"Operational Investigation"
Previous Post: "Thoughts"
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Stardate: 60298.1908
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Serenna's Quarters
Heading back to NEW ALEXANDRIA, the ANUBIS' base of operations meant that the greater majority of the staff felt some kind of relief as the official conclusion of their latest mission came to an end. Thinking of the rest and relaxation they had all so well deserved, the crew had pretty much forgotten about the hardships that they had endured, at least for the most part, the Romulan/Terran hybrid having been one of the few to which that description had not applied to.
Having been dismissed from their posts by the CO, every member of the senior staff had gone to pursue more personal matters respective to their style and train of thoughts. Many had decided to simply return to their quarters and get some rest as the Captain had so eloquently suggested, but the COO had no intentions of resting despite having returned to her quarters. Feeling the ever increasing pull of fatigue against her muscles had not in any way dampened the Romulan/Terran hybrid's desire to answer several of the questions that had been turning in her mind for quite some time.
Sitting at her personal computer display, the COO glanced up at the banner of the Romulan Intel Agency hanging on her wall, the embroidered insignia of the Tal'Shiar making the Romulan/Terran hybrid think back to the two agents who had escaped the ANUBIS and the Starfleet officer who had more than likely played a role in this. What truly troubled the COO was that she could not even begin to figure out why Enaii would have acted in such a way since according to what little of the ILO's file had been made available to the rest of the crew, the Intel agent had no direct link to the Romulans.
Leaning back into her chair, the Romulan/Terran hybrid tried to piece together the parts of the story that were unknown or classified out of her reach, trying to at least understand the woman's motivation for the actions taken. Using herself as a starting point for the analysis, the COO tried to picture what set of variable would cause her to risk a court-martial by allowing two enemies of the Federation to return to their home world. The exercise was meant to either give the hybrid a better understanding into the thought process of the ILO or further secure the fact that Enaii had been the scapegoat for this unfortunate incident.
Trying her best to think and reason as she suspected the ILO did, the Romulan/Terran hybrid began to reconstruct the scene in her mind imagining that two agents of the Tal'Shiar were under their custody and that she needed to make them escape. Despising the Romulans and their Empire as she did had made this little flight of imagination more difficult than the COO had expected it to be, but in time and through focussing on the goal, Serenna managed to move the mental simulation ahead.
Staring at the flag of the Tal'Shiar hanging on her wall as a reminder of the type of people the Federation had to constantly be on guard against, the Romulan/Terran hybrid started to speak out loud. "Although my file states that I have no link to the Romulan Empire, that doesn't mean that there is not. There could have been a grandfather or grandmother who was Romulan, their true bloodline having been erased from the records for one of several reasons. If this was the case, what link did the men in the cells have with me?"
Using her Intel training to the best of her skills, the COO began to formulate a fictitious chain of events leading to the multiple malfunctions and the escape of the two Tal'Shiar agents. Using the ship's internal sensors, the Romulan/Terran hybrid had been forced to dismiss many of these scenarios since the movements of the ILO did not match the pattern she had created. Stopping in the middle of her latest theoretical reconstruction, the Ops Officer bolted out from her chair. "What am I doing? If *I* had wanted to make sure no one knew what was up to, I could easily falsify these sensor logs although the extent of my security clearance would be my one downfall, an obstacle that Enaii did not have. I need to find something else to link her and them if I am going to find any answers."
Thinking about this puzzle for a few moments longer, the Romulan/Terran hybrid returned her eyes to the banner of the Romulan Intel agency, trying to think of that one piece of information the ILO could not have altered and which would undeniably link her to the Romulan agents. Actually the COO prayed that she would not find such an incriminating proof as it would spell the end of Enaii's career, but the quest for the truth had made it impossible for the Ops officer to leave it be.
Having thought of a possible way to confirm or deny what she had been trying to figure out, the Romulan/Terran hybrid exited her quarters in a thunderous rush, leaving those who had witnessed this to wonder if the ship had been under some sort of attack.
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Stardate: 60298.1912
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Entering Sickbay as quickly as she had left her quarters, the Romulan/Terran hybrid immediately scanned the room for the CMO. "Where is the Doctor? I need to speak to him, NOW!"
Looking a little surprised by the abruptness of the COO's entrance, Ens. Summers turned and greeted the Romulan/Terran hybrid in a manner that surprised the Ops officer. "Welcome to Sickbay, the Doctor has left me in charge while he returned to his quarters to rest. Can I be of any assistance?"
Commenting on what the aCMO had said in a snappier manner than she might have intended to, the COO took a few steps forward. "He put *you* in charge? You are not even a member of this crew."
Summers grinned, something that the COO could not remember having seen the woman do the first time their paths had crossed. "That's all right; you don’t look like you are suffering from any serious injury that would require the attention of a certified ship's CMO. So, what can I do for you?"
Taking a few moments to assimilate the situation and not wanting to waste any time in discovering the truth, the Romulan/Terran hybrid decided to accept the offer of assistance given by the woman that had rescued and the ANUBIS' former aCMO. "I need to run a blood comparison analysis between a Romulan a member of the crew."
Looking even more surprised by the request than she had appeared to be when the COO had entered the room, Summers took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. "Should be easy enough, so please extend your arm and I will draw out the blood sample and compare it to…"
Interrupting the aCMO before she went further, the Romulan/Terran hybrid indicated the impossibility of the course of action that had been mentioned. "It's not for me, it's for two Romulan prisoners."
Appearing increasingly surprised with each new revelation, the aCMO blinked several times. "All right, I'll get a medical kit and you can take me to the brig where I will take…"
Jumping in again before Summers could finish her sentence, the COO explained the situation without revealing the true nature of what had happened. "Impossible, the two Romulan men are no longer in our custody."
Looking as if she had been ready to fall over backwards, the aCMO grimaced. "You are not making this easy are you? Well I guess I could take the sample of the crew member you mentioned and scan the cells the Romulans were in to see if there are any trace similarities. The scan will not be 100% accurate but given what you have just said, it will be the best that I can do unless samples of their blood had already been taken."
Shaking her head, the Romulan/Terran hybrid confirmed that no such sample had been procured to help in this unorthodox investigation, something that the COO might have to mention to Lt. Seth to avoid later problems. "There is another problem."
Throwing her hands in the air, the aCMO laughed out loud for a very brief moment as she said, "Of course there is another problem. Let me guess: the crew member is dead and their body was vaporized?"
Shaking her head once again, this time in a much slower manner, the COO hesitated to specify the identity of the crew member, but given the circumstances the Romulan/Terran hybrid figured that she had no choice in the matter. "This ship's ILO, Lt. Cmdr. Enaii."
Looking as if she had seen a shuttle ready to crash right where she stood, the aCMO's eyes opened to their widest. "The ILO? That *does* sound like a problem. I just have to figure out what that name sounds so familiar though."
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Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Lieutenant Serenna
Chief of Operations / Second Officer
USS ANUBIS
2005 post #027
