Not The Best Way to Start Your First Week of Work

Posted on Wed 10th Apr, 2013 @ 12:54pm by Colonel Horatio Drake & Captain Eee-eee-rie--eeee-eek Nightingale D.Sc

1,479 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: https://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/3
Location: Deck 12: Drake's Ready Room
Timeline: MD-05: 1345 Hours

Kel winced, as she noted the despair with which Nightingale pressed the chime to the Colonel's office. She could not have imagined what was going through the woman's head. She was about 107% sure that she felt much worse than Kel did about being 20 minutes late for her first shift.

Nightingale stood, passively dismissing the wince that Kel gave her, as she pressed the chime. She inhaled water, briefly, and was surprised at the fact that it was caffeinated.

Kel winked, and nodded to Nightingale's right hand, which was holding a PADD. Kel had placed a small glass, containing a shot of espresso, within her field, on the PADD, while Nightingale was lost in her thoughts, structuring her planned conversational starter with Colonel Drake.

Nightingale decided, at precisely that moment, that she liked the idea of having an assistant.

===

"Please, come in" Drake said, at the familiar entry sound for his Ready Room. He had been sitting on the sofa for the past few minutes, going over the latest reports from forty nine alpha... as ever they weren't looking good.

Nightingale stepped in. In a rather out-of-character exceptionally professional manner. "Colonel Drake." Nightingale said, with a frown. "It is my duty to inform you that data from an ongoing investigation appears to have been shared outside the immediate chain of custody."

"Right" He said, crossing his legs "er... what information, exactly?" The remark had certainly caught him off guard.

"Specifically, the Scientific analysis of the forensics collected from Section 49-Alpha, as well as the particle and energy reading analysis reports that I was about to review, and hand over the reports to you, prior to this event, sir." Nightingale said. In English, no less. A rather high-pitched, but exceptionally somber and formal tone.

He was interested in how they were shared outside the chain of custody, he knew that Nightingale wouldn't treat this sort of information lightly. But first he had to know the fidings of said reports.

"What were your findings of the forensics collected?" Drake inquired, uncrossing his legs.

"Well, the reports indicate the obvious, sadly, and do not reveal anything more. Experiments, of some kind, were being conducted in the area. The Forensic Computer tech noted that, upon attempting to recover any data from the local systems, every computerized device was remotely hacked, and wiped clean. I think Ensign Dawson might require counseling, in that regard. His holographic girlfriend was on that tricorder. He appears rather... attached to her, and is grieving her passing." Nightingale said, evenly. There wasn't the slightest hint of judgement in her voice, only concern. "The Forensic technicians noted that what little evidence they did find, had long-since decomposed in the decade or so since the subjects we recovered became deceased. As to the particle physics at work, sadly, they, also, have suffered the great, dissolving, ocean of time. I can tell you that the signal jamming device used was put together using generic components. I can't tell you who built it, what default language it's meant to run in, as it's running an auto-translation module, apparently tied directly in to the internal sensors of the section. Likewise, I can't narrow down your list of subjects, because the dampening field used was very simple, in how it works. My previous notation that this is beyond Klingon Science appears faulty. My investigation made your suspects pool larger, rather than shorter, as the 21st Century Earth nation, The United States of America, would have been capable of generating the signal."

Kel watched her boss, and shook her head, as the woman stopped singing, and the translator kept going. "That's got to get old, fast." Kel said, to Nightingale, once her translator finished.

"You could say that." Nightingale said, nodding. "In short, Colonel, other than the fact that rather clandestine attempts to obtain what little information we had collected were exceptionally clever, I have nothing of use for you."

"However," Kel said, somewhat shakily, "Colonel, Captain, it should be noted that the file was accessed before Captain Nightingale had the opportunity to properly review it. As such, there may be key details which were deliberately covered over."

"Up. Covered up." Nightingale said.

"Same difference, according to the translator." Kel said, with a shrug.

Despite Drake expecting the Science Officer to report just such findings, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. They really were facing a dead end now.

"Well, thank you for your efforts, Captain" He shifted his weight. "So, how did this information leave the chain of custody, then?". Once again he was still finding this hard to come to terms with - if anyone was going to keep evidence secure, it was going to be Nightingale.

Kel looked down. "To preface, sir, I was twenty minutes late for my first shift, and Captain-"

"Silence, child." Nightingale said, harshly, and in English. "You are in my department, and thus fall under my care, and I am burdened with the responsibility to serve for your actions. Speak no more of your being late. It is not of direct consequence, and is not a primary concern for the Colonel. That issue lies between you, and myself, and we will discuss it later."

Kel looked quickly at Nightingale. "Ma'am?"

"Regardless of whether or not you were tardy, young lady, the fact still remains that when I came across a woman, who appeared, for all intents, and purposes, to be Chief Warrant Officer Kel, I did not think twice, to ask for your assignment orders, or anything else. I was so pleased, considering the fact that my console had apparently been tampered with, that someone was offering to help, that such concepts slipped my mind. As such, when she was 'unable' to gain access to these files, I signed off on her accessing them, for the purposes of having a computer systems specialist remove the odd authorization errors that were associated with that file." Nightingale said, returning to Velurian. "She took the files, and left, to, what I presumed at the time, have my authorization errors fixed. Until about thirty seven seconds later, when Chief Warrant Officer Kel returned, with a different hairstyle. She did note, at the time, that she was fairly certain she had been drugged, the night before, at one of the local drinking establishments, hence why I refuse to divert any, and all blame to the young lady, as it was legitimately not her fault."

Kel fell silent, and looked down. She was unaccustomed to having anyone, never mind a superior officer, refuse to divert blame onto her. She was unsure of what she was supposed to say to this.

"Right, I see" Drake now frowned, this was certainly a severe security breach - but not necessarily the fault of the science officer. "So this woman looked just like Warrant Officer Kel?" He asked.

"To the point, that when Chief Warrant Officer Kel entered the room a second time, the first thing out of my mouth was 'did you forget something?'." Nightingale said with a nod.

"It's probably best that you report to Sickbay and try and have this drug identified" Drake looked at Kel, and then back at Nightingale. "To be honest Captain, there's very little we can do about this now. I would maintain that this wasn't your fault - anyone could have made the same mistake. We can't hold procedures to the light when they are so rarely adhered to be anyone. Have security go over the security footage to see if there's anything they can identify from it".

"Yes sir." Nightingale said, with a nod.

Drake was careful how to phrase this next part, he certainly didn't want to start making accusations about certain senior members of the service. "Do you have any theories about this event?"

"None that could be made, without directly accusing anyone." Nightingale said. "But it goes without saying that someone, who had access to, say, cosmetic prosthesis, or perhaps even cosmetic surgery, would be responsible."

Drake had done a lot of nodding today and found himself doing it once again. "Well, thank you for letting me know Captain". He knew there was little they could do about the situation now.

"Apologies, Captain." Nightingale said, with a somber tone.

Drake held up his hand, he felt bad for Nightingale. The same mistake would have been made by any other officer Drake knew, if they were in the same situation. "Not at all, Captain".

He stood and moved to his desk, sitting in his chair he put his hands on the desk and folded them. "We will catch whoever was responsible for this atrocity, Captain. Perhaps security will have some success with the footage." He smiled, warmly at her.

OFF:
A Post By:

Captain Nightingale
Chief Science Officer
&
Colonel Ashton Drake
Commanding Officer

 

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