Questions, Answers, And Mystery Abounds

Posted on Tue Nov 7th, 2017 @ 6:06pm by Captain Remas McDonald

1,875 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: S1: These Are The Voyages...
Location: Brig
Timeline: MD 1, 18.25

[ON

[Brig]

The Brig was as one would expect on a starship, a small space designed to hold people whose intentions were not well meant. A trio of cells lined one wall, and a security console set opposite within each reach of a comm's panel and a weapons locker. The crewman on duty, decked out in Expedition Security body armour and cap, had one hand on his hip holster as silence reigned supreme in the only active cell.

The 'Faux Engineer' sat on the simple cot, hands on his knees and a serene smile of acceptance and pleasure on his face.

Victor walked, upset because his nice uniform was getting ruffled from work, not to mention, when the ship rocked a patron's food plate tipped dumping food on his back.

"The prisoner is awake sir." the crewman said without prompt.

"Thank you, just stand by the door while we handle this." Vic instructed his subordinate while looking at Tolkath, "So uh do you wanna do good cop bad cop? You can be the bad cop and I'll be the good cop."

Tolkath raised an eyebrow "Lieutenant, l have never worked in law enforcement but l believe you are proposing that l adopt an unpleasant, threatening and aggressive persona in order to intimidate the prisoner into cooperating with your more reasonable manner?"

He paused, not sure if he really needed to state the obvious, then realised he probably did. "I do not believe that approach would be successful"

"Damn your Vulcan logic and lack of classic police movie knowledge." Vic said with a sigh, "ok how about you just back me up while I question him" he countered feeling defeated.

"That may be a more appropriate strategy" Tolkath agreed.

A slow, steady clapping arose from the cell, and the smiling face of the captured saboteur beamed out.

"Bravo. No finer point could have been made, not even by me. Though I hope you will not mind if I comment that were words like water, the Federation you both serve would have drowned us all long ago," he said in a voice as cultured and refined as a senator of Rome.

Vic smirked at the comment, "Yeah well, good thing I know how to swim."

Ignoring the prisoner's comments Tolkath held up the scientific tricorder he had retrieved on the way to the brig. "Perhaps an examination of the prisoner will prove enlightening"

"Perfect, do your science thing. " Vic said as walked up to the cell forcefield. "Do you realize how much of a pain it is to get strawberry cheesecake out of a uniform tunic, especially a dress uniform?!"

"I am not familiar with that particular chore" Tolkath attested.

“He is trying to build a humorous rapport with me, by playing himself as the fool and you the straight man. Its a charming little spectacle, but that is all that it can be,” the prisoner said. “And why do you not use a replicator to make yourself a new uniform jacket? Is this not your world free of need and want where you can have all that you desire? Make it so.”

"You're both buzz kills." Vic said with a huff. He signaled for the Ensign to come over,"Drop the field, we need a hair sample."

"Yes sir." he responded as he walked over to the console and punched the commands in. He withdrew his phaser and pushed the final button dropping the field.

Once the Brig Officer had dropped the forcefield Tolkath approached the prisoner, carefully stay out of the line of fire from the phaser the Brig Officer now had leveled at the man.

"What is this crewmans' name?" He asked the Brig Officer

"He's listed as Petty Officer 2nd Class Harlan Burke Sir" He listed off the man's number, shift assignment and cabin. "He has been with the Long Jump project almost from the beginning, maybe three years now. He was part of the construction team, only came aboard as Traveller crew six days ago. Mister Reynolds instructed me to get personnel file ready for review"

"Please remain seated" Tolkath instructed the prisoner. He ran his tricorder over the man's head and torso. He took a long sniff. Lesai was right there was something a little...peculiar about this human's smell. He finished the scan and looked at the initial results. "interesting..."

Without warning he reached out and tugged a hair from the man's head. "Thank you, that will be all"

"You may proceed Lieutenant" He said politely to Reynolds and stepped out of the cell

"Glad I've got your approval." Vic replied nodding to his subordinate to raise the field again. "So I've got a few questions Mr. Burke starting with, why the hell did you go for the Captain?"

“You make an assumption that I was here for your captain. Your captain is a man, a good Starfleet officer much like yourselves. A warrior, in his own way. I have no animosity towards him,” Burke said from the bench, tilting his head to one side in thought, “But his lady, Zado Kasmir...she has made herself the enemy of all life here within the Alpha Quardant and beyond. She has designed a means by which to pierce the barrier, and in doing so bring destruction down on trillions of souls.”

Samno looked at Tolkath.

“One life, to save trillions. Can you find a flaw in my logic, Vulcan?”

"Indeed I can" Tolkath replied, looking up from his instrument "Logic is reasoning conducted according to strict principles of validity. While the exchange of one life for many may be a logical sacrifice, if the reason for the sacrifice has no known validity then there is no logic in the act. There is no logical principle to suggest that travelling beyond the galactic barrier poses any threat to life in the Alpha Quadrant. You have no valid reason for attempting to kill Doctor Kasmir, only an illogical fear of the unknown."

Tolkath went back to reviewing his tricorder data. There was something very strange indeed about this man's scan.

"Illogical? To allow the Federation to spread beyond the contained borders of the Alpha Quadrant? Wherever you go, whatever things you find or touch you make it part of yourselves! You take individuality and demand conformity. Cultural heritage is dismissed as backwards, primitive thinking. And even when your own citizens step away from paradise, you brand them traitors and call them terrorists for wanting a life unscripted," Burke's snarling words deformed into a ragged, wet sounding cough. "We stand against, Federation. We who know that sacrifice will lead to the renewal of pride and individual achievement. We will not let you destroy another civilisation with your battle cry: 'We come in peace'."

He nodded at Reynolds.

"Look at him. He knows what I mean. Tell me, Betazed, how has your world changed since the Federation absorbed it? What has become taboo on the world of free thought?" he asked.

"Granted the free range nudity is frowned upon." Vic said with a slight frown before continuing, "Our culture as a whole is completely intact. This idea that you have that the Federation absorbs things is preposterous. We're not the Borg."

Bruke chuckled, nodding. "You have point. The Borg are at least honest about what they want. The Federation by constraint simply smiles as over decades and centuries of social warfare cultural identity is worn away to nothing. One day soon Betazed, your people forget what it means to be themselves."

"Whatever you say pal." Vic said as he turned his back and walked away, clearly getting nowhere.

+++

While the Security Officer questioned Burke Tolkath sat at the Brig Officer's desk. "Please show me Petty Officer Burke's file," He asked the man and waited for him to bring up the security report, one Tolkath would not normally have access to.

The Vulcan began reading through the crewman's file. Burke had been working on the Long Jump project for just over three years. First as part of the construction team, then most recently his application to join the Traveller's crew had been accepted, only a couple of weeks ago.

Prior to the project, Burke had been at Starbase 19, for just two months, recuperating.... He had been a survivor from the USS Countryman, a Deep Space explorer, that was lost four years ago, on the far sign of Klingon space.

Burke had been one of only three survivors, found some months later by a Federation commercial merchant vessel returning from a trade run into the Klingon Empire.

He had been aboard the Countryman for four years, his first assignment from the enlisted training facility.

Tolkath wondered if Burke had sustained any injuries that might account for the anomalous readings. He had not, while he did not have the man's complete medical file, it appeared he and the other two survivors had been found in an escape pod, uninjured.

He delved deeper, the official report for the loss of the USS Countryman was vague, apparently it had encountered an uncharted asteroid field. Beyond the testimony of the three survivors, who had all been off duty at the time of the incident and just ran to the escape pods, there was no other information.

A request had been made to the Klingon's, who had reportedly been unable to locate any other survivors or wreckage.

Tolkath was about to move on when he happened to glance at the assignments of other two survivors. A Science Petty Officer Bryan Davis had left Starfleet a few weeks after returning to Starbase 19, current whereabouts were unknown.

However, the other survivor, Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Samno was here, he was in Operations, aboard the I KNew I Forgot To Tell You Something the Long Jump Accelerator vessel.

A little more reading and Tolkath found that Burke and Samno had been assigned to the same room and the same shift since they had joined the project.

He read through more details of Burke's file, it was unremarkable, the man appeared to perform his duties to an acceptable standard, had no major disciplinary issues, but had also turned down the chance of promotion twice.

On the social side, he appeared to keep to himself mostly; he had no recorded personal relationships since before the loss of the Countryman; no living family members and apparently had not taken shore leave since joining Long Jump.

Tolkath beckoned the Brig officer over. "I require access to this man's file as well" He pointed to Samno's name on the screen. "He is an associate of the prisoner"

The Brig Officer nodded and opened the file, he was about to leave when Tolkath stopped him. "And this one" he pointed to Davis's name"

The Officer shrugged and opened that file too.

"Thank you," Tolkath said and began to read further.

Vic walked over to Tolkath after his spat with the prisoner."Have you found anything or is your Vulcan sense still tingling?"

Tolkath looked up "Yes, we need to go to Medical" He said standing up and heading for the door without a further word.

As he stood in the Turbolift with Reynolds he commented "My senses do not tingle"

To Be Continued...

[OFF}

 

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