Watching the Home Fires

Posted on Thu Mar 14th, 2013 @ 9:00am by Captain T'mpest Michaels & Sammi (Computer Avatar) & Captain Alexsa Kendrick

1,191 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Sowing the Seeds
Location: XO's Quarters

ON

T'mpest walked into her quarters and went straight to her computer. Before saying a word, she inserted three data crystals and activated their programs. As the buffers and security protocols activated, she walked over to her couch and sat down with a sigh of relief.

With the telepathic buffers in place, she could finally relax, free from the stress of the heightened emotions on the ship.

"Sammi." Her computer avatar jumped onto the desk and stood in front of the comsole, looking at her.

"What have you found so far?" she asked. She closed her eyes, enjoying the mental silence. Was this constant barrage of noise what empaths went through on a daily basis? If so, she didn't envy them.

"I found 100 excerpts of logs from the Dubai referencing headaches, tension and paranoia. The number of incidents increased one hundred fold since entering this sector."

"That goes along with the theory that it was this buildup of tension that led to the destruction of the Dubai," she said. And it correlated with the increased tension on the Ranger as well. That was something she found more disturbing.

"I have progressed to sorting through logs on the Ranger," Sammi announced.

T'mpest sat up. "Doesn't that violate their privacy?"

"Not if I don't tell you," Sammi replied smugly. "I can give you statistics without violating anyone's privacy. And, as I am a computer interface and they are using the computer to record their logs, it cannot, technically, be called an invasion of privacy."

"It can, technically, be called spying," T'mpest countered. "But, as the former Chief Intelligence Officer, I might be able to claim this is for the safety of the ship and crew -- which it is." She didn't want to spy on anyone, but she would do what she could to keep the Ranger from following in the Dubai's footsteps.

"Speaking of Intel, did you know that someone with Intel clearance has activated the recording devices throughout the ship, including crew quarters?"

"These quarters?"

"Of course not. We are properly shielded and protected," Sammi assured her.

"Intel? Was it Rami?" she asked, concerned that it might be her former assistant.

"Negative." The pig shook its head.

She thought for a minute. "The security officer." She didn't need to ask. She remembered his personnel file. Former Intel. Covert ops. It fit.

"Okay, what have you discovered?" she asked. "Start with the Ranger logs that correlate with the Dubai logs."

Sammi began to recite bits and pieces from different logs, mimicking the voices as went from log to log.

First was a female voice. "Gamma shift. Things are getting very tense out here. With communications running between on and offline, mostly off, people really seem to be getting jittery and nervous."

Then a young male. "I actually thought the two of them would come to blows this morning, I'm just pleased it didn't. ... I'm actually a bit nervous about taking this through the chain of command--the lieutenant hasn't been the most patient or accomodating person of late."


Another female, this one with a deep, husky voice. "I'm really scared that something is terribly wrong here, and whatever happened to the Dubai is bound to swallow the Ranger up sooner rather than later."

Then a male with a deep bass voice. "I haven't been getting a lot of sleep and these damned headaches just wont subside. Perhaps a visit to sickbay wouldn't be such a bad idea..."


"Habits are hard to break and I've been observing Captain Halliwell and the rest of her crew for some time. They are beginning to worry me. Never before have I seen such animosity, aggression, dissension on a Starfleet vessel. Halliwell in particular has become short-tempered, even more so than myself, and her totalitarian attitude is not particularly befitting her position. I've never seen a mutiny on a Starfleet vessel, but one could be just around the corner if this behaviour continues."

T'mpest said up straighter. She recognized that voice. Captain Kendrick.


"Although we have all been under a great deal of stress of late, the destruction of the Dubai under mysterious circumstances has put the crew on an even more precarious edge than before, Mister Cooper's actions were bordering on insubordinate."

That, too, was clearly Captain Kendrick. T'mpest grew more unsettled as Sammi read log after log. Dozens of them, each with a similar theme. Tension. Headaches. Arguments. Dissent.

"Has there been any talk of mutiny?" She hated to ask, but if there were, she needed to know.

Sammi cocked his head to one side before replying. "Yes." He began to recite more logs.

First, a male with a light tenor voice. "I saw the PADD today. I heard about it from Billy, who heard about it from Joe. But today I actually read it. It makes sense, you know? Halliwell is off her rocker. Michaels won't do a bloody thing, so it's up to us to take the ship back."

Another male. This one sounded familiar, but T'mpest couldn't place it. Someone she'd spoken to at some point. "The Ferengi was here again. He makes sense, in his crazy way. We're meeting tomorrow."

Then another angry male. As Sammi read, the hostility in the logs grew stronger. "With the EMH on board, it should be a cinch. Unfit for duty and it's a done deal. I heard the Chief talk. He makes sense. They don't care what happens to us. Taking us to a sure death in this Forbidden Zone is proof, right? So we need to do something."

"Enough." A Crazy Ferengi? There was ONE crazy Ferengi running around that came over from the Dubai. He'd been skulking around a lot lately. He'd also been around Cooper a lot. She looked at Sammi. "Cooper and Fer?"

"Inconclusive. The two have been seen together over two dozen times, often going into crew quarters and sickbay. They have also been seen with Lieutenant JG Barker."

T'mpest ran a hand through her hair. She couldn't tell Halliwell. Not without proof. But she needed help if she were to find that proof. Kendrick? Maybe. She seemed to have a better handle on this whole situation than anyone else on the ship.

"Copy all data to Captain Kendrick. Use encrypted channels. I don't want anyone on the ship to know what we're up to. Understood?"

"It will appear on her computer with no evidence of where it came from," Sammi assured her.

"Wait. If she doesn't know who it's from, she might not take it seriously. Use my Intel encryption code. If she's half the officer she appears to be, she'll figure it out."

She got herself a glass of juice while Sammi sent the files. "Now, what can you tell me about the cause of the tension and headaches on the ship?"

OFF

Commander T'mpest Michaels
Executive Officer
USS Ranger

Sammi
Computer Avatar
USS Ranger

Crew logs NPCd by Mora and Michaels

 

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