Scene of the Crime

Posted on Mon Sep 17th, 2018 @ 11:18am by Captain Henry Crow & Commander Edra Crow & Commander Brielle Jayde & Commander Caressa Melanick & Lieutenant Michael Harris & Lieutenant Aemilia "Millie" Stepanova

Mission: To Boldly Go
Location: Remnants of the LaRee Freighter
Timeline: 6 hours later

The Mercutio dropped out of warp at the given coordinates and immediately could see the LaRee freighter dead in the water, drifting in space.

Henry shook his head at the scene. "Full scans. Lifesigns, weapons signatures, warp signatures, anything we can find."

Brielle kicked the tactical sensors into high gear and frowned at what she was seeing. "Captain, we've got a warp signature headed to the badlands. As for weapon signatures, I'm showing Klingon, Cardassian, Ferengi, and Romulan."

Henry turned to Brie. "All four of them attacked the freighter?"

Caressa worked the console buttons checking for life signs. "Captain, I am sorry to report there are no life signs aboard the freighter." She dropped her head for a moment. Checking for a third time to make sure.

Millie stepped onto the Bridge just in time to hear the news. "No survivors?"

"And four attackers but only one leaving the area. Which means we could be surrounded by three cloaked enemies." He nodded to Brie without saying a word but his eyes clearly said red alert.

Catching onto the look, Brie switched them from yellow alert to red alert. She tweaked the tactical sensors to scan for any disturbances that could indicate cloaked ships around them before giving a nod to Henry.

Edra looked at Henry and lifted a browm. "Only two of those races are known to possess cloaking technology..."

"I was hoping someone wouldn't point that out. Seems to make things worse." He gave her a cross between a smirk and a grin.

Edruj's ears perked up as she put the sensors on full she wanted to know about every speck of space dust before anyone else did. However, the mention of the cloaked vessels is what piqued her curiosity. She set the sensors to begin scanning for abnormal neutrino emissions. She turned her chair to face the Captain. "Sir I am scanning for neutrino emissions, Klingon cloaking devices emit them while being operated. It is a flaw that the Empire has yet to correct."

"Very good work," he studied Edruj for a moment, "Lieutenant. Also welcome aboard."

Millie quietly took her normal seat on the Bridge, laying her PADD across her lap. "How many were supposed to be aboard the freighter?"

"Manifest said one hundred and eighty-seven." Henry was quiet for a moment. "So are they all dead, or are they missing?"

Edra got a feeling there was only one way to answer that, and she knew what that meant, Away Team.

Henry looked over at her, reading her eyes, and nodded. "Have everyone wear bio suits. Even if there is life support who knows what's over there." He turned to OPS. "Make sure we have the LaRee on a tractor beam." The younger officer nodded and activated the beam.

Edra nodded and stood. "Ms. Edruj, Caressa, Vox, Constance, let's take a trip." She made for the nearest lift and waited inside for them.

Caressa hadn't realize how much she missed away team missions, she popped up out of her chair and joined Edra and the others in the TL.

Edruj ordered the incoming Science Officer to keep an eye on the neutrino scans. She then joined the others in the turbolift. Even though she was a scientist, she could not help but smile as she thought Perhaps today is a good day to die.

Millie watched as the away team began to filter off the Bridge. She flipped the PADD on, making notes from her last couple appointments of the morning. "And here I was hoping for a quiet start to our journey."

Before Henry could reply the OPS officer chimed in. "Sir, we're receiving a request for an undesignated shuttle to come aboard."

"About time."

"Sir?"

"I'd let them in or risk her wrath if you keep her parked out there." He cast a grin to Millie, knowing she'd get the joke.

Brielle heard something about a shuttle and her guard went up more than it had been. That was, until Henry gave his statement about ‘her wrath’ and she let out a slight sigh. “She has interesting timing.” Her focus returned to what was happening, the actual reason they were there.

Millie chuckled, not entirely looking up from her work on her PADD. "I'm not cleaning up the mess if they leave her out there." She saved her work on the PADD, flipping to the next file.

Watching the team leave for the away mission, and then hearing Millie, Brie couldn't help but grin. "Don't let her know there is an away mission happening, she'll want to jump right in."

The counselor never looked up from her PADD. "Если у нее была неделя расслабления, она, вероятно, готова сейчас кого-то стрелять."

"If she's had a week of relaxation, she's probably ready to shoot someone right about now." The universal translator quickly echoed after Millie. She didn't seem to notice.

"If they need her I'm sure she'd be willing but for now let them unpack." Henry checked the display on his chair. "Make sure we keep a constant lock on the away team."

Brie raised an eyebrow at Millie speaking in Russian without even realizing it. Nodding to the captain's statement about keeping a lock on the away team, she moved a few things around on her display before looking back to the counselor. "Glad the translator picked you up, Counselor."

"Hmm?" Millie looked up from her PADD, blinked, and then flushed. "I did, didn't I?" She laughed. "Well, when you've been speaking nothing but Russian for the last year, it takes a little bit of a reminder to switch back." She gave the PADD in her hand a little bit of a wave. "I make all of my notes in Russian, anyway," she said with a chuckle.

The replacement at Science looked up from the console. "Sir, sensors are not picking up any signs of a cloaked vessel."

"That should make me feel better but for some reason it doesn't." Henry walked over to the console, as if needing to see it with his own eyes before nodding. "Keep an eye out," to which the young officer nodded.

Checking on her own tactical sensors, mostly just to verify what science was saying, Brielle nodded to herself. "I share the 'doesn't make me feel better' feeling on this one, Captain."

Millie looked up from her PADD, laying it on her lap. She turned over her shoulder, looking back to the Captain. Her eyes made contact with his, and she didn't say anything. In the back of her mind, she suspected she didn't have to, anyway. Henry was always a little paranoid of her presence. He had been from the moment she'd first stepped foot on the ship.

He held her gaze when OPS chimed in. "Captain we're receiving reports that another ship has been attacked, two sectors away."

He looked conflicted. "Have we been ordered to check that out?"

"Not yet Sir."

"Then we maintain our position." He didn't like the idea of spending over a week travelling back and forth and leaving the away team hanging out to dry.

Millie's brow furrowed. She could see the hints of anxiousness tug at the corners of the Captain's eyes. She knew that little 'tell' of his from her previous stay on the ship. The counselor set the PADD on her lap, her attention now on the bridge crew.

He returned to the big chair, and after a moment looking at Millie. "Something on your mind, Counselor?"

Brie sighed and stayed sitting where she was. She wasn't a fan of not heading to the reported attack. But also knew that they would never leave the away team behind. She was still on high alert herself, and simply listened to the conversations around her.

Millie settled back into her chair once the Captain was back in his. "Doing alright, sir?"

"If I was, I'd think something was wrong." He shook his head. "I don't particularly like the idea that we're dancing to someone else's music."

Suddenly a voice chimes in over the com system. "Crow to the Mercutio, we've gotten power up, and found the bridge crew killed, execution style. We're splitting up to search the rest of the ship." There was a pause before she continued, a bit of hopelessness tinged in her voice. "I don't know that I expect to find much different for the rest of the crew."

He held his expression neutral but the execution style caught his ear. "Understood. Use all due caution."

"Yes, Sir. Crow, out."

When the channel was closed he looked over his shoulder. "Dedicate whatever resources necessary to keep those transporter locks."

She'd seen people that had been killed execution style, and it wasn't something she really wanted to see again. Brielle nodded to the captain. "I'll keep that lock until they are back safely on board."

The next hour passed with near silence on the bridge. Sensors continued to show no cloaked vessels, and there were no further reports of attacks. When it became almost deafening Henry stood from his chair, if for no other reason than just for a change of posture. "This reminds of when my father would take me fishing and we'd sit there all day in silence. I was terrified if I spoke one word or even sneezed that I'd scare away all the fish."

Brie was startled when Henry stood up. It had been awfully quiet. "That doesn't exactly sound like any fun, sitting that quiet while fishing."

"Extended periods of silence is not an unheard of phenomenon." Millie didn't look up from her PADD, where she had been reviewing personnel files since her arrival on the bridge. "The Quaker faith of the 20th and 21st century used to engage in unprogrammed worship gatherings, in which the members would sit in silence until inspiration descended upon them." Her fingers flicked the PADD again. "Worshipers could sit for the entire service in absolute silence, and no one would speak."

The Counselor's gaze finally lifted from her work. "There is something to be said about allowing one's self to exist in the quiet moments." She gave a gentle smile at Henry.

The com came to life again. "Away Team to Mercutio. We have evidence that the Jem'Hadar have been here. Unsure about of they've left or not."

When the words came over the com, Brielle immediately started on additional scans now that she knew who to look for. The scans for any additional cloaked ships kept going, but this one was now primary. She double-checked her lock on the away team, just in case.

"I want another half dozen armed security officers beamed over there immediately." He took a breath to keep the anxious thoughts out of his tone. "We're sending security backup, but I think it's best if your team wraps up as soon as possible and comes back."

"Understood. We have yet to find the remaining crew's...remains."

Millie set her PADD on her lap. Upon hearing Edra's words, her normally-stoic facade cracked, and concern flickered across her face. "Taken?" she asked softly, to no one in particular.

Brie double-checked who was being sent over from the security teams, nodding once she saw who it was. She caught what Millie had said and frowned. "Don't jinx that, Millie," she replied back softly.

Henry took a moment before looking to Brie. "Contact Starfleet and let them know what we've found so far. They be aware of something we're not in this puzzle." He then turned to Millie and gestured to the Ready Room. "A moment, Counselor?"

Millie, giving a quiet nod, stood and followed him into his Ready Room.

With a nod, Brie started working on the message to Starfleet. Even though with the two of them going to the Ready Room meant she was in charge, she stayed at her console, finishing the report and watching the transporter locks.

A few minutes after the Captain and Counselor exited the bridge the turbolift doors opened and Banks walked out, still in casual attire from her trip. Looking around she didn't see Henry so she looked Brie's way. "Why are we sending more security over there?"

Looking over when the turbolift door opened, Brie gave a half smile to Banks, rarely seeing her in her casual attire. But she then frowned to the question. “Evidence of Jem’Hadar being there and the crew was killed execution style.”

Banks expression didn't change but she was quiet for a moment. "Let me know if the situation gets out of hand."

Brielle watched carefully for a moment, concerned. “You okay?”

"Yea...yea, I'm fine. Just normally I get called for this kind of thing." Her tone was even but clearly laced with disappointment.

“You just got back, really not even on duty yet that I know of. Figure you want a little time to settle in, right?” Brie looked around the bridge for a moment. “I can’t really order you to go but...”

She nodded. "I know. Chance and Keiran are waiting anyways, I just wanted to see what was happening. I'll be back up in a bit."

With a nod, Brie tried to give a smile. "I should still be up here. If we need you, I'll let you know."

Banks returned the expression and returned to the lift before heading back to her quarters.

Finishing up the message to Starfleet, Brielle gave a heavy sigh. Her eyes went from the transporter locks, to the Ready Room, to the viewscreen. This had her on edge.

A moment later the Captain and Counselor returned to the bridge. "Any reply from Starfleet about follow up orders?"

Looking over to the Captain, Brie shook her head. "Nothing as of yet." She wasn't sure if she wanted to mentions Banks' visit, so for now she kept it to herself.

"And no other word from the away team?" Millie inquired as she took her seat on the Bridge again.

Hearing Millie's question, again Brie shook her head. "No change really since you two went in there."

The Counselor chuckled softly. "I'm surprised that Ms. Banks---Crow---well, that she hasn't poked her head up on the Bridge yet." She looked over her shoulder, as if uttering the words would bring her friend walking through the door.

"Funny you should mention her," Brie stated as she looked between the two of them, not saying anything else on the matter.

A few minutes later Starfleet sent its reply. Another ship would be arriving within the hour to take over the investigation thus freeing the Mercutio to trail the warp signature into the Badlands. Henry didn't say what he thought of that plan. "Alert the away team that they have an hour to wrap up."

Quickly, Brielle sent a message to the away team. She then tapped her fingers along the edge of her console, thinking the whole situation over in her head.

Millie crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap. "It will be good to have everyone back aboard, da?"

Henry nodded to Millie's assertion. "While we wait, run as many diagnostics as we can finish before reaching the badlands. I want us running as top notch as possible before we run into whoever it is that's hiding there."

Kicking on the diagnostics, and sending messages to the other departments to do the same, Brielle let out a sigh. “Had to be the badlands,” she said to no one specifically as she watched her console.

Millie settled back into her chair, pretending to work on her PADD, but in reality, she was watching the goings-on of the Bridge. There weren't many ship's counselors that would spend their working hours on the Bridge, but she preferred to. It gave her a chance to observe the senior staff in their normal environment...and often gave her insight that the staff wouldn't normally reveal in one of their sessions. She smirked--internally, of course--at the memories of her first encounters with the Captain. Though he still tried to evade as much questioning as possible, he was...making progress.

Looking over at one of her screens, Brie caught a message. "Away team acknowledges the time frame."

Henry nodded. "And now we wait."