Inventory check

Posted on Mon Oct 28th, 2013 @ 6:30am by Commodore Leon `Lee` Pike & Fleet Admiral Mike K`Wor Bremer & Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Lieutenant Saith i-Ki Baratan & Ensign Anthony La Baron

4,195 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Mission 84 - Blockade
Tags: Pike

Lee had stepped into the turbo lift with Ensign La Baron as they headed to do a inventory check of the probes."So Ensign how do you like serving on Star Base 400 so far?"

"I've bounced between ships more than I've worked on the station," Anthony chuckled, "As far as first assignments go, I'm enjoying it though. Some friends from my graduating class got stuck working on tugboats, so I'll count my blessings."

Lee nodded as he listen to Anthony:"Serving on Star Base 400 can have some interesting times, have had a few myself."

"I have a feeling that there's something interesting going on here."

Anthony began walking down the immense torpedo bay, tricorder in hand. He read off the designation numbers until he came upon the number and bin assigned to the torpedo in question.

"That's odd." Anthony scratched his head, "The torpedo is here, but the ship's registry says it isn't."

Lee turned and headed over to La Baron:"What's the problem Ensign?

He stood there listening to Anthony, he then held up one finger:"Pike to Baratan, are you meeting Ensign La Baron and I to help with the inventory?"

“Yes sir. I am on my way.” Saith left Security. Mark was still banging about and swearing in the cell. She made her way to the torpedo bay, smiling. Following the sound of voices she made her way around to where Pike and La Baron were standing. She glanced at the torpedo nestled in its holding bay. “Where would you like me to start?”

Lee nodded to Saith then looked at Anthony:"Where would you like her to start at Ensign?"

Anthony kicked the probe with his foot, "I'm going to do a thorough scan on this puppy. If possible, I'd like for you to check the torpedo bay's computer system for any unauthorized entries or anything else that strikes you as odd."

Saith nodded, and walked off with her data PADD to find a computer teminal. At least they knew where the torpedoes ought to be, it wasn't difficult, it was just time consuming.

"So where would you like me to start at Ensign?" Lee stood there looking at La Baron.

"Well Captain if you'd like," Anthony was interrupted by a blip on the tricorder, "That's odd. This probe is transmitting and receiving data as we speak."

Saith walked up to the computer terminal and input her security codes. She started with basic diagnostics. As she suspected, nothing showed up. She went to the next difficulty level and began to drill down to the more complicated types of access and tampering. She thought about the first puzzle she had worked on when she came to SB400; the section 31 problem, as she thought of it. She knew a lot of tricks and would track down every possibility she could. Then, if nothing popped up, she would have to come up with new ideas. She smiled, this was what she was born to do.

Lee was over checking on a couple things and getting reports as they came in from other officers, he handed them over to Ensign La Baron.

Lee then stiffened when he sensed the person behind him and turned around looking at the man, he thought he was seeing a Romulan in a Lt.commander's uniform but he didn't sense him as Romulan. "aeek'h'i raed'aeusnnta'ihiv aellei env uwheawhoiiik'heqhr"
(What do you want and how did you get down here?)

When the Impostor Romulan gave Lee a funny look, Lee knew they had a saboteur aboard the ship. Lee then charged at the Impostor but he managed to surprise Lee and let out a swift leg kick smacking into Lee's right knee sending him to the ground.

Before his comrades had time to react to the news he had presented them, Anthony watched as the Romulan subdued his superior officer. Anthony went to grab the saboteur by the shoulder. Unfortunately for him the Romulan was quicker. Without a moment's hesitation the Romulan countered by grabbing Anthony's wrist, and twisted it in a quick, smooth motion. Before he could yelp, Anthony was laid out on the ground, seeing stars.

Lee growled as the Impostor turned and ran:"After him, don't let him escape."

Anthony tapped his commbadge despite the pain surging through his head, neck and wrist. =/\= This is Ensign La Baron, we have an intruder on the ship. He is dangerous and...quite the fighter =/\=

Yamaguchi's voice came back. "Understood." came the response as Torilla Yamaguchi herself, up on the bridge sighed softly. "Red Alert, Intruder alert, all personnel be advised."

Saith heard the yell from Pike. Looking up from her computer terminal she saw the “Romulan” headed out of the area. She took off in pursuit hitting her com badge as she went, she informed her officers where they were currently and which direction they were headed. As an after thought she told them to send medical to check on Pike and La Baron.

She chased the man down two corridors but he nearly clothes-lined her as she came around the third corner. She managed to duck under his arm but it threw her off balance. He shoved her into the bulkhead and headed the other direction. Catching herself and turning to follow him, she swore “Favdt!”

‘Damn’ he thought as he ran, trying to remember the layout of the Federation Prometheus class vessel. ‘I hate Betazoids’ he continued to swear in his head. As he rounded a corner, he saw someone exit a turbolift, walking the other way. He quickly ducked into an open access way amd he started working on ‘plan B’.

She wasn’t injured but he had gained a little bit more distance on her. He was fast, she knew she had backup coming, and he should be running straight into them. As that thought entered her mind, he ducked into an open Jeffries tube. “Damn it!” she knew he would gain even more ground and quite possibly lose her in there. She hit her com badge again and gave his place of access to her officers, she asked them to get Marine back-ups as well. Instead of running in blind she glanced into the tube and saw him disappearing around a corner. She stepped in and continued pursuit.

Anthony came to, got back on his feet, and dusted himself off. He helped Captain Pike back up as well. He knew that ship's security would be better equipped to handle the intruder, and he still had to uncover the mystery surrounding the probe.

With great caution, Anthony pried the probe's case open. The dimly lit torpedo bay was illuminated by a soft, green light emanating from the bowels of the probe.

"Oh my." Said Anthony holding his hand over his mouth, "That's not good. Not good at all."

Lee stood there checking out his knee making sure nothing was broken or dislocated."Why do I not like the sound of that Ensign."

"Judging by my tricorder readings, this could be a thalaron device." Anthony felt a lump form in his throat.

Lee blew out a breath as he tapped his com:"Pike to Yamaguchi, we have a big problem down here."

Yamaguchi meanwhile was sitting in her command chair on the bridge, waiting for updates regarding the chase as her combadge beeped and then the message came in from Pike with his warning. "Whats going on Commander?"

"We have a bad situation, we have a believe a Orion Pirate dressed as a Romulan running around and a bomb placed with the torpedoes."

"Understood, I'm on my way." as she tapped her combadge, rose to her feet. "Commander Roebuck, the bridge is yours." and with that she slipped into a turbolift and departed.

Lee stood there:"What do you recommend Ensign?"

At this point, Anthony had turned completely white, "I recommend we make no changes to our present course or speed. We need to isolate this probe immediately and apprehend our Romulan friend."

Lee nodded:"I agree there" He then tapped his badge "Pike to Bartaan, have you captured the spy yet?"

Saith was doing her best to catch up to the Orion, and not bash her head in on the ceiling of the Jeffries Tube. She was definitely gaining ground, when her com badge chirped and she heard Captain Pike. She didn’t take the time to answer, but the noise had spurred on the Orion who had figured out she was gaining. He sped up, so did she. “This is so stupid,” she thought to herself. “Stop right now, you aren’t going to get away.” She heard him laugh at her words.

"And I want to speak with him the minute you guys have him, I want to find out why an Orion Pirate has sneaked aboard and tried to kill us all."

Saith and the Orion had been playing chase in the tubes for quite a while when suddenly, a side panel crashed open into the tunnel ahead of them. The unsuspecting Orion crashed into it and she crashed into him. They went down in a tumble and she hit her head on a beam. Still, she managed to get her hands on him, and in the confines of the Jeffries Tube she was strong enough to keep ahold of him. She was panting having chased him through what felt like half of the ship. Saith felt another pair of hands helping hers, and she looked up, startled, into the face of Mark. He smiled, “I found a way out.” Saith looked at him stupidly, trying to reconcile his presence in the tube with the fact he should still be in the brig.

He knew he couldn’t get away at this point, so he quit struggling, besides his job had be done.

Shaking her head, she nodded towards the Orion, “Let’s get him secured. I think Captain Pike wants to talk to him.” Mark grinned and nodded. The Orion just laughed again. Saith didn’t care. He could talk or not. They had caught him, that was what mattered first. They began making their way to the nearest access hatch. The Marines and some Security officers met them there, having been notified by Mark where they were exiting. Saith hit her com badge, “Lt. Baratan to Captain Pike, we got him sir.” She looked at her dirty uniform, and could feel the bump rising on her head. She didn’t yet realize she also has some nice bruises.

He didn’t resist, that would be a waste of effort at the moment, so he simply smirked at the Romulan woman.

Back in the torpedo bay:

Yamaguchi came around the corner, one could not miss her, the figure she carried or the concerned look on her face. "Yes, I'd like to hear this myself." she commented. "Commander, what do we have?"

Lee turned and looked at Yamaguchi:"Well Captain, we have found a spy aboard the ship that is an Orion pirate dressed as a Romulan and we also have a bomb in attached to one of the torpedos."

"Mmm." Yamaguchi replied. "A spy on this ship as we're heading to the largest fleet action in the history of the Federation." she sighed. "Fantastic news Exec." she commented evenly. "As for the torpedo.... let me have a look at it... also call in the bomb squad and prepare to space the torpedo, just in case the warhead activates...."she sighed softly "As for our Spy..." she paused. "I want to know everything there is to know about him.... or I'll space him myself. Make sure you tell him this.... and Leon, I mean it." she looked at Pike as there was no mistaking the rage behind her words. "If he is so eager to die then its our duty to help him along."

"Commander," Anthony said to Yamaguchi. "I don't think spacing the torpedo is a good idea. This very well could be a Thalaron device, in which case dumping it out into space would have severe implications."

Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow. "No less dangerous then keeping it in here."
she replied. "Also depending on the size and power output.... If we warn the other ships in the fleet, they can escape out of range before the torpedo detonates..... "

Lee looked at Yamaguchi:"Don't worry Captain, when I'm done with him he'll wish he never existed." His eyes grew dark."If you'll excuse me have a spy to talk to." With that Lee turned and left.

Torilla gave his retreating back a lopsided grin as she thought. 'I hope you succeed Captain or I will simply space him on charges of piracy and be done with it.' she thought to herself and him.

He had also turned and walked off without regard for standard procedure but Torilla was very unconventional, she paid lip service to the regs herself.
"Okay, Mr La Baron. What exactly are we going to do with this bomb?" she inquired.

"With your permission sir," Anthony swallowed his fear, "I-I'd like to transport the torpedo to the main cargo bay and...tinker with it. If we have to launch it into space, I'd feel a lot safer working on it in an controlled environment where I can eject it instantly."

Torilla raised an eyebrow as she regarded the younger male officer.
"Ensign, take a deep breathe, hold and let it out slowly... " she smiled
at him. "Okay so you want to tinker with this overly technical toy so what's
to stop this thing from detonating in your face... are you absolutely sure you are okay with this?" for the last dozen or so words, her smile vanished, replaced by a hard look and iron in her choice.

Security:

Saith secured the Orion in the interrogation room, and left guards both inside and outside the room. “Shoot him if he so much as scratches his nose." she said. Her officers nodded their understanding. Returning to the main Security room, she nodded Mark towards the cells. “Show me what you did.”

She and Mark headed into the corner cell, where she saw two panels removed from the upper corner. As Mark explained his movements, Saith jumped up on the cot, and stuck her head through the opening. She looked into the gap. Turning to look right (towards what would be the corridor), she could see into a cross section of the ships inner hull. Definitely room to move about the ship, “Favdt!”

She removed her head from the space and told Mark to go write his report up for her, smiling at Maal as he entered the brig cell. She got off the cot and went to meet him. She had forgotten about her uniform, but she frowned as she looked down. “I need to change,” she indicated her office. She ordered up a new uniform and changed, unashamed. She also got a good look at her bruises and the lump on her head. With a wry smile she said to Maal, “I suppose I should go see Medical, but I have a bigger problem right now. Well, two actually,” she used her chin to point towards the interrogation room.

On the way back to the cell, she explained to Maal what had happened. “I need to get back and finish that inventory, also.” She stopped and turned, “No, I don’t. She assigned thought for a moment, and then asked Maal if a Marine could be sent to finish it.”

Maal nodded at her:"Sure I can send a Marine to finish up there."

“Thanks, my hands are filling up and we aren’t even to our assignment yet.” She paused then gave him a serious look, “do you think the other ships in the fleet are having similar issues? I don’t want to contact anyone and ask because I don’t want our info out there for anyone to pick up.” She watched as Lee walked into the interrogation room then continued to the cell.

Just then Lee arrived into Security and went over to the interrogation room. He nodded to the security standing there. Lee looked dead at the Orion Pirate.

He smirked, “How’s your knee?” He sarcastically asked.

"My knee is good no thanks to you." Lee glared at him "Who hired you to pose as a Romulan and why?"

He stood, there, still smirking, but instead of answering he leaned to the side to look at the ship’s chronometer display. He looked back at the Betazoid, while trying to keep his mind as clear as possible. “While you’re here, what’s that Human saying...ah yes, time’s a wasting Captain.”

Lee slammed the man down onto a chair hard:"Boy you're one cocky son of a bitch now aren't you."

“You don’t know the half of it.” The Orion replied.

"You know that I could fry your mind and leave you in a comatose state, then just rip the info from you." Lee gave a smirk.

The Orion nodded, “Yes, but then you wouldn’t get any information now would you?”

Lee nodded:"True there, but my cousin has taught me the Vulcan mind meld, we could go that route."

“And I could swallow my tongue before you tried, then you’d still get nothing.” Orion operatives sometimes felt suicide was their only option left and used the technique similar to Thai mafia’s technique of Earth’s past.

The door opened and in came Torilla Yamaguchi, she looked around as she ambled over to stand next to her Exec. "So... has he given you anything to work with?" she inquired.

Lee looked towards Torilla:"No Captain he hasn't yet."

"Oh... I see.." she commented as she turned to the criminal. "I see you don't feel like talking... so let me explain a couple of things to you so there are no misunderstandings... " she raised an eyebrow. "I have three options on what I can do..." she commented. "I can turn you over to another federation ship heading for a Starbase. Option two is I can try and sentence you here, probably will be death because you committed an act of piracy and terrorism and option three.... I can just space you and be done with it and you.... " she paused as she smiled, this was no loving smile as it was all wolf. "So... you tell me.... lets make it your decision shall we?"

“You and I both know Option Three is out, it’s not the Federation way. Too much paper work, too many questions. Option One just doesn’t seem to be ‘you’ either. You wouldn’t want someone else getting credit for ‘breaking me’, no…you’re an Option Two kind of person, but even that wouldn’t satisfy you. So how about we go for Option Four.” The Orion smirked again as he leaned back in the chair.

"No." Torilla answered bluntly. "Listen to me very carefully for I shall say this to you, but once only." she looked at him with a placid tone as she leaned up against the doorway but in such a way that he could see her entire body. "You... are a criminal and thus I will sentence you here... I don't need to bother with a long winded investigation... what I have already is enough to condemn you to death..." she commented

“You won’t.” The Orion replied flatly.

"Oh, I'm sorry.... did I stutter?" Torilla now stood up as she smiled evilly at him. "Let me explain how this will go... You are illegally aboard a Federation ship in a warzone. helping to commit sabotage and booby trapping our weapons.... I assume for the purpose of destroying this ship and a few others as well." she commented as she turned her attention to Leon Pike.
"Take this man to the nearest airlock. We're done here."

Lee nodded and then called for two security officers:"Set your phasers to heavy stun and bring the prisoner with."

"Simply drop the force field and stun him with a phaser." she explained as she looked at Pike, she knew how formitable he was in the psionic arts. 'Its about escalation' she thought. 'I want to break him.... if that means I stick him in an airlock, so be it.'

Lee stood and watched as the two security officers grabbed hold of the Orion and started to lift him up from his seat.

Torilla raised an eyebrow. "This won't take long..." she commented. "Lets go Captain.."

Saith was just returning to Security as they were hauling the Orion out. She noticed the grim look of determination on both Pike and Yamaguchi’s faces. Saith went to her office and pulled up Mark’s report. She added her report and went to talk to the Engineer finishing up in the brig cell.

The young man was just replacing the panels when she arrived. “We were able to pull back the shielding on the Engineering conduit, it isn’t as important as the Weapons Sail.” Saith nodded, she didn’t care how they did it, just that her brig was secure again . . . now . . . whatever. She signed off on his PADD and they went their separate ways, he presumably returned to Engineering, she headed back to the torpedo bay.

The Orion gazed at the Starfleet Officers, then the forcefield dropped and saw a phaser pointing at him...

Lee turned and looked at the Orion:"Last chance pirate to spill it or get ready to be spaced."

Ten minutes later, Torilla Yamaguchi peered at the stunned Orion, dressed to resemble a Romulan as she watched him slowly wake up. "This is your wake up call." she raised an eyebrow. "You are in an airlock and I have my
fingers on the open airlock button. so.... start talking... who are you and why are you here with a WMD?" she inquired. "Oh and this is... your last chance Orion.... do not test me..."

The Orion looked around, and realized he was, in fact, in an airlock. Still groggy from the phaser stun, he slowly stood up. As he looked at the door, he realized the inner airlock door's access panel was disabled on his side. It was not a good situation, and while he was fully prepared to die on this mission, something about suffocation in the vacuum of space didn't appeal to him as a preferred way to die. He attempted to swallow his tongue, to kill himself his way, only to realize it had been numbed, just enough, to prevent him from getting it into the correct position needed to commit suicide.

He let the situation run through his head, then spoke, "All right, I did plant a bomb designed to heavily damage your vessel and force it off the blockade line before it's even in position. I do not know why, or who hired me, it was done via subspace and the latinum prepaid."

Lee stood there looking at the Orion searching for any hint of lying or deceit:"Captain the Orion is telling the truth."

Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow. "So you were hired to attack and incapacitate my ship in a warzone using a WMD. This is a capital crime but you are indeed fortunate..." she turned to her Exec. "Arrange for his passage to Starbase 400 for trial as a criminal with access to WMD's. I think Starfleet Intelligence will have a field day with this guy."

Anthony had managed to regain his composure and isolated the torpedo bay while his fellow officers questioned the saboteur. Deciding it was best not to involve anyone else he undertook the task alone.

He pried open the outer shell of the probe, revealing several transparent aluminum tubes filled with the thalaron agent. By a quick estimation, Anthony figured that the content of the tubes was enough to kill every living thing on the ship.

This he had already known, and thus he found it superfluous information. Using his tricorder, he scanned the probe's computer system.

"Thats odd." Anthony said out loud and tapped his combadge, "Admiral, Captain, Commander, I've got some news you'd might like to here."

Lee raised an eye brow then looked over at Yamaguchi:"Pike here, what do you have for us Ensign?"

"I've managed to determine the frequency on which the probe is receiving information from." Anthony turned back to his tricorder, "I've checked the frequency against carrier waves from major Alpha Quadrant communication channels. Odd as it may seem, the signals being received closely resembles an auxiliary Starfleet frequency not normally used by any ships in the fleet."

Lee raised an eye brow:"On my way now Ensign" Pike tapped his badge then turned to the two security"Take the Orion to the brig and lock him up and have round the clock security on him."

As far as Saith knew, the visual count was not completed. She joined up with the Marines Maal had sent, they were halfway through. She and they continued with the count giving La Baron and his troubled torpedo come bomb a wide berth.




TBC................................................................

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