Hit The Ground Running, Part One

Posted on 28 Aug 2015 @ 10:04pm by Lieutenant Benice Gyce Ph.D.

1,204 words; about a 6 minute read

Location: Starfleet Criminal Investigative Service's CIC, Deck 206, SS McKinley
Date: June 11th, 2380
Time: 0830 Hours

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There was no time to even settle her things, as Ensign Benice walked out of airlock Twenty-Seven-B. One of Commander Joseph Landy's enlisted aides met her and ushered her quickly through the corridors and halls of the stardock.

She had interned here not long ago and was very excited to learn she had gotten a posting in the prestigious SCIS unit. A junior detective, yes. But a detective nonetheless. And SCIS had not had a new member (outside of interns) in over five years. That made it all the more special and exciting to the Bajoran woman.

The Command Information Center, known as the CIC by all SCIS members, was littered with motion. An amphitheater set-up. Ten rows of about fifteen analysts and built-in computer consoles in each. All of which focusing on various cases. There were another two supervisors running around to see what certain analysts had found. And in the bottom of the whole CIC room was a holographic tactical display table standing in front of a blank viewscreen. The tactical display table was utilized much like a starship's engineering pool table.

That table had twenty people around it. Some were civilians but most were Starfleet Officers. And of those, two were wearing the Starfleet Corps of Engineering logo patch on the shoulders of their right sleeves

Why are they here? Gyce could not guess from afar, but as she came close to the table, everything became much more transparent.

Commander Joseph Landy, an average-height male of pale skin and receding grey hair was briefing his veterans on what looked like a new type of explosive encased in a Type IIX-like science probe shell. Very flashy, very unstable, if Gyce read the blueprints on the holographic display right.

A tall, olive-skinned male Vulcan of tall stature and signature sideburns handed her a PADD for which she looked at very briefly. Then realized Commander Landy had moved on from the schematics of the weapon and onto the situation.

Two clever hand movements, and Gyce was looking at a new holographic item. A maroon marauder-type Ferengi ship that had a lot of phased-based weapon scouring on the hull, but otherwise in good condition. And a holographic head of the ship's owner. An older ferengi named Kod. Fat, plump, and very wealthy by the looks of his flashy suit.

"This was the ship seen leaving the science research station Canderous. Tech teams are still trying to pull a good image of the attackers in the labs, but we do know this ship is registered to one Kod," Landy began to explain. "The assault was unprovoked and the assailants are not part of the Ferengi government, from what the Grand Nagus has told the President. Regardless, the assailants left no survivors, and left with the warhead in their cargo and likely using an illegal cloak..."

Gyce half-paid attention to the brief after that point and looked back at the weapon specs themselves. The circuitry for the timer was complex and very clearly Starfleet in origin. From what she could tell, it had a subspace transceiver with a range of close to one thousand lightyears... Ideal for remote detonation at a safe distance.

That did not make any sense though. The warhead the primer was hooked to had to be bigger than an atom bomb from the times of Earth's WWII to make any kind of galactic statement. Unless...

"Protomatter." This barely audible deduction of Gyce's caused the entire briefing to halt, for which she looked up and very confidently pointed out, "That is the only reason the engineering corps is here. They are here to help us remove the remote detonation sequence to the warhead before it can be used."

Then Gyce glanced at the civilians. Who, when she looked closer at the both of them, they were not typical civilians. Their stance was alert, guarded. Not casual at all. And each had a holstered handgun-looking Type II phaser she recognized instantly as something belonging to Earth law enforcement and some of the more obscure Federation law enforcement outfits. Added to this assessment, no PMC company would be hired for something this high-level, nor given clearance to SCIS HQ unless by presidential or fleet admiral order.

Gyce quickly pointed to the Andorian male dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and white polo. "And it also explains why Federation Intelligence sent two of their operators... We don't know who this Ferengi is selling their stolen weapons to. So we need nonmilitary intelligence assets to get inside the underground to find out where a weapons sale will be." If there is one, she thought to herself with skepticism.

Commander Landy looked a cross of impressed and annoyed. "Ensign Benice is former Bajoran Resistance and the newest SCIS agent. Her skills in bomb design and diffusing are invaluable to this case... Though I would ask that you use discretion the next time you blurt out facts in this room, Ensign."

"Sir, yes Sir!" Gyce said at attention and caught that same Vulcan from earlier giving her an appraising look. Not one of wanting, but intrigue.

"I have analysts working around the clock, but all of you around this table are going to be sent to places of possible leads. We need to work fast and safely. Any wrong move, and we could cause them to panic and use the bomb before we can get to it... Dismissed," he told everyone and the agents around the table quickly dispersed.

Except Landy and the Vulcan.

"You never met Lieutenant Commander Avok while you interned, but he is my most experienced field agent," Landy told Gyce. As nervous as she was, the Bajoran remained quiet. "We recently lost Agent F'lal and while I don't like pairing people so close after a tragedy, you both need one and we need both of you in the field to stop this bomb."

"I will endeavor to adjust to my new partner, Commander." That was the first time Gyce heard him speak. Quiet, reserved, possibly a tenor. Hard to read too. But then she always had a hard time reading Vulcans.

"Good. Your assignment," Landy acknowledged and handed Avok a different PADD.

Gyce followed her new partner up the side steps and read the PADD with him. Landy could not be serious....

"Ferenginar," he read aloud. "We are to case former associates of Marauder Kod."

"Our person of interest," Gyce nodded, for many analysts were still trying to restore the badly damaged and degraded security feeds of the science station.

It was a ninety-percent chance he was the leader of this attack and theft, but until they had proof of him being in his ship or on the station, the terminology had to be very precise and non-accusive.

"It would be ideal to brush up our knowledge of the Rules of Acquisition, Ensign."

This was going to be a very long, gruelling mission, Gyce decided. Perverted males unclothing her with their ogling eyes, and a Vulcan for a partner that appeared very closed off...

 

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