USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

<<Ready Room, Day 4, 0900>>

A steaming mug of mocha sat on Isabel's desk as her dark eyes stared off into space, her thoughts wandering. Derek (PNPC) hadn't woken her when he left for his shift and she had ended up uncharacteristically sleeping in. She'd actually only arrived in her Ready Room a short while ago. Honestly, she hadn't been sleeping well since Janor's (NPC) murder. True, others had died on her ship or while on missions for the Mali, but they had known the risks when they joined StarFleet. It wasn't that that made their deaths any less painful, but they had already accepted the risk.

Janor, on the other hand, was a young doctor in his prime. As far as StarFleet was concerned, he was a civilian. To have someone killed who was supposed to be under her care, in a manner of speaking, was unnerving. Unnerving, horrifc, and, quite frankly, embarrassing. The Malinche already had a reputation of sorts...Isabel took on quite a few odd or supposedly unfit officers and ended up with...unique missions. She had a difficult time thinking of another contemporary who had lost a civilian on their ship. It weighed on her.

She came back to the present, suddenly remembering her mocha. Slowly her fingers wrapped around the handle and picked up the mug, wrapping both hands around it to hold its warmth close. Isabel took a deep breath to relax herself before sipping at the mocha. The comforting warmth of it flowed through her.

From what Derek and Aaron had told her, it sounded like Security and Intelligence would be interviewing Doctors Azek and Brun a bit later that morning. She was hoping that with those discussions would come some answers...or at least information that would point them in a direction. Engineering was still working on the hacking issue and Isabel couldn't help but wonder how significant it was.

Beyond that, she also wanted to check in with Nora. The Executive Officer had been spending the most amount of time with Gel (NPC) and Darius (NPC) compared to the others on the ship. Isabel wanted to know how they were doing and what insights Nora had.

So much to do and they really needed to find out the truth before their arrival on Betazed. It was a daunting task.

ON:

<<Alister’s Office Day 3 1835>>

Alister stood up and moved the globe that sat silently in the corner of his office, it showed ancient Earth in the style of the 16th Century complete with artist representation of sea monsters is the middle of the oceans. He traced his fingers on the raised bumps that represented the Alps before lifting the top half of the globe on an artfully concealed hinge. The inside top of the globe bore the representation of the heavens and on the bottom rested three bottles covered with a thin layer of dust. Picking up on and wiping the dust away, Alister pulled out the stopper and poured a measure of the bourbon into a crystal glass. He closed his eyes as he took a sip of the special reserve he kept hidden away for special occasions, or days like today where he wanted something refined and elegant.

The day had started out with good news as they finally had identified the poison used, but events had went downhill as evidence of the main computer being hacked had turned up. Finally he had traded perhaps one of the greatest Intelligence coups of the modern era to keep a line of inquiry silent and hopefully useable information to keep Intelligence Command off his back or at least not blowing up his ear drums when they found out. Oh he trusted the Major to keep the help she had received silent, possibly even to her own government if she could manage it.

He took another sip of his drink and looked up at the ceiling as he replayed today’s events through his mind analyzing all that had happened and any areas he needed to follow up on. Tomorrow he would have to bring Brun in for questioning, maybe get Roen to conduct the questioning of Azek; he might open up more to her, and he could send one of his people to take notes. Brun however might act badly to the presence of a Roen, especially considering the gaps in his history around Bajor. Alister sighed and swivelled his seat around to look out the window as the Malinche cruised toward Betazed and its destination. Tomorrow would bring new challenges and more opportunities to finally get out from behind the eight ball, but for now he was content to sit and watch the stars while mind slowly relaxed from the day’s work.

OFF:

To give you an idea of what Alister means by a globe bar. http://barglobeworld.com/italian-style- ... -globe-bar

ON:
<<Interrogation Room, Day 4, 1005>>

After getting Linara caught up on the current situation, Sirak (NPC) had sent a request to the officers guarding Dr. Azek asking them to escort him to the Interrogation Room in the Brig. Truthfully the "interrogation room" was more like a small office than what most would consider an interrogation room, but it suited their purpose. A small table occupied the center of the room, with two chairs on either side. It had a basic replicator as well as a security console, both of which were locked down.

When the doctor and his security escort arrived, the Vulcan nodded an acknowledgment to the officers, "Thank you. Please wait outside; I need to speak with the doctor." Glancing over at the Bajoran, Sirak said, "Doctor, please come inside."

Ren smiled at her, "Of course, Lieutenant." It would be nice to have a break from the security officers' watchful eyes, though in this case it seemed he was simply swapping out the two who had been assigned to him for someone else who wanted to question him. He moved forward, stepping inside, and made his way to the table.

Sirak moved past the Bajoran and pulled out a chair facing the door. Gesturing towards the chairs on the other side of the table, she said, "Have a seat, Dr. Azek." She had hoped that Linara would have been able to attend the interrogation, but the Assistant Chief was looking into some of the other aspects of the investigation.

With a slight nod, Ren made himself as comfortable as one could, given the circumstances. He wasn’t a particularly romantic or optimistic man. They hadn’t called him here for a nice chat over replicated drinks, not with Dr. Keel’s death hanging over them all.

"I will get right to the point, doctor," Sirak said calmly. "As our investigation has continued, we no longer feel that Doctor Keel's death was an accident, nor do we feel he was the intended target." Normally she might not have divulged the information right away, but time was of the essence and she wanted to see what kind of reaction the Bajoran had to it.

Ren exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “Awful,” he said, quietly but emphatically. “This entire situation is awful.” He looked up at the Vulcan, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. “Who was the target, then? Not me, I’m sure. My research isn’t worth killing over.” He felt more strongly about the situation than he let on, but he wasn’t about to show it. By a combination of nature and habit, Ren was something of a stoic when it came to feelings and emotions. He didn’t like what had happened to Janor, but he wasn’t about to weep and wail—in front of a stranger, no less—in the wake of his passing, either.

"Indeed," the Vulan replied. The Bajoran did not appear to be rattled by the news, but that did not necessarily mean anything one way or another. "At this time, not knowing the exact motives of the perpetrator, we feel we should proceed with caution regarding the safety of yourself and the other doctors. The intentions of the killer are not clear at this time. However, evidence leads us to believe that it was Doctor Brun who was the actual target."

The Bajoran stiffened at the mere mention of Dr. Brun’s name. He had an uncomfortable feeling that he knew where this was headed. “I see. That is most unfortunate,” Ren said calmly, although he was, in a perverse sort of way, not really surprised to hear these developments. “Then you believe that his life is still in danger, I suppose?”

Sirak raised an eyebrow at Ren's initial comment before responding, "Since Doctor Brun is still alive despite him being the target, logic would dictate he is in danger." The main question, in her mind, was whether the murderer would attempt to strike again despite increased security or if the murder would be postponed. "I will not insult your intelligence, Doctor. It is no secret that you and Doctor Brun do not get along. The question is how deep your dislike of him goes..."

Ren clenched his fists, determined to maintain his stoic mien. It was indeed no secret that he and that Cardassian, Brun, had no love lost between them. And the Bajoran felt that his feelings towards Brun were more than vindicated. That, unfortunately, did cast a certain light upon his own character, he realized. “I will not insult your intelligence either. My…dislike…for Dr. Brun runs very deep indeed. Brun was the worst sort of animal during the Occupation of Bajor and everyone knows it. The way that he parades around is despicable, and he deserves to be locked away for his crimes, at the very least. But,” he added, raising his eyebrows slightly. “Does that mean I am trying to kill him? No. No, it does not.”

The question had obviously struck a nerve with the Bajoran, but it was one that had to be asked. Of course, the actual murderer would surely not just come out and admit to wanting to kill the doctor. Based on the killer's actions thus far, he or she was quite meticulous. "It does not mean that you are, but it also does not mean that you would not do so either. Where were you for the hour before the dinner?"

“In my quarters,” Ren replied immediately. “I was alone, and no, there is no one who could verify I was there. It is, however, the truth.” Sighing quietly, he tried to relax, aware that any frustration or anger on his part would not help remove suspicion from him. “I know that you don’t know me, and I know that my less than amicable relationship with Brun is the stuff of legends in our field, but I can assure you that I am not the sort who would kill a man to satisfy my anger. That would make me no better than Brun or any other of his Cardassian comrades who butchered our people like animals in the Occupation.”

This latest reply from Ren gave Sirak more pause than his previous ones. It could still be deception, but it was a much more logical argument. Nodding slowly, the Vulcan asked, "Considering that you have no true alibi, I cannot say that you are no longer a suspect. However, it is my duty to investigate all possibilities. Can you think of anyone else who might want Doctor Brun dead - one of the other doctors perhaps?"

After regarding the Vulcan silently for a moment, Ren decided that she really was listening to what he had to say and not simply tearing off on a witch-hunt. Grateful for that much at least, he considered her question carefully before replying. “The only doctor among us whom I would suspect of foul play is Brun himself. Dr. Hansen (NPC) is harmless, as is Dr. Xerx (NPC). Banks (NPC) is less than friendly, but I don’t know that that makes her a killer.”

Considering the information she had about the other doctors, Sirak was inclined to agree with the Bajoran's assessment. However, there most certainly was a killer on board. The most likely suspects were the other doctors or one of the new crewmembers. She paused, remembering that there was one other doctor that Ren had failed to mention. "What about Doctor Mellix?"

A puzzled frown betrayed Ren’s feelings on that question. “Dr. Mellix? I had almost forgotten he was here. He wasn’t supposed to be a part of our group initially. He resides on Betazed, so I imagine he would have joined us and the others there, had he not up and engaged himself to one of your officers,” he said, smiling slightly. That smile soon faded. “I am not especially close with Dr. Mellix, but I know that there are…rumors about his family. His father, in particular. Questions of their loyalty to Betazed during the Dominion War.” Ren felt guilty just to bring such rumors up, but he felt the need to answer the investigator’s question as honestly as possible.

Sirak frowned nearly imperceptably at the information Ren shared about the sole Betazed neurologist. It did seem odd that he was not originally part of the group of doctors to be taken to Betazed on the Malinche, but considering his engagement to the First Officer, it was less so. However, if the rumors were true... "The rumors you mention could be particularly damaging to Doctor Mellix, regardless of their validity. Is there anything else that you can think of that might be useful to the investigation? Anything else suspicious...Doctor Brun, the other doctors, other people or circumstances?"

For the third time in as many minutes, Ren sighed again. It was an ugly situation all around, and he didn’t like the feeling that he was all but informing on his colleagues. Yet Janor’s death had to be taken seriously, and he was only speaking of what others already knew. “I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anything else. Most of us have had our heads in the clouds, focusing on our work. Even if there had been anything especially suspicious, I doubt I would have noticed.”

The Vulcan sat quietly as she considered what Ren had told her. There were a few things she could follow up on, such as his alibi and Doctor Mellix...at the least they were places to refocus the investigation. "I believe that is all the questions I have for you at this time, Doctor Azek. I may need to speak with you further, but for now you may get back to your work. Your security detail will remain with you for your safety."

“Ah, yes. My entourage,” Ren remarked. That was a less than thrilling aspect of the investigation going on around them, but he knew better than to complain. All he wanted to do at the moment was to get back to his work anyway, security escort or no escort. “Thank you,” he said simply, rising to leave. “I wish you luck in your investigation. We all want to know who hurt Janor, and I hope you’ll find the answers we’re all looking for soon.”

Sirak rose as the doctor did and gave him a nod, "Thank you, Doctor Azek. I am certain we will find the answers to what has happened here; it is only a matter of time...." She watched as he left the room. Speaking with him had not gone quite as she had imagined, but she did have a couple leads. Certain that both Lieutenant JG Roen and Lieutenant McKeon would want a report about her discussion with Doctor Azek, Sirak sat back down and swiped her finger across the PADD before her.

OFF:

JP brought to you by:

Doctor Azek Ren (NPC)
Neurologist
played by:

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

and

Lieutenant JG Sirak (NPC)
Security Investigations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by:

ON:
<<En Route to Intelligence Office, Day 4, 0815>>

Eldred (NPC) grimaced as he followed the Intelligence officer to Lieutenant McKeon's office. Following along behind him was his protection detail, two security officers who barely looked like they could defend themselves. The Cardassian felt more like a prisoner than anything else. At least the officers had stayed outside his guest quarters; he could give them that. Still, the whole idea of being under guard was ridiculous.

Ryse wasn't entirely sure what they hoped to find. He was sure, however, that he wanted to punch the smug Cardassin in the face the moment that he met him. The man had an arrogant aura about him that seemed to irriate Ryse to his very core. One look at his partner in the enedeavor, Cody Weaver, told him that he felt the same way.

Finally the officer in grey paused in front of a door, hesitating just a moment for it to slide open. Eldred followed him inside and glanced around, noting that the Chief Intelligence Officer had apparently been waiting for them. It had taken all of his willpower to hold his tongue from the time he had been summoned and he wasn't about to hold back any longer, "All this can't possibly be necessary. I went from having one person watching my every move to two and now I'm being called here? What kind of place is this?"

"This is my office Dr. Brun," Alister said slowly refusing to raise to the bait, "You are being called here to answer questions about what happened the night Dr. Janor was killed, Security has decided that you were the original target and the guards are for your protection." He was careful not to mention the members of his staff that he had protecting the Doctor from a distance.

Ryse did his best to remain impassively standing close to the Cardassin. He didn't know what it was that the intelligence chief was getting at but assumed that he knew more or at least had a better hunch about what was going on than he did.

Eldred shook his head slightly, exasperated at the Intelligence Chief's misinterpretation of his question. He wasn't going to bother correcting the man though. "I've already answered questions about that night, but if answering more questions will get this sorted out so things can return to normal, by all means ask away... I've not received any threats, so I don't know why I'd be some sort of target." Perhaps that last part wasn't entirely true, but it was true that he hadn't received any direct threats in quite some time.

Alister looked at Brun and raised an eyebrow, "Please, the two of us know you're not as pure as driven snow, so stop the act. I will not pry into your background, but unless you want to end up being shipped back to Cardassia in a box, we need to go over the events of that night." He glanced down at the PADD in front of him, "Besides the Bajoran have any of the other Doctors been acting strange or hostile?"

Giving a dismissive grunt in reply, the Cardassian decided that he might as well help out the StarFleet Officer, as he obviously wasn't going to let things go. If there was a credible threat on his life, Eldred was also intrigued to find out who wanted him dead now. There was already a long list and he'd done just fine surviving up until now, so he wasn't really worried, just amused in a way. "Not particularly. Doctor Banks is hostile to anyone she meets, so it's difficult to tell if she was any more hostile to me than others. Honestly, the Terran doctors generally bore me with their theories, so I try to avoid them when possible. The Trill was friendly towards everyone; his naivete was a distraction at best. The Betazoid was nearly as friendly as the Trill."

"So of all the Doctors you're unable to think of any that would want to harm you," Alister replied glancing down at his PADD, "Alright let's go to the Bajoran, I know you had arguments with him, did any of those seem out of the ordinary?"

Eldred scoffed, "It's not as if any of them stopped by and wished me dead. If anything, I'd think that you and your fellow officers might have come up with relevant information." Apparently he had to do everything for them. "No more out of the ordinary than any other Bajoran and Cardassian in the same room. The Bajorans aren't exactly thankful for the time that Cardassians spent on Bajor. The verbal spars between Doctor Azek and I were simply a display of insults."

Ryse resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His own culture had no patience for insults and backbiting, they preferred to be straight and to the point in everything that they did. Species like the Cardassins were a mystery to Ryse, they seemed to practice deceit much the same way that everyone else practiced being honest.

"Doctor we have to go over every detail, we are not on Cardassia where I can haul people in for the type of questioning the Obsidian Order routinely uses," Alister replied getting slightly tired with Brun's attitude. "Would you care for a drink Dr. Brun," he asked changing the subject and trying to at least maintain his outward appearance of being civil, besides he had the feeling he might need a drink before this session was over, "I have a bottle of Kanar somewhere?"

The Intelligence Officer was trying Eldred's patience. All in all, he was being more than forthcoming and he certainly wasn't an idiot - Alister surely had much more information than he was letting on. The Cardassian sighed as he shifted in his seat, leaning back against it. "No thank you, Lieutenant. Let's just get on with your questions so that I can return to my work."

The more that the Cardassin talked the confused Ryse got for the reason that he was there. It wasn't for McKeon's protection - he had a feeling that the man could more than handle himself in a fight. He certainly wasn't here to protect the Cardassin; mainly because he couldn't fathom the ingelligence officer actually doing anything to hurt the man. As he listed the the two of them talking his brain started drifting - mostly to what he had learned as a child about how the Iradari got their answers.

"Very well," Alister said looking at the PADD again, "Since as I'm sure you figured out the food was the vector chosen for the attempt, I would like to go over how you told the kitchen staff to prepare your dish." It was a long shot to hope the food had been tampered with before it arrived on the Malinche rather than after, but it was an area that had to be checked just in case.

"I ordered the Zabu stew, as did Doctor Keel. I put in a request that the stew be made fresh; replicated Zabu stew is horrid, after all. I gave them a few tips on how to get the proper flavor out of it as well and told them the proper ratio of ingredients," Eldred explained. "I can only surmise that they only made enough fresh Zabu stew for one portion as the stew I was served was certainly not fresh. Considering what you believe happened, I can only presume that Doctor Keel got the fresh stew."

Alister made a note to check how much the Zabu stew had been prepared fresh instead of replicated, "Are you positive the stew you had wasn't fresh? Could it have been a mistake in the ingredients instead of being made in a replicator?"

Eldred clenched his jaw, his irritation showing, "I am a Cardassian. I know what fresh Zabu stew tastes like. The....slop I was given was not fresh Zabu stew; it was from a replicator." The intelligence officer was either a fool or simply trying to push his buttons. Either way, he was an annoying man and Eldred hoped the interview would be over soon.

"Very well," Alister said he studied Brun's face wondering if he should push any further and risk an issue with the Cardassian government, "I will consider you a subject expert on Zabu stew." He made a show of consulting his PADD before standing up, "Since you are so busy I will let you get back to your day, if you can think of anything else please don't hesitate to call."

Although the Cardassian had been about to protest at the Intelligence Officer's snarky comment, the revelation that he was being released from the interrogation made it more bearable. He needed to work on his experiments, after all. "Of course, Lieutenant," Eldred responded graciously as he stood. He glanced over at the young security officer, who would surely be following him.

OFF:

JP brought to you by:

Ensign Ryse
Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Alister McKeon
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Doctor Eldred Brun (NPC)
Neurologist
played by:

<<Dr. Alex Hansen's Quarters, USS Malinche, Day 4, 1200 hrs.>>

Ringing the chime to Dr. Hansen's quarters, Karyn briefly considered how this visit might go. As expected, their guests' reactions to Janor's murder reflected all parts of the emotional spectrum, and while there was no right or wrong way to feel after a death, especially a traumatic one, it was true certain personality types had a more difficult time coping with grief overall. How a person dealt with grief was usually a reflection of how they managed most distressing feelings. However, the challenge with traumatic grief was that it could overwhelm even the most carefully constructed defenses and coping strategies.

She had to wonder if Alexander Hansen's gruffness masked a deeper hurt. Sometimes only the weepy ones got the attention.

From where he stood before the viewport, Alex (NPC) grumbled to himself at the sound of the doorchime. He was tired, weary even, and the idea of talking with anyone, even another well-meaning member of the Malinche’s crew, sounded less than enjoyable. Still, with the investigation into Janor’s death still ongoing, he didn’t dare turn aside his visitor, whoever it was. “Enter,” he called out, his gaze still fixed on the stars streaking by while he waited for his guest to come inside.

The doors slid open upon his request and the low hum of Karyn's hoverchair soon followed. Taking note of the doctor gazing out the viewport, Dallas' voice was gentle. "Dr. Hansen? I'm Counselor Karyn Dallas. I just stopped by to see how you were, but if you're not up for visitors, I can come back later."

“A counselor,” Alex said lowly, shaking his head. “I should have known the ship’s counseling department would hunt us all down. Well, come in, then. We might as well get this over with.” Although his tone of voice could not be described as particularly friendly or welcoming, it was also without anger or obstinacy. “I gather you’re here because of Janor’s death?”

Karyn entered as directed and offered a wry smile. "I never thought of myself as a hunter," Dallas replied, referring to Hansen's comment about the department hunting him down. "But yes, this is about Janor's death. Specifically, about how you're coping in light of his murder."

Resigned, Alex finally turned away from the window. His guest looked harmless enough, and frankly, it would be more exhausting to try to sidestep her questions than to just answer truthfully and get this all over and done with. “Janor was a good friend of mine,” he said quietly, his arms folded almost defiantly across his chest as he leaned against the wall. “A protégé of sorts, though he was destined to far outdistance me in the field. His murder makes me angry, sad, and determined to see that my friend gets justice,” he said succinctly. “But I am a grown man, and I am coping, I assure you.”

Karyn hadn't expected the comment about Alex being a grown man, and she realized his choice of words revealed a lot about him. "What does being a grown man have to do with how you're coping?" Her tone was one of genuine curiosity, but there was also a method to her madness.

Alex frowned, distracted and bemused by the seemingly unrelated question. Something told him, however, that the counselor knew what she was about. “Most would assume that there are varying factors, age and life experience among them, which determine how one reacts to unfortunate events,” he said carefully. "I suppose I meant only to say that I am in full possession of my faculties and can cope well enough.”

Karyn took note of the unintended insult in his comment and smiled inwardly. Many people thought of counselors as treating only the severely mentally ill, so the mere suggestion of therapy seemed to imply that one was not 'all there' as it were. "What have you been doing to cope?"

“Doing?” Alex repeated, flummoxed again. He hadn’t really thought about how he was coping, just that he was, in fact, coping. “I have a small number of acquaintances on board,” he began. “Well, I suppose they’re almost friends, really.” Alex didn’t usually go out of his way to make meaningless friendships, preferring a small circle of intimate friends instead. But in the aftermath of Janor’s death, he’d relied on some of his fellow doctors. For a man who jokingly referred to himself as a lone wolf, it was a strange realization. “I have talked with them at length, shared my frustrations with everything that’s happened.”

Karyn expected him to say he hadn't actually been doing anything to cope except to keep breathing, but she was surprised and relieved to hear he had not only reached out for support, but he was aware that he'd done so as a means to cope. That kind of personal insight would serve him well for dealing with the stress of recent events moving forward. Gruff types like Hansen in Karyn's experience tended to feel things even more deeply than the average person, but tended to feel more threatened by their own emotions. "What's that been like for you?"

TBC

***

Counselor Karyn Dallas, R.N.
Chief Counselor
USS Malinche

Dr. Alex Hansen
NPC Neurologist
USS Malinche

ON:
<<Outside Nora's Quarters, Day 4, 1117>>

Eager to check in with Nora, Isabel pressed the doorchime outside Nora's quarters as she glanced at the PADD in her other hand. Other than the meeting they'd had with Sirak (NPC) and Setak the day before, she'd hardly seen her Executive Officer and was eager to get caught up. Isabel had heard about Nora's visit to sickbay the day before and had updates on the additional interrogations that Security and Intelligence had conducted within the last couple hours.

Half reclining in her favorite chair, Nora jolted awake at the sound of the doorchime. She’d had a restless night and was embarrassed to find that she’d dozed off while reading through some of the investigation notes contained in a PADD. With a guilty grimace, the Betazoid hurriedly straightened up before pushing herself to her feet. “Come in,” she called, wondering if Gel (PNPC) had finally decided to leave the lab long enough to stop by her quarters.

When the doors opened and Nora saw that it was Isabel stopping by, she smiled brightly. She always found comfort in her friend’s steady presence, and with the ongoing investigation, not to mention her progressively complicated personal life, it had been some time since the two had had much of a chance to chat. “Isabel. How nice to see you,” she said in a simple and sincere greeting. “Come in and make yourself at home.”

"Thank you, Nora," Isabel replied with a smile. Walking further into her friend's quarters, she eyed her options briefly before choosing a seat on the couch. "We haven't had much time to talk, other than official updates, so I wanted to stop by and see how things were going..."

“It has been an age,” Nora agreed, sinking back into her chair. “You’re going to need to clarify though, I’m afraid. Are you inquiring into my personal life or my professional life?” she asked with a rueful smile. “Because either way, it’s…complicated.” She chuckled quietly. “I’m sure you know the feeling.”

Isabel's thoughts went to Derek (PNPC) and how complicated their situation had been. To an extent it still was. She nodded, "I do know the feeling. Both, really, are what I'm inquiring about. I also heard you had a trip to sickbay..." When she had heard about that, Isabel had been rather concerned...Nora wasn't exactly a frequent sickbay patient.

“Heard about that, did you?” Nora’s smile was almost sheepish. “It was nothing serious. I've just been having some bothersome headaches lately, and I needed Setak's help to convince them to go away.” That same visit to Sickbay, incidentally, was also at the heart of her current, for lack of a better term, disagreement with Gel. “Perhaps what you didn't hear was how my fiancé was unforgivably rude and arrogant to Setak while we were in Sickbay. That wasn't something I expected to see,” she confessed with a frown.

Isabel raised an eyebrow, "I can't say I heard about that part. Obviously I don't know him very well, but he didn't give me the impression of being the rude, arrogant sort... Did you talk to him about it?" She was still a bit concerned about the headaches, but she could come back to that later.

Nora was glad that Gel’s behavior towards Setak hadn’t left Sickbay. The Malinche was not a very large ship, and word—gossip, perhaps, was the better term—did tend to get around sometimes. “I tried to talk to him about it, but it quickly turned into an out and out argument. I knew it was only a matter of time before we had our first argument, but I can’t help but wish for better timing. Tensions are high enough with this investigation, and now this…” The Betazoid sighed, glad to have a friend to share her troubles with but frustrated all the same. “He’s been making himself scarce ever since. I have to confess, I’m not sure what to think at this point, Isabel.”

Frowning, Isabel nodded, "Everyone has arguments, of course, and the two of you are still getting to know each other. Timing really can't be helped, unfortunately." She watched Nora quietly for a moment before continuing, "It's difficult to know what to think when the two of you haven't discussed it. At some point, that will have to happen. It might be good to clear the air considering what happened...otherwise it might be difficult to work with or around him. My best advice would be to hear him out. You might not like what he has to say, but at least you'd have an understanding of sorts."

“I completely agree. Unfortunately, Gel has been difficult to track down ever since our argument,” Nora said with a small shrug. “I knew that an unorthodox relationship like ours would come with its fair share of difficulties.” She adopted her best all-is-well smile. “But enough about that. Sooner or later Gel will turn up again, and then we’ll…go from there. In the meantime, how is the investigation proceeding on your end of things?”

Allowing the subject of Gel to pass for the moment, Isabel filled Nora in on the investigation, "Both Doctor Brun and Doctor Azek were questioned again this morning. Doctor Brun didn't seem particularly convinced that Doctor Azek, or any of the others for that matter, wanted him dead. He also insisted that the Zabu stew he received was from a replicator, instead of being freshly prepared as it was supposed to be." She hesitated, "Did you happen to see the report Lieutenant JG Sirak (NPC) wrote regarding her discussion with Doctor Azek?"

Frowning to herself, Nora glanced around her chair to find the PADD she’d been holding when she’d dozed off. She scooped it up from the floor where it had slipped and set it in her lap, giving Isabel an apologetic smile. “I believe I did see it, but I hadn’t quite gotten around to reading it,” she confessed, pulling up the file again and quickly skimming its contents. She was more than a little surprised to see Gel’s name listed among the notes. “Sirak feels that Gel should be included in the investigation, I see.”

Isabel watched Nora as she slowly nodded her head, "It seems so, yes. It certainly could be completely harmless - perhaps Doctor Azek was simply trying to throw suspicion off of himself. At the same time, I'm sure the investigating team wants to follow all leads for now."

“Of course,” Nora agreed, if somewhat soberly. She had never really considered that Gel might be part of the investigation. But then, she was completely confident that he had nothing to do with Janor’s death, so she supposed there was nothing to worry about there. “I only hope we can come up with some answers before we reach Betazed. It probably goes without saying that our chances of solving the riddle of Janor’s death will decrease dramatically once all our visitors leave the ship.”

"That is certainly my intention. We can't just let the murderer go free...and we know he or she is on board. I've asked for reduced speed and we'll not approach Betazed until we find the guilty party," Isabel explained further. "I'm not entirely sure how we can speed up the investigation, unless the culprit makes additional mistakes or the information that Intel or Security finds pans out." She'd been considering it quite a bit actually and couldn't think of a way to speed up the process. Unless perhaps they claimed they knew who the assailant was? Or did something else to force the murderer's hand?

“We’ll find them,” Nora said encouragingly. She wasn’t saying that it would be easy—the progress of the investigation so far presented the possibility that it might take some time before the truth was uncovered—but she truly believed that the members of the investigating team would manage to put the pieces of the puzzle together in the end. “I only wish I could be of more help. I’ve sensed no murderous intent amongst our guests, though that’s hardly conclusive evidence. Still, you would think that someone planning an elaborate murder like this would give themselves away somehow, especially now that their plans have apparently fallen apart.”

Isabel nodded, "I imagine it also depends on the murderer's take on things... If they seem themself as some sort of vigilante, they may not see it as murder, per se. Or perhaps they're just very good at hiding it from you." She frowned, considering the possibilities.

Before Nora could respond, the doorchime rang out, effectively interrupting her chain of thought. Prepared to dismiss the visitor so that she could continue her private discussion with Isabel, the Betazoid paused when her senses flared to life. Gel was on the other side of the door, and it was clear from the somber emotions she could sense that he was finally ready to talk. “It’s Gel,” Nora informed Isabel. “I suppose he’s finally decided to stop avoiding me,” she smiled ruefully.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

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

and

ON:

<<Ready Room, Day 5, 0847>>

As she readied her report for StarFleet, Isabel sipped her mocha and tried to gather her thoughts. A lot had gone on in the past few days - murder, interrogations, sabotage... Sabotage and interrogations weren't exactly unheard of on the Malinche, but there had never been a murder on board. Well, no murders other than enemies like the Borg. That was more about survival though.

Mostly she was relieved they were able to put the pieces together before any more murders took place. Isabel had no doubt that Doctor Darius Xerx (NPC) would have tried to kill Doctor Brun (NPC) again if given the chance. Intel had come up with some fairly damning evidence that Doctor Xerx had likely killed quite a few people and made their deaths look like accidents. He probably would have continued to do so too. Luckily, in a sense, he made the mistake of killing someone on the Malinche and they learned the truth.

It wasn't just the Intelligence Department that figured it out though. Engineering had come through and realized that Darius had been the one to tamper with the computer systems. Not to mention Setak and Nora realizing that her headaches were being caused by Doctor Xerx.

Of course, when Darius realized he'd been found out, he had tried to escape and wounded some personnel in the process. Luckily the injuries were minor and he was apprehended before he could steal a shuttle. Currently he was in the brig, under the watchful eyes of the Security/Tactical department. Isabel wasn't exactly sure what would happen to him, but for the time being she had been asked to turn him over to Betazoid authorities.

Isabel had already contacted StarFleet regarding the incident and had requested that the crew get some Shoreleave on Betazed once they dropped the doctors off. After the stressful journey, she felt her crew could use a bit of downtime. Plus, it would give Nora some extra time with Gel (NPC) to try to decide what she wanted to do.

Glancing at the computer screen, Isabel continued working on her report for StarFleet. They would arrive at Betazoid before lunch and she wanted to have it finished before then. She was also hoping to touch base with their guests before they departed. StarFleet hadn't told her what their next mission would be yet, but hopefully it wouldn't be quite so...exciting. Travelling back in time and then ending up with a serial killer on her ship wasn't exactly low stress, after all.

OFF: