the Bridge hears a harrassed-sounding officer at Anubis Port Control say in response to Kylah's query, "Chorell didn't ask permission to change orbit ahead of time, and we've denied permission for them to do so now. They're doing it anyway. We've declared an OTC emergency. You may change your orbit, Yorktown, if you wish, rising 50 km from your current designated orbital station. We're giving permission to other ships along the Chorell's course to do the same."
De la Paz responds to Collins's question, "No, the deflector shields don't extend that far, ma'am. We could certainly raise them, and I think we should. I also recommend we arm phasers, just in case. This could be a ruse to cover an attack."
Kendin reports, "The Black Prince, Saludi and Marigold are all moving to higher orbits. Now 35 seconds to closest approach."
Roble says, "Thank you, Doctor. May I do anything else?"
Delaney says, "Yes, I can get that for you. No problem. When do you need it?" He sounds OK to Rangin.
Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 12 Aug 2015 at 02:00 PM.
"Do it!" shouts Collins as she sits up and leans forward, "Yellow alert, raise shields, arm phasers, and alter orbit!" She grips the ends of the chair's arms so tightly her knuckles turn white. Her adrenaline is pumping full force and she feels electrified. She punches the communicator button "Captain Singh to the Bridge please. We may be on the brink of an incident! Collins out."
At Kylah's touch, the Yellow Alert lights begin to blink on all Bridge consoles. The ship's officers and crew are informed by prerecorded announcements of the alert; everyone from the next watch is immediately ordered to duty stations. Graham, on patrol, receives a special Security notification on his communicator.
"Shields up," Kendin says at the Helm. "Thrusters online. Changing orbit now... higher by 1 km... 3 km... 9 km... 16 km...." On the viewscreen, the sunlit arc of Anubis drops steadily from view.
"Phasers charged and ready, ma'am," de la Paz reports from the Bridge's Security console.
"On my way," says Singh from belowdecks.
Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 12 Aug 2015 at 08:39 PM.
From her current location in the shuttle bay where she is overseeing some experimental work being run on a shuttle, Nia scowls at the sound of the alerts, and then frowns deeply when her body notices the ship's slight shudder as the impulse engines are engaged. Proprietary toward the Yorktown, she feels a flash of anger and concern. What the holy hell is going on up there, and why is Kendin treating my girl like a roller coaster ride?
After ordering the technicians to pack up, Nia races toward the turbolift to take her duty station for the next watch on the bridge.
Last edited by CatInASuit; 13 Aug 2015 at 07:30 AM. Reason: Suggested location by CIAS
While in the lower Galley, Johnson hears the Yellow Alert go off to be promptly followed by the sounds of chairs scraping backwards across the floor as those few people in there head off as quickly and efficiently as they can. He immediately starts running through the procedure to lock down the area to a state of readiness.
While talking to Ens. Delaney, Rangin is slightly disoriented by the sound of the Yellow Alert going off around him and over the communicator.
"We'll talk later," he says quickly before shutting down the comms and turning back to the guests in the Cargo Bay. At least Lt. Patel and Ens. Zweller are Starfleet officers so should be able to handle Dr Brold. "Can I suggest returning to the guest quarters until this alert is over as I will need to head to the Science bay?"
Rangin waits a few moments to see if they react positively or if they have anything further, before making sure the Cargo Bay is shut down correctly and then heading off.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Before T'Var has a chance to respond to Roble, the alert sounds. "Nothing else," she says quickly.
"I will be on the Bridge if you need me," T'Var calls to Dr. Villa as she leaves Sickbay.
Once she reaches the Bridge, T'Var takes her seat at Life Sciences.
Onn and Singh arrive on the Yorktown's Bridge in the same turbolift car. "Report," says Singh to Collins as she strides to the big chair.
Johnson secures the galley quickly and efficiently. Several Science and Operations personnel, designated for damage control duty under Yellow Alert conditions, arrive in the adjoining mess hall.
Patel briskly says to Rangin, "I agree. We'll all go to our quarters. I'd already told Mr. Cheverez to call us if we were ever needed in an emergency; we'll wait to hear from him." They immediately leave the cargo bay.
Lt. Cmdr. Roble leaves on the double for the Science main lab; Dr. Villa distractedly acknowledges T'Var's parting words. The Vulcan healer arrives on the Bridge in the next turbolift car after Onn and the Captain. Life Sciences readings are virtually unchanged since she was last there, she sees.
Collins stands at attention when Singh steps out of the lift, followed by Onn. "Ma'am! The Chorell is making an unscheduled, unauthorized change in orbit. APC is not happy about it at all, and has given several ships, including us, permission to alter our orbits to avoid crashes. The Chorell claims its because of misdirected cargo, and was uncomfortably glib about the potential for collisions. It could be nothing or it could be something illegal or dangerous, or both, and better prepared than caught unaware." As she speaks, Collins steps away from the big chair, making room for Singh to sit.
As the guests leave, Rangin does one quick sweep around the cargo bay to ensure it is all correct and then heads for the Science bay to stand at station in readiness.
He tries to keep his focus as the alarms blare around and tells himself it cannot be that serious, they are still in orbit around Anubis. But his mind still flashes back to the last time he heard the sirens at Alpha Carinae and the M-5 Incident when he lost 50 good friends. Steeling himself he reaches his post with acknowledgement to the others at ready and waits to fnid out what will happen next.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Kylah is an island of stillness in the noise and commotion around her. She has no idea whether this is truly a dangerous situation; the helmsman she does not recognize said only moments ago that the other ship was not on that close a trajectory to them. Better safe than sorry, of course, and it was wise to put up the shields and back away--although the weapons seem excessive. But then, in the space of merely a week Kylah has had her fill of weapons, both used by her and aimed at her.
All she knows about this freighter is that it is from Spica, a very distant system. There were Spican jugglers on OCIII, she remembers dimly. This fact is of no consequence, of course, but it still forces its way into her otherwise blank thoughts. She does not want to remember yet another planet filled with dark memories.
Perhaps this incident will mean they will leave Anubis after all, and she will not have to go back down. This might be a blessing in disguise--as long as nothing truly threatening occurs as a result of this unknown ship's strange behavior.
The turbolift doors open and Kylah senses rather than sees Singh and others arriving on the Bridge. Her head begins to ache again. Too many people, too many jangling emotions and thoughts. And yet, even while so intimately connected to everyone around her, she still feels detached and isolated. All she can do is wait and try to tune out the blaring alerts and the chaos, both internal and external, of her crewmates.
Last edited by choie; 14 Aug 2015 at 06:18 AM.
When the turbolift finally lands at its destination, Nia nearly does a double-take when she sees Collins on the Bridge. For some reason she expected some of the same security team from yesterday to be down on Anubis, still searching for Ensign Kylah's third attacker. The thought dissipates and is substituted by more important matters as she automatically glances at the main viewscreen, wondering what's out there to cause such an alarm.
Then, glancing toward the Helm console, her gaze is caught by the sight of apparently the only person not moving, busy, or turning to the captain in taut expectation. This time Nia really does blink in surprise, staring at Kylah. What is she doing here? Shouldn't she be in Sickbay? She was beaten senseless yesterday, and now she looks like the walking dead. Then again, she also seems like the only calm person on the Bridge. Be pretty ironic if she's the person most able to keep her head straight in a crisis.
Pursing her lips grimly, Nia dismisses everything but the matter at hand--whatever it is. Her hands at her sides flex and stretch, fairly itching to get control of the helm, but outwardly she looks cool and patient as she stands at the ready, waiting for her orders.
Last edited by SidonianGal; 14 Aug 2015 at 06:47 AM.
T'Var continues to monitor the readings at Life Sciences while listening to the conversations around her on the Bridge. At the moment, the situation does not seem to be anything of a truly dangerous nature. However, things are usually not what they seem....
There are no blaring alarms for Yellow Alert; see post 1108. Of the two levels of alert, only Red Alert has a distinctive klaxon.
Singh takes her chair and looks over the navigation plot in front of her. "Thank you, Mr. Collins. How far has Port Control given us permission to move?"
The cargo bay is secure. Rangin goes to the main Science lab and sees Roble and others already there. Some of the younger personnel appear a bit anxious.
Kylah, Onn and T'Var watch the unfolding situation on the Bridge as the Yorktown continues to rise higher above Anubis. Onn notices that the Chorell's course is unchanged.
"50 kilometers" Collins replies. She stands alert beside the big chair.
Nia has been examining the Chorell's course, and the position of other ships including the Yorktown, and her brows lower even further.
"Excuse me, Captain," she says quietly. "I'm wondering why the APC didn't give the Chorell authorization to make this course change. From what I see, their trajectory wouldn't have put us in danger even if we hadn't moved--maybe closer than usual, but not a big risk. And moving us around now is no problem. Does Anubis know something about this ship?" Her eyes shift to Collins, her head tilting slightly in curiosity. "Did the APC say anything about who these people are? What are you finding hinky about them?"
Collins turns to face Onn "The Chorell did not ask permission ahead of time, and when they spoke to APC after the fact, APC denied their request, but the ship ignored them. The APC has declared an OTC emergency. If the Chorell wasn't up to something nefarious, wouldn't they have complied, Sir?"
Chewing on her lip in thought, Nia looks back at the screen. "Probably, Lieutenant. Unless..." She squints as if seeing through to the Chorell's own helm. "Unless they've got some emergency of their own going on, and had no choice but to do what they thought was necessary. If I were on a small ship with some catastrophic problem--warp core breach, maybe--and needed to get out of orbit fast, I might not pay attention to what someone down on a planet told me I could or couldn't do. Safety first, as I'm sure you agree."
She glances back to Collins with an appreciative but cynical smile. "But I'd also probably give a hint of what that emergency is. From what you say, it doesn't sound like they've been too forthcoming. So your instinct's probably right." Nia looks at Singh and gives a nod toward the Communications console, ignoring the bizarrely motionless ensign in front of it. "If I may make a suggestion, Captain: maybe we should get in touch with them directly and ask if they need 'assistance.' They might not tell us, but we all know sometimes tone can reveal more than words."
Last edited by SidonianGal; 16 Aug 2015 at 08:05 AM.
"We've already spoken briefly with the Chorell" Collins tells Onn, "they say the change is due to misdirected cargo. They were quite chipper about it."
Nia still smiles. "Then if they're so jolly, our offer of assistance should be accepted or rejected gracefully. You don't seem to have considered the possibility that the Chorell might just not have a particularly smart or well-trained crew, Lieutenant. Don't Terrans have a saying about never ascribing to maliciousness what can be explained by incompetence? Let's face it, there are many fools who manage to find jobs on board ships." Her eyes beam amusement. "So that misdirected cargo could be perfectly legitimate. Or yes, it might be some illicit substance as hazardous as solid Trilithium or as inoffensive as bootlegged Lord Fastolfe vids. I'm aware I might underestimate the danger of the latter."
She gives Collins another friendly nod of acknowledgment--her humor is sometimes taken for glibness, but Nia does not take the ship's safety lightly; the lieutenant JG's mood simply seems unusually brittle and Nia believes she needs a bit of calming perspective. Then her attention returns to Singh. "Whatever the case, my recommendation still stands, Captain. Communicating is almost always preferable to ignorance. With more ears on the Bridge now, we might hear something new."
Collins bites her tongue. Onn is senior to her, so the Captain will probably take Onn's advice over anything Collins could say right now. Inside she is starting to develop an intense dislike for Onn's thinly veiled condescending attitude. It may be sugar coated, but underneath it's all bitterness and superiority.
Nia continues without noticing Collins's mood. "In the meantime, one more suggestion occurs to me, Captain. Perhaps Lt. Tsu can plot a couple of hypothetical trajectories for the Chorell, extrapolating from their apparent current course. Maybe we can see what other ships are in their path--and which ones haven't requested a change in orbit. That might tell us who's rendezvousing with them...or who might be a target for uninvited boarding." Although any freighter attempting a hijack of another ship with a massive Starfleet vessel in shouting distance definitely falls in the 'incompetent' category, Nia thinks wryly. "Mr. Tsu, is this possible?"
Last edited by SidonianGal; 16 Aug 2015 at 10:48 AM.
Lt. JG Melissa Tsu, the navigator, looks at Capt. Singh, who nods. The young Chinese woman checks her board and reports, "No other ship has or is changing orbit other than those we already know about. The Chorell isn't coming as close to any of them as it would have to us, had we remained in our original orbital slot."
Kendin says, "Now at the 50 km mark, ma'am."
Singh's eyes narrow. "Very well. Keep us here. Thrusters at station keeping, Mr. Kendin."
"Thrusters at station keeping, aye." The viewscreen's perspective shifts to show Anubis farther below.
"Mr. Collins, give me a good scan of the Chorell, please," Singh goes on. "Anything out of the ordinary? And Mr. Kylah, file an official complaint with APC as to the Chorell's conduct."
Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 16 Aug 2015 at 12:10 PM.
Collins moves to the secondary security station, as de la Paz is at the primary, and taps the panel buttons and fine tunes with the dial to get as much detail out of the scan of the Chorell as possible.
Kylah acknowledges the Captain's order and files the complaint. She does not understand the point--it seems to be mere red tape, considering the APC already knows about the Chorell's behavior and is just as displeased with it as they are. More displeased, probably, considering they refused the freighter's request. Why would they do that? Spite, because the request came after-the-fact?
But Kylah is not curious enough to ask the question, especially since Singh does not seem to find the denial out of the ordinary.
Collins's scan shows that the Chorell is just coming to a halt in a new synchronous orbit, to starboard and about 250 km ahead of the Yorktown. The Spican freighter is about a third the size of the Starfleet heavy cruiser, with a crew of 40. Its holds are nearly empty, and its cargo transporters are now warming up.
Anubis Port Control acknowledges the Yorktown's official complaint. "We have several others coming in now," an APC comm officer says. "The ship's master will get an official reprimand and probably a fine; might even lose his license."
Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 16 Aug 2015 at 10:50 PM.
Kylah nods slightly, as if the officer is speaking directly to her. "If I may ask, sir," she murmurs. "Do you know anything about this ship, such as who its master is or why the ship came to Anubis? Spica is quite a long way from here."
While she speaks, her dulled affect regains a hint of its former energy; she seems to be slowly awakening from a deep trance. "Further, have they told you what the misdirected cargo is, and from which ship--or from where on your planet--they will be receiving it?"
Last edited by choie; 17 Aug 2015 at 12:19 AM.
Listening to the young officer, Nia shifts her gaze from Kylah to the Captain and back again. Someone's getting her mojo back, Nia thinks. "I doubt it's from the planet," she says very quietly, not wanting to be heard by the Anubis officer. "They've moved farther from Anubis, just as we have. What other ships are closest to the Chorell, Mr. Tsu? And Mr. Collins--any way you can snoop further and get a sense of how powerful their cargo transporter is--its farthest range?"
Only after her last question does she look back at Singh, somewhat abashed. "Sorry to overstep, Captain," she says with a smile. "Shutting up now."
"On it, Sir" Collins adjusts the controls again to determine the answer to Onn's question.
At his post, Rangin looks around and catches the attention of the younger personnel. "Don't worry, relax, it won't be that bad. I'm sure we'll find out shortly what's caused it?" he tells them calmly.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Garham cocludes that in the absence of other instructions, the Bridge is part of the ship's forward hull and on his patrol route. On the one hand, if there's a threat to the ship it makes more sense to take a position there than in the Botany lab. And on the other he'll be just as able to respond to any Security needs from there as anywhere else. He heads to the Bridge.
The Anubis Port Control officer was indeed speaking directly to Kylah, after taking her ship's official complaint. He says, "The Chorell's master is... let's see... Capt. Lannu Plor. The ship is a light freighter, Class 7, and often comes through this sector. We see it maybe every three or four months. According to the cargo manifest they filed, they're supposed to be carrying machine parts from here to Morra III. The cargo was supposed to be waiting for them at the Thoth Central Freight Yards but was apparently misdirected to the Serapis yards instead. Oops, sorry - got to run. Good talking to you, Yorktown. APC out."
Tsu says, "The Chorell didn't go higher or lower than before, ma'am; she just shifted orbit laterally. The closest ships to her now are the liner Deneb Queen, the freighter Luria Trocos and the scoutship Boone."
The Captain seems amused by Lt. Onn's outspokenness. "By all means, carry on," she says.
Collins sees from her scan that the Chorell has standard Federation civilian cargo transporters, with a range of approximately 2000 kms (much less than Starfleet's).
Rangin's words seem to calm his colleagues a little.
"Thank you, ma'am," Nia says automatically to Singh, and then adds with a murmured, "Laterally. Better get my eyes checked." Deciding she's of no use while being polite, she closes the distance between her and her console--Kendin's console, that is--where she can get a better look at both the Helm and Nav screens. "Hope you don't mind the company," she says to both Tsu and Kendin, smiling while bending down for a closer look.
Yup, Tsu is of course correct. She shakes her head and shrugs. "Well, the ship's obviously no unknown entity to Anubis. Would've been nice to hear if they had any reputation for doing stuff like this before, although I guess our contact must be understandably busy." Nia straightens and aims her words at Singh. "The whole thing could certainly be malfeasance, Captain, and it's smart to protect ourselves as we have. But this could just as likely to be due to sloppiness or arrogance--not unusual traits in some pilots, present company excluded." She smiles down at Kendin and puts her hand on her own chest to indicate herself. "In all seriousness, if we're still concerned about this, maybe we could contact these freight yards to confirm the facts."
Rousing herself while listening to the talk around her, Kylah adds softly, "If the Chorell is involved in contraband, the local police might have heard of them. We could also contact the--the Thoth police, since we have... business with them anyway." She looks down at her panel, hiding her flushing face.
Singh nods. "Yes, please do, Mr. Onn. Work with Mr. Kylah, if you would. Check the Federation Commerce Authority's and APC's records, too."
A records yeoman enters from the turbolift, and the Captain turns to talk to him.
Without straying too far from his post, Rangin heads across to Lt. Cmdr, Roble and quietly asks. "Sir, have we been given any reason for the Yellow Alert?"
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
"Aye aye, ma'am," Nia says, then gives Tsu and Kendin a nod of thanks before heading over to the Communications console. Unconsciously she slows down a bit, as if there's a field of heavier gravity surrounding the Elasian ensign. On some instinct, Nia keeps a few feet of distance between her and Kylah.
It really is beyond Nia's comprehension that the girl's been allowed back on duty. Nia's sure Thalen would've given her time off if she asked, so it's obvious that Kylah wants to be here. But... she isn't really here. Even with Nia approaching, Kylah barely acknowledges her with a slight bow of her head. Her shoulders and arms are squeezed tight against her body. She needs one of A.J.'s massages, Nia thinks, although the likelihood of that happening seems minimal.
"That was a good idea about the police," Nia says, her voice a touch more gentle than usual. After noticing Kylah's lips turn into a straight line at the mention of the cops, Nia decides on a plan. "Let's split up the tasks, okay? Why don't you contact the freight yards first, then check the FCA and APC records as the Captain suggested. I'll contact the Thoth Constabulary. How's that?"
After a pause, Kylah seems aware that the question isn't just rhetorical, and some kind of verbal response is necessary. "Yes, Lieutenant Onn." She hesitates, then moves her chair over, giving Nia room to sit at the empty seat beside her.
Nia has no intention of breaching the invisible wall that Kylah has erected around herself. She reaches over to the secondary earpiece and mic, then stands a respectful distance away. "Can you connect me with the constabulary? I'll do the talking once connected," she adds quickly.
This gets Kylah's attention at last, and the wide dark eyes aim themselves at Nia for the first time. In only a couple of seconds, they appear to measure Nia's intentions and meaning. It's almost a physical sensation, and Nia doesn't particularly understand or like it. It reminds her of something she cannot name. But with a blink Kylah's gaze softens. "Thank you," she murmurs before turning away and hailing the Constabulary, asking them to wait for Lieutenant Onn of the Yorktown. After a few gestures on the panel Nia doesn't follow, Kylah throws a quick glance at Nia. "They are ready for you, ma'am."
Nia nods and, before she starts to speak, notices that Kylah has already moved on to contact the Serapsis freight yards. Disengaging her focus from the young woman, Nia pays attention to her own task. "This is Lt. Onn. We have a bit of a situation up here--this has nothing to the criminal investigation from yesterday," she says quickly as she turns away from Kylah and lowers her voice to explain the issue with the Chorell.
Once she outlines the problem, she concludes: "Whether or not misdirected cargo's to blame, we're not comfortable with their actions, and neither is the APC. Such unwillingness to play by the rules and disregard other ships' safety might mean they've got something to hide. What we'd like to know is, have you heard anything about contraband flowing in and out of either the Thoth Central or--" Crap, what was the other name? Serape, Sepalis... oh yeah. "Uh, or the Serapis Freight yards? Does the Chorell ring any bells? Or its captain, Lammu Port?"
A light touch on her arm makes Nia turn in surprise. Kylah is looking at her and holding a hand over her speaker. "The name was Lannu Plor," she whispers. She looks embarrassed, as if she's the one who screwed up.
Nia gives a rueful grin and raps her knuckles against her head as if it's made of wood. Thanks, she mouths before quickly correcting herself. "Hold on, sorry, that name is Lannu Plor." She enunciates it carefully.
While she speaks, she hears Kylah's soft voice in the background asking someone--presumably at the Serapsis Yard--if any unexpected cargo has arrived. Nia notices the ensign is simultaneously typing a message, and from what Nia can see, it appears to be a records request directed at both the APC and Federation Commerce Authority.
Nia shakes her head, getting confused by all the requests. She puts a hand over her other ear so as not to be distracted. "So," she says with eyes closed in concentration, "with this info, could you please check any files you might have on the ship or its captain? The APC said the ship's been to Anubis a few times, so if they're doing anything dirty, we figured they might've come to your attention." She shifts her weight to her other hip and waits for a response, curious to see what answers Kylah will get as well.
Credits: Nia by SidonianGal, Kylah by choie. We cooperated really well!
Last edited by SidonianGal; 18 Aug 2015 at 03:51 AM.
The Science Officer says to Rangin, "No. It's probably nothing. But let's find out." He hits a comm button. "Roble to Bridge." The call comes to Kylah. "May I have a status update, please?" he asks.
FCA records show the Chorell has been in service under various masters for almost twenty years. APC had only one other problem with the ship, three and a half years ago, when it didn't file a flight plan upon leaving the system. Capt. Plor was in command at that time, too, and was reprimanded. Thoth Central Freight Yards confirms that a cargo of machine parts was accidentally misdirected to the Serapis yards yesterday; a bored-sounding foreman there says that the Chorell will be beaming up its cargo shortly.
Kylah is referred by the Thoth Constabulary to Det. Walter Detmers, who says, "There's been some talk on the street over the years about the Chorell being engaged in smuggling, either weapons or rare lifeforms if I remember right, but nothing has ever panned out. We don't have an open file on the ship."
T'Var continues to scan her panels at Life Sciences for any abnormal readings while listening to those around her.
She makes a mental note to contact Fujishiro's friends and begin the process of dealing with her eventual demise once the Yellow Alert has ended. T'Var is uncertain as to why this task has fallen to her rather than Dr. Noel. However, the objectivity and lack of emotion from a Vulcan might actually be useful during such a difficult time.
Kylah thanks the various contacts she has spoken with and relays the information back to the Captain. A glance shows that Lt. Onn is still talking with the Constabulary. She is not sure what to think of the older woman--she is keeping her distance, literally and figuratively, and the smiles she gives to others do not seem to come as readily toward Kylah. Not that Kylah would return them if offered; she is finding it an effort to blink much less use the myriad facial expressions that humans and other races other than Vulcans are prone to.
Then Roble contacts her, and she inhales, trying to think of the shortest way to recap what has happened. "Sir, we have been tracking a ship near our orbit that has made an abrupt and unauthorized change in course, and could have put us and other vessels at some risk. Thus far we shifted our own orbit, putting us out of danger, and are performing due diligence to see if this is has further security implications. Do you wish to speak to the Captain, sir?"
I assume the Thoth Constabulary guy is actually speaking to Nia?
"Weapons and rare lifeforms, huh? I don't think we have anything out of the ordinary they'd be interested in, so that lets us out." Well, I suppose I count as a rare lifeform, Nia thinks with amusement. Good luck to anyone trying to nab her for some display case. The impossible task of beaming through the Yorktown's shields would be the least of their problems.
"Well, thanks, Detective. You've been a great help. The ship's behavior has been somewhat unexpected, and had it behaved even more erratically it could've caused a lot of trouble--if the rest of its neighbors' crews weren't on our toes, not to mention the APC. But it doesn't sound as if there's any immediate reason we should be concerned, from what you're telling me and if I'm overhearing my colleague correctly--she's talking to the various freight yards, I think, and the cargo story checks out." She pauses in thought. "I don't know if you have any pull with any stations near the Serapis Freight Yard, but if they happen to scan this misdirected shipment... y'know, just for safety precautions considering this is an unexpected arrival... they might solve the issue. Or not."
Nia is about to cut the call when curiosity urges her to continue. She turns away from Kylah again, lowering her voice. "As long as I have you... I know it's not your case, but do you know how is the investigation into our officer's attack going? Can we be of further assistance? We're bound to stay in orbit until that's cleared up, or at least until we're no longer deemed necessary."
Last edited by SidonianGal; 18 Aug 2015 at 03:32 PM.
T'Var sees that all readings are normal. The move to Yellow Alert has gone well throughout the ship, from what she sees.
The Science Officer says, "No, that's all right. Thank you, Ensign. Roble out." Rangin overheards Kylah's report.
Det. Detmers says to Onn, "Thanks. I'll suggest it, but we'd need a warrant to scan private property." To her last remark he says, "No, you're right, it's not my case, but it's one of the biggest ones we've got going right now. I hear there've been some developments. You might be hearing more shortly from the detective on the case, Whatshisname."
This name, Nia remembers. "Lunnd," she supplies readily, although still keeping her voice quiet. "That's good to hear. Well, assuming the news is what we're hoping for." She takes a deep breath. "Whatever the case, Det. Detmars, I'm sure I speak for my captain and crew when I say how much the Yorktown appreciates your Constabulary's help with everything. We're, um, not usually this much of a strain on local police, I promise." Leaning one hip against the console, she gives a sheepish grin. "If we should ever come 'round your corner of space again, try not to dread our arrival too much, okay? Lt. Onn out."
Assuming Detmers has nothing further to say other than 'goodbye,' Nia disconnects and looks over to the captain, although she can almost feel the weight of Kylah's stare on her. The ensign must have heard Nia despite her attempt at discretion. Nice going. Well, she'd find out once I reported anyway...
Nia straightens and, once Singh is no longer talking with the yeoman, will fill in the captain--along with the rest of the Bridge--on what she's learned, such as it was, from Detmers.
Last edited by SidonianGal; 19 Aug 2015 at 12:56 AM.
Rangin listens in to Kylah's report, wondering what is going on up on the bridge and why she is there given all that happened over the last day or so. "I'll start letting the others know sir, should put a few minds at ease."
Unless told otherwise by Roble, Rangin begins to let the others in Sciences know what is going on and hopefully lessen the tension and nerves.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Det. Detmers says with a chuckle, "No problem. There are some notorious ships around here, but the Yorktown isn't one of them... not yet, anyway. Glad to help."
"Thank you, Mr. Onn," Singh says to the Sidonian afterwards.
"Yes, please, Mr. Rangin," Roble says, "and thanks."
Another half-hour passes, and there is no change in the Chorell's position, or any suspicious activity shown on sensors. Singh orders the ship to secure from Yellow Alert, asks Collins to again take the conn, and leaves the Bridge.
About two hours later, Thoth Det. Lt. Mara Ruthen calls and asks to speak to Kylah. "I have a photo array of suspects and would like to show them to you," she says. "May I come up there, or would you like to beam down here?"
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