Chapter Text
NCC-2131 (USS Detmer)
Holding Formation with SD-1/4791 (Shuttle Giamatti) near Rihannsu Neutral Zone
February 25, 2318 (Stardate 139230.93)
Transporter Room Two
Detmer‘s second transporter room materialized into view as Giamatti‘s transporter beam conveyed them over to the light cruiser. Leo’s gaze fell on the trio of Starfleet personnel near the transporter system’s control vestibule. A dark-skinned male Vulcan commander towered over the other two standing to his left; a female Caitian lieutenant commander with grey fur and tan highlights, and a stocky, muscular female human wearing the gold-ringed insignia of a command master chief.
“Permission to come aboard, sir,” Leo spoke for his group as he stepped down from the platform, wearing his Class A uniform.
The Vulcan replied in a deep bassy voice. “Permission granted. Welcome aboard USS Detmer, Commander.”
Leo transferred his duffel to the other hand, then offered the Vulcan salute. “Thank you, Captain. We come to serve.”
Saluting in kind, Straat inclined his head. “Your service honors us.” After they dropped their hands, he stepped back and introduced, “My executive officer, Lieutenant Commander R’raia, and Command Master Chief Esumi Benten.”
R’raia beamed, showing her teeth. “Great to see you, Rally.”
“You, too, Rai,” Leo replied, fighting through the blush caused by the use of his lesser-known nickname. Instead, he reflected her elation with a bright expression. To Benten, he acknowledged her with a quick nod. “Command Master Chief,” he greeted with respect.
Benten did not return his tone. Instead, she addressed him icily, “Commander.” Then, turning to Straat, she asked, “By your leave, sir?”
Straat glanced at R’raia before replying to Benten. “Of course.”
Everyone was puzzled by the cold welcome as Benten left. Leo changed the subject. “Forgive my lack of manners. Allow me to introduce our criminal investigator, SDCI Agent Ursula Onyango. My partner, Major Reter…”
With a concerned expression, Reter opened his mouth to correct him, but closed it as Leo continued speaking.
After Leo finished introducing the rest of the team, Straat gave a slight nod. “I am gratified that Starfleet Command agreed with our assessment and sent a full team to help us determine the truth.” He gestured toward R’raia. “The XO will be your liaison while you’re aboard. Anything you require, please inform her and she will accommodate.”
“Thank you, sir,” Leo nodded in the same manner that Straat had previously.
“If you will all excuse me, I must attend to ship’s business.” Before leaving, Straat added, “I would invite you, Commander, Major, to join us for the evening meal in my mess.”
Reter opened his mouth once more. Leo replied, “We’d be honored to join you, sir.”
“The XO shall guide you from here,” Straat said, then left them alone in the transporter room, with only the three enlisted maintaining the equipment nearby.
R’raia grinned. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters.” She led them out of the room and they walked as a group toward the turbolifts.
As everyone else filed out of the room, Reter kept pace with Leo, dropped his voice to a low volume to speak with him. “Commander-“
“I’ll explain in a moment,” Leo promised.
Ursula took the lead, walking next to the Caitian. “Can I ask how long you’ve known Leo?”
“Since he transferred to Decker back in ‘12. We were in the same department; Operations,” R’raia replied, animatedly. “I had just started the final year of my tour on the ship, and got assigned to him as his sponsor, which was weird because his rank was higher than mine.”
“Not weird. Decker was my first assignment out of Starfleet Law,” Leo replied from behind her. “Besides, Rai was the best sponsor I could have hoped for.”
R’raia spun around and walked backwards to face Leo. “Aw, thanks.” She then returned to walking forward as they all entered the lift. “Deck six,” she spoke to the computer, once they all crammed inside. “I have the officers set up in the VIP staterooms, and Chief Saego and Yeoman Zenn down in the goat locker.”
“Would it be possible to assign them to deck six?” Leo asked. “I’d prefer my team close by.”
R’raia exited first as the doors parted to reveal the sixth deck corridor as it stretched down the center of the saucer. “Of course. I should have expected that, it’s just the visiting NCOs are bunked with their colleagues.”
Reter noted, “Because of the type of work we’ll be performing, it would behoove us to pursue efficiency, effectiveness, and capability in our tasks.”
The XO turned the corner and led the group down a curved corridor as they neared the edge of the ship’s hull. “Of course, Major.”
“Pardon me, Commander, but I am a Captain, not a Major,” Reter finally voiced his objection.
Leo grinned as Reter spoke. He explained before R’raia could respond. “Aboard any ship, there is only one captain permitted by address. To avoid confusion, marine officers holding the rank of captain are brevetted to major for the duration of the assignment.”
“Fascinating,” admitted Reter. “I have never heard of this tradition, custom, or practice.”
“Have you ever been assigned to a ship before?” wondered R’raia.
“No. This is my first time aboard a starship,” Reter replied. Then, he reasoned aloud, “I received my promotion to captain a mere two weeks ago, so I had no prior opportunity, occasion, or chance to experience that of which you speak.”
“Fair enough.” R’raia slowed her pace and approached a hatch. She pressed the access panel, and the door slid open. “Agent Onyango, this is you. Stateroom Three.”
Ursula passed through the open hatch and tossed her luggage on the couch within view.
“Leo, you’re next door in number five,” R’raia continued. “Major, you’re one door down from him in number seven.” She pulled a PADD from within her uniform jacket and checked it. “Chief Saego?”
Saego stepped forward and nodded her head.
“You and Yeoman Zenn will be across the corridor once I confirm-“ R’raia paused and then grinned. “There we go.” She turned and touched the panel to an interior-facing suite. “Chief, you’re here in stateroom two. Yeoman, you’re in number four, across from Leo.”
Both NCOs said their thanks and accessed the assigned staterooms.
Leo asked, “One more thing?”
“Sure,” said R’raia.
“Can I get a conference room nearby? I need it keyed to our access alone, and guards placed on the hatch,” Leo requested.
R’raia turned her head in both directions. “Not on this deck, but up on deck four, there’s plenty. I can reserve conference room five for you. That’s closest to the lift from here.”
“That’ll work. Can you have them add a couple of desks and terminals?”
She smiled through her irritation. “Leo, you’re fortunate we’ve been ordered to cooperate in every way possible. We’ll get it done for you.”
He smiled. “Appreciate it, Rai. We’re going to need the surface area to put things together. The quicker we can get that done, the quicker we’ll get out of your way.”
Ursula added, “I’m going to want to coordinate with your local sheriff. Can you arrange for me to met them?”
R’raia tapped her commbadge. “XO to Sheriff Taki. Please report to stateroom six-victor-zero-three. Find Agent Onyango of SDCI. She would like a word.”
Taki’s voice carried over the ship’s intercom. “Aye, sir. On my way, now.”
“Thank you. XO, out,” R’raia brought her stare back to Leo. “Anything else?”
“One moment.” He addressed Ursula and Reter. “Unpack in your quarters. We’ll meet in our new digs in thirty minutes.” Once they disappeared behind their assigned hatches, Leo asked, “The skipper’s the convening authority, how often is he going to want updates?”
R’raia lost focus as she considered the best course of action. “A daily update to start. If you’re pulling anyone from their duties, a heads’ up would be best.”
“Keep in mind that we weren’t told anything about anything. So, if the Sheriff submitted any findings, we’ll need you make those available to us. And I imagine we’re going to question witnesses as soon as Urs is done with her conversation with security.”
The XO tapped her PADD. “The report’s been sent to you and your team.”
Several non-rated crewmembers moved furniture into Conference Room Five when Leo approached the hatch. He carried his PADD in one arm and flattened himself against the bulkhead as more crewman approached and departed the room. They stared at him as they walked by.
An unfamiliar masculine voice offered an explanation. “They’re not used to seeing an officer get out of their way, sir.”
When the corridor cleared, Leo returned to the middle and saw the rank insignia of a chief petty officer on the shoulders of a tall broad-shouldered barrel-chested human male, with receding black hair, dark brown eyes, and dark complexion. “I suppose not,” Leo agreed. “But they were doing a favor for me, so it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“A ‘favor,’ eh?” the chief mused. “Around here, we call them ‘orders.’”
Leo chuckled. “I suppose so.” He extended his hand. “I’m Leo Verde.”
“Oh, I know who you are, sir,” the chief replied with a grin. He gripped Leo’s hand. “Chief Boatswain’s Mate Tanner Covington.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Boats,” Leo said. He smiled through the pain of the larger man’s intense grip. When they released hands, he flexed his to make sure he got all his fingers back in working order.
As more boatswain’s mates arrived with another desk, both men stepped aside. Covington noted, “I think that’s the last one, sir.”
“Well then, do you have a moment to speak with me?” Leo asked. “Or are you needed somewhere else?”
The chief grunted. “We’ve been ordered to provide full cooperation to you and your team, sir. I’m at your disposal.” He turned his head and called out, “Bromin!”
The Bolian turned his head. “Chief?”
“Tell Chief Loyola I’m being interrogated by JAG until further notice, would you?”
Bromin huffed as he continued to carry his corner, then released when they reached the narrow hatch. He stepped back to allow the other two to continue, and nodded. “You got it, Chief.” His eyes settled on Leo, drifting downward to the JAG badge on his chest.
Covington faced Leo while Bromin went to the conference room to assist with placement. “I’m all yours, sir.”
Leo glanced down at his PADD and saw Bromin’s name on the list of potential witnesses from Taki’s report. “Excellent, Boats, I appreciate your time. As soon as your mates clear the room, we can have a proper discussion.”
“I saw the JAG team,” Bromin said as he entered the rear of the shuttle Elk. Kawhena and Xosom held PADDs in their hands as they went through the inspection checklist. His voice betrayed his agitation. “It’s a commander, a marine captain, a civilian agent from SDCI, a chief, and a yeoman.”
“A full commander?” noted Xosom. She shot a glance at Kawhena. “I gues they might send a high-ranking JAG officer out for a suspicious death.”
Kawhena sighed. “Did they say anything?”
“No, but the commander was talking to Chief Covington, one-on-one,” Bromin replied. “Is Leslie in trouble, do you think?”
Xosom shared a quick look with Kawhena. “Maybe. I mean… someone died by her hand.”
“She barely pushed him up against the wall. No one dies from something like that, do they?”
Kawhena said, “Not… typically…” He wondered, “I don’t recall him striking a sharp-edge or anything. All she did was push him back with the food tray and he hit flat against the bulkhead.”
Xosom and Bromin exchanged glances. The Bolian asked, “Should we head down there and see what we can find? It could help Sutton.”
“If we’re just going down there to look, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything to check it out. Right?” Bromin added his thoughts, but his eyes were on Kawhena.
“I don’t know,” Kawhena admitted. Then, after a moment of consideration, he added, “Maybe.”
Leo sat at the head of the table, his workstation positioned behind him in the conference room. Team members had assigned desks, but could easily engage or disengage from discussions. After Zenn confirmed that their devices were air-gapped to Detmer‘s network; secured to only communicate with one another in a closed-circuit.
“So, what do we know?” asked Leo, addressing the room.
Ursula spoke first. “Sheriff Taki brought me up to speed on her investigation. They gathered evidence at the scene, took a lot of holographs for me to view.” She called up information on her screen and kept speaking, “We also have a witness list and it’s short. Three other boatswain’s mates were in the mess when it happened. Sending their names to you all, now.”
“Bromin,” read Leo. “He was one of the petty officers moving furniture in here.”
Reter said, “I recommend, propose, and advise that we split up into pairs when interviewing the witnesses.”
Chief Saego said, “I concur.”
“One of them is going to have to be a trio, then,” Ursula pointed out. “Unless I’m mistaken?”
Leo considered that. “I’ll sit out the interviews for now. Urs, you and Yeoman Zenn. Reter, you’re with the Chief. Questions?”
No one said anything.
“Chief, you’ll portion out the balance of the witness sheet among the two teams,” Leo ordered.
“Aye, sir,” Saego replied. “I believe we should begin by approaching them in a familiar setting, Major.”
Ursula nodded. “The enlisted mess. It’s large enough that we could use the opposite sides if we have overlap.”
Everyone agreed with her suggestion, which led Leo to volunteer. “I’ll coordinate that with Rai and have it setup for you in an hour.”
“While we’re in interviews,” Ursula said, “what are you going to be doing?”
Leo smirked. “Various administrative things.”
Leo found R’raia on the bridge, standing at her normal watch. She looked up from the center seat and smiled.
He grinned back at her. “Might I have the privilege of the bridge?”
She raised her right hand and gestured for him to approach. “Skipper says you have full access, so I’m sure the bridge is part of that. What do you need?”
He moved closer to her so they could have a discreet conversation. “Now, why is it you think that I need something whenever you see me coming?”
“Because I know you well enough. You’re too driven to just make a friendly call,” she accused him with a clawed finger against the maroon fabric of his chest. “So, out with it.”
“Aw, I missed you, Rai,” Leo chuckled. “We’re going to set up to do the interviews this afternoon. We need one more room for privacy. Is that going to be a problem?”
She whipped out a PADD to send written orders. “The office across from your conference room is yours for the duration. What else?”
He scratched his cheek. “You wouldn’t have the visual record of the mess hall when the incident occurred, would you?”
“Sheriff Taki will have that filed away somewhere,” she said. “Fair warning: it’s pretty grisly.”
Leo blinked. “You’ve seen it?”
R’raia nodded. “Kind of wish I hadn’t.” When the doors from the lift opened, her eyes tracked the visitor. “Hello, Master Chief.”
He turned to see the hardened expression of Esumi Benten. As before, in the transporter room, his very presence worsened her mood.
“XO,” greeted Benten. She locked eyes with Leo and, with the barest of respect, acknowledged him with a simple, “Commander.”
“Master Chief,” Leo replied with a succinct nod. “How are you doing today?” He tested the waters a bit more.
Benten clenched her teeth as she flashed him a scornful frown. “Fine, thank you, sir,” she managed, before moving off without another word to either officer.
R’raia watched her move to a side station and begin talking to a petty officer standing watch. She then turned back to Leo and asked, “What the hell was that?”
“Okay, so it wasn’t just me?” Leo asked, relief in his tone. “I have no idea. I’ve never met her before in my life.”
“She wasn’t on Hansen or anything?”
He shook his head.
She frowned. “Then, I got nothing.”