Commander Rosek-Skyfire: Gathering Rope
Lael Rosek-Skyfire
Ser: ::Grunting in disapproval:: It is difficult to speculate on this subject, Commander. Hovans are not, by nature, quarrelsome – we prefer to find reasonable compromises that avoid internal conflict. The military is defensive in its duties… Without knowing what the thieves were attempting to achieve by taking these ships, it is hard to imagine what possible motive they could have.
She nodded. Everyone had limits, and something must have happened to push the normally reasonable Hovans to this point. The evidence was clear, though the Fleetmarshall seemed to be struggling with the idea. Not that she blamed him.
Rosek-Skyfire: Even Humans were divided at one point in our history. ::grimaces:: Everyone doesn’t always agree with everyone else, after all.
Aitas: The Federation does contain a wide variety of species, and an equally broad range of histories.
She had the feeling Aitas was referring to Vulcans, who had experienced their own period of violence. She found it difficult to believe that the Hovans had always been the reasonable sort. Maybe their history in that regard was vague? A lack of records would give anyone that impression.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::runs a hand through her hair:: Sadly, it took a war that wiped out most of Earth’s population for us to see sense.
Noting the Fleetmarshall’s discomfort, she sighed and nodded. It was a difficult topic, but one that looked like the Hovans would have to face.
Rosek-Skyfire: Illogical, I agree. But our core nature isn’t always logical.
Ser: I hope you will not be offended, Commander, if I say that I do hope our people have more sense than that… A war between Hovans would be absolutely devastating. If someone is trying to foment unrest among the people with these actions in hopes of escalating some sort of conflict, we simply must get to the bottom of it – as swiftly as possible… Have either of you been able to recover anything?
Her years in Starfleet had taught her not to push the issue. After all, regulations were as much about not forcing their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs on a culture not ready to accept them. That was a whole other level of interfering with a species’s natural development.
Iko: Fire was completely intentional. Set off at around the same time the vessels were stolen. Designed to burn out some of the logs, and unfortunately it didn’t do a half bad job. There’s several teams on the Shelby who are working on trying to restore them.
Aitas: It will take some time. But I did see some patterns with badge usage during the investigation with Representative Sel, so we have that point to start with.
Rosek-Skyfire: Saboteurs aren’t always as thorough as they think they are. We need just enough to pressure them with. ::smiles wanly:: Bluffing, it done properly can be very convincing.
Ser: What does that mean? Can we deduce how they were able to take the ships?
Iko: It’ll be a hell of a lot easier once we can get what they were trying to hide, but we can work with what we’ve got in the meantime.
Aitas: All the existing evidence points to someone with an access badge, most likely a borrowed one. Narrowing that down…::she looked to Rosek-Skyfire:: is more the Commander’s expertise than mine. Though I expect any locally stored data might prove useful.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::nods sagely:: I’ll stare at what we’re able to recover all night if I have to. The key is patterns. That’s one thing that can never be completely erased. If we can get enough information, we can fill in the blanks and form a facsimile reproduction of the erased data.
It took a good deal of effort for Lael not to wince at the shapr noise from the nearby console.
Hovan: =/\= Fleetmarshall – We have received the recovered vessels, towed by the Federation starship. Senor Dil has been taken into custody, though he insists he was not personally responsible for commandeering the vessels and was only following his orders. =/\=
Ser: Perhaps this case will not be so difficult to solve after all. Senor Dil has been troublesome in the past… However, his credentials had been disqualified from accessing these restricted areas. Someone else with access would have had to have been involved. ::Activating his comms:: =/\= Has he identified who gave him the orders? =/\=
Hovan: =/\= No, Fleetmarshall. So far, he has vehemently refused to give them up. =/\=
Ser turned back to them and clenched his fists.
Ser: Now we have two paths to investigate, it would seem. What we uncover in the files may be corroborated by Dil – if he can be persuaded to talk. Perhaps, if we are able to recover evidence and show him what we know, he may be more inclined?
Aitas: We may be able to read something from his responses. From what we were told of his previous poking about, he was not exactly inconspicuous.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::nods:: I’d suggest investigating his recent communications, including any personal logs or restricted files. It might give us a place to start.
Iko: The Shelby’ll be giving us a ping as soon as they find anything.
Aitas: And my bot will be here momentarily.
Ser: Response
Iko: What do your encrypted transmissions look like?
Ser: Response
Iko: If he’s been “following orders”, we need to find those orders. And I’d assume they wouldn’t be out for just anyone to find. If we know what we’re looking for…
Aitas: Any information about factional divisions could prove useful. We didn’t have much of a chance to get a feel for your local politics before this started.
A wry, unamused grin crossed her lips. It was ironic that Aitas was requesting that information given her previous conversation with the man, where he denied any knowledge of who could be responsible. Though he didn’t seem surprised about Senor Dil, he might be when he found out who was leading the charge. Clearly, whoever it was had taken great pains to not arose suspicions.
Ser: Response
Iko: And who was piloting the second scout? If one won’t talk, maybe the other will.
Ser: Response
Removing her tricorder, she prepared it to sync up with Aitas’s device.
Trust, but verify.
Technology played a large role in her Starfleet duties, but nothing replaced sentient eyes and good ol’ fashioned intuition. Otherwise, she’d be out of a job.
Aitas: This is Fureri, Fleetmarshall. I believe your people have encountered its like before. As I told the Chancellor, many El-Aurians took refuge among the Federation. Fureri was a gift from a member of the Cantavi; I can coordinate it remotely.
Ser/Iko: Response
Aitas: I can have it review the evidence while we speak with Dil, if necessary. But I’d prefer a bit more preparation.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::tilts her head to one side:: If it’s all the same, Second Secretary, I have some of my own analyses I’d like to perform on the data we recover…to ensure it’s accurate and hasn’t been corrupted. It’s easy enough to manipulate so that even the most sophisticated computer would miss it.
Ser/Iko: Response
Aitas: I’d appreciate everything you have on Dil as well. I’d like to know just what might make him consider such orders legitimate.
Ser: Response
Rosek-Skyfire: ::nods:: I’m curious about that myself. ::to Iko:: You said the fire was deliberate? What evidence were you able to recover that supports this?
Iko: Response
Rosek-Skyfire: ::brow furrows:: So we’re looking for someone calculating and tactically minded with a knowledge of Hovan procedures and security protocols. Obviously, Senor Dil played a role, but what I’ve heard makes me believe he wasn’t clever enough to plan this. ::to Ser:: Would it be possible to get a list of everyone who matches or might match that profile? It might help us narrow it down.
Ser: Response
Rosek-Skyfire: ::to Aitas:: I’m ready for a deep dive when you are.
Aitas: Response
Rosek-Skyfire: ::shakes her head:: I say let him sweat it out for a bit. If we’re going to pressure him, we need firm enough evidence to rattle his cage.
Iko / Aitas: Response
Ser: Response