Welcome Aboard

Posted on Fri May 26th, 2023 @ 3:47pm by Commander Steven Greco & Lieutenant Commander Keishara Davaris
Edited on on Mon Jul 3rd, 2023 @ 10:36pm

1,585 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Prologue: Centre Predominate
Location: USS Moore - Transporter Room
Timeline: MD 12: 1100 hrs

Steve rounded the corner with Keishara in tow as they made their way to meet the security officers at the transporter room. He glanced at the woman as they approached, slowing their pace slightly to delay and talk privately. “How exactly do your empathic abilities work? Do they need to say or do anything specific to trigger them?” He asked wanting to make sure they were on the same page going into this official meeting.

"They are 'active', so to speak, all the time sir." Kei looked at him noting his pace slow. "I can sense what you feel right now. However, I don't always act on them but they have proven very useful in interrogations and fights."

Steve considered this. “Meaning it’s easy for you to detect if someone is lying….like Betazoids..” He tried to find some comparison he was familiar with to understand. Like most in the Starfleet he had little experience with El-Aurian’s.

"Yes." Kei replied. "The Betazoid sense is probably more acute than ours given their genetics, their predisposition for telepathy and such, but El Aurians are not quite the same. Our genetics give us a slightly better edge on the difference in space/time. Our ability to sense emotion, we can astral project and unlike most species we hear the galaxy differently from other races. Some would akin it to song but it is more like a vibration, a vibration that gives each thing a tone, a pitch."

Steve struggled to understand the concepts she was explaining and simply nodded. “I see.” He said to acknowledge her and decided to trust her instincts. “Well I want you to pay attention with those abilities. They maybe in over their heads like Stewart thinks, but I don’t like that it’s not a registered Federation ship.”

"I'm already suspicious of them sir. It is in my nature." She replied as the doors to to transporter opened. A team of two other security officers flanked each side of the pad and gave both Keishara and the Commander a quick nod to show their readiness.

Steve smirked to himself at her self-awareness. He nodded curtly to the security officers before giving a playful grin to Keishara in an attempt to lighten the mood. “So what am I feeling right now?” He asked in reference to her assertion earlier about being able to read his emotions.

Kei could feel a little smugness from his due to his question. "I couldn't possible comment on the First Officers emotional state in front of junior officers." she smirked. "I wouldn't want to embarrass him."

Steve just laughed good-naturedly as he turned to nod at the transporter operator. “Energize.” He said

A few moments later two aliens were standing on the pad in front of them all. Steve stepped forward. “Welcome to the USS Moore. My name is Commander Steven Greco, first officer. This is Lieutenant Commander Keishara Davaris, our Chief of Security. We are here to escort you to your quarters while we conduct our inspection.” He did his best to sound open and friendly. He wanted them to comply without issue. Both aliens seemed overwhelmed and young.

The Benzite nodded and gestured to himself and his associate. “Thank you, Commander. My name is Hokk and this is my business partner, Emot.” The Ktarian simply nodded to the officers in acknowledgment, letting Hokk do the talking. “Forgive me, but I don’t understand the purpose of an inspection, or of confiscating our cargo and commandeering our freighter. We have broken no laws!” He said, indignant. He was more assertive than his associate was on the view screen.

Steve stood his ground calmly. “With all due respect, you approached a Starfleet vessel escorting a civilian convoy through Federation space with shields up and weapons armed. You’re also transporting cargo on an unregistered starship through Federation space. As Starfleet officers, it is our right and responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of all those in our care. It is our sincerest hope to resolve this matter as quickly as possible and provide you with whatever aid you need.”

The Benzite looked as if he was deflated. He was breaking the law and could not talk his way out of this. He glanced at Emot before nodding sheepishly. “My apologies, Commander. It has not been easy starting our own business.”

"And what business would that be?" Keishara asked as she moved out of the looming shadow of Commander Greco. "Your ship doesn't seem to be in the best of conditions, and I find it strange it is just the two of you. This region has been known for a lot of piracy activity... you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Emot seemed to get animated at the insinuation and moved to address the El-Aurian. “Absolutely not! That’s why we contacted you in the first place. We tried to get through the sector as quick as we could but pushed our ship too far. The engines shorted out.” He explained, calming down when he saw a security office make their presence known and silently stepped forward.

Emot sighed and looked at Greco and Davaris, seeming to compose himself. “Both our parents wanted us to follow in their footsteps. Hokk to go to school for marine biology research, myself to work as a file clerk in my father’s office on my home world. Neither of us wanted to be told what to do and decided to use what money we saved up to start our own business. It was just…” he looked down, dejected.

“More trouble than you thought?” Steve finished the thought for him, watching the young men nod in embarrassment.

Hokk looked at him. “We realize it was a bad idea to not register with the Federation shipyards, but our first job came through so quickly and in our excitement and rush…”

“You forgot.” Steve finished for him as well, watching the Benzite nod.

Kei looked at Steve and he pulled back. They turned to their sides, one so they could speak quietly and two so they could still see the two men. "Sir, you need to stop finishing their sentences for them. They will agree with what we answer as to us that seems a reasonable reason. If we let the awkwardness hang in the air, the silence, we have a better chance of them filling it with something useful... even if it is out of their anxiety and fear of authority."

There had been many times where Kei would simply stare at someone. Silence in the room deafening. The opposite party would feel compelled to fill the silence in one way or another and that would lead to interesting pieces of information slipping out.

"So, what was the job?" Kei asked turning back to Hokk and Emot. "Who hired you?"

Steve didn’t answer her. He had his own strategy but thought it best to let her conduct her investigation how she saw fit.

Emot looked to Hokk who spoke up. “It was mining equipment for one of the colonies in the gamma quadrant. We were to transport the mining equipment to Deep Space Nine and it would be transferred to another ship there. It seemed simple enough. The contract was with a Flout, Gerian Flout. A Bolian merchant who was looking for cheap labor.” He added with a shrug.

Keishara took a note of that name on her PADD, she would look him up later and see who he was. "I see, I will need to have a chat with him."

Steve gave a polite smile and nodded to Zander. “Lieutenants Zander and Matthews will escort you to your quarters.” He said, gesturing to the security officers who led their guests out of the room. Almost immediately after the doors shut behind them Steve turned to Kei. “Thoughts?”

"They know more about their ship and cargo than they are letting on." Kei replied. "At least they seem defensive in nature when answering the questions. The Ktarian more so than the Benzite. Benzite's can be hard to read but they are holding back on something." she looked frustrated. "It may be this is the first time they've dealt with authority and that's causing that behaviour but I just get the sense something else might be going on." Kei turned properly to face Steve ."Right now we need to search the ship. I can use health and safety inspections as a cover to get on board and I can take Lt. Stewart with me to help."

Greco nodded in agreement of Kei’s assessment. “That could just be youthful pride.” He commented about the Ktarian’s defensive attitude when questioned. Regardless, he felt the El-Aurian was right, something was off. “Go through the cargo. I want everything on that cargo manifest accounted for. I don’t want just you and Stewart on this. Assemble a team to work in shifts around the clock on this. I want every inch of that ship checked and double-checked for contraband. Report to me of any indication they are indeed working for pirates. Understood?”

"Yes sir. I'll turn the ship inside out." Keishara nodded to the First Officer. "I'll leave the care of our guests to medical and yourself."

Steve nodded in agreement of the plan. He still hoped this was all just a coincidence and nothing more, but he couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach that there was more going on.

 

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