Its Not That We Don't Trust Him, Its That We Don't Trust Him.

Posted on Sun Aug 5th, 2018 @ 5:10pm by Captain Remas McDonald

1,895 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: S1:3: Myriad Problems
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 1 18.30

"Not that I do not trust our guest, but I'd be appreciative if you could run a scanner over his 'warpling spider' just to make sure it is as harmless as he made out," Remas asked.

After the shuttle bay greeting and the separating of the various groups to their assigned activities, Remas had gathered his remaining senior officers in sickbay. One aspect was the bio scan, the other was the higher than usual shielding around the medical bay.

"So..." he said, looking at the others. "What do we think of our first visitor from the local neighbourhood?"

Oh, now you ask me? Could not bother to wake me when the ship needed me but now you ask me about this visitor? I don't give a damn about him. Why should I? Just another day in this dreary existence or I will get relief from it. She shook her head, clearing those thoughts. She had her duty, still. It did not matter to Jolani that the Captain was apparently more of a fool than she initially figured him to be.

In a matter of fact and bored tone, Jolani finally spoke, "If it were me, I would not trust him. He knows too much about us and was able to get information from all of us without our volunteering it. To me, that is not trustworthy behavior but I am not a counselor. I am a flight officer. If you wish, I will go and take a look at our visitor's ship. It seems only fair, seeing as he already scanned ours."

She paused long enough for another thought and before the Captain or anyone else could pipe up, "Again, I am not a counselor but does it not seem odd that he had gifts for everyone and thoughts for everyone in this room except me?" Maybe he knew that I do not have desires for anything that he could have? Everyone else could be taken in by a 'nice guy routine,' but I have no desires. If I were a Vulcan, I might say, 'curious' but, whatever.

"It did seem odd that he knew a few of us by site, but got lost when he had to look at new additions like Chief Zhuri and Lieutenant Black." Remas mused. Ari had joined the crew as a spur of the moment after the sudden death of Luetenant Daton at the hands of terrorists. As for Miss Black, her arrival had been anything but orthodox.

"Am I the only one who thinks his arrival just as we turned up seemed a tad suspect?"

Jolani huffed lightly and turned slightly away from the Captain. Is this not what I was saying? Why did he ask for my opinion only to ignore it? Ridiculous.

"I would almost call it convenient," Rena said, her focus on her tricorder. She had set the spider on a biobed, surprised that it didn't try to venture off, before giving it a thorough scan. It almost behaved as a pet, one that was trained to respond to certain things, and it reacted to her so well that it was a little unsettling. "... and a little surprising. It's like he was expecting us."

"Which sounds crazy when you think about it. Travelling across the galactic barrier took an entirely new branch of science and technology to achieve. Send a signal through it is another thing entirely due to the subspace distortion of the barrier. Sure we get light as a data medium, but I highly doubt anyone 8000 years ago was beaming classified Starfleet documents across open space to Messier 4," Remas mused. "Then again maybe Abborax is a showman. Known plenty of cold readers in my time who could guess where you came from and what you did from how you greeted them. We might be reading a lot more into his usual song and dance."

"Fascinating..." Rena said. Her words, however, were not directed at Remas. If anything, more of her attention went to the spider. Bending over to get at eye level with the bed, she extended a finger to the creature, who approached the appendage and tapped it with a furry leg. "This spider was created artificially. I wouldn't be able to say how, but the signs are certainly there. The main clue is the lack of a clear reproductive system... it could also indicate that it's a hybrid species." She then blinked and finally looked up at Remas, letting out a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry for the tangent, Captain, but this creature is remarkable."

"Scientific curiosity is something to be celebrated. He did say he gave these away as gifts to all who gained the favour of the Myriad. A cleverly made toy that is also a living creature...it does make one ponder if these biomechanical constructs he's walking around in are purely remote controlled or are sapient in their own right." Remas mused.

Jolani could not begin to believe the conversation that was occurring between the Doctor and Captain. In her opinion, both were now completely daft. "Captain, a cold reader would need a point of reference to get that sort of information. This Abborax should have none."

She then turned towards the Doctor, actively trying to avoid eye contact with Rena. "Anything that unnatural should be disposed. I cannot understand why it is not in a containment field. Again, far be it from me to suggest something out of my expertise...." Her voice trailed off. "Perhaps I should just take a look at his ship?" she suggested to Remas.

"Abborax might not take kindly to such an intrusion..." Remas thought aloud. "We have to be careful with this. This will set the bar for our future here in Messier 4. A good rapport with this Myriad might open many new doors for us."

He turned to look at Science Officer T'aar.

"How detailed a scan could the passive sensors make of the shuttle. Totally noninvasive, compared to a full scan?" he asked.

Set the bar? Jolani considered. If he is untrustworthy, then there is no bar. A scan might not pick up things that would prove his duplicity. Still, Jolani said nothing and kept a close eye on the spider, without looking at Rena.

The spider, who had for the most part been playing rapt attention to the conversation, waved its forelegs in response.

Jolani paused. She was just about sure that she had not imagined the spider waving at her. In a hesitant tone, she suggested, "Perhaps we should have this conversation elsewhere. Put all the toys away, so to speak," she glanced at the Captain and then back down at the spider.

"We're in sickbay, which has enough shielding to act as the ships storm cellar in the event of a neutronic storm. If Abborax can hear us in here, then he can hear us anywhere." Remas grumbled. "Okay, so guessing and speculating isn't going to do us any favours. Jolani, I want you to have a walk around that shuttle. If a door's open, have a glance inside. Curiosity is only dangerous to Catanians and Huanni I believe."

Jolani closed her eyes, choking down the frustration. She started out, "But...but..." The Captain had not gotten her hint about the spider listening in. She glanced back at the spider again, more suspicious of it than before. Most likely, there will be nothing for me to find now. The spider probably told him or we told him by talking to the spider. Or maybe, I'm just imagining things. Surely someone else had to have seen it wave. Right? Taking a deep breath and exhaling audibly, she said, "As you wish, Captain."

Crewman Parsons was heading for sickbay, he woke up feeling off kilter and wanted to get checked out. As he entered sickbay he was lost in his thoughts, what with the crazy dreams he had of giant spiders attacking him that felt so real, waking up with cold sweats, he didn't notice the group of officers hiding out in sickbay but he did take note of one thing.

"Spider!!!" he screamed as he ran over and grabbed the instrument tray next to the bio bed scatterings it's contents across the floor. He raised it above his head and smacked it down hard onto the spider repeatedly until it was just a quivering mass of spider goo. He turned around shaken then saw the group of officers staring at him in disbelief. "Oh.... crap... Hey Captain.." he said with a nervous chuckle.

Jolani looked at Crewman Parsons, then looked at the spider and then back at Crewman Parsons. Her lips curved slightly upwards. She made eye contact with him and nodded her approval. Almost as quickly as the near smile occurred, it disappeared, as Jolani returned to her normal disinterested and uncaring mask.

“Let’s just hope Abborax doesn’t ask how his gift is faring,” Remas said dryly. “Well, let’s be about what we have to do. Jolani, investigate the shuttle as subtly as you can. The rest of us will ensure Abboarx’s visit is as smooth an uneventful as possible.”

Jolani did not have to be told twice. "I will be as inconspicuous as one of your Terran mice." Considering the Captain's order a dismissal, she left the sickbay and headed to the shuttle.

"Sorry Captain." Parsons said out of nowhere,"I was having nightmares with spiders and when I saw this one I freaked out."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks," Remas said through pursed lips. He turned to look at Kal. "I know you wanted to study it, but at least we have its remains now. And who knows, maybe they will illuminate some unknown mystery for us?"

Kal's shock at the now mangled spider on the biobed carried when she looked at Remas. "I'm sure we can find a way to study it a little more..." Her surprise then turned into a glare as she turned her attention toward Parsons. "Seriously??"

"Easy there Bugsy," Remas said with a half smile.

"I have issues" Parson's replied with a shrug

"Remas to Lieutenant T'raa?" he said into the air as his fingers tapped on his combadge. "Might I interest you in an investigation of the Myriad shuttle? Luetenant Kohnar will join you there to perform as subtle an investigation as we can get away with."

The Vulcan was in her quarters meditating as this communication reached her. Opening her eyes she tapped the comm badge that was on the table next to where she sat on the floor with her legs folded in on themselves, "Affirmative. I will be there in ten minutes."

"Excellent," he said, cutting off the comm line. "There we go Jolani, adult supervision and you get to be nosey. Never let it be said I don't make it interesting to serve a day and receive the kings silver."

Jolani did not acknowledge. She was busy thinking about inspecting the shuttle and trying to determine its mysteries.

"Well, with that Dr Kal, I have to leave you. Sorry for the treatment of your pet, but a sample is all we have now," Remas said with a smile. "Now if you'll pardon me, I have a meeting with a physicist I dare not turn down."

 

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