Whispers in the wires

Posted on Sun Nov 26th, 2023 @ 4:29am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Sh'ib & Naxea's quarters
Timeline: S06E03 MD 10
1822 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

The lounge was uncharacteristically quiet this evening, not that S'hib minded as he sat there on the sofa staring at the world sprawled out on the coffee table before him. It did not belong here, in this home... temporary that it was.

But he had no choice, his failure on that iceball of a planet had seen to that.

So there he was, with one world tucked up against him, sleeping soundly. And another, sitting there, goading him for his shortcomings.

"I wish a nap could fix all my problems..." S'hib said in a hushed voice as he ran the back of his fingers over her short and fluffy proto mane.

"Maybe later..." He added as he stretched his arm out and just barely caught the edge of a PADD with the tips of his fingers.

Sle'anna stirred slightly as he pulled back, forcing him to pause awkwardly just shy of leaning back into the couch.

A few breathless moments passed as he looked down at her from the corner of his eye, she was still asleep he thought to himself triumphantly.

It was a small victory, but victories were in short supply these days, and so he savoured it even as he watched the PADD in his hand flicker to life.

He could have broken a dozen noses and still, none of the trouble that would have caused would compare to the sheer amount of broken regulations he was currently holding.

He'd be court-martialed for this he was sure of it.

___________________________________

Text Conversation between Precious Okemwe and Derek Noah,
stardate: 74804.88514713352

PO: Everything okay, babe?

DN: Yeah, mostly. We're moving medical tomorrow, and then it's tear down the medical staff's shelters. going to be a long day. Can't wait for you to get back here.

PO: Another hour. Just waiting for the last flight up to finish unloading. Then I can do handover and take the last shuttle home

DN: Don't call this ice cube home. Feels too Final.
PO: Up here doesn't feel any better.

DN: It's warmer.

PO: Yeah, but then we're trapped in a small space with someone willing to beat a kid to death.

DN: She's older than you.

PO: Yeah, but everyone knows officers don't grow up until their thirty.

DN: too true. Can't believe they haven't caught them yet.

PO: Me too. They still haven't said I'm off the suspect list

DN: You were with me all night.

PO: Yeah, but they can't prove it. We were asleep. I just want this over.

DN: You and me both. I can't wait till they have that psycho, and we can all stop looking at each other funny

PO. Me neither. Gotta go, Hath's coming and she's in a foul mood. See you later. Hugs.


*******************
transcript of conversation in brig between Crewman Salot and Crewman Ran Th'shyniq

RT: I'm so glad you've come

S: I came as soon as they let me. But they would not give me a clear justification for why. They are being very illogical

RT: Par for the course.

S: Your incarceration is driven by pettiness. Commander Taylor is taking out her frustration on you. And you are innocent.

RT: Doesn't matter.

S: It does to me. Both morally and personally, this is wrong.

RT: I don't have an alibi. And I'm strong enough to do it. That's means and opportunity. All they need is a motive, and Commander Clip-Clop will have me drawn and quartered.

S: Ran! [pause] I am beginning to understand some of the justifications now. Tell me you didn't say that to his face.

RT: [lauging] No, Sal. I'm not that stupid. But I did point out that his getting upset over names for the Ruperts was...illogical.

S: No wonder you are here.

RT: I would have wound up here anyway. Means and Opportunity remember?

S: You did not do it.

RT: But can you prove it?

S: One only has to look at your character. You have reached out across the history of our people, and done so with empathy and patience, have accommodated the boundaries of my... cultural limitations... with grace and understanding. No man who can do that is going to be the man who beats a woman to death over something outside her control.

RT: You are such a romantic. No wonder I fell for you.

S. Well, Andorians are not known for being logical. For which I'm very grateful.


*****************

Personal Log, PO2 Raoul Menedes
Stardate: 74832.64516742792

If things were a mess before, they're a real mess now. With Derani still in a coma, it's a bit of a nightmare. She never properly nominated a deputy, so we're all in a spin over the chain of command. Neri's mucking in. Danvers is trying, but Kyler and Anish have it in for him possibly even more than they had it in for Pinky, and everyone's double checking everything by Hath, which is driving her up the wall. She lost her temper with Jav Tram over crap in the cargo bay and nearly broke her foot when she kicked a crate. I mean, we all checked with Hath before. But at least then we were only checking one person's orders. Now it's everyone checking on everyone else. I've got my hands full with managing all the people we've drafted in from other departments for the big move back up to the ship. I don't have time to deal with this.

****************************
text chat between COP Coco Hath and PO3 Baiz,
stardate: 74804.88514713352

CH: Can I come bunk in with you? Sharing with Morrison was hard enough on the planet. Not sure I can take any more up here. Officers are not worth sharing with.

B: Sure, Chief. So why did you bunk with her on the ice ball?

CH: She didn't want to be in with our pastel princess. I don't think she wanted to be in the splash zone. But she's too weird to live with, so I need to be back with people who do the actual work.

B: No problem then. Does that mean you'll take me off swing shift so I don't disturb your beauty sleep?

CH: Nice try. I suffer, you all suffer.

*****************************
Transcript of conversation "overheard" between Ens. Eric Kyler and Ensign Anish Talan

EK: You're avoiding me.

AT: Hell yes I'm avoiding you. You're radioactive right now.

EK: Its been two months. Security haven't found anything. Its not me. How many times do I have to tell you.

AT: So why don't you tell me where you were that night.

EK: (pause)

AT: I'm waiting.

EK: Bloody Hell, I went for a slash.

AT: For forty five minutes? at Midnight?

EK: I had a lot to drink..... how do you know it was forty five minutes?

AT: I pinged you. Three times. That's the first time in a year you haven't picked up when I'm bored on graveyard. And then Pinkie-Pie turns up dead? You should be in the brig.

EK: They don't have any evidence. And I told them what I'm telling you. I'd gone to the head. No-one else was there, because it was nearly midnight on a fucking ice cube.

AT: that's weak, and you know it. Hells bells, I'm starting to think you really did-

EK: Shit! Hath's coming.

AT: Damn, she looks pissed off.

CPO Hath: You're going to be late for shift, sir. Ensign Talon, I've noticed you've been on grave yard for a while. Do you want to come and talk about shift rotation with me.

AT: Please Chief.

*****************************

S'hib continued scrolling for a moment before his eyes drifted, then blinked wide as he let the PADD fall to his lap. He had been at this for hours now, and still, nothing substantial had surfaced beyond reigniting doubts he already had.

Just one line of text, one snippet of a conversation... they had to slip up somewhere, he was sure of it.

"Dunes consume me..." He huffed as he threw his head back and leaned into the sofa, letting out an exasperated sigh. "If only I could sync this up to the computer, then I could search for specific phrases or references..."

Then he brought his head back down, sighing again as he picked up the PADD.

He was about to start scrolling again when he stopped, looking up slightly as an idea hit him like a stray phaser. “If it was me, the last thing I'd want to do is talk about it…”

His eyes shot back to the PADD as he tabbed out of the display, clicking instead on all the date with transcripts from immediately after the attack. “Let's see who's talking and who's not.”

A scroll through the summary quickly showed there was a lot of noise in the overhead, much checking up on people's locations, querying that loved ones weren't also hurt, and then speculation on who had done it. There was plenty of talk amongst the crewmen, and some, though not as much among the NCOs, petering out as the ranks grew and there were fewer options to gossip with. Mtuuri had even managed to crack the occasional comment from the other officers in flight control.

It seemed everyone had a theory. The winner, by popular discussion, seemed to be Eric Kyler. More than one comment described him as a nasty little sneak and petty bully desperate for power.

And then the speculation stopped, with a number of people moaning about the Chief shutting down any speculation and moaning about their free speech. Then the conversation shifted to the lack of any progress, and could you really trust anyone anymore, as well as "I don't want to work the night shift with x, not without a third person." or "Do not want to be alone in the shuttle bay. Anyone could hide in there."

S'hib frowned. Everything was pointing at Eric, but he was sure he was too much of a coward to do anything beyond words. "It can't be him..."

That primal anger swelled in him again as the side of the PADD groaned against his thumb. Right at the start, he had him pinned against that shuttle and let him go.

"It can't be..." He uttered in a hushed whisper, the weight of being so utterly wrong breaking his heart.

He knew back then it was him... but he refused to acknowledge it because he knew what would have happened.

Even now he was trying to find anyone else to pin the blame on, but everything was pointing at Eric, and that he was drunk when he did it.

And so he sat there for a moment trying to process everything, what should he do, what could he do?

"S'vay..." S'hib uttered in his native tongue as he glanced at the door, he was already in a world of trouble as it was. But he couldn't just do nothing.

"What do I do Slee...?"

 

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