Remains of the Day

Posted on Wed May 3rd, 2023 @ 12:12pm by Lieutenant Commander Rin & Lieutenant Nicholas Reece [Reece]

Mission: Season 6: Episode 2: Survival
Location: Deck 27 Stardrive - Intel Analysis Facility
Timeline: MD3
2311 words - 4.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Deck 27 was, like many places on board Elysium, a disaster. The outer hull had been breached in multiple locations, although they had since been repaired. But that did nothing for all of the internal damage. Remnants of furniture pay broken everywhere. Panels were blown off computer terminals, if the terminals still existed at all. Lockers and other compartments were bent or broken, their contents in a variety of states.

Here was where much of Elysium's most sensitive data had been stored, and where that data had been sitting ignored for weeks.

Lt. Rin, Lt. Reece, and 6 enlisted Intel crew surveyed the mess.

"I need a catalogue of everything that has survived. We also need to get the computers up and running and verify what data survived... and whether there's been any indication of tampering or unauthorized access. Any questions?" Rin asked.

Nicholas spoke up first. "As the lockers were trashed and will require a full refab, should we juryrig a temporary storage facility for any physical intel items that survived, or simply collect them into one area and put a guard on them, while we wait for the proper lockers are rebuilt?"

"Let's put everything in Analytics Lab 1 and lock down the entire room," Rin replied.

"Aye, Ma'am," Nicholas replied, then looked over at the enlisted members assembled with them. "Petty Officers Davis, Tranto and M'urgalo. You three will be pulling guard duty over the next 24 hours. Davis, you take the first rotation. Tranto, you have the second and M'urgalo, you have third shift. Tomorrow, we'll have a new guard rotation." He then looked over at Rin. Though he had started to act like it, she hadn't made him her assistant. "With your permission, Ma'am?"

Rin raised her one eyebrow slightly but nodded. "Well, you seem to have things in hand here. I need to check on something elsewhere."

While nothing overtly hostile was said, Nicholas had noticed the movement of Rin's eyebrow. While he kept it to himself, he realized that he had blundered. When they were able to speak alone later, he would apologize for overstepping himself.

Turning back to the rest of the department, Nicholas nodded. "You heard the Chief people! Let's get to work!" He then started to direct a few teams onto jobs, then, once everyone was working, he noticed Rin step out of the Intel suite. He quickly followed her out into the corridor. "Lieutenant Rin?" He called out as his long legs closed the distance between them.

Rin turned around. "Is there a problem, Lieutenant?"

Stopping a few paces away, Nicholas looked down at his department chief. "I'd like to apologize for jumping the gin back there, Ma'am. No disrespect was intended. I should have waited for your orders."

Rin considered her words and the man before her. He had acted like an overly enthusiastic young officer. It happens. She wasn't going to pay it much mind.

But he wasn't some wet behind the ears officer., she remembered, thinking through his personnel file.

"You were demoted to lieutenant before reassignment here. Reasons classified," Rin said plainly. "You were the Chief of Intelligence on the Ragnarok. We are not on the Ragnarok. I get it that you are used to being in charge, and that experience is valuable. However, the fact remains you are not in charge, and I am perfectly capable of assigning watch duty when I am standing next to you. I accept your apology, and trust we won't need to have this conversation again. Am I correct in that assumption?"

Nicholas, feeling properly chastised stood taller as he nodded respectfully. "Yes, Ma'am. It will not happen again. You have my word."

"Then I consider the matter closed," Rin replied. She saw no reason to further hold it against him. Problem solved, moving on. "Please see to the securing of the Intel offices. I have a few other things to attend to."

"Aye, Ma'am," Nicholas replied respectfully. "And any further ideas I have, I will bring them to you first." He then nodded once to her and moved back Into the Intelligence suite, to carry out her orders.

-----

Rin turned and walked away. Entering a nearby turbolift, she ordered it to take her to Main Science on deck 17.”

Nevada McKay was still on the MIA list. To most people, that made her just one more tragic fatality of the quantum filament. But Rin had rather unique concerns regarding this death.

Nothing had been found when McKay’s quarters had been scanned for sign of life. But the computer had registered a hazardous material containment lock on the door – a containment still in place, according to records. Rin wanted more information before she tried overriding that door.

Main Science was largely intact, but here and there panels had popped free under the immense stress the entre ship had suffered. None of that particularly concerned her. She trusted the Science department had their own projects in hand. All the ones they knew about, anyway.

But there was one they didn’t know about.

Rin entered McKay’s office and took a seat behind her desk. It took her a long moment to convince the computer terminal to pop open a concealed Romulan data rod reader, complete with data rod. She gave a slight sigh of relief.

“Computer, what is the status of McKay’s quarters?” Rin asked.

“Lt. McKay’s quarters have been under class 4 hazardous materials containment for 10 days, 14 hours and 3 minutes.”

“Nature of material?”

“Unknown.”

Which made sense. McKay insisted she had kept all data on the data rod, separate from the ship computer’s systems.

Rin tapped some more buttons to convince the system to read the data rod. Much of the information was very technical, scientific information that Rin was not familiar with. But she understood the generalities, tracing the transformation of borg nanites into into the Frankenstein-esque substance she had exposed herself to, and the continued degradation of her own form in reaction to the experiment. The final stage was a compound simply labeled Substance 14-E, the material McKay expected her body would dissolve into.

“Status of Lt. McKay.”

“Lt. McKay was registered as deceased 10 days, 14 hours and 5 minutes ago.”

“And exactly how long ago did we strike the filament?”

“10 days, 13 hours and 44 minutes.”

So McKay was already dead by the time of the accident. Just not by much. Which was why no one had taken note. It was a sad end for a foolish project.

“Computer, what was the event that triggered the containment protocols?”

“Containment protocols enacted upon the death of Lt. McKay.”

OK, so McKay knew the end was coming, and she knew the result would be dangerous. It stood to reason, then, that someone should know how to deal with it.

“Computer, what is that last known message sent by McKay?”

“Automated message sent at time of death.”

“Replay message.”

A screen lit up on the console. “This message is automated to deliver at the time of my death. My quarters have been secured. I expect my body will have broken down into a metallic dust toxic to organic matter. I just ask that you safely secure it in the hopes that maybe someday something good will come from my error.”

Damnit, McKay. Rin thought. Never did learn your lesson.

Rin pulled the data rod from its jack and tucked it into a pocket. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with it yet. McKay had asked for it to be destroyed on her death, which Rin would love to do, but she wanted to make sure everything else was settled before doing something permanent. Then she classified all data in the computer system relevant to McKay’s demise and encrypted it.

She started collecting equipment: a haz mat suit, tricorder, and the like. She needed to know what they were dealing with before she called Science in to clean up this highly classified mess.

As she headed for the turbolift, she tapped her badge. “Rin to Lt. Reece. Please meet me outside crew quarters 15-S-O. Do not enter.”

Nicholas Reece's disembodied voice could be heard replying. "Aye, Ma'am. On my way. Reece out."

Moments later, Nicholas was at the requesting location. Per Rin's orders, he did not attempt to open the door.

Rin arrived a minute later, dressed in a hazmat suit with the helmet off and carrying a large box of tools.

"These quarters used to belong to Lt. Nevada McKay, who died shortly before the filament accident from an...unauthorized experiment only a few of us were aware of," Rin explained in a clipped tone that noticeably strained to remain professional or even polite. "Short version is she attempted to prolong her life through reengineering Borg nanites, and it ended up killing her. Slowly. She had just enough common sense to set contingency plans in the case of her death, which is why this room is sealed. She also left a warning that whatever is left of her will be toxic to any organic matter. She has previously assured me the nanites do not pose a danger of assimilation, but considering I found out about the experiments by sensing active Borg tech, I'm skeptical."

She pulled a PaDD from the toolbox and handed it to Nicholas. "So now I'm going to go in there and survey this mess, and you're going to be my witness in case things go wrong. I have a video feed from this suit to that PaDD. To the best of my knowledge, only Dr. Sthilg and Captain Taylor are aware of the experiments, and they only found out after the fact. Questions?"

"The Commodore didn't know about this?" He felt it very wrong that while the XO of the ship knew of a situation aboard, the CO didn't.

"The Commodore wasn't on board at the time. The ship was under the command of Captain Lovejoy," Rin explained as she fit the helmet over her head and fastened the seals. "It was an... interesting first day on board."

Nicholas nodded as he checked the fittings on Rin's suit. "Sounds like it," he chuckled softly, despite the situation. "My brother, Kyle, told my stories of his first time aboard Elysium. Let's just say, odd shit seems to be attracted to this ship."

Seals secured, Rin commanded the computer to set up containment fields in the corridor, one on each side of the door, with Rin inside. Even if something did escape McKay's quarters, it would still be trapped between the fields. Then she gave the authorization codes to access the room.

Nothing seemed immediately out of place. Rin gave the room a thorough once-over before moving to the bedroom. Even there, things appeared largely normal, but the tricorder knew better. The rumpled bedsheets were coated in metallic dust with some very unsavory properties.

"Definitely has Borg structure but no sign of ability to assimilate," Rin reported to Nicholas as she studied the tricorder. "Appears contained to this room. Particles are too heavy to remain airborne. I'd still really prefer sterilizing this whole space, but they are technically McKay's remains, and she gave instructions how they should be treated. It's an unfortunate loophole."

As Nicholas watched what Rin was seeing, from the relative safety of the corridor, he asked, "What were her instructions?"

"'Safely stored' were her words. She hopes some future success might come from them. So 'safely stored' they will be. I'll talk with Captain Taylor as to how classified these damn things need to be and who might get access. My preference is 'no one.' People keep making the same damn mistakes."

Rin opened the toolbox and pulled out what was essentially a small hand vacuum, carefully sucking up the metallic fragments. The entire device would go into storage when she was done. She was taking no chances.

Task finished, Rin did a hard search of the rest of the quarters, gathering up what few things might be deemed personal possessions and throwing them all into a sealed box that would be finding a home on Deck 27.

She stepped out of the room and resealed the door. "Computer, sterilize the room." She checked the tricorder again, making sure it didn't pick up any trace of the nanites on her or anything she was bringing out of the room. While the tricorder said there was none, she ran decontamination procedures on herself regardless before dropping the forcefields and removing the helmet of her suit.

Taking the unneeded helmet, Nicholas sighed softly. "I doubt scientists will ever stop trying to understand how the Borg work, even with every warning sign put in front of them as to how dangerous it can be." He paused, then added, "if you want, I'll go secure her remains, so you can go freshen up and speak to the XO about this?"

Rin reluctantly handed over the box. It wasn't that she distrusted Nicolas. She just, well, didn't like anyone in possession of the technology. But she'd have to let go of them soon enough anyway, as they got locked away, so this seemed as good a time as any to part with it.

"Between this box and me, you're looking at the sum total of Borg tech in this entire galaxy. It is a danger they are completely ignorant of. Let's keep it that way."

Nicholas gave Rin a somber nod. "I understand, Ma'am. You have my word of honor that I will go directly to the vault and not only lock it away, but I will instruct the computer to only allow you or Captain Taylor access to it." Then, true to his word, he turned and made his way to his destination. He had already messed up once. He didn't want Rin to begin to have doubts about him.