Allies, Lies and Regrets - Part Two

Posted on Sun Nov 22nd, 2020 @ 12:16pm by Lieutenant Xalanth & Lieutenant Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi & Captain Torilla Yamaguchi

3,358 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 108 – Tragedies, Fortunes, and an Endgame

Barley one minute had passed before the lizard's badge bleeped. =^= Sir we have an unauthorized transmission on one of the channels you wanted monitored. =^=

" Location " he said calmly

=^= One moment. =^=came his men's reply in which the lizard could feel his hearts stop.

=^= Transmission is being broadcast from Captain Torilla Yamaguchi computer .=^= Came the reply.

" Dispatch a security team and put me through to Captain Yamaguchi." The lizard said as he started running.

The com system beeped at Torilla Yamaguchi, her eyes snapped open as she was moving before her conscious mind had even registered she was being called or why she was even being called, she quickly donned her uniform with her eyes closed. She quickly tugged on her boots and zipped up her uniform jacket before she darted out of her bedroom and into her main area. "Yamaguchi here, situation update please?"

" Captain it's Xalanth. We have an unauthorized transmission from your room's computer. " The lizard said calmly. " Unaware if it's remote access or physical please be on your guard."

Yamaguchi frowned, she recalled the Lieutenant from her encounter with him two days earlier and she was in no mood for a repeat. "My room?, you will need to be a little more specific than that... Okay then..." she paused as she tapped her combadge. "Yamaguchi to bridge... We have a security breach, lock this ship down... Apparently, someone is accessing our files... Find them and deal with them..."

"Aye Captain, we're on it." came the response.

Yamaguchi nodded her head. "Understood bridge..." she paused a moment. "Lieutenant, details please?. Since I just turned my ship into a flying brick..."

" Captain, intel has provided intel that the Romulan republic has had a spy in the fleet. I've been motoring their channels and your ship is broadcasting out one of them. We need them detained. POW's lives may be at stake. " the lizard replied calmly

"Wait... What?" Yamaguchi answered. "Aren't the Republic supposed to be our allies?" she paused. "Yamaguchi to bridge. cut all emissions and com chatter of any kind... Make us immune to cyber-warfare of all kinds, if anyone has anything running, shut them out and lock them down." she came back. "I have to go see to my ship... This comline is about to get terminated... Yamaguchi out." and with that, she tapped her combadge as she went out of the door to her quarters, her next stop was her bridge as she had a lot of work to do and little time to do it.

Xalanth was about to respond before the channel was cut. He let out a slight sigh as he turned his attention to the other matter at hand. " Ripcord have you had any luck seeing if we can shut down the Romulan hide generators?"

"Not as much as I'd like." Ripcord raised an eyebrow. "What did you say to her?" she inquired bluntly. "Captain Yamaguchi I mean..."

" That her ship was broadcasting out a Romulan public channel. Why do you ask?" inquired the lizard.

"Okay., I'll simply ask her..." Ripcord answered. "That said... why was her ship broadcasting on Romulan frequencies?"

" We have a spy in the fleet." Xalanth replied. No point in keeping it a secret now.

"Bold." Ripcord answered. "Even for them..." she added. "So... what am I doing here?. I have no idea how to catch spies... I can fix anything but I can't catch anything... except a cold."

" The spy is after what the pact is after and that is most likely hidden behind another one of those fields." The lizard said gesturing to the modified cloak. " If we can switch any more of them off on the station we may find what there after."

Ripcord raised an eyebrow. The notion that someone would willing put themselves in this fashion was something she found truly perplexing but she opted not to make mention of it. "Alright then. Lets go find them... and you can explain what it was that angered Captain Yamaguchi..."

"I put my foot in it badly. " Xalanth replied sighing to himself. " I've been trying to think of how to apologize, but socializing isn't my strong point. "

"Mom is a woman of few words." Ripcord answered. "Simply take her aside and tell her directly," she added. "Or you could continue to anger her with putting it off..."

"I'm trying to, but in my line of work you don't get much time to do that. Especially when your trying to secure a federation starbase." the dragonian replied.

Ripcord regarded him in silence as she huffed a soft sigh. "I see..." she answered, she left the rest unsaid. "Where is this spy again?" she inquired, looking for the reminder as she did not need to get into this dispute between the being before her and her mother.

"On Captain Yamaguchi's ship hopefully. If's caught them maybe they can tell us what the pact is after." Replied the Dragonian.

Ripcord raised an eyebrow. "Alright. After you then," she responded. "I believe the Waterloo is docked to the outside of the Starbase... Airlock two sixteen..."
she added.

"Well, I'll bring up the security cam footage and see if I can find out who is spy is." Xalanth responded.

"The hunting and catching of spies is not my domain." Ripcord answered. "Mom's crew have been together a long time... Your accusation will cause her more issues..." she explained. "Hopefully I can prevent her from saying something incredibly stupid to you." she let out a long sigh that sounded more like a wheeze then anything else. "If we're going to honk her off, then lets get it over with."

" In..." Xalanth began as he brought up the footage. As he guessed someone had altered the footage to the docking arms putting it on a loop to fool the security program. At least they had a time the spy entered the ship. It was as he brought up the footage again that he froze. Standing outside the door to the ship appeared to be a very large blur that seemed to be phasing through into the ship's airlock. " by the.... what the hell is that thing?" he began before he took off running calling for a security alert and for his weapons and armour to be beamed to him.

Ripcord followed in silence, she had no weapons of any kind other than her psionic capabilities, she quickly looked around for something to use as she sighed. There was nothing she could use and she wasn't prepared to use her pack as a weapon.

As Xalanths armour formed around him he tossed his spare phaser to ripcord as they ran down the ship's corridors. They were soon near the corridor to were the Waterloo was docked. Coming to the airlock a powerful yet familiar smell hit his nose even through the helmet of his armour. The lizard wracked his brain for where he'd smelt it before as he, ripcord and now a team of security reached the airlock. Something was definitely wrong as the paintwork, metal and frame appeared to have buckled inwards as something appeared to have pushed it way through. " now this is just great." Xalanth said as he used his personal codes to override the lockdown. Looking to the floor he noted six indents on the floor. " Look's like it's Tholian in design and is has some sought of cloak. You ever heard of a cloaking device that can allow people to phase through solid matter?" He asked ripcord.

Ripcord stood beside the Reptillian. "I've heard rumours and stories mostly. Something about a phasing cloak..." she regarded him. "Yes. I have heard of it..." she added. "A personal interphase cloak... That's something new... But the power requirements would be enormous..."

"Maybe that's what the pact been working on. Even without the cloak, the power source could be a game-changer. " The dragonian replied as he got the door opened. The smell was even worse inside the airlock with more dents where the floor appears to have melted. Panning his Tr116 around the corridor the lizard advanced slowly. The floor dents made it easy to follow until it seemed to vanish. " Maybe it becomes more unstable if it has to push through objects with a certain thickness." the lizard guessed as he tried opening a channel to the captain as he had been doing since he had started running.

Ripcord had her tricorder out. "Don't bother trying to hail the bridge... the entire ship is under emissions control, everything is locked down." she paused as four security officers approached, one of them carried a phaser rifle. "Excuse me sir. Could I get a moment of yer time please?" the man asked in what sounded like a Scottish brogue as he addressed both newcomers.

Xalanth nodded as he began scanning the levels of the ship to see if he could see the clocked figure.

The Officer nodded before he noticed Ripcord. "Lassie, yer a sight fer sore eyes... Yee 'ave no idea how good it is to be seeing ya..."

"Aye Daniel. Makes two of us." Ripcord grinned. "El-Tee..." She addressed Xalanth. "This is Lieutenant Daniel McLeod, he's an old friend of my family." she did the introductions. "Daniel, this is Lieutenant Xalanth."

"Pleassed tae meet ya." McLeod commented as he nodded to Xalanth, he was unsure of the Dragonian's greetings customs.

"Likewise lieutenant. I wish it was under better circumstances, but right now we have a clocked intruder that can phase through solid matter. i think it's after the spy that was on the ship. Did you capture them?" he said politely returning the nod.

"Yes." the man answered in a dry tone of voice. "They tried to resist... But forcefields and holograms are powerful agents against the uninitiated," he commented. "We have them secured in the brig... Please take them off my hands before I am forced to have him run through..." he added.

" Quickly we have to get to them. " The lizard said as he took of running towards the nearest turbolift.

Daniel McLeod shrugged. "I got him secured," he said quietly, knowing Xalanth would not hear him. He turned to Ripcord. "Alright, lets get going then."

Ripcord followed in silence.

" Not against this thing lieutenant. It phased through your out airlock in less than five minutes. " Xalanth yelled back as he kept scanning for it. Where could have....

" There." he said as he noticed a trail of melted walls through his TR-116's scope. " One level up in the storage room." he yelled to his security personnel who all opened fire. The effect was strange as many of the bullets just passed throw the phasing monster yet some smashed into it sending out bright sparks of color.

Ripcord sighed softly as she reached out with her psionic abilities as she gently gripped the being's mind. "Hold... still!" she growled as she felt him begin to fight with her. Take him guys!" Ripcord commented to the security guards.

Wasting no time Xalanth and his team began pelting the cloaked being with ammunition. Many flew right through into the empty room behind it, but more and more seemed to make it spark. Cracks began to burst into life as the shape of a Tholian environmental suit crackled into life. letting out a scream it lurched forward and down as it charged towards the team. As it came through the ceiling part of the suit didn't as they remained lodged in the ceiling. It fell to the floor with a sucking flunk as one of its arms and legs sank into the floor.

It screamed again as it flayed it reaming arm around bring the suits plasma cannon round, befoe with another scream of pain a stunner slammed into it's head shocking it unconscious. " Clear. " Xalanth said as he scanned the surrounding rooms for any more. " I would not like to have to fight an army equipped with that." He said walking over and pulling the power source from the plasma cannon. " Get a medical team for this guy." he said as he jabbed at the Tholian which was bleeding from a few bullet holes. " and an engineering team we'll need to cut him out of the floor," he said noting the same grey gunk that was in the Romulans bloodstream was on the floor. " Ripcord do you know anything about Tholian tech?" he said turning.

MacLeod raised an eyebrow as he regarded Ripcord. "I know enough about the Tholians to get by but I'm no expert with their technology." she paused. "So No..."

" Well let's get the pilot out of his suit and into a quarantine bay. I do not want him waking up whilst plugged into this thing." The security chief responded.

Ripcord slowly turned her head as the entrance to the brig opened and in walked Torilla Yamaguchi, she was well and truly enraged and the look on his face said as much. "Before you simply disappear with my prisoner El-Tee... I demand an explanation on what in the name of Valen is happening around here...?"

Ripcord regarded her mother in silence, she could feel the raw psionic energy radiating from her. Her mother was about ten seconds away from outright losing her temper. She knew that intervening would only make the matter worse than it needed to be and her mother's control was stressed to its limit.
So she gently smiled at the older woman as she nodded to her.

Yamaguchi regarded her daughter in silence before she nodded back. "El-Tee?" she growled softly at him.

Oh, great Xalnth thought to himself as he looked up from pulling the plasma cannons energy cell from its socket. Still, better get this over with. " Captain Yamaguchi. I apologize for the Tholian mech fused into your floor and the bullet wholes one deck above. Most likely this guy is one of what the pact stay behind forces and the Romulan republic spy are after. I'm guessing when the spy hacked your computer they picked it up as well drew straws and this guy was sent out to shut them up in case they talked. I'm guessing it's a Tholian project to build a cloaking device that can phase through solid matter and is small enough to fit in Tholian exo suit." The lizard explained

Captain Yamaguchi's blood was boiling as she fought to control her emotions. "Clean up your mess... Lieutenant. I do not like guesswork." she rumbled. "I want to know everything about what you have uncovered here... So I can ensure the fleet is aware of this drama so nobody else needs to clean up your mess anywhere else."

Ripcord knelt down before the corpse and the debris of the suit. "Mmm..." as she palmed a Tholian tricorder. "This will be useful to my cause."

Yamaguchi regarded her daughter. "Keep me informed please dear."

"Yes, Captain." Ripcord answered, knowing she was addressing both her mother and someone who was a Captain in Starfleet, she also needed the other woman calmed down somewhat.

Xalanth was about to mention about how he couldn't read minds or pull answers out of his ass, but he knew he and the captain had a bad enough situation as it was. " You'll have a full report on your desk as soon as possible captain. Can we stick this guy in your quarantine bay as soon as we get him out of his suit?" He asked politely.

Yamaguchi glared at him in silence, her hatred was on full display as she nodded. "Very well." she then turned and departed. The storm clouds of war slowly began to dissipate after she departed.

Ripcord turned in silence to face Xalanth. "Well... That went well..." she commented quietly. "But seriously... What did you do to her?... I've not seen mom that angry since... Since we heard about Gabe and Sav..."

" Put my foot in it." Came the lizard's reply as he concentrated on pulling the Tholian from the Evo suit. As he dumped the mess of pilot, floor, and suit on the awaiting holo stretcher he rubbed the top of his head. Part of him did want to go and try and apologize, but he had a job to do. Besides she'd likely not want to listen or he'd lose it considering the captain's plan could have killed his mate.

Ripcord regarded him in silence. "Then I will recommend that when you finish here with this drama... that you go find my mother and go hash out the issues with her... I will go with you to referee..."

" I'll try at least. " Xalanth said as he got back to removing the Tholian from the floor.

"We will need a full Engineering detail for this. We'll need to physically cut him out of the deck plating... This guy is dead..."

As if to prove the lieutenant wrong the Thorlian lurched forward, blood and the grey gunk was leaking from its joints and the chipping from it's body could only be some kind of laugh. " You.... will.....fai...w.....ill....wi...." Crackled the translator before it reached into a long repeat of alien laughter.

" How many drugs have they pumped into this guy. " Xalanth wondered out loud as he aimed his phaser at the alien bug. " The grey gunk must be something to help them with the phasing. They must have been testing it on the pow's." He said feeling slight anger at the thought that most of the POW's were probably dead.

Two of his men had removed the suits power generator and clocking device which they dropped on the ground out of reach. " Sir this doesn't look like a Romulan cloaking device it made from federation tech." The ensign said.

Ripcord regarded the Tholian with a look of disdain. "Hows this rock still alive?" she inquired. "and how does a Tholian end up with Federation technology that they were able to weaponize against us..." the younger woman inquired.

" I thought the federation didn't make clocking devices," Xalanth said still keeping his gun aimed at the Tholian. He was guessing the rock was being kept alive on painkillers and whatever the pact used to allow it to phase.

" You do. You lie... you lose." The Tholian crackled from inside its suit. " We leave you die..." it croaked before it started laughing blood and fluid leaking from its body.

Ripcord moved backwards in silence. She knew there was nothing she could do to save this beings life so she didn't even try. "A weaponized Federation cloaking device... Now that we know what it is... We can detect these guys..."

" Makes sense when you think about it. Federation scanners wouldn't be scanning for a federation cloak. " Xalanth said as one of his eyes darted to Ripcord. " Can you get the station to scan for it. We need to nab the rocks before thee ride shows up and see to the captured pow's."

Th...... scre......ed like...... pigs....s....il....yo...ll" Yelled the Tholian in its death throes before it slumped in its suit. Its skin seemed to crack and boil as it split adapt leaking more of the fluid with a rank smell filling the corridor.

RIipcord regarded the fallen Tholian with a certain level of dispassion. "Yeah. I can find these rocks... Won't be hard, now that I know what to look for." as she frowned. "It was one of you..." Ripcord said, sotto voice. "That cooked my sister and her babies..." she sighed, except this time it was with a feeling of disgust. "Get this thing out of my face," she added.

One of the nearby security guards called for a medical team for a Tholian body to be removed. Ripcord turned to Xalanth. "Now do you understand why you and my mother have issues?" she commented. "Because these things murdered her grandbabies..."

The lizard let out a slight sigh. " Yes, I can see why we have issues. I will apologize to her after we have the rocks in the brig and any pow's we find in the medical bay. " He said feeling slightly better with himself that he hadn't gone with the captain's liquid nitrogen plan.

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