Mission 19 - Another Voyage Home

[Masterson]

ON: [[Security/Tactical Office, USS Malinche, Mission Day 01, 1215]]

Aaron finished reading over the last few lines displayed on the PADD in his hand before slowly turning his attention to the man standing nearby. The very thought of a saboteur being somewhere aboard the Malinche without him having known about it was enough to frustrate him and the fact whoever that person was having at least partially succeeded in their plan even more so.

“Captain Kersare brought me the same thing earlier, sir,” said Devon, nodding toward the PADD in front of Lieutenant Masterson. The Chief hadn’t had much of a chance yet to get know his new boss. So trying to read his face and composure wasn’t all that easy. But that time would have to wait till much later. There were more pressing matters at hand. “But don’t worry, I’ll find out who the culprit was, sir.”

"I don't doubt it," Aaron replied with a small smile, "In fact, you really haven't wasted much time getting started, have you?"

Devon allowed a half-smile to creep across his lips. “No sir, I haven’t. I’ve never been one to let a job sit around. Especially when it comes to security and, well…sabotage.” Devon paused for a second as the smile faded. “I hope it’s not a problem that I’ve gone ahead with the investigation, Sir.?”

"Not at all, Mister Harmon," Aaron assured the man, adjusting himself slightly in his chair, "I just wish I would have known about it a bit sooner. Something like this happening aboard a starship isn't what you might call normal. To have it happen on my watch is..." His voice trailed off as he realized he was perhaps rambling a bit more than the man wanted or needed to hear.

Devon nodded. It was unsettling that something like this happened not only under their noses, but the Starbase security as well. Whoever this is had to be at least a semi-professional. But he didn’t want to dwell on that any longer. Especially since Lieutenant Masterson appeared to be taking it personal. Devon had experienced that only once, and that was back at Starbase 10. When he was a Security Investigator, he tried to distance himself from the cases, with the exception of that one. Regarding that case, he broke one of his rules. Rule Ten, never get personally involved on a case. And swore he’d never let it happen again. But apparently it was different when you were the Chief Security Officer and were responsible for an entire ship.

Chief Harmon thought that perhaps a slight change in the direction of the conversation might help. “On a similar note, sir, I plan on putting together some follow-up questions for Lieutenant N’rass and Ensign Davis after lunch. Just to try and narrow things down a bit. I was wondering if you have anything specific you’d like me to ask or pass along to them?”

"Not at the moment, I suppose," Aaron said, looking over the information on the PADD again, "However I would be interested to hear what they have to say about all of this. It seems like you have everything well in hand, Mister Harmon, and I would hate to step on your toes. I'm sure we both want to put this case to bed as quickly as possible. Just be sure to keep me appraised of the situation and we'll see what we can do about working from there."

Devon made a note to keep Lieutenant Masterson informed at all times. He looked up and smiled. After his boss finished, he said, “You wouldn’t be stepping on my toes, sir. Rule Fifteen, always work as a team. Even though there are superiors and subordinates involved. Teamwork, well, works. And, yeah, I want to get this put down fast. I’ll keep you informed and if anything new pops up, you’ll be the first to know.”

"Thank you," Aaron said, sliding the PADD to one side of his desk so that he would remember to look over it again later. It was probably going to take a little while for him to process all of the information and put together a decent picture in his head.

“Oh, there was something else I wanted to ask you about, sir. It’s regarding my security clearance and authorization levels. They were increased slightly when I was in security investigations. But now that I’m a CoB, would those have been automatically adjusted higher or is that something that I need to take care of. I was just concerned that I might not be able to get access to possible pertinent information regarding the investigation.”

With the touch of a button, Aaron's desktop terminal came to life. He sifted through a few screens before finally coming across what he had been looking for. "It looks like everything seems to be in order as far as your security clearance is concerned," he replied, looking from the display to Harmon as he spoke, "You should have no trouble accessing the information you need. If you do run into anything, just let me know and we'll see if we can't figure something out."

Devon nodded, “Thank you, sir. Is there anything else you need me to do or put on my list before lunch?” The past few hours had been rather busy. And even though Chief Harmon was an intense go-getter when it came to the mission at hand, he still had to take time to eat.

"No, I think that will be all," Aaron replied, "thank you."

With a nod, Devon turned and left the office. It was time to head to the Mess Hall for some lunch. He decided to keep his PADD with him instead of dropping it at the CoB’s office.

OFF

A Joint Mission Post by:

Chief Petty Officer Devon Harmon
Chief of the Boat & Master-at-Arms
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[N'rass]

<Lounge, Day 2, 1500 hrs>

The room was fairly well populated with recently off duty crewmen when Amber walked in. As was typical procedure for the woman, she checked her hair's position and walked in with a smile. Today she felt particularly social so she walked around until she saw a table with what she thought would be a good conversation.

"Would there be room far one more, Chief?" She asked in her Irish tone and smile.

Chief Harmon set his coffee cup down and looked up. Standing there was a slender, green-eyed redhead that matched the Irish accent well. Devon half smiled and cocked his head to the side.

“Sure, pull up a chair,” said Harmon.

Amber smiled warmly and sat down with her cup of coffee in front of her. She looked him in the eyes for a moment to see his demeanor. Friendly yet reserved. Nice...

"So what might ya do on this boat?" Then she paused with a shy glancing expression and a brush back of her hair over one ear. "Silly me, first things first. Ma name is Amber." She hoped the ice breaker would test his tension level.

Devon continued smiling. “Name’s Devon. Pleasure to meet you Amber.” He paused and leaned back in his chair. It was nice to finally a conversation that didn’t center around the previous day’s investigation. “I’m the Chief of the Boat and also fill in as the Master at Arms.” He took a sip of his coffee. “You?”

"Archeologist and Historian." She leaned back and held her coffee with both hands, resting it on her crossed knee. "Chief O' Tha Boat. That's quite the title. What does that comprise, if I may?" Good one, lass. Someone with rank... She thought to herself.

“Oh, just a bunch of technical stuff,” Devon said. “Things like liaison between the enlisted crew and senior staff, taking care of the enlisted crew in a variety of ways, and working with department heads.” He took a long sip his coffee while looking Amber in the eyes. “Tell me, where does a civilian archeologist dig things up on a starship?”

Amber pointed her finger with a slight laugh. "That be a good question indeed." After a sip of her coffee she shifted in her seat to a more upright position. "On the Enterprise there was a wee bit more to do, but me past experience has told me that I have been assigned to serve a purpose. This is the first time I have been on a warship, though. The pot 'o gold is not always where you think it is, Father always said."

Devon thought about that for few seconds. “Pot o’ gold, huh.” He remembered her shy glance earlier and nodded his head, “Indeed. Your Father is a wise man.” Devon sipped his black, no sugar, Dark Jamaican Blend to the bottom. “You need a top-off or a refill?” Devon scooted his chair back. “I’m headed that way.”

She smiled as he pushed back, then looked up at the tall man with her cup in her hand. "Yes, that would be nice. Fifty-fifty mocha on the rocks." The woman watched as he walked away. He had a certain controlled quality that she found intriguing.

Devon walked up to the bar and set the two cups down. As the barkeep walked down to where he was, Devon slid Amber’s cup forward. “This one’s a fifty-fifty Mocha on the rocks and this one’s a Dark Jamaican blend with no sugar and no cream.”

“Coffee?” the bartender asked surprised.

“Ya think? What else would a Mocha and a Dark Jamaican blend be?” retorted Devon.

“Right away, Chief,” said the bartender.

Devon took the two cups back to the table. He handed Amber hers and then sat down with his. Smiling, he asked, “So, what kind of hobbies do you have? What does Amber Thanis like to do in her time off?”

She took her cup with both hands and a nod before replying. "Well, I like to do a lot of things. Meetin people is one of them, but there's holo programs and novels and the like." Then she tilted her head with a raised eyebrow. "I did not mention ma last name yet. How might ye know it?" The half betazoid knew her reputation tended to precede itself, but she wanted to see for sure. It did not alarm her though.

Devon chuckled. “It’s all part of the mystery that lies shrouded beneath the surface of Devon Harmon.” He sat there a few seconds and sipped his coffee while his obscure statement hung in the air.

Amber leaned forward and propped her chin on her elbow with a coy and intrigued smile. "Mystery indeed, me dear mister Harmon." She looked him in the eyes warmly. "So Mister Harmon knows more than he reveals." She leaned back with her arms spread along the top of the seat behind her and crossed her legs. "I like a good poker player. How bout what you do on yar free time?"

Devon grinned back at the young lady as she leaned forward and replied to his comment. Her warm, green eyes seemed penetrating. But he kept his poker face and reticent attitude up. Devon Harmon always kept his thoughts, feelings, and emotions close to his chest. But this woman was good. He leaned forward as she sat back and rested his arms on the table. “Depends. If I’m feeling like a quiet, contemplative evening, I go to my small woodworking station I set up in a corner of my quarters. If I’m feeling a little less reserved, I pull out my steel drum work on some Caribbean Calypso.” He sat back. “What’s your favorite holo program?”

"Calypso? Such a relaxin form of music. I usually hear it in the background while at the beach. Risa is good, but I prefer Cypress or Hawaii programs. In particular around the 1930s. There is just something fun about that time period of Earth." She sipped some of the coffee and resumed her pose. "What sort o things do you build?"

Devon made a mental note. Fun on the beaches of Hawaii or Cypress on 1930’s Earth…interesting bit of information. He took another drink of coffee before answering. “I build small things, mostly. Stuff like old style sail boats, lots of miniature baseball bats, fish, sea creatures, and the like.” He took another sip, deciding to go ahead and ask. “What makes the beaches of Hawaii or Cypress on 1930’s Earth so much fun?”

She pushed her hair off her left ear and looked at her fingernails as she answered. "As a historian I study time periods and cultures as you would expect. Earth in that time period was accessible but not overly connected and the culture was still somewhat idealistic and clean. Technology was not fully controlling of life, particularly in the tropical regions. Part of me wishes time travel were possible to experience it for real." Amber was enjoying the conversation a lot more than she had figured, certainly more than the previous few sailors she had talked to recently. "Do you like ta sail the boats too?"

Devon listened as Amber explained the idyllic conditions of an unconnected Earth. An Earth where apparently home, and the few miles surrounding it, was pretty much all you knew. He let all that sink in and thought that there might actually be something relaxing about that kind of environment. Amber was certainly a woman of intrigue herself. To go from shy and coy to sincere sentimentality…there was definitely more there than meets the eye. “Sailing, I’ve never done it. I enjoy carving the sail boats, but I’ve never been. You like the islands, have you ever been sailing?”

Amber repositioned a little and crossed her arms. Maybe once or twice. It seems more of a social thing so I haven't had that much opportunity to do with someone." She winked at Devon. "Yes, that was an invite if you would like." Normally she wouldn't have invited that early in a relationship but this time she felt quite comfortable around the Chief.

Devon glanced at his coffee cup. It had been empty for quite some time now and he was reluctant to go refill it. There was something…something that kept him there. Amber seemed different. She was real. Or maybe it was just her red hair and bright green eyes. Yeah, that had to be it. He lifted his head slightly, considering what Amber had just said…and done. Perhaps something like this was what he needed to help rid himself of those old ghosts. He nodded and said, “Name the time and place, Amber. Oh, and I have no idea how to sail a boat. Do you teach?” Devon added that last line with a discreet half-smile and a wink of his own.

"A boat maker who doesn't sail?" Amber smirked with a raised eyebrow. Then she looked at the back of her stretched hands. "I can windsurf. We are about on the same...boat on that one." She laughed at her own pun before continuing. "I know it's not quite time-period for that era but it is a simulation after all. There are some scenarios for either location too if you be into that kind o' stuff." She thought he seemed like the kind to be interested in a story program so she waited his answer with a look into his eyes. Amber could sense his tension level lowering as they talked.

Devon laughed along with her. Then it hit him…it had been a long time since he had really, seriously, enjoyed laughter. “Windsurfing it is then. I’m willing to try it if you’re willing to teach it.” He sat forward in his chair and put his arms on the table, fingers interlaced. “Cyprus sounds good to me. When do we start?”

"Well, I have the holodeck reserved in an hour if that suits ya? I canna say I've had a student in a while, but it should be fun." She had not anticipated his enthusiastic response, but Amber was quietly thrilled herself for it. The idea of connecting this quick with someone of a more intellectual level was a relief.

Devon sat back in his chair again. “That suits me just fine; an hour sounds good.” He thought ocean breezes and the smell of surf might do him some good. In the very least, it should help him sleep tonight. That is, if wasn’t stiff and sore from his first windsurfing lesson.

Amber stood up and straightened her skirt down in a fluid motion then crossed her arms behind her back. "I suppose I'll be seein ya on the island then, Devon?"

Devon quickly stood up after her and smiled warmly. “Indeed. On the island then, Amber.” He winked and nodded his head.

"Good evnin then." She bowed slightly and tuned to walk away with a warm expression.

Devon sat back down as Amber turned to walk away. He watched her red hair sway back and forth with her skirt as she headed for the door. He then took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Yeah, it would do him good.

OFF: A jp by

Chief Petty Officer Devon Harmon
Chief of the Boat & Master-at-Arms
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Amber Thanis
Archeologist/Historian
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
(PNPC) by

[Harmon]

<USS Malinche, Mess Hall, Mission Day 01, 1245>

Chief Harmon had his tray in hand and was looking for a table with an open seat. He spotted one with an Ensign in services gold already seated. Hoping that he would be Security instead of Engineering or Ops, Devon approached the table. He had nothing against the other two departments. Just that conversation with a fellow Security man might be a little easier.

“Good afternoon, sir. May I join you?”

Looking up from his half-eaten sandwich, Mike (PNPC) smiled when he recognized the Malinche's new Chief of the Boat. "Of course, chief," he replied, motioning to the open seat across from him.

“Thanks, sir.” Devon put his tray down and took the seat. “Forgive me, sir, but I’m afraid I might have you mixed up with someone else. Is it Ensign…Lewis?” Devon picked up his slice of pepperoni and onion pizza and took a bite. He followed it with a long drink of mineral water…with lemon.

"Kepler," Mike corrected, understanding how easy it was to confuse personnel, especially when one was new to an assignment, "Mike Kepler."

Devon chuckled. “Names I can remember. Now putting them with faces, that’s a different story. Ensign Kepler, then. I recognize your name from the Security department. What do you do?”

"Technically, I'm just your run-of-the-mill security officer," Mike replied, taking a quick sip from his juice before continuing, "People like Lieutenant Masterson have a great sense of battle tactics whereas I'm more inclined to the personal aspect of our department. Making sure things stay safe is pretty much what keeps me busy everyday."

“Well, we may get along pretty good, then,” Devon said smiling. “I came up through the Security side of the house…criminal investigations, Master-at-Arms, and such. Battle tactics never was my strong point period. But maybe I’ll learn a little more about it working under Lieutenant Masterson as the Master-at-Arms.” Devon took another bite of his pizza and swallowed. “I’m also filling that position in addition to Chief of the Boat.” He took a drink of his lemon water.

"Sounds like enough to be keeping you busy," Mike remarked with a small smile, "What do you think of the Malinche so far?"

“Very busy,” Devon replied. “But I like it. And I like the ship, too. The crew that I’ve met so far has been friendly. And from what I can tell, this ship gets tasked with some of the most interesting missions. I came on board back at the Starbase when all the repairs were being effected due to a battle with Mirror Universe ships. At least that’s what some of the repair crew told me. How long have you been here?”

Mike had to think for a moment. It had been more than a few months since he and Aaron had first come aboard the Malinche, but with everything that had happened since then, it was difficult to remember just how long he had been around. "I think it was just before the standoff with the Elyshans...at Starbase 386," he said slowly, "in fact, I'm sure it was."

“I had heard about that on the Federation News Network. You were there for that,” Devon asked. From what the FNN said, it had been pretty tense. But the news network had ratings to take care of, so who knew.

Nodding slowly, Mike just smiled. "Not exactly what I expected my first few days on an assignment to be like, but there you have it," he said.

Ensign Kepler didn’t seem like much of a conversationalist. But then Devon wasn’t sure he would be either if the end of his lunch had been interrupted. He took another bite of pizza and nodded an agreement. After swallowing, he said, “Do you have any family onboard, sir or are they all back on Earth?”

"Nah...I'm the first of my family to join Starfleet," Mike replied, "My father's in the coast guard back home and my mother is a museum curator, but when I decided to join Starfleet, I don't think either of them were all that surprised."

“Why did you decide to join Starfleet, if I may ask?” It seemed like everyone had a different reason for joining. And Devon was just plain old curious. Could’ve been his investigative side peeking out again, too.

A wry smile appeared on Mike's face in response to the chief's question. "I had never really thought about it until I found out a close friend of mine had been planning to join," he answered, "We'd been friends since the fifth grade and I figured if it was good enough to catch his interest, it was probably worth looking into."

Devon nodded as he swallowed his drink of water. “Is he still in Starfleet?” Devon asked.

"Yeah, actually...he is," Mike replied with a slight chuckle. He couldn't help but think back to how much less surprised everyone had been when they'd found out he would be heading off to the Academy as well. There was no doubt in his mind they had all been expecting him to make the decision since they'd found out about his relationship with Aaron. "What about you," he asked, realizing he still didn't know all that much about the chief, "anyone else from your family serving in Starfleet or are you the only one?"

“That’s good to hear,” replied Devon. “As for me and my house, I’ve got one sister who is in Starfleet. The other is a stay-at-home mom. She’s married to a judge and is rearing my three nephews and two nieces. The one in Starfleet is a Warrant Officer Third Class.” Devon chuckled a little. “We both started out enlisted, and she decided to go the Warrant route. We tease each other about it when we get to talk. And that’s not as often as we’d like. Speaking of which, did you and your friend keep in touch?”

Mike couldn't help but smile. "Yeah...we've actually done pretty well at keeping in touch," he said.

“Nice,” replied Devon, nodding his head. “Good friends should try to do that. Everyone needs somebody that they can call on from time to time.” Devon finished the last bite of his pizza and followed it with his last drink of water.

He smiled and nodded at Ensign Kepler. “I usually don’t eat run like this. Not my style. But if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot of work to do before bed tonight. Been nice getting to know you a little, sir.”

"Likewise," Mike said with a smile.

Devon got up and left. It had been nice to get to know another member of the crew. He expected that he would be doing that for quite some time, actually. After all, the Malinche was a good-sized ship. He paused in the corridor to look at the PADD. It was now time to compile that list of additional questions and meet with Lieutenant N’rass.

OFF

A Joint Mission Post by:

Ensign Mike Kepler (PNPC)
Security Officer
USS Malinche
Played by: LtJG Masterson

and

[Kersare]

OFF: This is a backpost

ON: <USS Malinche, Operations Office, Day 1, 1300>

The moment he stepped into the office, James knew he was going to have a very long shift. With a heavy sigh and a large feeling of irritation, he sat at his desk and began sifting through the reports. He didn't even know where to begin looking. When he was told about the warp drives failing during the departure from Starbase 422, his day went from decent to incredibly annoying. He worked with engineering throughout the night, making sure that all the warp engines were fully operational. But, this sudden failure had left him wondering what exactly happened.

"Why? Why now? I made sure everything was perfect. Now I have to figure out what went wrong and how I can prevent this from happening again. Oh, the life of an Operations officer," James said to himself as he reads over the report containing the error in the warp systems. With his eyes getting heavy from lack of sleep, he leaned back in his chair with the next report containing the shift rotations for his department. As he read the report, he suddenly fell asleep. The lack of sleep had finally caught up to the young ensign.

As tired as the young man was, James quickly woke up, knowing he needed to get to work on the investigation and forgetting that he was tilted back in his chair. The chair slipped out from underneath him, causing James to hit the floor and smacking the back of his head. "OW," he yelled loud enough for a few of the Operations crew to look toward the office. "Why can't anything go right today?" Frustrated and in pain, James tapped his badge, "Davis to Captain Kersare, may I speak with you when you have a moment?" He did his best to hide the pain in his voice and knew the captain would most likely be busy with the investigation as well.

<Officer's Mess>

Hearing the sound of her Acting Chief Operations Officer's voice, Isabel paused and tapped her comm badge, "On my way now, Ensign. I'll be there shortly." She'd just finished lunch and was hoping to touch base with James since she'd already talked to L'Randil. Picking up her pace, she headed out the doors.

<Operations Office>

As Isabel approached the office, she noted several worried looks from some of the other officers. Curious, she headed for the door and paused, glancing in, "Ensign?"

James heard the captain's voice as he picked himself up off the floor. The fall left him slightly concussed, but not enough to have him sent to Sickbay. "My apologies, Captain. I was looking over some of the reports and the lack of sleep has finally caught up with me," he said, holding the back of his head. "The reason I called you over is because I'm at a loss here. I mean I was up all night working with Engineering on making sure everything was ready in time for us to depart. I've been non-stop since the problem started. I assure you, Captain, that we are fully operational. It's just the question of where do we go from here? I'm guessing either someone on this ship did it or someone remotely did it as we were leaving the starbase."

Watching James closely, Isabel stepped further into the office, motioning to the chairs. She would address his condition before she left, but for now she could keep an eye on him and answer his questions - perhaps even better gauge how he was doing. "I've gotten some information from Lieutenant JG N'rass that I've shared with Security. There will be an investigation as to what happened and I believe StarFleet will allow that to run its course before sending us on our next mission. From what I've gathered thus far, I believe someone could have sabotaged us, but likely while on the Malinche while we were still docked. I think our leaving could have activated whatever they did. Those are just theories though... I was hoping that you and Lieutenant JG N'rass could look into it further and pass on any pertinent information to Chief Harmon."

James nodded slowly in agreement to the captain's statement. Feeling slightly dizzy, he cleared his throat, "That sounds like a good plan. Maybe with some of us working as a team will help in solving the problem faster rather than trying to solve the issue individually and possibly having mixed reviews." He closed his eyes for a moment until the dizziness passed. The pain remained but was less irritating than right after the impact of falling to the floor. One thing was for sure, he didn't want to make Captain Kersare any more concerned over his misfortune.

"That's what I was hoping," Isabel said slowly as she listened and watched James. "Ensign, are you alright?" It was becoming quite apparent - between what she was observing and the looks from the other operations personnel that he was, in fact, not alright. She wasn't sure if he simply hadn't gotten enough sleep or what...though finding him getting up off the floor when she came in could have had something to do with it.

James looked up at the captain and grinned, "I'm all right, Ma'am. As I mentioned when you arrived, I've been up all night trying to figure out the issue. I, then, took a break and was going over the shift assignments for the rest of the day and passed out. It was my own negligence for leaning back in my chair." He gave a short chuckle in hopes to lighten up the mood in the office.

Isabel nodded slowly at his response, "Perhaps you should have the doctor take a quick look. I'd rather you take a little time to do so now before it potentially becomes a bigger problem later. You could catch up with Lieutenant JG N'rass once you've been to sickbay." With everything else there was to worry about, she didn't need to be worrying about her Senior Staff, or Acting Senior Staff's health as well.

Frowning, James shook his head, "Captain, I assure you I'll be okay." If there's one thing James didn't like, it was sickbay. He hated sickbay with a fiery passion, but he wasn't sure that the captain knew that. "It's just a little bump." He stood up from his chair at a normal pace and stood before his superior. "I promise you, Ma'am, I'm perfectly fine. I've been through worse."

"Do I need to make it an order, Ensign? I could do that...I could even personally escort you there, if you prefer," Isabel replied. She was only partly serious about actually escorting him, but still. "You need to set a good example for the rest of this department, especially since you're Acting Chief. I realize there are times when the crew is asked to push on much longer than they should, but I try to limit that as much as I can and I need you in top form so we can work on this investigation."

James tried to hide the smirk that crept across his face. He knew the captain was being serious, but couldn't help himself. He knew, right then and there, that he wasn't going to get out of this situation. "No need to make it an order, Captain. I'll head over there immediately to get looked at. You are right, I as well as everyone else do need to be in top form during this investigation."

Isabel nodded, "Thank you Ensign. I'll leave you to that so you can get looked at, follow the doctors orders, and then get back to work. If you find anything, let Chief Harmon, Lieutenant JG Harmon, and I know. And if you need anything, you know how to reach me." She was glad that he had agreed to go see the doctor without too much argument. The sooner he did that, the sooner the investigation could continue. That said, she stood and gave him a brief nod before heading out the door.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Ensign James Davis
Acting Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Harmon]

<Holodeck 1, Day 2 1700 hrs>

"Computer." Amber addressed as she walked into the holodeck room. "Activate a 'Weekend in Cyprus'." The room switched to a tropical island setting with a warm ocean breeze. The resort cabana at the end of the sand beach was a distance away but the faint music could be heard over the sound of the breaking waves.

She checked her outfit one more time for appearance, the flower in her hair on the left side and her blue short swim dress for straightness. She kicked off her sandals to allow the feeling of the sand between her toes and found a tree to sit under. It would be a couple minutes until Devon would be joining her, so she decided to relax in the summer sunlight. There were a few people wandering the beach and some playing volleyball off to one side so there was plenty to watch.

<Devon Harmon’s Quarters, Day 2, 1655>

Devon had to do some research for this one. He didn’t want to get caught windsurfing in something that wouldn’t standup to the rigors of such a sport. After several minutes of battling with the computer trying to figure out what he needed and get it replicated, Devon finally got what he was searching for. A pair of red board shorts and blue tank top materialized in front of him. He also requested a pair of beach sandals. Devon quickly changed.

“Computer, what is the location of Amber Thanis?” he asked, grabbing a towel and throwing it over his shoulder.

“Amber Thanis is in Holodeck One,” came the reply.

Already there and waiting, he thought. Devon left his quarters and headed for the holodeck.

<Holodeck 1>

Devon stepped inside and the doors slid closed behind him. He turned to see the last bit of doorway shimmer out of existence, replaced by a tropical island. Devon heard the music almost immediately and started tapping his toes. Smiling, he looked around for the redhead that had invited him on this outing. There, a few meters away, sitting under a tree, was Amber. Devon stood there a few minutes and just stared. A strong breeze caught her hair and blew it back. Devon noticed the flower. He smiled again and started walking over to her.

When we got close, he said, “It’s no wonder you like this place, Amber. It’s serene and relaxing, and the music isn’t bad either.” He grinned.

She looked up at Devon with a smile, still resting back on her hands. "Top O tha mornin, Chief. A little different seeing you out of...uniform." She grinned as she looked at his swim outfit. It wasn't as form fitting as a wetsuit but still attractive enough. She reached out a hand to the muscular man to help her up which he did without hesitation. "Well, ya got a good grip to ya, that's for sure." She ribbed, then smoothed her dress down. It had a good flow on it's own, but she did that out of subconscious habit.

As they walked along toward the water's edge, she looked up to her companion. "Why don't we take a little walk a while. The sand between me toes feels good to get in tha mood."

Devon walked along the beach beside Amber. Sand between her toes? He still had his beach sandals on. The thought of sand between his toes never crossed his mind. But now that it had, he thought it would feel gritty and that it might rub the between-the-toes areas raw. He decided to keep his sandals on for now.

He looked over at her. “I would say that it’s different seeing you out of uniform, but that looks strikingly similar to what you had on about an hour ago.” He grinned. “How do you windsurf in a dress?”

She laughed. "What I been wearing at dinner was a wee bit longer and it was a dress dress. This here is a swim dress. A little lighter and faster drying, but mainly it's fastened to a swimsuit underneath. A girl shouldn't reveal too much now should she?" She winked with a tap on his back.

“Touché,” Devon replied. Open mouth, insert foot up to kneecap. It should be stitched into all of his clothing. “And very admirable, Amber.” Devon patted her shoulder, then continued. “In all honesty, I never paid attention to the length of them.” They continued walking.

"I'm takin it you haven't been on a beach in a while?" Amber said with a curious tone in response to her observation and sense of his demeanor. It was fairly normal to have officers react in that manner since ship duty rarely allowed ports of call other than holodecks.

Devon chuckled. “The last time I was on a beach was years ago. It wasn’t real, though…holodeck. I was the musical entertainment for a beach themed birthday party. And it was a reproduction of some Risan beach.” He looked at Amber. “Maybe the next time we do this, I can bring my steel drum and we can have an impromptu concert. See what Grecian holodeck people think of Calypso.”

She laughed heartily. "That could be interestin. Not sa sure these Brits would know what to make of it though." The ingrained cultural tone of the Irish woman was apparent. "Risa is nice and all, but I like ta take the road less traveled. People all to often are forgettin how Earth used to look before civilization over ran nature."

She paused. "What would you do if time travel were a possibility?" The question was a little ambiguous but it was one that the historian asked herself often.

Devon had never given it much thought. “Huh, well…,” he trailed off. “I’ve never really considered.” He paused again. “I suppose the first thing I would do is, well never mind that. Fixing a couple of mistakes I made would alter the future too much.” He looked at Amber and smiled warmly. “And I kinda like where I’m at right now." Huh, so much for keeping emotions close to his chest. Perhaps Amber was starting to crack his hard outer shell a little. Perhaps that’s what he needed. "But back to the question, I would probably go back and enjoy myself. Nothing too big mind you, nothing that would interfere with the space-time continuum and all that fun stuff I slept through in class. Maybe go watch an old baseball game from the twentieth century. How about you? What would you do?”

She looked at the breaking water, then back at Devon. "As a historian it is a question I have thought about more times than I can remember. Not that I be regrettin anything." Amber pointed with her finger on that point. "I donna do regrets, just plans ahead. I would likely immerse meself in the culture and enjoy every minute of it. The continuum debate and temporal ethics is a hard one though. Can ya imagine what would happen if a person even had a wee bit of knowledge from our hindsight in a earlier era?"

In fact, she had thought heavily about different ways to make the most out of the opportunity if it arose. There were many options that wouldn't affect the mechanics but could profit the archeologist greatly.

Devon shook his head. “Our knowledge of the past three hundred plus years existing three hundred years ago…yeah, not good.”

A moment passed, then she looked up at Devon with a raised eyebrow. "You had temporal clases in tha academy? I didna think you fleet boys got those electives."

“Oh, you know how headstrong teenage boys can be. Especially when they enlist in Starfleet. They think they can take on the quadrant and sometimes try to do it. During my second year, I put in requests for a couple of every week, and even during the summer, for temporal classes. My plan was to paper the administration until they got tired of seeing my name come across their desks.” He paused and thought about how to proceed. “It worked and I got what I wanted, but it was bittersweet. They let me take the classes, but they weren’t as fun and interesting as I thought they would be. Ended up sleeping through most of it and then dropping them.”

Changing subjects, Devon asked, “So how did you, as a civilian historian, come to be involved with Starfleet?”

Amber shrugged. "The relationship between civilian conscripts and fleet specialists has been pretty solid for years. The problem is we civies donna have much for means of exploring inter-planetary reaches. The fleet has lots O' ships and manpower but let's face it..." She elbowed Devon lightly with a smirk. "...The fleet crew be lackin passion with all these conflicts and all. So it seems we're good tagether."

Devon chuckled. “Yeah, these conflicts, uprisings, and planetary situations do keep us fleeters pretty busy. It makes it hard to get back to the mission of exploration and discovery.” He smirked back at Amber as he poked her in the ribs. “And having some civvies on board makes the ribbing all the more fun.”

As they walked, a well dressed man passed by and greeted. "How do you do?" in a British accent. Amber bowed slightly and replied with a similar accented "I am well, thank you." and glanced back at Devon who noted her change in speech.

He waited until they got far enough apart so as not to be heard. “What do you think such nicely dressed man would be doing walking along the beach?”

Amber smirked and made a motion with the back of her hand near her mouth in a play secretive manner. "That'd be because it's 1937 and we are on a milionaire's resort. Hence the other people dressed that way too." She straightened back up. "Anyhoo, Whatcha say we be gettin to the surf lessons?"

Of course, Devon thought. He shook it off and smiled at Amber. “I’m all ready to learn, professor,” he said. “Point the way.”

"Onward then." She pointed toward the boards. "The waves are waitin far us."

Devon nodded. “Yes they are.” They’re waiting for me to fall in among them, he thought. But it was still going to be fun. Devon fell in step beside Amber. The breeze caught her hair and the smell of lilacs blew across his face. Devon inhaled deeply, taking in the relaxing and happy aroma. Yeah, this was certainly going to be fun.


OFF: A JP by

Amber Thanis(PNPC)
Archaeologist
USS Malinche

By

Lt JG L'Randil N'Rass
Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Malinche

and

[Harmon]

<USS Malinche, CoB’s Office, Day 1, 1745>

Devon’s interview with Crewman Thomas (NPC) went well enough. He confirmed some of the information that Devon had collected already. Thomas also added a fact that Devon didn’t have, his duty time. Crewman Thomas was supposed to report for duty at 0500…during the regular shift change for the Starbase repair crews. That would be the perfect time for the saboteur to switch places. An early morning shift change for the Starbase crews and Malinche crews would provide the commotion needed for a perfect cover. Harm also noted that Crewman Thomas was only half human…his mother was Vulcan. Chief Harmon now had a lot of puzzle pieces, but there were still some missing. Hopefully there was enough to put together a decent picture of who they would be looking for, though.

He sat down and tapped a command into his desk. A computer screen gracefully slid up. Devon first separated the information into three groups, Setak, N’rass, and Davis. Setak had examined Thomas for a sore neck and found evidence of a poorly executed Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Devon sat back and thought about that for a moment. Either this was a sad excuse for a Vulcan or someone else’s feeble attempt at making it look as such, Devon thought to himself. He had been assigned with Vulcans in the past. A Vulcan poorly trained in a Nerve Pinch…that just didn’t make sense. He made that note and moved on to the next section.

Lieutenant N’rass was able to shed some light on the technical aspect of it all. She had said that the drive software for the conduit network had been altered and that the individual would need knowledge of the ODN and Plasma propulsion systems. Devon considered that new information. The saboteur had system specific knowledge…well trained on Prometheus class engine systems. And apparently well trained in infiltration and subversion. He managed to make it onboard and take the place of one of the crew. And smart enough to make it be a lowly Crewman. Then another thought struck him. Maybe they had been keeping tabs on the repairs for some time prior to the incident. How else would he have known to subdue a Crewman that worked on that particular station? Hmm? Devon made those notes and then moved on to his interview with Ensign Davis.

Ensign Davis gave him some insight into Thomas’ state of mind. As a result, Harm crossed off Crewman Thomas (NPC) as having anything to do with the sabotage. Thomas was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Chief Harmon then leaned forward and began writing up the official report. He planned to forward copies to Lieutenant Masterson, Lieutenant Commander Zeral, and Captain Kersare as soon as he was done. He wanted them to have it as soon as possible. Even if it was going to be this evening, after the duty day.

To: Lieutenant JG Masterson, Aaron; Lieutenant Commander Zeral, Nora; Captain Kersare, Isabel
From: Chief Petty Officer Harmon, Devon
Re: Security Investigation Results

The results of my investigation regarding the sabotage incident are as follows:

1) The saboteur most likely entered the Malinche between 0430 and 0500. Not only was it the time of the ship’s shift change for repair crews, but also that of the Starbase repair crews. The ensuing commotion would have provided a perfect opportunity for the saboteur to slip in unnoticed after subduing Crewman Thomas. Who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

2) The saboteur was attempting to make us think he was a Vulcan. Any Vulcan worth his salt would not mess-up a Neck Pinch. I contend that this individual was disguised as a Vulcan.

3) Lieutenant N’rass said that the drive software for the conduit network had been altered and that the individual would need knowledge of the ODN and Plasma propulsion systems. The saboteur had system specific knowledge. I contend that he was well trained on Prometheus class engine systems and specifications.

4) The saboteur made it onboard and temporarily took the place of one of the crew. He was also smart enough to use a Crewman. I believe he had been keeping tabs on the repairs for quite some time prior to the incident. Which is how he would have known to subdue that particular Crewman that worked on that particular station. I contend that the saboteur was well trained in infiltration and subversion.

In summary, our saboteur was disguised as a Vulcan, well trained on specific engine systems for this class of ship, and skilled at infiltration and subversion.

Signed:
Chief Petty Officer Devon Harmon

Devon sat back and read what he had just finished. It looked well enough. He tapped in a few commands on the screen on his desk. The report was whisked away to the appropriate people. He glanced at the chronometer on the wall, 1856. It had been a long day and Devon Harmon was tired. He hadn’t even had anything to eat that evening. It was time to go to his quarters, get into something more comfortable, and relax. He might even replicate a steak.

[Davis]

OFF: This is a very slight back-post.
ON:
<USS Malinche, Outside Engineering, Day 1, 1645>

Devon was pleased with the information he had received so far in the investigation. He couldn’t wait to meet with Ensign Davis and then put together everything he had in a report. Hopefully, it would make the actual catching of the saboteur easier for the security team. Be they shipboard or back at Starbase 422…wherever the brave lunatic was hiding.

Tapping his commbadge, he said, “Chief Harmon to Ensign Davis.”

*Operations*

James was working on new shift reports when his badge went off. He needed to rest his already hurting brain from the investigation. "Davis here. Go ahead, Chief."

<Outside Engineering>

“I know it’s late in the afternoon, sir. But I’ve got a couple of quick follow-up questions regarding the incident and ensuing investigation. If you have time, I’d like to go over them with you and wrap this up as fast as possible.”

James liked the idea of getting the investigation done quickly. It meant more time to sleep. "I've got plenty time, Chief. You're not the only one who wants this investigation over and done with."

“I understand, sir. I promise it won’t take long. Where should I meet you?” asked Harmon.

"Don't worry about the time. I'm in my office over in Operations. I'll be here waiting for you," James said with a smile. He was already liking the new chief. He liked his enthusiasm and energy that he brought aboard.

<Outside Engineering>

“Yes sir, I’ll be there shortly. Harmon out.” About that time, his PADD beeped an incoming message. Chief Harmon had set the console in his office to forward any pertinent messages regarding the investigation to his PADD. He wanted to check it out before he met with Ensign Davis. There might just be something there.

It was from Doctor Setak regarding a Crewman that had come in with a sore neck. Devon scanned the message; Crewman Thomas (NPC), sore neck, Vulcan Nerve Pinch, and possible Vulcan. This certainly gave him more to go on when he sat down with Ensign Davis. Especially just coming away from Lieutenant N’rass’s interview.

He began formulating a few questions for the Ensign while en route to Operations.

<Operations>

Devon rang the door chime and waited.

"Door's open," James said as he stood to greet his visitor.

Devon walked on in and approached the Ensign’s desk. “Permission to have a seat, sir?” he asked, smiling.

James motioned to the chair. "Please, by all means." James sat down along with Devon and leaned slightly forward. "So, do we have any new information regarding the investigation?"

Right to the point, thought Devon. I like that. "Yes sir we sure do. And in that regard, I've got a few questions for you, sir." Devon sat back and crossed his legs, resting the PADD on his knee.

James sat back, remembering not to lean back too far in his chair. He liked Devon's composure and calmness. He knew he was going to enjoy working with him. "You have questions, I may have the answers. Fire away, Chief."

Devon smiled. He mentally tossed the series of questions that he had planned to ask Ensign Davis. Reason being, he now had new information regarding a crewmember. Harm couldn’t stand the thought of someone onboard being involved and he wanted to rule out Thomas (NPC) as quickly as possible. “Do you know a Crewman Thomas that works in Engineering?” asked Devon. “Around the warp drive, ODN, and Plasma propulsion consoles?”

James thought for a moment and remembered who Devon was talking about. "Yes, I know Thomas. We've met a couple times, he assisted me during the drive repairs when we first docked at the starbase after our last mission."

“Good. Then maybe you could help me out.” Devon paused as he made some notes. “Is he a hard worker? Did he show up on time to the repairs or was he late? Did he seem distracted at all?” Devon was trying to learn a little bit about the Crewman to see if he may have had any role to play in all of this.

"According to what I read on him and from what I've seen in the past, he's a very hard worker," James replied as he pulled up the crewman's bio on his computer. "He's never been late to a shift without a proper excuse and was on time to the repairs. As a matter of fact, he was already doing the repairs at the time I showed up. As for distractions, he didn't seem to be distracted by anything. He followed my orders to near perfection. Do you think he may have had something to due with our recent issue?"

Devon made some more notes. “That’s a good question, sir. In my opinion, I hope not. I’d hate to see any crewmember caught up in something like this.” He paused, wondering just how much to reveal. “Sickbay reported some suspicions when he came in with a sore neck and no memory of a certain period of time. I’m just trying to rule him out as a suspect who may have backed out of a plan.”

Harm continued. “Do you know him well enough to speak of him as a person? And do you feel he is harboring a grudge or anything against the Fleet or the Malinche?”

James rubbed the slightly painful knot on the back of his head. He's only known the recently injured crewman for a short time. "I'm afraid I couldn't tell you how he is a person, but I can say this," he replied. "When I spoke to him during our first encounter, he spoke highly of Starfleet and of the Malinche. His voice was firm and he didn't hold back on his words." James paused and thought back to the first day he met Thomas. The young man seemed to enjoy working for Starfleet and was really anxious and excited to work with the crew of the Malinche. "In my opinion, Devon if I may refer to you by your first name, I think we can rule out Thomas. Unless, you think that we should investigate a little more into his background. I only told you what I know."

Harm smiled. “Of course you may use my first name, sir. And I think you’re right, we can rule him out. From what you’ve just told me, he’s full of esprit de corps. A man who loves the Fleet, the ship, and his job that much…well, it’s hard for a young man like that to hide any ill-will. I don’t think we need to go much more into his background."

"I’ve got just a couple more questions, though, that are pretty standard. What part did you play in the repairs overall? And would you say that it could get pretty hectic at shift change during the repairs? I mean, between the Starbase repair teams and the Malinche repair teams crossing paths at those times, I’d imagine it could be crazy.”

James nodded in response to Devon's questions. "I helped out with the rebuilding of the warp drive's main core computers and the plasma propulsion console. My knowledge in computers helped aid with that as well. As for the shift changes, let me tell you, it can be anywhere from a smooth transition to complete and utter chaos. I've been up since yesterday so I was able to see the change first hand. As long as there is communication between the teams on what was done, what needs to be done, and whatever suggestions and ideas are given out, things should run smoothly. Any hostility among the teams could prove troublesome."

“Ah, okay.” Devon noted the Ensign’s response. “One more thing, sir, and then we’re finished. Do you have any thoughts you’d like to add regarding the investigation or the security breach?”

"My thoughts regarding this?" James chuckled as he let out a heavy sigh, "This investigation has been very interesting and very annoying at the same time. Whoever screwed up our systems needs to be disiplined to the highest extend of Federation law. I'm still looking to go to bed some time in the next year!" James lowered his head to his desk for a moment and then rose up. "I'm telling you, Devon, we need to get to the bottom of this and fast. Someone obviously doesn't want us going anywhere."

Devon uncrossed his legs and sat forward. “No worries there, sir. I’m on top of it,” he said in a calm, lowered voice. “I can tell you’re tired. Unless you have anything else for me, I’ll head out and you can go get some well deserved sleep.”

"I think we've covered the bases that needed to be covered at the moment," James replied. "As for me getting sleep, no chance in hell for that. I have to stay awake until this investigation is complete. The only way I'm going to sleep is if Captain Kersare tells me to go. Other than that, I think we are done here. Thank you for stopping by, Devon. If you could, please let in me in on any more information or intellegence regarding the breach. I'll be sure to do the same."

Devon chuckled as he stood to leave. “Will do, sir. If anything new crops up, I’ll let you know. I hope for all of our sakes, it’s over soon.” Devon left the Operations Chief’s office and headed out to locate Crewman Thomas for a quick face-to-face. As CoB, he felt it was his duty to make sure the Crewman was okay and to reassure him that everything was going to be alright. Plus, he wanted to get in a couple of questions to fill in some blanks.

This JP was brought to you by:

Chief Petty Officer Devon Harmon
Chief of the Boat & Master-at-Arms
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Davis]

OFF: Backpost

ON: <USS Malinche, Operations Department, Day 1, 1750>

After going over some last-minute paperwork and several cups of coffee, James made his way out of his office to take a final look at his department. His energy level was running low and he knew he needed to sleep soon before he could do any more work. The conversations with L'Randil and Devon still burned fresh in his mind and the investigation as a whole was taking a toll on his mental well-being. He hoped that the information he gave Devon would help. James knew that Crewman Thomas (NPC) would not have done anything to jeopardize the ship or the crew. But, it still bothered him on why someone would attack a crewmember and try to sabotage the ship. Whoever it was, he hoped that justice had it's way with the culprit.

"Mr. Nostra (NPC) and Ms. Sorenski (NPC), front and center please," James called out. When looking over the shift chart, he saw that these two members were of outstanding service and of near equal rank of himself with Nostra being an ensign himself and Sorenski being a warrant officer third class. Nostra, however, would have the slight advantage being an officer. When the two approached him, he spoke firmly to them. "I've decided to leave you two in charge for this shift. Make sure everyone is working hard, but working smart. This investigation has sort of shakened the department a little and my recent accident hasn't made things any better. No need to worry though, everything will be just fine. Any questions?"

Mara looked to be the only one worried about being in charge. "Sir, if I may ask, how long do you plan on being away? I have never be placed in charge before and I am worried that I may mess up and wind up having to call you back out."

James waved his hand and dismissed her statement. "Ms. Sorenski, I chose you and Mr. Nostra because of your work efforts and service records. You guys will be fine. I just need no less than eight hours of sleep so that I may return to my post refreshed and pain free. If you run into issues, you know how to reach me. I have no problems with that. Besides, this is my judgement call and I will take the blame if something chaotic were to happen. I do know one thing that if I do not get to bed soon, things will become chaotic. I have noticed that all of you have been watching me since my head injury. I will be fine. No worries."

James gave both crewmembers a smile of confidence and nod of trust. "You both are dismissed. Contact me for any information you may need or if any issues need to be resolved. Other than that, I'm out of here." James watched as the two returned to their posts after alerting the other members of the department of his departure. In his heart and mind, he knew those two had very bright futures ahead of them. He also knew that if he was to have any sort of bright future himself, he needed to get some sleep.

Barin Nostra ran over to the acting chief, concerned for his safety. "Sir, do you need any assistance back to your quarters? I can tell that you are very fatigued and I am concerned about you being able to make it there."

"No, Ensign," James replied with a smile. "I'll be fine. See you in eight hours." With that said, James left to head to his quarters for some much needed rest and relaxation.

OFF

All NPCs were played by:

[Kersare]

<<USS Malinche, Ready Room, Day 2, 1100>>

Isabel shook her head slightly after setting down the last of the PADDs regarding the shakedown and the sabotage, as if to clear the sheer mind numbing feeling from her head. Granted, it was part of her job and was important, but that didn't make it any more exciting. While some tried, it was difficult to make something like "all systems working properly" or "slight variance from optimal" sound interesting. Part of her - the technically minded engineer - liked reading about the technical aspect of things, but still.

She was saved from further speculation by the sound of the ready room doorchime. "Come in."

As the ready room doors slid apart, Britney (PNPC) stepped through and gave Isabel a brief smile as she moved towards the desk. "Good morning, Captain, you wanted to see me?"

Isabel nodded, "Yes, thank you for coming. Have a seat." After she'd gestured towards one of the chairs in front of her, Isabel waited for Britney to sit before continuing. "How has your time with Fira (NPC) been going? Are you enjoying helping out in the counseling department?"

"Oh, absolutely, ma'am! I do still enjoy helping you out as your yeoman, of course," Britney added quickly, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "But I do find the morale position to be very interesting. In some ways, what we did on Direidi could've been considered a form of morale booster, so it seems to be right up my alley."

Smiling, Isabel replied, "I'm glad to hear it. From what I understand you've been doing an excellent job there and they appreciate your help. Everything else going alright?" She didn't necessarily expect an overly detailed account, though if Britney gave one she wouldn't be surprised, but Isabel did realize that the young woman was in a relationship with one of the engineers, Caleb (NPC).

Picking up on what Isabel meant, Britney grinned, "Yes ma'am. Obviously the sabotage issues have kept Mr. Corrin rather busy, but we had a nice time on shoreleave. The Malinche is home now, but it's nice to visit other places and interact with other people at times." The couple had had a few dates on the starbase while the Malinche was docked, and had met another couple visiting the base as well. It had been a bit sad to say goodbye to them, but they could keep in touch if they wanted.

"I'm glad to hear that." Glancing over at a couple PADDs to her left, Isabel picked one up and activated it, scrolling through some of the information before sliding it across the desk to Britney. "Ms. Lyras, I'm calling a senior staff briefing for this afternoon in Conference Room 1. Well, senior staff plus a few others... The table only has ten chairs, but we'll have twelve people at the meeting. So, I'll need you to talk to someone in operations about acquiring an additional chair."

"Won't I need to get two extra chairs," Britney asked, her face showing some of her confusion.

Isabel shook her head, "No, just one extra. Ms. Dallas will be joining us - I assume you've met her since she's working in the Counseling department..."

"Oh, right, she has a hover chair. That makes sense now, Captain. And yes, I got introduced to her briefly, but I've not had a chance to really speak with her yet," Britney explained. "Will she be sitting at the table or off to the side, ma'am?"

"She's part of the senior staff, so make room for her at the table - the two other chairs can go along one of the walls." As far as Isabel could remember, she'd not really had a need for extra chairs at a staff meeting before....not that it was a bad thing, of course. She was also curious as to how many of the other staff had met Karyn. If they hadn't, they might be somewhat surprised at her being in a hover chair.

Nodding, Britney replied, "I'll take care of it. And I'll set up the room in the standard way for briefings, as usual. And I see you've noted the time on this PADD... Is there anything else I can do for you, ma'am?"

"Actually there is," Isabel said. "I signed off on these reports, if you could take care of them for me, I'd appreciate it. Other than that, I think we're in good shape." Or at least as good of shape as they could be in after being sabotaged and missing their chance to prevent the timeline from being altered. Hopefully they'd be able to rectify that soon, though. Another item on her mental list of things to figure out.

Britney stood, PADD in hand, in preparation to leave. Hearing Isabel's additional request, she said, "Of course, Captain. Let me get the extra chair and when I have that set up, I'll start distributing those reports as needed." With a smile and quick nod, she turned and headed out the door, going over what she needed to do in her mind.

Isabel leaned back as her yeoman left and she was surrounded by the near silence. Technically they were still on shakedown, so she would probably need to get back to the bridge finally to oversee a few last shakedown tests. Before that, though, she would likely need some mocha or something to help give her a bit more energy. It felt like she hadn't slept all that well, though she didn't specifically remember having difficulty sleeping. Standing, she headed for the replicator.

[Harmon]

<USS Malinche, Deck 7, Section Beta, Corridor, Day 1, 1905>

Petty Officer Benoit (PNPC) had just finished her duty and was headed to her quarters to change into her workout clothes. No martial arts tonight, just a straight-forward, regular workout. She rounded the corner and saw the jokester from earlier walking towards her. He was smiling.

As they got closer, he said, “Hey, we’ve got another game planned for later this week. You want to join in this time?”

Jeanne stopped and turned around. “I most certainly do not. You guys got caught by the Chief. That man has an uncanny way of showing up when something when something is amiss. And I’m not being in on it this time.”

“Uh…yeah…well…we’re not going to do it where we’re not supposed to,” he replied. “The Chief told us that if that was going to continue, we needed to use the holodeck. Actually, he required it.”

Now it was Jeanne’s turn to smile. “Of course he did. He didn’t get to be a Chief Petty Officer and a CoB for nothing, you know. Now if you’ll excuse me…” The two parted ways, the jokester to the Enlisted Mess and Jeanne to her quarters.

<Gym>

Jeanne had been running on the treadmill for about twenty minutes when another young lady got on the one beside her. Jeanne glanced over and smiled. She didn’t recognize her.

“How’s it going?” she asked Jeanne.

“Whew, not bad,” she huffed. “You?”

“Long day, normal repairs, and a stalking admirer. He’s really a nice guy, just sort of creepy.” She stepped up and input her warm-up program. “I’m Toni (NPC) by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. …I’m Jeanne.” Benoit changed her settings to the cool-down jog she used during the last ten minutes of her warm-up run. “So this creepy stalker has a thing for you?”

“Yeah,” replied Toni.

“And you enjoy that?” asked Jeanne.

“Well…while it’s nice to have an admirer, I don’t care for the creepy stalker part.” The guy was actually started to be a little scary, but Toni wasn’t quite ready to admit that part just yet.

“Then tell him to back off, you’re not interested in him,” said Jeanne. “If he doesn’t, talk to somebody that can do something about it. Maybe he’ll get reassigned to a different part of the ship.”

“That might work,” said Toni. “He’s not in Engineering. He comes around at mealtimes and I swear he knows my duty schedule.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Benoit.

“He always seems to pass me in the corridors at just the right times.” She turned to Jeanne. “It’s weird.”

“I’d say downright scary,” said Jeanne. “Tell you what, if it helps you any, I can teach you some basic defensive and offensive moves later?”

“You mean like martial arts? That would be great! I’d feel a lot better if I knew I could protect myself decently,” said Toni.

“Seriously, though,” added Jeanne, her cool-down cycle finished, “if you feel unsafe, you should report it to his supervisor and maybe even security.”

Toni nodded. “I’ll keep it in mind, Jeanne. Thanks. Oh, when do you want to get together for that self-defense training?”

“How about two days from now, nineteen hundred, holodeck three?” said Jeanne.

“I’ll be there,” said Toni. “Thanks again.”

Benoit nodded and stepped off the treadmill. She still had her sets to do; today was upper body toning. She decided to start with the three sets of lat pulldowns to work her upper back before moving onto the dumbbells and triceps pushdowns.

[Kersare]

ON:

<<USS Malinche, Conference Room 1, Day 2, 1350>>

After sending out the Senior Staff briefing notice about an hour ago, Isabel had gathered the relevant PADDs and gone straight to the Conference Room - not far from her Ready Room. Britney (PNPC) had already gathered an extra chair and placed it along the outer wall. Nine of the other chairs were in their normal spots, but one had been moved next to the extra one to allow room for Karyn's hover chair.

Sighing quietly, Isabel finally put down the last PADD, having finished skimming through it once again. She wanted to be prepared for the briefing and as she'd gone through the PADDs numerous times, she'd also had thoughts of the small device - tucked away in her quarters - on her mind. Though Devon had come up with good information, she still needed a plan to prevent the saboteur from completing his work when she used the device.

Isabel stood, going over to the replicator where she paused, considering what to order. "Chai tea, hot," she finally requested. It had been awhile since she'd had chai and Isabel hoped it would be soothing. Having just settled back into her seat, her attention turned to the doorway as she heard the door swish open.

Harm wasn’t one to be late for any kind of briefing, let alone one for the Senior Staff. To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late was something that his father had drilled into him many years ago. PADD in one hand and coffee cup in the other, he entered. The Captain was sitting in her usual spot at the head of the table. Harm nodded and smiled. “Afternoon, Ma’am.”

"Good afternoon, Chief," she said, returning the smile. She wasn't surprised that he was one of the first to arrive and had a feeling that he was most definitely prepared for the briefing, so she didn't bother asking.

Scanning the Conference Room, he found a seat near the end of the table, leaving room for the Senior officers near the Captain.

No sooner had the chief taken his seat than the doors slid open again and Aaron entered the room. He paused just inside the doorway, taking note of Captain Kersare, Chief Harmon, and Crewman Liras before making his way past Harmon to one of the available seats along that side of the table. The investigation and its relation to their current situation had been weighing on his mind ever since the chief had first approached him with the information and he hoped this briefing might help to bring the entire issue into better focus.

Nora absentmindedly adjusted the collar of her uniform as she entered the Conference Room. She hadn't completely grown used to wearing Command red just yet and still found herself occasionally toying with her new uniform. Giving Chief Harmon a warm smile as she walked past, the Betazoid took one of the available chairs beside the Captain. Eyeing both the stack of PADDs and the still-steaming mug set before Isabel, Nora commented half-jokingly, “You certainly look ready for business.”

Isabel chuckled quietly, "One of the secrets to having a command position; always look like you're ready for business. At least while you're on duty." When first given command, Isabel had made a point to simply always look ready for business, as Nora put it. She had avoided - to some extent - getting to know her crew so she wouldn't feel as close to them. A defense mechanism due to Derek's (NPC) supposed death. Over the years, though, Isabel had done her best to soften that stance, however.

L'Randil walked into the room in her limping but still quiet felinoid manner. She smiled and nodded to each in the room and found a seat toward the window to gather her thoughts. The current situation had her bothered and worried and it was apparent in her demeanor.

James made his way to the conference, half-awake after getting some well-needed sleep after being up for over a full twenty-four hours. Walking over to the replicator, he gave the captain a thumbs-up to let her know that he was okay after he injured his head in a fall earlier the day before. "Coffee, black, strong," James requested to the replicator. He figured a strong shot of coffee would wake him up. Settling down in a chair next to Devon, he took a sip of his drink and acknowledged everyone who was in the room.

Spencer Olaffson stumbled into the room awkwardly. "Damn Star Fleet carpets" he muttered under his breath. The Lieutenant was a recluse to many of the officers in the room, spending most of his time tucked away in his department pouring over Star Fleet Intelligence reports. He liked to keep a low profile, however low profiles are difficult to manage when you clumsily enter a room such as he just did. Spencer ignored the stares and raised eyebrows around the room. Spencer was retiring, in fact he should have already been retired, but the new Chief Intelligence Officer that was replacing him was held up, and did not make it before the Malinche had to leave on this shake-down. This delay in retirement had made the Lieutenant a bit more irritable than usual. He took an empty seat at the conference table, and pretended to study the PADD he had brought with him, to discourage anyone from talking with him.

Setak had known that as a member of the Malinche's senior crew he would eventually be called to participate as such but as he strode into the briefing room he suddenly felt ill prepared. He knew his role well enough and had prepared a brief presentation of the data he had collected should it be requested but that wasn't the problem; unlike the others in the room who had earned their ranks and titles through service to Starfleet, he had not. No matter what anyone said or what courtesy they afforded the Vulcan the fact remained that he was an outsider and would remain set apart from the rest until such time that he too was able to earn the uniform that weighed on his shoulders like a sack of bricks.

"Captain," Setak spoke plainly with a slight nod. He would ignore the doubts he felt as best he could and try to refrain from presupposing that the others viewed him in the same light as he had come to view himself.

As Setak spoke to her, Isabel watched him quietly, giving a slight nod in return. She hoped that he was feeling more settled, but realistically he probably wouldn't begin to feel comfortable til he'd had a mission or two in, at the least. For now, he seemed composed enough and certainly capable of performing his duties.

The soft hum of her hoverchair preceded Karyn Dallas just slightly before the red-haired counselor made her appearance. Though she had grown accustomed to traveling to various ships and posts to serve in temporary billets, she'd never quite gotten used to the intial moments after she arrived when she could tell people were sizing her up.

More awkward still was a moment like this, when an entire senior staff full of relative strangers had their eyes upon her, likely wondering who she was and what she had done to earn a space at the table.

So it was with great surprise and gratitude that she discovered... an actual space at the table, obviously cleared in advance of her arrival. It would likely seem an insignificant gesture to most, but to Karyn, it spoke volumes. Placing a hand over her heart in obvious appreciation, Dallas looked around the room to find the person or persons responsible. "Thank you very much for making a girl feel welcome." Even people aware of her position weren't always mindful of the little things.

L'Randil smiled subtly at her reaction having known what it is to deal with a disability, albeit temporary in her own case.

As the last of the Senior Staff arrived and found a place to sit, Isabel glanced around at them before beginning, "Good afternoon everyone. I'll just get right to the point... As you are all aware, two days ago while attempting to leave on a shakedown, we were forced to cancel those plans when we discovered issues with our systems. Yesterday I asked Chief Harmon to begin an investigation to ascertain what happened and he was able to give me a report about his findings, which he'll be sharing with us. Chief Harmon?"

Devon noted the reactions around the room and watched as a few chairs swiveled to face him. He picked up the PADD that had been laying on the table in front of him. Mostly for reference more than anything. He began, “A saboteur got onboard the Malinche during the repairs at Starbase 422. Now, I don’t believe he’s still on the ship. So no worries there.” Having to explain his ‘gut’ was not something he looked forward to. So he filled it in with, “From what I’ve been able find out, it was an in and out mission.”

Taking a deep breath, he went on. “Our saboteur was someone who was skilled at infiltration and subversion, well trained on specific engine systems, and disguised as a Vulcan.” Chief Harmon put the PADD down. “This guy was better than good. But not so slick that he didn’t mess up something big. Not properly executing a Vulcan Nerve Pinch,” he nodded toward Dr. Setak, “thanks for the forwarded medical results Doc, is something big. Out of all the Vulcans I know, none of them would mess up something as simple to them as a Nerve Pinch. This individual was wanting us to think he was a Vulcan. That, and the fact that he subdued a Crewman that was half Vulcan.” Chief Harmon didn’t want to get into all of the details right now. He wanted to leave some room for open discussion. Of course, the Captain, First Officer, and Security/Tactical Chief had gotten the specifics in their reports.

"I'm wondering, Chief," James said after listening to Devon's statements. "Why would someone want to sabotage the ship and how in the world did this person manage to get aboard without raising suspicion?" James had only one logical explanation on how the saboteur got aboard and that was he or she had to be dressed as one of the starbase's repair team.

Harm looked at Davis. “As far as the personal ‘why,’ I don’t know. But the practical ‘why’ is a different story. According to Lieutenant N’rass, the drive software for the conduit network had been altered and the individual would need knowledge of the ODN and Plasma propulsion systems specifically. I’m no Engineer, but it sounds like he was trying to slow us down or stop us. For what reason, again, I don’t know.”

Harm paused to take a breath. “He got aboard by doing what infiltrators do best, watch and wait. I believe he had been observing the repairs for quite some time prior to the incident. Maybe disguised as one of the Starbase repair team members. Which is how he would have known to subdue that particular Crewman that worked on that particular station. Since he would’ve been moving in and out for quite a while, no one probably would’ve noticed. Especially at shift change. Which is when I believe the sabotage happened. The commotion would have provided a perfect cover for him to slip in unnoticed, subdue Crewman Thomas, do his deed, and slip out.”

The Chief looked towards Lieutenant Masterson, hoping to see some sign that he could be on the right track. But also to defer to his boss for anything that he could add.

"I've had a chance to read over the chief's findings and I'm afraid I must concur with his conclusion," Aaron said. He had been listening to Harmon's presentation and observing the reactions of those seated around the table. The looks of surprise or confusion he was seeing did not help him to feel any better about having allowed this to happen right under his nose, but that was not a matter which he could attend to at the moment. "We've already done a thorough sweep of the ship and confirmed our saboteur is no longer aboard," he continued, "which makes it even more likely the individual got in as part of the station repair teams."

Isabel listened quietly for the time being; she had already read the report and wanted to see if her staff brought up anything that could be useful. While she did have a specific question she wanted to pose to them, that would wait for the moment. It was good to hear, however, that the saboteur was no longer aboard. It wasn't so much surprising, as he had accomplished his task of delaying the Malinche from leaving to prevent her and the crew from intervening in preserving the timeline...unfortunately that was something she couldn't share with the others.

"I'm wondering who would benefit from preventing our departure and in what way?" Karyn asked. "Please understand I mean no disrespect by asking this, but do any of you have enemies who might stoop to this?"

"Besides my ex wife?" pipped up Spencer. He wasn't the type to introduce humor to a situation, and once again he had called attention to himself. "Uh, actually, Star Fleet Intelligence has noted an increase in reported sabotage over the last 6 months. The most serious if which required the USS Osiris to eject a warp core, and several people were injured in the process. I believe this is just a part of that trend, and unfortunately we don't have a lot of data to determine who is behind this yet. Unless any of you have reason to believe the motives behind this are more personal..."

Devon thought for a moment and shook his head. He didn’t know of anyone from his past that might stoop to this level. None of them would be this brave anyway…sabotaging a Starfleet ship in dock. “That’s a negative on my end, Counselor,” he said.

"I know I don't have any enemies," James replied after Devon gave his answer. "If I did, I wouldn't think that they would be ignorant enough to attempt something of this magnitude."

Karyn offered a wry grin upon hearing Spencer's comment. "All kidding aside, while I understand the magnitude of what's happened, and the complex skill needed to pull it off, I wouldn't rule out someone with a personal grudge who has the right connections. The grudge doesn't even have to stem from an actual slight. Someone with a troubled enough mind can conjure up a perceived slight just as easily."

Perhaps it was her training or just her past experiences talking, but Karyn had dealt with enough troubled souls to know when properly motivated, a single individual could wreak a lot of havoc.

Setak had listened to the briefing and the other officer's points carefully, studying their reasoning as much as the information they had to reveal. Sabotage seemed to be a rarity in Starfleet and the event had apparently evoked a sense of outrage in most of his shipmates; not an unreasonable reaction he thought, especially among a people who felt so secure in their place in the universe.

"I am no expert," Setak began slowly. "But it seems to me that the Chief is correct about the saboteur being an expert in his or her field. It stands to reason that such an expert in infiltration would not undertake a mission such as this without a very specific target in mind and for a very specific purpose. I doubt that their actions had anything to do with any one person but rather the Malinche in general, the question in my mind is; why disable the ship only temporarily and not destroy it outright? Or the Starbase as a whole for that matter..."

"Perhaps to buy time so he or she can attend to the real goal?" Karyn speculated.

"What might that goal be if we did not have a conflict elsewhere in the fleet or a distress call?" L'Randil asked with a minor flick of her tail behind her.

Having observed the discussion silently so far, Nora ventured to voice her own opinions. “I’m prone to agree that the saboteur’s target was the Malinche itself, and for a very specific purpose, as Setak said. And if their intention was only to slow us down, I can’t help but think that this must be related to the Malinche’s new orders to move out from the starbase. It seems possible that the saboteur had some information regarding our new assignment and acted to keep us from arriving in a timelier manner for his or her gain.”

The Betazoid certainly didn’t like those implications, but it was one of the only things that seemed plausible in her mind. The saboteur, acting either for themselves or for some larger group or organization, was either too inept to finish the job properly, which at this point seemed unlikely, or only wanted to temporarily disable the Malinche, possibly to waylay the ship and its crew from offering assistance in some impending, Starfleet-authorized endeavor.

"That could be a plausible explanation," Isabel said slowly as she poured over the idea in her mind. Of course, she knew it to be true, but not quite in the same way - or so she assumed. Still, it was a credible idea, even if she didn't know the truth. "I was not made aware of our next assignment, but if they only wanted to delay us, as seems to be the case, they certainly succeeded." Isabel also wasn't aware of any other ships that had left the base after the sabotage, so apparently nobody else had been sent in their place.

As the discussion was dying down, Isabel glanced at the PADD she'd brought before speaking up, "As I'm sure you can understand, both Starbase 422 command personnel as well as Horizon Fleet and StarFleet are uneasy considering a Federation vessel was sabotaged while at one of our own bases. Since we have a pretty good picture of what happened, they'd like to know what our recommendations are for helping to prevent something like this from occurring in the future...Any suggestions?" While they were interested, Isabel also wanted some feedback on what she and the crew could do to stop the sabotage - information she'd need once she used the device.

James thought for a moment and could only come up with one solution. "I might have an idea on how to prevent something like this from happening again," he said as he turned to face the captain. "What about adding extra security for when the Starbase repair teams come aboard? It could be members from the ship's security team or from the Starbase's to help keep an eye on things while the repairs are being made. It may or may not work, but it was something I thought could be a good possibility."

Aaron felt a part of himself bristle slightly at the mention of adding more security. The operations chief was just trying to contribute ideas to help improve the situation, but that didn’t mean Aaron didn’t feel as if the security measures he already had in place were being questioned. “There are already several layers of security in place regarding who has access to the ship while in dock and to what areas of the ship,” he said slowly, “I’ll look into it, but I really don’t feel like we could add much more on a regular basis without it becoming a hindrance to our own personnel.”

Setak knew well that all the security in the fleet could not stop a lone saboteur with a singular purpose, a lesson that the Alliance of the mirror universe learned almost daily but the Doctor had no solution of his own to present. It might be possible to stop infiltrators if all Federation citizens were tracked and monitored with biometric devices but such tactics would undoubtedly be shunned by a free society. Intelligence services could stop most of those with ill intent from ever getting close enough to strike but the danger would never be fully abolished.

Devon shifted in his seat after Aaron had finished his comment. Additional hours…he could think of a few Petty Officers who would cringe at the thought. But if it really came down to that, he would have to make sure that there was some kind of remuneration. Maybe a theme party of sorts in the Lounge or holodeck, with the Captain’s permission of course. He picked up his PADD a note of that. It might be a fun morale booster for sometime down the road. Anyway, the Lieutenant didn’t seem to impressed with the idea. So, he might not have to worry about it after all.

Listening to the few responses to her question, Isabel frowned slightly as she considered the one option that had been offered thus far. "That could be a short term solution, but I'm not sure that it's a viable long term solution...and as Lieutenant JG Masterson pointed out, it could be a hindrance. What about either extra security steps before changes can be made to important systems or some other kind of detection system?"

“If I understand correctly,” Nora began, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she spoke, “our saboteur struck when there was only one Malinche crewman in the nearby area. When we have additional crewmen aboard our ship, particularly for repairs, perhaps we could implement a new policy where none of our crewmembers is ever left alone with any of the visitors. I’m not suggesting that we overwork our own men and women, security or otherwise, at these times. However, it could be as simple a matter as arranging the duty roster at those times so that shifts overlap enough to ensure that there is always enough supervision from our own crewmembers when outside repair teams are brought onboard.”

Conveniently enough, as first officer, Nora was now in charge of assembling the duty roster herself, and she felt fairly confident that she could come up with a temporary roster for those occasions that wouldn’t overwork anyone unnecessarily. She knew that it wasn’t a solution in and of itself, but she did believe that such a policy could make it more difficult for a lone saboteur to gain access to any of the Malinche’s crucial systems, as seemed to be the case here.

"It would certainly help to limit how much might slip through the cracks," Aaron said as he pondered the former counselor's proposal, "and I don't think it would put that much of a strain on our personnel if it was distributed across every department so that everyone was putting in only a little more time."

"I like that idea better," James replied as he shifted in his seat. He could sense that Aaron was a little uncomfortable with the idea of adding more security. James was only trying to help where he could even though security wasn't his line of expertise.

Isabel nodded, "That would likely help. I can certainly suggest that to StarFleet command. Anything else?" The idea would help, though it never hurt to have multiple ideas to try. If worse came to worse, she could be a bit more direct in her approach when the time came as well, just to be sure - particularly if the situation was as dire as the Temporal Agent implied.

Hearing no other replies, Isabel stood and said, "I appreciate the hard work and recommendations that you've come up with. I'll finish up the official report and pass it on to StarFleet and the Starbase 422 Commanding Officer. I'm sure all of you have some things to finish up with before we arrive back at the base from our shakedown later today, so I'll leave you to it. Dismissed."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Chief Petty Officer Devon Harmon
Chief of the Boat & Master-at-Arms
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Karyn Dallas
Acting Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Ensign James Davis
Acting Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant JG L'Randil N'rass
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Provisional Lieutenant Setak
Chief Medical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Spencer Olaffson (NPC)
Chief Intellligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by: Lt JG Drexel

and

Lieutenant JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Commander Nora Zeral
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Davis]

OFF: Backpost
ON:

<USS Malinche, Operations Department, Day 2, 0215>

After a full eight hours rest, James returned to his duties refreshed and fully recovered from his concussion that he suffered the day before. He took a look around and saw that everyone was busy except for one officer. That officer was Warrant Officer Third Class Mara Sorenski (NPC). From his point of view, she looked ill and was struggling to keep herself composed. Frowning and with a worried look, James approached the quartermaster. "Ms. Sorenski, are you feeling okay?"

Mara turned and looked at her superior with a solemn look. She had developed stomach pains after her last break. She was thinking it was something she ate, but decided to fight through it instead of reporting it to Ensign Barin Nostra (NPC). "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't think it was going to be an issue so I continued working. Please, it's probably nothing more than a bad case of indigestion."

"Indigestion or not, you should have told someone that you were feeling sick and have gone straight to sickbay," James said sternly. He was annoyed with the fact that she could have endangered herself or others. "You may have a stomach virus and could have affected those around you. Hell, if that's what you have, this whole department would be getting what you have." James scanned her face for the noticeable signs of a virus. Her skin color wasn't pale and her eyes were not red or teared up. He then took the risk of sickness and felt her forehead. "You're lucky, Ms. Sorenski. You're not running a fever. But, I can't allow you to continue working. Report to Sickbay immediately, get looked at, and don't return until you are well."

"Yes, sir," Mara replied shakily. She knew what she did was wrong. She became afraid that he would report her for her negligence. "I'm sorry if I messed up for not doing the right thing."

James couldn't help but smile. He was always good for letting things go every once in a while. "I accept your apology. Just don't let it happen again. Now, go get check out. Report to me with the doctor's orders and we'll take it from there. Dismissed." James watched as Mara left to tend to her issue. He smiled once more as he turned his attention the other officer he place in control. "Mr. Nostra, report to my office please."

<Operations Office>

The acting chief motioned to the chair in front of his desk as the young ensign enter the room. "Status report, Ensign. Anything happen while I was away?" He was going to ask Mara the same question, but he needed her off duty before she got worse.

"Besides Warrent Officer Sorenski falling ill, everything has been operational since your departure. I did, however, find a small issue regarding one of the holodecks. There is absolutely no power going to it. Was there an reallocation of power that we may have done recently? I found it quite strange and could not find any record of any kind of work done to the holodeck," Barin replied. It was troubling him since he found the issue.

When he woke up, James remembered why he removed all the power from the holodeck. "There was a short somewhere in the main power supply. I forgot to alert Engineering about it when this whole investigation got started. No need to worry, I'll get right on it," James said with a smile. "Is there anything else to report, Ensign? If not, you are also dismissed. You've done well, good sir. I might talk with the captain and see if I can make you my assistant. Sound good?"

Barin's eyes widened and a small smile crept across his face. "That sounds wonderful, sir. Thank you." With a slight nod, he stood up and turned to leave. "By the way, sir. How are you feeling since you had your injury?"

"Never felt better, Ensign. Doctor Setak told me to go rest and the rest did me good. I'm staying cautious though. I can't afford another one," James replied. His head may not hurt anymore, but another head injury could be more dangerous. "I should be good. Now, off with you. I have things to take care of."

OFF

All NPCs played by:

[Kersare]

<<USS Malinche, Isabel's Quarters, Day 2, 1730>>

After the briefing, Isabel had taken the time to follow up on a few of the ideas her staff had come up with and did a little research on security programs. Once she used the device, they'd have little time to implement things before the saboteur came aboard - at least if all their theories were correct. Then again, there was a chance that some of the timing they'd come up with was off and the sabotage actually occurred closer to their departure. Regardless, she wanted to be prepared.

Isabel's eyes moved down to the small device sitting in her palm. So much rested on the device and the abilities of her crew. Or at least, that's what she had been led to believe. They'd been able to make a difference before, and - especially with the additional information she'd been given - there was no reason to think that they couldn't do so now. Regardless, the next step was up to her.

She'd looked at the device enough to know that it had a few small buttons as well as a display screen. With the tip of her fingernail, Isabel pressed one of the buttons closest to the display. The screen suddenly lit up and blinked twice with the current stardate. To the right of the display two buttons now blinked slowly, apparently awaiting her touch. Pressing the bottom one, Isabel watched as the stardate decreased, slowly at first, but then faster. As it neared the time she wanted, she let go of the button. The display blinked slower now and the first button she had pressed was glowing a faint blue. At least it wasn't too difficult to figure out.

Feeling slightly nervous, she pressed the blue button and closed her eyes as the device emitted a blinding glow...

<Isabel's Quarters, Day -1 Revised Timeline, 1730>

Isabel blinked slowly before fully opening her eyes. She was still in her quarters and she didn't feel different...her eyes slowly surveyed the room. The pile of PADDs on her desk was slightly bigger than it had been only moments before. Or at least it had seemed like moments, but if the device had worked, that wouldn't be the case. Frowning slightly, she realized she no longer had the device and quickly pulled up her console. It was exactly three days ago.

There would be some time for preparations, but not a whole lot. They would have to work quickly.

Tapping her comm badge, Isabel said, "Kersare to Zeral; meet me in my quarters as soon as possible...Kersare out." She didn't wait for a reply, instead moving quickly to her next task. She brought up a message window on her console and started typing.

=========================================
To: Lieutenant Commander Todd Peters, Lieutenant JG L'Randil N'rass, Ensign James Davis
Subject: Program Security

Lieutenant Commander Peters, Lieutenant JG N'rass, and Ensign Davis,

Due to some new information I've received regarding our next mission, I would like you to work on some additional security steps we could take to better safeguard our systems. I'll leave the specifics up to you to work out, but at this point my suggestions would be to add additional authentication steps and/or have the system send you an alert when changes have been made to critical areas of our systems.

Limit the amount of additional personnel who know about any changes you make, particularly if you use something along the lines of my second suggestion.

These need to be implemented as soon as possible. See attached information for some research I've already done on the ideas.

Regards,

Captain Isabel Kersare
=========================================

After skimming the message quickly, Isabel went ahead and sent it. She knew they had already been working hard, despite the fact that they had been on shoreleave, but she didn't have much of a choice. There were too many things to do and she had to delegate. Hopefully her suggestions and research would at least minimize the amount of extra time it would take for them.

As she waited for Nora to arrive, Isabel pulled out a PADD to jot down the information she'd learned in the past day. Of course, technically speaking that day hadn't occurred yet in this new version of the timeline that she had created by using the device... She shook her head slightly, as if to clear the confusion of time travel from her mind. At least once they got to where they needed to be, they'd all be trying to keep the timeline straight. Perhaps it would be easier if all of them had to rather than just her. Regardless, there were a few things she needed to fix before that time came...

OFF: Tag Peters & Davis (N'rass is LOA), Zeral, & rest of the crew. Keep in mind that anything you posted in this mission has now (essentially) been erased since Isabel went back in time. For any posts that take place in this timeline, please mark them as "Day X Revised Timeline". If you have any questions, please ask.

[Drexel]

<<Starbase 422, Concourse, Day -1 Revised Timeline, 1735>>

Arron stepped onto the concourse of Star Base 422. "Last chance, buddy. We can hop back in that shuttle and go back to the Washington," came a voice behind him.

Arron turned and grinned at his friend, Ryan Stone (NPC), "The only reason you say that is because you know your basketball team is going to get their asses kicked by the Engineering department next week, and you want me on your team."

Stone stepped out of the docking bay and rolled his eyes back to Arron, "Get real man, I'm literally shocked your jump shot didn't knock us off course once or twice."

Arron shouldered his duffel bag and frowned. "That doesn't even make sense Ryan. Quit trying to be funny"

"You know you will miss my sense of humor" Stone said as they began walking through the promenade.

"Your sense of humor is the reason I put in for a transfer" Arron said. "Now, THAT is funny." Arron looked over at Stone, surprised he wasn't laughing. Stone however had stopped walking.

"What's up?" Arron asked.

"Look! They have a bar!"

Arron was taken back by the comment. "Seriously? When was the last time you had shore leave man?"

"I dunno, but I guarantee they serve something stronger than synthehol." Stone said setting off in that direction.

Arron sighed, "I've got to report for duty in a few hours, I still need to get cleaned up and get into my uniform. I can't go drinking right now..."

Stone spun around to face Arron. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with Arron Drexel? We haven't gone drinking together since we were at the Academy! And no one partied harder than you did!"

"That was a long time ago, and it's not that I don't find the idea appealing, but I don't really want report for duty plastered on my first day."

"Yeah," said Stone looking dejected. "I guess I can see your point."

Arron looked from his friend, back to the bar and sighed again. "You know what, this might be our last time seeing each other for awhile...that deserves at least one drink."

Stones face brightened. "Now we're talking!"

The pair of them resumed walking, now heading towards the bar. It was a cozy enough atmosphere, the lighting was dimmer than out on the promenade, and it was full of different species, talking, laughing, drinking, having an all around good time. Arron looked around for an empty bar stool, booth, or table, but the place seemed fairly crowded.

"There!" said Stone.

A pair of Ferengi had just gotten up from a table. Stone and Drexel pulled up next to their table nodding to them as they passed. A server appeared seemingly out of nowhere to collect the empty drinks, and wipe down the table as Stone and Drexel took seats opposite each other.

"What are you drinking boys?" asked the waitress, a female human with entirely too much makeup on.

"Uh..." stammered Stone who had made the same observation "It's been awhile..."

"We'll have two shots of Antaran Whiskey" said Drexel, coming to his friends aid.

"Sure thing boys, be right back" the server said with a smile that made Arron's stomach churn.

"Wow. I found her makeup...distracting." Stone said. "And it wasn't in a good way" he added.

Arron laughed. "Yeah, she is certainly someone my Mother would have called, 'A Sweet Spirit'.

"How is your mom?" asked Ryan.

"Good. With Andrew getting ready to leave for the Academy, I'm sure she is being driven crazy by my Dad. Can't imagine them being empty-nesters..."

"Yeah..." said Stone. "I miss her cooking. Been awhile since I've had a home cooked meal" he added

"Yeah she certainly nailed the cooking didn't she..." Arron agreed.

The waitress returned sliding a pair of half filled tumblers on the table. "Enjoy. Let me know if you need anything else!" she said before disappearing to another table.

Arron raised his glass. "To the Washington, may you guys carry on valiantly without me!"

The men downed their drinks. Arron grimaced as the fiery liquid went down his throat.
"Good God! I need another one of these!" Stone said signaling to the waitress.

"Count me out" Drexel said. "That tasted like warp engine coolant."


OFF: A JP by

Lieutenant Ryan Stone
Assistant Chief Security Officer
USS Washington NCC-10885
(NPC)

played by

[Dallas]

OFF: Apologies for the back post. Since Roen's player is away, I thought it best to post this now.

Note from Kersare: Post's Day revised from Day 3 to Day 2 (Non-revised timeline) as we never got to Day 3. If this was meant to go with the revised timeline, we can change it back, otherwise keep in mind that in the revised timeline this wouldn't have happened.

***
ON:

<<USS Malinche, Counselor's office, Day 2, 0900 >>

Roen walked through the ship's corridor leading to the counselor's office in her typically brisk manner. This was the first time meeting Ms Dallas, however and she had her apprehension about it. The high strung shuttle bay manager did not like opening up to new people.

She sighed, then pressed the door button and waited.

"Come," called Karyn, the doors opening upon recognition of her voice command. She immediately recognized the shuttle bay manager from her review of personnell files based on her scheduled appointments that day, but the computer had failed to note whether this was to be a regular eval or a counseling session requested by Roen herself.

"Hello," Karyn offered with a warm smile as she came around the desk in her hoverchair. "I'm Karyn. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."

"Alright." the bajoran woman said with a little uncertainty. The normally reserved warrant officer was trying to hide her tension as she looked the new counselor over. "I am Chief Roen, as you probably know. I will say up front that it is hard for me to open up about this sort of stuff."

Karyn nodded. "I'm just impressed you're willing to try. It can't be easy with a brand new therapist. Take your time. I'll completely understand if there are things you're not ready to share with me. I can assure you, I'm here for a long time to come."

Roen settled into the seat behind her, still straight backed and hands crossed in front of her. "My life is complicated, moreso now than ever." The note of annoyance was apparent, not at Karyn but at her own story. "It feels like everything I knew about my family history is wrong now."

"How do you mean?" Karyn asked gently.

"Well..." Anara sighed, looking around. "For as long as I can remember I viewed my brother as a war hero. He was a pilot in the Maquis against the Cardassians. He was declared MIA around the time I was born, so all I heard was how good and honorable he was in service to the cause."

"That must have been a heavy act to follow," Dallas replied.

"I followed his lead almost out of duty. From joining the Militia Air-Corps to being a fighter pilot. There were a lot of us there in the same scenario like that. The problem is after decades of hearing how good he was, now I wonder how much I need to re-evaluate it."

"Did something in particular happen to make you question what you knew of him?"

Anara nodded and paused for a moment. "Yes." She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs the other way. "I met him recently. Well, a version of him."

"I don't follow," Dallas replied.

"I met his Mirror Universe counterpart and he was the most tangible link to the brother I had that I could have known. What is even more despicable is he is the officer that executed my real brother, just with the purpose of impersonating him. I had to aid in differentiating his identity and it was not easy."

"I imagine not," Karyn agreed. She paused, then offered, "My understanding of mirror universe personalities, however, is that while they share some similarities with what one would consider the current timeline personality, the mirror personalities tend to be exaggerated or in many cases the antithesis of what we know. Your brother's double may be the complete opposite of the person you thought you knew, but that doesn't mean your family's version is inaccurate."

"Perhaps." Anara shifted. "I would like to think so. The issue I suppose is that he allowed himself to be used in a Cardassian covert op into the Mirror, or at least that was the alleged story." The pilot sighed. "It all sounds so naive now to think of how pure I was always told. They led me to believe he would have committed suicide or sabotaged the mission rather than help them like that." The disappointment was evident in her voice and eyes.

"And I'm sure if you asked them today, they might still believe that," Karyn offered gently, "and they wouldn't necessarily be wrong. People aren't like computers. People come with their own experiences, morals, and emotions. When they take in new information, it's natural for them to try and make sense of it using what they already think they know or believe to be right. Your family saw your brother as a heroic figure, and perhaps he really was, but even heroes have their vulnerabilities. Maybe there were plenty of those to see, but your family just saw the heroic stuff."

The bajoran contained her emotion enough to respond. "Part of me wanted to believe it was him in the cell, story or not. This level of emotion is so...embarrassing."

"Why?" Karyn inquired evenly.

Roen shifted in her seat and crossed her arms. "Because it... is weakness. A combat pilot cannot be consumed by this kind of emotional situation. It... it's just unacceptable." The wall inside her mind was beginning to wear down but she was still clinging to it, almost afraid of what might be said next.

"You aren't flying right now," Karyn pointed out, "and you've reached out for an opportunity to release your emotions at a time when your duties aren't being compromised. I see that as a sign of strength, not weakness."

OFF: TBC

_________________

Warrant Officer Second Class Roen Anara (PNPC)
Shuttlebay Manager
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by: Lieutenant JG N'rass

and