Chocolate Investigation

Posted on 23 Nov 2017 @ 5:20am by Lieutenant Sterek & Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Ensign Kelly Khan

1,089 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Crossing Over
Location: Various
Timeline: MD 7 || 1200 Hours

Camila finished up her last report and tapped her combadge. =^=Di Pasquale to Sterek. Please meet me at room twelve on deck nine, please.=^= Without waiting for a response, she secured her office and headed out to where Ensign Khan's quarters were.

=^=On my way. Sterek out.=^= It hadn't sounded like an emergency from Camila's tone, but Sterek brought his medikit just in case. He was waiting outside when she arrived.

"Good morning, Lieutenant. What is this regarding?" he asked.

"I want to have you run an analysis on the chocolate that Lieutenant Geisler had," Camila said as she pressed the chime.

"A wise decision," replied Sterek. "I had assumed that the substance she ingested was within expected parameters, but caution is commendable in this case. It would be unfortunate if anyone else experienced a similar reaction."

Kelly answered the door and blinked when she saw the Chief of Security standing there and a Vulcan Doctor. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, Ensign," Camila said. "Did you give any chocolate to Lieutenant Giesler last night?"

"Yes," Kelly said. "Why?"

"She experienced an adverse reaction which we believe may have been caused by the substance in question," Sterek told her. "Have you consumed any of the chocolate yourself?"

"Yes, it's amazing," the brunette Ensign enthused. "It's artisan chocolate. Would you like to analyze a sample?" She stepped aside and motioned for the Security Chief and Doctor in. "Don't mind the mess. Life as an Ensign doesn't warrant big quarters."

Inside was just as crowded as she had claimed, but there were boxes stacked on boxes, knick knacks balanced on improvised shelves, posters on the walls, a bed in the middle of the room and a small terminal tucked into a corner with a replicator on another wall.

Camila entered and stood off to the side. "You say it's artisan chocolate you got at the space station?"

"Yes," Kelly said as she went to get a box off the tiny nightstand and brought it over to open. Each piece was about a half inch square and had fancy colored swirls and designs on them. "The place is called Torres Chocolates."

"Interesting. Have you experienced any unusual symptoms after consuming any of these?" Sterek wasted no time in taking out his tricorder and scanning the box.

"It's like eating pure cacao," the Ensign replied. "Mixed with an incredible amount of refined sugar and filled with theobromine which sent me into the realm of the prophets. I didn't want to stop moving as it sang through my veins and filled my mind with visions."

Camila said something off to the side which sounded suspiciously like 'chocolate junkie', but moved over to where Sterek was. The tricorder registered pure cacao bean powder, refined sugars, high levels of theobromine and a couple of common dyes for the coloring and design on the chocolates. "So in other words, you were tweaking on the chocolate?"

"I guess you could say that," Kelly told the Chief. "I prefer to call it embracing pure chocolate without reserve."

Sterek very briefly pinched the bridge of his nose. It was very unusual for humans to seek or even experience these kinds of psychoactive effects from chocolate. The fact that Ensign Kelly had experienced these and not reported them to sickbay - had even gone on to feed them to a Lieutenant Geisler - gave him a minor headache.

"These are not suitable for consumption by pregnant women," he said. "I am going to need to confiscate the contents of this box for further analysis."

"What?" Kelly asked, a look of alarm crossing her face before she pulled the box of chocolates back. "You don't need an entire box to do an analysis. How was I to know that pregnant women couldn't eat them? There's no warning on the box. Besides, these are expensive and credits don't fall from the sky."

"They would be returned to you once I have established that they do not constitute a hazard to anyone's health or a violation of any Federation export guidelines." Sterek glanced at Camila for backup. "Alternatively, I could take a smaller selection, but you would need to refrain from eating any more until after the results of the analysis."

"Besides which, Ensign Khan," Camila put in. "As part of an official investigation, it wouldn't matter what you think about the chocolates. If they are dangerous, Doctor Sterek would be preventing a possible violations."

Kelly sighed. "Okay," she said. "You can take them, but I do want them back if they prove safe or the credits I paid for them if they aren't. That chocolate is better than anything I've ever found."

"You will be reimbursed if I cannot return them," promised Sterek as he pulled a large medical sample container out of his bag and placed the box inside it. "In the meanwhile, I strongly advise that you do not consume anything else that has been purchased at the establishment in question, if you possess it."

"And the ship's records will tell us everything you brought over from the station," Camila said pointed when she saw the Ensign with a look on her face as if she were considering something.

"It's just more chocolate from Pacifica and other planets in the Alpha and Beta Quadrant," Kelly said. "The artisan chocolate was separate from it. I'll hold off eating more of it." The reluctance and longing was in her voice, but she was an officer, not matter how junior and her word was what mattered the most.

"That would be prudent." Sterek glanced at Camila. "Would you like to accompany me to sickbay to see the results of the analysis, Lieutenant?"

"Yes," Camila said.

"Is Lieutenant Geisler okay now?" Kelly asked as the thought of the Amazonian wife of the Captain being sick over a piece of chocolate entered her mind. She realized she had been selfish and thinking only of the chocolate and decided to pay the woman a visit.

"Lieutenant Geisler is well, and has recovered entirely, as far as we can tell." Sterek gave Kelly a look as he turned to leave. "I would strongly advise offering her no more chocolate from this establishment until we can ascertain that it is safe. Lieutenant di Pasquale, shall we?"

"Yes," Camila said as she headed for the door but turned once towards the Ensign. "And don't worry about the chocolate too much," she told the worried looking brunette. "I'm sure everything will be fine." With that, she headed out.

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