The Unusual Suspects

Posted on Sun Jul 16th, 2023 @ 12:43am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: Season 6: Episode 2: Survival
Location: Planet side camp
Timeline: MD 05, after Investigations
1601 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Crewman Precious Okemwe sat at the table facing the Chief of Security in the small shelter that had been turned into an interview room, but her brown eyes kept flicking to the Sequus that loomed behind her. "I assume this is about Ensign Derani, ma'am?" she asked in her thick South African accent.

S'hib said nothing, simply glaring into the back of her skull.

He had turned into a walking fuse since the attack, the slightest inconvenience threatening to be a spark.

They all knew they had best choose their words carefully.

"You assume right Crewman, now I want you to explain to me exactly where you were and what you were doing when the Ensign was attacked. And rest assured, I won't have to use any gadgets to know if you're lying. There's a rather large member of Security behind you, he'll know. And he will react accordingly, I have no wish to get in his way to defend a liar understand?" Lia looked up at S'hib, "Commander, you know what information we require. I trust you will exercise restraint when dealing with any falsehoods."

He let out a long drawn-out sigh at this, the rumble in his throat reverberating around the small enclosure. "I'll try..."

Lia now looked at Okemwe, "There you see, we're only after the truth of what happened or where you were when it happened."

Okemwe kept her voice and gaze steady. "As I told your petty officer, I was in my shelter with my fiancee. We were both asleep. I know it's not much of an alibi, but it's all I have."

Taylor shook her head, "Ain't good enough, too easy to come up with. Now I want the truth crewman, or I suddenly go blind and deaf. And the horse gets to have fun, and no I'm not threatening you. I'm promising you, I want information about what the hell happened to Miraj. AM I CLEAR CREWMAN??"

The young woman looked startled and alarmed, swallowed once, but repeated herself. "I can't tell you, ma'am, I was asleep. But maybe talk to Ensign Kyler. Everyone knows he was pissed off with her."

"Kyler?? Why was Kyler pissed off with Miraj? What had passed or happened between them?" Lia stood up, "I want to know everything you know about that situation, now let's start at the beginning shall we!"

It was then S'hibs cloven hand grasped Okemwes' shoulder, tilting her and the chair back suddenly. "And don't leave anything out..." He huffed, staring down at her.

"Especially the petty remarks... the nicknames..." S'hib continued, starting to lean down as he spoke. "The things you should have reported... but laughed at instead."

Then she was pushed back, her chair thumping against the floor as his hand retreated, folding behind his back as he stepped away.

Lia looked at S'hib, "Is there more to this little interaction than I'm aware of?" She looked back at Okemwe, "You want to explain just what has my friend here quite so worked up crewman?" She sat down and waited, one of this pair would explain what just happened.

_______________________________________

Jandor Vex spread his hands in a universal what can you do gesture. His spot pattern ran all the way along the tops of his arms, leaving dark kidney-shaped marks on the back of his hands. "The Ensign isn't what you'd call a stirling officer, ma'am. Don't get me wrong, I've never seen anyone fly like she can, but if it's not flying..." He shrugged. "Well, it's a disaster. We work round it as best we can, but it gets frustrating."

"Frustrating... enough to take it out on her?" S'hib growled a warning, his tone thick as he spoke with his own tongue... forgoing the universal translator. "Or saying names behind back more your style? hm?" He added, his broken federation standard even more pronounced than usual.

"Nah not me. Chief Hath handled the worst of it. As for names, come on. Enlisted men across time and space have always had names for the ruperts. Yours will have names for you. Why should Shiver-Me-Pigtails be any different?"

Jandor barely had time to finish uttering those fateful words before S'hibs cloven hand shot out like a piston, clutching the back of his skull with a ferocity Commander Taylor had never seen from him before, not even the events in the shuttle cave compared to this.

Then, before Vex or Taylor could blink his face was thrust down onto the desk with a sickening crunch of cartilage.

"Because..." S'hib growled into his ear, his hand still firmly pressing his ruined nose against the table. "I'm in the room." He added, pausing for a moment before letting go and stepping back.

Lia slowly looked up at her 2i/c, "Now now, mon ami. We shouldn't damage Federation property, at least not until said property has finished its job." A faint smile now appeared on Taylor's face, "And the job of this piece of equipment is to explain to us, what the fuck happened to Derani and who did it." She now looked back at Jandor, "And just for the record, I used to be Starfleet intelligence. So I know a few tricks to extract information, if you catch my drift."

Lia pointed to S'hib, "That is one pissed off individual, and I'm not that far behind him. Now your gonna spill your guts out on what you know, who you know that had a reason to do one over on Derani. And more important than that, just what the fuck YOU were doing at the time." Taylor now stood up and moved around her desk to stand level with Jandor, she lent down and spoke into his ear. "Right my little pain in the arse, start singing or the horse plays "Crack Da Nut" on your noggin!!"

Vex was reeling back in his chair, hands pressed to his nose. "YOu broke my nose!" His voice was nasal, and tears from the pain ran down to mix with the blood an mucus running from it. "You can't do that!" He got up. "I want JAG here. I'm not answering any questions without a lawyer. Go talk to fucking Kyler."

“Sit… down…” S’hib snarled, his top lip curled as a forceful hand clasped Vexs’ shoulder.

His words rumbled out slowly, cold and malignant. As if he knew that no matter what option Vex picked, he’d be sat back in that chair within the next few moments.

“I won’t ask again.”

Cloven fingers pressed into bone and sinew. The Sequuses strength was overtly apparent at this point, that much Vex could feel. But was he bluffing, and more importantly did he dare call it?

Commander Taylor held up her hand, "Now now Mr. S'hib, let the man speak." She then looked straight at Jandor, "I don't hold with people who attack from behind, so as you might guess I'm a little angry right now. You want JAG, I'll go get JAG. But don't hold me responsible for what might happen while I'm away, understand me??" Lia let her words sink into Jandor, her wish to find out was starting to allow her to blur right from wrong.

Vex glared mutinously at S'hib, but he could't resist the sequus's strength. "Not saying a word. I didn't have a problem with her. You want Eric."

______________________________________

"He's an absolute slimeball," Ran Thy'shiniq told them with utter confidence. The andorian leaned back in his chair, unconcerned he had no alibi, "Also, for an officer, lazy. And he totally had it in for her. But...."

"But what?" Asked Lia.

"But he's lazy. Beating someone to death is hard work. Not that I've tried it."

Taylor glanced up at S'hib, "Go find this Eric Kyler, bring him here. Put this shitbag in a cell, and keep him there." Looking back at the Andorian Lia gave a smirk, "I don't like you, or your attitude. But most of all, I think you know more than your telling us. Now, shall we start again or do I go for a walk and let my large friend take over?"

"What's to tell?" The Andoran shrugged. "Eric's never liked her, but he's really had it out for the ensign ever since the last round of promotions. Him and Anish, er, Ensign Talan I mean. But I don't know who killed Ensign Derani. I was asleep at the time."

The floor rumbled as S'hib stomped back over from the door, his eyes wide and angry as his fist snatched forward and gripped the Andorians' left antenna "She's not dead..." He snarled, pulling his head back roughly. "Whoever attacked her didn't do a very good job, something all of you have in common I might add."

He gripped tighter briefly before shoving Ran's head forward, turning and leaving angrily.

The Andorian twisted out of his grip and frowned at the pair of them, torn being being affronted at the slur on his professionalism and a certain amount of sharing the sentiment. "yeah, well scuttlebutt said she was found dead. So whoever it was still killed her. But it wasn't me."

"Scuttlebutt was wrong, and so are you. I think you had a hand in what happened, even if it was just keeping your mouth shut as Eric did the deed." Lia glanced at the Andorian, "Now move your butt into that cell and keep quiet until I give you permission to talk."

[OFF]

Commander Lia Taylor
Chief of Security
USS Elysium

Commander S'hib
Assistant Chief of Security
USS Elysium

Flight Control Crew