Change of plan

Posted on Fri Jun 5th, 2015 @ 9:24pm by Captain Elijah Michaels & Lieutenant Valeria Mordin

Mission: Debts to be settled......
Location: Ready Room, USS Victory

Elijah sat at his desk and skimmed through some of the Security Logs taken from the Research Post. It had to hold the Key to what was going on, but so far he had no such luck.

But at the moment he had other matters to attend to. "Lieutenant Mordin please report to the Ready Room." Elijah said on the Comm before getting up and moving to the Replicator.

"On my way presently." her reply came back on the comm, and the rabbitess was on her way. Through halls and up turbolifts, until she came to the door to the Ready Room. A moment to compose herself, and then she sounded the announcer chime. At the Commander's bidding, the door swished and she entered, hardly making a sound. Soft steps, and soft spoken.

"You requested me, sir?"

"Yes Lieutenant please have a seat." Elijah smiled as he turned around. " Can I get you anything?" He asked motioning to the Replicator.

"Black tea, straight, with a rose petal." she answered to his request for a drink. She'd wait for the drink before taking the offered seat. "Thank you for your hospitality Commander." She took her first few sips of the tea, which wasn't terrible for replicated tea. She sat comfortably, ankles crossed. Almost casual.

The Commander smiled. "So Lieutenant I guess you are wondering why I asked you here correct?" Elijah asked her with a look of curiosity now present on his face.

Valeria gave a nod, but she wore a smirk, "Earthlings love their mysteries, don't they? I am quite curious, but I am not concerned. You have me intrigued, but not worried." the rabbitess sat back in the rather comfy chair of the Ready Room, and crossed her legs over the knee. Now that she was slightly more casual, she was slightly more curious.

The Commander smiled."Very good." He then handed her a PADD. "The reason I have summoned you is that our Science Officer has had to leave us quite suddenly." The Commander sat back in his chair. "As a result Starfleet has not been able to find us a replacement."

Valeria gave a nod as she leaned forward to claim the PaDD. "I was aware that she had left, and without much in the way of preparation or replacement. My assignment here was listed under a short notice, though one doesn't say 'no' to a Sovereign class posting." a pause, "It'd be like turning down a private moon."

"I presume, then, that Starfleet has found someone suitable as a replacement, or that you have made a recommendation to the like?" she offered, now taking the moment to actually read the PaDD given to her.

Elijah shook his head. "I am afraid not, Starfleet has assured me that they are working on it." Elijah let a small sigh before drinking his tea. "That being said, given our current situation with the missing Researchers and the Jem'Hadar activity I have been authorised to make do." He then let out a smile. "I am making you the acting Head of Sciences until we get a replacement."

Her smirk became a full smile, followed by a deep nod, "I will do what I can to ensure you never doubt that." she stated, with a sense of either duty... or pride... hard to read. "At the moment we have purely background research projects. Stellar mass spectrum cataloging, helioseismic arrays, and well..." she paused to gauge his reaction, and then smiled softly, "I'll spare you the rest of the inventory, but my main question is where would you prefer sciences point their attention?"

"Given the presence of at least one arm of the Dominion, I feel that checking a star for anomalous activity is wasteful."

Elijah agreed with her statement. "I think trying to establish what projects the Outpost was working on might be beneficial in helping us establish a motive." The Commander motioned to her PADD. "There are numerous references to the plant life and medical research."

Valeria gave a nod, and motioned with the PaDD, "It's rude to read in front of company." she said with that soft smile before taking another sip of tea... that lone rose petal floating on the surface like a boat in the tide. "I'll have a report on their projects as soon as feasible. With sufficient notation, we should be able to replicate any material we need."

"Once he's cleared by security, I'd like the chance to speak with the survivor." she asked. "Though I completely understand if such a request would be difficult to process."

"I will pull some strings and see what I can do, Bertrand was telling me he is unable to be empathically read." Elijah commented knowing the usefulness of such a skill. "So a more thorough method may need to be used." Elijah then picked up his cup. "What are your honest thoughts on the situation?"

"Being a race that is also difficult for casual empathy, I can sympathize with both sides. Having a skill such as that, and relying on it for so much... to have it denied would be like denying the use of a limb." a pause, "Though, as demonstrated by the surprisingly high number of people that are missing limbs, and have overcome, I have faith in Mister Bertrand's capacity." a smirk, "And before you consider such, no. I'm missing nothing." a light giggle.

Once she composed herself, she considered the Commander's question. "Medical research has never concerned the Dominion prior. Jem'Hadar welcomed death, and their Vorta overseers were seemingly as easily replaced as socks." she started, "To have Dominion forces show interest in the facility sparks a few concerns. It could be a ruse, to lead us away from someplace of higher tactical value. Trade a kyosha for a ryuma."

"Pieces in a board game. Trade a lower rank piece for a higher rank. Chess is a close parallel." she clarified. "A sudden interest in medical research could also mean that the Dominion no longer has the troop replacement capacity it did before and now must make every life count."

Elijah nodded. "That is a good possibility, but for now we need to focus on the facts." He showed a small look of concern. "There is also something about our guest......"

"A lone survivor of a Jem'Hadar raid. Lucky, or intentional." she mentioned. "I engaged him in non-field related small talk on our trip back to the Victory. Favorite foods, favorite places, under the guise of calming him and keeping him from remembering the attack." a sip of tea. "By the time I see him again, after he's cleared, it will easily have been several hours. If his answers were fabricated, his memory of them may slip. Mine won't."

"A Founder test, you could say." and then that devilish smirk of her's showed its face.

Elijah nodded. "Myself and Lieutenant Cuprum have the same theory." The Commander looked at Valeria. "We don't think it is a coincidence the only survivor we find happens to know the full goings on."

"Everything except the specifics. Research, but not the subject." she pointed out. "Though, I'll defer final judgement to you and Mister Bertrand. If either of you feels that it is too much a risk to allow him general access to the ship, then so be it." she didn't sound disappointed. It simply was a truth.

"Especially if this person can offer no help to our investigation and any continuing research." she added after a sip of tea. "Not to sound heartless. Far from it. I just want to minimize risk, as does Mister Bertrand."

The Commander appreciated her concern. "I think for now we cannot spook him, for all we know it could be a harmless side effect of the Trauma." He sipped a little more of his tea. "But we will keep a watchful eye on our guest."

"We'd be poor hosts indeed if we didn't account for the safety and comfort of our guests." Valeria said with a growing smirk, and joined the Commander in a sip of tea. Then she had a thought and her smirk grew. "I could have a few decoy experiments up and running for any time he's in the science wing. Nothing legitimate, but all dealing with Dominion countermeasures and such." a pause, "Just to see if any of them draw our guest's attention."

"A ruse." she offered, now with a full soft smile.

Elijah thought about it for a second and then nodded. "If you can work with Antos and do it in Sickbay it may just work that little bit more." He said grinning. "Give him a tour of the Sickbay and see what happens."

She gave a nod, "Consider it done."

Elijah smiled. "Very well then Lieutenant, I think we are all done here."

With a nod, she got up to recycle her tea cup. "Thank you for the tea, sir." and after sending that tea cup on its merry way, she headed out on her own merry way. She had some preparations to make.
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Commander Elijah Michaels
And
Lieutenant JG Valeria Mordin