Shore Leave 34.5
Dec 13, 2021 16:03:39 GMT
Post by Carl Torek on Dec 13, 2021 16:03:39 GMT
08:30 Hours ...
USS Raven-C ::
Having returned to the Raven late the previous day, Carl and Elise had spent the evening talking, after Bethan and Vanessa had gone to bed ... Carl had opened a bottle of wine he had brought from Earth, they had finished that and finally realising the time, they had retired to bed. It felt to Carl as if he had just fallen asleep when the Comm chirped to life, waking him:
=^= Admiral .. Lysia .. You are needed in Main Medical immediately =^=
=^= I'm on my way =^= he said, already dressing.
~~~~~~~~~~
When he arrived he could see several people gathered around a biobed. Lysia turned when she saw him enter and after a nod from the Executive Officer, she updated the Admiral .....
"How is he?"
"Doctor Roach said he had been injected with a toxin which renders a person almost instantaneously susceptible to suggestion....." she paused as Roach and Andae approached.
"It was passed into his bloodstream via a small 'scratch' just above his hairline at the back of his neck..." the Doctor informed him, "... He would never have known he'd been affected,"
"It works 'that' quickly?" Torek asked, both impressed, and concerned.
It's doubtful he even felt the scratch. He would have been completely under the control of whoever put the toxin into his blood..." Roach said with a shrug, "... I've sedated him to allow time for the substance to dilute then pass from his bloodstream, he should be back on his feet tomorrow, no worse for wear," she finished, returning to her patient.
"Do we know what it was, or who attacked him?" Carl asked.
"The Doctor managed to get a partial identification of the toxin, burandanga, or scopolamine, derived from nightshade plants, very effective,"
"You're telling me that someone managed to attack Commander Tinsley, then wander onto the Raven, and was never challenged during their stay?" Carl asked, fighting to contain his impatience.
"Whatever the toxin used, it was instantaneous, and thoroughly effective Admiral, it would have been impossible to disobey any suggestion or instruction put to him, even if on some conscious level he was actually 'aware' of what was happening..." Lysia informed him, "... Whoever did this could have told him to put a phaser in his mouth and fire, he would have done so instantly. They could have also told him to take that phaser and fire point-blank at the matter/antimatter containment chamber, and again, he would have done so regardless of consequences,"
"Killing themselves in the process?" Carl commented.
"..... Far from it, whoever passed the toxin into him, could have just as easily have instructed him to wait a set time, then act on his instructions. It is doubtful anyone would have questioned an Engineering Officer entering Engineering, regardless of the hour Admiral, w should consider ourselves lucky,"
"Lucky!" Carl replied through clenched teeth, but he knew his Security Chief was correct."
"We traced his movements ....." T'Seng said, moving to one of the terminals before bringing up a schematic of the ship, a green line superimposed itself on the diagram, "... He entered the ship via Airlock Three, moved through the ship until he approached the Primary Science Lab on Deck Seven, then turned before going straight to his quarters where we found him unconscious,"
"He didn't enter the Lab?" Torek asked, frowning.
"No..." Blakus confirmed, "... Lieutenant Svensson and several of his Officers were running additional tests trying to gain access to that device we brought aboard,"
"So it's still here?"
"Yes, I've asked colonel Burwell to post Personnel at both doors to Primary Science, they are under orders not to allow anyone in there without his, Mine, or Commander Blakus' authorisation," Lysia confirmed.
"What the hell 'IS' that bloody thing...?" Carl commented, changing the subject, "... Andae, it looks like we may need to investigate that Klingon Cruiser ourselves, how long before we can leave Spacedock?"
"The last of the Starbase Personnel are leaving now, so an hour, no longer," Blakus confirmed. Carl nodded and turned to leave, he was almost at the doors when he turned back:
"You said he boarded the ship via the walkway access at Airlock Three, was there anyone with him?"
"No, he was alone..." Lysia confirmed, but then she too frowned before continuing, "... There 'was' something ..... Several times we picked up the Commander on surveillance, as we said, he was alone, but on two occasions he looked for a moment as if he were, listening, to omeone or something, we checked, and there was a 'glitch' as if there had been a break in recording. We've analysed the footage and there are several data blocks missing, each approximately one-tenth of a second in duration,"
"Meaning?" Carl asked.
"Well, they have been put down to minuscule defects set into the recording database during manufacture or even installation, besides they were so short, less than a fraction of a second in duration on both cases, it couldn't have been anything else," Lysia replied, Blakus confirming her hypothesis.
"Pull 'ALL' data-storage throughout the ship, and replace it, same with any and all equipment capable of recording, tricordres, personal recording devices, everything ....." Torek ordered.
"Admiral, that could ta ....." Andae began, but he was interrupted.
"Purge Data-Storage in the ships' memory cores too!" Torek said as he left. Had he turned around at that precise moment, he might have caught a glimpse of two of his Senior Officers stood with their mouths open ..........