Three Wise Monkeys
Posted on Sun Mar 31st, 2019 @ 1:51pm by Lieutenant JG Grace Sternwood Ph.D. & Lieutenant Sophie Xiong & Gunnery Sergeant Roderik Kos & Lieutenant JG Jaya Maera Garlake
2,016 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
S1E3: Barbarians at the Gates
Location: White Lotus jiǔguǎn, Song of Stars, Lagashi astral arcology
Timeline: MD 2
The counselor, the marine, and the computer tech walked into the public house. Although it seemed the set-up for a bar joke, the reality was far from humorous. The plucky Patience had guided them to a private lounge off the concourse that had been appropriated for indefinite detention of non-citizens of the Pentad. Not exactly prisoners, neither were these foreigners free to go. Those that required emergency medical treatment had received it, which had only been a precious few. Several others had been left to tend to their own minor bumps and scrapes.
"This isn't right," Jaya protested between the three of them. "These people haven't done anything wrong."
"Moral questions are different in every culture," Grace said, then regretted it. "Not that I disagree with you... I just, we don't know why they were put here."
"We're not here for the moral question. We're here to gather information." Rodi said in a quiet tone so that it wouldn't carry, "How would you like to start off?"
Jaya nodded. They were both right, but that didn't make it any easier. "Until Grace turns up anything useful in her search results, I suppose we should start with preliminary questions. Who are they, what did they see, and so on."
While they were conferring, a security officer had spotted them. Jaya cut the man off before he could begin.
"Yes, I know, this is a restricted area, but we're authorized to investigate the attack, and we thought the foreigners here provided the best immediate pool of eyewitnesses."
The man blinked at her candor. "Yes. Liutenants Maera-Garlake and Sternwood, Sergeant Kos. You were expected under hospitality protocol sei-qí."
"You are welcome," Patience trilled from the ceiling.
Jaya never thought she'd say so, but she almost missed Ferrofax. This program seemed far more helpful, but she couldn't escape the feeling that she was being led by the nose.
"Very good, then," Jaya said. "Do you have any witnesses already identified?"
The man's face ticked in surprise. "Yes... But I thought you might be here for the suspect. And your own officer, of course."
Jaya looked to Rodi and Grace. This was...not expected.
"All right. So, where are they?" Jaya put on her sunniest smile.
The officer nodded, apparently satisfied they were back on track. "The suspect is detained in holding room 1 while your comrade is safely retired in holding room 2."
A cant of the head indicated the public house's few private rooms on the overhead loft.
"Thank you, officer." The man took his cue and departed, leaving the trio alone once again. "Alright, I think I can question the suspect alone if the two of you can find and debrief our fellow Starfleet officer? I'd hate to leave one of our own in here any longer than necessary.”
"Agreed," Grace said, looking to Rodi. "Should be too hard to spot. Start toward the back and work our way forward?" she shrugged.
Pacing was overrated.
At least that's what Sophie Xiong told herself every time she was tempted to get up and start pacing again. She'd been stuck in this room for several days and was bored to tears. At least they had located and delivered her bassoon- after she loudly demanded it every five minutes for an hour. It had needed some repair, but at least it kept her busy. Between that and the books on the PADD they'd given her, she was able to stave off the boredom.
And at least the room was nice. a bit small, but nice. The bed was soft, the room was warm, she had a replicator that would give her food (and nothing else- she had checked) a small seating area that consisted of a comfortable chair, ottoman, and small table, and a little dining table and chair. It was adequate and even comfortable. She couldn't really complain. Well, she could complain, but she really shouldn't.
Rodi knocked on the close door, "Lieutenant Xiong, we're with the Starfleet investigation team. We'd like a word." He called through the door, in what he hoped was his most friendly manner.
With a surprised blink, Sophie crossed to the door in three long strides- or as long as her tiny frame could make them- and threw it open. She just stared at the two officers standing on the other side for a moment, and then blurted out, "it's about time! Do you have any idea how long I've been sitting here doing nothing? Days! Days! I've read more books than I would care to admit!" She took a sudden breath and pinched the bridge of her nose to calm herself. "Anyway, come in," she said, her tone indicating without a doubt the sheer exasperation she felt at the entire situation.
Grace looked to Rodi to see if it was okay to actually go inside. What if they became stuck inside? Her nerves were working overtime and she felt like she didn't belong. She wondered if she'd ever be comfortable making these kinds of decisions. Did she need a transfer? She needed a transfer she decided.
Rodi cracked a faint sympathetic smile at the tirade. "Being cooped up too long makes everyone go a little stir-crazy." and stepped over the threshold. He gestured to Grace, "This is Lieutenant Sternwood, and I'm Gunnery Sergeant Kos." and extended his hand to the lieutenant. "We'd like to ask you some questions about the attack."
"Hi," Grace said, forcing a smile.
Sophie let out a little huff of air that was almost a laugh. "If it'll get me out of here quicker, I'd sing a song and do the hula!" she said in an oddly snappish tone as she closed the door behind them. "What do you want to know?"
"Initially, when you'd give that show." Rodi joked, uncharacteristically so, to break the ice. "But for now, our records show you came to Lagashi space for leisure reasons?"
"That was the plan," replied Sophie bitterly as she sat in the comfortable chair, leaving an ottoman and kitchen style chair for the other two. "And I suppose I've had nothing but leisure for the past few days, but... yes, I had some leave to use up and decided to do so before reporting to this 'top secret assignment,'" she said, adding air quotes and sarcastic tone. "Like how secret can it be? They put it in my orders. Whatever. anyway, then there was this attack and well, here we are."
"You'd be surprised at how many layers there are to the top secret onion."Rodi joked before looking at Grace, "Could you see if we have access to this top secret assignment?" He then turned back to Sophie, "Did you ever manage to get a glimpse of the group that disturbed your vacation?"
"No," Sophie answered, disgruntled. "I was unceremoniously shoved into a closet at the first sign of danger. Well, I say a closet, but it was some sort of safe room. It must have been equipped with sound canceling insulation and inertial dampeners and all sorts of security measures to protect it. I didn't even know anything was going on from inside until someone opened the door and got me out."
Grace worked her magic on one of the two PADDs that always were attached to her, one for on duty and one for off. She looked a little surprised but then that look faded away as she realized that it probably wasn't that surprising at all. After all how many top secret commands could there really be? And how many of them would be near this team? She supposed she probably had the clearance to find out but focused on the task at hand and then turned the PADD so the Sergeant could see it better. The PADD revealed that Sophie had in fact been transferred to Memory Theta for assignment.
"She's one of ours," Grace whispered to Rodi.
Rodi glanced at the records Grace showed him when both their combadges chirped.
"=^=Phantom to Field Team,=^=" said the lazy brogue of the new helmsman. "=^=Mrazak is reeling everybody in. There's been a situation. Return to the ship, pronto.=^=
After the message completed the marine stood. "Lieutenant Xiong, I need you to come with us to the Phantom." and the friendly tone Rodi used was now accompanied by an undercurrent of command only senior NCOs could seem to muster.
Leaving Grace and Rodi to debrief the Starfleet officer, Jaya entered the first room. The door clicked, beeped, and even clunked as its various security measures were disengaged. When Jaya entered, she was surprised at the sight. Rather than a prison cell or interrogation room, it was every inch a hotel. The fluffy bed. The deactivated replicator. The irregular viewport. She shook her head at these Lagashi and their overkill. Who would build a hotel room with a door barricaded for breaching actions?
At the center of the room, seated in a high back chair turned to face the viewport, sat a Cardassian man. He bore the fatigue of a restless man who waited to exhaustion.
"Hello." Jaya had never counseled a Cardassian before. Even without a baseline, this man appeared nonthreatening. She risked a step forward. "I am Lieutenant Jaya Maera..." She quietly apologized to Storr for dropping his name. It seemed best given she was also giving a false assignment. " with... Starfleet Intelligence."
That would have to do. She looked around, taking in the unused amenities. The soaking tub was dry. The shelving and armoir undisturbed. This guy was biding his time, but for what? "Have you been treated well?"
"Lieutenant." The Cardassian said and stood. He crossed the room in a few long strides, curtousy of his long legs and extended his hand towards her. With his six feet and five inches he towered over the diminutive woman. "Tamel Kozel, and I have been treated quite well." He then gestured to the door behind Jaya, "Except for the rather overly secure door."
The sudden change was jarring to Jaya's empathic sensibilities. She had always heard tales of Cardassian savvy and cunning, but something about the man suggested more.
"I'm glad," Jaya said. "The Lagashi are not typical of Federation members. It speaks well that you've been kept comfortable. Can you explain your presence here?"
"Certainly." The Cardassian said, and gestured into the room, to the rather comfortable-looking arm chairs, before walking to it and sitting. He crossed his legs, folded his hands in his lap and looked for all the world to see as if he was quite comfortable. Except his back was ramrod straight against the cushions instead of being eased into them. "I'm here because our Lagashi hosts decided I was the likely suspect."
The man was playing coy despite his body language which said he wanted to spill his guts. Clearly there was some kind of training standing in his way. "And why would they think that?"
Tamel extended his arms from his head down his body before cracking a small smile, "Look at me, I'm a Cardassian. Not that long ago Cardassia and the Federation were at war. I imagine that is their primary reasoning."
Dumb. He was playing dumb. Cool and coy definitely meant training of some kind. Jaya was no expert, but this man was had to be an operative of some kind. Freelance? Sanctioned or unsanctioned? Or worse--an actual terrorist. Such details were outside the scope of her senses. What she knew was that the Cardassian before her had more than secrets. He delighted in them. As the team's profiler, she wasn't able to provide more than that at this juncture. She would need help.
"=^=Phantom to Field Team,=^=" said a voice with a lazy brogue she recognized as the helmsman. "=^=Mrazak is reeling everybody in. There's been a situation. Return to the ship, pronto.=^="
Jaya tapped her combadge. "Jaya here. Acknowledged. We'll wrap up here and come back."
She excused herself from the Cardassian's room and looked for her teammates.
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