Final Confrontation

Posted on 16 Feb 2016 @ 4:10pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Commander C. Kos & Commander Terry Walsh & Lieutenant Commander Roget del Rosario & Commander Jayla Kij & Lieutenant Jarveth Adan & Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Chief Petty Officer Sergei Andropov

1,812 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Rude Awakening
Location: USS Black Hawk || Bridge
Timeline: MD9 || 1430 hours

===[Bridge]===

The turbolift doors opened and Kos stepped out onto the Bridge. Andropov followed her and remained at her side, his hand ready grab his sidearm.

Jayla, her face set in that same steely resolution, followed. She had a hypo spray full of a rather strong sedative hiding in her hand. If she could actually get close enough to use it, it would be a miracle, but she figured it was better to be ready than not.

Seeing the Black Hawk's Executive Officer standing across the upper deck of the Bridge made Roget's anger rise. He focused on containing his emotions. He had to maintain composure.

"You are in custody, Commander. You should be in Detention," he said coldly.

Mackenzie could sense del Rosario's disdain. "I was in custody. Clearly that isn't the case anymore. Where's the Captain?"

Sergei's eyes darted around the room, trying to get a read on the others.

Roget had years of experience in security. Without taking his focus off of Kos, he was aware of Andropov's surveying of the Bridge. Del Rosario had done his own quick, but detailed inventory of the newcomers to the Black Hawk's command center. Andropov's duty weapon was holstered on his left hip. Neither Kos nor Kij appeared to be armed. "As I told Chief Andropov, the Captain is unavailable. Now, Chief, please return the Commander to her cell."

"No sir," Andropov responded, his voice firm. "Commander Kos and Doctor Kij both want to speak with the Captain."

Clenching his jaw, Roget suppressed a frustrated groan. "That is not going to happen. I can relay any information to the Captain when I meet with him later. In the case of you, Commander, I will tell the Captain to pay you a visit in Detention. Chief, escort her back to Detention. That's an order."

Shaking his head, Sergei replied, "I cannot follow that order."

"So be it," Roget said, tired of the situation. "Lieutenant, take Chief Andropov into custody and escort both him and Commander Kos to Detention."

Camila pulled her phaser out of its holster set to the highest stun setting when Commander Kos and the others emerged on the bridge and words started getting heated. "I believe that everyone here is demanding to speak to the Captain, including myself, Lieutenant Commander del Rosario. I was trying to tell you and the Captain that Commodore Terlexa is Consortium in private, but you wanted it out in the open. Someone in this room is a traitor and it is time to find out who it is. Now where is Captain Geisler?"

The revelation about Terlexa being Consortium made things interesting. "What evidence do you have against the Commodore?"

"The Tellarite in the Brig, Zhigav brin Garanch, was on the T'Pring confirmed it," Camila said. "He was too afraid for his family's safety to lie to me."

"I see," he replied simply. He had no reason to doubt Di Pasquale. She was a very capable security officer, though a bit hasty. She was likely to have a long, successful career in Starfleet. He also didn't have a reason to doubt the Tellarite.

Jayla's expression was quickly changing from steely resolution to dangerous. "I've got a man lying in Sick Bay right now who connected you with the Consortium," she said, her voice dangerously low and frighteningly calm for the situation at hand. "Now, why would he do that?"

Lieutenant Adan was seated at the Con when he averted his attention from his console to the events occurring on the bridge. It was astonishing and yet believable. The man serving as the XO had strategically placed himself in a position to take control of the Black Hawk. He listened intently to the conversation knowing how it felt to be a Captain who lost control of his or her command.

As Kij spoke, Roget made the connection. He knew that Kos wasn't actually responsible for the earlier sabotage, but he hadn't been able to identify who was. But, with Bast now pointing a finger at the Security Chief....

"Perhaps Lieutenant Bast is trying to shield himself by casting suspicion on me."

"Do you have any evidence that Bast is Consortium?" Kos asked, turning del Rosario's inquiry against him.

Despite the tenseness of the situation, Roget smiled. It was a small, knowing smile. More of a smirk perhaps. The irony of the situation was comical to him. "Nothing certain, no." He paused, uncertain if he should continue or not. He could feel that things were coming unraveled; the situation was spiraling out of his control. Perhaps it would be prudent to cut my losses.

"Doctor, is Mister Bast awake? Would he be able to answer questions?"

"Actually no," said Jayla, voice still dangerously low and unnervingly calm. "As it turns out, he was poisoned. With a substance that blocked the host's connection to the symbiont. Whoever did that then took advantage of the situation by controlling him telepathically. It's luck for you that I don't believe you're capable of such a thing. Now. I advise you to get Geisler."

Camila kept her phaser in her hand, but it wasn't pointed at anyone as she listened to the accusations and countered responses. "Getting the Captain would be an excellent idea."

Roget looked around. The scene on the bridge was tense. Phasers were drawn. Things could easily erupt, something he didn't want, especially now that his mind was working on piecing together various bits of information.

"It would be best if we put the weapons away," he suggested. He wanted to defuse the situation so he could finish investigating the various claims without risking weapon's fire.

Camila lowered her weapon and engaged the safety, but didn't put it in the holster despite the suggestion.

Andropov, seeing that Lieutenant Di Pasquale had lowered her phaser, did the same.

Roget approached the Ops console and inserted a isolinear chip into the reader. He touched a series of controls, activating a subroutine on the chip. The subroutine raced through the computer, performing thousands of complex actions simultaneously. It took about 30 seconds for the program to find and correlate all of the relevant information. Roget looked at the data scrolling by on the readout. He realized that he had been mistaken.

Mac and Sergei watched del Rosario silently perform some sort of computer work at the Ops console.

"Commander," said the Ktarian ensign at the Ops station, looking up towards both del Rosario and Commander Kos, not really sure who she should be giving this information to. "Signal incoming from the O'Carroll. Putting it on the main screen."


===[USS O’Carroll]===

Terry wasn’t a very patient man when in battle, especially when it came to being kept in the dark and ignored. They were twenty kilometers off the bow of the Black Hawk with all phaser banks and torpedoes armed and no one seemed to be noticing them. Not even having the 325th armed and positioned off the Black Hawk’s port and starboard seemed to be doing anything. “Okay, I’ve had enough of this,” he said. “We’re going to find out what’s happening. Open a channel to the Black Hawk.” There was a slight pause as an Ensign tapped away at his console and then nodded his head.

“USS Black Hawk, this is Lieutenant Commander Walsh, current Commanding Officer of the USS O’Carroll.” Terry stood to his full six feet, two inch height, threw his shoulders back, and walked towards the screen. He was at least trying to look intimidating. “You are ordered to lower your shields and power down your systems immediately.”

"Stand down Walsh," Mackenzie replied.

The scene wasn’t one of chaos, but could easily become such. Phasers were drawn and everyone looked tense. He was glad to see Mackenzie safe and sound, though. Since he had deployed with the 325th and been moved to the O’Carroll, he had no clue if anything had happened. “Understood, Commander. But what’s going on?”

"I'll explain as soon as I can. For now, stand by."

“You got it, O’Carroll out.” Then he ordered. “Stand down, but do not move position.” Then he sighed. “We wait, again.”

"What the heck is even going on over there?" Niequist asked Walsh with a shake of her head. Leaning back in her chair, she tried to settle her nerves, but having the finger on this much of a powderkeg was making her nervous. "Wasn't Kos supposed to be under arrest?"

“Well, something changed,” he said. “What in the world that could be, though, I have no idea. But Commander Kos said she would explain as soon as possible.” He trusted Mac. And right now, all he wanted was for this to be over and then a long evening with her.


===[USS Black Hawk / Bridge]===

Del Rosario saved the results of the subroutine to the chip and removed it from the reader. He walked over to Kos and offered her the chip.

"Computer, reinstate command codes and access for Commander C. Mackenzie Kos, effective immediately. The details on that this chip explains everything."

She took the isolinear chip from the Security Chief, dumbfounded. She wasn't sure what was on the chip, but she was eager to find out.

"Computer, delete program 'del Rosario-delta-nine-one', authorization del Rosario-gamma-seven-three-one-epsilon-nine." He looked at Kij. "Doctor, the Captain is in his office. He is unconscious, but otherwise unharmed."

Jayla blinked. What? What had just happened? She reached up to scratch her head and found the hypospray still clutched in her hand. "Right," she muttered. Still, she didn't move. Something felt... wrong. He brow wrinkled and she continued to stare at del Rosario. She didn't trust him. Not even a little.

"Lieutenant," he said, turning to Di Pasquale, "I am turning myself in on charges of assault and conspiracy."

"Commander del Rosario, you are hereby under arrest for the charges of assault and conspiracy," Camila said formally before she looked at Commander Kos. "With your permission, Commander, I will escort him to the Brig."

"Please Lieutenant," Mac replied. She saw that Kij was still there, apparently rooted on the deck plating. Just as she was going to remind the Trill physician that the Captain needed her attention, Kij finally made a move.

After staring at del Rosario for a few more moments, a look of mingled disbelief, distrust, and a little bit of 'you are such an idiot' on her face, Jayla finally turned and headed into the Captain's ready room to check on him.

"Get me Commander Walsh," Kos ordered, an uneasiness filling her. She was grateful to be out of Detention, but being in command didn't sit well with her. All she really wanted was to curl up in bed, with Terry holding her close.

Camila nodded and headed off the bridge with her prisoner.

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