- , Mission #

"The Patrol"

<Nalta>

SUMMARY: The investigation into the source of the subspace signal has brought with it an ominous surprise: Adria seems to be involved with the plot on Mizar II, though it's unclear to what extent. Lt. Nalta sits quietly in the brig, and the probe relaying the signal has been brought into a cargo bay.

<Nalta>

SUMMARY: The investigation into the source of the subspace signal has brought with it an onimous surprise: Adria seems to be involved with the plot on Mizar II, though it's unclear to what extent. Lt. Nalta sits quietly in the brig, and the probe relaying the signal has been brought into a cargo bay.

<Nalta>

<<<Resume>>>

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::sits alone in her office, having dismissed Douglas under a cloud.::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Is sitting in the brig, watching Nalta::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::steps out of his Ready room and struts for the TL, passing Lyon:: OPS: I owe you a press, Commander.

<Nalta>

::is sitting in her cell, watching Feyna::

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

::standing on the bridge, resting his hands on the railing around the command circle as he quietly mutters, his mind going through the events of the last few hours::

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::returns to Sickbay after her chat with Lee on the holodeck::

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::looks up, surprised:: CO: I see, Captain. I will make your apologies to my husband.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Wonders how long Nalta can prolong this calm silence before unsuccessfully trying to rile her with talk of Rome again::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#OPS: Yes, very good. ::steps into the lift::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#TL: Brig.

<NAV_Cdt_Gunn>

:: Looked a little wandering and out of focus but is back to himself::

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::frowns at the exchange and looks around, trying to figure out who's got the conn::

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::rests head on her desk:: Self: that went... not good. ::lifts head, stands up and straightens her uniform::

<Nalta>

::blinks lightly::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::steps into the Brig, nodding to Joanne:: CTO: Has she said anything?

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::steps to her office door, waits for them to open and trots out onto the bridge, glancing around, relieved to see TAC has left the bridge:: OPS: Where are we at, Commander?

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

Self: Oh, yes, that would be me. ::notices the incoming hail:: XO: The Captain just left after breaking my coffee maker and we have an incoming hail from the Vonnegut.

<Nalta>

::glances to the Captain and smiles::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Looks round as Rome enters the Brig, but then focuses back on Nalta:: CO: Nothing of interest Captain. Just confirming what you told me, that she is in cahoots with Adria

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

OPS: He did what?

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

XO: I'll tell you later over that bottle of Scotch. Shall I put the Vonnegut on screen?

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::ignores Nalta:: CTO: Happy day.

<Nalta>

CTO/CO: Cahoots... ::frowns derisively::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Doesn't take her eyes off of Nalta:: CO: If you got to flirt with Adria, I'm not surprised you think it's a happy day.....Sir

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::checking status on her patient before heading into the lab, armed with new information on how to synthesize funkyoxitan::

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::nods to OPS:: OPS: Probably better. ::steps to the middle of the command centre and clears her throat::

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::patches the hail from the Vonnegut through::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#CTO: Lieutenant, that woman is a psychotic murderer. I do not flirt.........she flirted with me.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Shrugs at Nalta:: Nalta: I like that word. Makes you seem very...unthreatening

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

CO: Semantics, Sir

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::sighs::

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::turns his attention back to the messages from the PADD::

ACTION: Captain Harris appears on screen, looking somewhat beleaguered.

<Nalta>

<Capt_Harris>

*Hyperion*: Hyperion, this is the Vonnegut. Finally got our engines working again; we're about five minutes from Caldik Prime.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#Nalta: So what are you then? Her lacky?

<Nalta>

::rolls her eyes before looking to Jonathan:: CO: I prefer the word 'disciple,' myself.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#Nalta: I don't.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

*Harris*: That's good news. Captain Rome will be pleased. ::nods her silent thanks:: *Harris*: Have you made contact with the planet's administrators yet?

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: You consider Adria some kind of....worship figure?

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::sends Ethan a message about the fate of their coffee maker::

<Nalta>

::glances ruefully to Feyna:: CTO: Adria is a visionary. She's going to change the galaxy, and I am fortunate enough to have been chosen to be part of it.

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

<aFCO_Miller>::returns message with surprise and dismay::

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::looks across at CMO, giving him a smile hello, having not seen him on the bridge in some time::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::raises his voice:: Nalta: She is just the latest in a long line of lunatics that have thought the same.....and you are just another damn fool to follow her.

<Nalta>

<Capt_Harris>

*XO*: Something like that. We've been going over the manifest from that freighter, and we think we have more bad news.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

*Harris*: Oh? ::scrunches her forehead in concern::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Resists placing a hand on Rome to stop him talking too aggresively at the prisoner:: Nalta: How does she plan to change the galaxy? How does it need changing?

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::begins working on a new batch of the miracle cure...:: Self: ok, here goes...

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::glances up at the screen as Harris continues his report before typing a reply::

<Nalta>

<Capt_Harris>

*XO*: We think there were a lot more vests than were found on Mizar II, and we think they were dropped off on a number of locations prior to Mizar II, potentially including Starbase 621 and Trill.

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::arranges the messages from the PADD according to time::

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::face grows deathly pale:: *Harris*: No... What has HQ advised? I assume you... contacted them?

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

::frowns worriedly as he stares at the viewscreen, wondering how Starfleet could be so inept as to let tricobalt devices get smuggled onto a station::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::takes a step closer to the forcefield, staring down at Nalta with dismay::

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::takes the information from the conversation, trying to make sense of the messages with that new context::

<Nalta>

::looks to the Captain:: CTO/CO: The Federation is decaying. The more we expand, the more we meddle, the more corrupt we become. We like to talk about these high ideals, but we only follow them when they suit us. ::points at Rome:: He knows what I mean. He's seen it first hand. The Federation is a meat grinder. It's only a matter of time before that glorious facade falls away and reveals the ugly truth underneath.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#Nalta: You don't know me, don't assume you have any idea what I think.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Stays silent, as she see's the spark of fanaticism in Nalta's eyes::

<Nalta>

<Capt_Harris>

*XO*: Given the potential of a leak within Starfleet, we thought it best to keep it in house for now. There's also the risk that alerting the station may spook potential bombers.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Waits for further interaction between Rome and Nalta, as he seems to be illiciting more of a response than she was::

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::keeps a close watch on the boiling point of the green stuff, whilst mixing the yellow and red stuff..::

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::looks on aghast:: *Harris*: Are you kidding me? Those people could be in danger... ::has had more than enough for today already, thumps her comm badge:: *CO*: Danann to Rome, Captain, you better come up here, sir.

<Nalta>

::stands up, moving up to the forcefield, looking into Rome's eyes:: CO: She knows. She knows everything about you, she... ::takes a breath, before turning around, seeming agitated:: She feels sorry for you, you know? She knows the pain you've had to endure.

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

::joins Danann in looking absolutely thunderstruck, but wisely stays out of it::

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::tries to decide how important the information in the messages are::

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::carefully drips 3 drops of the purple stuff into the green stuff...::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::stares back:: *XO*: On my way Commander.....we're not going to get anything from Adria's lackey.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Wonders if the glint in Nalta is more than her enthusiam for the cause, maybe Adria has also instilled her enthusiam for Rome too::

<Nalta>

::frowns some, looking back to Rome:: CO: If you'd only ask what you know you want to ask...

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: And what would his question be, my dear?

<Nalta>

<Capt_Harris>::sighs softly:: *XO*: They are in danger; but if the bombers are tipped off, then there goes Starbase 621, and a key strategic facility on the border of Tzenkethi space.

<Nalta>

::glowers at Feyna:: CTO: I wasn't talking to you.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#Nalta: THEN TALK TO ME!

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Self: Well, that was pretty obvious

<Nalta>

::seems frightened for a moment, but regains her composure:: CO: What do you want to know?

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#Nalta: Where is she?

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::lowers the temperature of the boiling liquid to a low simmer, adds in the rest of the ingredients, the whole thing turns bright pink, then gold::

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

*Harris*: Strategy doesn't come into it, Captain Harris. ::looks bewildered:: *Harris*: Rome will be here in a moment, but I suggest you continue to Mizar, check in there, we'll divert to the Starbase and do some digging.

<Nalta>

::swallows softly:: CO: Last I knew, she was in the Badlands.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::nods, then turns to Joanne:: CTO: I'll be on the Bridge. If she so much as looks like she wants to escape, kill her.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::smiles::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Raises her eyebrows slightly at Rome:: CO: Any preference on how?

<Nalta>

::laughs softly, her eyes shining somewhat:: CO: I was dead when I started, Captain. We all were. That's the price for revolution.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#Nalta: Good, then you won't mind it.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#CTO: Painfully.

<NAV_Cdt_Gunn>

:: Looks at the view screen at Capt. Harris, then looks at the XO with a concerned eyes::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::steps out of the Brig::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#*XO*: On my way Commander, care to bring me up to speed?

<Nalta>

::swallows softly as she watches him leave, seeming nervous::

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::doublechecks the instructions, scanning the batch to make sure that it came out correctly::

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::reads through the messages again, mind racing as he tries to make some connections::

<Nalta>

<Capt_Harris>

::doesn't seem convinced:: *XO*: Understood, Commander. Vonnegut out.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Looks back round to Nalta:: Nalta: Not sure that worked out to your advantage. Better start looking as innocent as possible, so I don't misconstrue your intentions....

<Nalta>

::sits down on the bed, seeming somewhat forlorn:: CTO: It's not about advantage.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#TL: Bridge.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

*CO*: Yes, Captain. Captain Harris just commed in an update. He's found evidence that Mizar wasn't the first stop on that freighter's journey. He has reason to believe Starbase 621, and possibly Trill contain more of those vests.

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

::mutters quietly:: XO: I don't know what they're playing at, Commander, but this doesn't sit right with me at all. How can you not alert the Starbase CO on even the suspicion of something like that?

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

NAV: As soon as we're done here, lay in a course to Starbase 621.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: Then what is it about? ::Retakes her seat:: Educate me.

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::sits up a bit straighter as something clicks at the back of his mind::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::makes fists:: *XO*: Has he contacted headquarters?

<NAV_Cdt_Gunn>

:: Starts plotting a course to Starbase 621:: XO: Aye, Ma´am

<Nalta>

::looks to her hands:: CTO: It's about life.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::locks worreid eye with CMO:: CMO: Tell me, doctor. On Bajor, how easy would it have been to sew a seed of doubt in a resistence cell?

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::turns around with a thoughtful look on his face:: XO: Commander, I have an idea but I'm not sure how it will pan out.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: Whose life? Your life, my life? His life, her life?

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

*CO*: No, sir. He seems to think this conspiracy goes to the top. I'm inclined to disagree, but I'm uneasy about doing the same now, myself. I have us set to make our way to Starbase 621 at your order, sir.

<Nalta>

::smiles some, her eyes welling a bit:: CTO: Life itself... ::glances up:: ... Lieutenant.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::steps out onto the Bridge as he receives the comm:: XO: A prudent course of action, Commander.....tell me, who do we know at the starbase, anyone we've had contact with before?

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

XO: Not easy, but then we rarely operated outside a cell of 5-10 and always with people we grew up with, friends and family. But when you had four or five cells working together....well, that was a different story, even a hint that something was amiss would send us running.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::thinks:: CO: None come to mind, sir. I think I dated an Andorian stationed there once, but... it didn't last.

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::letting the batch cool to room temperature, separates it out into individual doses::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#XO: Do you trust him?

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Pulls the chair a little closer to the forcefield:: Nalta: I need you to explain. I don't understand. But I want to.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

CO: Nope. Also, I'm pretty sure he's dead, now.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::looks to Kymar:: CMO: Doc, your input would be appreciated. I understand Captain Harris' viewpoint, but we can't sit on this.

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::gets up and walks closer to the Captain and XO, PADD in hand, staying out of earshot::

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::notices OPS and steps to his side as CO speaks to CMO::

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

CO/XO: We can't. I'd suggest contacting the station commander, he's there for a reason, it's his station and he knows the situation there better than anyone else. Encode it as Priority One, Starfleet COs only.

<Nalta>

::sits back some:: CTO: What is the Federation? What is any government? Order. Sameness. Stagnation. And what is life?

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: How can you say that exploration of space being sameness and stagnation?

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

::shrugs lightly, leaning once more on the railing:: CO: Once he knows, we'll be better able to control the situation. Tricobalt isn't exactly a discreet substance, any scan would pick it up especially on a station as small as 621.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#CMO: Agreed.

<CMO_Cmdr_Kymar>

CO: Although...If someone did manage to smuggle some onboard, it'd almost immediately point fingers at his security team. I'm sure the station commander would realise that immediately, but it's something we need to take into account.

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

XO: Sorry, sir, but I had a thought about the context of the messages on the PADD and a potential source of more information.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#XO: Commander, send a message to the CO of the Starbase, as well as the Federation ambassador to Trill. Priority signal.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#CMO: Let's hope Starfleet officer's aren't so easily turned.

<Nalta>

::shakes her head some:: CTO: How much of the Federation is truly devoted to exploration? Of all the citizens of the United Federation of Planets, how many are out here, exploring? No; the spine of the Federation is dedicated to keeping things the same. Predictable. Comfortable.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

CO: Yessir. ::looks at OPS:: OPS: Tell me. ::moves over to her own console to send the messages::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

::Shakes her head:: Nalta: Stable. And most of the Federation's inhabitants are happy with stable.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::turns to the front of the Bridge:: NAV: Cadet, what's the ETAs for Starbase 621, Trill homeworld....and the Badlands from this location, maximum warp?

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

XO: They are short phrases and one word messages, quite obviously orders once the timeline is observed. Kivan might shed some light on that, if we ask the right questions.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#CMO: The message probe we intercepted, could it have transmitted real time communications from the Badlands?

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

OPS: Good work. ::smiles as she taps her console to send the messages to SB 621 and Trill:: OPS: OK. Perhaps it' smy turn to do some questioning... ::stand up and reaches for the PADD::

<NAV_Cdt_Gunn>

:: Looks at the CO:: CO: On maximum warp we are about a week out Sir.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#NAV: To the starbase?

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::nods:: XO: Aye, Commander. ::hands over the PADD:: Should I tell the Captain? He was wanting a report on the content of the PADD after all.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

::waves OPS over with the PADD:: OPS: We'll discuss it with him, now.

<NAV_Cdt_Gunn>

CO: To the badlands Sir. Only 2 days to the Starbase Sir.

<Nalta>

::smiles some:: CTO: Of course they are; they've grown up in these little content bubbles, unaware and unprepared for the realities of the universe.

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

::nods::

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::taps his fingers on the railing seperating him and the command circle::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: So you want to upset the balance, the world, of perfectly happy individuals and families, just because you think you know better?

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#NAV: Set a course for the Badlands, maximum warp.

<NAV_Cdt_Gunn>

:: Changes course from the Starbase to the Badlands and engages:: CO: Aye Sir

<Nalta>

::smirks some:: CTO: So that we can continue to evolve. So that life can continue its journey.

<XO_LtCmdr_Danann>

CO: Captain, permission to speak with Kivan.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#::turns to Danann: XO: Why?

<MED_Ens_Rousseau>

::cleans up the lab room, and stores the batch of funkyoxitan, making one dose available for use...::

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: Can't you just do that in your own little circle, and leave the rest of us out of it?

<OPS_Cmdr_Lyon>

CO: The PADD contained messages communicating orders and I'm of the opinion that Kivan can give us more insight.

<Nalta>

::laughs derisively:: CTO: Such a narrow view. That will be fixed soon.

<CO_Captain_Rome>

#OPS/XO: Fine, see what he knows.

<CTO_Lt_Feyna>

Nalta: And how do you plan to do that, my little fanatic?

<NAV_Cdt_Gunn>

:: Is happy about the Capt. decision on going to the badlands::

<Nalta>

::leans forwards slowly, staring at Feyna intently:: CTO: With fire.

<Nalta>

<<<Pause>>>