Lt. Cmdr. Vondaryan & RAdml. Reynolds - The Game is Afoot (Part I)
Trellis Vondaryan
((A Few Days Earlier: Intelligence Suites, USS Gorkon))
::While he had enjoyed the tropical paradise of Deluvia IV had been filled with excitement and learning, Trellis had finally come back to the Gorkon to work. Intelligence never rested. Information continued to flow, no matter what else one was doing.
::During his trip to the conference Trellis had outsourced his investigation into the transmitters Ayiana had found in her former quarters. Using a thorough cross-referencing of the outgoing signals from the devices, he had managed to track the receiving end to space associated with the Orion Syndicate. From there it got a little more complicated. Exactly who was receiving the information, and who had sent it, he hadn’t yet been able to determine.
::Thankfully, he had cultivated many contacts, both paid and unpaid, inside the organization. Or within the organization enough to have pertinent information. When his PADD flickered with a notification beacon, he read who it was from before checking the contents — a well-paid, and therefore motivated — informant close to one of the many leaders inside the Syndicate.
::He couldn’t figure out whether to smile or frown at the information it contained. Instead he sat, stone-faced, re-reading the PADD. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.::
((Ready Room))
::Trellis rang the indicator outside the Ready Room. It was not a conversation he was looking forward to having.::
Reynolds: Come in.
::The doors parted, and from behind her desk, the Admiral looked up toward him. Like him, she was taking a day to work aboard the Gorkon. At this point, she'd discarded her jacket and belt over the couch in the room, working in her undershirt and captain's vest. Curls of steam rose from a fresh cup of genmaicha, "popcorn tea", and she reached for it as she beckoned him inside.::
Reynolds: Take a seat. ::She sipped at the tea, and waited until he did so before she continued.:: What can I do for you, Commander?
Vondaryan: I have some news about that device Sevo found in her quarters, sir.
::She'd been business-like from the moment he'd walked in, as was her wont. She took a slow breath, in and out, and answered with a slow nod.::
Reynolds: Alright, let's hear it.
Vondaryan: Do you want the short story or the full version?
Reynolds: I am a stickler for details. The full story.
::He sighed. Things were going from bad to worse, really.::
Vondaryan: As you know, we knew that the device was transmitting data, but not where. After analyzing the device I was able to determine when it transmitted.
::She nodded to indicate she was listening, her attention solely on him. He crossed and uncrossed his legs, uncomfortable.::
Vondaryan: From there I cross-referenced any known outgoing signals from the ship to see if any went to the same place. It of course was not that easy. Whoever had been sending the messages hid the signal, and hid it well. It would have been ingenious, if… ::He spread his hands, leaving the thought unfinished.::
::A ripple of steam angled towards him. Trellis finally caught a whiff of the tea the Admiral had been drinking. He paused, sniffing the air. It was an intriguing scent, both nutty and with the grassy hints of green tea, so salty, sweet, with a hint of bitter. It reminded him of a food he’d been introduced to at the Academy, something called “popped corn.” He’d of course smelled it on the woman before, yet had never tried it himself.::
Vondaryan: Might I have a cup of whatever your drinking, sir? I’m suddenly rather parched.
Reynolds: Yes, of course. Help yourself. ::She lifted a hand, gesturing toward the replicator in her office.:: It's called genmaicha; it's a green tea mixed with roasted brown rice.
Vondaryan: Excellent, thank you.
::She sipped at her own cup of tea as he moved to the replicator, her gaze lost somewhere in the middle distance of thought when he returned to his chair. Once he was settled, her attention snapped straight back to the now and to him.::
Reynolds: You're stalling, Commander. ::She smiled, just a little.:: Best just to take a deep breath and get it over with.
::Following the Admiral’s advice he sniffed the tea with a deep breath, enjoying the aromas of the tea, then continued.::
TBC...
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Lieutenant Commander Trellis Vondaryan
Intelligence Officer
USS Gorkon
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&
Commanding Officer
USS Gorkon
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