JP: Lt. Cmdr. Arlill & Ens. Morton - Crystal Clean-Up (Part 1)

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Toxin Arlill

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Jun 13, 2025, 5:17:29 PM6/13/25

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((Operations Center, Deck 7, USS Octavia E. Butler))

Toxin saw Ensign Morton arrive and left his office. Joining them halfway across Operations, on their way to the lab, Toxin was grateful for another chance to speak with the impressive officer.

Arlill: Ensign Morton, thanks for coming down. It shouldn’t take long to wrap this up.

Morton: Hello Commander. I’ll be glad to see this crystal secured safe and sound.

What Vala really wanted was the opportunity to study it further, to unlock all of its secrets. However, her colleagues were right - the crystal was too dangerous and they couldn’t risk it or knowledge about it falling into the wrong hands. And since it was going to get hushed up, those visions of publishing research papers, presenting talks about their findings to her peers and any other scientific accolades she could think of shrivelled up. Still, there was still a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing she had some very exclusive knowledge.

Arlill: Me too, I’m glad you joined the team, not sure we’d have made it back without you.

Had Vala really made such a big impression on the commander? Nah, she must simply have missed some social cue. She was usually pretty good at picking that stuff up, but she was still adjusting to the dynamic that existed within the Starfleet hierarchy and figuring out how formal to be around her superiors.

Morton: Oh, I don’t believe that for a moment.

Arlill: Don’t be modest, your work was great!

Morton: Thank you sir. ::She smiled and tried not to look too smug::

Arlill: Well earned ::beat:: So we’ve been ordered to package up the universe crystal and send it back to Starfleet Science Division for further investigation. ::beat:: I’m still considering what it might mean to send back all of our investigation data. ::beat:: you know, the method of fixing the crystal?

Morton: ::Sighing:: I’m in two minds about studying it further but if it is getting further study, the scientists who made the initial discoveries should get the opportunity to continue work on it. Just my opinion, but right now, we’re the experts on this.

She understood why, but it was still annoying that she had contributed to these discoveries, and it had been their crew’s lives at risk. Yet, some other scientist sitting in some safe lab back at Starfleet HQ would take all their research and notes and get to finish the puzzle. Vala didn’t like leaving projects half finished but she wasn’t typically going to get to choose what she worked on.

The two officers had made it to the Materials & Elements Lab door and paused as Toxin entered the access code he’d set when they returned to their universe, to protect the crystal until its disposition was determined. Toxin was over cautious, but felt it was warranted, and restricted access to the Lab to his code only and then set up a transport buffer and force field around the lab. These actions brought a sense of comfort to Toxin’s mind, feeling like he’d put the safeguards in place to prevent this from happening to someone else, or worse.

Arlill: ::as the door opened:: We’ll need to use a Type 4 specimen crate for physical transport. ::turning away from facing the ensign to enter the room:: I’m going to assign an offi… ::stopping short::

((Materials & Elements Laboratory, Operations Center, Deck 7, USS Octavia E. Butler))

As they entered the room Toxin had to presume he’d made a mistake, gone to the wrong room, maybe the wrong ops center? That was foolish, what other center would they be in? But what other reason would exist for what they witness now… The crystal was gone.

Morton: What’s wro… ::Her eyes popped open wider:: Hey! Where’s the crystal? Who’s been here?

Arlill: No one, I had it sealed to my command only. ::beat:: =/\= Computer, read out access log for Materials Lab. =/\=

Computer: =/\= Lt. Commander Toxin Arlill, 10 seconds ago. =/\=

Of course the computer was choosing now to be annoying.

Arlill: =/\= Yes yes, I know I just entered, but what about before me. =/\=

Computer: =/\= Logs indicate the lab has remained sealed, the force field in place, and transporter inhibitor online since 240205.18. =/\=

This was perplexing, if no one had entered, where did it go? oO The computer records! Oo

Arlill: =/\= Computer, report logs from 240205.17 to 240205.18 =/\=

Computer: =/\= No entries found. Expanding search ::beat:: No entries found since stardate 240203.15 - Operations Lieutenant Tobats use of the lab for bulkhead material analysis. Would you like me to continue listing access log data prior to that date? =/\=

Arlill: =/\= No, thank you. =/\= ::looking at Morton:: Ok. Umm, Ok.

Morton: ::Whipping out her tricorder and scanning the room:: Things don’t just vanish without a trace. Could someone have come in undetected? Or altered the logs to hide their activity?

Arlill: Unlikely, short of the new computer core security, the intelligence department, and the bridge, Ops is likely the most logged department on the ship.

Considering the crystal’s ability to create wormholes and travel through them, if there existed anything with the power to seemingly vanish spontaneously it would be the crystal. However, there would be signs of activity, and it was such an energy consuming process that there was no way it could have started the process without triggering any number of security alarms. This thing was under a healthy amount of surveillance given all the unknowns and its sheer power.

Morton: I’m not detecting any residual traces. ::Trying some other scans:: I can’t find anything that would suggest the crystal has been active.

Arlill: That leaves really only one other reason for its disappearance.. ::trailing off::

oO If intelligence had really been a part of this Josh would know right? Oo Intelligence was different than the old Section 31, Toxin wasn’t even sure if 31 was gone or still fully active. A lot of rumours were out there, they always were.

Morton: What do we do now?

Arlill: You have your data, if that’s enough for your assessments, then go on that, I’ll continue investigating what happened here and give you any updates, that work?

Morton: Yes, Sir.(( Toxin’s Office, Deck 7, USS Octavia E. Butler ))

Toxin could feel a headache coming on, something he’d only ever experienced when Henri was around, and then in rare cases, but Herni hadn’t been a part of Toxin for about a month now, he’d been exploring the limits of his existence, and making friend, from what Tox understood.

He was so lost in thought that Toxin had made it halfway across his office before he realized SCIF mode was active and his window was opaqued, blocking any outside onlookers. The room was darker than normal and his chair was turned.

As the footfalls grew closer, the unjoined trill turned around to greet the new occupant of the room. Evidently, when a call was terminated, the door lock must automatically disengage. She spun around and her eyes landed on a bearded individual.

His first instinct was to reach for his comms badge.

Marrik: I can assure you that my presence on board this vessel is wholly authorized by Starfleet Command. ::looking between the man and the name on the door:: I take it that you are Lieutenant Commander Toxin Arlill?

She smiled with a look of innocence and swept a lock of her bubblegum pink hair away from the frame of her face, tucking it behind her ear. The spritely and elvish face was in sharp contrast to the position black uniform she wore with pips indicating they were of equal rank.

Arlill: What are you doing here?

His first instinct was to reach for his comms badge.

Marrik: When you go traversing across universes you’re bound to attract attention, no? Particularly when you make it back with souvenirs.

She stood and motioned for the man to take the seat that was already rightfully his.

Arlill: Well, I assumed, but you know what they say about assuming. ::beat:: I’m not sure I’m the ass in this case.

Marrik: Your ship only has a limited number of SCIFs, unlike DS14, and Joshua was already using the one in the Intelligence Suite. And, the latter remains to be seen. My understanding is that the crystal is currently under your purview.

Arlill: It was, at least until recently. It’s gone missing, and you’re to tell me you’ve nothing to do with it?

She blinked several times before responding, some of the warmth evaporating as she chose her words deliberately.

Marrik: What do you mean… missing?

Arlill: It can’t be a coincidence that a unique, rare, and dangerous crystal goes missing from one of the most secure places on the ship and then you appear–and I’m not to be suspicious of you?

The stranger seemed sincere, like they were equally surprised that it was missing.

Arlill: Ok, let’s say you don’t know what happened to it. Who are you? Why are you in my office?

Marrik: Lieutenant Commander Dexa Marrik. oO Not at your service. Oo And, like I said, your SCIF was free, I was in need and your computer… obliged.

Arlill: And, if you’re not here because you took the crystal, then you’re here to take it?

Well, that answer should have been expected by Toxin. This person had entered his secure office without triggering any type of alert.

Marrik: We have an outstanding transfer request that’s making it through the channels, but you know, red tape and all that. So it was suggested that I start the analysis in person to expedite matters.

Arlill: Well that’s fair.

Marrik: So, it seems we have a common goal at the moment. I’m assuming you’ve tried to scan for it?

Arlill: We did—with what little we’ve learned about it, we managed to develop some scanning technology.

It stood to reason that a ship that was likely purpose-built for traversing universes might better discriminate the subtle harmonic frequency of the crystal.

Marrik: Did you try from the Trillian?

That was confusing Toxin supposed, how could they scan for it from the Trillian when what was left of the Trillian was floating in its namesake number of pieces.

Arlill: The Trillian? Is that gone?

She grabbed one of several PADDs off the desk and re-skimmed a report.

Marrik: Slight correction, the Nexis. ::trying to make a smooth recovery, clapping her hands together:: We should get going. Every seconds spent here is one where the crystal might be slipping further from our grasp.

Arlill: Fair, I’m game.

Lieutenant Commander Toxin Arlill
Chief of Operations
USS Octavia E Buttler NCC-82850
Writer ID.: O239910TA4

Lieutenant Commander Dexa Marrik
Intelligence Officer
Deep Space 14
O240005JH3 (played by Josh Herrick)