Locked Down
Posted on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 @ 11:28pm by Lieutenant Charlie Caspian & Lieutenant Kiam Aax & Lieutenant JG Ovrora Sh'rholok & Ensign Sturnack & Ensign Bryden Guidry & Commander Ayda Muldowney & Lieutenant Commander Peg Davies
Mission:
28 Days
Location: Sickbay, Deck Three; Brig, Deck Five
Timeline: Mission Day 8 at 1330
"Muldowney to Sickbay."
Kiam Aax lifted her head from her desk, groggy black eyes blinking heavy lids. Off her cheek clattered a data chit- a downloaded letter from her mother and father back on Betazed that had come through the array last night. Kiam fumbled for the comm signal and tapped it, licking at the dryness of her inside cheek. "Sickbay, Aax here," she said, widely blinking her gaze.
The world coalesced into the gentle humming glow of fireflies, the chorus of the Ulysses' nearby crew's minds. Strongest of all was the emanation from the next rooms- Doctor Guidry and Yeoman Curtis. Kiam hadn't meant to doze off and had the inklingh to reflect on how much- or how little- sleep she'd had lately. The Chief Medical Officer sat up more full, sighed, and rubbed her neck.
"Kiam, please come to the Brig. If Guidry's free, I'm sure you'll appreciate the backup."
Kiam's brows knitted. How she heard that correctly? The Bridge or the Brig? The Bridge was empty- she'd been up there only a short time ago, "Just to confirm: the Brig?"
"The Brig", Ayda annunciated over the comm.
Kiam double blinked, "Alright. I'm on my way. Is someone hurt?" The betazoid wanted to wince at the stupidity of the question- why else were she and Guidry being summoned? Counseling maybe?.
The Doctor got up and was pulling her lab coat over her slate blue undershirt while she ran through her curiosities, having foregone her jacket. The Doctor pinned her badge to her coat.
"Not seriously," Ayda said cryptically. "At least not yet. I'll meet you there. I'm wrapping up with our Chief Steward and our guests."
"Understood?" Kiam hadn't meant to hang her words like a question- but it came out that way. She ushered herself out of her office and proceeded across the short corridor. Instead of bolting into Sickbay, she hung in the doorway arch of her compatriot. "We've got a call from the Brig." Her brows lifted for emphasis on that peculiarity, "Nonemergency medical attention," she said. "Muldowney's on her way." She said to Bryden Guidry.
"Sounds like the beginning of a story." Bryden said over his shoulder, finishing up typing notes into a medical record. He stretched as he stood and blanked the display on his console. He turned to Kiam and nodded. "Let's not keep them waiting."
As the two medical officers left sickbay, Bryden grabbed a medical kit and a tricorder from places on the wall. With no idea what they were going into, it paid to be prepared.
Kiam too seized up her favorite of the medical kits and tricorder. She deliberately eased her mind from it's curious prodding at Bryden's mind, "Did you get down to Denobula at all?"
"Honestly, no." Bryden grinned almost sheepishly. "I got caught up sequencing genes for my aquatic flora experiments over in the science lab and missed my window to get down to the surface. Did you get down there at all?"
Kiam touched the controls to open the doors to Sickbay and slung her medical case over her shoulder by the strap. Her too-wide and toothy smile beams, "No," she shook her head as if she was curious at herself, "I jump at the chance for shore-leave but this time I stayed aboard."
Two Security personnel- both thin Denobulans with ponytails- strode short paces before the expanse of force field, none of their overexaggerated smiles or fiercely unusual eyes turned to the occupants of the Brig. Both donned older style phaser rifles, strangely bright and chrome in luster, their nozzles aglow in the standby blues of stun. The detention field hummed its protective barrier, a soft cool white rounding the hexagonal opening of the Brig.
Seated at the desk was a more recognizable member of Security- one of the usual Brig Guards. She kept furtively glancing up at Charlie Caspian behind the detention field, wondering what the hell this was about.
Caspian stood with her arms folded in the center of the cell, her chin firmly jutting out to show just how ridiculous she found this whole situation. She walked forwards to within inches of the detention field and stared out in turn at each of the individuals looking back at her. The petty officer seated at the desk looked away quickly as she accidentally made eye contact.
Not bad, Caspian thought. A bit mousey, but she looked to have a pretty decent figure under that uniform. 6 out of 10. She raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. This was bullshit. She turned to face Ovrora and Sturnack.
"This is bullshit," she announced to her companions.
"You're goddamned right. It is bullshit," responded the seasoned Security Chief as she silently stepped into view. "Bullshit that you can't be trusted to avoid getting into a brawl on a Federation Starbase, Lieutenant. It's not even a K station out in Deep Space. It's orbiting Denobula, for fuck's sake," Peg made sure to emphasize Caspian's new rank as she is ignored the others completely. The Lieutenant was her responsibility, and she silently dared one of her compatriots to speak up in her defense. Folding her arms, Davies smiled coldly, "As I am obviously simple-minded, explain to me how someone who has risen to be my assistant department head couldn't avoid this altercation?"
At the sound of Davies' voice, Caspian immediately came to parade rest, her hands clasped behind her, her feet apart and exactly in line with each shoulder. Her gaze fixed on the opposite wall of the brig on the other side of the energy screen. She opened her mouth to answer the security chief's question, knowing full well that whatever she said now was going to be exactly the wrong thing.
"Ma'am, I make no excuses. My aim was not to avoid the altercation - which was inevitable. My aim was to protect myself and my crewmates."
Ovrora had been laying on the thin metal bench that was affixed to the right-hand wall. Or was it the left-hand wall? She could never decide which perspective was the correct one to take. Her head was faced towards the security forcefield so that her antennae sat within only a few inches of the edge. One booted foot was braced on the bench, knee cocked up into the air while her other lay prostrate. She had laced her hands across her belly giving the impression of someone lounging rather than someone who had been brought to the brig to await consequences from her superiors. She had also studiously avoided any eye contact with Sturnack since they had returned. There would be time to deal with that later.
Davies' anger didn't surprise her although the Andorian was confident that it was entirely unfair of her to assume Caspian had been in the wrong. If experience told her anything the augments in the bar would have found a way to lay hands on her friend one way or another. Better for Caspian to respond with force then let it go any further. This really was bullshit.
Sturnack, meanwhile, struggled to equate being in the brig with the excrement of a male bovine. However, such confusion did not trump his distaste for being held prisoner aboard his own ship. Eyeing Caspian, the Vulcan wondered how the senior officer would respond to Davies' query. When they'd been detained following the altercation, Sturnack had debated absolving himself of responsibility by stating the obvious: his superior officers had started a bar fight and his only crime had been in agreeing to accompany them to a seedy bar. But such things went unsaid, the engineering choosing -- instead -- to quietly support his friends, even if he was not pleased with their penchant for punching their way out of their problems.
Behind them the Security guard stirred with a chirp at the comm. She stood, tugged her uniform and spritely sprung to the main doors. She tapped in the entry codes and the heavy, reinforced doors ground open. Two in white appeared- Kiam Aax and Bryden Guidry. Kiam's look was one of shock, a look only enhanced when she specifically looked at Sturnack.
Bryden on the other hand, had a bit of an amused cast to his face, though he schooled it quickly. His left eyebrow remained up as they approached the group standing around and in the brig holding cell. He eyed Sturnack for a moment, honestly surprised that the Vulcan officer would do anything to step out of line. Then his eyes fell to the Andorian, Ovrora. He hadn't interacted with her much, but he liked the attitude she had on display. Then he looked to the one who would likely be taking the bulk of responsibility for the group, on account of her rank and position. He couldn't help himself from offering a nod to Caspian as his own superior officer began to address the security chief.
Kiam blinked and remembered her formalities, issuing her eyes away from the Trio. She cleared her throat, "Commander, I understand we have injuries? I'm requesting entry into the Brig area so Doctor Guidry and I can treat them?"
For a moment, it must have seemed as though Davies would ignore the Doctor as her eyes bored into Caspian. With a look that conveyed the conversation was far from over, Peg stepped back and nodded to Kiam and then the duty officer to kill the field.
Kiam nodded and waited for the field to drop, glancing at her medical compatriot.
Bryden met Kiam's eyes and offered a nod, being here to treat some of their people while others of their people were actively dressing them down for whatever had happened groundside wasn't the most comfortable place he'd been.
The main Brig doors opened again- this time without the authorization of the Brig Guard. How was immediately clear- the First Officer sidled through the door and then strode to the center of the forcefield's expanse. None of her usual scientific joviality, her quirky, almost geeky amiableness was on display. She was furious.
Muldowney's arms were folded tight, her light blue gaze stared knives of hurt disappointment at the three- and most of all toward her Andorian junior. Ayda gestured with a couple of fingers behind her, beckoning someone forward. "This is Colonel Hammond of the Zenith Corporation. I've had an interesting conversation with him." Ayda's tone was cool. "In the middle of getting our Federation News Network guests settled, I might add," she added sharply.
The man who appeared had a more disciplined swagger than the raw recruits the three detainees had encountered. He too wore black fatigues and combat boots, with tactical armor similar to a Federation design. His head was shaven, his eyes a cold gray. This man had killed before, many times. He had the same chilling air as a hired assassin or a bounty hunter. People were numbers to this man. He blinked and studied each of them in turn.
"We have the footage from the establishment," the Colonel said with a surprisingly soft tone and smile. He twisted only to present a small chip to Ayda. Still staring at the three, she snatched it from him with no veneer of diplomacy. Her aide scuttled up to her, producing a PADD that Ayda dropped eyes to only momentarily. She passed the chip over the PADDs reader, transferring the data.
"This is yours I believe?" Ayda said coldly, handing the chip back to Hammond. He took it. Her eyes glanced at each detainee again before her face went aglow and she watched the footage.
Kiam approached Ovrora first, her smile kind, "You don't look too worse for wear, considering," she said with a restrained soothe to her tone. She produced her dermal regenerator. Kiam glanced at Guidry, a silent request that he see to Sturnack and Caspian.
Bryden nodded and took the other two in with a quick glance, then nodded to Sturnack before moving to Caspian with the wand of his tricorder in hand, ready to scan.
Ovrora had sat up as the doctor approached her, swinging her legs around to dangle over the edge of the bench. A throbbing headache had started up behind her eyes and she both relished and immediately wished it gone. Dark blue patches had begun to sprout where she had taken blows, the Andorian equivalent of a bruise, and she began to suspect she looked a bit like patchwork and the doctor was, in fact, being kind.
Putting two fingers to the base of each antennae she rubbed hoping to massage the headache away from such a sensitive part of her body. "Certainly better than the other guys," she quipped back although the pride she felt at the victory was somewhat muted in her tone. Kiam had begun to make use of the regenerator on Ovrora's cheek. It tingled slightly and she fought the urge to twitch.
"You have some minor tearing in your subdermal fascio-cartilaginous plating," Kiam reported before she chewed her lip, "Just near your forward scapus foramen. That must hurt," she panned her scanner to the other, "Same over here. Someone knew where to hit you to make it count," she commented. Kiam shuffled and went for her satchel. "You're lucky. With enough effort, whoever did this could've permanently paralyzed your antennae." The Betazoid depressed an analgesic to Ovrora's neck to alleviate the nervepain then Kiam moved on to some of the other contusions, "Who have you been fighting?"
"Augments," Ayda interrupted, swiping through footage without looking up, her tone unamused.
Kiam's eyes widened but with a cursory look to the strange older man with the bald head and queue, she knew it wasn't the time to ask. She refocused on her patient.
"Assholes," Ovrora muttered under her breath so that only the doctor could hear her. "They were going to force Charlie..." she trailed off, bile at the thought of what they might have done leaving a sour taste at the back of her throat. She may have enjoyed putting racist creeps in their place, but that didn't mean the danger of the group was any less real nor that things couldn't have gone a completely different way at any number of moments.
Behind them, the muted audios of the transaction at the bar were muffled while Muldowney reviewed the evidence. In turn, Hammond stared at each detainee, studying them.
Bryden watched the readout on the tricorder, nodding as it confirmed what he'd thought about the look of the injuries from the outside. "Lieutenant you have a strained ligament in your shoulder and some contusions along with the scrapes we can see. I'm going to apply a dermal regenerator to help with the scrapes. I can help with any pain for a bit, but we'll need to get you some time in sickbay for us to get the ligament and contusions fixed up." As he spoke, he swapped the scanning wand for a dermal regenerator.
"Thanks, Doc," Caspian replied quietly. "I'll be there as soon as they let us out of here. Don't worry about giving me anything for the pain - I'm not hurting badly."
Bryden nodded, then turned to Sturnack. He offered the Vulcan a nod again as he pulled the scanning wand out and began to examine his final patient for the moment. "Alright, I don't see anything that needs attention. You should still come see us in sickbay after a day or so," he looked at Sturnack, then Caspian to let both know he was talking to both of them. "We can do a more comprehensive scan there, just to be sure." He wanted to continue with stating he'd heard Augments have thick bones, but he couldn't think of a way to say it in a way that felt appropriate for the situation, so he stayed silent.
The Vulcan nodded, not expecting any injuries to need tending. Thanks to Ovrora, he'd dodged the only blow that had come close to making contact. That, and he'd entered the fracas a bit later than the others, caught in his own internal debate over how to proceed with the situation. He'd come out of the whole mess with only a disheveled head of hair and an eyebrow that refused to lower itself in the face of how everything was now playing out. "I will, of course, comply," Sturnack nodded deeply, then falling silent once again as events continued to unfold.
Caspian seethed as she watched the review of the security recording taking place. She seethed because she was locked up in the brig like a common criminal and she seethed because Davies had automatically taken against her in response to the situation. What the hell would Peg have said if Caspian had spent time calling station security or trying to calm down a situation which quite obviously was never going to have a pleasant outcome? What if Ovrora or Sturnak - or any of the other bar patrons had been hurt? Or worse? She gritted her teeth and managed to keep her face impassive as she glanced over to where Ovrora was being tended to.
Ovrora met Kiam's eyes as the Doctor worked, trying to make clear without saying it just how inappropriate the men's actions had been. "Thank you Doctor, that does feel better," she said quietly, only just processing the danger to herself beyond that which had been posed to her friend.
The glance Kiam returned was one of compassion- but it was clear she was reserving judgment. She didn't have the facts. "You'll need some time in the cellular regenerator," she said privately to her, "Andorians are as tough as an Algolian Ankylocephalus, but tears in those scapal plates doesn't heal quickly. Or well." Kiam moved her arm under the Andorian's underarm and gently bidded her to stand.
"Standby Doctor," Ayda said after a moment. Kiam froze.
Ayda lowered the PADD and blinked, looking like a deliberating judge. She turned to Colonel Hammond. "If you insist on pressing charges with the Judge Advocate General, I believe we will be filing a reciprocal case. Unless you want to drop what happened here. And I suspect you do, Colonel. Your case is-"
Hammond's own rictus of a smile was small and subtle, "Oh we have no intention of pressing charges. I simply wanted to meet your warriors." He nodded at Charlie, "The Deltas who approached you will be dealt with in the harshest possible terms. They failed to show discipline and tact. They failed in the face of adversity. They are not worthy of our organization." He blinked like such a sentence was nothing to him. "Commander Muldowney." He nodded crisply to her with a sharp step. "Lieutenant Caspian. Lieutenant sh'Rholok. Ensign Sturnack," he looked at each. And then Colonel Hammond turned and left. Outside two of his aides met him and they proceeded off.
Ayda rested the edge of the PADD against her hip, leaning into it. "What the Hell do the three of you think you were doing?" She said with quiet, reserved certainty, "Brawling with mercenaries on a major Federation Starbase? What do you have to say for yourselves?"
"Commander," the Vulcan spoke up now that he'd been addressed directly, "there is something you should know about this situation..." Was this it? The moment Sturnack would distance himself from culpability given that it was Caspian and Ovrora who egged on the fight? It would certainly be his right to do so, he felt. But the words that came from Sturnack's mouth did not match such thinking. "The bartender and other staff members were also present during this time, though they may appear off-camera," he gestured to the device containing the recording of the incident.
"I calculated the probability of these civilians summoning the authorities at 78.76%," the engineer coolly offered. "Given this probability -- as well as the bar's location and typical reaction times from station security personnel," the Vulcan explained the variables in his math, "it seemed more prudent to expend our action and energy on bringing the conflict to a swift resolution. Innocent onlookers were also present and we did not wish them to be drawn into the altercation and harmed as well. The situation is...regrettable," his passive gaze flicked quickly to his compatriots before fixing on Ayda again, "and I accept whatever consequences arise. However, I am appreciative that my colleagues and other patrons were not harmed as severely as they could have been."
Ovrora's normally calculated facial expression slipped ever so slightly in surprise at Sturnack's reply. Anyone paying attention might notice the change, but it was quickly replaced with an unemotional focused expression. It wasn't that he had never given an effective defense of brawls they had been in, it was that considering his comments after the event, she was expecting him to speak up in his best interest. He had always come through in her defense in their Academy years, but her confidence had been shaken more than she expected by his rebuke.
"Sir, they were going to move Caspian either willingly or by force. Things happened quickly, but we couldn't allow them to take it so far as to harm our colleague," Ovrora spoke up. "I make no excuses for the brawling itself, but I don't believe we were in the wrong to protect our own."
Peg made no attempt at hiding her eye roll as the Vulcan rattled off his list of probabilities. Ignoring the Andorian for the moment, she responded to Sturnack, "seventy-eight point seven six, huh? Very precise, Mister Sturnack. Very precise indeed." Davies held further comment back, but it was obvious how much stock she put in the young engineer's brawl response probabilities. Looking to the Ulysses's First Officer, she shrugged, "Ma'am?"
Ayda sighed. "You are Starfleet officers. We respect the local laws. We are not a roving police force. Mr. Sturnack the hole in your logic is that you and your crewmates were the party most trained in crisis response. We do not wait for stunned civilians to call for help. We are trained. We call in. And we certainly not escalate a bad situation, by dropping to as low a level as was presented to us. Starfleet goes high, every time," she insisted. "We do not bait those with a chip on their shoulder with more slurs and insults."
Ayda turned to Kiam and nodded, "Please take the Lieutenant to Sickbay." Kiam did not even wait, bracing a hand on Ovroroa's stomach and helping to usher her. "Chief Davies, I'm releasing them on their own conscience. Unfortunately. Lieutenant Caspian. As the ranking officer, and ship's Security, this failure largely falls on you." Ayda raised her chin in a clenched way, "And if I see your name on report again, you'll be on the next shuttle to Deep Space One for reassignment. That Lieutenant pip means something on this ship."
Ayda handed her aide the PADD, "You are all dismissed."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am," Caspian replied as she set off briskly in the direction of the door.
"Lieutenant Caspian," Ayda called. "Hold." She turned to the woman and waited for Sturnack and Ovrora to clear, "We go high every time. Even when we are personally threatened. And I realize that was the situation. But baiting them back was the wrong decision."
Caspian halted in mid-step and turned to face the XO. The two women faced each other for several seconds before Caspian nodded. "Yes ma'am. High every time."
In the cold blackness of space, the black silhouette of a Zenith vessel eased out of Denobulan territory. It's shape like a flattened scarab with flared wings attached to long nacelles, the menacing alizarin crimson of it's nacelle intakes were like angle hash marks. It's belly was a segmented iron gray and on it the embossed sigil of the Zenith group- the snarl of a Raksasha demon.
It slowed to a halt before the ancient blue white ice of a tumbling piece of Denobulan kuiper material. On its craggy and splintering ice surface, four transporter pattern buffer sprited like orange fireflies. Four humanoids appeared in scant environmental suits. Shaved or buzzed haircuts looked out in horror through the enclosure of their helmets as the Zenith ship moved away. It's alizarin details flared into orange lines- then stretched into infinity as the ship went to warp. With a snap of a sunburst like flare, the ship was gone.
Scalded into the four former Zenith's foreheads, seeping red and fresh with a blackening brand, was a Sanskrit sigil.
ਰੱਦ
Rada. It meant Rejected.
A Mission Post by
Commander Ayda Muldowney
Executive Officer
USS Ulysses
Lieutenant Commander Peg Davies
Chief Security Officer
USS Ulysses
Lieutenant Kiam Aax
Chief Medical Officer
USS Ulysses
Lieutenant Charlotte Caspian
Security Officer
USS Ulysses
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ovrora Sh'rholok
Science Officer
USS Ulysses
Ensign Sturnack
Engineering Officer
USS Ulysses
Ensign Bryden Guidry
Medical Officer
USS Ulysses
