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

Looking back at up Kylah and seeing the happiness in her eyes only serves to make him feel warm and giddy inside as well.

"No, no misunderstandings Kylah of the Silver Weeping Tree. None at all. I do care for you." he says in a happy voice before switching to a grin, "and no, I don't think I have been affected by your tears. I'm still going to call you an idiot if at some point you don't go and get this knee sorted properly."

Squeezing her hands delicately one last time, aware of how much they could hurt, he untangles his and stands up, not wanting the moment to end, but then becoming all too aware of everything else going on. Rangin feels almost resentful that other events are happening and that they could not just be a happy couple at the resort. He sighs and looks down at Kylah.

"I think we need to get back to work, I would love this moment to last, but we still have things to do and the rest of the team will be returning soon. We should talk tonight, if we can, now we know how we feel about each other." He helps Kylah to rise and see how she is on her feet. "Well, how do you feel?"

"Budgets are the bane of many managers' existence." Collins agrees, although she's not completely satisfied with Hsu's answer. "It's probably time to rejoin the group." She stands up. "Let's go." She goes to the front door and holds it for Mr. Hsu.

Graham's mildly disappointed he can't set his tricorder to repeat his request to Webb every 45 seconds, but he feels using a recorded message could serve as the basis for a legitimate complaint, while a live request should not. Nonetheless he's enough on auto-pilot that he can hum a little tune in his head to pass the time.

I wished I had you in Carrickfergus
Only for nights in Ballygrand
I would swim over the deepest ocean
The deepest ocean to be by your side

But the sea is wide and I can't swim over
And neither have I wings to fly
I wish I could find me a handy boatman
To ferry me over to my love and die

My childhood days bring back sad reflections
To happy times spend so long ago
My boyhood friends and my own relations
Have all passed on like the melting snow

But I'll spend my days in endless roving
Soft is the grass and my bed is free
Oh, to be home now in Carrickfergus
On the long road down to the salty sea

And in Kilkenny it is reported
On marble stone there as black as ink
'With gold and silver I did support her
But I'll sing no more now till I get a drink'

I'm drunk today and I'm rarely sober
A handsome rover from town to town
Oh, but I am sick now and my days are numbered
So come ye young men and lay me down"


Bennett seems to have a good sense of humor, he thinks. She'd probably laugh her ass off if she could see me now.

Hsu asks Collins, "I thought we were waiting for Mr. Delaney and Mr. Rangin to return here with Mr. Wilson's communicator, to try to open the safe...?"

Mrs. Webb still does not answer Graham's repeated calls.

Graham calls Thuvas over and changes his mantra.

"Mrs. Webb, I am concerned that you may be ill or injured and unable to answer the door. While I understand you expressed unwillingness to answer my questions, please confirm that you do not need emergency medical attention."

He changes the time on his tricorder to one minute and 30 seconds. In between intervals, assuming he's not interrupted, he talks to Thuvas.

"Actually, she did kind of look like hell earlier. Do you guys have an established protocol on dealing with a guest going dark? In about five minutes I'll be happy to officially communicate my concern to resort security or medical."

Once she is on her feet, Kylah wipes her eyes free of tears using her sleeve--it is hardly the proper way, but she does not want to risk anything by using her hands--and just keeps looking at Rangin in a sort of dazed disbelief, as if he might suddenly be beamed away from her. "How do I feel," she repeats in wonder. "If you mean physically, my knee must still hurt, but I... I can hardly tell. If you mean otherwise..." She bites her lip, trying to think of how to express her emotions. "I feel as if I have wandered through a storm of ice and snow, only to find someone willing to take me into their warm home, to invite me to sit by their hearth."

She shakes her head. "It is too much to contemplate right now, and as you say, we must return to duty. But..." Kylah moves closer to him and after a hesitation, she tentatively leans against him in a light embrace, whispering the rest: "I may still be frozen, and do not know how long it will take for me to thaw. But you have given me a gift I never thought possible. No one has cared for me without expecting something in return--never. Thank you."

The brief closeness is all she can manage for now, and she does not let the hug last longer than her words. She limps to the door--the knee is stronger thanks to the tight support of the bandage, but like her emotions, the pain is still there. When she reaches the corridor she looks back at him, her chin lifting slightly. "By the way, if you must address me by that absurd name," she says with a mock indignation, "then kindly use the proper formation: Kylah of the House of the Silver Weeping Tree." And then her gaze softens, her lips curl with a gentle smile, and her low voice is infused with warm affection: "You should remember that... Jeril."

When she walks down the corridor toward the exit where she will leave to find Graham, her gait remains uneven, hesitant and painful. But she is still smiling.

A moment later, Mrs. Webb's voice crackles through the commlink set into the doorframe. "I'm not ill or injured, dammit. I just want to sleep. Go away and stop bothering me."

"Well ma'am, I'm truly sorry doing my job conflicts with your apparently sincere desire for sleep," Graham replies. "But...see, the fact is that my shift doesn't end until 1700 hours, so I can ring this bell all day. I'll tell you what: my tricorder's counting down from a minute and a half. Answer me one question honestly and I'll go find something else to do in precisely 90 seconds: did you see or hear anything unusual happening in this park last night?"

Jeril...Rangin smiles at the affection shown to him. As upbeat as he can be, that warm glow of happiness slowly running through his body. He had not felt this good in ages. And most importantly, as much as Rangin cared for Kylah, she cared for him as well.

Sighing with joy, he packs away the first aid kit making a mental note to get it refilled and he puts it back on the shelf. As he looks round the room, it is all clear, he wonders what they might say to each other tonight.

You love me Velir, don't you?
Yes, you know I do, more than you could imagine.
I can imagine a lot, you know, as much as the moon and the sun?
Very funny, you know I love you because I'm right here, what else matters.
Nothing, you'll always be mine, won't you my Velir?
Of course, I will, you know that. Hey, look a shooting star, make a wish...
I wish...
Don't tell me, keep it secret, otherwise it won't come true...

I wish you to always be mine, Velir Rangin. Always.

Rangin stops dead. Such bittersweet memories, a night they had gone stargazing, a night from the past. She had never actually said what her wish was, but Rangin knew. He looks at the door, where Kylah had gone, wondering if she was the same, but no, Kylah was different, not like her...her...even after all this time he didn't want to say her name.

No, there is nothing he could do for now. It would depend on Kylah and himself. Picking himself up, he heads for the door to go to Mr Wilson's apartment. Delaney should have arrived and the others would be starting to crack the safe. Time to go to work.

This time it is going to be different, Rangin vows to himself. He isn't going to make the same mistakes again. He had already fallen in love once before and now he was doing so again...

...and the thought of getting it wrong, terrifies him.

"I'll hold you to that," Mrs. Webb says. "And my answer is 'no!'"

"Well, thank you for assisting with our murder investigation, Mrs. Webb. I'll leave you to your rest," Graham replies, making an effort to sound authentically grateful. "Sweet dreams," he mumbles, turning away from the door and stretching his legs and the arm he'd been using to repeatedly press the chime. He almost chuckles out loud as he contemplates requesting a close-proximity photon torpedo barrage from the Yorktown after just enough time for her to fall asleep.

He looks around to see if Kylah's come back, starting to reach for his communicator in the event he doesn't see her.

Kylah finally manages to make her slow and still awkward way back to the guest cottages, and when she moves past a bunch of trees to find the low-numbered houses, she is surprised--and, she has to admit to herself, somewhat gratified--to see that Graham is still in front of Mrs. Webb's door. It does not take her empathic abilities to guess that he has had no more success in getting Webb to talk than Kylah did.

Considering the emotional journey she's just taken with Velir, from utter despair to tremulous joy, Kylah is better able to confront yet another member of the security staff with whom she's argued. No, it was not an argument. He did not respond. I did not give him the chance. She still suspects his 'mother' comment might have been intentionally poking at scar tissue that Collins created, but... right now, she cannot muster the indignation. And she wants to believe she was wrong.

None of this means she can't be amused that this man who so often refers to his lengthy experience in law enforcement has apparently met his match in this strangely grouchy and stubborn guest.

When he finishes stretching and looks around, Kylah moves closer so that when he turns to her she is only a few yards away. "I apologize again for my delay, Mr. Graham," she says before glancing at the door. "Have you only just finished your interview? What did Mrs. Webb say?"

Rangin quickly makes his way back to Mr Wilson's room, regaining control of his emotions and taking a few deep breaths to relax and focus.

The journey is quite short and he wonders how far they have got. Has Delaney managed to find the right key in Wilson's communicator? Is there another way to open the safe? Did Collins get anything useful out of Mr Hsu? Did Kylah really say those things and once again Rangin cannot help but breakout into a broad smile and then laugh at himself. She is going to be distracting...in all the right ways, he hopes.

At the front, and not seeing anyone else, he knocks on the door and enters.

"Heh, such as it was," Graham answers, smiling. "Charming woman. I suspect she feels something special for me," he adds, tapping his chest.

"She said 'no,' as in 'no I didn't see or hear anything unusual last night.'" He shrugs. "Much as I'd like to spend the rest of the day antagonizing her in order to complete a proper interview, at this point there's no reason to believe she's got more to offer us." He chuckles. "And if she was a guest Wilson was messing around with--hell, maybe he is better off dead."

He's genuinely entertained by this little bit of old-school gallows humor--it evokes the sort of moments of camaraderie found by generations of law enforcement or military personnel who find themselves in tragic or disturbing situations over and over again and that's part cynicism, part coping mechanism, but however perverse it may seem "from the outside" enables them to stay human through it all. But it briefly occurs to him that a very young woman, from a different field, might not appreciate it as much as an old guy who's been a part of that culture for as long as she's been alive. That's countered by a mental image of Rangin blowing a gasket and reading him the riot act for the next hour about appreciating the sanctity of life or some such thing like that, which he finds even more entertaining.

He forces all that out of his mind to focus back on the mission, and more specifically, Kylah. Look, Booker, no matter what she's certainly in no mood for jokes of any type, he thinks. You damn well ought to focused on her well-being rather than your own amusement.


"Ah, anyway, I'm...glad you see you're all right and able to continue." He pauses a second. "Ah, are you all right...?" He asks, earnestly, giving her his full attention. Then he quickly adds, "Your knee, I mean."

Delaney has arrived at Wilson's suite just before Rangin with Wilson's communicator/PDA in hand, and has tied it into his tricorder. He says, "I'm going through the subroutines on Wilson's gadget, trying to find one that might be an 'open' command for the safe." Collins and Hsu watch him at work.

Graham's self-deprecating humor in response to Mrs. Webb's rebuffs puts Kylah more at ease--although she cannot help suspecting that he would likely be more suspicious if it were a Mr. Webb whose behavior was so abrupt and unhelpful.

When he asks about her injuries she lifts her hands slightly, showing the bandages. "I feel somewhat better, thank you. Mr. Rangin took better care of my wounds than I could by myself." Her words strike her as more meaningful than she intended, and she glances down at her knee to hide whatever might show on her face. "But my knee is more than scraped, as you see, and is still difficult to walk on--"

The sight of her bare legs suddenly brings Kylah up short. "Oh! They were going to open a shop early just for me so I could get new stockings, and I completely forgot! I do not know how I could left the building so mindlessly..." She shakes her head, embarrassed. Of course she knows why: she was thinking only of Velir. Even now she finds herself hard-pressed to keep from smiling: even though she regrets her having caused someone such inconvenience, she is glad that for once, her preoccupation was due to something pleasant.

"I must contact the front desk to apologize," she says, looking around for Thuvas, but then, catching herself, stops and looks back at Graham. "And... and I should do so to you, as well. I regret reacting as I did earlier. I... I assumed you were referring to something Lt. Collins told you, but I was wrong to do so. I can only explain that I got very little sleep and my nerves were raw, and..." She pauses and gives a helpless sigh. "You continually see me at my worst moments, Mr. Graham. I would not blame you for believing whatever anyone says of me."

"Excellent sir," says Rangin, "here's hoping you will find some at least some keys on his communicator."

He looks across at Mr Hsu and Lt Collins, "Now, there are possibly a few questions that perhaps need answering above and beyond opening the safe itself."

Rangin starts with Mr Hsu. "Mr Hsu, is there a possibility that it was installed by WR&R for the private use of the resort manager, can you check to see if any record of it exists with them. Also, given that the safe was put in after the walls after they were constructed, could WR&R have left behind someone to install it. If it wasn't them, then who was it who installed it. Of course, the implication there is that Mr Wilson had an exterior party he was working for, which brings us on to the next point. If it wasn't WR&R, who was it."

Rangin looks across at Lt Collins. "So, if Mr Wilson was not only the resort manager, but perhaps carrying out his own business, then a background check on his activities both before and during his residency here might be advisable."

"It's as good a place to start as any, Ensign," Collins agrees "Have at it."

Graham rubs his chin. "Look..." he says softly, "if I have one thing going for me, it's that I've seen enough to be able to make up my own mind, no matter what anyone else has to say."

He pauses briefly. "And...well, you should find it believable when I say that if I have a problem with someone, I'll tell them straight-up, in no uncertain terms." He shakes his head. "I get it, that someone like you has no interest in being friends with someone like me." He can hear Rangin's voice yesterday: "I'd hate to be your daughter." He'd said it was low, later, in apology--but he didn't say it was inaccurate.

He must seem like a relic at best to some of his younger--and more idealistic--crewmates. "But unless you, ah, really, really work at it, I am not going to be an enemy. You can count on that." His voice is a little firmer, and he nods sharply. "In fact you damned well better count on that." He clears his throat. "It...matters to me that everybody comes back from a mission safe and sound. Don't let any confusion on this get in the way of that." He pauses. "Please."

"Uh, now look," he says, picking up his pace and tone. "If you feel up to going after Aubrey, once you've made you call--" He holds out an arm. "You can lean on me while we walk. I'd do the same for anybody." He shrugs. "But no offense taken if you don't want to."

Hsu says, "I'll use his computer to see if I can learn how or when the safe was installed. I'm as surprised as you are that there's no record of it in the official construction plans." He leaves the bedroom and goes back into the home office.

Delaney checks his tricorder and says, "Still no luck getting through. Once I find the right program, it might still need decryption for any password."

Dr. T'Var walks through the park and finds Graham and Kylah. She sees the Communications officer's bandages and frowns. She puts a hand on her medikit and says, "May I help you, Ensign?" Kylah knows that the doctor will be able to easily heal any scrapes or cuts so that she won't need bandages.

Kylah watches Graham warily while he begins, but his words are reassuring and as far as she can tell--not with her empathic sense, just through the man's tone and expression--he appears sincere.

The more she listens, the more times she is tempted to interject--especially when he says someone like you has no interest in being friends with someone like me; she keeps her mouth shut, however, and lets him finish.

When he does and proffers his arm, Kylah begins: "Thank you, Mr. Graham," she says quietly. "I admit I am uncertain what what you mean by either 'someone like you' or 'someone like me' -- and I cannot tell who comes off worse in that comparison. But I hope that--"

She both senses and hears someone approaching, and turns around to find T'Var. The doctor's arrival is awkward: Kylah has been trying to avoid her since they were called out earlier this morning, and especially now. Fortunately, T'Var has a typically noncommital reaction to the injuries -- typical for most Vulcans, but even more so for T'Var.

Kylah nods at her offer. "Yes, please, Doctor. I fear the left knee is sprained and I do not mind that bandage as it helps, but if you could help the scrapes on my hands and the other leg..."

She slowly strips the bandages from her palms, feeling a strange pang of regret followed by amusement at herself. Sentimental over gauze merely because he put it there! With an almost imperceptable shake of her head, she holds out her hands for T'Var.

"Good call sir", he beams at Collins, "I'll go and give Mr Hsu a hand now with Mr Wilson's computer and details of construction. I'll put the request in to the Yorktown for Mr Wilson's background when we get back to the command room." Rangin checks the time, "that should be in about twenty minutes. I guess you will be calling everyone back at that point for a debrief, sir."

As he passes Lt Delaney, Rangin smiles, "Sir, if it was easy, anyone could do it. You'll crack it sir, just give it a little bit of time. If not now, then after the debrief. A coffee and some doughnuts or pastries and it'll all work out. Actually, its a shame we can't get some of the resort delicacies instead of from the replicator. Ah well."

As he walks out of the room, to help out Mr Hsu in looking for any records on Mr Wilson's computer, Rangin wonders if Collins will pick up on what he said. It would be interesting to see the others faces if Collins did turn up with several boxes of doughnuts as a peace offering and then ran a reasonable debrief. He wonders if he should make her a cheat sheet, or more properly an agenda before they head back, just so she has something to go on. He could add a few hints to it about making sure everyone got a turn speaking and so on.

He smiles at the thought. Mr Wilson's office has some paper and pens, he could make one while helping out Mr Hsu. Several birds, one stone. Maybe they could all run as a team at some point.

Delaney keeps trying to find the right command subroutine.

Hsu checks the resort's archives and says, "There's no record of this safe being installed. As far as I can tell, it was never authorized by WR&R Corporate, and wasn't paid for with company funds. I think he must have arranged for it, and paid for it, himself. But what kind of secrets did he have, that he felt compelled to do that?"

Dr. T'Var asks Kylah to sit on one of the park benches, and scans her with her medical tricorder. Then she takes out an anabolic protoplaser and heals the young officer's cuts and scrapes; the bandages are now unnecessary. T'Var heals her sprained left knee as well but says, "The body must still do its work in healing from within; please do not place undue strain on your leg for at least two days. Sit down whenever possible." She also gives Kylah a hypospray dose of a mild painkiller.

Rangin looks across at Mr Hsu, "I can think of many reasons, some good, some bad. Personal security, job security, blackmail, corporate espionage. It could even hold something ripped from his killer and transported there as a final clue for someone to find. Who knows, because we won't know until we see what's stored inside."

"Actually, I've a more technical question for someone in your line of work. That is not a standard safe in that wall. Could you find out what kind of safe it is given what we know and the likely ways of getting into it?"

Yeah Collins thinks real coffee as opposed to the goo the replicator spits out. She checks the chronometer on her tricorder The café should be open by now.
"Okay," she says aloud so Rangin, Delaney, and Hsu can hear. "You see what you can do here, I'm going to find the others and head back to the conference room. Join us as soon as you have something."

She makes her way to the café and orders two large pots of coffee and one of hot water, a selection of teas, and an assortment of pastries and breakfast breads to be delivered to their conference room shortly. Then she goes looking for the other half of her crew.

Hsu runs a crosscheck of the tricorder readings with Memory Alpha's commercial database. He and Rangin find that it appears to be a Holdfast Corp. JL337 safe, very advanced, very strong, and made of a patented sensor-reflective alloy. The safes are somewhat uncommon and not inexpensive (they cost over 200k credits), and installation doesn't come cheap, either.

The counter clerk takes Collins's order and asks, "Will that be billed to you personally, or to your ship, ma'am?"

Rangin leans back and lets a a low whistle before calling through to the bedroom. "Sorry sir, we think we found what type the safe is, you aren't going to crack it. If you do, the company who builds it will probably want to sign you up to a non-disclosure agreement about how you did it."

He turns back to Mr Hsu, "Ok, I think we need to split effort now. Can you find from the resort records any sign of any construction team, finishing team, redecorating team that would have been around just after the resort opened. Did Mr Wilson get his room personally redecorated at some point after he arrived. I'll go and see if I can get a background check on him. If he personally spent that money, there should be a trace somewhere. Not to mention that he would have to have had the money in the first place not to mention the connections to get it installed."

Rangin stops for a moment and then sighs, "Of course, if we were being sensible, we could also contact Holdfast Corp, ask them how to get the serial number and see what records they have on that particular safe."

Collins thinks a moment, then says "Please put it on the Yorktown's tab." Singh can take it out of my account later if need be she thinks.

Rangin contacts Lt Collins by Communicator, "Sir, I've got some more details on the safe and some info requests to place. Heading back to the CR now. Is there anything else that needs doing?"

"Make sure we have access to Wilson's suite later if we need it," Collins says "and invite Mr. Hsu to join us."

"Thank you very much, doctor," Kylah says, tentatively bending and unbending her knee before standing up, still keeping most of her weight on the right leg. "That feels a great deal better. And I will try to be careful until it is fully healed." She slips the elastic bandage beneath her utility belt and hopes the others don't notice. Absurdly sentimental or not, she wants to keep it. If asked, she will say that she might later wish the extra support.

"Were you asked to attend the interviews?" she continues to T'Var, curious. "We were planning on visiting a guest in one of the yellow houses next, a Sylvia Aubrey."

Remember it's the CP - Command Post - and not the CR.

Hsu turns back to the keyboard and nods. He says, "I'll see what I can find out. I'll also change the lock to this suite so that you and your other team members can get back in here when you need to."

Dr. T'Var replies, "I waited ten minutes alone in the CP and got bored, frankly. I decided to see if I could be of greater use elsewhere. I'm glad to see that I have been."

"Doc, if you want to keep at Mrs. Webb, you can try ringing her damned doorbell constantly for a couple hours," he says to T'Var. "Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely thrilling work--but my arm is tired." He chuckles and smiles. "For our part--uh, I think," he says, glancing at Kylah, "you're certainly welcome to participate in the Aubrey interview if you have no other orders."

He clears his throat. "But we ought to get in gear. Aubrey, Fastolfe, and now Mrs. Hsu are key people to talk to. And we're slated to catch up with the others soon."

"Yes indeed, let us see Ms. Aubrey before we are summoned back. I regret having wasted our time by suggesting that we check the empty houses first." She does not wish to say anything regarding T'Var. She is a higher rank than they are, anyway; the Vulcan may do as she pleases.

Still, Kylah cannot help but add: "Although... I wonder if three Starfleet officers arriving to interview a lone civilian might be seen as rather... intimidating."

She leaves them with that thought as she goes to ask Thuvas to contact the front desk for her, quickly explaining the situation. "Please send them my regrets," she finishes, "and ask the concierge to inform the store employee that I will be there as soon as I can--and assure him or her that their inconvenience and indulgence will be appropriately compensated by me, personally. This was a private request and should not go on any Starfleet tab."

Dr. T'Var smiles slightly and says, "I have never been told that I was particularly imposing. But if it would be better for me not to come along for the interview, I will not. You are the Security officer here, Mr. Graham, and I will follow your lead."

Thuvas makes the call as Kylah requests.

"Yes, sir, will do, Rangin out."

Rangin isn't sure why Collins has asked for Mr Hsu to come along, but she probably has good reason, probably to keep an eye on him more than anything. Although having him there during the debrief could be considered unwise given the hairs she had found in Wilson's bedroom.

Looking over the shoulder of Mr Hsu to see what he is looking at, Rangin starts to gather the papers on the desk. "I'd better take these down to the Command Post for a read through, see if they contain anything of interest" followed by gathering the waste paper basket and the torn notes. "Changing the access on the suite to give us access is appreciated, could you do the same for his office as well. It's likely to be somewhere else we will need to look over again. Also, Lt. Collins has invited you down to the Command Post, so when you're ready, we can head down, if you're interested."

Hsu says, "OK, I'll make that change to his office, too. I should just be a few more minutes here; you go on ahead with me and I'll meet you there."

"Don't worry about it, I can still hear Lt. Delaney furiously cracking through all the subroutines on Mr Wilson's communicator, he'll probably be a few minutes as well", replies Rangin, "besides, given everything, a second pair of eyes to confirm anything you might find is always useful."

Rangin looks back over Mr Hsu's shoulder at what he is working on. "Any luck?"

"Don't underestimate your potential, Doc," Graham replies, smiling. "I had a partner once, a Vulcan, a very..." he starts to raise his hands, palms up, in front of his chest, then remembers who he's speaking with, blushes every so slightly, and anchors them at his hips. "Ah, a very attractive woman. She'd be all nicey-nice until she suggested saving everyone some time by taking the information we needed right out of their minds..." He adds quickly, "Not that she ever did that, but the threat was very effective."

He rubs his chin. "Anyway, you're right Ensign, intimidation isn't our objective--at least not yet. But I like the fact T'Var's a doctor. Anybody in their right mind would wonder why we have a doctor along. Never hurts for people to be a little uncertain what's going on and what we have up our sleeves." He shrugs.

"So if we're one big happy family, let's get to it."

After several minutes of research, Hsu says, "There were almost a dozen subcontractors here in the months after the official opening of the resort, doing various odds and ends, finishing touches, that sort of thing. Holdfast wasn't one of them. No record of an added task of installing the safe, either." He looks up at the ceiling, thinking aloud. "Hmm. Wilson might've bought the safe elsewhere and had one of the authorized subcontractors install it, paying them under the table, or hired someone personally to come and do it. Maybe someone from Holdfast who didn't identify himself that way at check-in. Either way, it would be off the books."

Kylah again consults the list of guest houses:

1 - currently vacant
2 - Fellim Palver, Rhaandaran
3 - Mrs. Webb, Luna
4 - The Ettoo-Oms, a family of Aurelians (perhaps those seen last night in the lobby), Pacifica
5 - Lord Fastolfe, Proxima Centauri
6 - Samuel and Bella Gold, both businesspeople, Earth
7 - currently vacant
8 - Prolun Jaxo, a top Hwuen government official
9 - Rosemary Calvin, author
10 - currently vacant
11 - Terrance and Claire Hutchinson, retirees, Earth
12 - Sylvia Aubrey, an actress, Cochrane V

The three Starfleet officers, two in red and one in blue, go to house #12. After they ring, a tall, lordly man in a dark suit opens the door. He raises his eyebrows fractionally and asks, "May I help you?"

It is now 0913.

"You're right, it would be off the WR&R books. Not necessarily Mr Wilson's books though. I wonder if he kept his own finances somewhere. Either way, I don't think you are going to find much more on that computer unless we can narrow down what we are looking for. It's time to head back anyway, we should gather Lt. Delaney, lock up here and head back. Actually there is one last thing you can help me with before we leave."

Rangin pulls out his tricorder. "As far as we can tell, he spent no time in most of these rooms when he got back last night. There are a couple final rooms to check and then we are done here for the moment. All we are looking for is some sign he spent some time in the room. Otherwise we have a much longer gap than we want when he is absent."

"Up to lending me a hand?" he enquires of Mr Hsu.

"Of course," Hsu says. "I'm your man. Where else did you want to check?"

"Thanks", Rangin replies. "Right, we've done the kitchen and dining room, the bedroom and the office. That just leaves the two bathrooms, utility room and study. Bathrooms first, then utility room, finally the study. We can lock it when we finish. Let's go"

Rangin will be using his tricorder to find any extra DNA in the rooms, but will store it for later research. He will also be looking for any sign that Wilson used the room, however Rangin expects he went straight through and out the door at the back.

If Mr Hsu asks, if Rangin has found anything, Rangin's comment will be along the lines of unsure, will need to do some further analysis on it.

Hsu has a civilian scanner of his own, which he uses, but it does not have nearly the capabilities as a Starfleet tricorder. He checks in the utility room.

Rangin finds that both bathrooms are clean and tidy. The one closer to the master bedroom has Wilson's DNA on one of the drinking cups, in the sink trap and the toilet. His fingerprints are on several surfaces where they would be expected: drawer pulls, shower and toilet handles, and so on. There are several other fingerprints, as well - at least four different people's, it appears. There is also fragmentary DNA from at least two people other than Wilson. One person has handled and apparently drunk from the other cup, and someone else has used the toilet. All of the trace evidence appears to have been left in the past two or three days, judging by its freshness.

The other bathroom has some fingerprints, none of which are Wilson's, but no discernable DNA. It appears to have been used much less than the first.

Rangin happily stores all the fingerprint data and trace DNA knowing he has access to the full set of WR&R employees data, not to mention that Lt. Collins has the data from the bedroom, before moving on to the next room.

"Hmm, doesn't look like he used here last night. Next room."

"Good morning," Graham says professionally. "I'm Ensign Graham, Starfleet Security." He gestures slightly at each of this colleagues. "This is Ens. Kylah, and Dr. T'Var. We need to speak with Sylvia Aubrey."

He cocks his head slightly at the man. "And you are...?"

Rangin and Hsu find nothing of interest in the utility room, just a few of Wilson's fingerprints on the environmental controls and laundry machine. The study is much the same - some of Wilson's fingerprints on the table and chairs, and some other scattered smudged, partial fingerprints. No DNA traces in either room other than Wilson's.

The man in the doorway says, "I am Simon Banks, Miss Aubrey's Personal Assistant and Traveling Companion." You can practically hear the capital letters in his titles as he says them. "May I ask why you wish to speak with her?"

Agony knifes through Graham's heart and mind like a bat'leth through his midsection.

"Why am I such an idiot to travel around the galaxy getting shot and stabbed instead of going for a job like that is" the joke that ought to come to mind.

But instead:

You had the job offer, in your hand

To be Jane's traveling companion

Her security

And you turned it down


"It's a...pleasure...to meet you, Mr. Banks," he replies, spreading his arms in a gesture of openness and saying "Mr. Banks" as if this jerk off was actually important. "It concerns a criminal investigation of an incident at the resort," he replies. He wants the earth to swallow him, the sky to fall on him. But he swallows it all. He collapses a little in on himself, but steels himself to speaks gently but earnestly, as if Banks has given him food for thought that he has carefully processed. "Unless you also happen to be her legal counsel, I believe it would most...appropriate...if we spoke directly and privately with her."

Kylah is standing slightly behind both T'Var and Graham, having been the last to reach the door--and the shortest, which makes it hard for her to see this Mr. Banks person except through the slight space between her crewmates. When Graham first made his a blunt request, if one could call it a request, to see Ms. Aubrey, Kylah clamped her teeth together and wondered if security officers are biologically incapable of treating strangers as anything but obstacles to be battered into submission.

The instant Banks responds, a sharp wave of emotion causes Kylah to inhale sharply but silently. It is powerful: Guilt? Grief? Self-loathing? She knows it is not T'Var, and she hasn't been focusing on Banks since she cannot even read his expression from this angle. It must be Mr. Graham. She has not tried to reach out to him in the least, and yet something has inspired a reaction in him with the emotional equivalent of a concussive explosion.

She moves tentatively closer, letting her shoulder brush up against him, and then touches his arm gently as if asking him to let her pass between him and T'Var. "I beg your pardon," she murmurs when she walks toward the front--and adds a slight squeeze of her hand, a light pressure that is probably not even noticeable. She cannot help herself. Something has distressed him terribly and she has no idea why. It is none of her business. But... he has seen her at her worst, just as she said earlier, and in his own way tried to assist. She feels obliged to do the same. Then, after a quick searching glance up at Graham, she directs her attention to Mr. Banks.

"Forgive us, sir," Kylah says when she's more visible to Banks. "We know it is still very early, and likely a great inconvenience. But as my colleague says, there has been a crime committed on the resort premises, quite close by, I am afraid. In order to ensure the guests' safety as well as talk to everyone in the vicinity to see if anyone has heard or seen anything, no matter how minor, that was unusual or noteworthy. We only wish to speak to Ms. Aubrey confidentially--and you as well, of course--just as we have with all the other guests who have been courteous enough to receive us this morning. I do hope you will assist us? Could you please let Ms. Aubrey know we are here?"

Rangin looks at the final readings he and Mr Hsu have gathered.

"Well, I've seen nothing here which says Wilson stayed for a while and then left later. It really does look as though he got back to this suite and then just left. It really make you wonder what he was up to and what happened for that final hour or so."

Shaking his head at the lack of data, he looks across with a resigned sigh.

"I think that's enough for now. Time to catch up with the rest of the team and see what they have found. We can start by politely dragging Lt. Delaney away from his travails, secure the side and front entrances and then head for the command post. Ready?"

Banks loftily says, "She prefers to be called Miss Aubrey, as I said. Just a moment, please; I will tell her of your request." He closes the door.

Hsu says to Rangin, "All right. Let's go."

Delaney, in the bedroom, shakes his head in frustration. "Still no luck, but I've set up Wilson's communicator to cycle through its subroutines and self-identify any code sequence that might open the safe. It could take awhile, but it'll signal me when it finds the right one." He's ready to go to the CP, too.

If Graham was surprised by Banks' description of his role and the memory it invoked, he's doubly surprised by Kylah pushing her way past him.

He doesn't have it in him to be annoyed: at least she cares about doing her job, he thinks.

Take a sense of away duty to Starfleet--how well are you doing at that, Booker?

Take away a sense of obligation to be a father--you're doing even better at the one, aren't you?

Take away a sense of responsibility to see there's justice done for what happened--any progress there, Booker?

And take away at least the fact that by being on a team and having no hesitation to put himself in harm's way when necessary he can keep decent people from getting hurt--how's your track record there?

Kylah looks up at him He recalls what he thought last night: either her whole plan was a cock and bull story and she just had a crush on this guy, in which case we should drag her ass back and explain she should play romance novel heroine on her own damn time or the plan for this 'interview subject' was all true, but she's lost control of the situation.

At least she cares about doing her job.

Take all that away and what's left, Booker?


For a split second he lets it all go, and stares back at his young colleague as exactly what he feels like: a dead man walking.

Then he shuts it all down and puts the job on. It's the uniform holding the body up, isn't it? he thinks grimly. You have some decisions to make.

A little bit of him hopes Miss Aubrey comes out shooting.

"Excellent idea sir", Rangin responds and and nods in approval. "If we, or rather you, can open it, it may help us work out why Mr Wilson was killed."

Rangin waits for Mr Hsu to lock the side entrance before everyone leaves and they all head for the Command Post.

Hsu locks the suite's service entrance and the front door, and he, Rangin and Delaney go to the CP. Collins is already there. The coffee and donuts are delivered soon after; Collins thumbs the receipt pad.

After about five minutes, Banks returns to the guest house's door and says, "Please come in." He shows Graham, Kylah and Dr. T'Var into a first-floor sitting room decorated in the Second Russian Empire style.

Sylvia Aubrey, a well-preserved and not unattractive woman, about 70, sits on the couch in an opulent dressing gown. "Good morning, everyone," she says regally. "Please do have a seat." Her name had been unfamiliar to Graham before, but seeing her now, he vaguely remembers seeing her in a movie a decade or so earlier. She was once a relatively big star but is now semi-retired and not nearly as famous. She smiles. "It's not every day I have a visit from Starfleet. What can I do for you all on this fine morning?"

Graham clears his throat.

You have some decisions to make, Booker.


"It's, ah, not every day we're as graciously greeted by someone so accomplished," Graham says, straightening his shirt first, then taking a seat. "Unfortunately," he says, folding his hands on his lap and glancing down at them for just a moment. "the circumstances are less than ideal. A serious crime has occurred, and it would be very helpful to Starfleet if you'd allow us to ask you a few questions." As he says this, he gestures and glances toward Kylah and T'Var.

Remember, you should ask all the questions you want in one post, then I'll post all the NPC's answers, and then you can follow up.

"A serious crime?" she repeats. "Dear Lord. Well, whatever I can tell you, I'll be glad to. My brother was in Starfleet and I have a high opinion of the service."

When he gets back to the CP, Rangin sets to work to get all the data down before relaxing.

He starts by upload all the data he has gathered and cross references all the fingerprints in Mr Wilson's apartment with the WR&R database they have been provided along with adding notes about which DNA was found with which fingerprint. Rangin is expecting the remaining results to be for cleaners in the apartment as he can't see Mr Wilson doing it all himself and he leaves it to process away in the background.

Next he uploads the data they found about Mr Wilson's movements from the video and audio for reference.

Finally he starts placing several requests for information with the Yorktown in the hopes they may be able to get some answers. A background check on Mr Wilson, any irregularities in his finances, any personal large payments made at the same time the hotel was finished. Then a request to HoldFast Corp about their safe including type details and a request for any information how to find out who bought and installed it at the resort and if not, the best way to get any kind of serial number so it can be tracked.

As the coffee is bought in, the grin nearly splits his face as he looks across. "Sir, that's excellent, great idea", as his fingers continue entering the data.

As he finalises the requests, he jots down some notes on a piece of paper.
Agenda
1. Update from team: Rangin, Graham, T'Var. Kylah, Delaney, Collins
2. Suggestions from team: Rangin, Graham, T'Var. Kylah, Delaney, Collins
3. Suspects - who are they, who should interview them.
4. Interviews and information - people to talk to, things to find out
5. Divison of tasks raised.
6. Relax and drink more coffee.

Once Rangin finishes, he leaves the piece of paper face up on his desk before heading across to enjoy a proper coffee and some pastries. On seeing the selection, he muses aloud, "I hope the others aren't going to be too long or those will to vanish." His eyes twinkle at the selection before carefully taking a couple to enjoy, then Rangin turns to Lt Collins and smiles, "Thank you sir.", before taking a mouthful.

Collins smiles as she sips her own coffee. "What were you writing over there? I can't remember that last time I saw anyone use pen and paper."

"I like to keep in practice every so often, keeps fingers nimble. One moment, sir, I'll show you."

Rangin wanders across and retrieves the paper before handing it to Lt. Collins. "Just some ideas, you're welcome to add them to all the other ideas, sir."

While Lt. Collins is reading it, Rangin continues, "It seems the only people nowadays who use pen and ink are artists, everyone always uses something electronic for ease of use. Shame really, a little bit of individuality in people's handwriting lost, all for the sake of legibility."

Rangin looks back across at all the note he bought back from Mr Wilson's apartment. "Then again, it can make reading easier. I've a pile of notes of ledges to go through over there after the debrief from Mr Wilson's office."

Collins reads the list and mutters, almost inaudibly, "You should have been mission leader."

Once he has a sip of coffee, Rangin mutters back quietly at the same pitch, "No sir, you're quite capable. You just need experience and confidence. You'll do fine and trust me it does get easier."

Rangin's computer search soon comes back - the fingerprints are Wilson's, Mrs. Hsu's, and various WR&R cleaning staff. WR&R does not maintain employee DNA profiles in its personnel database.

Lt. Thalen, on the Yorktown, refers Rangin's query as to a Wilson background check to Federation Security, the nearest office of which is on Santiago, and Starfleet Security on Starbase 27. It may take a few days for responses. He also sends a subspace message to the Holdfast Corp., which is based on Rigel IV. It might take even longer to hear from them, if they respond at all - as Graham could tell Rangin, they tend to be quite protective of client privacy. Wilson had a standard if somewhat cursory corporate background check when he was first hired by WR&R, and a more thorough one when he was promoted to resort manager on OC3, and nothing out of the ordinary was found either time.

While Mr Hsu is in the room, Rangin has left the computer search to sit in the background and not display any results. It's likely, given the hairs that Lt. Collins showed to him, that Mrs Hsu's fingerprints will be found in the bathroom as well. Although, there are probably plenty of ways they could get there, being found on a cup in the bathroom is a little harder to wish away. It can wait until later, when Mr Hsu is not around.

Rangin continues to drink coffee and attempting to convince Lt Collins she is a capable leader.

Graham asks Aubrey questions, pausing at times to indicate that Kylah and T'Var need not let him dominate the conversation.

How has your visit been, so far?
Have you come here before?
(If yes - Is this the house you normally stay in?)
Is this the house you reserved, and you've been here your whole stay?
Did you notice anything out of the ordinary last night?
How well did you know Mr. Wilson?
When did you last see Mr. Wilson?

Several of Mrs. Hsu's fingerprints were indeed in the bathroom.

Aubrey says, "I've had a marvellous time so far. This is my second visit here, and I find it so relaxing. And yes, I've stayed in this house both times - I liked it so much the first time I insisted on getting it again, if possible, and fortunately, it was available. No, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary last night. I had dinner here, brought to me by Room Service, and then I took a walk for an hour or so, getting back around 10pm. I read for awhile and was in bed by 11:15pm. I slept through the night, waking about half an hour ago. I knew Mr. Wilson only slightly; most of my dealings were with the concierge. I last saw Mr. Wilson three or four days ago. But why do you ask about him? Has something happened to him?"

Graham asks follow ups:

Did Mr. Wilson, or any other staff, speak with you about another guest being interested in this house?
Is there any reason you know of why anyone would have wished Mr. Wilson harm?

Kylah remains silent, although she isn't comfortable with not revealing Wilson's death to Miss Aubrey. She's certain Graham probably wants to spring the news on her as some kind of dramatic surprise gesture, but the tenor of his questions has already implied the worst. What is the point of obfuscation?

Meanwhile she looks at Miss Aubrey to take in her physical details and facial reactions. Is she capable of stabbing someone with a knife that somehow matched the one belonging to Lord Fastolfe? The idea of someone using an identical knife without having been present at the time when Wilson was threatened earlier seems to go beyond coincidence into the realm of the fantastic.

Who was the other woman there? That novelist. She should be on our interview list after Lord Fastolfe--and of course, Mrs. Hsu.

if Delaney and Hsu are also in the CP ...

"Have some coffee, gentlemen, and something to eat." Collins offers as she pulls out her communicator. "Collins to Graham. We're in the CP, waiting on you all."

if Delaney and Hsu are not there, she just calls Graham

Delaney and Hsu are indeed also in the CP. See post 1854. They each help themselves to some coffee and a bite to eat, and thank Collins.

Aubrey says, "It was either Mr. Wilson or one of his staff who told me that another recently-arrived guest was very interested in staying in this house, but I was already here, and had my heart set on it, and I just put my foot down. I'd reserved the place, for heaven's sake! Why should I move for someone who just wanted to stay on a whim? And of course I don't know of anyone who would wish any harm to Mr. Wilson. But please, tell me - what's happened to him?"

Graham nods to acknowledge Aubrey's answers, then briefly lowers his head. Raising it, he watches Aubrey closely to assess her reaction and slowly says "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, ma'am--but Mr. Wilson is dead."

Aubrey seems genuinely horrified. "Oh, no - how terrible! Really? How did it happen?"

Collins calls Graham again. "Ensign, acknowledge!"

Rangin waits patiently while Lt Collins tries to contact Graham. He wonders what could be going on that Graham doesn't reply and he hopes this is not going to be the same as when Kylah didn't answer, although Rangin is not sure what situation Graham could get into to match that. He puts the thought to one side, but then remembers that Kylah was heading to see Graham and hopes nothing has gone wrong.

Kylah glances at Graham and decides to handle this question. "I am afraid he was killed, Miss Aubrey," she says gently, and this time she does press outwards with her empathic sense slightly to see if the actress's feelings match her seemingly genuine shock. "The death occured late last night, early this morning, and not very far from here--in the courtyard just outside. That is why we need you to think carefully, if you might have heard anything at all, even something minor that merely disturbed your sleep... and perhaps you could ask your traveling companion if he would also step inside to answer that question, as well."

The post above where Kylah looks at Aubrey to see her physical description was intended (apparently not very clearly, sorry!) to ask about her appearance. Any chance of details on what she looks like, please? Does she look her age, is she strong/weak, is she more than 'not attractive' as in actually pretty, hair color, etc.?

Graham takes advantage of Kylah answering Aubrey's question to excuse himself. "I'm sorry," he says quickly and quietly, "Pardon me." He stands and pulls out his communicator, and moves to a corner of the room.

"Graham here," he says as quietly as he can while still remaining audible to Collins. "Sorry L-T, we're in the middle of interviewing a guest."

"Oh, how terrible!" Aubrey repeats, shaking her head. "I had no idea. And no, I'm sorry, I saw and heard nothing at all unusual last night. Not in the least." She calls in Banks, who says much the same.

Kylah senses that Aubrey is upset by news of Wilson's murder, but not as much as her demeanor and tone of voice indicate. She is good-looking for her age but not beautiful, Kylah would say. She has a strong chin and her face is slightly lined; her hair is raven black. Even at this hour of the morning, she is perfectly made up and not a hair is out of place. She has a force of personality, a physical presence and an expressiveness that make it clear she is still quite a capable actress.

"Thank you," Kylah says to Banks, and turns to look at the actress. "We do appreciate your help, Miss Aubrey. It is very early yet, and I doubt the resort staff have had time to make any official decisions regarding what to tell the guests. But since you and the others staying in these cottages are so near to the scene of the crime, we must speak with all of you as soon as possible. Not just to determine whether there were any witnesses, but to make certain you are all safe and sound."

Kylah darts her gaze to Graham, who is still on the communicator, before continuing. "Please rest assured that the resort has increased security all around the vicinity, with guards on alert for your protection. In addition, our ship, the Yorktown, is ready to provide additional backup if it is warranted."

She tilts her head. "How long is your vacation here, Miss Aubrey? Oh, and how did you travel here? Forgive me, it just struck me that I do not know how most guests journey to the resort."

"Alright." says Collins, "Save the rest of the interviews for later and get here as soon as you can."

"I plan to be here for a month," Aubrey says. "I've been here for just four days now. I arrived on the liner Ariadne."

"Sir, I take it they are going to be a while? In which case is there anything to prep before the meeting and would you like another coffee?" Rangin asks Collins as she finishes talking to Graham.

"I see, thank you," Kylah says. "I assume the resort will do all it can to ensure your stay will not be disturbed. Administrative matters will likely be taken over by Mr. Wilson's close associate, Mrs. Hsu." She tilts her head slightly. "Have you ever met her?" If Miss Aubrey says yes, she will follow up with, "She seems to be pleasant and efficient, and will make a suitable if temporary replacement, do you agree?"

If Miss Aubrey says no, Kylah will say the same thing but without the added question.

Collins walks with Rangin to the coffee pots. "Of course I would." she tells him. "Let's debrief Hsu, and then he can get back to work. By then Graham and the others should be here."

"No, I don't think I've had any dealings with Mrs. Hsu," Aubrey says. She looks at Banks, who shakes his head.

Graham acknowledges Collins' order and returns to the group.

As best he can tell, he waits for a break in the conversation - it seems like Aubrey and Banks have just dead-ended on a question.

"Well," he says, "we won't take much more of your time. Our mission commander has other orders for us at the moment." He says this with equanimity, aware that yesterday he would have let the combination of Kylah's fall that slowed them down and Collins telling him what to do get to him. Or, more accurately, he thinks, get to you and change your behavior. If you're going to do the job, do the job and don't fly off at the handle.

"Mr. Kylah, Dr. T'Var, did you have any other questions for Miss Aubrey at this time?" he asks, sincerely. As far as he's concerned, Aubrey's either clean or slick enough to jerk them around for awhile.

Kylah nods at Miss Aubrey. "Miss Aubrey, you have been most generous with your time at such an early hour. As have you, Mr. Banks. Thank you both very much, I have no more questions I can think of right now. Dr. T'Var?"

Rangin nods at Collins suggestion while he pours two new coffees and hands one across. "Good idea sir, we can confirm our access to Mr Wilson's office and suite ask him to see if any of the staff did see Mr Wilson after 11:15 last night and perhaps most importantly, given that everyone is a suspect, we can tactfully ask for an alibi, purely on the grounds of being able to cross him off the list. I'm sure his wife will be able to provide it, but we would be fools not to ask. I don't consider him a suspect, but better to be safe than sorry..."

Rangin looks across where Delaney and Mr Hsu are talking, before turning back to Collins, "..and I'm sure you have your own points, sir. I'll go and ask him to step across." He hopes that Collins is ready for this, it will be a good test to see how calm and collected she currently is. Rangin has given her a few things to confirm and ask and with any luck it will go well, not to mention getting the practice at this she seems to need. If not, he will be on hand to hopefully smooth things over.

He heads across to the pair and politely intervenes at an appropriate point, "Excuse me for interrupting, sirs. Mr Hsu, would it be possible to run through some details so we don't delay you too much from all the other work that undoubtedly have." Rangin gestures across to where Lt. Collins is waiting

Dr. T'Var asks Miss Aubrey, "Do you have any investments in either Wrigley Resorts & Recreation or any of its competitors, ma'am?"

"Yes," Aubrey says, a little reluctantly. "I have some holdings in Gould Travel."

"As a percentage of your portfolio, how much, if I may ask?"

"Uh... about half, maybe a little less. It's a very good company."

"Is Gould one of the companies hoping to secure the resort franchise here on Omicron Ceti III?"

"Yes, I think so, although I don't follow the ins and outs of corporate policy all that closely. I know the CEO of Gould and had suggested that this might be a worthwhile investment."

"I see. And the death of the resort's director - his murder - might not reflect well on WR&R, would you say?"

Aubrey looks startled, but Kylah senses that it's mostly an act. "Uh, perhaps. But I'm sure Starfleet will decide who should run the resort purely on the merits."

"I certainly hope so," Dr. T'Var says calmly. "We thank you both for your time, and now take our leave."

Mr. Hsu says to Rangin, "Sure. Anything I can do to help."

Before Rangin walks away Collins tells him "Oh, Hsu is a suspect, alright, especially if there was something going on between his wife and Wilson. It's the oldest motive in the book."
She watches as Rangin talks to Hsu and waits until they start moving towards, then meets them halfway. "Let's start with the basics" she says evenly. "What is the standard nightly protocol?"

As I've suggested several times before, please ask all the questions you want to in a single post. I'll respond, and then you can follow up.

Hsu says, "We have two officers on a duty at a time, in eight-hour watches. One is in the Security Office, keeping an eye and an ear on the surveillance systems, and the other is on foot patrol. They switch places every two hours to keep alert. If there's an emergency, officers who are off-duty can be brought in, as I did when Mr. Wilson's body was discovered. All of the resort's shops close at 9pm, the restaurants close at midnight, and the nightclub closes at 2am. The officer on foot patrol checks to make sure this happens, and that they're each secure and locked after closing. Before Mr. Wilson's body was found, last night and early this morning were unremarkable from a security perspective."

"Collins wants everyone to rendezvous at the CP," Graham says once they are out of earshot of Aubrey and Banks.

Rangin waits and stands politely, hands behind his back and coffee placed to one side as Collins asks her questions.

He shouldn't need to say anything at all, but if Collins asks a good question, he'll nod in appreciation. He keeps a mental note of the questions asked, no doubt Collins might like some feedback later on in private.

Kylah nods. "Those were excellent questions, Dr. T'Var. I should have thought of them myself, since I was the only one of us in the interview with Mr. Palver--who also has investments in a rival company. And yet it is a different company entirely. It seems... odd. I suppose we will discuss all this in the meeting."

She falls silent as they head to the CP, concerned about having some time alone. She must see a doctor or nurse, preferably someone female, and definitely sooner rather than later.

As they walk to the CP, Graham grunts and scratches his chin in response to Kylah's comments. "Hmmm...if I had tended to see the worst in people, I'd say our boy Wilson might have been playing different companies against each other...maybe was trying to make bank by promising to throw control of this franchise from WR&W to somebody else, and he got in over his head...or somebody found out he wasn't really on on their side."

Playing both sides against each other.

Kylah keeps her gaze straight ahead, but a shiver goes down her spine. The description matches Aldaan perfectly: appeasing the Federation, appeasing the Klingons--and who knows whom he is courting now. All for the benefit of Elas. Or really, for himself. She has no illusions about her Guardian's activities having anything to do with the greater good of their planet or people.

So was Wilson also such an avaricious man, playing the same games on a smaller scale? Did one of his apparent conspirators discover his treachery and repay him in blood?

Might the same thing happen to Aldaan?

As far as Kylah knows, she is the only one in her family who is aware of Aldaan's behavior. She cannot believe her young brother knows what is being done in his name, and her sister has never shown any interest in political machinations. Of course, the most natural person to tell would be a wife, but Aldaan has none. Yet. Which is why he confides in Kylah, because he's always intended...

Kylah shakes her head slightly to get herself away from such thoughts, and thinks back to the picture in the CP in front of the empty chair, the ghost at the table. Like Banquo, the martyred king in the only Shakespeare play that her family could appreciate: Macbeth.

"I wonder if they have informed his family yet," she murmurs slowly. "If there are such aspects to this crime, perhaps getting access to his private financial records might be helpful. To do that we would need his wife's permission. It strikes me that, as far away as she is, Mrs. Wilson might be a valuable source of knowledge."

Graham's lost in his own thoughts, but turns at Kylah's comments. "His wife?" He shakes his head. "I always hated making calls like that. Best thing you could hope for was that she thought he was a too-timing scumbag and was glad he was dead. Of course," he says, pausing, "that doesn't bode so well for this kids." Various memories come to mind. "What do you say to a distraught wife? 'Hey, it'd not do bad, after all he was cheating on you!'" He shakes his head and is almost about to go on: what do you say to a child when one of their parents isn't coming back? but he stops himself short. I've been there, he thinks. And I still have no damned idea.

"Hm," he says, "I thought Mrs. Hsu might have been upset because of her fling. Maybe somehow she spilled the beans intentionally or accidentally...." He's relieved he didn't let Collins' interruption of what they were doing get to him. "Maybe it's a good time to get the team together and compare notes."

"Do you mean Mrs. Hsu might have told Mrs. Wilson about the affair--the alleged affair, I should say?" Kylah asks. "She does not seem that careless. If she told someone it likely would have been purposeful, I think..." Kylah frowns. Something nags at her but she is not sure what it is.

Unable to figure out what is bothering her, Kylah thinks about what Graham said about informing Mrs. Wilson. "Distraught," she says pensively. "Not every spouse is distraught. My f--" Kylah catches herself. "My friend's father died two days before her mother did. They were both in an accident, you see, and he died first while she lingered. When she was told that her husband had died, the wife was glad. Not because she hated him. She did not. She simply knew she could bear his death more easily than he could bear hers, and was glad he was spared that suffering."

Kylah hesitates as they approach the door to the resort. "Also, she knew she was dying, and with her husband dead, she was able to make provisions for their children on her own. Her husband might not have made the same choices. A practical woman to the last." She swallows and glances at the ground for a second before continuing in a firmer tone. "So... one never knows how a spouse may react. Indeed I believe in most murders, it is the wife or husband who is normally the prime suspect, is that not true? Not that it is possible in this case, but still..."

"She simply knew she could bear his death more easily than he could bear hers, and was glad he was spared that suffering."

Is this whole mission really a psych test? Graham wonders, as he feels like Kylah has taken her Elasian knife and inserted it into the notch between two vertebrae, where she's wiggling it around to find the exact spot at which the point's contact with a nerve will cause him to collapse, screaming.

For a moment he wonders if she's toying with him, but he doesn't see why she would be--and he's sure he hasn't told any of his new crewmates his story, anyway.

It's just a coincidence, Booker--you brought up spouses dying. And you don't need to be a genius to see she's probably talking about her own mother, he thinks.

In the end he's neither angry nor even sad: he's...taken aback. Stunned.

He clears his throat. "Uh, yeah," he rasps. "Marriage can be hazardous to your health."

"She simply knew she could bear his death more easily than he could bear hers, and was glad he was spared that suffering."

Who are you angry at, Booker: yourself...or Jane--because it's you who couldn't bear her death?

Or because of this.

"No child should have to grow up without her--a--mother," he mumbles, feeling awkward about saying nothing but unsure what to say.

Her? Are you speaking in general, about Kylah, or about Elizabeth, he wonders?

Then he quickens his pace little, hoping his shorter colleague won't really notice, but also won't quite be able to keep up so he can avoid further conversation for the moment.

"Or without a father," Kylah finishes quietly.

But when she looks up, she sees that Graham has begun moving faster down the corridor, and with her shorter--and wounded--legs, Kylah would have to jog to catch up with him. She supposes she may have said too much. He has even passed T'Var in his rush to get away from her. Not away from me. Likely he is in a hurry to begin the meeting and hear what the others have learned.

He is, after all, a professional.

T'Var raises an eyebrow at Graham's increased pace, and instead slows, looking back at Kylah. "Are you feeling better, Ensign?" she asks.

Kylah gives T'Var a quick, reassuring nod. "Yes, thank you, doctor. My knee feels much better. The pain medication is working quite well. Otherwise, I am saddened that our mission has turned into an investigation of a crime, especially one so tragic. I know we will do our best to find justice for Mr. Wilson's family--and, I hope, prevent any further acts of violence. I look forward to hearing what you and the other teams have learned once the meeting starts."

She keeps her voice crisp and businesslike--not unlike a Vulcan, in fact. If only I could hide my emotions as they do. Awkward at being by T'Var's side, Kylah is very glad that they are nearing the CP. She will do anything to avoid the doctor's speculative stare, or the conversation that T'Var planned on having last night.

Rangin picks up the cup of coffee, and looks aside at Lt. Collins waiting for the next question she will ask of Mr Hsu, before putting it back down again.

Graham arrives at the Command Post a minute or so ahead of T'Var and Kylah, and the three see the coffee, donuts and other breakfast treats ordered by Collins. All six of the Yorktown's landing party are now gathered in the CP.

"Did you want to meet privately?" Hsu asks. "If so, I'd like to check on my officers around the park."

Kylah's attention only grazes the coffee and treats, presumably provided by the resort, before she finds Rangin. What little pain that T'Var's medication hasn't completely hidden vanishes at once; Velir's soothing, strong presence is a better balm than Kylah has ever dared hope for.

She's almost embarrassed to see him in front of the others, afraid her expression will give away too much. All she can do is catch his gaze for a moment, hoping that brief shared glance will reveal just how grateful she is to be with him again--even in a professional setting, even without speaking to him or feeling the gentle touch of his hands on hers.

Then she hastily looks down at the table, praying that her cheeks won't burn with a flush, before she takes a seat. When she realizes it is the same one she used earlier where Velir knelt before her to tend her wounds... where his revealed affection for her took her from misery to joy in such a short period of time, Kylah cannot suppress a slight smile. She hides it by brushing some stray tendrils of hair from her face, and by the time she has folded her hands neatly atop the table, her expression is somber and businesslike again.

As the others come through the door, Rangin can only think what an opportunity has been missed to get some early information from Mr Hsu. At least he has given the opportunity to speak to him in private later on. Assisting with Enquiries was how it used to be put. He just hopes that Collins agrees to talk to him later on.

Than, as Kylah looks across, Rangin can feel his heart beat a little faster. A brief glance from her, and though his face may be impassive and polite, his eyes tell a different story. The happiness he felt earlier returns and as she heads for her seat, he turns behind him for his coffee to hide the smile on his face. He's even happier to see that she has had her injuries treated and doesn't appear to be walking with a limp anymore.

For all he has on his mind, Graham suddenly realizes he's very hungry. He clears his throat and nods approvingly to Collins. "Nice spread. Good idea."

After he grabs coffee and a couple donuts he sits down as far away from Kylah as possible.

Purely by coincidence based on where he happened to be standing and where there was a free chair, he tells himself.

The direct subspace comm link to the ship chimes, and Cmdr. Pablo Vargas, First Officer and Chief of Security, appears on the largest screen in the CP. "I'd like reports from you and from each of the landing party, Mr. Collins," he says. "Are you any closer to finding the killer? What have you learned so far, and what more do you need to do? Do you need anything else from the Yorktown?"

Mr. Hsu is still standing there.

Each of you should report to Vargas in dialogue form; don't just write a non-quoting summary.

Kylah is startled to see Vargas on the screen. He is a reminder of the ship, which seems both weeks and lightyears away. And yet it has been just twenty-four hours. So much has happened...

She says nothing, of course, but is tempted to smirk at Vargas's question. Closer to finding the killer? Poor Mr. Wilson was found less than... what, six hours ago? Short of catching someone in the act, how quickly can one catch a murderer? If he expects such miracles, perhaps he should come down and put himself in charge.

Kylah looks at Collins with as blank a face as she can manage.

Graham clenches his jaw. Most criminals are stupid, he thinks. A few are brilliant, but most are dumb.

Eght times out of ten, it should be all over but the shouting after six to eight hours, with a good investigative team--even if you haven't made the pinch, you ought to know who you're going after and why.

But we aren't near there, he thinks: we've been messy, inefficient. You could attribute that to the fact that we've got a young team, mostly not experienced with Security or law enforcement. Or you could be honest and say that neither I nor Collins have moved the needle.

At least she has a legitimate excuse, he think--this may be her first rodeo, in terms of a murder investigation.

What's mine?

With the appearance of Cmdr. Vargas on the screen, Rangin feels a little bit sorry for Lt. Collins. She doesn't look like someone who wanted this particular job, let alone be ready for it, despite showing that on occasions she is perfectly capable of running the team. But, if she slips now, he is not someone Rangin will be able to talk around to cover for her.

Rangin knows what Cmdr. Vargas is expecting; why haven't we arrested Lord Falstofe and questioned him already. Especially given the fingerprints on the alleged murder weapon. If only it was that simple. It had only been a few hours since the murder had occurred and team was starting with no knowledge at all. If Cmdr. Vargas was expecting a suspect and conclusion, he should be asking the local security, not a team sent in to write a report on the capability of of a commercial organisation to run a resort.

A horrible thought did occur though. If Lt. Collins declared herself unfit to lead the team, who would Cmdr. Vargas pass the responsibility onto. The only other logical choice was Graham who, though he may not be ranking he certainly had the experience, isn't someone Rangin really wants to work under.

As he has been doing for the last while, Rangin waits for Lt. Collins to take the lead again.

Collins murmurs to Hsu, "Would you excuse us, please, while we confer with Cmdr. Vargas? I'll be in touch in, say, an hour or so." He nods and leaves.

She then says to the viewer with commendable self-assurance, "Good to see you, Commander. We just got back to the CP and haven't had the chance to compare notes yet. I'll let each of my team members report on what they've found so far, and then wrap up. Who would like to go first? Mr. Graham, perhaps? Or someone else?"

Graham glances around to see if anyone is particularly eager to report. Going first is the least I can do, he thinks, given the half-assed job I've done helping Collins so far. He stands, glances at Collins, and then clears his throat and faces Vargas.

"Like the lieutenant said, sir, we have not compared notes. So, please," he says, looking around the room, "please add to this or correct me if any of you have more complete information."

"In my view, Commander, there are three competing theories of the case, two of which are based on new information we learned this morning. We started the day with the possibility that Lord Fastolfe, who'd had a physical confrontation with Wilson earlier, killed him. The knife at the scene matches the one we confiscated from him, and his fingerprints--among others--were on it. My position, at least, was that we should delay interviewing him until we were able to dig for anything that might help strengthen our case against him, as he is likely--very likely--to be uncooperative. Uh, highly and obnoxiously uncooperative.

During that time we learned some things that suggest he's not the most likely killer--other than my gut--Fastolfe's a bully and a blowhard, but frankly I think he wouldn't find killing Wilson worth his time."

He clears his throat again. "We've found solid evidence Wilson was having an affair with Mrs. Hsu, his deputy and the wife of the security chief here. Further, there's a rumor he's also been dallying with guests and was on the verge of being fired. So we can add in the possibility of a crime of passion--Mrs. Hsu seems distraught, and Mr. Hsu has not shown any sign of knowing about it so far. But we haven't confronted either of them, yet.

"But finally, with that context, my bet at this point is that Wilson knew he was in trouble and was running some kind of play to get out of it. There a a couple guests we've found so far with stock holdings in WR&R's competitors." He shrugs. "That's not a smoking gun insofar as these folks probably have stock holdings in a lot things. But with big money at stake, Wilson could have been playing one or more companies against WR&R or against each other to swing control of this franchise away from WR&R. That much money--especially if somebody felt double-crossed--is reason enough to kill."

"Overall, sir, I'd say that we've made progress but we don't have a clear suspect for the trigger man...or woman. If this theory is right, somebody working on behalf of WR&R or a competitor. We still ought to interrogate Fastolfe, as a matter of course. And Mrs. Hsu, I think, clearly knows more than she's said--we really need to put the squeeze on her."

"Uh," he adds, after a pause, "We might need some more security personnel from the Yorktown at that point. Mr. Hsu has been very cooperative, but, ah, seems a little defensive where his wife is concerned. I'm not sure how he'll react when the cat's out of the bag. Or if we really put the screws to--ah, pressure--her to come clean."

"Any questions for me, sir?" Graham says, taking a formal parade rest position behind his chair.

With no sign of response from Cmdr. Vargas or Lt. Collins, Rangin coughs politely and stands up. "Perhaps I may be able to add some further information. We have checked with the resort security and tracked Mr Wilson's movements. He did nothing out of the ordinary last night and retired to his suite at 11:15. That is the last current known position we have for him until his body was discovered several hours later. The suite has been checked and it appears that he spent little to no time there before leaving again. The suite has a side entrance which is not covered by resort security cameras and it appears he used this exit to leave without being noticed."

"From within the suite, several things have been found. We have discovered more DNA evidence and fingerprints that Mr Wilson was having an affair. We have a full set of Mr Wilson's working WR&R files, initial examination shows nothing untoward in them. Lt. Collins also discovered a private safe in the wall of his suite. This safe does not appear on any WR&R records and appears to have been installed privately by Mr Wilson without the knowledge of anyone else. The closest match we can find is a Holdfast Corp. JL337 safe. It is sealed into the wall and appears to include a transtator assembly and subspace antenna. Its use may account for the transporter signal that was detected in the area over Mr Wilson's death. Lt. Delaney is currently seeing if there is any access possible from Mr Wilson's communicator to determine what secrets he may have been keeping."

Rangin nods at Cmdr. Vargas on the viewscreen while remaining standing, "That is all for the moment, Sir."

Cmdr. Vargas says, "I've already reviewed the architectural plans for the staff quarters. As to the side entrance to Wilson's suite, did you check to see if there was any dust in the connecting hallway? It might show signs of having been disturbed. Keep working on the safe - that's a very interesting part of this case. Who's next?"

Dr. T'Var looks around the table and then reports, "Dr. Halsey, the resort's doctor, seemed oddly excited or happy as to Mr. Wilson's death. I do not know why, and did not ask him directly, but perhaps we should do so. You already have my autopsy report, sir."

Lt. JG Collins says, "Thank you. Mr. Kylah, please report."

Kylah knows she is at a great disadvantage and has little to add compared to the technical crew's reports. Graham already told Vargas almost everything she might have provided, even facts that he was not present to observe himself. What can she say of value? I disgraced myself with a stranger and am probably considered a whore by Mr. Graham, I am despised by the mission commander who is utterly unfit for the job, I am desperate to get out of this meeting so that I may get tested for sexually transmitted diseases, but at least I admitted my romantic feelings for Mr. Rangin and discovered he returns them, so the mission is not a total disaster...

"I fear I do not have much to contribute that has not already been expressed in able detail by the others, sir. I can confirm that it appears Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Hsu were involved romantically, not just by DNA evidence but through personal messages left on Mr. Wilson's communicator. I was present at the guest interviews that Mr. Graham described, and can concur with the statements of fact that he made.

"I..." She looks down at the table for an instant, wavering. "I am not as certain about the conclusions that are being drawn about Mr. Wilson. It seems... no, I suppose you are not looking for--for what you would consider a hunch, sir, I apologize. I would just wish to add that one of the guests we interviewed with investment ties to a rival company, Mr. Palver, was clearly not--that is to say, he admitted that he was no longer under the influence of his spore treatment, claiming that it had happened seemingly spontaneously during the night. According to the staff here, there is no history of anyone else simply 'losing' the influence in such a way. Something extremely emotionlly disturbing must have caused this.

"I doubt anyone under the influence of the spores would be able to murder someone. Which means we must look carefully at Mr. Palver. And also determine if any of the other guests who should still be under the influence are... not. The other obvious implication is that it was a guest who did not take the treatment or, more likely, one of the staff members.

"There is also the matter of the weapon. Whoever used the knife, which was identical to but not the knife that Lord Fastolfe used to attack Mr. Wilson, must have been aware of that incident yesterday afternoon--the clear intention of using this weapon would be to point to Fastolfe's guilt; anything else would be a coincidence that beggars the imagination. Which narrows our suspects down to those who were present in the induction room: aside from Mr. Wilson and ourselves, that would mean the resort staffers Mrs. Hsu and a male associate named Khövsgöl whose exact job function or title I do not know. And of course, the guests: Mr. Palver, Rosemary Calvin, Vice Admiral Hardin and his aide, Lieutenant Commander Ebling."

Kylah takes a deep breath, having had to concentrate to recollect the names. "They would seem to be our prime suspects, but the circle widens if we acknowledge that they might have communicated this incident to someone else. Mrs. Hsu would have very likely informed Mr. Hsu, for example. Admittedly there is the possibility that Lord Fastolfe is attempting some elaborate self-implication strategy in order to throw suspicion off himself, but..."

She trails off, realizing that for someone who had little to add, she is adding far too much personal observation, which coming from someone like her is likely little valued by security officers. But she has some small knowledge of how a government reacts to threats--successfully or poorly--and she knows she must mention something that has been bothering her.

"There is one more thing, sir. I know I should not offer my perspective on security, as it is not my responsibility. Normally I would have expressed this to the mission commander before speaking with you, but the team did not have a chance to meet and report in private. That being the case, I do wish to put on record that I am concerned about how the resort administration--and, I fear, we ourselves--are handling things in the bigger picture of security as a whole, and I... with your permission I will continue. Or perhaps I should wait until after Lt. Delaney reports, and then Lt. Collins herself. I am sure she will mention the same issues." Kylah does her best to sound as sincere as possible. "I apologize for my presumption and appreciate your patience, Commander."

"No apology necessary, Ensign," says Vargas encouragingly. "Go on, please."

Kylah steals a glance at Collins and sees her turning slightly red.

Quickly shifting her gaze from Collins lest she lose her courage, Kylah takes another deep breath. "Thank you, sir. With the greatest respect, I fear that neither the resort staff nor we ourselves are doing an... an optimal job of ensuring the security of the guests and staff. Indeed, it may be impossible to do so considering the numbers; I admit that I do not know how large the Yorktown's security complement is, and I am aware you cannot order everyone down to the planet.

"But there are more than two hundred guests and I do not even know how many staff members. Ensuring that they are all safe, even with the resort's security and the few Yorktown team members available... how can it best be done? I worry that we on the Yorktown crew are not focusing enough on that. And on the resort's side, we have seen most regretfully how well their best security measures protected Mr. Wilson."

Her halting words gain speed with her emotion, although she tries to keep herself in check. "Meanwhile, the resort seems to have no plans to inform the guests that there is a dangerous criminal lurking about. Although it is almost certainly true that the attack was specifically aimed at Mr. Wilson, there is always the possibility that it was not. And even if it was, there is a risk that another murder will be attemtped in an effort to deflect our investigation."

Kylah glances at Velir, needing some friendly face to bolster her courage before returning to Vargas's image. "Have we been neglecting a duty to ensure that the people here--indeed, even in the research lab--are not only protected, but aware themselves that they must be careful? I mention the lab because... there was that transporter trace at the scene of the crime. I may be wrong, but I do not think we know whether someone transported to or from the scene. Has the murderer already left the resort? Even the planet?

"Of course I have no knowledge of what Captain Singh has already ordered, and you may not deem it our--or at least my--business to know, a mere ensign and one not even trained in security, but I wonder if you might tell us if any ships in orbit or the vicinity have been informed and possibly... detained? Or a search requested? There may be legal prohibitions but even a request in the name of safety might not go amiss... After all, no doubt many guests will be both leaving and arriving daily as part of the normal activity of the resort. I worry that we have not determined how this can be prevented. Especially if it has been the resort's policy not to inform anyone of this crime."

She swallows, her cheeks burning. "Thank you for allowing me to speak, sir, and forgive me--and I extend that to Lieutenant Collins and Mr. Graham as well--for my presumption in asking such questions in a purview not my own." At last she clamps her mouth shut, although she keeps her eyes as evenly on Vargas as she dares.

"You raise some valid points, Ensign," Vargas says thoughtfully. "Just two other ships remain in orbit at the moment, the yachts Trimalchio and Fastolfe's Chariot, as I believe we earlier discussed. We haven't searched them, and I'm not sure on what legal basis we could. No others are due to arrive for another few days. If the landing party thinks additional Security officers ought to be beamed down, that could certainly be done."

"The transporter signature in the park couldn't tell us if someone transported to or from that place," Delaney puts in. "We still haven't checked the resort's transporter, though."

"We haven't told the resort guests about Wilson's death because the Hsus asked us to maintain a low profile during our investigation," Collins says curtly. Her color has not improved. "We still have no indication that this was a crime likely to be repeated. It's looked to me all along like Wilson, and Wilson alone, was targeted for some reason."

"Mr. Graham, you're the only Yorktown crewmember with previous experience in homicide investigations," Vargas says. "Do you think it would be worthwhile to spread the word more broadly, or to expand our Security footprint on OC3? And does anyone else have any thoughts on that option?"

"If I may, sir. I believe that Mr. Kylah is leading towards is not just the security implications of this murder, but the diplomatic implications as well. Before expanding knowlege of this crime to the rest of the resort it may be worth checking the guest list to make sure everyone is a Federation citizen. Also how do you break it to all the guests that the manager has been murdered. I'm relieved we have someone here who would be able to work out the best way to do that." Rangin nods at Kylah before continuing.

Rangin hopes that both ladies are happy with his suggestion. It would give Kylah something specific to do away from Lt. Collins, in an area Kylah would do well in and something Lt. Collins would probably not want to do.

"We already know that Prolun Jaxo, in guest house #8, isn't a Federation citizen," Delaney says. "Hwuen isn't a Federation member world. There may be others."

Graham can't help but start to pace. "Well sir," he replies, "in successful investigations each step as much as possible is based on a plan for manipulating the environment to move the investigation forward--or at the least not derailing it."

He rubs his chin, trying to think of a good illustrative example that will get the team--especially Kylah--focused on problem-solving rather than taking disagreement personally. "For example, if we're worried about our perp getting off-planet before we have any basis to detain them, right now we have the fact that he or she knows an abrupt departure would draw attention and look suspicious. Once we imply there's a murderer wandering the resort--well, just like that"--he snaps his fingers--"they could be just one of a hundred guests rushing for the exits. Before we risk triggering that scenario we need a plan for it."

"It is worth gaming out as a team our next steps based on how we want to shape the environment and how we'd expect the murderer or other persons of interest to react." He glances at Kylah, nodding a little. "Including whether there's reason to believe another staff member might be a target." He clears his throat, expecting this will earn him a lecture later from Rangin. "Even then, of course, we'd want to weigh how valuable someone is as bait versus trying to zero out any risk."

He resumes his place by his chair and shrugs slightly, glancing briefly at Collins. "As you've heard, sir, you caught us ahead of our, ah, consensus building exercise. At the moment, as the L-...ah, Lt. Collins said, our operating theory is that this was a targeted killing. I don't see a reason to make any dramatic changes."

Kylah would almost laugh at some of the absurdities both Graham and Collins have just spoken if she dared--or if she weren't so dismayed by Velir's own words. His judgment of her, if genuine, is so inaccurate she can hardly believe this is the same man who seemed to understand her so implicitly less than an hour ago. Even if he merely used this as a tactic to soothe ruffled feathers, his willful misinterpretation of her motivations to Vargas as a sop to Collins's vanity is hurtful--however unintentionally.

She keeps herself as still as a stone and none of this shows on her face. "Thank you for giving my suggestions due consideration, and educating me on how a criminal investigation is properly done," she says humbly. "My ignorance is likely due to my background. I was taught from an early age that fear and mistrust are actually enhanced when the truth is withheld; that those who desire chaos easily create it by spreading lies or rumors however they wish. But that may simply be how things are on Elas. A killer from the Federation may not have such machinations in mind."

She cannot turn to Velir, but she must speak to his comments. "I do wish to say that while I do not wish to disagree with Ensign Rangin, diplomacy is not at all what concerns me. Although, Commander, if it is your belief that the mission is better served with me in the capacity Mr. Rangin suggests rather than interviews, I will of course follow your orders." Though I hope you are prepared for the inevitable lawsuits and outrage once Graham and Collins are unleashed without anyone to prevent or smooth over their numerous gaffes and insults--or outright assaults, in Graham's case.

"But until now I have not been thinking of diplomatic matters in the slightest. If I had, I would be in favor of agreeing to WR&R's self-interested wish for silence. Withholding life-or-death information is the best weapon of corporate attorneys, diplomats and dictators. To the contrary, I fear my problem is that I still think too much like a civillian. I care most about protecting lives, even if that comes at the expense of letting a killer escape."

If Kylah possesses one sole talent, it is keeping her voice and manner neutral and respectful despite her distaste for those around her. Thanks to a decade under her uncle's thumb, she has honed this skill like an expert--even though she does not always choose to use it. However, she does so now. "Sir, I know it is proper behavior for a Starfleet officer to let the words of my seniors in age and experience ease my concerns. But I have not yet learned how, and thus I remain afraid for the innocents on this planet. I lack Mr. Graham's confidence that the killer will not think to take advantage of our silence by spreading his or her own rumors. And I also lack Lt. Collins's assurance that the wisest course of action is to obey the request of a corporation wishing desperately to keep its financial interests intact--a request made to us by Mr. Hsu, whose wife was apparently having an affair with the murder victim." Surely, surely Vargas will see the absurdity of this woman's decisions!

"Finally, their ability to assume the best-case scenario--that no one else is in the slightest danger from this killer--and their willingness to stake others' lives on that assumption... no, I am not yet enough of an officer to be that brave. It frightens me."

Even as the words fall from her lips, she cannot believe such things are truly being considered. Starfleet's alleged best and brightest, making such choices. She cannot even give voice to her reactions toward Mr. Graham's contemptuous idea of using someone as bait. The very thought makes her shudder, especially after the things Collins said to her yesterday. Is treating people like lures the preferred strategy of every security officer? She did not realize Starfleet was full of officers worthy of Romulans at their most manipulative.

Worse: they might as well be her Guardian.

Graham frowns. "Withholding life-or-death information..." what the hell is she talking about? he thinks, more genuinely confused than annoyed.

"I, ah, I'm not sure I understand, Mr. Kylah," Graham asks, trying to keep his tone as gentle as possible. "We've disclosed the nature of our investigation to those people we've interviewed so far." He looks at Collins and Vargas briefly as he says this. He spreads his hands and makes an effort to glance around at everybody rather than putting Kylah on the spot. "The clock is ticking until everyone will be able to freely act as if the murder is public knowledge--because it will be, almost certainly within the day."

He pauses. "Let me approach this a different way--if you don't mind, sir," he says to Vargas. "A question for the whole team. Is there anyone we should interview, or any actions you feel we should take, prior to the murder becoming public knowledge, whether we like it or not, let's assume sometime today? Or--if you believe we should make a public statement immediately, how would we craft the statement to shape the environment to our advantage?"

"Yes, Mr. Graham," Kylah says, a wave of spiritual and physical weariness threatening to overtake her. When did she last get any rest? She cannot remember. "The news that there has been a murder will indeed eventually get out one way or another; that is what I have been saying. It is how it gets out that is in our power. Either half-truths and chaos will result as it spreads in a disorganized and uncontrolled fashion, or--if we act quickly and carefully enough--we will be in control of how this news disseminates.

"We might draft an announcement that explains the situation, acknowledges that there is a killer at large, and gives our best secommendations for maintaining their safety--what those recommendations or even requirements would be, I cannot presume to guess as that is not my specialty; remaining in groups, keeping to their rooms, avoiding staying out at night, that sort of thing. And we could also assure the guests and staff that Starfleet and resort security have been enhanced to protect them to our greatest abilities. Assuming that we will, indeed, beef up security," she adds with only a hint of acerbity. "If the status quo is maintained, as suggested earlier, it would be irresponsible to pretend we are doing all we can."

Her hand slowly lowers to the table, surreptitiously clutching the edge and leaning against it for support. Kylah glances over to Delaney, then back to the viewscreen. "I am sorry, Commander. I know I am saying far more than I should. Lt. Delaney and Lt. Collins have not had a chance to report, and as there are yet some aspects of the investigation that have not been mentioned, I am sure the others will wish to address them."

Graham mentally cringes, wondering if Vargas will offer to beam down crayons and finger paint so the team can continue its work.

Now he's pissed--not at Kylah (or anyone else on the team) but at himself.

Clearly Collins has been struggling with pulling the team together--but how did you start this mission, Booker? Not just oblivious to it, but affirmatively making things worse.

The knot of anger makes his head ache as he mulls over how the hell to make things better.

Vargas says, "Again, no apology is necessary, Mr. Kylah, but I'm sure we all have solving this crime and protecting innocent people on OC3 as priorities. I also think that, as a Communications officer, your talents would be best used in interviewing suspects and witnesses. You agree, Mr. Collins?"

There is the slightest possible pause before Collins says, "Yes, sir."

"Very well. Mr. Delaney, we haven't heard from you yet. Your report, please."

Delaney reports on what he's found as to Wilson's secret safe and various scans, and concludes by saying, "I'd like to check the resort's transporter and to get that safe open. Those are at the top of my list for now."

Vargas nods. "Agreed. Mr. Collins, Mr. Kylah, liase with WR&R staff as to how the news of Mr. Wilson's death should be announced. But first, Mr. Collins, I'd like to talk to you privately, please. Call me on your communicator. Yorktown out." He cuts the connection.

Collins looks uncomfortable as she picks up her communicator and leaves the room. She says, "Keep discussing the situation, everyone. I'd like an action plan when I return. Mr. Rangin has made a good start on one."

Graham frowns slightly as Collins leaves. That can't be a good sign, he thinks. He lets out a deep breath. But I might as well give changing up the dynamics in here a shot...

He clears his throat and nods to Kylah. "Good suggestion on that Palver character." Then he spreads his hands briefly and very lightly claps them together. "Well, so, Rangin, what have you got?" he tries to say in as positive a tone as he can manage.

Collins sighs deeply before opening her communicator. "Collins to Vargas. I am alone now."

It seems to take an eternity for Collins to leave and the door shut behind her. During this interval, Kylah's mind dimly contemplates what Vargas wishes to say in private--right now it would be no surprise if Collins received a field promotion, so miniscule is Kylah's opinion of Starfleet decisions.

She does give the man credit for keeping her involved in the interviews, but as he said, that is simply due to her role as a Communications officer. Not because he is aware of her actual contributions to the mission. He will likely never hear of them.

Once the door closes at last, Kylah's trembling hand lets go of the table and she sinks, or rather nearly collapses, back into her chair. She says nothing and looks at nobody. There is no anger, no stubbornness; just fatigue and a dim sense of anxiety.

Graham says something. Oh, Palver. A verbal pat on her head. Then he addresses Rangin. Kylah knows she should be proud that Collins praised Rangin, that Graham seems to defer to him. But even that is beyond her.

Having said his piece, Rangin leans back to listen to the others. Then he hears Graham describing it more as a game or a situation than a murder enquiry and then using someone as bait, well how could he expect less of him now. No doubt Graham would find a way.

If Rangin thought that his idea for Kylah would be well received, then her response to his suggestion clearly shows him how wrong he is. It's not what she says, but how she says it that makes him think he would have been better off saying nothing at all. When referring to diplomacy he was thinking of the best way to inform people as to what had happened, not to hide it. It appears that Kylah had thought he was thinking otherwise. Did she honestly think, he would want it to be kept secret. By lunchtime just about everyone in the resort would know about it, whether they liked it or not.

Then Graham asks what we should be doing. Seriously, Graham asking us. He's the expert. Not even asking how we catch a killer, but how can we shape the environment, could he be any less removed from what had happened, from the picture of Mr Wilson at the head of the table, that Graham himself put there.

Then Kylah comes out with the precise point that Rangin was trying to make earlier, he would have to ask her later on why she was upset. Perhaps it had been the way he had worded it. He sighs while Lt. Delaney gives his report and Lt. Collins is then summoned to a private call. Who knew how that was going to go.

What catches Rangin unawares is Lt. Collins asking for an action plan and that he had started on one. The few scribbles on the piece of paper an action plan. The piece of paper Collins had been holding as the meeting had started and had not been returned. That piece of paper... he realises everyone is looking at him and he tries to remember what he had written.

Once Lt. Collins has left, he begins.

"You know, I'd hardly call a few scribbles an action plan. I'll try not to speak for anyone," Rangin looks straight across at Kylah, "and if I do, I apologise," before looking round at the other, "I'll just list the few points I had, though I'm sure everyone here has probably thought along the same lines."

Rangin takes a deep breath again. "First off: Suspects. Who do we have in mind, why do we have them in mind, have they been interviewed, who should interview those we haven't. I had Mr and Mrs Hsu and Lord Falstofe as three we should definitely speak to sooner rather than later. Perhaps Dr Halsey, should be included as well", he adds with a nod to Dr T'Var.

Rangin's fingers trace over the pad indentations.

"Next, information. Who else can we ask, what else can we ask for. What else would the staff know, can they provide alibis for any of the guests, did they see Mr Wilson after 11:30. Are there any other sources of information we can use like the teleporters", with a nod to Delaney, "any extra spore introduction." with a nod to Kylah. "Then once we have a list, how do we split it up, who would like to do what, which tasks bests suit which people."

Rangin looks straight across at Graham. "As for bait, the only people who should be in that situation should be those willing to accept the risk. Perhaps we should let the resort know that Ensign Graham, master detective is on the case and then see who tries to stop you. Interested?" he says with a grim face.

Rangin then looks at the cup on the desk in front of him, "and finally the most important part of any meeting, while we sort this out. More coffee."

He heads across to the tray for a refill. Rangin calls back over his shoulder, "Anyone else want anything, while I'm here." His face is turned away as he tries not to wonder what the others must be thinking behind his back. Probably something unpleasant, especially where Graham and Kylah were concerned. Graham he could handle. Kylah, he could, but only by being utmostly professional, and he had no idea how she would take that, not to mention it was unfair on her. This wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting.

After wrestling down his anger and forcing himself to adopt as positive an attitude as he could, he's more shocked than anything else when Rangin suddenly gives him attitude and then the cold shoulder.

He glances around at Delaney and T'Var, wondering what they think about this, and rubs his head. "Look, it would be just peachy if we could deal with murderers--and slavers, and rapists and more--by inviting them to bond with us around drum circle and hugging it all out at the end, but that's not how the universe works" he says, as much to the room as to Rangin's back. "Lots of people volunteer to get wired and step into dangerous places. And sometimes..."

He watches the sheet fall over the woman's face. She was eighteen. Elizabeth's age. Number seven. Number four since they knew for damned sure who was doing this.

But there aren't enough of us to watch every potential victim, and he has too much money to hire too many lawyers and enough tech to keep slipping our surveillance nets.

So how many do we let it get to? Eight? Ten? Twenty? A thousand? Exhaustion makes him weave and almost fall. Every second you spend asleep, or eating, or taking a crap is one tick of the clock less in another girl's life...until...unless you can stop this...

"Sometimes...you...can't..." his voice cracks, and then trails off. He clears his throat. "Ah, forget it," he says gruffly. "I agree with Rangin's list of suspects. Mrs. Hsu I think is especially important." At this point he's looking at the table, trying to compose himself and get back to the present moment.

He clears his throat again and looks at Kylah. "And I'm not trying to crap on your idea about making some kind of statement. What...I'm trying to say that if we were to 'explain the situation,' the truth is that 'investigators do not believe it was a random act.' Well, ah--at least Collins and I don't, I guess. Making it sound like a modern day Jack the Ripper is on the loose...yeah, I don't see it helping our investigation." He shakes his head and gets his voice back to normal, and again tries to sound as encouraging and supportive as he can. "But I don't see it helping guests either, on balance. People can do stupid things when they panic. My position...my suggestion...is that we try hard to avoid that."

He shrugs and manages a smile, glancing toward Rangin. "But then it's not my call at the end of the day, is it? So you should, \you know, keep feeling free to tell me how wrong I am." He turns back to Kylah and lowers his voice. "Uh, like I said on the ship, I don't bite."

Delaney says, "I'll have another jelly donut, if there're any left. Thanks."

Dr. T'Var says, "Nothing for me, thank you. Your plan sounds like a good one to me, all in all, Mr. Rangin. Of course we need to flesh it out a bit more. I confess I am very uncomfortable with the concept of using anyone as 'bait,' however. We should be able to solve this mystery and find Mr. Wilson's killer using logic and the investigative tools and methods at our disposal, not by endangering anyone, even under controlled conditions."

In the hallway, which is otherwise empty, Collins reaches Vargas by communicator. He says, "I wanted to give you the chance to report outside of the presence of the rest of your landing party, Lieutenant. Are you satisfied with how the landing party is working together? Is the investigation going as you think it should? Do you need any additional resources from the ship? Is there anything else we haven't discussed that you wish to bring to my attention?" He waits for her answer between each question.

Collins sighs again and answers each of Vargas' questions "Given that we're all, save Doctor T'Var, pretty green, we're working together ... uh. that's it. We're working together. There are definitely personality conflicts but I suppose that's normal in any group of people just thrown together.
"I cannot answer that as I've never conducted a murder investigation before. But I do think we're moving in the right direction.
"Some additional security personnel, specifically those with investigative experience, would be nice. One or two could accompany the team member conducting the rest of the interviews and be a sounding board; and maybe a few more so that we're in teams of three or four, not just one or two.
"I know this isn't the time or place, but I would like to request a change of quarters, or at least a change of bunkmate." This last answer is given quietly, and in a voice ready to break.

Kylah listens to everyone carefully with various emotions fighting through her exhaustion, although only Delaney's comment gets a visible reaction from her--she has to smile slightly at the man's devotion to his stomach.

But it now worries her that Graham and Rangin are almost as badly at odds with one another as she is with... well, almost everyone she meets, it seems. Kylah knows her own conflicts are too multitudinous to blame on anyone else, but Velir Rangin is a natural peacemaker and Booker Graham is...

She does not know. She gets such conflicting senses from him. Perhaps he is like her: at war with himself. There is obviously a part of him that wants to get along--the attempts at bonhomie, clumsy as they often are, do not feel insincere. A big difference between him and Collins.

Kylah shakes her head infinitesimally while still looking down at her hands. She whispers almost prayerfully to herself, "Why cannot the past day be erased?"

Taking a deep inhale to clear her foggy mind, she tries to regain enough energy to be heard. "At the risk of sounding like the biggest hypocrite on the planet, I do not think it is helpful to debate against caricatures of each other's arguments," she murmurs. "We talk at cross-purposes when we do so. I am quite sure Mr. Rangin is not the insipid naif regarding criminals you just depicted, Mr. Graham. He is from Coridan. Just as your background should be respected, so should his. And if you were including me as well in that remark about how to treat murderers and rapists..." Her strength wavers at the last word, but she quickly continues: "Then I shall also say that despite my youth, I... I know evil, as well. I desire it to be punished as much as you."

She finally lifts her head to look at the man who kissed her hand so recently. "Velir," she says, unable to address him in any other way right now. "As much as I disagree with some of Mr. Graham's... methods... I believe he is not the despotic thug that you--and I--fear. At least I hope he is not," she finishes softly, and this time looks at Graham. "I did not think you referred to volunteers when you brought up 'bait,' Mr. Graham. It sounded as if you were recommending setting someone up to be in such a position unknowingly. A volunteer is a different matter.

"To return to the agenda, we are all in agreement that if nothing else, the affair between Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Hsu must be either proven or eliminated as a motive for his death. I worry that we might be distracted by its simplicity. Maybe the distraction is even purposeful... I almost feel... there is just something not quite right here." Kylah frowns when she again stares down at the table. "It fell in our laps so easily. As if we are the ones being baited."

She shrugs, not quite able to put the pieces together in any articulate manner. "So we must first confirm the affair with Mrs. Hsu, and if it turns out to be true, somehow learn whether Mr. Hsu knew about it. Talking to Mrs. Hsu will require an extraordinary amount of delicacy. A confrontational demeanor would be disastrous. We have only some hairs and the messages on the communicator as evidence, and I am not even certain how--"

The words she has spoken seem to crash in her mind. Kylah stops for a moment, frozen in thought. And then she inhales again.

"No. I do have an idea," she says, tense as she straightens in her chair. "The communicator. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hsu were witnesses last night--this morning, I suppose--when I found it, as well as when I expressed my wish to access its information. But... they do not yet know I have done so. Nor do not know I have revealed its contents to anyone."

Her finger absently describes a circle on the table as she considers. "This can be used differently with each of them. With Mrs. Hsu, what if I were to speak to her alone, and very discreetly--with every wish to prevent her embarrassment--mention that I have decrypted Mr. Wilson's communicator and heard her messages. I could ask her if there is anything she wishes to tell me. I would promise her that whatever she says need not be made public if it is not relevant to the crime. Something I do indeed believe. If they had an affair but it was no motive for Mr. Wilson's death, there is no reason to reveal it and thus harm her marriage or, more importantly, Mr. Wilson's family. If I am gentle enough she may open up to me, as a woman to another."

She pauses. "With Mr. Hsu, I would treat him differently. To him, I would not reveal the contents of the messages. I would tell him I had heard them, that no one else knows of them. And I would gauge his reaction carefully. You may not believe it, Mr. Graham, but when I put my mind to it, I am... I am very good at reading people," she says with a brief glance at T'Var.

"The rest would depend on him. If he is genuinely confused or curious, I would refrain from revealing anything incriminating regarding his wife. If he becomes defensive, if he seems to know what I am referring to... I could offer to keep silent. In return for some sort of compesnation, perhaps; I am known to have spent money around the resort, and such expenses require credits. He will agree or will not, he might be outraged.

"Either way, I have now informed two suspects that i have potentially incriminating evidence that no one else has. How they react to this knowledge is up to them."

Kylah finally pauses, then returns her even gaze to the security officer, aware of the irony of what she is saying. "In short, Mr. Graham," she says with a fleeting, wan smile, "I will volunteer to be your bait."

He can't help it but having heard Graham, Rangin takes a deep breath, then a second. Did Graham really consider him that naive, a Coridanite, one of the most corrupt planets in the Federation with the easiest route to the underworld. As far as Rangin weas concerned the only place rapists and slavers belonged was at the bottom of a Dilithium mine, dead or alive, not sat around a campfire singing happy songs of redemption. A cynical smile on his face, Rangin turns around from the table with a chuckle, a coffee and a jelly donut prepared to let Graham know exactly what he thought of him only to listen to Kylah, before nodding his head ruefully as her words sink in.

"Kylah, you are quite correct and we should be working together, not against each other." He looks across at her, grateful for her presence and current calm demeanour. Who knew how she was managing to keep it.

He takes a deep breath before continuing. "Sir, your donut." Rangin passes it across to Lt. Delaney, before sitting down with his coffee. "Ok, let's try this again."

"Kylah, one half of me applauds your audacity in thinking of this, the other half considers it foolhardy and unnecessary and the details could come out in an interview anyway. Mr Graham, you're the expert, what's your opinion?"

"Yeah, well," Graham replies to Rangin, "it's probably fair to say I've probably given you and others here reason to doubt my expertise." He takes and exhales a deep breath.

"I don't like this idea, not one bit. Because--honest--" he says, crossing his heart exaggeratedly with a glance and a good-natured shrug toward Rangin "I really don't like to see people potentially in harm's way."

He turns back to Kylah. "But the fact is, it's a good idea, a pretty damn good idea, from the standpoint of moving this investigation forward."

He rubs his chin and then nods toward Kylah before glancing around at the others. "It uses every bit of leverage we've got, plus it dangles a couple other goodies...maybe some coin, maybe being able to confide in a...ah, more approachable person than some of us."

He pauses a moment. "But last night..." he starts to point pretty aggressively at Kylah, which he realizes is ironic because he's mostly mad at himself--yes, you'd look like a nut case jabbing your chest with your own finger, he thinks, then realizes what he's doing and lowers his hand. He clears his throat. "Ah, last night was not...we were not buttoned up." He shakes his head and adds quickly, "That is not directed at you, Mr. Kylah," he says with emphasis. "It's my--it's about how well we were operating as a team to have your back. Anybody's back when we're supposed to be ensuring that we stay in control of a situation."

He starts to pace. "Like I said before, people do stupid things when they panic. If they are involved and Kylah wheedles some information loose, we know for sure Mr. Hsu is armed. No reason why the missus wouldn't be too."

He claps his hands at his sides. "Well, I hope somebody else objects," he says, glancing around at T'Var and Delaney, then turning back to Kylah. "Or you change your mind...but, yeah, if you want my professional opinion, it's a clever play."

He stops pacing next to Rangin. "Look, sorry for the sarcasm before." He raises his hands like a a gesture of surrender, smiles and shrugs. "Uh, do you, you know, ah, want to hug it out or anything?"

Seeing Velir look at her directly gives Kylah a much-needed reminder of... Of what it means for someone to care for her. He is appropriately professional as always, he is tired--they all are, even if they had a few more hours of sleep than she did, it was still far from a good night's rest--and he is frustrated. But Velir Rangin cares. Her heart quickens in astonishment that such a man could feel this way. Only because he knows so little about you, she thinks darkly. But even that darkness isn't enough to extinguish the flicker of hope.

His objection to her plan does not bother her. She would expect it of him. Indeed, she would likely be disappointed if he were sanguine about the idea. But she cannot believe she is in any danger, except her reputation. After all, if Mr. Hsu truly behaves in such a way that leads her to the idea of suppressing the data, she will be considered a blackmailer. Still, by now, Kylah's reputation is of less and less significance. How much worse can it get, unless she murders someone herself?

Then Graham begins, and he is positive, and for once she is proud of having someone acknowledge that she is a benefit to this mission, that one of her ideas might truly assist in some way. And then he mentions last night. Of course he would. Anyone would. The blood drains from her face. She feels sick.

"That was... that was different. Last night was... This time there will be no personal--" Kylah cringes inwardly. She knows she's making no sense. How can she bring up why last night was different, without bringing up her allowing herself to get influenced by the spores, by Jan's desire? Or inadvertently revealing exactly what happened in that hotel room? Then again, what is the point? Graham clearly knows that she and Jan... T'Var certainly implied it too. So does Velir, of course, the only one who knows it as a fact. Yes, they must all know, it is a fantasy to think they do not. They do not know why, but that is irrelevant. All the whys are mere excuses for her own stupid, shameless behavior.

She tries to keep from embarrassing herself and imagines how T'Var would behave. Logic. Lack of emotion. "Mr. Graham. Last night there was no murder. No danger." Except...except... "What you seem to consider chaos was, if you will forgive me, an overreaction due to mere miscommunication. There was no need for anyone to have my back. It was at its heart a social dinner, however it began." Or ended. Bile is rising and she has to swallow. I have spoken to Aldaan and my parents and the Council and Klingons and I have shown nothing. I can do this now. "What I propose now is a different matter entirely, and if agreed-upon we will plan accordingly. At any rate, I do not believe there is any real risk. Not just because I have no doubt in the crew's ability to 'protect' me, but also because I do not believe this affair is the motive for the murder. This was a pre-meditated crime, hardly a crime of passion. I doubt anything will happen. And even if it does, not only will my team members be around, I will be on my guard as well."

At this, she stops. Any more and she risks breaking down.

Delaney munches his donut and thoughtfully looks up at the ceiling. "Something like that could work, Mr. Kylah," he says. "Yes. That's probably just about the right way to handle the Hsus."

Kylah glances at Dr. T'Var and sees her nod encouragingly.

Vargas says, "I know that this is not work you are accustomed to, but a good Starfleet officer is flexible, innovative, and learns to make do. I could certainly beam down more Security personnel, but we have none with previous homicide investigative experience; I already checked. Are you thinking maybe four to six more officers? And do you have anyone in particular in mind?" There is a long pause when she mentions changing cabinmates. He coolly replies, "You are correct, Mr. Collins; that is more than a little off the subject. Please focus on your mission, and discuss that with the Quartermaster when you return. Anything further?"

"Four should do it, Sir" Collins replies "Whomever is available is fine, thank you.
"Yes Sir. Understood." she concedes "and thank you. Collins out."
Once the conversation is done, Collins takes a moment before going back inside. She leans her back against the wall and closes her eyes. Stupid idiot. she chastises herself. After a few minutes, she rejoins the group, listens for a pause in the current conversation, then says "Okay. Let's hear it." as she sits at the table.

Kylah is so surprised by the approval of her plan by Delaney and T'Var--particularly T'Var--that she does not hear the opening door. Even as T'Var nods, Kylah remembers Velir does not approve, and that makes her turn toward him, hoping she might have convinced him as well. No; that is not really true. She wants his own genuine opinion, positive or negative. She respects his intelligence and good sense far too much to want anything less.

At the sound of Collins's voice, Kylah winces and sends a last look toward Velir before forcing her gaze away--but to Graham, not Collins. She thinks instinctively: Whatever he says, and especially whatever she says in return... I must not say a word.

It does take a great deal of will power not to gauge Collins's emotions. Yet even though Collins will never know, Kylah refrains. It is a small victory, but Kylah will take whatever she can get.

To Graham after he asks about hugging, "You know, a handshake will suffice", Rangin comments holding out a hand. "Of course, coming from Coridan, you might want to count your fingers afterwards." Rangin wonders if Graham will get the joke. If he was any kind of policeman, he should.

As Collins comes in and sits down, not looking the greatest and asks for an update, Rangin responds. He isn't going to shoot down Kylah's plan in front of Collins, but he still has concerns about it.

"Sir, we have been discussing the best way to remove the possibility of Mr Wilson's murder being a crime of passion. Mr Kylah has come up with a good working solution to determine Mr and Mrs Hsu's guilt or otherwise about it. The first part is sensible. As we have cracked the security on Mr Wilson's communicator and Mrs Hsu is unaware of this, Mr Kylah will talk to her discreetly with these facts to find out what she knows. It is more likely that she will open up in this way and it should be easy enough to have someone close at hand to assist if required. It would be interesting to know if she knew of other affairs Mr Wilson had."

"The second part still requires a little more work to find out what Mr Hsu knows. For starters, he knows we have cracked the security on the communicator as Lt. Delaney was running through it in his presence in Mr Wilson's suite. If he knows of the affair, then he does not know of the method of communication. It was suggested that someone approach him with knowledge of the messages to gauge his response."

He looks round the rest of the team, "I wish to propose a slightly different tack to the suggestion of approaching Mr Hsu discretely with knowledge of the messages. My preference would be to use the fact that we have found extra fingerprints and DNA in Mr Wilson's bedroom to gauge his reaction without mentioning that we found his wife's hair there, something he does not know about. With this as an opening, I believe he might be easier to read. It would also reduce any risk as we are not outright confronting him about his wife, but judging his reaction about Mr Wilson's affairs. As Mr Kylah pointed out, if he shows curiousity, he is unlikely to be aware, if he shows guilt or anger, then we should be more suspicious. It is just an option though and regardless we should still have someone on hand to assist. Mr Kylah has volunteered to be the person to talk to him and I agree with the rest of the team that she is probably the best person to do so."

Rangin stops and thinks. "Of course, we should still ask them for an alibi on the general ground that everyone is a suspect, but I'm betting they spent last night together."

"Regarding the missus, I agree," Collins says flatly. "Regarding the mister, both approaches are valid, but in the interest of expediency, I suggest we go with Mr Kylah's plan. We should wait a bit. The Yorktown is sending us a few more personnel. That way, we'll be sure each team has back up. Have we decided who will work with whom?"

"Not to worry," Graham says, chuckling as he shakes Rangin's hand. "Like any upstanding security man on Coridan, just slip me a few credits and I wouldn't notice a thing."

Graham winces a little when Collins comes back in as her demeanor seems to confirm his worry that the conversation with Vargas was not going to be a pleasant one. He decides it's obvious he should ask if there's anything he can privately rather than in front of the group. It's more of a judgment call but he decides to keep his mouth shut as Rangin starts giving her an update: I'd get his and my half-life from rapprochement to argument down to seconds by somehow saying something that sets him off now, he thinks. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

As she vowed, Kylah remains silent until the others who wish to add their thoughts. Velir's considered response is expected, but not Collins's terse agreement--Kylah didn't even realize Collins knew her plan; she must have heard more than Kylah realized. While Rangin speaks, Kylah pays close attention to his points and digests them.

But after Collins was so quick to override Rangin's recommendation, Kylah is not only surprised, she is also less sure of herself. Yes, I am that contrary, she realizes wryly. If Collins agrees with me, something must be wrong. However, she does not want to be the one to break the unbelievably tentative detente, so she contemplates her words even more carefully than usual.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she says, politely neutral, before turning to Velir. "I do think Mr. Rangin makes a very good point. I was not aware that Mr. Hsu saw Lt. Delaney with the communicator. That does change things. And we do have the DNA and fingerprints, so perhaps..." She hesitates. Her brain is really not working as quickly as it should. "Well... wait, I may be forgetting some information. Do we have DNA evidence of Mrs. Hsu in Mr. Wilson's bed? Have we decisively identified the hairs as hers? Red hair is hardly unique, one might as well say it is Lt. Coll--" Kylah's eyes widen and she quickly casts an embarrassed look at Collins. "I am sorry, it was just an example." Her gaze makes a hasty shift to first Delaney, then Velir. "Or was there some other DNA evidence that was linked to her?"

Even these questions only raise more doubt. "I just... something feels so off about this. So convenient. Does it not seem... Did you not say that you found fingerprints of cleaning staff? Why were there hairs and--and other evidence--on the sheets and bathroom? Of course the cleaners would not have been in yet today, and at any rate, Mr. Wilson and...whoever he was with...were unlikely to have been together last night. But if it has been more than a day since they were together, why is the evidence still there? This is a premium resort, the cleaners must work every morning. And if one is really having an affair, there would be--" Do not blush, please do not blush! "--There would be good reason to change the sheets, at the very least."

She turns back to focus on her hands, unable to face Velir. Her stomach is roiling. Until last night she had no real concept of just how... how much one expended during sexual intercourse. She remembers how her body felt afterward, once Jan left the bed and she was alone, the spores wearing off, only then aware of just how sweaty and sore and sticky and filthy she was...

Stop.

"I believe it is an anomaly worth thinking about," she says hoarsely, desperate to get back to the present. "In--in any event, as I think of it, if we just have hair and fingerprints, this is not quite enough. There is, what is the phrase... plausible deniability. Mrs. Hsu is a friend and close associate. She--or her husband, if he knows of it--could say that she sat on the bed, she used the bathroom, at any time. What cannot be denied is Mrs. Hsu's voice. Her words to him. Her tone."

Kylah's tired eyes light up for an instant when a thought occurs to her. "And there is a way we can use that, even though he knows I decrypted Mr. Wilson's password. I am sure Lt. Delaney did not mention the messages, did you?" She looks at him expectantly. "Even if you did, I could--I could say I did not reveal those specific messages. I will indeed sound like a disgrace of an officer, but that is something he should report to you, if he is truly without guile.

"We must be honest: the truth is, should he get angry and defensive, even if he knew of the affair, that is not proof of the murder. It does help us hone more closely in on him, but it does not provide proof. If he goes through with a blackmail scheme, on the other hand... or if he even makes an attempt to retrieve the communicator, or better yet--" Better yet? What is she hoping for, exactly? "Well, it will at least give us more insight into his character. I repeat that I do not really expect anything other than either embarrassment or simple curiosity or even... if we are being purposely led down this path... satisfaction."

She inhales, then exhales heavily. "But again, I do think Mr. Rangin's prudence is wise. I believe I would only mention the communicator after I carefully bring up the other evidence, as he suggests. I may not need to go any further. I do not wish to be hurtful." Finally she looks at Graham. "To answer Lt. Collins's question, what is your best advice on how to proceed, si-- Mr. Graham?" Why can she not stop calling him sir? His age, his experience, his imposing presence? The violent side that frightens her? Or all of the above?

"Different people will respond in different ways," Dr. T'Var observes, "if they find themselves in an uncomfortable or distasteful situation. The response of any suspect will not necessarily be as we expect it, and even if it is, it will not perhaps be as revealing as we might hope."

Delaney shakes his head and answers Kylah's question. "No, I didn't mention the messages to them. As far as I know, neither Hsu is aware that we know of Mrs. Hsu's message on Wilson's communicator."

"Okay then," Collins decides "So let's review who is doing what on which team. Mr Rangin, has that been worked out yet?"

"Before anyone gets any ideas, I've seen the hairs from the bedroom and the only matching redhead I've seen is Mrs Hsu." Rangin thinks it better to interject before someone else says anything. "We also don't know how often Mr Wilson had his suite cleaned, whether once a day, once a week or otherwise. There were some of Mrs Hsu's fingerprints in the bathroom as well as two other DNA samples to be identified, one set of which is likely to belong to Mrs Hsu."

Rangin turns to face Kylah, "If you are going through with this, who do you want as your backup?"

Turning back to Lt. Collins, "That detail hasn't been worked out. I believe Mr Delaney has already stated his preference for checking out the teleporter, Dr T'Var was to talk to Dr Halsey. There is the interview with Lord Falstofe to sort out as well as fact gathering from the staff which has yet to be assigned. I do not believe you, sir, myself and Mr Graham have yet to have any tasks assigned, depending on how we team up. I would personally prefer to team with Ensign Kylah, but I believe we would all like to around to assist in case of trouble." Rangin smiles across at her, "However, I am aware that we have a multitude of tasks to complete and that needs to be arranged."

"Does anyone have any preferences?" Rangin asks around the table.

Kylah wants to smile at Velir for... well, for everything he has said. She merely gazes warmly at him, not wishing to reveal anything to the others. His comment about the hair--well, he is a man, and hair color is likely not the first thing he notices about women. Indeed this may be the most typically male thing she has ever heard him say.

"With dozens of staff members and two hundred guests--not to mention those at the research lab--I cannot believe we have identified all the redheads on OCIII," she murmurs with a raised eyebrow, interjecting some levity. "I would hate to attempt to implicate Mrs. Hsu based on something that a woman can change in fifteen minutes at the resort's salon."

She switches her focus to the others. "I think perhaps before I enter into mild intrigue with the Hsus, it would be best to conclude as many of the prime interviews today as we can--Commander Vargas did express that wish. Particularly Lord Fastolfe, of course, as we know. But also Rosemary Calvin. The latter may seem an odd choice, but anyone who was in the induction room and viewed the knife attack should be of interest. I would also suggest Mr. Khövsgöl, the staff member who accompanied us. Also... I hesitate to bring this up, but there are also Vice Admiral and his aide. Purely for completion's sake. Really, it probably would be prudent for us to meet with them to keep them informed if merely out of respect. Most likely Lt. Collins and Mr. Graham, and perhaps Dr. T'Var since the Vice Admiral is here for his health, are the best for that discussion?"

Kylah keeps her tone as even as possible, but she genuinely believes both the Vice Admiral and his aide merit more investigation. She still thinks their entire presence here is baffling. It seems an extraordinary conflict of interest to have the man ultimately responsible for Starfleet contracts staying at a resort hoping to gain his favor. All while he's under the blissful influence of spores. And now that others connected to competing interests are here as well? Both interviews she has conducted today uncovered investors. Who knows how many others are here?

Yes, untoward would be the most generous way she'd describe such a decision.

Moving on, she continues. "To return to the Hsus, perhaps the talks with them should be delayed until after the working day is over, although I might be able to arrange it when Lt. Collins and I discuss the announcement with them, as Commander Vargas wished. No doubt they are extraordinarily busy anyway. I will defer to Mr. Graham regarding whom to join me as backup, as he expressed his concern regarding--regarding the security issue." She moves quickly on at the awkwardness, and then must choose how to phrase her next thought. The simplest way is best, and so: "Whomever he chooses, I am most grateful that you would wish to volunteer, Mr. Rangin."

She turns and holds his gaze for a moment, wishing he were an empath or telepath himself and could know the depth of her own feeling. She dearly wants to be by his side, just walking, just talking, just working together. Anything at all.

But then thinking of security reminds her. "Oh! There was something that I do not believe we mentioned to Commander Vargas--although perhaps you did, sir," she says to Collins belatedly. "The matter of the security video. I have forgotten, how is that suspicious missing--and added--footage being tracked, again?"

Graham can't help but be amused by the fact that the whole group seems to have flipped from being at each others' throats to being overly solicitous of everyone's preferences for who-works-with-who.

"Well, look, not to step on anyone's toes, but if Kylah's volunteering to be, uh, 'my bait,' as she says, I'd like to stay on top of her. Ah, that is, I mean, on top of her safety on, this," he says, mentally kicking himself for his poor choice of words.

Kylah's shoulders slump and she fights to prevent this verbal slip--if that is what it was--from dragging her back down.

When Collins left the room before, Kylah did her best to change the atmosphere, to assume better things of Graham, to behave as professionally as possible. But they will not let her forget. One moment he claims he is not attacking her, says he only wishes to protect her; the next, he drags her back to last night and reminds her exactly what she is.

Is it intentional? Does he wish to shame her to please Collins? Or is he insinuating something about his intentions toward her? Even if it was a mistake, it was callous and unthinking. The truth is, his unpredictability continually makes her uncomfortable--even frightens her. At best, he is tone-deaf. At worst... a thug and a lecher.

She says nothing and does not look up. But she deeply regrets having ceded control over the Hsu assignment after all. And wishes beyond hope that Velir will somehow intuit just how much she dreads being alone with Booker Graham.

You hear the familiar whine of the transporter beam, and four people shimmer into existence at the far side of the room. The Security team, all in red-shirted uniform, is led by Ens. Faisal Mahmoud, Graham's friend and cabinmate, a short, tough Libyan male, and includes Ens. Carlos de la Paz, a tall Mexican man; Crewman Felice Dodson, a young, stolid Canadian woman; and Crewman Emil Markovich, a middle-aged Czech male. Mahmoud gives Graham a grin and immediately turns to Collins. "Reporting for duty, ma'am." All have phaser-1s and communicators; Mahmoud and Dodson also have tricorders.

"Welcome," Collins glances over at the sideboard to see if there is any coffee and/or donuts left. If there are, she invites them to partake; if not, she just continues. "We were just about to split into teams. How up to speed on the case are you?"

Rangin sighs and shakes his head at Graham's comment. Somehow he always manages to change the tone of a conversation for the worse.

Rangin begins speaking conversationally "Mr Graham, can I make an alternative suggestion, that perhaps Dr T'Var would be a better choice to work with Mr Kylah, even though the good Doctor would not consider putting herself forward." Rangin nods across at T'Var with a smile, before turning back to Graham "Partly because she is as capable of providing assistance as anyone here and there is the talk with Dr Halsey that should take place and that perhaps Mr Kylah should also attend and assist in return." He looks across to Kylah and then to Doctor T'Var, "If that is acceptable to both of you?"

He then looks back across at Graham, fixes him with an amused grin and leans across, "Perhaps you'd like to help me gather information from the staff, stay on top of me and keep me safe from danger." Rangin raises an eyebrow, before chuckling evilly and relaxing back into his chair again, "Although perhaps we should we should just ask our officers who they would prefer to work with."

Rangin hopes that Graham gets a lot of stick from his friends, old and new, in Security over that little comment. They may not know what was said, having transported in after the fact, but the intonation from Rangin makes it obvious its in response to something Graham uttered. Besides, berating and shouting at him never worked, perhaps embarrassment would be a better way to go.

He looks back round at Lt. Collins and Delaney, "Sirs, your preferences?"

Collins thinks a moment Graham or Rangin? Playing good cop/bad cop or actually learning how to be a better leader?. It was a very brief moment, as this was a no-brainer. "Mr Rangin, my preference is you."

Thank god, Graham almost says out loud. Maybe we can make some progress if Rangin's occupied with something other than coming up with some new clever way to crawl up my ass about every damned thing I say. He seems like a smart guy and I get that we don't see eye-to-eye, but what the hell is his problem--security in general? Me personally?

He almost shakes his head, deciding it's not the time or place to ask him--or to reply to his comment with what first came to mind. He sighs and turns away from Rangin toward Faisal and the other Security officers. His mood immediately improves seeing his old colleague has been assigned to the mission.

"Hey Faisal--" he says, smiling, "Word is there's a particularly vicious crueller on that tray over there." He nods with mock seriousness. "You just let me know if you can't handle it." He angles his body and cocks his arm back as if to draw his phaser for a moment. "I've got your back, brother."

A flash of surprised gratitude makes Kylah's taut stomach muscles relax when Velir speaks up, just as she hoped he would. Then he offers T'Var as a replacement.

There is an Elasian saying, dating from an era when even the Dohlman's own family hunted for their own food: It is a foolish animal who escapes our traps only to run into another beast's jaws.

T'Var is nowhere near as intimidating as Graham. But Kylah's done her best to avoid the Vulcan, and most especially her questions. The saving grace is that T'Var is inclined toward professionalism and silence, and aside from her unusual lapse last night--"You and I will speak of what happened..."--Dr. T'Var will probably focus on the interviews, just as they should. Kylah can only react with a brief look at T'Var and a polite nod. If nothing else, T'Var will help keep her focused as well. Kylah is very aware that she must guard herself against being controlled by guests under the spores' influence.

Collins, of course, chooses Velir herself. A smart move. But that leaves Graham with... Delaney? Even Kylah does not think partnering with Delaney is the best use of Graham as a resource. What of Lord Fastolfe? There is no doubt in Kylah's mind that she herself must be involved in the talk with that odious man, but considering Fastolfe's background and his fingerprints on the murder weapon, it will take someone with homicide experience to ensure nothing is missed.

She still says nothing. She is losing the will to interject any more than she already has. But they still need an agenda and schedule. There is the discussion with administration regarding the announcement; Delaney's need to look into both the transporter and the security videos; the division of tasks regarding interviews... And with all this I must must must go to the infirmary, she thinks forlornly.

Mahmoud and the others glance at the food. "No, thanks, ma'am," the Libyan says. "We've already had breakfast. We're fully briefed on the investigation so far. Cmdr. Vargas said you might need some more help."

"Just as a precaution." Collins says "I don't think things will get out of hand, but in case I'm wrong, having some back up is a good thing."

"Understood, ma'am," Mahmoud says. "Where shall we start? What's the plan?"

Rangin looks round surprised that no-one has actually mentioned what they are up to. Surely everyone had an idea of what they were capable of and what they should be doing to try and resolve this murder. The tiredness must be getting to everyone considering how lethargic everyone is beginning to look. The human contingent must be really beginning to feel it, with only Dr T'Var truly capable of going on and on, which was kind of amusing anyway as Dr T'Var never went on and on and just made short comments.

"I believe the groups will be doing the following", starts Rangin. "Dr T'Var and Ens. Kylah will be talking to Dr Halsey, Mrs and Mr Hsu and Mrs Calvin. Lt. Delaney and Ens. Graham will be checking out the transporter, seeing if there is any further update on the security footage and I would suggest checking in on the Admiral and his Aide and seeing if they knew anything. Lt. Collins and I will be trying to locate details of last night's staff to see if any of them noticed Mr Wilson after hours and if there are any alibis that can be gathered from the Resort's entertainment given the closing hour of the nightclub. As well as deciding how to work out the best way to use all the assistance being given by Security."

"Current suspects are all those who were being introduced at the same time as Lord Falstofe as well as those who were there from the resort."
Rangin looks around, "Any other suggestions, or shall we get to it?"

"Well said, Ensign." Collins is relieved that Rangin spoke up when he did. if he isn't automatically promoted, I will recommend he be She turns to the redshirts "de la Paz and Dodson, you're with Dr. T'Var and Ensign Kylah; Mahmoud, with Delaney and Graham; Markovich, with us" Collins makes a gesture indicating herself and Rangin. "Let's hit it." She sweeps her arm towards the door.

Unable to remain silent any longer, Kylah casts a quick glance at Velir and says under her breath: "Since the Lieutenant respects your advice, perhaps before we dash off, you might suggest to her that there is a benefit in planning farther ahead than the next half-hour?"

"Very good idea, though if you complete four interviews in half an hour, I owe you a big hot chocolate. I'll try and make sure she spends some of the next hour planning ahead, so its not so abrupt next time." Rangin whispers back to Kylah. "Though its getting to the point where everyone could do with a break. We've been on the go for the last six or seven hours or so. By the way, it's good to see you have sorted your knee out."

Calling across to Lt.Collins "Sir, how long until everyone should report back, an hour, hour and a half?"

Graham mutely observes Collins' grand gesture and can only open, then shut his mouth, wordlessly, as things look to be shaping up such that his and Mahmoud's job will be holding Delaney's wrenches or whatever for the next hour--or more.

He's tempted to shout out "Hey, before we finalize assignments, everyone in the room who's investigated a homicide before, raise your hand!" but realizes that as a result of his stupid gaffes yesterday he's in a no-win situation.

At least I'm with Faisal, he thinks. If I need to..improvise...he'll have my back. And unlike Rangin...or Collins at this point...T'Var has seemed to have a solid, no bullshit common sense attitude.

"90 minutes," Collins says "But let's be flexible." she half looks at Graham "If you need more time, call in to me or Delaney. And if you need a break, speak up."

Kylah nods distractedly and then realizes she has only half-heard the assignments. Why... why are all the security officers being assigned to them? And what about Commander Vargas's orders regarding the announcement?

Frustrated at having to be the disruptive element again, she tries to come up with something that will not offend Collins. Then she realizes: there is nothing that will not offend Collins if it comes from Kylah. From Graham, from Velir, yes. But Kylah's suggestions are apparently toxic.

Very well, let the poisoning begin.

She calculates and looks where Collins is ready to flee the room. "Lieutenant Collins? Forgive me, it is likely my inexperience, but I fear I am confused. When Commander Vargas spoke to us earlier, he stated that you and I should speak to administration regarding the announcement to the guests. Perhaps his orders changed when you spoke with him privately? If not, and you are delegating the task to Dr. T'Var, I think..." She hesitates. "No doubt Dr. T'Var would be an excellent communicator to the resort staff regarding this issue. But it seems that perhaps the Commander wished you to participate because we are asking them to do something--announce the crime and suggest security measures to the guests--that the Hsus do not wish to do, likely to maintain the good publicity and reputation of the resort. Since we are requiring them to go against their preferences, I believe such a request would carry more weight coming from you, sir, as the mission commander and the natural representative of Starfleet."

Next she glances at Mr. Graham. "And also... again I must beg your pardon, but is it not so that the intent behind adding more security team members was to assist in keeping the guests safe, not ourselves? We are each armed with a phaser. The guests--presumably--are not so fortunate. It seems a shame to assign security officers to stay by our sides, rather than patrolling the resort. Their visibility will perhaps allow the guests to feel safer... and the murderer will know we have more of the resort grounds covered. That was why I suggested it, at any rate, and I thought Commander Vargas seemed inclined..."

Kylah trails off and looks hopefully at Rangin before reluctantly turning to Collins again. "But again, I do understand that during your conversation with him he may have changed his mind, and if that is so, of course you must do as you think best. Commander Vargas and you are the ones most knowledgable about handling security resources, while Mr. Graham excels in Homicide. Whereas I am barely out of the Academy and may not have thought things through. I just... I just thought perhaps I should mention it."

"Those are good points Kylah, I had forgotten that was mentioned." Rangin follows on her statements shaking his head ruefully.

Taking a deep breath, he looks across to the one person he doesn't want to speak to but the one person with the experience. "Actually, Mr Graham, as our homicide expert, did I miss anything in the latest set of tasks. I've no experience and have probably missed something."

"Well, I'm hardly an expert," Graham deadpans in answer to Rangin's question. He shrugs and makes a show of counting, with great difficulty, on his fingers. "Even if you lump in all of my extra-judicial killings in too, I've barely committed six...no, nine...homicides." He gives Rangin a grin and then glances around at the others in the room, stopping to nod at Collins.

"Ma'am...team...I wasn't just being nice to Mr. Kylah before. She's right that we ought to make an announcement. Soon. And if you work back from that, you get to 'which out of Mr. Rangins' fine list of folks we talk to before versus after.'"

He clears his throat and again looks at Collins. "There's nothing wrong with the, uh, task list overall, but, ah, let me propose something that's based on our theory of the case so far and how our next steps move the ball forward." He glances at Kylah. "At least what I think is our theory of the case."

He holds up a finger. "I'll number these points so you can all tell me what you think makes sense or not..." As he finishes his statement he glances at Rangin.

"One - we think this wasn't a random event. So what we want is for all the guests not to freak out and run for the exits, while our perp gets nervous that we know more than he or she thinks we do."

"Two - so I'd propose we make a very calm, reassuring statement that Mr. Wilson was killed, but we do not believe it was a random event. Of course, we can acknowledge that events like this can cause people to be concerned, so we've beamed down some crack Starfleet security personnel, yadda yadda, who can all establish up a public presence coincident with the announcement."

"Three - gaming this out, I think that means we hit the Hsus first, because they ought to be a little off balance once way or another when the announcement is on deck and it starts to feel like our security is eclipsing theirs . Subsequently, this sets the stage to talk to Halsey, Fastolfe, Palver and so on where we play up that we know it wasn't random--and imply why we know it was them."

He clears his throat. "Of course, some of the other things - Delaney probing the tech for example - can go on in parallel. " He pauses. "All right, well, you know, phasers on heavy stun, I set a target out there. But that's my recommendation based on my experience."

Rangin nods in firm agreement, but still wishing that Graham had said something like this earlier. "Those are good recommendations, looks like I didn't cover everything. Who would you suggest to carry out those tasks? Should we split differently?"

Rangin waits to see what advice Graham can come up with. Hopefully Collins will take the best of all three arguments from Graham, Kylah and himself and come up with the definitive workable plan. It was kind of amusing that the three Ensigns were making the running instead of the three Lieutenants.

Mahmoud, standing at ease with his Security team, widens his eyes slightly and looks at Graham with a what-the-hell-have-I-gotten-myself-into expression.

Delaney coughs.

Dr. T'Var politely looks at Collins and Graham.

Graham acknowledges Mahmoud’s look with one of his own intended to convey “you ain’t seen the half of it!” then continues.

“Well, this is what I was trying to get at before. Just like who-does-what being based on expertise—obviously, I’d be useless trying to figure out the transporter logs compared to Delaney—but who-interviews-who should be based on our theory and our play for each person. “ He gestures toward Kylah. “She came up with the idea that maybe we can exploit the fact she’s a sympathetic female character, given what we know about Mrs. Hsu. How do we want to play each interviewee?”

He starts to pace. “Obviously, ah, L-T,” he says, looking at Collins—but only very briefly, as he feels awkward about running roughshod over the plan she’d approved. He would have preferred if she’d asked him for his advice privately. “There’s some command-and-control to make sure we cover all the bases, but really it’s a question for each of us: what’s the play, how many people do we need for it, and then what are we each not just good at, but really fired up for, right now?”

He shrugs. “I mean, some people aren’t ever going to be comfortable really pushing hard on somebody.” He studiously avoids looking at Rangin. “Somebody else might be, but not have the energy to pull it off right now.”

“Look, ah, this shouldn’t be the look at the big brain on Graham show.” He taps the side of his head. “There really isn’t that much to see. I’ll just lay out the template for what I see as the first next step… We think Mrs. Hsu at the least knows more than she’s told us. We want to make her think there’s no way we’re aren’t going to find everything out. And there’s no way to escape the inevitable.” He clenches his fists in front of his chest as he paces, becoming a little more animated. “When she walks in here, her breath should catch, she should feel a noose tightening around her neck.”

I almost feel…alive…worth a damn… he thinks, as he continues. “We should everybody in here looking goddamned busy.” He points to Delaney with one hand and T’Var with the other. “You should have some medical and technical stuff up on the monitors, doesn’t matter if it’s total bullshit, just so long as it looks important and is over her head.”

“Then you—“ he stops and points with both hands at Collins. “Confident, in charge, but pretty terse. First things first, she’s got to assist us with making the announcement he wrote. You’re professional…maybe even a little condescending, like don’t worry, we got this, just play your little part. Definitely not a shoulder to cry on. And she should definitely feel you’re not telling her everything we know. ”

He rubs his chin. “We get past that, people start filtering out. We try and leave her alone with Kylah…then we run her play.”

“After that, well…look, everybody I’m sure good ideas about each interviewee.” He clears his throat. “But when Kylah meets with Mr., Hsu…” He pauses. He’s almost happy, he feels like its 12 years ago, when he was leading teams, coaching people…before…before. But as before, there’s still the hard edge of the business. He glances at Collins, then Rangin, and then Kylah. Underneath his animated mood is steely clarity. “I like the guy, but in the off chance he’s not on the up-and-up…and, say, somebody needs to shoot him…well, like I said, we all should focus on what we’re good at.”

Kylah listens carefully to each. She waits, in vain, for Collins to respond first to her, then to Velir, and then Graham--the latter two twice--but the Lieutenant seems to have turned mute. Or paralyzed. Or just stubborn. Presumably if Vargas was the one to change the commands regarding the announcements and security assignments, she would have said something.

When Graham finishes with his strategic suggestions, Kylah pauses again, realizing that he seems to intend for them to summon everyone to the command room. He truly embodies the notion that when one has a hammer everyone looks like a nail. Kylah is repulsed by how Graham seems to revel in the notion of terrifying Mrs. Hsu as he gloatingly describes the woman feeling the rope around her neck...

"Yes," she says carefully, trying to think how to phrase this. "Even though Commander Vargas said I should be involved in the interviews due to my Communications background, I am sure he did not mean to imply I should take the lead role in each one, nor do I believe I would be suited for it. Each of us has strengths that will be best suited for different prospects or witnesses.

"But similarly the way we handle each person must be different. For some, intimidation might be appropriate. Lord Fastolfe, for example. Although I am not certain our first interview with anyone--even Fastolfe--should start out with our taking a hostile stance. Immediately putting people on the defensive narrows our options later on: they will never trust us fully after that, and as a result might not share information we desperately need to solve the crime."

Kylah shakes her head slightly. "It seems more productive to begin with a neutral tone, then play it according to how the interview subject reacts. I am not against intimidation when necessary, but simply do not think one should ever open a negotiation by showing one's arsenal."

She keeps her voice thoughtful and low. "For example, I do not think my person-to-person conversation with Mrs. Hsu will be at all effective if it is preceded by such a... such a confrontational or intimidating situation as you describe, Mr. Graham. The same goes for Mr. Hsu. That will ruin the notion that their secrets are safe, and that I am willing to protect them. Do you not think my approach will be patently obvious if they know they are already under suspicion?"

Graham scratches his head. "I didn't mean to imply that Mrs. Hsu should feel like she's under suspicion. Or that we're at all hostile toward her. What I was getting at is that we suspect she's hiding some information. We want her to feel that this information staying secret simply isn't an option...that we're quickly and inexorably closing in on uncovering everything. At which point, the context for your conversation is: 'I can continue to agonize until the moment when the officious folks who don't care about whatever-is-so-bad-about-it discover it,' or 'I can try to find an alternative by talking to this person who seems to care and might help me.'"

"Generally whether we're being nice or being tough, I think it's best to make them react to us one way or another rather than the reverse. We're assuming--I think we're all assuming--that what she wants to do is keep quiet and hope this all goes away. We want her to conclude that's impossible, so the 'plan B' you dangle looks as inviting as it can...you might say that she feels desperate for an alternative way out."

He pauses. "Ah, but if you have a alternative set up for Mrs. Hsu--or the rest of you do..." he shrugs. "Look I'm an investigator not an empath. Maybe my read of her is wrong. Fair enough is that's the call," he adds, looking at Collins.

Rangin keeps his face fixed. At least Kylah and Graham were throwing out ideas. Some were better than his own, naturally, Rangin never claimed to be perfect, and some he didn't agree with. But it wasn't his call to make. Time to try and give everyone an out as if it had been a reasonable discussion over details, but in the end, it came down to what Collins was going to assign to each of them.

She has ten people here, although Vargas had sent the other four to help keep the peace and a whole set of tasks to complete, interviews, dealing with the WR&R resort and more fact finding. He wonders how she will split them up and assign duties. Rangin also hopes she doesn't just go with one of the plans, because they all had good and bad points, but at least take the best of all three.

"Sir", Rangin addresses Lt Collins, "thank you for your patience in listening to us, our ideas and suggestions. What's your call?"

Collins sighs inwardly. "Have a seat, everyone. Graham and Rangin, with me." She holds the door open for them to join her in the corridor.

"Two men go in, one man comes out," Graham deadpans sotto vocce to Rangin as they leave the room.

While Kylah possesses the ability to keep her face as still as marble, that shell of repose nearly shatters the instant Graham mentions the word empath.

Velir speaks. She does not listen. Her stomach feels as if it's folding in on itself and her pulse skitters erratically to the point where she must take several deep breaths, holding them for several seconds before exhaling. This forces her heart to break its uncomfortable rhythm.

Can Graham know what she is? He cannot. It would take a meeting with Aldaan himself to obtain such knowledge. Unless Dr. T'Var... She and Graham.... They were together when they found me in the resort last night. Perhaps she...

No, T'Var is a doctor, and Kylah revealed this to her under strict confidentiality. But if she thought Kylah's life was actually in danger due to her lack of control? Would T'Var do such a thing?

Kylah knows she has turned white and there is nothing to be done about that. Her instinct is to stare at T'Var in accusation, but of course that must be fought as well.

She is shaken from her terror only when Collins orders Graham and Rangin to join her, leaving the rest of the mission crew--including the one who has offered as many ideas as either of Collins's favorites--dismissively behind.

There can be no greater proof of Collins's utter lack of instinct, of caring about team cohesiveness. Kylah turns to Lt. Delaney--Collins must despise him the way she does Kylah herself, the way she continually ignores him and leaves him out of all decision-making. The man is her equal in rank. So is T'Var, although the doctor's rank is automatic upon graduation.

At last Kylah looks at the other woman. It is useless. She can read Vulcans, but Kylah is not hypocritical enough to betray her promise to control herself in an effort to prove whether T'Var has betrayed her.

Despite everything, the truth is, the only person living who has actually kept her secret, who has proven unshakeable in this regard, is her uncle. I am the only one you can trust, he has promised her throughout her lifetime. And perhaps in this matter, this one matter, he is right.

When the three of them are alone, Collins says quietly "I keep starting and stopping and starting and stopping. I am at a loss. Vargas pretty much told me to suck it up, but nicely. You two have seen me at low points this mission, maybe my lowest. So, I ask you. How do we proceed?"

There is a deep sigh from Rangin as he looks at the floor composing himself before looking up. He looks across at Graham trying to judge what he might be thinking before looking back at Lt. Collins.

"Sir, I'm sorry but this is one of those times, when you have to make a decision. You have a set of options which are not necessarily compatible, and you will have to use your judgement. This team needs to follow your orders and your decision. We cannot make it for you, only advise. I will suggest this though. As we do not have that much time, Graham and I will speak just once, lay out the options as we see them to be and then you choose what you think is best. Decide who will do what over the next hour or so. Don't forget, regardless of which choice you make, we will follow your orders. You are in charge." Rangin's voice has quietened slightly and though it appears less deferential than before is far more explanatory and patient, making sure each part sinks in before he moves on to his next words.

"Ok, We have ten people here, six of us to investigate and four of us to protect. Yes, I do agree with Kylah, that it would be the best use for them at this moment. There are several tasks to complete. We need to interview Halsey, the Hsu's, Falstofe, Calvin, the Vice Admiral and his aide, and before I forget as Kylah keeps mentioning him and she is right, Khövsgöl, who was assisting us earlier on. We do need to get a message out sooner rather than later and that will mean talking to Mrs Hsu as she will be in charge. Further fact finding includes talking to the staff about Mr Wilson and any who may have been in the nightclub providing alibis. We can't rely on the security footage for that. It can also, if necessary, wait until later as the people involved will probably still be asleep, thinking further about it. There is the teleport system, not to mention the safe and probably a lot of other things as well. I even have a wastebin of paper to sort out if you feel annoyed at me."

Rangin smiles wondering if the next bit will earn him that rubbish bin.

"Here's my suggestion for what should happen next and how it should be split up. First off, I think the others are right, an announcement is a priority and should be done sorted by you and Kylah. This also gives her the chance to talk to Mrs Hsu about other matters as well as well as finding out about Khövsgöl, maybe interview him if you can as well. I don't think having everyone waiting in the command room is the right idea, but if you decide it is, so be it."

"I would suggest Dr T'Var and Graham interview Halsey, Calvin and then check on the Vice Admiral and Aide as a matter of course. Don't forget we have a set of security on them already. There is no reason Lt. Delaney cannot check on the teleport and follow up on things and we also need to get the others access to the command room and Mr Wilson's office and suite. A brief tour of the site for them would not go amiss either. That means finding Mr Hsu and arranging it. I'd suggest myself and Lt. Delaney do that quickly before continuing our investigations and I don't really have anything specific to do, other than get staff lists for last night's workers."

"I'd suggest adding them to the security contingent near where Mr Wilson was found, but I'll admit I have no idea if that is the right thing to do or not. Of course, once we know where Mr Hsu is, Kylah and yourself can talk to him next. I'd actually suggest interviewing him more fully to see what he knows as well, but let Kylah make the call on whether she wants to try her gambit first or not."

"Finally, given all that, I would suggest interviewing Falstofe as he is, given the alleged murder weapon, our closest suspect. Not to mention searching his quarters if we can. That's something else to ask Mrs Hsu. Interview to be done by Dr T'Var, Kylah and Graham, between the three of them, they should be able to get a good idea of guilt and innocence. You, Lt Delaney and I to check on his house during the time of the interview."

Rangin takes a deep breath and slumps slightly before straightening up and looking back at Lt. Collins.

"There you go sir, that's the best I have at the moment. I would hope as a professional team working together it would cover most of what we need to do for the next couple of hours."

He turns to Graham with a nod. "All yours, Booker."

Delaney leans towards Kylah and says quietly, "Are you all right, Kylah? You look upset. Anything I can do to help?"

Dr. T'Var leans back in her chair, closes her eyes and steeples her fingers.

Mahmoud sighs and helps himself to some coffee. Two of the other Security officers do the same.

Delaney's voice startles Kylah. She swallows and lifts her hand very slightly to wave away his concern. "Thank you, Lieutenant," she says weakly. "I... I am just tired, as I expect most of us are." She tries to lighten her tone. "I fear pastries are not as restorative for me as they are for you."

After a moment of trying to refocus her thoughts on the mission, Kylah reluctantly turns to include T'Var in her comments. "There is something I have wondered, Doctor. Mr. Rangin mentioned twice that we should be reinterviewing Halsey. I am uncertain what we are meant to be talking to him about. You spent the entire morning with the man, between the autopsy and your discussion in the infirmary. What do you think we might elicit from him that you did not already?"

She shakes her head. "Speaking of the autopsy, I meant to ask this before. Yesterday, Mr. Wilson's ankle was injured--I'm sure you both remember that," she adds quickly with a nod at Delaney. "Did that injury show up in the autopsy? We never did learn what caused it. Fastolfe didn't appear to get angry about the house until after Wilson arrived in the induction room. I wonder if there was some other argument between them earlier, and what that might have been about.

"Another question. I don't believe you mentioned that bruise on Mr. Wilson's wrist in your report about the autopsy. Was it possible to determine how long before his death the bruise occurred? Was it just prior to the murder? Or even after, if someone grabbed his body to move it somewhere."

Kylah shrugs and leans back in her chair. "My mind is just not working very well. Perhaps you explained all this and I just do not remember. I am more anxious to interview those we have not yet spoken with than pulling more information from Dr. Halsey. All we know is that, as you said, he seemed rather pleased to be working on Wilson's autopsy. I had... I had noticed that too," she says tactfully. "But to be honest, that is not much of a reason to focus on him as a suspect. He might just have been excited by the prospect of such an unusual case, for all we know. His mood seems a strange reason to spend time with him when there are so many other guests we have yet to speak with. What do you think I am missing, Doctor?"

Graham takes and exhales a deep breath. He was expecting Collins to let them have it, to tell them to cut the crap and stop bickering--not this. He'd certainly prefer getting read the riot act: both out of concern for whatever's going on with Collins, and the implication that the team if she doesn’t feel up to taking charge, the team is going to continue to struggle.

He listens patiently to Rangin, although his eyes widen when he suggests Kylah speak with Khövsgöl.

Has he been on the same mission as me? Graham wonders. He decides bringing up the reasons for his concern in front of Collins at this moment would be a bad idea. As would, he thinks, bringing up what I've heard about Collins' and Kylah's conflict.


He clears his throat after Rangin finishes. "Well, ah, rather than get too deep into big ideas for how we set the stage for interviews, maybe Rangin's right to just work through a list." He searches for a diplomatic way to justify this. "It's clear we're...I mean all of us...ah, not at our best right at the moment."

He rubs his chin. "Not to go out of my way to disagree with Mr. Rangin here--" he shrugs. "Although why break trend after all? But let me suggest a couple tweaks in the lineup. If we're going to check on the Admiral it makes sense to me to give him his due and show the flag—you and T’Var. One, you’re the mission commander, in case he’s wondering what the hell is going on. Two, she’s our M-D, in terms of eyeballing his health. Three, maybe it’ll give you a chance to, ah, catch your breath, Je...er, ma'am. After that...if you, ah, want to, you two could hit Halsey and Calvin."

"I can handle the announcement, taking Kylah along--if Mrs. Hsu makes a stink we'll call you, L-T, but it's not like she has a lot of options here. And then she can try her gambit with the Hsus." He pauses and glances at Rangin. "And I'll...keep tabs on how it goes."

"Then we've got Khövsgöl and that Palver guy, too. Money guys...credit where credit is due, Rangin’s a pretty suave guy. He and Delaney can hit them, then split up, with Delaney geeking out on the tech and Rangin finding out about talking to the nightclub staff.”

“I agree that our Security team should circulate in high-visibility areas—for reassurance, a Starfleet courtesy, if anybody asks. And that dealing with Fastolfe is a team effort. But maybe we cross that bridge in a bit – it wouldn’t kill us to talk to the staff and compare all our notes before talking to him. I wouldn’t put it past him to tell us some cock and bull story about whet he did last we would then go off and find out was crap…after all he knows it’s not like we can arrest him for ‘a lapse in his memory.’”

Graham also decides asking Collins why she's struggling so much is something better done one-to-one. "And, uh, look, for what it's worth, to the extent you're not...100% on your game has been my fault for being an idiot yesterday, I apologize, ma'am."

He waits for Rangin to ask him why he doesn't apologize for being an idiot today.

Rangin keeps a straight face while listening to Graham. Credit to him, some of the ideas make sense, but Rangin doesn't think he would be the right person for an interview. But if ordered, he would do so.

Rangin nods at Graham as he finishes and looks back at Lt. Collins. "Sir, its that time. Your decision." he says firmly.

Delaney nods at Kylah's responses, smiles a little, and leans back in his seat.

When Kylah speaks to her, Dr. T'Var opens her eyes, looks thoughtfully at the Communications officer and says, "You have reminded me of something, Mr. Kylah, and I'm glad you did. When we were at the crime scene and Mr. Collins asked if anyone had recently argued with Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Hsu glanced at Dr. Halsey. It was a fleeting gesture and was perhaps insignificant, but I noticed it and then, unfortunately, almost immediately forgot about it. Fatigue is taking its toll on me, as well, I believe. The doctor's mental state was also oddly... upbeat, given the circumstances. Perhaps we might ask him directly about that." She pauses. "The injury to Mr. Wilson's ankle did not show up in the autopsy, but the abrasion on his wrist did, and I duly noted it. I could not determine if the abrasion was pre- or post-mortem, but it was certainly recent."

"We'll go with Graham's suggestions." Collins says weakly. I wish I could just run to the head and puke. I feel green. "Let's go back inside and tell the others."

"Sir, decision made, well done." comes from warm reply from Rangin. "and we both promise not to snipe at each other and ruin your meetings again." he says with a smile, "just in case anyone else asks." Rangin looks briefly across at Graham hoping he will be as amenable to the slight deception for the others.

Rangin is not sure why Collins has chosen Graham's suggestion over his own, she probably has her own reasons, but it doesn't matter that much, what's important is that Collins actually listened and made a decision. He waits for Collins to lead them back into the other room.

Graham chuckles at Rangin's offer to Collins. "Yeah, sure, we'll even look duly chastised when we walk back in, you want. For that matter, Lieutenant, you might even want to smack Rangin around a little, just to to totally make it real..." He shrugs and grins at Rangin. "Nothing personal, it'd be for the benefit of team of course."

Collins briefly considers slugging both of them, but decides against it. She holds the door to the CP open for them.

There's no response to Graham's comment from Rangin, it just further confirms his thoughts that Graham is a petty minded fellow that has a liking for violence. Was he really worth any more effort to respond to, its not like anything sunk in to the mudpit that some might call his brain.

It was pathetic really, especially as somehow he managed to make Commander. Karma must catch up with some people eventually though, hence why he is here taking orders instead of giving them.

As Collins opens the door he heads in first, steady and calm while walking back to his seat.

Graham doesn't have to work at it to look pensive and glum as he re-renters the CP after Rangin. What he suggested to Collins wasn't what he would do if he were in command, or what he would recommend to her if she--and the team--were functioning better. But he's somewhat at a loss for what to about it.

Well, at least we're done arguing, he thinks as he finds a seat. And Rangin seems to have a sense of humor.

Kylah pays as close attention as she can to T'Var's comments. The look from Mrs. Hsu to Halsey is telling--but of what, she cannot guess. It might be Hsu knowing of a fight between Wilson and Halsey, or Halsey knowing of Hsu's fight with him. Or it could be shared knowledge of someone else's argument altogether. Definitely worth asking him about. Kylah is surprised that a Vulcan would forget something noteworthy like this, but of course, she performed a lengthy operation and has been occupied with medical analysis, rather than a tiny and possibly insignificant gesture.

Finally there is the matter of the wound to Wilson's wrist. "An abrasion," she repeats. "I thought it was a bruise, probably from someone grabbing hold of him. But an abrasion indicates something scraped against his wrist--or vice versa. That is unusual."

She wants to turn to Delaney and ask him his thoughts--really, she is extremely curious about how he feels when Collins continually shuts him out of the command loop. It is none of her business, of course, but... if she is to make a full report this time, unlike from the Sakathian mission, Kylah can use all the backup she can get. Clearly Singh values Collins and thinks she has potential. If anything, her command of this mission has been just as disastrous as the last one--the only benefit is that none of their team has been injured this time.

Not physically, anyway.

The door opens and Kylah's head shifts toward the entrance. Graham looks miserable, Velir his usual even-keeled self. And so she listened to Velir, Kylah thinks, both proud of Velir and strangely annoyed. She wants him to succeed, but she does not want his head turned by Collins's favoritism. He has a good head on his shoulders and does not seem the type to respond to flattery, but... he is still a man.

I cannot be jealous already, Kylah thinks irritably. I have not earned any right to that. But surely, surely he cannot forget that at the heart of Jeremi Collins lies someone who would have chained a man to his dying, soon-to-be-monstrous wife.

She waits for some announcement or decision... any decision, as long as it has actually been considered instead of leapt-upon as the first option posited by somoene other than Kylah. Collins seems incapable of strategic thought or decision-making. Does pregnancy do that to a woman? Her mother had six pregnancies that Kylah knows about--including four miscarriages--and none of them seemed to affect her thusly. Then again, her mother was Elasian. Human women are likely more frail.

As Collins sits, she feels a sharp twinge in her abdomen, but it ends as quickly as it started. "Change of plans, team. Ensign Kylah and Ensign Graham will handle the announcement together. Doctor T'Var and I will check on the Admiral and his aide. Lieutenant Delaney and Ensign Rangin will interview Misters Khövsgöl and Palver. The four of you," she looks at the Security team Vargas sent down, "make yourselves visible in the public areas. If one of the teams needs back up, we'll call." She looks at the almost empty coffee cup in front of her and gulps the last drops. Cold coffee is better than no coffee.
"After the announcement, and answering any questions that come up, Kylah," she faces the young ensign how looks like she's even smaller than before, like she's trying to disappear, "You and Graham talk to the Hsus, gently" she looks at Graham, "Yes, they are both still suspects, but they are also key people here at the resort. See what you can finesse out of them." Jeremi then looks at Delaney and Rangin. "When you finish those two interviews, Delaney, you can go super-sleuth on the Resort's tech, while Rangin talks to the nightclub staff. We'll save Fastolfe for later when we can approach him en masse.
"When T'Var and I are satisfied that the Admiral is fine, we'll check in with the other two teams and go where we're needed." she pauses a minute, then adds "I'm thinking we might try to encourage Hardin and Ebling to go back to the Yorktown for their safety, until the investigation is over. Any thoughts?"

Kylah sits and slowly moves her hands beneath the table, where she can clutch them together and let her nails dig into her flesh. It is worse than she expected. Not only is Vargas's order about Collins's role in the announcement being ignored, but Kylah has been paired--alone--with Graham. She must be doing this on purpose, Kylah thinks in despair. Working with me is so abhorrant she will defy Vargas's direct order.

Unable to look at Graham, Kylah wonders if Velir approves of this decision. Maybe she misjudged his reason for suggesting T'Var switch with Graham earlier. It probably had nothing to do with him somehow intuiting how intimidating she finds Graham. The thought was silly and girlish, a fantasy of some perfect mental connection between them. Why should Velir know her every thought? He is not an empath, Kylah thinks bleakly, with an inward shudder at Graham's words.

She would rather not speak but she does so in a low monotone. "Yes, sir. What about Rosemary Calvin? She is not included on the schedule, but she is the only person in the introduction room aside from Khövsgöl, the Vice Admiral and Ebling whom we have not yet interviewed."

Collins thinks a moment then replies to Kylah "You and Graham will interview her once you've gotten all you can from the Hsus. If you need a break, any of you, take one, a brief one; but call it in. I'd like to know where everyone is at any given point."

Kylah nods at Collins's decision, her hands clasping more tightly atop her thighs. So now she will have to tell Collins when she goes to the infirmary--assuming she can get away from Graham? Better and better.

Rangin's face remains calm as Lt. Collins re-issues Graham's suggestions to the rest of the team. It's just a set of orders and although he's glad Lt. Collins has made a decision, Rangin is still a little disappointed she chose Graham's suggestions instead. Rangin wonders what is was that meant she chose that way, was it information he didn't have or just that she was listening to the perosn with more experience.

In the end, it didn't matter, although even straight off, it was obvious that Graham's suggestions were incomplete, Kylah showing that something was missing and they still needed to give the new security officers access to the command post. But it was good to see Lt. Collins at least answer the question effectively and look more like the leader she was supposed to be. Should he...should he...Rangin tumbles the thought in his mind that he should just let the point go, he had raised it earlier as part of his suggestions but they were all supposed to be working together. It still needed to be done, but having got Lt Collins this far, each extra question would slowly strip a little more authority from her. No, best for the moment to leave it as an oversight and it could be dealt with later, after all, he was surprised it hadn't been top of Graham's list.

Rangin looks across the table to Kylah, where she is sat upright, "Good Luck", he calls across to her quietly, before Rangin turns to Lt. Delaney and says in the same quiet voice. "Sir, ready when you are."

Kylah looks over to Rangin when he calls out to her. "Thank you," she says evenly. She can hardly say anything to him about how much she dreads being alone with Graham. "You as well."

She waits for Collins to dismiss the meeting.

Again with the twinge! What the hell!?!. Collins looks around the table. Nobody said anything about her idea to get the Admiral and his aide to safety, which surprises her. They've been coaching me to ask for input and when I do, no one speaks up. She mentally rolls her eyes then stands up and says "We'll reconvene in two hours, unless one of you is onto something big. Dismissed."

"Aye, ma'am," Mahmoud says briskly. He turns to his team. "Mr. Dodson, you're with me. We'll start in the main lobby and cover the hotel floors. Mr. de la Paz, you and Mr. Markovich will patrol the other public spaces. Start with the gardens and work inward from there."

Delaney stands and says to Rangin, "Off we go, then. Want to talk to Khövsgöl first?"

Dr. T'Var asks Collins, "Shall I call Vice Adm. Hardin and Lt. Cmdr. Ebling and tell them to expect our visit shortly?"

It is now 1007 hours.

"Yes, please" Collins tells T'Var, but a bigger twinge makes her sit down again. She lets out little high pitched grunt when this last one hits.

Rangin nods at Lt. Delaney, "It's as good as any a place to start. He's hotel staff, so the best place to find out where he is will be the admin offices. See what his rota is and if we can pull him off to one side for a few minutes."

Rangin smiles and looks back across at Kylah, "Kylah, I believe you're likely to be heading to the admin offices as well to talk to Mrs Hsu. Mind if we join you and Mr Graham?"

Rangin then hears something from Lt Collins direction and he turns round to see if she is ok.