Team 1
Posted on Wed Mar 21st, 2018 @ 9:26pm by Captain Mrazak & Lieutenant Colonel Storr Garlake & Ferrofax & Lieutenant Isaiah Zelaney
2,001 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
S1E1: Bynars Be Bygones
Location: Bynaus Starport
Timeline: MD 5; 20:00
After the pristine environs of the Ambassador's office, trekking through the polished reconstructed ruins of the capitol canton seemed arduous. Though the shuttle ride over to the starport allowed them to bypass most of the dilapidated infrastructure, the short walk from the landing pad to the restricted hangar featured a smog-filled terrain that was no less morose for the perpetual twilight of the distant sun. As the team marched to the doors, they split into their separate groups as they had previously discussed on the way over.
Team 1 would consist of Mrazak and Storr with support from Isaiah, while Team 2 would be Nevin, BaoJun, and Rodi with Janus running contact between them.
Once they had split off from the main group toward the starport directors' office, Mrazak fell into a lecture.
"We're expected, Colonel Garlic, so do not stop to address inquiries or challenges. You're with me in order to scare some answers out of the starport officials before interviewing the sequestered android itself." Mrazak turned his lip up as he spoke, but he quickly moved on.
Storr could have sworn that the Vulcan had referred to him as an aromatic onion. He usually would dismiss such a thought as a trick of his mind but this was, what, the third time that this had happened? While he considered speaking up, the moment for interruption quickly passed and more rapid-fire commands issued from the effervescent black Science Commander.
"Once Lieutenant Wilco retrieves another computer specialist from the Phantom... I wish I could remember his name..."
"Their name is Isaiah Zelaney, a Lieutenant Junior Grade assigned to the USS Phantom from the Starfleet Corp Of Engineers!" Janus spoke up from Mrzark's combadge. There was an odd echoing effect, as though the voice was bleeding out of both the badge and surround speakers. "I am experiencing simulated trepidation at being left in command. After all, you disabled the torpedo launchers."
"Their?" Storr wondered aloud, his voice swatted away by the flapping of Mrazak's hand, the scientist seemingly willing the ability to physically dismiss any extraneous (at least, any that wasn't his) discussion.
"Yes, yes," Mrazak said dismissively. "Him. Once he joins us, then we will proceed with formally questioning and examining the android itself, along with any other open data access points we happen to stumble across."
The words had not even left the man's mouth before he began walking at a quick clip down the dreary hallway. Luckily for Garlake, the Marine's larger frame made him only have to make a couple quick-steps to return to Commander Mrazak's side. Rear-quartering side, at that. While derision at the Marine's presence was nearly palpable, Garlake at least made the feeling mutual and gladly kept his distance.
Mrazak returned to his standard disposition of ignoring Storr's existence, and even strut a few paces in front of the man to put him out of his peripheral vision. It was infuriating to think that Admiral Nyel had thought to give him a nursemaid. The pall gray corridor walls did nothing to lift his spirits. Purely functional interior design which made spartan decor sound ostentatious. By the time they reached the administrators' office door, they had passed through two unmanned checkpoints that had opened with the passcard given them by the Bynars from the embassy. And Mrazak had all but forgotten the colonel at his side.
The doors parted before him to reveal a cramped office without windows or decor of any kind. One might have mistaken it for an oversized utility closet if not for the large H-shaped desks dominating the room. The two Bynar administrators taken aback with surprise. "Good day to you," Mrazak said cheerfully. "I was told we were expected, so let us forego the formalities and commence with our investigation."
Anxious looks passed between the pair of Bynars who sat at two desks facing one another. They exchanged several chirps and shrieks before responding to Mrazak.
"You were indeed expected--" said one.
"--but not until--" interjected the second.
"Later." The first Bynar spoke with curt finality.
Mrazak sat in the nearest chair and crossed one leg over the other. "Yet here I am. My first question is when did the quarantined transport arrive?"
The starport administrators furrowed their brow with indignation, but they complied. "Very well," said the first. "The transport vessel in question arrived 7 days ago," explained the second.
"And in what condition?" Mrazak asked, taking furious notes on his PADD even though the interview had only just begun.
"Compromised," they replied in unison.
Mrazak looked up from his PADD with an arched brow. "How so?"
"We think you know," said the first.
"I certainly do not," Mrazak said with feigned innocence. "Hence why I am asking you. What compromised the vessel?"
The administrative pair again consulted one another in their peculiar language. "The Variable. It altered our kindred aboard the vessel," said the first. "And severed them from the master computer!" cried the second.
"By the 'Variable' I presume you mean the android," Mrazak said. "How did it manage to sever the transport crew's connection to the master computer?"
The Bynar pair spoke in tandem once again. "We do not know."
"Pity," Mrazak said after making a series of notes. "If you had, then I would not be required to parse the entirety of your database for relevant information."
A communicator chime rang out from Mrazak's combadge. =/\="Van Straten to Mrazak."=/\=
Mrazak tapped his combadge. "Who?"
A sigh came through the comm channel. "Lieutenant Wilco."
"Ah yes." Mrazak grinned ear to ear. "Go ahead, Wilco."
=/\="I've returned to the starport with Lieutenant Zelaney."=/\=
Mrazak clapped his hands repeatedly. "Excellent. Send him in, then stand by for further instructions."
=/\="Aye sir,"=/\= came the glum response.
"Colonel Garlic, please go retrieve our computer expert from Lieutenant Wilco. Return him to this spot."
Storr was sure that the grating of his teeth could be heard at least two parsecs away and that the dentist would have very unkind words for him upon his return to the station but for the moment, he kept his peace. Rather than even acknowledge Mrazak, the Lieutenant Colonel simply turned on his heels and exited the nearly too-small doorway on his gopher duty.
Outside the hangar, the angsty pilot deactivated the comm channel with a thump of his fist. Normally he treated his instrumentation panel with more respect, but that Vulcan had clearly gotten under his skin. "Sounds like they're ready for you, fella'."
Isaiah raised an eyebrow. The pilot was certainly informal, if not annoying. "I didn't suddenly become deaf," he said under his breath, not really caring whether the man heard or not. The large doors at the back of the craft opened and Isaiah walked down the ramp and held his hand out. "Good evening, Colonel."
Storr nodded, having arrived at one of the starport's multiple shuttlebays mere moments ago, taking the proffered hand and shaking it firmly. The hand belonged to a young-ish black man with short-cropped facial hair and had a twinkle in his eye that belied intelligence and curiosity. "Evening, Lieutenant. It would seem-"
=/\="Colonel Garlic, did you find Zelaney yet?"=/\= Mrazak's voice rang out over their combadges. How did this man have the ability to interrupt Storr even when not physically present?!
Isaiah tapped his combadge, "Zelaney, here, Commander. Where sho-"
=/\="Never mind. I'm having the Phantom brought here. Let's mine some data and see if we get lucky. Mrazak out.=/\=
Isaiah's facial expression turned to shock as the comm line cut out. He wasn't used to being cut off mid-sentence. "Not exactly talkative, is he," he said to the Lieutenant Colonel. Garlake couldn't help but let out a guffaw that echoed off the rusting walls with a tinny reverb.
"That," he began, thumping the computer specialist on the back with a resounding *thump,* "is a word only for other people in his world."
Aboard the shuttle, after receiving orders to retrieve the Phantom and return to the hangar, the field team's pilot was cursing his recent life choices. It had been many grueling, hard weeks of training and testing to attain this role. And, he asked himself not for the first time, for what? He was the commander's whipping post--due to no fault of his own either. He had never transferred away from a black site assignment before, but there had to be a way.
The console beeped. An incoming hail? From where? The originating signal was blocked, though the transmission seemed clean.
"This is Reno," the pilot said with a shrug as he opened the channel.
"Lieutenant Reno Van Straten." The transmission was audio-only, featuring a voice digitized through a scrambler. "How is Memory Theta treating you? Do not worry--this channel is truncated, encrypted, and secure. We can speak freely."
"Who is this?" It had been some time since Reno had heard his full name spoken aloud. Despite the shock of the situation, it sounded... good.
"I am you. I represent a Starfleet organization that deals in extreme measures, I currently have interests on Bynaus, and I have a powerful need to make a difference in the galaxy. But that is not all that we have in common."
Reno was dumbstruck. Had this conversation taken place a month ago, he would have cut the transmission and flown back to the Phantom as ordered, pretending it never happened. But there was something in the scrambled voice's words that struck a chord with him. The boldness. The certainty. It made him want to know more.
"Go on," Reno said cautiously as he crossed over the midnight zone into Bynaus' eternal night. "What else do we have in common?"
The voice chuckled. "Let us talk of Commander Mrazak."
By the time Storr and Isaiah returned to the administrator's office, Mrazak was already gone. A pair of Bynars stood by the door to greet them.
"The administrators have--"
"--already left--"
"--with your leader."
The Bynars approximated polite smiles at the two men before continuing.
"We were left--"
"--to assist you--"
"--in searching the database--"
"--for whatever you need."
Storr's eyebrows knit together as he was both frustrated and relieved at the Commander's absence. While he had no reason to doubt Mrazak's scientific prowess, his leadership and organizational capabilities left...much to be desired. The Vulcan's "promotion" to his current position simply due to the lack of a Facility Administrator only underscored his inability to properly manage a team bigger than one individual: himself. There was a maxim that the Marines had and it was a negative one: The Peter Principle. All too often leaders, both great and small, officer and enlisted, were promoted beyond their abilities because of past success and not the actual requirements of the position to which they were placed. To put it into more jarhead terms, "leaders rise to the level of their incompetence." The weight of the pistol on the Lieutenant Colonel's hip underscored the FA's loss and Storr almost regretted having to kill the previous one.
Almost.
"Well, we're definitely going to need access to a console," Isaiah said, his fingers gently brushing over the metallic back of the PADD in his hand.
The Bynars glanced at one another, exchanging knowing looks as if sharing a private joke.
"Will you both remain--"
"--or does the large one--
"--require escort?"
As much as Storr wanted to rejoin the long-separated cojoined twins at their foreheads, Garlake clasped his hands behind his back before speaking. "You can take your blerie escort and-"
Isaiah took a step forward, putting himself between the Marine and the two Bynars. "I think what Colonel Garlake means is that there is a lot of work to be done and it's best we not waste any time."
The Bynars exchanged glances again, though this time they seemed worried. "We see," said one. "You can find yourself," said the second, followed by the first again, "back the way you came."
That was the best news he had been given all day.
END
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