More Coffee Is Needed

Posted on 28 Nov 2020 @ 8:35pm by Ensign Shay Mitchell & Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Story Teller

3,872 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Ghosts
Location: Security
Timeline: MD 4 || 1400 Hours

Camila came into the department with an annoyed look on her face and looked at her receptionist. "Please round up all available Security not on patrol and call a meeting in five minutes," she said before she continued to her office.

The Andorian gave an affirmative and nodded with her antennae, then sent out the alert that was going to cause even more chaos on the ship.

Shay saw Camila come into Security from her spot near reception and took note of the look on her face. This was likely going to increase the Chief's level of annoyance ten fold. She took a deep, calming breath and made her way after the other woman. "Uh... Commander... might I have a word with you? It's important, otherwise, I wouldn't bother you," she said.

"Come on in, Ensign," the ombre haired woman said as she keyed her code into the door and went in ahead of her. "This day can't get much worse."

"I wouldn't say that, Commander," the young woman said as she moved moved into Camila's office. Shay decided to come out with the news instead of dragging it on. "I quit not too long ago. I was in a briefing with Lieutenant Fairchild and Ensign Proctor. Apparently, someone used the Captain's authorization codes to lock everyone out of the bridge. She said the Captain authorized a spacewalk to gain access to the bridge."

Shay paused for a moment to let that sink in. "That's not what made me quit, though," she said, then continued. "What made me quit was the fact she didn't seem to want to take into account that the Captain might have locked everyone out of the bridge himself. There's no guarantee that all of the Dolmoquor were gotten." She frowned. "Maybe I'm being overly paranoid, but there's always the chance."

"Wait...quit? The Captain what?" Camila turned away for a moment and then looked back. "The Dolmoquor are gone, Ensign, and you can't quit." Now the Security Chief if this was HASA getting better at posing as others and decided it wasn't done playing with her.

"How do we know they're gone? We both had those things in our heads, Commander. If they don't want to be noticed, they won't be." Shay stated. "As for quitting... why can't I? It doesn't require written approval."

"Because we all got zapped with those electric disks if we had a Dolmoqour or not," the Security Chief said. "And it's a resignation, not quitting. Now, why do you want to do that?"

Shay sighed. And now the Security Chief was dismissing the possibility. "Yes, we were all zapped, but that was over nine months ago. Others could have hidden anywhere, and I'm sure you recall them being nearly impossible to see with the naked eye," she said, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. The things that have happened... they've made me incredibly paranoid, and it's affecting my ability to perform my duties."

Camila rubbed her eyes. "I understand your concern, Shay, I really do. I had one in my head that left me feeling the same way. But the only thoughts in there now are my own. Just like yours are your own. I know this it's hard. We've all been through a lot, but we can't stop now. Let your experience strengthen you, not take away. You have amazing potential."

"Potential or not, I don't know how to keep pushing myself forward. Allen killed himself, Camila. All because that parasitic bastard told him to," she said softly, looking down at her hands. Shay hadn't really talked about everything that happened, nor had she truly dealt with it. And, now, it was coming back on her.

"Oh, Shay," the ombre haired woman said, her heart breaking and going out to the young woman who wasn't that younger than she herself was. She remembered Allan, Xavier and many others who had died from her department. Allan's death had hit her hard as well because she had surrendered the away team to the Dolmoqour and led back to the bottle for a time while the ship was being repaired. "I am so sorry," she said softly. "Did...was...is there anything I can do for you?"

"No," Shay said softly as a variety of emotions surging through her at once. She felt like crying, but what good would that do her? What good was any of this going to do her? None. Allen was gone. Many others were gone. Nothing would bring them back.

What could she said to console the woman when she hadn't properly dealt with everything either? Camila wondered. "I don't know what to say. I miss him and the others as well, but we have to keep going to make their lives worth it."

Shay shook her head. "There's nothing you need to say, Camila. I'll go into robot mode and do what's expected of me. The only problem with that... I left my pip in the briefing with Lieutenant Fairchild."

"Don't do that," Camila beseeched her. "Will you tell me what happened?"

"Happened with what?" She countered.

"Nevermind," the Security Chief said. "I forgot you told me what happened. There are days when it doesn't pay in any way to be Security." She glanced at an alert that came in and sighed. "LIke this. There's a traitor on the ship that tried to lower our shields against that enemy ship. Excuse me a moment."

There was a traitor on the ship? Again? What were these people being offered that made turning against Starfleet seem like a good idea. "Of course, Commander. Perhaps, if you can find a pip for me to put on my collar until I can get mine back, I can help track this traitor down?"

Camila opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a small black box and handed it to her. "Then consider yourself reinstated effective immediately, Ensign," she said. "Crewman Third Class Drennings is on his way."

Shay accepted the box from Camila and opened it to reveal the solid pip inside. "Thank you, Commander," she said, attaching it to her collar.

"And Shay? Please come talk to me later?" Her boss requested.

She nodded her head. It sounded like they were both struggling with things of the past. Maybe, they'd find a way to cope. "I will," Shay promised. "I'm going to wait in the briefing room with the others and let you have a few minutes to yourself to process your day so far." She gave Camila a small smile and made her way out of the office.

In the reception area, Crewman Jennings was already waiting. "You been assigned to this, Ensign?" he asked her since she was the first he saw other than the receptionist. I

"Crewman Drennings, I presume?" Shay asked, stopping when she was spoken to. Whatever the briefing was about would have to wait until later, unless this had something to do with it. "If you're talking about the shield incident, then yes, it looks like I'm your partner for the time being."

"That's me," Jed said. "When we were on the auxiliary bridge, someone lowered the shields right before that other ship fired. I put a trace out, but we need to intercept and detain the person or persons responsible."

Shay gestured for him to start walking. They could talk along the way. "Where did you trace it back to?"

"Science," he said as he led her out of Security and down towards the turbolift. "I'm not even sure if the person is from the Science department, but everyone has to login in order to make any changes and they weren't good enough to not set off one of the Chief's alerts."

"Well, if they're still there, or even nearby, we'll find them," she said. "Since logins are required, do we have a name?"

"I hope we do," Jed said as the turbolift arrived at his summons and he motioned for her to enter. "The terminal was locked out after the alert went off."

"Then, here's hoping. With the way things have been going around here lately, we could definitely do with something going our way," she said, stepping into the turbolift and moving aside to make room for him.

He stepped in with her and requested Science. "I haven't seen you around before," the Crewman said. "Then again, I'm new as they come here."

Shay glanced over at him before she looked back to the doors once again. "I've been on Black Hawk for over a year now. You're definitely in for a wild ride. There's never a dull moment here."

"So it seems," Jed said. "I was barely been out of boot when they shipped me off here. The rumor mill is saying that this ship is cursed, but that can't be true. Can it?"

"You shouldn't listen to rumors," the young woman said. "I definitely wouldn't say that the ship is cursed, but I will say it's seen more than its fair share of action since I've been here."

"Well, is it true that more than the usual share of personnel get killed or traumatized more than any other ship in the fleet?" he asked as the turbolift came to a stop.

Shay grabbed the front of Jed's uniform and slammed him against the wall of the turbolift. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" She snapped, anger oozing from her.in droves. It only took a few seconds for her to realize what she was doing. The young woman pulled her hands away like they'd been set on fire. "I... I'm sorry. I... don't know what came over me."

For his part, Jed didn't react other than to smooth down the front of his uniform where she had grabbed it. He was impressed; he wasn't a small guy but she had moved him with ease. "No, that was my fault. I apologize, Ensign."

She pressed her back against the far wall and closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Crewman," she said softly. There was regret in her tone. "I have lost many friends, and a boyfriend, over the last year. So, yes, I guess you could say some of the personnel are traumatized. I'm one of them."

The door swished open and he stepped out. "I'm truly sorry for your loss, Ensign," he said and meant it. "My parents were killed on the USS Melbourne at Wolf 359."

"I'm sorry for your loss as well," Shay told him. "Maybe some day we can talk more about it, but we should probably focus on the traitor right now. I let.my.emotions get the better of me. That seems to be happening a lot lately."

"It's understandable," Jed said a bit more softly as he headed towards the Science Labs. "Should we draw our phasers before going in?" He asked since she was the senior officer and an officer.

Shay shook her head. "I think we should have them ready to be pulled at a moment's notice," she stated. "Our presence could cause some issues if the culprit is still there."

"Right," he said as he checked the draw on his phaser and it seemed that he was extremely fast or had found a way to almost teleport it to his hand. "Want to lead the way?"

The young woman nodded her head and stepped off of the turbolift with a hand placed on the phaser at her hip. She wasn't going to.draw it yet, but was ready to at a moment's notice. "This way," she said, stepping into the corridor and moving in the direction of Science.

Jed walked beside of her about a meter away and his brown eyes kept moving over every person they passed to see if they looked panicked or suspicious. When they entered Science, he nodded towards a Yeoman that looked like a Petty Officer. "I bet they'd know who all accessed the terminals in the past hour."

Shay glanced in the direction indicated. "You're probably right, " she said softly, moving toward the Yeoman. "I was hoping you might be able to help me with something. Can you tell me who accessed the terminals in here within the last hour?"

"Certainly," the Yeoman said and pulled up the logs. "That would be Lieutenant Danix, Ensign Carterov, Petty Officer Third Class T'vol, and Lieutenant Volk. Would you like to know what they were working on?"

"Yes, please, that would be helpful," the Ensign stated, wondering if finding their culprit could really be this easy. Nothing about life on the Black Hawk, duty related of otherwise, ever was.

At that moment, a young Ensign looked up from a terminal, his eyes went wide, then he turned and bolted for the door.

"Ensign Carterov!" The Yeoman called. "These personnel would like to talk to you"

"And here we go," Jed said before he moved to intercept the Ensign who seemed to be faster than Jed realized. He darted left, then faked right and went past the big Security man.

"Looks like we have our traitor, and he couldn't have made it easy," Shay muttered as she ran after the Ensign and unholstered her phaser. "You know, by running, you're making this a hell of a lot harder on yourself. Why don't you be a good boy and just stop where you are so I don't have to shoot you?"

The Ensign halted and sighed. "The computer told me to do it!" he exclaimed.

Shay arched a brow. "The computer made you do it? And I suppose the dog ate your homework, too? Let's go," she said, attempting to turn him before looking toward Jed. "I'm sure the Chief and/or Captain will want to talk to him."

"Actually, I lied," the Ensign said before he yanked a small disruptor from a pouch at his side. He was starting to bring it up when a phaser beam hit him in the shoulder and he went down.

"Sorry about that," Jed said as he went to take the weapon. "I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to do it."

"I can't say I'm surprised. The computer made him do it. Does he think we were born yesterday?" She asked.

"Not me," the big guy said as he secured the disruptor, then leaned down to haul the Ensign to his feet. "Let's get him to Security."

"Me, neither," She said, gesturing for Jed to drag the guy out. Shay was much smaller, and less likely to get very far without being winded. Jed, on the other hand, could probably run circles around her with the male Ensign slung over his shoulder.

It was a short trip back to Security and Jed carried him towards the brig. "Can you get his combadge and that pouch?" he asked Shay.

Shay reached out to take the combadge and pouch from the Ensign. "Done. I'm still not sure what he was thinking, but we'll figure it out soon enough."

Jed dumped the Ensign in the brig. "Computer, log Ensign Carterov as inactive and incarcerated in Brig Cell 16," he instructed as he brought up the force field.

The computer beeped to acknowledge the request and the force field went up.

"Let's take a look at that pouch now," Jed suggested.

Shay set the pouch down and began to empty everything that was inside out onto a table. "I'd like to know where he got hold of a disruptor."

Inside was a small, non-Starfleet communicator and what looked like a thumb sized device of some strange nature with a button on one end of it.

"What...?" Jed started to ask as he picked up the communicator and looked at it, then at the other device. "Ensign, I think this just went way above my grade. This isn't Starfleet and I have no idea what the second device is."

Shay pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nothing is ever easy, is it?" She asked, but didn't expect an answer. "I'll bring it to the Chief. Maybe she'll know what it is."

"Then let's go while he cools his heels," Jed said and turned to head towards the Chief's office. "I hope she isn't in another mood. Things have been tense around her lately. She ran sixteen drills the past month."

"We'll know soon enough," Shay said, putting everything back into the pouch and making her way back to Camila's office.

He arrived first and pressed the chime and entered when the Chief called out for them to do so. "We have a prisoner in the Brig, Chief, and he had something with him." He looked at Shay for the pouch.

Shay extended the pouch in her direction. "He was in possession of a disruptor as well as that," she stated .

Jed handed over the disruptor.

Camila took the pouch and disruptor, setting it in one of her desk drawers and locked it. She opened the pouch and retrieved the two items and looked at them. "What was the persons name?" she asked as she prepared a form for the report.

"Ensign Carterov," Shay replied.

The ombre haired woman entered the name, then blinked a minute later. "There's no Ensign Carterov listed as being on the ship," she said as she came to her feet and put her tactical belt on. "Please take me to him." She looked at Jed. "Good work, Ensign," she said. "I'll get your part of the report later."

Jed nodded and headed out to work up his part of the report.

"Of course, Commander," Shay said, escorting Camila to the cell their prisoner was being held in. "He was stunned by Crewman Drennings when he drew the disruptor on me. He should be rejoining the conscious world shortly."

Camila followed her and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was going to be a long day. "Where did you apprehend him?"

"Science. He cooperated at first, but that was short lived," Shay replied.

"And you and Crewman Jenning found the disruptor and those other two devices on him? How did he get access to Science and be able to pose as a crewmember?" the Chief asked as more questions formed in her mind.

Shay looked at the man inside the cell. "Those are questions we're going to have to ask him and hope he answers them."

Ensign Carterov was just starting to come around inside the cell. His vision blurred, and his hearing was garbled. Carterov recognized as the after effects of a stun blast. He'd always worried he'd be caught, but it was no matter. He allowed the grogginess to remain in control of his senses and made no effort to push it away.

"What's your name and how did you get on my ship?" Camila asked when she saw him stir around.

Carterov deliberately chose to kept silent, lest he let any valuable information slip by accident.

"Oh, look Ensign, he thinks being quiet is going to save him," the Security Chief said and motioned to the brig controls. "Beam him into space. He isn't registered on the ship and his owner already left in their ship and I have no time for ghosts."

Carterov laughed. "Go ahead, beam me out there. My boss will pick me up and I'll be free."

"A body has less than thirty seconds in a normal vacuum before they die," the ombre haired woman pointed out. "However, we're in a nebula and the chances of you surviving long enough for your ship to make it back ,get a lock on you, avoid our ships weaponry and get you are less than zero. Ensign, set the beam for wide dispersal."

So much for remaining silent. Carterov just laughed. "You Starfleet types. You all think you're so high and mighty. You couldn't see the Consortium. You haven't stopped the Dominion out here in Gamma. You're playing cops and robbers while everyone else is playing the real game."

Shay arched a mental brow. Yes, Carterov had somehow managed to get in the ship undetected, but Camila was talking about murder, and expected her to carry it out? That definitely wasn't happening. Instead, she turned toward their prisoner. Threats were getting them nowhere. "Who is your boss?"

"You already know that answer," Carterov smugly replied, leaning back against the bulkhead.

"We have your communicator, disruptor and whatever the other thing is," Camila said. "All of which is more than enough to get you twenty in New Zealand, if you don't cooperate. Ten if you do. Bring us your commanding officer and the Federation may be even more lenient."

Carterov chuckled. Within moments, that chuckle turned into full-bellied laughter. "New Zealand. I'll never make it there. Don't you get it? You couldn't find the Consortium until they turned on you, so you won't find us either. I'll be back aboard a pirate ship before this bucket of bolts gets assigned to her next mission."

"I highly doubt that," Camila said. "At the moment, you're facing so many charges that you'll be old and grey before you're free. We beat the Consortium. We beat the Dolmoqour. We've beaten an alternate universe. You? You and your grubby band of space pirates aren't even worth a personal log. However, since you're here, make things easy on yourself and just tell us what we want to know."

He shook his head and grunted. "Sorry. I'd rather spend a lifetime in New Zealand than betray my brethren. Word gets out that I squealed, then my life is forfeit."

"Considering you won't be seeing them again, why don't you give us a break? How did you get on the ship without anyone noticing?" Shay asked.

Carterov had two choices here. He could tell the truth, and in turn condemn himself to a shank somewhere in a secured prison. He could also say nothing and force them to further drive inward and flirt with that line on how inhumane prisoners could be treated at Starfleet's hands.

A third option sounded better. "I've always been here," Carterov stated. "Just didn't like my own fortune as of late and figured I'd try a new career."

"Kelinor seemed to think the same thing about you starting a new career when he left you here," Camila said, tossing out the name that the pirate captain had given her.

"Look, lady," Carterov said with a frustrated sigh. "There's a code out here. Everyone chips in. If you don't pull your weight, or you snitch, then it's the end of the line. I'd rather eat three square a day in your New Zealand colony than eat a disruptor to the back."

"Fine," the Security Chief said. "Rot. Come on, Ensign. We have better things to do than waste our time talking to this waste of time." With a grunt, she turned and headed back to her office. "More coffee is needed."

That went over about as well as she expected it to. Why would their guest give them any kind of help? He wouldn't. In doing so would go against what he was. "Yes, Commander," She said, following behind Camila. She had a couple reports to write.

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