Star Trek RPG - Mission #5: "Of Captains and Capos"

Dr. T'Var thinks a moment and says to Kylah, "I'd prefer to keep you for observation overnight, but if you really would prefer to rest in your quarters, I'll allow it if you wear a medical monitor strip. I don't want you on duty for at least 24 hours, however."

President Bela Okmyx actually looks excited. "Yeah, sure! I've been wanting to have a peek at one of your fancy spaceships. Why should Krako have all the fun, huh?"

Three Crows and Mahmoud acknowledge Onn's orders; Nguyen and Security personnel are soon ready on the Yorktown.

Kylah tries to picture getting up and returning to her quarters right now; the thought seems overwhelming. But she does not want to stay, either. She nods to the doctor. "Yes, please, I will wear the monitor. Thank you, Dr. T'Var."

Dr. T'Var nods, leaves, and shortly returns with the familiar, flexible, adhesive matte-black plastic strip that will keep Sickbay posted on Kylah's biosigns. She places it across Kylah's abdomen and helps her get dressed. She then asks a Medical orderly to walk the Elasian officer to her quarters and ensure that she's settled in all right.

"Ready when you are, Ensign," the young woman says.

Despite herself, Nia can't help appreciating Okmyx's level of excitement for something she herself holds so dear. "It's pretty special," she says with a grin. "It's too bad you can't see the ship from the outside, but her interior's impressive too. And that first glimpse of your own planet will be something else. Just a minute more to make sure we have this situation cleared, and we'll get going."

She pulls out her communicator from her bag, preparing to contact Rangin, but looking down at the beaded purse sparks a little memory. "Landing party members, those of you who have a free moment, let's check that all our equipment and belongings are accounted for. I overheard Kylah mention something about a purse and her phaser... maybe that was part of a bluff, I don't know. If not, we need it back. Might've already been taken care of, but..."

Ending with a shrug, she lifts the communicator. "Onn to Rangin. When you've finished up, report back here and we'll beam up as a team. Unless you need more time, for any reason...?" While she speaks, she watches Booker with interest to see what he ends up deciding about the Cledd gang.

Kylah nods and thanks T'Var one more time. She moves slowly to join the orderly. "I appreciate your help. May I ask your name?" A sigh escapes her, and she purses her lips in recrimination. "I should know all of you by now, given my record. I am sorry."

Rawlings has already taken an inventory of the Starfleet gear. "All present and accounted for, ma'am," he tells Onn with a grin. "And if I may say so, it was smart of you to check, given the Enterprise's experience here."

"Orderly/3 Dina Billingsley," the young woman in blue says. "And no apology necessary, ma'am." She is Human, with dark hair, a broad, friendly face and a spray of freckles across her nose.

"Let me check, Sir," Rangin replies to Lt. Morris sensing the impatience that seems to be brewing. It looks like Graham had gotten to someone else and Rangin could feel a little sympathy for him as he had appeared to be honest in his answers. Besides, Rangin's starts thinking more on what happened to Ens. Kylah than about Lt Morris and the interview. It seems that Dr T'Var had things in hand, but he had not had the chance to find out for sure what had happened.

However, just as he is reaching down for the communicator, it goes off and he finds himself listening to Lt. Onn. "No ma'am, nothing else here, we will be down shortly," he responds to her question, "Rangin out."

He looks back across at Morris and Garcia. "We have been asked to report back as they are starting to transport back to the ship." He stands up and gestures to the door, "After you, Sir." he addresses Lt Morris.

"Finally," Morris mutters as he rises from his seat and heads for the door. He adds in a more conversational tone, "Thank you, Ensign." Rangin goes back downstairs with him and Garcia, and returns to the main ballroom. Onn, Graham and the others are there, as well as, you see, many fewer Iotians than before.

Graham calls Three Crows and Mahmoud aside."Ok, here's what we're going to do. Find a room off here--preferably one with no other exit. We walk each of these goons in, one by one, to be beamed up for, uh, processing...and release. As I see it, under Federation--not necesarily local, I'm not sure--law any one of these goons could make a big deal about whether or not they are really free to go, but in the absence of that kind of speicifc appeal I think we can run with taking them upstairs to ask a few questions." He pauses a moment. "While we're in the process of beaming these guys up and holding them, let's have somebody offer them coffee, a snack or something in the brig...stress 'em out a bit, then show the softer side."

He exhales deeply. "Maybe that'll get one of them to give us some info when they can do it in private."

Nia winks at Rawlings. "Hey, if I can't out-think one of those Enterprise slackers..." She pauses in thought. "Although now I'm wondering if all the extra phasers and other tech that Krako seems to have stolen are accounted for. There should be enough to match up with the CAG folks. And speaking of the CAG..."

Her hand lifts her communicator again. "Onn to Cmdr. Vargas. Sir, it just struck me that the CAG building is currently open and unguarded, unless I'm miscalculating. If we'll be in orbit here for a few hours or longer, I think it might be prudent to put a guard on the house until we either clean it out or the CAG return--assuming they're willing. Recommendations?"

Three Crows and Mahmoud understand and carry out their orders. Soon all of the remaining Iotians not in President Okmyx's entourage have been beamed up to the Yorktown under guard.

Vargas says to Onn, "Probably a good idea. Did you want to send a detail from there, or have us beam down a small Security team from here?"

Nia frowns at the relatively empty room, wondering if she missed what happened to Cledd's gangsters while she was occupied speaking with Rawlings and Vargas. "I think a few from the team here, sir. Most of the Security officers haven't been here long and don't need to be relieved." She eyes Booker and, though her face remains neutral, enjoys the rear view. "I'll confer with Ensign Graham on where to place the detail, since he's been to the building and I haven't. Once that's taken care of, we'll be beaming up with the President, unless you or the Captain have any further suggestions."

If Vargas signs off on the plan, Nia will head over to Booker and ask his opinion regarding whom to leave behind.

Kylah, glad to be back in her uniform, begins her walk carefully. She starts to thank Billingsley when she realizes that she cannot recall the correct form of address to an orderly. Since she also has a cultural distaste for using "Mr." for women, she thinks of a possible workaround.

"Thank you... and please, call me Kylah," she adds. Hopefully, she will receive a similar invitation that will help her avoid the embarrassing memory slip.

Vargas says, "That will be fine. Carry on, Lieutenant. Vargas out."

"Thank you... Kylah," the orderly says, smiling warmly. "And you're welcome to call me Dina." The two leave Sickbay together.

Rangin waits until Lt.Onn is more or less free, before excusing himself from Morris and Garcia, and walks over to her to report.

"Ma'am, I hope I am not interrupting, I thought you would be interested in what Lt Morris had to say, which was actually little to nothing further on what he has already said. His communicator call was to the head of the CAG," Rangin informs the officer in charge.

"...So you Security guys decide how many officers to leave at the CAG building, and who. Okay?"

Nia's just finished asking Booker to make the decision when she senses Rangin beside her. His brief report isn't elucidating, but obviously there's not much to be squeezed from Morris.

"Good. Thanks, Rangin. Kind of a shame, really; it'd tie some things in nicely together if he had a link to Krako. I guess we should get a confirmation from the head CAG guy that Morris contacted him. Of course," she murmurs, casting a look at Booker before returning to Rangin, "he could've contacted the CAG as an alibi and given Krako a heads-up... if he had enough time. But short of confiscating his communicator, asking Thalen or Garcia to snoop on his transmissions, or Krako turning on him, we're kinda stuck. Especially since Krako would have to admit his part of the conspiracy, and that doesn't seem likely."

She exhales, tired. "Listen to me. I'm probably just seeing conspiracies where there are none. Well, I appreciate your efforts, Ensign. Let me catch you up a bit."

She fills him in on her attempt to get the Krako goons to give up Zabo. "...And so we've taken them into custody, hoping they'll be more likely to squeal if they're separated. But who knows. Anyway, Krako, Yeg and Cledd are on the ship. I'm about to arrange for a detail to watch over the CAG building. I've made sure we haven't left any tech behind, though there's always the possibility that Krako stole more from the CAG than we know. Otherwise... I think that's everything."

Nia's head tilts down so she can look him in the eyes. "What do you think, Rangin? Anything I've missed? You were here longer, you might have a better idea of the overall. You too, Graham," she says, conscious of how bizarre it is to involve these particular men in a collegial powwow.

"If Lt. Morris did contact Krako then it is likely that Krako also has a communicator. Perhaps if would be worth checking to see if he has anything else Federation related that he should not have?" Rangin calmly looks back up at Lt. Onn. "If he is in possession of several items he should not be, then the question becomes not only how did he get them but who supplied him."

"When we first met him, Krako was very happy to meet us. It’s quite possible he has engineered the whole thing to gain favour with us with or without any assistance."

Graham's not sure what rock Rangin's been hiding under while everything has been going done, but fundamentally he's grateful not to have had to deal with his snide bullshit. Seeing Rangin reminds him of the fact that Kylah's in Sick Bay--for god's sake, hopefully OK...

He doesn't wait for Rangin to respond. "Faisal's solid, I'll ask him to pick a Security officer and perhaps more important to get some technical help from Yorktown securing the building as its security has been compromised, uh...ma'am," he says to Nia, giving her a slight smile if he can manage to catch her eye.

If not otherwise interrupted, he finds Mahmoud. "CAG HQ's physical security measures have been compromised. Pick another Security officer, beam over there, and get some technical staff from the ship to put stronger protections in place...keep an eye on things while they do."

Mahmoud nods. "OK, will do." He turns to one of the Security ratings and says, "O'Neill, come on, you're with me. Duty calls." He takes out his communicator, calls the Yorktown, and they soon are beamed away.

Kylah and Billingsley slowly reach the Elasian's woman's quarters. Kylah feels exhausted by the trip, although it was not all that far afoot. Collins is not there, of course, as she is still in Sickbay.

At Rangin's suggestions, Nia tilts her head, then gives a wry chuckle. "Of course--Krako must have a communicator. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't even think of that, and I was literally just asking Rawlings whether we'd confiscated all the Federation tech from the Krako crew. Good call there, Mr. Rangin. As for where they got the phasers and so on, I'm assuming they stole them from the hostages. So I guess--"

Nia's eyes widen, and then she gives a slow smile. "The hostages," she repeats, much more quietly. "Rangin, you had them beamed directly from where they were being held, right? Their belongings certainly weren't with them. Their captors had everything. Do you see where I'm heading?" She makes sure her back is to Morris and only Rangin can hear her--although she wishes Booker were still with them.

"Morris sent that message before Krako showed up. He knew we hadn't taken anyone into custody yet--the captors still had the CAG's communicators. So if he sent a message to the CAG leader's device, it would've gone to whoever was actually in possession of it. How much you wanna bet that Krako took Hadley's communicator for himself? Maybe Morris knew that. I mean, he had to know Hadley wouldn't have his communicator yet, right? They're all being debriefed, they won't have been reassigned new gadgets yet.

"So... assuming Krako had control of Hadley's device, if we take a look at the messages sent and received since the hostages were first captured, maybe we'll find some interesting info there. What do you think?"

Kylah sees that her quarters are empty, and briefly wonders if Collins is still on the planet. She is glad to be alone for now; she is not certain what her roommate will say about her having been injured yet again. Their relationship has improved somewhat, but Kylah does not believe they are on firm ground yet.

"Thank you very much, Dana," she says, sinking onto her bed and looking up at the orderly with a wan smile. "I wish you a good evening. And a quiet one--hopefully there will be no more casualties from the landing party."

Rangin watches Graham with distaste as he barks out some orders and generally being his usual impolite self. Then again he was probably responsible for not protecting Ens. Kylah and Graham will promptly take that out on anyone else.

Rangin shakes his head half in anger,half in disgust before returning back to the pont. "Yes ma'am, I do follow what you mean and given that they have been in the hands of people who may misuse them, if would make a lot of sense to see what they used them for. It might be worth hetting a more accurate inventory of Federation equipment and trying to account for all of it."

"The only thing I would urge caution on is any presumed guilt or innocence. Let the facts speak first." Rangin casts a side glance at Graham, who by now would have had thumbscrews out with gleeful abandon and let justice go hang.

Rangin lets the silence last a beat or two before squaring up and looking directly at Lt. Onn. "If it is acceptable to ask and as you were here at the time ma'am. What did happen to Ens. Kylah?"

Graham's about to get on with figuring out which Security personnel are needed to wrap things up in the club versus accompany Okmyx versus question the goons they beamed up--all with Nia's OK, of course--when he hears Rangin ask what happened to Kylah.

He certainly knows, but he doesn't know her current condition (and has been trying not to think about it...). He freezes, listening silently to hear Onn's reply.

Nia puts her hands on her hips, listening to Rangin. She's about to react to the implication that she's presuming anyone guilty when he brings up Kylah. Not surprisingly, Booker is suddenly rapt with attention. "All I've heard from Dr. T'Var is that her injury wasn't life-threatening. Doesn't mean it wasn't bad, but it sounds like she'll be all right. Probably sleeping by now, or maybe getting debriefed, depending on how well she's recovering." Nia glances over at Booker. "Vargas will probably want to interview her, given how much she seemed to know about Krako and Cledd's relationship. Which makes me wonder--"

She pauses, about to ask whether it was possible Kylah heard something private between the two, given how the perpetual damsel-in-distress managed to get herself stuck in a ridiculously vulnerable situation yet again. Mmm, no. Better rephrase unless you want these guys to start something.

Needing a second, she holds a finger in the air and calls out to Garcia. "Garcia, can you search the stuff we confiscated from Krako and his boys and dig out the communicators? We'll want to secure them and check their usage during the past week. Thanks."

Then she returns to the two men who'd probably rather eat those communicators rather than stand next to each other. "Sorry. Uh, as I was about to say... I noticed that she successfully positioned herself close to the major players during that confrontation. You were there before us, Graham. Any chance she witnessed or heard something that we couldn't hear over the communicator?"

Graham squeezes his eyes shut for a moment and tales a deep breath.

"A bit chance, Ni-- uh, ma'am," Graham replies. "Ens. Kylah...I wish'd we'd had stronger security procedures in place, for which I take equal responsibility. But all things considered, as a communications officer, she took initiative to, uh, get in the faces of the principal players, here, so to speak, and as far as I can tell shook them up and shook loose the scheming going on between, I think, Krako and Cledd and Yegg."

He shakes his head. "I couldn't hear a lot of detail. Don't think the communicator picked it up, either."

He pauses briefly, then realizes the implication is that someone among this group should speak with her... "Lieutenant, seeing as I...well shit, goddammit, I stunned her, I'd like to check on her well-being now. I could follow up on this as well."

The variety of emotions washing over Booker's face twist Nia's heart a little. She doesn't like seeing him this concerned or remorseful. Then again, she probably wouldn't be drawn to him as much if he didn't react this way.

"Of course you can check on her, if the doctors say she's up for it. But..." She softens her voice before continuing, because she doubts Booker needs to be reminded of this--or at least, he wouldn't if he weren't so emotionally involved here. "...But of course, debriefing needs to be done by an objective party, someone who wasn't on the mission. My guess is she'll have to deal with Vargas, maybe the Captain or Thalen if she's lucky. If she wants you to be there... I mean... for support or whatever..."

She suddenly realizes that while Booker's made his protective instincts toward Kylah pretty obvious, Nia has no idea whether the Elasian appreciates how lucky she is to have Booker looking out for her. Someone with her royal background probably takes such protection for granted.

Which would explain why she's so frickin' hapless. Girl probably thinks if she steps off a cliff, a dozen servants will magically appear to build a walkway right under her feet.

"...You can ask and see, is what I'm saying," she concludes, smiling briefly. Rangin's presence is inhibiting her natural instincts. With a friendly look at him, she tilts her head. "C'mon, gentlemen. Might as well beam up together." She makes sure Garcia has the communicator situation well in hand, murmurs to Three Crows and Double-T to stick near the President, Kalo and Morris, and walks up to join Okmyx. "We're ready now, Mr. President. Sorry for the delay."

She gives a last look around the ballroom and asks her remaining crew if they're all ready. If no one holds her off, she'll contact the Yorktown and ask for a beam-out, in groups of six to different transporter rooms if necessary.

"It's actually 'Dina,'" the orderly says to Kylah, "and you're welcome. If you need anything else, just call. Get some rest and I'll check on you later." She leaves.

President Okmyx is still in a good mood. "Hey, no problem, sweetheart! Ready when you are."

Everyone is soon ready to go. All of the remaining Yorktown personnel plus Okmyx, Kalo and Morris beam up in groups of six. Onn, Graham and Rangin find themselves in Transporter Room 1; Chief Nguyen is behind the transporter control console. Okmyx, Kalo and Morris, and Three Crows and Rawlings are there, too. Garcia gets a carryall for the communicators and excuses himself to take them to the Communications lab.

Morris tells Nguyen, "I'd like to see the other CAG members. Do you know where they are?"

Nguyen says, "Resting in guest quarters, I believe, sir."

Once on the ship, Graham nods to Nia and Okmyx. "If you'll excuse me for the moment, ma'am, Mr. President, I have some matters to attend to."

If not otherwise interrupted he heads to Sickbay and asks to see Ens. Kylah.

Kylah flushes at having misunderstood the orderly's name, but the other woman has left before she can apologize. After a few moments of just sitting in silence, she notices the aching emptiness in her stomach--she cannot remember when she last ate. She is too exhausted to walk to the Mess, or even any of the rec room areas with a replicator. Slowly she gets to her feet again and walks to the bathroom for a glass of water. Perhaps slaking her thirst will also help her hunger.

As she sips, she returns to the room and just stands there. Ideally she would get undressed and crawl into bed. But she cannot think of sleeping with the rest of her crewmates on the planet. I hope they will tell me when everyone is back safely.

Then she remembers that she has no communicator. Again. It will undoubtedly be returned to her, assuming Dr. T'Var was right and the situation in the ballroom is under control. But she feels bereft without the device. And yet again, the irony of being a Communications Officer who cannot seem able to hold on to her communicator is not lost on her.

Her thoughts turn to her old damaged communicator and the new disturbing discovery T'Var made regarding the nerve damage to her spinal cord. It cannot be a coincidence that her communicator was 'melted,' her nerves damaged, her memories vanished and her mental capabilities blocked all during the same time period--right after Darren Zweller was in her quarters.

Kylah backs up until she finds the edge of her bed, sitting down once again. He pushed his way in, she thinks, staring at the door. I tried to stop him, I know I did. Then I... I meant to call for help. I had the communicator. But... what happened then?

The memory of Darren Zweller rushing toward her swiftly morphs into Krako running toward her; she cannot divorce the two. Perspiration beads on her forehead and she closes her eyes. She cannot dwell on such things or she will go mad. Her hands cradle the glass and lift it to her lips. All she focuses on is the cool water and the sounds of the Yorktown that form a sort of white noise in the background; Kylah does not allow herself to think about anything else.

Booker moves so quickly from the transporter pad that by the time Nia remembers to warn him, it is too late. She looks at him regretfully. She should've pulled him aside to let him know about Collins. Even when all the security officers were gathered in the ballroom, he didn't seem to notice that his mentee wasn't there. Well. He'll find out soon enough. And maybe it's nothing serious.

Nia is surprised that neither the Captain nor Vargas is here to greet President Okmyx. Hoping the Iotian isn't offended, she gestures for him to step off the transporter pad before her, then follows suit. "Welcome to the Yorktown, Mr. President," she says easily. "I hope your journey was smooth. You have Chief Nguyen here to thank for that."

She herself grins at Nguyen. "Actually, I'll thank you first, Chief. You and your crew performed a pretty intricate number of operations during this mission. I'm extremely grateful for all your help. Can you do me one more favor? Can you please inform Captain Singh and Cmdr. Vargas that President Okmyx has arrived, and ask where they wish me to escort him? I'd do it myself but I need to get in touch with the crew still planetside."

She turns to Okmyx. "Feel free to look around the room if you like. I'll be with you in just a second." With a flip of her wrist, she opens her communicator. "Onn to Mahmoud. Can you confirm you're in position and that everything's clear down there? I'd like you to check in every thirty minutes, please. And if you need a bigger detail, don't hesitate to ask."

Morris says, "Thanks, Chief," and leaves.

Graham soon makes his way to Sickbay, where he's told that Kylah has been released to return to her quarters.

The young Elasian woman feels a little better after a glass of cold water. She may call Sickbay or the nearest mess hall for a meal to be brought to her, if she wishes.

Nguyen calls the First Officer, who says, "Please have President Okmyx brought to Conference Room 1."

Mahmoud reports from the CAG safe house below, "We've searched the house to make sure no one else is here, and changed the codes on all the locks. Everything's fine now; don't think we need any additional personnel. And yes, ma'am, I'll check in every 30 minutes."

Graham's gratified to hear Kylah's been released...good sign.

He heads to Kylah's quarters (and, if he arrives there, righs at the door).

Along the realizes Collins wasn't around once Rangin re-appeared, and frowns slightly when he realizes she wasn't on-scene at the club--did Rangin have her off doing something else, or what?

He makes a mental note to give her a buzz as soon as he has the chance.

Scowling at Morris's quick departure, Nia thanks Mahmoud and ends the communication. She moves closer to Three Crows and says quietly, "Maybe follow Morris at a discreet distance? Kinda like to know just where the hell he thinks he's going without an escort."

Next, she turns to the Transporter Chief with a nod before Nguyen needs to share Vargas's order. "I know. Heard him loud and clear, thanks, Chief." Her attention slips over to Rangin. "Not sure what you want to do before we all meet for the inevitable debriefing. If you'd like to join me in bringing our guests to Cmdr. Vargas, you're more than welcome. You were an integral part of the mission longer than I was, so your take will be useful. Or if you need to get something to eat or drink, or... whatever... that's up to you."

Inhaling deeply, Nia takes a moment to thank all the personnel present who were down on the planet under her command. Then she sweeps her arm out toward the corridor. "President Okmyx? Our First Officer will be honored to meet you. And you too, Mr. Kalo." She'll follow them out and then lead the way to Conference Room 1.

As Kylah tries to work up the energy to turn on her terminal to get in touch with the Mess, the electronic ring of her door startles her out of her trance. She nearly says "Come in" when another flash of Darren's face haunts her.

Darren Zweller is, of course, no longer on the ship. But Mark Ferguson is still on board--and by now she has no idea who else might be one of Zweller's cohorts.

Rising and clutching her glass as if it is a weapon, she draws nearer. "Who is there?" she says, her voice more anxious and defensive than she realizes.

Three Crows raises her eyebrows and says, "Uh... OK, Lieutenant. Kind of hard to avoid being noticed following someone on a starship, but I'll do my best." She leaves.

"Thanks, dollface," Okmyx says to Onn. He appears very interested in seeing all of the Starfleet personnel in the corridors, including the occasional uniformed alien; Kalo, however, seems ill-at-ease. Rawlings comes along, too, keeping an eye on the Iotians. The Captain and First Officer politely greet the Iotian leader and his aide in Conference Room 1, under the famous painting of Cornwallis's 1781 surrender to Washington.

Graham can hear Kylah clearly through the door.

After introducing everyone and waiting for the initial pleasantries to subside, Nia mentally shakes her head at Three Crows. 'Hard to follow someone on a ship' my ass. Walk a few yards back staring intently at your tricorder and pretend you're just casually going the same way. Did someone skip her 'Basic Sneaking-Around Skills for Security Drones' class?

She remains at attention, waiting to be invited to sit down or to be dismissed--she's not sure which way Singh wants to run this show. Normally she'd assume she'd be mandatory, considering she was the nominal mission leader at least part of the time. But the truth is, the people who spent the most time with Okmyx are Booker, T'Var and Kylah--and none of them are here.

Hope Kylah's all right. I should check on her myself... She suspects Graham prefers to be alone with the girl. And since Nia had almost no interactions with Kylah, she's not sure whether she'd be of any comfort. Still, the young officer was brutally stabbed while under Nia's command, and that's not something Nia can brush aside. The sight of all that blood, Kylah's helplessness as that psycho grabbed at her, and the look on Booker's face are all permanently imprinted in her mind.

It's all she can do to focus on the here and now. When there's a natural break in the conversation, she asks, "Pardon me, Captain. I'm sure President Okmyx will ask himself, but I'm curious as well: are Cledd Okmyx and Mr. Krako currently assisting our investigation?" There are imaginary quote marks around the last few words. She doesn't want to use the term 'interrogation' but, well, that's what this boils down to.

The Captain glances at the First Officer and Chief of Security and says, "Mr. Krako is, but I understand the younger Mr. Okmyx is not, at least for the moment."

Singh, Vargas and the President chat politely for awhile. Kalo remains silent.

With the rest of the people meither giving their excuses or dealing with the Peresident's party, Rangin feels a little like a third wheel and it is easy enough for him to step out unnoticed by all and sundry. At least no-one appears to be paying him any attention and Lt. Onn is in charge of everything now, he's just some science guy along for the ride.

But that still doesn't stop him wondering a few things, like why Lt. Onn didn't actually say what had happened to Ens. Kylah, just that she was in care. Had Graham really been so careless in protecting her that she had been that badly injured. And then there was Lt. Collins, who had had to return as well. If anything Rangin worries more about her and heads along to Sickbay to find out what the current situation with both is. He can't help it, he was leading the party at the time, whereas Lt. Onn was in charge when Kylah was injured.

As he walks along, he wonders if leading a team is always like this.

Rangin finds his way to Sickbay. Dr. Villa greets him with a smile and, when asked, says that Lt. JG Collins is still in Sickbay, resting and not to be disturbed. Ens. Kylah, however, has been discharged and is, last the Chief Medical Officer heard, in her quarters. Both are expected to make complete recoveries.

Graham clears his throat. "It's, uh, Ens. Graham...I mean, well, me. I was- uh, I wanted to see how you were doing."

He pauses a moment. "Seeing as I shot you and all."

* * *

Kylah's mouth parts and she slowly walks forward, pressing the control that slides the door open manually. Mr. Graham is indeed there. He looks tired and worried. Her gaze scans him for any sign of injury before she speaks. "You are back," she exhales, though of course it is stating the obvious.

Still holding onto the glass, she backs into the room. "Please come in," she mutters. She keeps looking at him. "Then... then is it all over? Was anyone hurt? Is everything..." Slowly what he said to her sinks in. "You did not mean to shoot me. You stunned Krako. I was in the way. I am always in the way," she mutters. But she shakes her head, not wanting to change the subject. "Thank you, Mr. Graham. If he had not been stunned... he would have kept going. I might be dead."

Her free hand reaches out tentatively to touch his sleeve as she repeats a fervent "Thank you."

* * *

"You don't need..." Graham's somewhat taken aback by her response.

He takes a deep breath, and gently takes her extended hand between both of his.

He shakes his head slowly and speaks softly, not, for whatever reason, comfortable meeting her eyes at the moment.

"Security isn't your job. You did a--a great job as a comms officer, drawing Cledd and Krako out. I wish I--No, I should have put better protocols in place, controlled the situation...that's my job." He takes another breath and looks back at her, directly.

"But I am glad you'e OK--I mean, are you OK?" he asks.

* * *

Even now, with Kylah's trust for Mr. Graham, her raw instinct is to pull free from his grasp and stare at the open door for an escape. But her fingers only twitch slightly before she controls herself. She sets the glass down clumsily on her dresser--some spills due to her trembling--so she can cover his hand with her own.

"I am as... okay... as I can be. My shoulder and arm are sore, but healed. I am tired, though. And hungry. But mostly I am just..." She bites her lip and tries to meet Mr. Graham's gaze, but it is elusive. "I am ashamed," she finishes. "My emotions were everywhere, not the way a Starfleet officer should be. After everyone reports, Cmdr. Vargas and the Captain will know how unprofessional I was.

"You know it, sir. You know it was my fault things suddenly escalated as they did. I put everyone in jeopardy. Myself included, but worse, the rest of you, who were not out of control. You. Dr. T'Var, Lt. Morris... even Lt. Onn..." Kylah frowns, just remembering now that the other woman was there. Why? She shakes her head in confusion. "All those gunmen around us, we were outnumbered and you could have been killed. Instead you saved me, and you are still trying to protect me by being kind."

Weary, she suddenly bends her head and rests her cheek against his large, warm hand. "It is Elasian custom," she says softly, closing her eyes. "One owes a life-debt to someone who has saved you. I cannot repay all you have given me, but I will try. I will do what you ask."

* * *

She hates me, but she's so tired..

Lizzy finally falls asleep, lets her head fall against his hands, her check against his them..

Will my scars, callouses, scrape those gentle cheeks....

But he doesn't dare move.

Let her sleep if I have to sit here all night...

"Ah...." Graham is frozen still. "No , there's no...I was--am--going to put in a commendation for your initiative, it's...Well, right now it doesn't matter."

He clears his throat. "Look, far be it from me to buck Elasian custom, deserved or not...I ask--I ask that whatever else is going on, I ask that you trust that I want to--that you can trust me. I guess you have reasons otherwise, and I know you can't read my mind to prove it, but...

"You said you had no choice but to go things alone. Don't do that, OK?"

* * *

A commendation? He is mocking her, surely. She lifts her face, little by little, to stare up at him as he speaks. And of course she gets a jolt with his words "I know you can't read my mind"... Her cheeks burn and at once she straightens like a soldier, widening her eyes to take him in while stretching her focus to encompass his emotions as well. She cannot help it, it is instinctive; defensive; strategic.

And so she knows he speaks in dead earnest.

She tears her gaze from him and looks down. "I will try," she whispers. "I believe... somehow I believe you wish what is best for me. I have not known that feeling before. Not without being proven wrong." Her fingers tighten around his, dwarfed and feeling his rough skin but gentle touch around hers. "It is frightening to trust again, after being so wrong. You understand that, I think."

* * *

"Being wrong?" Graham replies quietly. "Yes, I understand that really well."

Momentarily his gaze is far away, but he keeps his mind on the present.

"Uh, look," he says, clearing his throat. "I didn't mean to disturb you if you were trying to rest...is there anything you need? Anything I can get for you?"

* * *

Kylah can feel his concentration wavering. Something is discomfiting him. "No. You have given me enough. Although..." She glances down at the water, then back at him. "There is one thing. I would like to eat, but do not wish to ask someone to serve me a meal in my quarters. Much of the ship already believes me to be a spoiled princess. Yet I would rather not walk to the Mess alone. I am still physically drained, and besides, I might run into..."

Her lips shut tight for a second, and she curses herself for nearly uttering names. Instead she changes course. "That is... I might run into difficulty walking. Would you come with me? If you have other plans I understand," she adds hurriedly.

* * *

"I may have to talk to some Iotian goons, but they can stew for a few minutes," Graham replies, smiling slightly. "Just give the word if you need a hand," he adds.

* * *

With a small smile of thanks in return, Kylah starts to the door, then gives a quick, automatic brush of her hair. She would like to look in a mirror, but after the thought floats through her mind, she realizes she does not have the energy to make the effort. Besides, she cannot keep Mr. Graham waiting out of vanity.

Once she enters the corridor she gives a quick, furtive glance in both directions, hoping no one is around. Then she waits for Mr. Graham, and together they begin toward the nearest Mess.



Graham by general_urko, Kylah by me.

Nia listens to the inanity for as long as she can tolerate it. Finally, again waiting for a break in the chat, she shifts her weight from her left to her right leg, with her arms resting on her hips. "I beg your pardon again, Captain. Mr. President. Mr. Kalo." She focuses on Vargas. "Commander, permission to speak with you privately?"

Vargas says, "Of course, Lieutenant," and steps out into the corridor with Onn.

Nia takes a few paces from the door, waits until it's closed, and turns to face the First Officer with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Commander," she says in a measured, low tone. "I understand that it's important to keep relations cordial with a planetary leader. But if you don't mind my asking..."

She hesitates and only continues after working out the least offensive way to ask the question. "If it's not being too presumptuous, may I ask what strategy is being employed here? The president's son is one of the parties guilty of kidnapping the hostages we were sent down there to find. Why isn't Cledd Okmyx being questioned? Why aren't we asking President Okmyx to get Cledd to talk? Most of all, why is the entire landing party, especially those of us who were down there the longest, being left to our own devices instead of being debriefed as soon as possible to aid in the investigation?"

Nia takes a deep, calming breath. "Sorry for being so impatient. It's just that two of our officers were nearly killed in the line of duty; one was under my command at the time. So I'm sure you understand my vested interest in and urgent need to see this mission successfully completed."

Graham and Kylah make their way to the nearest mess hall. It is not crowded.

Vargas says to Onn, unruffled, "I don't mind, Lieutenant. Cledd is being questioned by Lt. Jones, but has not been cooperative. Krako has had much more to say to Ens. St. Croix. The Captain thought that making nice with the President was good for reasons of diplomacy, as you suggest, and also because he might be more willing to help persuade his son to talk. I understand from Mr. Three Crows, though, that Cledd does not exactly dote on his dear old dad, and our leverage on him is limited. All of the landing party members will be debriefed in due course."

Graham clears his throat. "So, if you fee well enough to uh, dig into this, there was a bunch of conversation I couldn't hear planet side. Did you draw anything out of Cledd or Krako that I should know?," he says to Kylah.

Rangin thanks the Medical Staff for the update and ask if they can let him know when Collins does awake. He considers what to do next or more specifically what he should do about Kylah.

He considers that she will be fine, although for her that could mean any number of things, but heading to her room, no that's not something he can do, not after what last happened there between them.

It doesn't leave much else, probably debriefing later on when they get round to it, which guides his actions. He pats the tricorder at his side and heads off to sort out his notes for later on while everything is still fresh in his memory. At least with Kylah in her quarters, he can go to the mess hall without bumping into her.

He heads off and the closer he gets the hungrier he feels and a weary feeling settles over him, as the worries and stress of the away mission start to fade away. A cup of coffee would do fine and as he gets there he just heads straight across to the replicators to pick it up along with a light snack, the thought of it giving him tunnel vision.

Having grabbed his coffee, Rangin looks round the Mess Hall to find a clear table and see both Kylah and Graham together talking away and if they had seen him they are giving no notice. It would be oh so easy to just walk away, leave them to it, ignore them, but he still wants to to confirm to himself she is ok after what happened. It's one thing for a medic, it's another given that Kylah can't help but get injured every time she walks off ship.

He walks up to them, the coffee and snack out front and between, a small barrier of sorts, but enough to keep Graham just that little further back.

Stopping next to them, and frankly unconcerned whether or not they saw him coming, Rangin clears his throat to, more obviously, attract their attention. "Ens. Kylah, I heard what happened down on the planet, I just wanted to find out if you are ok?"

Kylah is unsure how to respond to Mr. Graham's question. Did she draw something from Cledd or Krako? She can say 'yes' and be truthful, but not the sort of truth that she could ever repeat without either Cledd or Krako denying it vociferously. And their denials would also be true.

"If you mean other than Mr. Krako's attempt to murder me," she says, not even intending to be humorous--as she rarely is--but she does realize how absurd the question is. "Then there was nothing overt. I just... intuited how things were between them. There was too much smugness from Krako in his accusation of collusion between father and son. Cledd seemed, to me... from his expression... betrayed. I am not an expert on judging men--" She looks away from Mr. Graham, and adds a soft, "--As you will likely be the first to acknowledge. But the way they betray others...."

While averting her gaze from Mr. Graham's, Kylah spots a familiar figure walking toward the replicator. Her heart beats faster and she turns away, not wanting to be seen staring at him. Still weak, she needs to place a hand on Mr. Graham's arm for support, but just as quickly releases it. "I am sorry, perhaps I am not very helpful--or hungry--maybe I should just--"

But she is too late. His inquiry, polite but cool, nothing more than an observation he might make about a strange new species of beetle that was accidentally trodden on.

Kylah swallows and wishes she could respond professionally, but she cannot. "I am glad you were not there to see it, Ensign Rangin. You would have discovered that my blood is not as blue as you believe it to be. I remember little but the sight of red. And intense pain. And that too might be a new discovery for you: that I feel pain far more keenly than you and your friends realize."

Nia is not surprised that Vargas has spoken to Three Crows before the actual mission leader--Vargas is nothing if not predictably trustful only of his Security pals--but she wonders why Booker wasn't the Chosen One instead. And she would've expected better from Singh, but the captain sometimes rivals Vargas for her hands-off leadership style.

"Of course, Commander. It's clear Cledd isn't planning on sending Bela one of those hideous ties for Father's Day, assuming they celebrate it there too. Still, since the alternative is keeping his mouth shut and getting thrown... wherever you plan on throwing the kidnappers... I thought leaving them 'alone'"--Nia makes the finger quotes--"might allow Cledd to air his grievances rather than trying to hide his gullibility in front of strangers he loathes. But, anyway, I look forward to being debriefed by you."

With anyone else on the ship, up to and including Singh, Nia would play with the double entendre. Vargas has never exhibited that level of good-natured humor, nor does she like him enough to try and coax it out of him.

So she continues seriously. "The sooner we report, sir, the more likely our memories are to be accurate. I'll be ready whenever you and the ccaptain need me." After a pause, she adds, "Just one thing. You might want to double-check on Lt. Morris. He sent a message to a communicator in the kidnappers' possession, at a time when he knew that his team leader didn't have it. I've asked Lt. Garcia to check up on whether Krako received and responded to the message. He might have the information by now."

She ends with a pleasant smile and waits to be dismissed. Her lungs are beginning to feel sore, but mostly she really wants to check in on her team.

As spiteful and vicious as ever and still making no sense, at least in part it seems she is recovering physically, while her brains are still addled like a set of over ripe eggs. Perhaps it was time to remind her that petty, personal, thoughts and feelings are her purvey and not his.

"Had I had been there, I would have tried to stop it, after all you were on this mission at my request, my responsibility, hence why I am asking about your well being." Rangin looks at her, sighs and thinks back to what happened. "Hearing it over the live comm link was almost as bad, when all I could do was to try and get Chief Nguyen to transport you to safety before you were struck." He shrugs wondering if Kylah is really worth it. He could easily make some crack that if her blood is blue, it would have made it easier to transport her out, but at this time with Graham hulking around, it's not worth it.

He shakes his head and turns slightly, "I still do not know what friends you are referring to," he says, "but speaking of them, if you didn't already know Lt. Collins will recover."

Unwilling to engage any further, Rangin starts to move away to find a table some way distant from the pair.