Lieutenant JG Kaito Moore - Intruder Alert?!

[Lieutenant j.g. Kaito Moore]

((Bridge, USS Independence-B, Over the 4521-G Sixth Moon ))

Moore: Umm… Commander…

Ukinix: ::Turning to Kaito:: Yes, Lieutenant?

Miller:  =/\= Lt. Miller to Commander Hopper. We have set down a Type-10 shuttle for you in case you need it, courtesy of our skipper. =/\=

Hopper: =/\= Uhh, thanks Independence – We’ve had a strange development here. Recommend the shuttle set down at our original beam-down site, outside of the colony… Standby. =/\= 

Miller: How certain are you it's identical? 

Wil had brought up the cave system on the viewscreen. It seemingly matched, but Kaito double-checked, pulling up images from their previous scans above Imza.

Moore: Looks fairly identical to me. If we trust the scans, that is.

Miller: Commander, just a thought, I feel like we should send Aitas’s message out again and see if the cave reacts similarly. 

Ukinix: I’m sure the Second Secretary is probably sick of sending that message out again, but regardless, Miller has a point. Sorry, Aitas, one last time.

Aitas: I'm glad to be of assistance. Sending it now. 

Kaito watched the sensors closely. And yep—the cave changed as it had before. He then sent a tight-beam scan toward Imza, and surprisingly, it too changed into another mirrored cave.

Moore: Well, Commander, the cave on Imza and here changed.

Miller: They have to be connected somehow. I just cannot figure out how. 

Ukinix: I have a guess. “Interlink”. Pooling computing resources up to a light year away. I reckon it’s once fake cave program, maybe even running between both locations. ::Turning to Aitas:: Any information on what was “lost” by the suss ships?

Aitas: I’ve managed to retrieve the manifests. They both show a combination of luxury goods and a metal composite largely used as shielding for mining operations. It can protect against rare types of radiation, but can interfere heavily with comms and other electronics.

Kaito’s console beeped as Aitas sent him the specs. He dived into the data, looking at the molecular structure and chemical composition.

Moore: This is some heavy shielding—we’re talking high-grade, ‘you can stand next to a motherlode of pergium and not come out glowing’ grade shielding. Nothing too surprising… except for the interference properties. Would make one heck of a Faraday cage.

Miller: We need both teams to test the caves simultaneously. See if they both move similarly. 

Ukinix: Let’s let the away team investigate the colony first, Lieutenant, we have colonists missing. But I suspect the answer will be that the caves are similar if not the same.

Commander Ukinix was right—the priority was finding the missing colonists first.

Ukinix: What can you tell me about this facility?

Aitas: It appears to be older Federation technology. ::to Moore:: If they’re using any of that shielding material there should be blank spots on your scans.  

Kaito nodded and looked back at his scans. There were blank spots—looked like reactor shielding or a high-powered relay—but given what they knew about the lost materials, they looked more suspicious than before.

Moore: There are a few of them. Small shielded areas dotted around the facility. 

Ukinix: Is it Starfleet or “non-descript”? Any record of *anyone* in this part of the nebula moving out anywhere near here?

Aitas: Too common to be clearly Starfleet. And we don’t have any general colonization projects even proposed for this area. They’d have had to make a far more extensive survey for that authorization.

Ukinix: Alright. Lieutenant Miller, hailing frequencies open.

Kaito went back to monitoring the sensors, looking for any signs of reaction—but also trying to pinpoint any answering hails.

Miller: All hailing frequencies open, Commander. 

Ukinix: =/\= This is the USS Independence-B to the facility on the sixth moon of Imza-4521-G. =/\=

No response—or changes on sensors.

Miller: Not hearing anything on any subspace at the moment. 

Ukinix: =/\= Look, we’re not stupid, we can see you, you know. Look. =/\=

Still nothing. Sensors were dead quiet—just like the comms. It made Kaito uneasy. There should have been a power spike from their comms array detecting the message. A tiny one, but with all sensors focused on them, he should have seen something.

Aitas: I’ll add failing to respond to an investigation by Starfleet Command to the legal citations.

Ukinix: Lieutenant Miller?

Miller: ::puzzled look:: Yes, Commander? 

Ukinix: Transmit *that* on all hailing frequencies.

Miller: Oh… ok, sure thing. 

Ukinix: =/\= Seriously, last chance-- don’t make us come down there. =/\=

Nothing at all.

Ukinix: Lieutenant Moore, let’s get a security team ready to send down there.

Moore: Aye aye, Sir… ::Reaching for internal comms.:: =/\= Rodriguez, Gornin, grab four more, and gear up for an away mission. Prep for breach and clearing. =/\=

Kaito muted his internal comm as they finally got a reply.

Stros: =/\= That will not be necessary, Commander. =/\=

A deep-voiced Vulcan in a Starfleet uniform appeared on the viewscreen.

Stros: =/\= Our facility automatically engaged our defense systems when you crossed our sensor grid. =/\=

Ukinix: =/\= Right. And you are? =/\=

Stros: =/\= Lieutenant Commander Stros. Head of Technological Research and Development for the “Whispering Wall” facility. ::Looking around the command center briefly:: And “Wandering Stone” it would seem. =/\=

Kaito’s internal comms beeped a reply from the security officers. They were prepping up and ready for step-off in five minutes. Kaito looked over at Wil.

Moore: ::Quietly:: Away team will be ready in five minutes.

Miller: Ah, who is he?

Better question—where is he? Kaito started trying to pinpoint his location in that facility, just in case Commander Ukinix wanted to hot drop some bored Security on his location.

Aitas: =/\= Second Secretary Aitas, Cultural Affairs. The Diplomatic Corps are quite interested in hearing just why multiple facilities were established here without proper procedure. =/\=

Stros: =/\= I can assure you, Second Secretary, We are here on orders from Starfleet Command. But I’m sure you aren’t here solely to cite us for some violation. =/\=

((OOC: Since Comms tags were not continued, I’ve gotten permission to interject more comms tags and continue the conversation.))

Ukinix: =/\= Response =/\=

Aitas/Miller: =/\= Response? =/\=

Moore: oO Just keep talking. I’m going to find you, Commander. Oo

Stros: =/\= I’m sure you sent an away team down to the “Whispering Wall” facility. And I’m sure you have discovered the “Interlink” project, correct? =/\=

Ukinix: =/\= Response =/\=

Aitas/Miller: =/\= Response? =/\=

Stros stepped closer to the viewscreen, his face still a blank slate of emotion.

Stros: =/\= Then I implore you, Commander, to help my team. An unknown vessel took control of our facility during tests of the “Interlink” system. They began to scan and download our entire database. Including all of the information on you and your crew, Commander. =/\=

Ukinix: =/\= Response =/\=

Aitas/Miller: =/\= Response? =/\=

Moving even closer to the viewscreen, the Vulcan’s face gave off a sense of urgency. Meanwhile, Kaito urgently tried to find Stros, but it was proving to be frustratingly difficult—no doubt due to the various sensor and EM-blocking materials.

Stros: =/\= There is one more thing, Commander. The– =/\=

The viewscreen suddenly switched back to its view of the moon and the small research facility below.

Moore: ::Quietly:: Damn. ::Looking over at Wil.:: Sorry, Sir. I don’t have an exact location, but we can get the security team in and clear the facility.  

Miller: That is an interesting proposition. 

Aitas: I’ll inform you if we receive any further information from Amity, but I am afraid a thorough look will take days.

Ukinix: Response 

Moore: I’m going to keep security on standby, Sir.

Miller: We do not have time to be honest. However, at least we are getting somewhere now. I wonder if we can dig into this Stros guy. 

Aitas: I am noticing a few glitches in receiving the messages back from Amity. ::she looked to Miller:: Are you seeing the same? It’s relatively subtle.

Moore: Could be a targeted jamming attack, trying to corrupt the messages.

Ukinix: Response 

Miller: You are right. There are some glitches in the comms channels. I wonder if the buffer needs to be purged again. 

A buffer purge might help, but if this is a targeted attack, then the source would be external—and it seemed Helm Officer Miller had similar ideas. Maybe they were being tracked.

Miller: I'd like to know if our comms are being tracked or traced. If you approve of it, Commander, we can do a simple test. 

Ukinix: Response 

Moore: If they are tracing us, we might be able to do the same—a counter-trace back to the source.

Aitas: Response 

Miller: If our comms are being tracked, I recommend moving to Starfleet secure channel 1050. This channel is usually only used in extreme situations, but this mare warrants the cause. :: To Aitas:: Does the FDC have a secure comms line that we can tap into as well?

Aitas: Possibly, but I’d want to eliminate a few other possibilities first.

Ukinix: Response

Miller: Commander, should we contact Stros again? When he first appeared, our comms started having micro glitches.

Aitas raised an eyebrow.

Aitas: There were issues with the messages I received back from Amity as well. If Interlink is already active it might explain the disruption?

Moore: Makes sense. Maybe Interlink uses a different LCARS build than the Indy—we could be seeing compatibility issues.

Ukinix: Response

The security console flashed a warning as it detected a collection of energy spikes… One of which was on the bridge. Kaito glanced around quickly as his training kicked in. He had started to stand up right as Lieutenant Commander Stros started to materialize.

Stros: You and your crew seem to have a penchant for the unnecessary, Commander.

Kaito had his phaser out and pointed at the intruder. He wasn’t sure how many beamed aboard or if Stros came in peace, but he was running on defensive mode, reacting by the book as he called out.

Moore: Computer, intruder alert!

The intruder alarm blared—but more importantly, it put Security on alert. No one knew how many had just boarded the Indy, but across the ship, the alarm signaled that Security and others were arming up, ready to defend.

Ukinix/Miller: Response

Stros: Hello there.

Aitas: That answers my question about Interlink. 

Kaito kept his phaser trained on Stros but walked over to the console, glancing for a moment at the readout.

Moore: Sir, I am reading six other beam-ins. Security is moving to secure them.

Ukinix/Miller: Response

Stros: ::His smile fading to a more “Vulcan” posture:: I hope you do not mind a few stow-aways, Commander.

Moore: Four more beam-ins, Sir.

Ukinix/Miller: Response

Kaito noticed Aitas stepping toward the center seat.

Aitas: :quietly, politely, to Wil:: Might I make a small suggestion?

She held her hand out to Wil, palm up. Kaito raised an eyebrow but focused on the Vulcan instead. He was the main threat.

Ukinix: Response

Miller/Stros: Response

Aitas stepped back over to Lieutenant Miller’s station where she once again held out a hand.

Aitas: ~You’ll need to ensure the default feed from the bridge is misleading, Lieutenant.~

(( Kaito does NOT know / hear the above, but leaving it in for others. ))

Kaito wasn’t sure what Aitas’s deal was—it seemed an odd time to hold hands—but Aitas was FDC, after all, so he had seen weirder.

Miller: Response:

Kaito’s attention was quickly grabbed by the security station—a simple message from security teams: intruders detained and rendering medical.

Moore: ::Still watching Stros.:: Commander, unauthorized beam-ins are detained, and medical is responding to treat wounded.

Ukinix/Stros: Response

Now, oddly enough, Aitas’s tone turned more casual—no doubt some ruse.

Aitas: Is there anything else I can assist with?

Kaito kept quiet, watching the situation. But in that moment, the ship received a comm message—seemingly from Imza.

Ukinix/Miller/Stros/Aitas: Response 

Lieutenant JG Kaito Moore

Tactical Officer

Amity Outpost

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