To Duty

Posted on Thu Jul 23rd, 2009 @ 2:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Eliza McAdams & Lieutenant JG Ador Shran

1,568 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: secuity office
Timeline: Current

Ador stalked his office. It was a habit he developed when he was angry and thinking. He was fuming still that his assistant had been slain. The Captain had informed him of the arrival his new assistant. He was waiting on her arrival at his office. He was not fond of waiting and in other circumstances he would take out his displeaure out on the new Lieutenant.

The walk from Lane's office had been a blur. Whatever preoccupations Kathryn had entertained prior to arriving aboard the Archimedes, they had promptly been superceded by the emergence of a murder investigation less than an hour after she'd disembarked from her shuttle. She wasn't the type to draw solace from the suffering of others but this was definitely the distraction she'd needed, though she had concerns of a different nature now. Trusting her colleagues wasn't an issue because she had no reason to doubt them and to assume would have been grossly unfair and unprofessional, but Kate was as meticulous about examining crime scenes as she was anything else in her life. If too much had been destroyed...

The doors to the main security offices opened without fuss and the young brunette found herself inside before she'd properly realised she'd arrived. Slowing as a quick start brought her surroundings into sharp focus, Kate stopped for a moment to survey the scene and then let her eyes roam the walls until she found the office door that most likely belonged to the man she was seeking. Crossing, she hit the door chime and then stood back, mentally readjusting herself. Perhaps more than Lane, she had to prove herself to Lieutenant Shran and bursting into his office demanding information probably wasn't the first impression she was looking for.

"Enter." Shran said with the bark of and old DI. He was ready to evaluate this new assistant. He needed the help of a Forensics expert. He owed it to Turoc to get the bastard who had killed him.

Ador kept the scowl on his face. It was an old habit when meeting new crew. He evaluated their response to his scarred visage and icy eyes and gruff exterior. This told him what he had to work with them on. It was his litmus test for officers to see if they were squared away.

Preparation was key. In all walks of life, knowing what you were heading into was paramount to ensuring success, at least as far as Kate was concerned, though there was some argument to suggest that spontenaity wasn't always a bad thing. Kate didn't listen to those arguments very often, and was even less inclined to now that impulsiveness had backfired on her rather badly. Whilst Ryan had spent the trip over sulking as far as she'd been able to tell, Kathryn had done her best to familiarise herself with her intended destination, and in particular those she was about to serve with. If his dossier outlined it, Kate had read and absorbed it, but perhaps all she'd been left feeling in regards to the man currently watching her intently was that she might never fully get to know him. Lieutenant Shran appeared, on paper at least, to be an interesting and capable officer. Kate had limited experience with Andorians but that only brought an element of variety to what had seemed, at first, to be a rather tedious assignment. She also suspected, however, that there was more to him than met the eye and his military career was something completely outside her scope of experience. Recent developments had also piqued her interest but the eagerness in the young lieutenant's eyes as she approached the desk and stopped, her stance courteous without over-compensating, had more to do with present company than the task they were about to embark upon together. Kate wasn't vain. Any opportunity to learn was always much appreciated.

"Lieutenant Martin reporting for duty, sir. I apologise for my tardiness, had I realised what the situation was, I would have reported to the Captain as soon as I boarded."

"Well Lieutenant, I'll get straight to the point. Your predecessor was killed by person or persons unknown. He was also partially assimilated. We have a possible suspect in custody I want her investigated and either cleared or an airtight case I can take to JAG."Ador said with a fierce stare. "Since I didn't catch her her in the act, I need your help. I am a soldier and a sniper not a detective. That's what you are here for. Here is the data." Shran said as he handed the Lieutenant a PADD.

Kate blinked, startled, as she stared at the PADD for a moment and then accepted it with a faint frown. True, it wasn't the welcome she'd expected, but that meant she'd been spared the assumed interrogation and that wasn't something she was inclined to complain about. At some point, possibly later that evening, it would occur to Kathryn that so much of her career had been built on the fatal misfortunes of other officers. Gaining seniority aboard a Sovereign-class had only occured initially because the Chief had been killed and the Daedalus was too far out for a replacement to be reassigned immediately. After six months as Acting Chief, Kate had convinced the CO she was the person for the job...and then summarily failed catastrophically to honour to the faith he'd put in her. Now another officer was dead and she was taking his place.

It was kind of creepy when you thought about it.

"Sir, I'll do everything I can, but I'll need to get started right away before the trail goes cold. I'll analyse this," she continued, holding up the PADD, "as soon as possible, but do you mind if I ask you a few questions first?"

"Proceed Lieutenant." Ador said with little of his usual gruff manner. This Lieutenant seemed to know her job. That was very important to him.

At the moment, her job was about all Kate did know. Briefly she regarded the stoic Andorian's face, wishing she'd had a chance to get to know him before she was forced to start asserting herself in order to get what she needed but life didn't always pan out perfectly. That was something else she was reasonably well-aware of. "Well, sir, and I apologise if I'm covering what seems like obvious ground, but why is the potential suspect considered one?" That word, 'assimilation', was flitting around the back of her mind, gnawing like a discontented rat. "That is, on what grounds are we holding them?"

"I searched her quarters and found several key pieces of evidence like Yuanti anatomy. A syringe with the virus that infected the ships systems for starters." Ador replied with an arched eyebrow, a habit he had picked up from Commander Sporek.

Kate's brow furrowed but she was aware that very little of this would make sense until she sat down with the data and immersed herself in it. The young lieutenant hadn't been on board long enough for even the scuttlebutt to have reached her ears but she would unravel the bulk of the details eventually. Nodding once, she replied in softer tones, "Has an autopsy been peformed yet?"

"I am waiting on the Doctor's report. I suggest you start you inquiry there. Lieutenant if any one gives you any lip you have them see me." Ador said with a look would make a Jem Hadar cringe.

Silently, Kathryn mulled over the situation for a moment. The wheels that had started turning in her head the moment Lane had mentioned the current situation had almost reached full speed now that the final piece of official protocol had been dealt with. She had reported to both people who needed to see her, now she was free to examine the case and get to work. Just like that, she had a purpose again.

But where to start. In actual fact, the Lieutenant hadn't hit upon a bad place with his suggestion since she would need the autopsy report before she could do much else. She would also need to see the crime scene, any evidence retrieved from it and sight any witness accounts, though she didn't expect them to be very helpful given the location the deceased was found in. You never knew, though...

With a single, curt nod, she glanced up at her superior officer's face and replied succinctly. "Aye, sir." It wasn't until she was almost out the door that Kate realised the man probably deserved something a little more courteous, at which point she turned and added as she backed through the doors, "I'll report back as soon as I've found anything worth pursuing." Before Shran could answer, the doors slid shut and left her alone in the corridor, staring at the slate grey surface until her inner musings let up enough for her to turn and head towards the turbolift. Tapping the PADD in her hand against her palm, the young lieutenant drew in a deep breath through her nostrils and then released it as a short huff. Sickbay. It was as good a place as any to start.

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Getting down to business brought to you by:

Lt. Ador Shran
Chief Security Officer
USS Archimedes

and

Lt. JG Kathryn Martin
Assistant Chief Security Officer
USS Archimdes

 

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