Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on May 7, 2017 9:44:57 GMT
The USS Excalibur had originally been instructed to head for Starbase 18, but while en-route they had suddenly been directed to Earth itself The ship needed work, the crew needed rest, the command Staff and Senior Officers too were not immune to the strain they had been put under during their last mission But their rest and recuperation would have to wait while intensive de-briefs were conducted Eventually everyone would be able to enjoy some well-earned free time on Earth while the repairs and refit was underway
ooo000ooo "Entering orbit Captain." the helmsman said as the Constitution Class Excalibur approached her home port. "Very well Ensign, make standard approach to Space Dock, Communications, contact the Dock Master for instructions." Daniel said as Commodore Ryat looked on. "We are to come to a stop five hundred meters out Commander. They will bring us in under tractors." "Do as instructed Helm." Ryat said, rising, "I'll be in my Ready Room Daniel ....." she said, heading off the Bridge. Dan watched her go, knowing something was amiss but unable to figure out what. maybe she was worried about the inquests, maybe it was something personal, he didn't know, but was sure that if it involved the ship she would inform him in due course, or at least, hoped that would be the case. Thirty minutes later the Excalibur was beneath the massive cradle, umbilicus swung into place connecting with the ship, finally they transferred their power requirements to the Dock and shut down their warp core. Daniel was informed almost instantly the walkways were connected that base staff were boarding the massive vessel, soon the ship would almost seem overrun with khaki clad Engineers and Auxiliary Personnel. he sat down in center seat, the Yeoman beside the chair handing him PaDD after PaDD. He signed them almost without checking content, given each one was confirming that work could be carried out on the ship without supervision. These people knew what they were doing, he knew that, after all, they had built the Excalibur from the first hull plate to the stencilled number adorning the forward section of the Saucer, they didn't need hand-holding ... Commodore Ryat emerged from her Ready Room, motioning for him to approach. Once out of earshot of others on the Bridge she informed him that she had been instructed to go to Starfleet Command Headquarters San Francisco. She couldn't tell him anything else, but presumed his connection with Intelligence would allow him to find out if he so chose, she asked him not to ! "The ship is yours Commander, have Department Heads submit shore leave rota's for approval, but I think we only need to keep minimal crew aboard while 'base Personnel are pottering around, they'll only complain we're in the way anyway." she said with a grin that Daniel knew was fake and obviously for his benefit. she was turning away but he felt he had to say something, he took her arm: "Amanda ... What's going on ?" he asked, surreptitiously glancing around the Bridge to see if anyone had noticed his breach in protocol. "Nothing. It's a de-brief just like every other. There have been Diplomatic repercussions, but hardly worth worrying about given they came from the Delans. But they have to be investigated, and as Commanding Officer it's down to me to represent our actions during the mission." she almost shrugged under his grip. "How do Command know what happened so soon, they can only have the Dela III and VI reports ?" "They 'requested' my report and ships log two days ago." she said, moving away an inch to release her arm. "What !" Daniel asked, shocked. "Don't worry, it's just so they had the information to hand." she said, heading for the turbo-lift, "get everyone off the ship and rested please Commander, we won't be in dock indefinitely." He watched her go, a frown forming ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on May 9, 2017 10:19:45 GMT
Karka had watched from the science station in bemusement at first; Lieutenant Hearan had walked up with the yeoman who was handing reports to the XO, a piece of real paper in his hand. Only a few minutes later, after Hearan had left the bridge, did Karka realise what the junior tactical officer had done. Slapping his forehead, Karka thought of the implications: twice before Hearan had pulled this stunt, but on both those occasions neither the CO or XO had been present on the bridge. He was being similarly idiotic, but taking a far greater risk.
The issue with this one illegitimately acquired document of Hearan's - that he'd snuck between authorisation papers brandished by the yeoman - was that the written request transcribed thereon had very little, well, in fact nothing to do with starship maintenance. Grimacing, Psonoir turned at the science console to face Schirra, whom he found frowning at the just-closed turbolift door through which Commodore Ryat had passed seconds ago. "Commander?" Karka asked.
Schirra shook his head, indicating it was nothing of importance (at least not yet, Karka suspected, considering the mysterious exchange of the CO and XO amidst the newly arrived technicians). "Then, sir," he said, "You may wish to know that you've just signed off Lieutenant Hearan for the next year."
Karka's drollness managed successfully to mask a deeper annoyance with Hearan - annoyance that his former junior engineer (both had now left the engine room) had shirked duty again, even if - as he always claimed when the chase was over and he was cornered, on a small islet, as last time, off Bermuda - Hearan always claimed his effective desertions were 'wind-ups' meant to lighten the mood of the crew.
On the viewscreen, Earth was shown in white-marbled blue as the drydock floated at this moment over the Pacific. They now learnt Hearan had already boarded a shuttle; a grey speck coursed into view and on down into the blue haze.
* * *
Crewmembers had begun to disperse from the Excalibur for their regular-duration shore leaves. Karka had returned to his quarters while a Beta shift bridge staff of the remaining crewmembers on active duty set about tracking down the insubordinate Hearan; the science officer suspected he'd be in for more than a simple dressing down this time. Apparently he was off somewhere in the vicinity of Vanuatu.
Karka turned his attention to the problem of insufficient bio-specimens of various types of Regulan worm species, deciding before he left it too late and the CMO left for shore leave, to coordinate with the officer to ensure they acquired the correct number of the correct classification.
There was a chime at his door, "Come in."
Unwin appeared in the doorway, "Karka. I wouldn't usually bother you with this. But old colleagues of ours from the SCE are gathering for a conference in Frisco. I and they thought you might like to attend."
Karka immediately left the infopad with the bio-specimens in his antique escritoire - gift of Lirwa - and joined the CEO for a visit to SF Headquarters.
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on May 13, 2017 0:48:44 GMT
Daniel dropped himself into the center seat, his mind on the recently departed Commodore ... No, it wasn't standard procedure to request reports and ships' logs prior to docking, yes it was feasible that someone may need the information held within sooner than a particular vessel could get back, so why was this worrying him ?
The Bridge was already full of unknown faces, taking out panels, removing internals, replacing with upgraded or replacement parts. He realised he needed off the ship, before the inevitable enquiries from Intelligence, but he needed to share his concerns about Alyana Ryat. The only person he could speak to on the matter had already left the ship and was down on Earth, his other option was obviously Koni T'Seng, the Tactical Officer. They had become friends during their time together and he did actually feel she could be trusted to keep a confidence, and even offer up legitimate advice should he ask for it, but at this stage he didn't want to involve anyone unnecessarily. So, he had very few options open ...
getting up he went to the Captains Ready room and instructed the Duty Security Officer, always present on the Bridge when non-crew were in attendance, to ensure he wasn't disturbed ....... Sitting at the desk he turned the screen to face him and tapped the activation pad:
"Computer .. Confirm identity .. Schirra Daniel."
"Voice match confirmed."
"Access 'ALL' communications to and from this vessel in the last seventy two hours .. Authorisation : Schirra Delta-Five-Nine-Alpha."
"Working .. .. .. "
A list appeared on the screen, a short list as he had expected. The communique's were standard and he almost felt relief that something hadn't sprung from the screen, but then he did notice one irregularity:
"Computer .. Explain missing log .. Star-date 0505-23:19."
"Access to this log is restricted."
"Open log .. Authorisation Schirra Delta-Five-Nine-Alpha." he was using his Intelligence Access code, so the computer should comply, it had been programmed to do so after all, alas, and somewhat surprisingly, he was to be disappointed.
"Access to this log is restricted."
"You're joking, right ?" he said.
"Please restate the question."
"Never mind .. .. Computer .. Origin of message at previous log date and time."
"Access to this log is restricted."
He thumped the desk in frustration. For what reason would a log be so inaccessible, and why not delete it from the record completely if whoever sent it didn't want prying eyes to be 'trying' to get a look at it ! .... He decided to try a different tack, maybe he could fool the computer into thinking he'd given up while going about getting the information in a roundabout way, it was worth a try:
"Computer .. List all communique's 'NOT' originating from Starfleet Command."
"Specify time period."
"Last seventy two hours." he said with a shrug. When the screen changed there were only three logs listed, the one hidden from him and two others, but both of those had been modified at some stage between being received and his enquiry. The first one had been read by the Commodore two hours before the hidden comm, the second twelve hours after. both had had the information deleted, but again the log remained ... 'Why leave it here ?' he wondered. Then something occurred to him: She had left them there intentionally ! ... Breadcrumbs ? ... But why, if she had been placed in a position that compromised her authority, then she would have spoken to him about it, or as a last resort, stepped down, there was no way she would have allowed anyone hold over her, especially if it involved the Excalibur, so what else.
"Computer .. Access personal logs .. Commodore Alyana Ryat .. Last fourteen days." again the list changed, each log had a preview so he didn't need to read the full content, after all, he wasn't merely snooping, he was doing this because she was acting out of character, and had made no effort to consult her Executive Officer of any situation that could affect her or the ship, or worst case, the Federation itself. Again nothing sprang out and again his frustration grew. He felt he had no option but to follow her to Starfleet Command. Shuting the screen down he left the Ready Room and headed for the Transporter Room. Five minutes later he was stood in front of the impressive Headquarters of Starfleet ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on May 19, 2017 23:43:51 GMT
Karka stepped out the door of the conference room rolling his eyes, finding himself once more in the gaudily decorated lobby and reception room. He picked up more snacks and drank several glasses of what Lirwa would inform him - if he were present - was the human concoction known under the old world economy brand name Buck's Fizz.
A young SCE Ensign emerged from the other door - the conference still in full swing inside - and made for the rows of pristine glasses with their tangerine liquid filled almost to the brims atop the buffet tables; Karka saved the man the trouble and handed him one glass behind his back. "Thanks, Jeeves," the Ensign said; Karka raised his eyebrows and the man added, "Never mind."
Psonoir returned to his buffet food of pitiful small quarter-sandwiches and miniature sausages on needle-like wooden sticks arranged on a flimsy paper plate. The man was talking to him again, "Karka. Look at me, for pity's sake. I know my appearance is different, what with this revamped body, but you should be able to recognise a friend from the way he speaks, surely."
The science officer Lieutenant Commander Psonoir who'd inexplicably found his way to a Corps of Engineers conference and seminar turned to the mysterious Ensign, already believing he'd figured out the reason for the man's enigmatic attitude, "Lirwa... Strange," he huffed, "I was just thinking about you."
"That's what's brought me here, Karka," his old friend's voice took on a mock-serious tone, "I'm here to resurrect Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant. They're needed for -"
Something inside Karka snapped, "Please!"
"Ok, sorry. Your CO may or may not have been captured by hostile forces."
"What?"
"Let me amend that." Lirwa licked his lips, "Sorry again, I made a mistake... It's difficult knowing sometimes in what tense to refer to certain temporal events, particularly when one has just made the jump back from the 26th century. If I estimate correctly, she will disappear from San Francisco in just over ten minutes."
Karka calmly put down his Buck's Fizz and turned to his friend. "Where is she and what can we do?"
"There's nothing you can do now. She will be taken."
"By whom?"
"I don't know. And I wasn't able to get here quickly enough - trouble on the highways; delays, et cetera," he explained, "As for where she is, unfortunately I can't be any more precise than to say she's in San Francisco. There's a good chance she'll be right here," he gestured about him, "In Headquarters. But without commbadges to act as personal transponders or computers on voice-command for convenience's sake, I'm afraid you won't have a chance of learning whether or not she's in this building, not without going through several Admirals or Commodores first."
"What are commbadges?" The term was vaguely familiar to Karka - he had a suspicion it referred to Starfleet technology from another era.
"24th, 25th centuries. Never mind." Lirwa in his SCE Ensign body sipped at the orange drink and recoiled, "Urgh, I don't know what these people see in this stuff." The two human-disguised Hybrudeans left the reception area and made their way farther into HQ, Karka stopping at a comm station to put in a call to the Excalibur, asking Commander Schirra to scan the SF bay area for Ryat's biosign and contact the highest authority at Command he could. He was told by Lieutenant T'Seng that Dan had already made his way down to Frisco, thus rerouting his comm, Karka succeeded in making contact with Schirra who he found was three floors up in a communications room similar to his own.
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on May 21, 2017 17:45:42 GMT
Entering the mezzanine, he made his way over to the large reception desk, where several Starfleet Personnel were dealing with a myriad of queries. One saw him approaching and waited: "I believe commodore Ryat, Commanding Officer, USS Excalibur, is currently in the building, I need to speak with her as a matter of some urgency. Could you direct me to her current location ?" he explained. The woman entered numerous inputs into her terminal, glancing up at Daniel every few seconds. "I am sorry Commander, but commodore Ryat has not yet reported to Command." the woman finally said. "You must be mistaken. She transported here approximately twenty minutes ago from the Excalibur." Dan said, frowning, "Please check again." The woman did so, but with the same result ... If Ryat 'had' come to Headquarters, then she either didn't walk through the large doors when she arrived, or entered without following protocol to report her arrival. He looked aroun the massive mezzanine, wondering what could have happened to her. Of course, it was plausible that she had delayed her arrival to go somewhere else first, but why not let anyone know her whereabouts, she must know it was a requirement for all Flag and Command Level Officers ... Stepping away from the desk he took out his communicator and flipped it open: =^= Schirra to Excalibur =^= =^= Lieutenant T'Seng .. Go ahead Commander =^= =^= Lieutenant .. Has the Commodore returned to the ship ? =^= =^= No Sir .. I thought she was going to Command Headquarters =^= =^= Yes .. .. Me too .. Contact me if you hear from her Koni .. Schirra out =^= he closed the comm and returned to the desk: "Commodore Ryat left the Excalibur in one of our shuttles. She was supposedly coming here for a de-brief with Command. Her shuttle is where it's supposed to be, so, either she arrived and didn't log in or sh ...." "I am sorry Commander, but everyone who enters the building is required to report, regardless of the reason for their visit. Commodore Ryat did not enter through any of the entrances." she insisted, but seeing the look on his face she continued, "I can check with Security to see if there is any visual log of her entering ... If you cou ....." "I'll be coming with you Ensign." he said, making it clear it wasn't a request. Reluctantly she nodded and asked him to move to the end of the desk where she met him. They walked across the mezzanine to a room with an unmarked turbo-lift before rising three levels. Entering Security he could see several Personnel, she spoke to one who looked over at Schirra shaking his head, Dan had had enough of the delay, "Lieutenant, I don't have time for this, there is a distinct possibility that one of our Flag Officers has gone missing, I want your full cooperation in establishing exactly where that occurred. My name is Commander Daniel Schirra, and as you can surmise by my attire, I am Starfleet Intelligence, so start looking for her ... Now, if you please." "Yes Commander !" the man said, casting a look of disdain at the young Ensign for putting him in this situation. Ten minutes later ::"You said she landed a shuttle at the Arrivals Departure Plaza ?" "Yes ...." Daniel said, exasperation growing exponentially as the minutes passed. He retrieved his communicator as the man continued to work and instructed the Excalibur to search for Ryat from there. Though given most of the ships' systems were either being replaced or were in diagnostic mode, it was doubtful thy would find anything. minutes later his fears were confirmed, all they had was the shuttle departing Excalibur and hitting the designated glide path for Starfleet Command San Francisco, after it entered the atmosphere tracking was terminated as the system was taken off-line. Bad luck, coincidence, it didn't matter unless it was deliberate, and he couldn't prove that at this point, but he did ask Koni to check 'ALL' the maintenance personnel currently working on the Excalibur. "Commander. I have the Commodores shuttle." Dan turned back to the large screen and watched as it landed, gliding to a halt. A few moments passed then the side door lowered and Ryat stepped out. Dan watched as she walked across the plaza and onto the escalators, but something about the recording was pinching a nerve, something about how she was walking. "Can you increase magnification on her Lieutenant ?" "Sir ?" the man said. "Zoom in on her ?" Dan clarified. "Well, I suppose ...." the Lieutenant said, making the requested adjustments. "That's not her." Schirra announced. "I'm sorry Commander, but visual and bio-metric scans say it is." "It's not her." Daniel insisted, though admittedly he couldn't explain his reasoning if asked to do so, but something in him said that wasn't Alyana Ryat ! "With all due respect Commander. You can see her approaching the Reception Desk, her palm print was logged before she entered one of the turbo-lifts. Once she reached Command levels our access is restricted." "Well mine isn't !" Dan said, leaning over and entering his Intel Access Code, "Track that turbo-lift." The man did as ordered, impressed at the man standing over him. they watched as 'Ryat' entered the turbo-lift then the feed switched to surveillance from the exterior of the 'lift as it opened on Floor Seven. It was empty ! "Check the log, did that lift halt anywhere between the mezzanine and Floor Seven ... Quickly !" Schirra demanded, a cold shiver running the length of his spine, despite the warmth of the room. "No Sir. Direct to Floor Seven. Time stamp corroborates the lifts' movement, it took precisely the time programmed to reach the requested floor." Dan turned away from the screen, the Lieutenant and the young Ensign watching him in silence. Countless scenario's were cascading through his mind, but the most prominent were forcing themselves to the forefront: One | : | Ryat intentionally disappeared | Two | : | Ryat never boarded the turbo-lift despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary | Three | : | Ryat never left the Excalibur |
His communicator chirped to life: =^= Psonoir to Commander Schirra =^= =^= Karka .. Meet me in the Security Suite .. Floor Three .. Right now =^= ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on May 23, 2017 1:01:57 GMT
Karka acknowledged Dan and strode for the nearest lift; Lirwa followed him and commented, "It seems your crewmate is on the case. Are you going to tell him that you know for certain she'll disappear in about eight minutes time?"
Karka nearly didn't allow Lirwa aboard. Apart from the thorn in his side Lirwa may be, he had a difficult decision to make, precisely the one Lirwa had alluded to: under normal circumstances he should inform Dan of exactly what was going to happen to the Commodore, but perhaps the situation called for him to be slightly more enigmatic. How could one in his position be privy to the information that the Commodore was soon to be taken? What source - that wouldn't go a way to blowing his perennial cover - could he give, without the eye of suspicion falling even upon himself?
He and Lirwa took their places in the lift and the doors slid closed, "Please stay in character while we're up there, Ensign...?"
"Lomax. When not working part-time for SCE, he's Assistant Chief Engineer of the USS Oregon."
"I see," Karka smiled drolly; they exited the lift and found themselves adjacent to a security suite that contained Commander Schirra among others.
Karka hurriedly gave his XO an update, which was disconcerting for him on two counts: first, the nature of what he reported, that being the Commodore's status as missing; second, that the 'hurried' tone of his report was an act, Psonoir improvising so as to make it seem he'd found this out from various sources other than the time-jumping alien (Lirwa) who was of Karka's own true species, that species affiliation of his of course unknown to the entire Excalibur crew.
Dan regarded Lirwa in his Engineer Corps uniform, "And you are?"
"A friend of the Lieutenant Commander's," Lirwa indicated Karka and nodded respectfully, "Ensign Bartleby of SCE, sir."
Karka tutted silently and shook his head, hoped it wasn't noticed, "I estimate the time to Commodore Ryat's actual disappearance is less than five minutes now," he said, and Schirra directed his and Ensign Lomax/Bartleby's gaze to the screen displaying surveillance footage of the empty turbolift on floor 7, the footage repeating in a loop every few seconds: static, grainy shot, opening turbolift, empty turbolift... static, grainy shot, opening turbolift... the cycle continuing as Schirra made his own update, also informing Karka about the three hidden communications in Ryat's logs.
"She did seem ill at ease on the bridge..." Karka said, "Was there any indication in those logs that she could've left something for us, if she knew she was short of time and that she couldn't tell us anything substantial at that moment? Perhaps I can find a pattern in what has been masked in the logs, it may reveal something... A sequence of deletions that in masking basic information may have been intended to reveal a more significant truth."
<Tag Schirra>
The countdown 'til disappearance advanced rapidly (though the staff wouldn't register that disappearance as such, for they were unable to even find her biosign to confirm that she will or will not have disappeared). While Dan worked with the security lieutenant and others in locating Ryat, Karka after a couple minutes of frantic searching was able to establish that, true to Schirra's intuition, the person who'd entered HQ and boarded the turbolift was not Alyana Ryat, though exactly who she was was impossible to determine.
3... 2... 1... 0. A quiet voice over his shoulder, "Time's up." Lirwa informing him that wherever Ryat had just been (SF HQ, wider Frisco, or the Excalibur) she was there no longer.
Nothing seemed to have happened; the subdued hubbub in the room continued. SF Command had had no tabs on Ryat; the search continued in earnest as if they didn't know she'd disappeared (it was matter of levels of abstraction: yes, they knew she had now disappeared, though considering she was missing anyway, it simply dropped her MIA status down another rung on the ladder of infinite regress, dropping onto the back of the next turtle). Karka hoped he could trust the finicky Lirwa/Lomax/Bartleby to have told the truth about the impending vanishing act. "You're going to have to tell me more, you know," he commented to his friend, "I can't double-deal, or conceal information from the XO forever." But if he did tell Dan everything Lirwa had told him, he risked revealing his true origins.
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on May 27, 2017 22:49:08 GMT
Dan regarded Lirwa in his Engineer Corps uniform: "And you are ?" "A friend of the Lieutenant Commander's ..." Lirwa indicated Karka and nodded respectfully, "... Ensign Bartleby of SCE, Sir." "Really." Daniel said, not entirely convinced, but he didn't have the time nor the inclination to query the Officer, he turned to Karka, informing him of the logs he'd found: "Perhaps I can find a pattern in what has been masked in the logs, it may reveal something ... A sequence of deletions that in masking basic information may have been intended to reveal a more significant truth." "Feel free." Dan said, looking around as if hoping Ryat would suddenly walk out of a door and approach them as if nothing had happened. But he was to be disappointed ..... Despite an extensive and on-going search, there was no sign of Commodore Ryat, neither on one of the orbital platforms, docked vessels, or anywhere on the surface of Earth ! ooo000ooo "We have gone over the surveillance dozens of times Commander ....." the Lieutenant said, exasperation growing as he repeated the process yet again with the same result, "As you can see Commander. 'IF' we are one hundred percent certain that the person climbing aboard the shuttle in the Excalibur's Bay 'IS' Commodore Ryat, and know that the person who entered the turbo-lift at Headquarters did not step out on any other floor but was no longer in the turbo-lift when it arrived at it's designated floor, then we can only conclude that she disappeared between the Excalibur and Starfleet Headquarters." "Your knack for voicing the startlingly obvious is astonishing Lieutenant, you'll go far." Dan said, the sarcasm obvious to everyone who heard the comment. "What I mean is, could it be possible that the Commodore didn't in fact step aboard the shuttle ?" "So who did ?" Schirra asked, knowing the man could no more answer the question than he himself. He leaned in and used the panel to contact the Excalibur: =^= Schirra to Excalibur =^= =^= Excalibur .. Lieutenant T'Seng =^= =^= Lieutenant .. Evacuate 'ALL' but non-essential crew and dock personnel immediately .. Once done .. Seal the ship and begin a thorough search .. Top to bottom .. Every space larger than one cubic meter needs clearing .. As you search that room needs to be sealed until Commander Psonoir and Myself return .. .. Understood =^= =^= Commander .. What exactly are we looking for ? =^= Koni asked, admittedly confused. =^= If you find what we're missing you'll know .. Begin clearing the ship immediately Lieutenant .. Schirra out =^= "OK, if she's on the Excalibur they'll find her." he said as the comm chirped to life: It was the Dock-master complaining at his personnel being thrown from the Excalibur without explanation, "Tell him that I ordered the evacuation, if he has any issues to contact Starfleet Intelligence !" Three hours later the Excalibur reported there was no sign of anything blatantly concealed, and thus no sign of Commodore Ryat .... Starfleet Command Headquarters ~ Commander Starfleet Office :: Dan and Karka had practically forced their way into the Commander of Starfleet Office, and only then because Schirra had Intelligence behind him:"But you have to admit she's vanished, why else would we not be able to contact her Sir ?" Dan asked the Head of Starfleet. "It may be too early to surmise she has been taken against her will Commander. There is absolutely 'zero' evidence to support your theory. If either one of you could give me something, tangible, at least then we could look into it." "I don't believe this !" Daniel said, frustration dangerously close to boiling point, Karka discretely put a hand on his arm to hopefully stem his flow before he said something they may both regret, but Dan had got the hint and took a moment to compose his thoughts, "With all due respect ... A Flag Officer has been reported missing. Every attempt to contact or locate her has met with a proverbial brick wall. From our own investigations prior to this meeting, we are convinced that Commodore Ryat is no longer on Earth, and the possibility that she has been taken out of the Sol System against her will is highly likely ... Now ... I would like permission to conduct a thorough search for her, using any and all means at Starfleet's disposal ...... Unless of course the Admiral has information we are not privy to ?" He knew he was pushing his luck, even allowing for his connection with Starfleet Intelligence, there was only so far you could push or goad a Flag Officer, especially one as high as the Admiral sat opposite, before said Admiral bit back, and the result was never in the aforementioned Officers' favour, ever ! The Admiral stood, walking around his desk to stand before the windows, giving a panoramic of San Francisco Harbour. "It may interest you to know commander, that we too have been looking for Commodore Ryat. We have studied the transcripts from the three communications but thus far see nothing embedded that would hint of an illegal act." "Our Science Officer is going to look them over as well Admiral. He may see something that was initially missed." Dan informed him. "I didn't realise cryptography was part of the Science curriculum." the Admiral said, glancing at the silent Psonoir, ".... and what is your theory as to the, mislaying, of your Commanding Officer, Commander ?" < Tag : Karka >"Indeed ?" the Admiral said after listening to the Excalibur's Science Officer, ".... and you agree with your Executive Officer that Commodore Ryat has been taken out of the System by force, and that the only viable option is for the Excalibur to go after her with all due haste ?" ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on May 28, 2017 23:56:14 GMT
"It is here that we must part company for a while," Lirwa told him as they rounded a bend in the corridor, on the way to the high-ranking Admiral's office, which Karka certainly wasn't going to let Lirwa near in any case. "They'll have more that we can use in the 27th; it's possible your Commodore's shuttle was swapped out for a replica built on Eyrie Syphax VII... That planet in the 27th, as you'll know, has been transformed into a construction world after the terraforming operations that go on in the late 24th..."
"Terraforming operations which were a catastrophe due to the fact they awakened all the dormant volcanoes in spontaneous eruptions covering half the globe in pyroclastic formations, yes, I know," Karka nodded, smiling dryly. It hadn't been lost on him the possibility that Ryat's shuttle had been transported through time, though Lirwa's signalling of 27th century Eyrie Syphax as a possible destination allowed him to eliminate several other candidates, namely, those temporal destinations that lay in the past.
The spectral flight of stairs at the null marker - where Karka and Lirwa had just arrived - ghosted in and Lirwa became semi-incorporeal, his matter phasing out as his pattern prepared to be taken through the null point's door on nothingness and up onto the spacetime highways... He looked back once, his SCE uniform now rippling with many colours, "I'll be gone a couple years, but will be back this afternoon," and dissolved as he climbed the hazy stairs.
What discomfort Karka might now feel having to conceal information about the Commodore was comfortably nullified by the knowledge that Ryat wouldn't have been transported through time along with the shuttle - her specific whereabouts were still unknown; all he and Lirwa knew was that she'd been snatched, and they'd had forewarning; Starfleet HQ had not.
He arrived at the Admiral's office, finding Schirra in an ante-room where they informed each other nothing further had been heard about the Commodore's whereabouts, then entered to find the high-ranking officer just taking his seat, having entered the room from a private study compartment behind the desk and to their left.
".... and what is your theory as to the, mislaying, of your Commanding Officer, Commander ?"
Psonoir's poker face was nearly impeccable, not that he had to obfuscate too greatly, and not that the slight error - a blink and the jawline making a very slight lateral movement - would've elicited any suspicion on the part of the Admiral or Schirra. He blinked again, "I believe, given that the Commodore has made no attempt to contact her ship, or Starfleet Command or anyone else, and given she hasn't checked in anywhere to give any indication of her presence, that something untoward has happened to her, that she may have been kidnapped, or that she may have gone AWOL of her own volition, or that she may have... that she may have been killed."
Now it was the Admiral's turn to blink, "A possibility we should consider, and have been doing so. Several of my best people are on it now. The Excalibur need not concern itself with this search for Ryat, a very well respected flag officer, someone I served with many years ago. I was her Commanding Officer on one of her first assignments, she was then just a Junior Lieutenant. Yet..." he glanced quickly at a wall.
Karka had noticed the movement and deduced immediately that the Admiral had (perhaps involuntarily) looked to the position of a bug placed by SF Intelligence, one he obviously he knew about. To be aware of such a device's presence was not an offence; to attempt to remove it however, no matter what rank, certainly was or could be made to look like such. They investigated nearly everybody, but the Commander Starfleet? If the bug's usage wasn't benign, who hadn't been playing fair? The Admiral, or Starfleet Intelligence?
"... Yet I know there are people who have a vested interest in this case who may have affiliations with certain covert branches of our organisation, and therefore..." the Admiral huffed, "you agree with your Executive Officer that Commodore Ryat has been taken out of the System by force, and that the only viable option is for the Excalibur to go after her with all due haste ?"
"Yes, sir, I do," Karka said and turned and nodded at Schirra, who returned the nod.
They prepared to leave but the Admiral stopped them; it was clear he'd hesitated in his query and asked only grudgingly, "Have either you any ideas where exactly she might've gone, if she's been kidnapped or otherwise, therefore where you might start looking?"
Karka paused - weighing up the possibilities and considering the risk; could it lead to his exposure? would it cause more questions to be asked of him than answered by him? - before speaking, "Might I suggest Eyrie Syphax VII?"
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on May 29, 2017 20:23:50 GMT
"A possibility we should consider, and have been doing so. Several of my best people are on it now. The Excalibur need not concern itself with this search for Ryat, a very well respected flag officer, someone I served with many years ago. I was her Commanding Officer on one of her first assignments, she was then just a Junior Lieutenant. Yet ....." he glanced quickly at a wall, "..... Yet I know there are people who have a vested interest in this case who may have affiliations with certain covert branches of our organisation, and therefore ..." the Admiral stood, effectively signifying the meeting was concluded, but rather than just remain behind his desk he walked to the door, opening it and stepping into the outer office:
"You agree with your Executive Officer that Commodore Ryat has been taken out of the System by force, and that the only viable option is for the Excalibur to go after her with all due haste I assume ?" he said, seeing both nod, "Have either you any ideas where exactly she might've gone, if she's been kidnapped or otherwise, therefore where you might start looking ?"
Daniel had seen the Admiral's hesitation, and his attempted covert glance toward the wall, but he said nothing, it was entirely possible, even plausible, that the Commander Starfleet could be being monitored.
"Might I suggest Eyrie Syphax VII ?" Karka suddenly suggested.
"Any particular reason for that location, Commander ?" the Admiral asked ... Dan could see Karka was not going to reply, he had no idea why Psonoir had suggested the location, but trusted there was a reason, albeit beyond him, but something needed to be said.
"We obtained information some time ago Admiral, which petered out as unsubstantiated due to the sources unreliability, and his attempted plea-bargaining, that the planet was possibly being used as a base of operations for a dangerous unknown faction. Eyrie Syphax is currently undergoing terraforming, which should take another decade, the place is completely automated with service personnel turning up every twelve months to carry out any maintenance the place can't fix by itself. It 'would' allow for un-monitored coming and going."
"That's as maybe ...." the Admiral said, beginning to frown as he glanced back into his office for a second, "I'm just curious as to why you picked that location, last count there were thirty eight terraforming operations on-going, so why not one of the others, Kevvox II, Deemoth Vega System worlds for example ?
"We need a starting point Admiral." Daniel said, hoping to bring the conversation to a swift end before questions were asked neither of them cared to answer, "If we start there and Security uncover additional information regarding Commodore Ryat's whereabouts, then we can react at that time." Dan finished speaking, expecting the Admiral to approve their request, but instead he moved to one of the food replicators. Taking a drinks chip he requested three saurian brandy's ... Handing one to each of them he took his time sipping the amber liquid, obviously mulling over options, finally he replied:
"OK, Commodore Ryat's Command Codes have all been rescinded and she has been listed as 'Missing' ... The Excalibur's codes are being transferred as we speak ... As of this stardate I am appointing you Acting Captain of the USS Excalibur ... Commander Psonoir, you will take up the position of Acting Executive Officer, both effective immediately, and current until such time that Commodore Ryat's status and whereabouts can be confirmed, at which time you will revert to your previous positions or the situation reviewed as required ... Computer, confirm orders are sent to both Officers ....."
'Confirmed' the base computer said.
"Sir, there's no need for that, I'm sure we ca ....."
"The Excalibur cannot be taken out without a Commanding Officer Mister Schirra, so what will be your pleasure ?" Dan remained silent, knowing that Karka was thinking exactly as he did, but it was take the orders or sit on their haunches and wait for someone else to look for Ryat, "Very well, Captain, Commander, you can depart at your leisure." the Admiral said, taking their empty glasses before vanishing back into his office. His Adjutant approached with a PADD:
"Thumbprints please, Gentlemen." both Daniel and Karka placed their thumbs on the PADD in turn, effectively transferring their roles on the Excalibur, albeit temporarily.
"Bloody great !" was all Dan could say as they stepped into the San Francisco sunshine ..........
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