[V-CR] Jilor, Gov. Blackhurst, and Lt. Delano: To what end?
Cameron O.
((Conference Room, USS Veritas))
:: By the time the senior staff had been assembled to regroup and plan for what needed to happen next, Evan felt drained. A quick glance around the room told him he wasn’t the only one who was emotionally or physically exhausted. The medical officers were being taxed especially hard. Mentally, he filed a note away to make sure the entire medical staff got preferential access to the ship’s recreational facilities when this was all over. For a few days at least. He doubted anyone would complain. ::
:: Now, however, their attention was focused on the scarred, white-haired Klingon on the conference room’s modestly-sized viewscreen. In contrast to the way Evan felt, Jilor looked like he’d just walked out of a spa. His eyes were bright and full of vigor, and even his outfit - a set of Klingon’s warrior garb fashioned to look like that of Khaless himself - seemed immaculately pristine. ::
:: The self-proclaimed lord’s message to the Shoals had reached Antor II only a short time ago. Evan had seen it once, but it was still just as chilling the second time around. As the last few sentences played out, Evan longed for the day Jilor found himself in the Veritas brig. The man would have a lot to answer for. ::
Jilor: ...and so I urge all in range of my voice to lift up their own voices in protest against the so-called Coalition. They cannot save the Shoals. Starfleet cannot save the Shoals. One way or another, we must help ourselves. Know that these attacks are only the beginning. So long as the Federation and their Coalition lapdogs continue to claim dominion over what is no longer theirs, the war will continue.
::Once the recording finished, Governor Blackhurst's image reappeared on the screen. The middle-aged woman looked as if she’d aged five years in the last few hours. Tired, dark circles had formed under her eyes, and a crease between her eyes suggested a tension there that would not fade easily. ::
Blackhurst: In addition to that statement, several text-only messages were beamed directly to the capitol building with details that only someone closely tied to these attacks would know.
:: The captain folded her hands as she looked across the table.::
Rahman: So we have our culprit.
Blackhurst: One of them, at least. We’ve been able to trace the source of the signal to an abandoned waystation near the edge of the Shadows. I doubt this Klingon could have orchestrated such an attack from that far away, though I am willing to believe he sanctioned it.
Anyone: RESPONSE
Rahman: The scale of this attack by... "pirates" is unprecedented. And the use of suicide bombers... this is a marked change from the usual tactics they employ.
Anyone: RESPONSE
Rahman: Does this represent the culmination of Jilor's efforts or are they capable of pulling off additional attacks like this?
:: The captain looked to Lt. Cmdr. Jolara, then to Evan. Evan thought about the question for a moment, giving Jolara a chance to speak first. ::
Jolara: RESPONSE
Delano: The attacks targeted the largest city on the capitol world of the entire Coalition. I think it’s safe to say that they had a rhetorical purpose. Jilor’s trying to show that he has reach and he has significant resources at his disposal. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any way to know which cards, if any, Jilor still has in his hand.
Anyone: RESPONSE
::She nodded grimly and then turned to her chief medical officer Dr. Ryan.::
Rahman: Doctor, I won't keep you and your staff any longer here than I have to. What's the latest report from sickbay?
Ryan: RESPONSE
Rahman: Commander Walker's condition?
Ryan: RESPONSE
Rahman: If you and Dr. Skyfire can continue to offer your services to the survivors, I'm sure Governor Blackhurst and Director Juno will appreciate it.
Ryan: RESPONSE
Skyfire: RESPONSE
::She gestured for them to return to sickbay.::
Rahman: Dismissed then.
::As they headed off, the captain looked to the remaining engineers there.::
Rahman: Commander Blair, Lieutenant Rosek, what happened at the mines?
Rosek: ::shakes her head:: I'm not sure, ma'am. One minute we were walking out to greet Kelrod's team for the antimatter. The next thing we knew, the roof was coming down on our heads.
Blair: RESPONSE
Rahman: Any evidence of foul play?
Blair: RESPONSE
Rosek: Rosek: ::pauses:: Lieutenant Thoran, who was also trapped down there, mentioned hearing voices whispering and feeling the presence of other minds besides the Starfleet personnel down there. He mentioned something about sensing anxiety from them.
Kelrod: RESPONSE
Fullus: RESPONSE
Mei'konda: RESPONSE
Any: RESPONSE
::She took a breath before turning to her remaining officers.::
Rahman: All right, then we move on to the most pressing if not disturbing matter thus far--Mister Sepek's findings. How did the Kos'karii get their hands on a Starfleet tricobalt device?
Mei'konda: RESPONSE
Jolara: RESPONSE
Sepek: RESPONSE
Delano: I’m not sure I’m willing to consider the possibility of someone from Starfleet supplying such weapons to a terrorist group. There is a black market for these kinds of restricted weapons, but it would be much easier for Jilor, or anyone else for that matter, to obtain much more powerful explosives if he had those kinds of resources. I know it’s not exactly scientific, but I believe the only way he could have obtained a Starfleet tricobolt device would be to salvage it. I know Starfleet’s lost a few ships out here over the last 20 years. Any of them could have been carrying such a weapon.
Tuk: RESPONSE
::The captain looked at the others around the room and then back at the Antor II governor.::
Rahman: Governor, I believe until we can verify that the device indeed was Starfleet in origin, we should refrain from releasing that information to the public. The political situation seems quite volatile based on your own government's reports. I fear that with only the limited information we have right now, it could stir up even greater problems based on only rumor and suspicion.
:: Despite her tired expression, the governor’s voice had the practiced steadiness of a politician. ::
Blackhurst: I’ll keep that little gem in my pocket, Captain. As best I can, anyway. I can’t see how it can help anyone down here anyway.
Rosek: ::pauses:: No offense intended, Governor, but from what I've read in the reports, there is a particular faction on Antor II that is dissatisfied with your handling of the situation. You know more about this faction than we do. Do you believe they would target the Veritas itself to prove a point?
:: The governor regarded Rosek with a furrowed brow. ::
Blackhurst: I’m not afraid of my low approval ratings, Lieutenant, though I fail to see the relevance to your question. At this point, I’m willing to believe these people are capable of anything.
Rosek: ::to Rahman:: It's a possibility, ma'am. From what I understand, the tricobalt evidence was found on the body of one of the victims. I find it curious that we haven't found similar evidence on other victims.
Rahman: RESPONSE
Delano: Frankly, most of the other bodies in the vicinity were probably vaporized in the first explosion. I wouldn't be too quick to jump to conclusions about those particular findings. What is it you’re getting at?
Any: RESPONSE
Rosek: ::nods:: As disturbing as it is, we might have unwittingly played right into Jilor's hands.
Blackhurst: To what end?
Rahman: RESPONSE
Any: RESPONSE
===
Lieutenant Evan Delano
Operations Officer
USS Veritas
ID: T239007ED0