Allies

Posted on Wed Oct 7th, 2020 @ 9:30pm by Captain Minori Kushieda & Lieutenant Commander Ryuuji Takasu & Jennifer Daxer

1,563 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Allegations
Location: USS Tokyo

Captain Kushieda stepped over the edge of the docking port onto the Tokyo. She was greeted by the nervous smile of Ryuuji.

"Hey Ryu..." she said simply walking over to him. He closed his eyes as she gave her a gentle nod back. She moved over and simply wrapped her arms around him without a word. "Sorry" she whispered to him. She was shorter than him, he towered over her. "I'm sorry"

"No need to be" Ryuuji said, gently wrapping arms around the Captain. "Did you see Taiga?"

Minori broke off and let out a sigh. "Yeah. But she's in some serious trouble" she explained to him. "Plus, Admiral Miyahara seems to have it in for her. I'm not sure how to proceed from here".

She looked down at the deck for a few seconds. Then she returned his gaze, the determination coming into her eyes. "But I believe Taiga. So I'm here to help. The Armitage isn't due out for a few days while my crew are on shoreleave. So I'm going to help!"

"Good" Ryuuji smiled. "Its not been the same without her here"

Daxer picked that moment to come around the corner, looking none too happy. As the ship docked, she'd taken a few minutes to check over the data again, only to find the data had been illegally altered. She stopped short at the sight of an unfamiliar Starfleet captain standing in front of her.

"Welcome aboard the Tokyo, Captain." She said simply, as she suddenly closed her emotions off. "What brings you here?"

Minori turned to face the Vulcan woman. "You must be Commander Daxer?" she asked. She took a step closer to her and held a hand out. "I'm Captain Minori Kushieda. Commanding Officer of the Starship Armitage. My official reason for being aboard the Tokyo is to visit some old friends" she indicated with her head nodding towards Ryuuji. "However, I am here to help get a certain Captain's name cleared, whom also happens to be my friend too"

"If you're serious, then I need to speak to you, alone... in a secured room." Daxer said, taking the woman's hand. "Because things have gotten even more difficult."

Minori's expression changed to a more serious one. "Of course" she glanced back at Ryuuji. "I'll see you for dinner later. Its about time we caught up" she explained. Ryuuji nodded understanding that she needed to talk with Daxer. He couldn't interfere.

"Lead the way Commander" Minori said once Ryuuji had left.

Jen led the way down the corridor to an empty room. As they walked in, she entered her access code to secure the room, then looked at the Captain. "We have a spy aboard." She said simply, as she handed the woman the Padd. "This padd contains sensor logs from the fight we had trying to save the colony, except that it doesn't match the data that was brought to me an hour ago."

Minori's eyes narrowed as she gently took the PADD. She quickly skimmed through the contents examining it. "This doesn't match up at all to what Taiga told me either" she explained. She held out the PADD back to Daxer. "Commander, there's more of a problem here than I originally thought. I think we have just unearthed a nest of problems"

"I also arrested Lieutenant Nakazato on charges of impeding an official Starfleet investigation, and for admitting the intent to commit treason." Daxer said simply. "Base security has already been made aware that he needs to be transferred off the ship, but the logs of his arrest, and the conversation leading up to it are gone also."

"Would this Lieutenant Nakazato be the person responsible for changing the logs?" Minori asked.

Jen shook her head slowly. "It's not possible for him to be directly responsible." She replied simply. "He was arrested before the logs were changed, and has been in the brig the whole time. If he's responsible, then he's only responsible for giving the order to the real culprit."

"Commander" Minori's tone was even more serious. "At the moment he is the prime suspect. However I need the data on his movements since he boarded this ship" she explained simply. "I'm not a security officer, however as one of the Chief Engineers on the Armitage Class Project, I know more about these class of starships that dare say it, the Chief Engineer or Taiga herself" she told her.

"There has been significant damage to both the warp reactor, and the computer core... Not to mention the TIC." Daxer explained. "Some of the data, including more than half of the security logs from the last few months are corrupted... It's possible that is just damage, but I wouldn't put that past... whoever it is either." As she said this last, there was more than just a hint of emotion behind it.

"Not good" Minori replied passing the PADD back to Daxer. "The question is Commander. Where do we start? Now that we're in drydock, that gives the sabateur numerous ways of escaping the ship without being caught"

"I'd guess they're already gone." Jen replied simply. In her years with Starfleet Intelligence, she knew that getting off the ship would be the spy's first priority, once they were docked. "I think all we really have at this point are eye witness accounts, and whatever personal data that isn't attached to the main computer core."

"I hope that they can accept that" Minori replied. "Tell me Commander. I've already heard Taiga's perspective. What the hell happened out there? In your own words?"

"We received a distress call from Alvator Colony, during a training exercise." Jen explained, without hesitation. "The Captain made a judgement call to cross the Neutral Zone to assist, and we found some kind of dreadnaught class starship decimating the colony from orbit."

Jen leaned back against the desk, setting the Padd there next to her. "After nearly getting our asses handed to us, she came up with a plan to lead them away from the colony, and have a small team infiltrate the vessel with the Prowser... but then the ship, and the prowler just... vanished."

"When we returned, we found the colony completely destroyed by weapons matching a Starfleet signature." Jen sighed heavily, as she continued. "That was when the Romulans showed up, and crippled us, demanding our immediate surrender." She raised an eyebrow at the Captain. "The rest, you know."

"Interesting" Minori replied. "Pretty much the same as what Taiga told me". She pondered what Daxer had said for a few moments. "Did you happen to know if the Tokyo took any active scane of the weapons signature used to destroy the colony? If it was placed there then we can analyse its signature to see if it was actually a Starfleet signature or if it was modified to look like one"

"What I can't seem to work out is why would this ship, attack a Romulan colony and then try and frame the Tokyo?"

"I scanned what was left of the colony myself, along with at least two other stations." Jen replied after a moment. "I also had an active scan of the inside of the dreadnaught, but those files are also missing."

"Whoever that is has to be getting help from the inside..." Jen said, absently, as the gears in her mind turned. "Question is whether it's the Romulans, or the Federation." she said, then looked up at the woman. "Or both."

Minori was surprised to hear that Daxer suspected both parties. "If it both, then its very disturbing to say the least" she replied. "I will see if the Armitage picked up anything that may be of use. I can't count on the sensor logs of the Myogi. I don't trust Admiral Miyahara as far as I can throw him"

"Nope!" Jen said with mock enthusiasm, a good sign of her frustration with the whole mess. "These logs are useless too, so we're going to have to collaborate... Maybe get witness statements on devices that aren't connected to the Starfleet network."

"You sound like you already have a plan?" Minori asked.

"Modified tricorders." Jen said simply. "Other than communicators, it's the only thing not generally scrutinized, or thought of until the last moment."

A smile stretched across Minori's face. "Commander, one could presume you've done this sort of stuff before" she replied. "I've still got a date to keep, but I'll be doing my own digging with your permission. Afterall, the Tokyo is your ship at the moment"

"When you work in Security for a while, you pick up a few tricks." Daxer said as if it explained the near obvious experience. "For now, trust no one, and keep this conversation between us... Better safe than sorry."

Minori nodded. "Understood. I think it best we keep any further meetings face to face. To avoid anyone putting their nose where it isn't wanted" she suggested.

"Agreed." Jen said, then held out her hand. "Taiga is a friend of mine, and I don't plan on letting this injustice continue."

"I agree" Minori said she took the Commanders hand gently. After a few seconds she turned towards the door. "You have an ally in this Commander. Lets remember that".

Posting by

Captain Minori Kushieda
Commanding Officer
USS Armitage

Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Daxer
Acting Commanding Officer/Chief Security Tactical Officer
USS Tokyo

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