Printable View
While waiting at the entrance, Kylah hears the elevator down the hall open and footsteps growing louder. Perhaps this is the staffer returning to duty. She turns and sees Rangin approaching. Her mouth parts in surprise and she steps back unconsciously.
"Velir," she says awkwardly, searching his face. "What--what are you doing here? I did not expect... I thought you were at the nightclub. Is something wrong?"
Lost in thought he and wandering down the corridor to the infirmary, Rangin does not see Kylah until he is close.
"Kylah..." The colour drains from Rangin's face as all his thoughts about the morning and the best way to handle the matter evaporate in front of his eyes. He looks across and sees her bewilderment and cannot take her gaze.
He takes a deep breath, not looking directly at her and steps forward. "Hello Kylah, I need to speak to you...to apologise...for..." his voice tails off unsure of how to continue.
Kylah is very confused. He seems genuinely sick, with such pale skin and glassy eyes, which explains his appearance at the infirmary; but then he mentions needing to apologize to her... Did he know she was here?
If she did not feel so revolting herself--despite the two showers, despite the change of clothes, she cannot get the weight and scent of Jan to leave her senses--she would go to him at once. Instead she just stands there like a statue, arms folded across her chest as if holding herself together. "For what? What could you possibly... Velir, you look ill. Please, do you need to sit down?"
Rangin takes a deep gulp trying to stop the bile from rising in his throat. Kylah's concern for him only compounding the guilt he is feeling.
He pulls himself straight, takes a deep breath and tries to look her in the eye. I may as well get this over with now, he thinks.
"Ok, I'm fine. Please let me say this. T'var, Graham and I went to the nightclub. While we were there,we were approached by Jan Svelha, who was concerned that your meeting had not ended on good terms. I...I asked some questions of him, trying to find out what had gone on between you and him. I went too far. The questions were more personal than I had any right to ask and for that I am sorry."
He pauses taking a a deep breath.
The world seems to stop when Velir Rangin mentions Jan's name, and Kylah's face burns with the blood rushing to it. She shakes her head, tiny shakes of disbelief, and does not stop even as she continues listening to listen to what Velir is saying.
"No," she says almost inaudibly, and takes another step backwards. "No, you--you are not telling me the truth. You would not. You... why would you... you had no right." Anger mingles with shame and horror, and she has nowhere to go with these feelings except turn them against him. "Why would you talk to him? You had no right!"
Rangin stands where he is, not following her backwards but able to see the shock on her face.
"He approached the table we were sat at. We didn't go to him, he asked us about you." Rangin's face falls knowing that every word will hurt her more. "But it doesn't excuse asking about you and him. You're correct, I had no right at all. What happened between you and him is your business and your business alone.I should have trusted you to make your own decisions. What I did was wrong. I am sorry. I won't do it again. "
Velir looks so contrite and his words are clearly genuine, but Kylah can hardly hear them. She only now digests the fact that this conversation seems to have included not only Velir--mortifying enough--but Graham and T'Var as well. Her knees are weak and the air is too close. She realizes that the infirmary is not the place for this conversation, if there is anything more to say--what can there be to say? Her privacy has been shattered in front of nearly the entire team. The only thing that could be worse would be if Collins were there as well.
She stumbles past Velir into the corridor, forgetting the reason she went to the infirmary in the first place. Once she's outside, she leans against the wall, still holding herself tightly, and spits out: "And--and did he brag? Does Mr. Graham now think Ferguson was right all along? Did T'Var say I am too unstable and must be removed from the mission?" She feels tears stinging her eyes but she does not let them fall. "And what about you? What do you think of me now?"
Rangin can tell the words hurt and he's the one doing it. Again. With Graham earlier, it had been unfair but possibly earned. With Kylah, he was totally responsible. The knot in Rangin's stomach tightens harder as he realises further the impact his mistake has made.
As Kylah heads out into the corridor, he follows her wondering where she is going only to see her against the wall. He dare not come closer, his presence would surely only make things worse. Then he hears her questions and replies. "He...Jan said nothing, he didn't answer. Whatever happened is still between you and him. I...I cannot speak for the others, what they think, but they said nothing to me."
Rangin leans back against the wall and looks up at the ceiling, "And to me, Kylah, you are my friend, one who I have hurt badly. Someone I respect and someone I care for. Whatever happens, has happened, I will stand by you, as you have done for me before. I only hope I can earn your trust again."
Velir's words make no sense. Kylah stares at him, trying to gather her thoughts and calm herself enough to understand what he's saying. If Jan said nothing, why is Velir apologizing?
His last comment stings her. Trust. He thinks she cannot trust him. When it is Kylah who has betrayed him--their friendship, as he calls it. And now she has inadvertently revealed more about tonight than he already knew. She looks down, trying desperately not to give away more of her feelings. "But why did you ask him such questions? You are a careful, circumspect man. You are not Graham, who sees the worst in everyone. What made you ask about--about him and me?"
Rangin looks back down at the floor, avoiding Kylah's gaze and his voice drops "Because I was worried. Since you returned from your meeting with him, you haven't...haven't...I don't know how to say it. I thought something was wrong and was trying to find out what it was. Why you seemed so subdued, why you headed off with my jacket. I thought something had happened and I...didn't know what else I could do."
Rangin looks back across at Kylah and sees her looking at the floor as well. "I was stupid. When he came across to ask about you, I thought I could get an answer out of him as to what had made you unhappy from your meeting. Something he had done. Anything. I thought I could help." Rangin shakes his head acknowledging his earlier. "It was not help, but interference in your business, and most certainly not mine. I should not have asked, or done anything. You are more than capable of taking care of your own affairs and even if you had needed help, you would have asked."
Kylah shakes her head again. "You know little of me if you think I would seek help," she says quietly. "Especially from someone I admire as much as you. I could not bear to see the same contempt in your eyes that I see from Collins, or from myself when I look in the mirror. I wish I were the person you speak of, Velir. She, perhaps, is worthy of your friendship and concern. I do nothing but disappoint myself and others." She looks up at Velir, at his kind, gentle eyes. "I do not deserve your respect. If you knew how stupid I was, how foolish..."
She is perilously close to crying. "You apologized to me before. But I must apologize to you. I care about you, more than--more than anyone. You cannot know how sorry I am to have behaved in a way you would revile. I am everything Collins said of me today. Insecure, weak... I went to dinner wishing to prove her wrong, but all I did was confirm her judgment." Kylah turns away. "I must go. I cannot bear to say more. Except--except that the worst you are thinking is likely true. I am sorry. It is my fault, not--not his. It was beyond my control. I am sorry," she repeats, and walks back to the elevator, hoping to reach it before she breaks down completely.
Rangin is stunned. She cares for him...more than anyone...he had thought that she considered him just a friend, but this. Kylah had confirmed his worst fears, that she did...did...but did it truly matter whether she did or not. She was his friend, whether she knew it or not.
"Stop." Rangin's voice is hoarse but firm. "Please. I... I do not and cannot revile you for your actions, even if they were as bad as you say they were. You have no need to apologise to me of all people. You are wrong, you do deserve my respect, for the many things you have done, that we have done together. " He walks to beside Kylah as she heads for the elevator.
Unable to relax, though the knot in Rangin's stomach had begun to fade away, he could feel a tightness across his chest and his lungs began to burn slightly.
"And if I only know so very little about you..." Rangin offers his hand in Kylah's eyeline as she looks down, not to shake, but to hold, "...I would like to know more," his voice cracking as he stands and hopes.
Staring down at his proffered hand, Kylah is stunned into silence. Can he really believe her worthy of respect? He must not have thought this through. He must not understand. How can he? She who has done nothing but keep secrets her entire life--not just keep secrets, but lie and betray the Federation for her uncle and now this disgraceful behavior with Jan. Would he want to hold the hand of such a person?
Velir Rangin is everything she wishes to be but cannot hope to aspire to. He is honorable. That is the best word to describe him. He never acts in a way unbecoming to his uniform. Even without the Starfleet oath, he would have this same honor. Velir is true to his convictions and speaks his mind forthrightly, and does so in a way that makes those around him pay attention.
But if he is this forthright, perhaps he truly does care. He would not lie. Kylah wants desperately to believe this. She needs to believe this. She needs him.
She tentatively reaches her hand out. But just as her fingers brush against his, she remembers that this is exactly how everything began with Jan tonight. The touch of his hand, her caressing it, unable and unwilling to let it go. She had the opportunity to do so, but did not. Later, this same hand clutched Jan's naked back, drawing him to her even as her mind begged him to release her. And then he was on top of her, pushing her down, inside her--
"No!" Kylah blurts, closing her eyes and yanking her hand back. She holds it protectively to her chest, as if it's been scalded. When the memory fades she opens her glazed eyes again. "I have ruined everything. Everything. If somehow you still respect me, let it remain that way." She blindly pushes the elevator button, which thankfully opens immediately, having not been used since Rangin's arrival. After she rushes in, she turns to face him. "If you knew more about me, you would only think less. You are too good to understand. I am sorry," she repeats, this time unable to stop her tears, and quickly pushes the button to let the door close and shut Velir out. Shutting herself in.
Finally alone again, she covers her eyes and lets herself cry, fully, for the first time since everything changed in Jan Švehla's bedroom.
As she reaches for his hand Rangin's heart leaps. For one joyous moment their fingers touched. And then...then he cannot understand what happens next.
How she dives into the elevator to get away from him, how she pushes him away, the words she used.
He cannot reach for her, his hand still held open, but his arm unwilling to move even an inch, locked in the same stasis that now grips his heart.
As the doors close, his hand slowly falls to his side as the tears begin to slowly make their way down his cheeks. What had he done.
Collins wakes briefly from a strange dream involving her crewmates at a high school prom. She rolls over onto her other side, giggles inwardly at the image of them redesigned as awkward teenagers, and falls back asleep.
Moments after the elevator door closes, Rangin hears that of the Infirmary open. He turns to see a stocky man in his thirties, wearing Medical blue, stand in the doorway, yawning. The man says, "I thought I heard something. Can I help you, sir?"
Rangin chokes back the tears and rubs his forearm across his eyes. "No, no thank you. It's no longer necessary." He turns and heads for the stairs not wanting to user the elevator, leaving Kylah to herself. Hopefully by the time he reached the quarters she would have already entered hers alone.
Rangin's only wish now was to get to sleep before Graham returned.
"I am concerned about Ensign Kylah, of course," T'Var tells Graham. "Hopefully, I have given her enough time to collect herself before finding out what is going on with her."
The doctor stands. "We should both get some rest. It has been a long day."
Graham starts to reply but then thinks better of it. If my girlfriend had just hooked up with some random dude I wouldn't be so calm, he thinks. But then again I'm not a Vulcan. Or a doctor.
He nods to T'Var, makes sure the bill has been taken care of, and heads back to the research facility with the doctor.
He keeps his eyes open to make sure Rangin isn't lying unconscious alongside the path, given how shaky he looked on his way out.
The maitre'd says your drinks are on the house; he's retired from Starfleet himself.
Graham and T'Var walk uneventfully back to the research station. They do not see Rangin along the way.
It is now 2215 hours.
Kylah is in bed, red-eyed and exhausted but wide awake. She keeps her face as hidden by the pillow and covers as possible, hoping T'Var will believe her asleep.
Today has equalled the day of her parents' deaths--and the day she was forced to kill the altered Sakathians while sensing their final moments as if they were her own--as the worst in her life. Unlike the others, the events that made this day so horrible were almost entirely of her own making... which makes it all the harder to bear. She squeezes her eyes shut and hugs her pillow, doing every mental exercise she can to keep from reliving every horrible moment.
All in vain.
Graham bids T'Var goodnight, feeling both a little concerned about her but also lucky that she doesn't seem inclined to either want to have a heart-wrenching, emotional conversation or to beat the crap out of any human male who happens to be within easy reach.
He enters the room he shares with Rangin as quietly as he can, listening when he enters to make sure Rangin is there (and breathing), but otherwise assuming Rangin may be asleep--or pretending to be, which is fine by Graham.
He'll quietly do his nightly routine and hop into bed if nothing interferes with that course of action.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Rangin stared at his features. He hadn't seen anyone else and it probably wasn't too long before Graham would return.
Reasoning, objectivity, truth - words an old professor of his had used.
Closing his eyes and slowing his breathing, he calms his nerves, splashing his face with water, letting it flow down his cheeks as the tears had just a few minutes earlier.
Rangin tries to think over the day, the good and bad. The good, he knew what his role was here, he was doing what he wanted. The bad, oh the bad, compressed into such a short space of time. He had insulted someone for nothing other than good intentions and even after apologising he still felt ill for it. That action had also meant he had broken his trust in Kylah and that hurt. He had hoped she was a friend who seemed to be like him. He had held out his hand to her, but..but. Looking back into the mirror he can see the regret on his face, the red eyes. Rangin wonders what action could possibly remedy this, but is unable to think of anything. She doesn't want to be his friend, she rejected his friendship, something he tries to cherish. No, this would go down as one of his worst days. He may know lots of people, but it still hurt every time he lost a friend, especially this time through his own stupidity.
Splashing some water into his face, and looking at it again, he can see it is less worn than it had been but the eyes still puffy.
Rangin's thoughts flash back to other times, and he tries hard to categorise how bad it had been.
Not as bad as the USS Lexington, fifty of his friends had lost their lives that day at Alpha Carinae. He still had the scars of when the Federation had turned against itself. No that was wrong, it had been a mistake, a malfunction, nothing more. But it still hurt.
Sakath station was not even close to this. Physically perhaps, being eaten by reanimated corpses was never pleasant but his colleagues, friends, no colleagues had been there to help him. He rubbed his arm where he had been bitten, the scars still visible and scratching it only made them stand out more.
Please, please, I'm begging you please - his own voice echoed in his head. He had tried to forget that one. Left alone and screaming for mercy as the Orion syndicate casually broke his ribs as a favour. He had Graham to thank for reminding him of that one. Rangin crooks a smile and considers that Graham wouldn't have been aware of his actions. No, that event and everything that went with it was worse, and he didn't want think about it again. Even if it meant not teaming with Graham tomorrow. "Every cloud as they say..." Rangin coughs as he clears his throat, and words come out half choked but he calmly looks back at himself in the mirror
If you knew more about me, you would only think less. You are too good to understand. Kylah's words uttered only a few minutes ago echoed again in his head. They cut deep and he knew why.
You know what I love about you Velir Rangin, you're so virtuous.
That voice, her voice. "No", he whispered, "not you again, not now."
Rangin grips the side of the bathroom tight trying to forget, closing his eyes tight to shut those memories away, but they refuse to hide. When Kylah had confirmed his worst thoughts of what had happened, he knew, though he had been trying to convince himself otherwise, why he had asked those very questions, why it had got to him. He opens his eyes again and releases his grip.
Touching a finger to his lips before moving it against the mirror staring back at him, he remembers the response he had given before his hand falls back to his side.
Rangin looks closely at his features, and taking a deep breath he slowly splashes his face a third time with water. What looks back at him is the same open, trustworthy face that everyone likes. It had been a while since he had to hide like this but by the morning, he would seem as normal. It would be unlikely anyone would guess other than Kylah and she probably would not say anything. He would wrap himself back in his uniform and play his part, no, he would appear to do his duty, it was what he done before.
"My only desire is to help where I can. My Friends, my Coridan, my Federation." That would be his reply now. The words uttered as smoothly as they had been at any time this morning.
One final look and Rangin nods, his face showing only the few signs of strain that might be expected. Turning the light off, he heads for bed and by the time Graham returns he would be fast asleep. Ready to wake the following morning with a face not matching his emotion.
He'd had practice wearing a mask.
He was a Coridanite.
T'Var returns to her room. She is aware that Kylah is not asleep and still upset by whatever has happened to her recently.
The doctor prepares for bed. She slips under the covers.
"When you are ready, we will have a talk," T'Var speaks into the darkened room. "Unless you are ready now?"
Graham's happy to slide under the covers and eager to sleep.
She does look good in a cocktail dress...
He assumes T'Var understood he was trying to get a reaction from Jan. Rangin probably added lusting after anything that moves as another one of my faults, if he was listening at all, he thinks. He's entertained wondering how we does appear to the Coridanite: Ungh, Graham fight, Graham screw, scratch ass in public with stick...
Not that I covered myself with glory today, Graham reminds himself.
Does Elizabeth wear dresses like that?
Does Bennett?
Would I even want Bennett to wear a dress like that?
As he gets more sleepy:
I wonder what Bennett does wear to bed? Regulation undergarments, silk nightie, bunny-print PJs with feet?
Well Booker, a butt-scratching knuckle dragger like you is pretty damn unlikely to find out, he thinks. Although as he drifts off he wishes she there, for no other reason than being able to hear her voice describe growing up and wanting to go to the stars again.
Kylah squeezes her eyes more tightly, wincing at the doctor's words. She should have known better than to try to bluff T'Var. Her fists curl around the blanket to pull it closer to her chest. "There is nothing to talk about, Doctor," she murmurs in a monotone. "But if you insist, I would rather wait until tomorrow, please."
She holds her breath, waiting for a reply, but her mind is rapidly calculating. If Jan really said nothing, as Rangin promised, then T'Var cannot possibly know for certain what happened between them. Which means Kylah has several hours to concoct a story that will appease her. Above all, Kylah knows she must admit nothing about letting her empathic skills taking control of her by picking up on Jan's spore-enhanced state, not to mention his desire.
Fortunately there will be plenty of time tonight to think of such an excuse, because Kylah knows she will not sleep a wink.
Hours pass, and although Kylah dozes a little, off and on, she never drifts into a restful sleep.
Graham, however, is sleeping very soundly when his communicator beeps. He comes awake, flails clumsily, picks up his communicator from the bedside table and flips it open. He hears, "Mr. Graham? This is Lionel Hsu." The Security officer's mind is still struggling back to consciousness, and he doesn't say anything right away. He yawns widely and turns on the bedside light. Hsu goes on, "Chief of Security at the resort? We met earlier? Sorry to wake you."
"Yeah, sure, of course," Graham says, squinting at the chrono on his bedside table. It shows 0413. Rangin turns over in his bed and looks at Graham, who clears his throat. He rubs his eyes. "It's all right. Sorry. Uh... what can I do for you, Mr. Hsu?"
"We have a problem, a big problem. There's been a... crime. Could you and your shipmates come back to the resort? Now?"
Graham's mind races. "Uh, sure. Of course. Give us a few minutes."
"Thanks. The sooner, the better. I'll meet you in the lobby. Hsu out."
"Sorry buddy, rise and shine," Graham says to Rangin, shaking off the cobwebs and looking for his boots while he hails Collins. "Graham to Collins." As soon as she picks up he continues, speaking loudly enough to make sure Rangin can hear clearly. "Sorry to disturb you, L-T, but I'm just off the comm with the resort's Chief of Security. No details other than a "crime" has happened--but I'm pretty sure it's something big. He's waiting for us in the lobby."
Graham starts to feel the adrenaline: a crime. Now maybe I'll be of some use. Then he frowns. A crime against who, though? All things considered he has his preferences for who and who not, but he puts that out of his mind while he hurries to get ready.
"Right," says Collins groggily, "I'll be down in less than five." Collins dashes into the bathroom, splashes some very cold water at her face, dresses, and hurries downstairs to meet the others. On her way to the elevator, she pulls out her communicator and wakes Delaney, then T'Var and Kylah, and tells them to meet up ASAP.
The beep of the communicator shocks Kylah after spending so much of the night in silence. When she hears the order, she drags her exhausted body from bed and tries to rouse herself with splashes of ice cold water on her face and neck. There is nothing that can be done for her bloodshot eyes, which have such dark purple circles beneath them that she looks as if she's been beaten. Soon she is dressed. When T'Var is done, Kylah will accompany the doctor down to meet the others.
The six of you meet in the lobby of the research station, in uniform and equipped as when you first beamed down, less than 24 hours ago. Delaney rubs sleep from his eyes and asks, "What's up?"
"We've been summoned by the resort's security chief." Collins says as she heads for the door to return to the resort. "He's asked for all of us." She holds the door for the others, then will follow them down the path.
The night is colder than it was earlier, chillier still due to Kylah's extreme tiredness, and she hugs herself tightly while they walk. She envies Collins her uniform; Kylah's short dress was chosen due to its similarity to Elasian styles, but right now Kylah would be very grateful for the warmth of having her legs covered.
She's finding it difficult to know where to look: she fears giving anything away to T'Var, and she cannot bear to look Velir in the face. So she keeps her gaze locked on the path, barely visible in the dark but at least it's something safe. Fortunately her mind is easily distracted by wondering what the possible reason for the summons by security could be. The fact that they--the ship's landing party--would be required makes her worried for the Admiral.
An early morning starts after last night was the last thing Rangin wanted, but being woken by Graham's communicator and the message that came through is enough to get him going.
Waiting outside with the others, neatly dressed and equipped as before, and glad that he had had just a little more time than some of them and that those few extra seconds had been put to good use. It had not taken long to get to the mess hall and down to the entrance.
Blowing the steam off his coffee and savouring the taste in the cold air, it warms his hands and the drink gets his mind going again.
"Sir, this doesn't make much sense", he addresses to Collins in his usual calm measured voice as if nothing last night had occurred. "Why we would all be asked to come to a crime scene when only two, perhaps three of you, would be useful there." Rangin looks into the distance at the lights of the resort, wondering what awaits.
Collins says, "Your guess is as good as mine, Mr. Rangin," as she leads the landing party back over the now-familiar small hill from the research station to the resort. It is still dark, and a little chilly. Graham notices a fine layer of dew over the grass.
Both Hsus are waiting, grim-faced, in the lobby, which is deserted other than the clerk behind the front desk. Mrs. Hsu says evenly, "Mr. Wilson has been murdered. Since the planet is under Starfleet jurisdiction, I think you should take the lead in investigating his death, although of course any help WR&R can offer is yours."
Mr. Hsu says, "If you'd follow me, please," and leads the Yorktown six out of the lobby and towards what Kylah recalls is the area of the resort that includes guest houses.
Finally thinks Collins Something I can sink my teeth into. As they walk towards the crime scene, Collins studies the ground and surroundings for clues.
T'Var's expression is grim as she listens to Mrs. Tsu. For the moment, T'Var's concern about Kylah -- and Collins -- is pushed to the back of her mind.
The doctor's instincts as a former member of the V'Shar kick in and she becomes focused on the task at hand.
Shocked out of her numb introspection by the news, Kylah waits for the senior officer to offer some condolences and ask questions, but when Collins remains silent, she speaks up. "We are so sorry for your loss, Mr. Hsu," she says, moving faster to match the others' strides. "The staff must be greatly troubled, if they know about it yet. I am sure the crime scene will give us details, but in the meantime can you tell us what happened, how he was found at this time of night?"
Man, we finally catch a break, Graham thinks, truly relieved, as he hears that the victim is Wilson. Thank god it isn't the Admiral.
He realizes that's a grim thought--but we're in a grim business, he muses.
He starts to tick off things on a mental checklist: two of them are a clear chain of command and a systematic line of questioning, so Kylah's attempt to make small talk is both endearing for its earnestness and annoying.
Given the state of team dynamics at this point he bites his tongue, although he does shoot a glance at Collins to see her reaction, wondering if she's in her "distracted mode" again or back on point. OK Booker, after all, 'who found him and how' is an appropriate enough line of inquiry on our way to the scene, he thinks. "And by whom," he says, piggy-backing in an even tone on Kylah's question.
Rangin listens to the news and is surprised that there would be a murder here, though it certainly explains the request for the team to attend. But it didn't really explain why he would be here. Collins, Graham trained in Security would know what to do. T'var could provide medical knowledge, Delaney technical knowledge if it was required and Kylah... Ens. Kylah, he forces himself to think would be asking questions and had begun to do so.
Rangin drops back slightly behind the others, ready to assist any of them should they require it, but his skills lie elsewhere and knowing his luck over the last few hours, he would probably be the prime suspect. No, he didn't need paranoia to add to everything else, he thinks as he downs the last of his coffee before following the group, waiting.
Then again, he thinks as he watches the rest of the group, given that there was a Lieutenant at the research station that the resort is dealing with on regular basis and a Captain in a starship up above...why had they contacted this particular team led by Lt. JG Collins?
"Thank you," Mr. Hsu says to Kylah. "So far, very few people know about it. We haven't made an announcement yet, and I'd prefer not to, but I suppose word might get out no matter what we do." He answers Graham, "One of my officers, Gary Adelman, was on routine patrol and found the body at 0350, in a small park surrounded by guest houses. He was stabbed at least twice. No one else was around. I left Gary - Officer Adelman - there to make sure no one else disturbed the crime scene."
A solemn Dr. Halsey appears from a side corridor, a civilian medikit and scanner in hand. He nods to you, joins the group and matches your stride.
"Shouldn't we report this to the ship?" Delaney asks.
Hsu says, "I already did, and spoke to Capt. Singh. She asked us to call you, and said you should let her or Cmdr. Vargas know if you need any additional personnel or resources."
Mrs. Hsu says, "Obviously, we'd prefer to keep the situation as low-profile as possible. We want to assure the safety of our guests, of course, but we also don't want to upset anyone unnecessarily."
"Well we may have a common interest in that, at least for the moment," Graham says to Mrs. Hsu . He turns to Collins. "L-T, if you don't disagree I think it would be ideal to interview any persons of interest prior to any announcement, when as little information as possible is available to anyone. Eh, anyone who didn't do it." He then turns back to Mrs. Hsu. "I, ah, assume you're in charge now? Sorry but you must know that it'll get pretty damn hard to stop word from spreading once we start an investigation."
He raises a hand. "Speaking of which," he says to Lionel Hsu. "That surveillance system is slick." He can't help but flick his eyes toward Rangin. "One, since it sounds like we're talking about a public place, how did threat sensors not trigger? Even if he was killed elsewhere and dumped there, you'd think dragging a body would flip a switch somewhere. Two, given the attempted hack on the resort's systems, could you give the Yorktown access to the logs and also dump all surveillance records from the last twelve hours to physical media, ASAP. And three if you'd be so kind to assign two officers, not one, to that task so nobody gets time alone with it until we get a handle on things, I'd appreciate it." He shrugs. "I don't know if your officers get overtime or not but, well, back when I was assigned to police duty on Earth there was kind of a sad but true philosophy that if people were going to kill each other anyway, the least they could do was do it before Christmas. We'll probably need all hands on deck for awhile."
Just like being back on the job, Graham thinks, forgetting a lot of things that happened in the last ten years for just a moment. Damn, I need some tunes, though.
Once Graham's stream of instructions has ended, Kylah turns to Mrs. Hsu. "Do you happen to know when Mr. Wilson was last seen, and what his activities were? Or, if you do not know specifics, what his usual nighttime schedule was?"
Mrs. Hsu is grim. She says, "Yes, I'm in charge unless and until WR&R names a replacement, which could be quite awhile yet. I don't know yet when Tony... Mr. Wilson was last seen. That's something we'll have to find out. He often worked late and wouldn't leave his office until midnight or close to it. His living quarters were in the staff compound, which is just a few minutes' walk from the guest houses."
Mr. Hsu stops and looks at Lt. JG Collins. "Would you like me to proceed as Mr. Graham has outlined?" he asks.
Kylah is getting an odd empathic impression from Dr. Halsey. He seems... excited, almost happy.
A frown lowers Kylah's brows slightly, then she hides the reaction. She thanks Mrs. Hsu and slowly moves closer to Halsey. "Doctor," she says sympathetically, "this must be very difficult for you--most of your work must revolve around people who are happy but have injured themselves through leisure activities, or who have some sort of reaction to the spores. And now to be faced with a violent death of a colleague..." Kylah looks up intently at his face. "Have you ever attended such an event before?"
Graham grits is teeth as Kylah interjects her question. Wilson's 'usual schedule' is never going to change ever again, he thinks. We can dig into that later. Right now we need to lock down on things that can be changed--or erased--in real time.
He notices she's turned her focus to Halsey: OK, maybe she's looking for another date, and that will keep her occupied, he thinks, then slightly shakes his head. Don't be a schmuck, Booker--once they get to the scene, re-tracing Wilson's likely path or paths backwards from there would be entirely reasonable. She hasn't had a team command yet--she doesn't have any experience directing the circus., Graham reminds himself. In fact, she was all worked up earlier about proving her value, period.
And you're walking all over chain of command, he's reminded by Mr. Hsu's comment. He clears his throat. "Ah, yeah, lieutenant, pardon me. Old habits," he says apologetically. "Those are my ideas--but assignments are your prerogative, of course, ma'am."
Dr. Halsey had been distracted as he walked and he now seems surprised by Kylah's presence, and her question. "Uh, no. No. Never been involved in a, uh, a homicide before," he says. She gets the impression that he's working hard to suppress his earlier good mood. He coughs, and his expression grows more solemn. "It's a terrible thing, just terrible."
"He was stabbed at least twice." Let's see, thinks Collins, who do we know who had a knife? Fastolfe shoots to the top of her suspect list.
"Yes, of course" she tells Hsu, "Ensign Graham's suggestions are a good place to start, and I agree about keeping it quiet until we know more"
Rangin finds himself drifting further towards the back of the group heading across. Other than Delaney, everyone else seems occupied, although Delaney had the same thought he had had.
Rangin watches as Graham says what to do and given the rank he used to hold, it makes sense. Certainly he was far more likely to work out what to do than Collins. She could do well to watch how he worked. Rangin decides that he should do likewise, perhaps it would explain how he got the Orion Syndicate attitude to other people.
But still, Rangin wonders why someone would kill the mild mannered manager of a pleasure resort?
T'Var says nothing for the moment -- Collins is mission leader, after all -- and Graham is Security. The doctor will focus on the medical aspects of this murder. She is most interested in the murder weapon. Is it Fastolfe's knife? And if so, did he use it to kill Wilson?
The main question is, of course, who would want to kill Wilson? What motive could someone have to murder him? For now, T'Var is confident that Collins and Graham will ask these questions.