Ensign T’Fearne - Shadows of Suspicion
Teayl Thorn
((Staff Conference Room, Operations Module, Deep Space 9.))
After being called to an impromptu meeting with her CO and fellow Security officer Cecil Valo, Ensign T’Fearne moves swiftly to attend the meeting despite reassurance there is no emergency.
T'Fearne: Commander Carpenter. Ensign T’Fearne reporting as… requested. Ensign Valo, nice to meet you outside of battle conditions.
Carpenter: Fantastic, c'mon in. I appreciate y'all takin' the time. Truly. ::she turned toward T'Fearne:: And we can drop that "Commander" stuff for the night.
Valo: RESPONSE
Commander Carpenter prepared to “decant” the jug as they approached the table.
T'Fearne::: taking one of the offered seats:: Thank you, Sir. I will try.
Carpenter: Y'all don't think I'm tryin' to jam you up or anything, right? I just planned on talkin', and I'm sure you've already filed a pile'a reports on the fight.
Valo: RESPONSE
The Vulcazoid tilted her head slightly, a gesture that betrayed her curiosity more than concern.
T'Fearne: I had assumed you would want a more detailed debrief on our defence actions on DS33
Carpenter: From your side, absolutely. Reports can only tell me so much and...you both kept a lotta my people safe. Only right I should hear about it from you and say my thanks proper...
Valo: RESPONSE
The Ronin's formidable COS uncorked a rustic-looking jug and poured the liquid into the glass jars to precisely skate them across the surface of the conference table.
Putting down the PADD, T’Fearne deftly caught the jar slid in her direction, picked it up and tapped it lightly to the edge of the offered rims in a casual gesture she had perfected at the academy.
A powerful smell hit the back of T’Fearnes nose, and she desperately stifled a sneeze, clearing her throat as her slanted brow raised slightly.
T'Fearne: What are we drinking?
The CO held her jar up, and the soft conference room light refracted through the liquid to ripple on the table's surface in a mesmerizing dance.
Carpenter: This right here is Nebraskan White Lightning. Otherwise known as corn liquor. My family apparently refined the recipe through the years, usin' at least a little of each year's corn crop to distill it from the very first harvest. I can't even tell y'all how long I've had this jug.
Valo: RESPONSE
As the aroma filled the room, T’Fearne’s thoughts flickered back to her childhood on Betazed, where she had savoured the taste of roasted Cavat, a sweet, smokey grain plant.
T'Fearne: Thank you, Sir, for sharing your family’s recipe with us.
She clasped the jar with both hands to convey respect for the gift, and then followed suit with the Commander and raised it with one hand in a toast.
Carpenter: To you. To those we lost. And to those still here.
T'Fearne: 1Sochya eh dif.
Valo: RESPONSE
T’Fearne sipped cautiously at first, which was possibly a mistake as she felt the strong burn of the liquor. Her tongue went pleasantly numb immediately after, so she followed her CO’s lead and tipped back the generous shot.
Carpenter: WHOOOOOOOweeeeeeeee. Boy, that still kicks.
T'Fearne: You said this is made from “corn”? :: pausing to breathe out the fumes:: hmm, it is a bit like “fermented cavat juice”.:: She sketched an elongated shape:: The purple husk variety, with the black seeds? This is much stronger, though.:: Turning to Valo for confirmation::
Valo: RESPONSE
Carpenter: So, when it did all pop off exactly? I think we were still dealin' with the rope-a-dope with the cloaked platform when the boarders started…
Confident that her Vulcan heritage could allow her to probably drink both Carpenter and Valo under the table one after the other and still report for duty the next day without a hangover, T’Fearne slightly tilted her empty jar in the Commander's direction, requesting a refill.
T'Fearne: Probably when the Lattice forces breached docking port 2 on Deck 06 about an hour after we got word that something had gone wrong with the original ambush. Approximately 2500 hrs Com…Sir. Or at least that is when things started to become problematic. :: Checking in with Valo:: What about for you?
Valo: RESPONSE
Carpenter: RESPONSE
T'Fearne: We were fortunate to have very strategic commanders on our side, we had already had most of the station covered in a net of transport inhibitors before the word of attack, but part way through the assault…:: pausing to struggle with a very strong flash of her own suspicion:: the inhibitors went down in some critical positions.
Locking eyes with her CO to see if her meaning was understood.
T'Fearne: They transported in behind us when they shouldn’t have been able to do that.
Her dark eyelashes fluttered a little at the memory of rapid energy flashes, the horrid scent of singed meat and electrical components, and the groaning of DS33 as her deck shook from the impacts as the shield strained to hold. She took a slow breath and banished the emotional part of her memory, her logic was needed now.
Valo: RESPONSE
Carpenter: RESPONSE
T'Fearne: I have no proof of my suspicion that there was a Lattice saboteur or collaborator element already onboard DS33, there are possibly many ways for the LA forces to be already headed for the station before the Ronin and Khitomer reached their ambush point, but the timing seems very coincidental. I am not sure if these things are connected or separate issues, but Doctor Syrex:: giving an open palm shrug:: is my roommate, and she shared your experience of uncovering a changeling onboard. I wanted to ask if it was a compromised crewmember wearing the changeling as a ship's uniform and personal equipment or a changeling itself?
Valo: RESPONSE
Carpenter: RESPONSE
[Tags/TBC]
((OOC: 1Sochya eh dif = Peace and long life ~ Vulcan Salutation.))
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Ensign T'Fearne
Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14