" Thunder, Lightning, Gale Force Winds, and That Was Just In The Office Of The Captain "
(Previous Post: " Stormy Horizons ")
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Stardate: 60298.1707
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
With the Chief of Operations, Marine Commanding Officer and the Chief Engineering Officer on their way to the Ventral access Bay where the BARRACUDA-Class Underwater / Stealth Mobile Command Unit was stored, the rest of the bridge staff, including the Executive Officer, had a few minutes to think about what was happening in the Ready Room. Since the arrival of Lieutenant Commander Enaii onto the bridge, following the chain of malfunctions and lockouts that had allowed the Romulan frigate to leave unchallenged, each and every officer had formed their theory as to the reason why the Intelligence Liaison Officer had acted in the manner she had.
The Chief Science Officer could not begin to imagine how Commander Rikar felt in view of what little evidence the members of the bridge staff had at their disposal. True that they only had circumstantial evidence against the Intel Operative, but the lengthy record of problems the USS ANUBIS had suddenly experienced and the limited list of people who could have made these happen all at the same time had reduced the number of suspects down to a single person. Based on the overwhelming amount of evidence, the question had no longer been *who* had done this, but rather *why* had Enaii allowed the Romulans and their ship to escape?
"I hope the Captain is teaching her a lesson that she won't soon forget," the Chief of Security said, letting his thoughts cross his lips. Although the words had not been spoken all that loud, the general silence that had ruled the bridge had made it so that everyone else heard them and the loathing that flowed with them. "I just hope that there will be enough of her left for me to get a piece," Lieutenant Seth added, still not realising that his thoughts had been spoken out loud for all to hear.
"I am certain that Commander Enaii had very good reasons for doing what she did," the Chief Science Officer said from her station at the back of the bridge before realising that she had by her attenpt to defend the Intel Agent agreed to the general consensus that she had been the one responsible even though no concrete proof had yet been presented to them.
"No reasons, however good or well intentioned they might be can justify treason," the Chief of Security said in reply, not at all looking as if he had been sorry that he had said what he had out loud or trying to apologise for what he had thought. As far as he was concerned, Lieutenant Commander Enaii had been as guilty as could be and she would need to be made to pay for it, be it by the hand of the Commanding Officer or his own.
"You do realise that Enaii could have been under some external influence," the Shillian scientist said, still unwilling to accept that the Intelligence Liaison had done of her own free will what everyone else seemed to believe beyond a doubt. "It would not be the first time that an officer did something entirely out of character which was later discovered to have been the result of an outside influence."
"That is nothing more than a convenient plea," the head of the Security department said, clearly coming across as being unimpressed and unwilling to budge from his position against the Intel Operative. "Have your instruments detected any sort of waves or effect, be it of natural or artificial source, that could remotely account for *anyone* acting in a way that is unusual or against their normal character?"
Since the Shillian woman had been the one to offer a possible explanation, as farfetched as it might have been, the Chief Science Officer quickly performed a scan of the ship and its surroundings to see if indeed she might be able to find something that might explain what had happened. Although the initial scan had resulted in nothing being found, the scientist continued her investigation, sending the sensors deeper into subspace and even looking into a possible quantum or temporal cause for an explanation.
"No need to search for any external influence," the Executive Officer said, her calm and steady voice coming across with a hint of absolute certainty, "She was not under the control of anyone else."
"I rest my case," the Chief of Security said, a victorious grin having formed on his features as he did so.
"Commander? How can you be so sure?" The Chief Science Officer asked. Of all the people currently on the bridge or onboard the ANUBIS the Shillian had expected the First Officer to be the one to defend the Intelligence Liaison Officer to the very end and not be so willing to dismiss a possible explanation.
"I just am," Commander Rikar said, her cryptic reply not at all helping to lift the veil of confusion that had fallen over the Shillian woman.
"So you believe that she is a traitor and wilfully permitted the Romulans to escape?" The scientist asked out of sheer confusion.
"No," the Executive Officer replied without delay or hesitation, "Enaii is no traitor. I just know she did it, although I have no idea why." After a few moments of shared silence between all of the members of the bridge staff, Commander Rikar pressed a few controls on her station and left her post to go to face the door to the Ready Room.
Responding to the proximity sensors that informed the Captain that someone had been at his door, the voice of the Commanding Officer came through the solid barrier with both force and annoyance. =/\= NOT NOW! =/\=
"James, this is Sabrina," the Executive Officer said, the use of their first names indicating that she had been about to request a personal favour, "permission to come in."
Another silence took over the bridge, this one eerier than the first, and to the surprise of the Chief of Security the next voice they heard was not that of Captain Simmons, but that of Lieutenant Commander Enaii. =/\= GO AWAY! =/\=
Shocked by her request having been denied by none other than the Intel Operative herself, Commander Rikar returned to her station not looking as convinced as she had been before that there had been a perfectly reasonable explanation for what Enaii had done.
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Jessica Solarik { maya_992003@yahoo.com }
Lieutenant Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
2005 post #018
