[[BACKSIM]] JP: Lt. JG T’Fearne & Lt. JG Evinrude - A Private Investigation [Part 1]
Tess Evinrude
((OOC: This JP continues the storyline from previous shore leave on Proxima Sigma IV and is a continuation of sims Uniform Not Required [1] and For Your Eyes Only [2]. Slight corrections to previous sims. This is set after the Awards Ceremony at Prism Lake on PSIV, both PC’s are newly minted Lt. JG’s.))
((Tess Evinrude’s Quarters, Deck 03, USS Ronin, Orbiting Proxima Sigma IV))
T’Fearne tapped the control beside Tess’s door, letting him back into his own room without preamble.
She slung the pack she was carrying to the side, unfastened the top, and pulled a second, empty pack out of the first.
T’Fearne: ::matter-of-factly:: You need to change into civilian attire, dress for warm weather, but bring a jacket. And a tricorder for data retrieval and analysis, and anything else you think might help for stitching corrupted logs or slicing encrypted subroutines. ::Handing over the empty pack:: Here you can put anything you need in that. And hurry please, the Kushiro is scheduled for a passenger run down to the colony. We’re booked. Departure is scheduled in 15 minutes, but we need to be quick, the turbolift is broken again or something so we might have to take the Jeffreys tubes.
Tess took all that in, glancing between T'Fearne and the empty backpack. His mind was already made up.
T’Fearne: I’ll explain more on the way. This should be interesting. :: pause, meeting his eyes :: Will you trust me?
The Vulcazoid rarely asked for trust, and even less often for help. Tess met her gaze, the corner of his mouth twitching into a half-smile as he tapped his combadge.
Evinrude: =/\= Evinrude to Kushiro. Can you delay departure by five minutes? Passengers are inbound and there's a turbolift out of commission. =/\=
She pressed her lips together in a suppressed smile. She wouldn’t have thought to ask Flight Ops to wait, but rush faster. He had his own way of doing things, and if she was asking for his help on this off-book investigation, then she would have to make accommodations.
He turned back, voice casual but his expression intent. Without missing a beat, he upended the smaller rucksack, its sparse contents spilling across the neatly made bed, transferring the personal items and tools into the larger swag.
While he worked, T’Fearne’s eyes wandered briefly across his quarters. The desk was scattered with the delicate skeletons of half-finished starship models. Beside them, framed holos flickered with smiling faces. Some she recognised, some were unknown, and she assumed they were from past assignments, maybe Tess’s friends and family.
Evinrude: ::To T'Fearne, over his shoulder.:: I'll need to strip after all. ::He pointed to a set of drawers, built into the wall.:: Can you grab me something to wear? Should be pants and a shirt that suits what you have in mind in there.
She felt odd that he was requesting she dress him; though it was not unusual in her culture for a male to require their attire to be chosen for them, she had not expected it of Human men. Perhaps it was something their cultures shared rather than differed on. She would assist with this. Pulling open the drawers, she swiftly looked for the Betazoid equivalent of appropriate undercover attire for the investigation. Something that would be non-descript, free of movement and blend well into urban terrain.
She pulled out a pair of black slacks and then discarded them as too similar to what she was wearing. Hesitated over the things she recognised as blue-jeans from her time at the academy. It would be best if they could avoid looking too matching.
Meanwhile, Evinrude opened a smallish fleet-issue equipment crate next to the desk and slid a few pieces of diagnostic gear out of their form-fitting softpack slots. These were added to the bag T’Fearne had brought him, along with a standard PADD and tricorder.
Evinrude: That oughta do it. Just need to change. ::He paced back over to T'Fearne by the dresser, and accepted the clothes she'd chosen for him.::
T'Fearne: This sort of civilian attire is best, nothing too bright or memorable and sturdy, protective footwear.
He nodded and dashed over to the refresher.
She stood in the centre of the small quarters, balanced lightly on her feet, but her attention was drawn back to the photos. Centered on the wall were a few physical printouts, captured likenesses of Alyndra, Tess, Sybil, and T’Fearne herself, but off to one side were several photos with the same cast of unfamiliar faces, accompanied by a slightly younger Tess. In one of the shots, a human woman with dark hair leaned on him with affection; the two of them seemed to be attending a formal occasion. T’Fearne stepped closer, analysing the details and body language of the couple in the photo.
Evinrude: ::From behind the closed door.:: These encrypted subroutines...are they Starfleet?
T'Fearne: ::licking her lips:: I’d rather not go into too much detail until we are off the ship. I suspect they were designed to appear of federation origin, but something about them looks artificial. I need someone who can review supply orders, deliveries, and requisitions to identify patterns in the systems that I’m missing. oO I need your mind. And your body can come along too! Oo
A beat. The soft sound of fabric. The hum of the refresher door sliding open.
When he stepped out, Tess Evinrude no longer looked like an officer. His hair was out of regulation, tousled from the wardrobe change. Though he still looked casual enough to blend into a downtown square, the clothes she had picked out were a touch more formal than her own garb - a burgundy button-down shirt of a thick material reminiscent of flannel, and dark blue trousers with an additional, slim pocket above each knee. An unassuming tourist or perhaps a civilian pedestrian stood before her, though he too wore practical boots.
Evinrude: ::With a reassuring nod.:: Hey, I trust you. Whatever we get into down there, I know you'll have a good reason for it.
T'Fearne: :tilting her head, faint smile:: That‘s either brave or foolish, but I appreciate the trust and your expertise.
She turned on her reinforced boot heel and marched swiftly to the Jefferies tubes rather than risk the turbo lift again. Tess grabbed his pack and bomber jacket and, after a hasty final glance about his room, an outdated but serviceable compact handheld camera.
((Shuttlecraft Kushiro - En route to Proxima Sigma IV))
The shuttle’s cabin lights glowed low, soft reflections rippling across the viewport as the atmosphere turned from black velvet to the pale lilac sky seen by the colony below.
Civilian clothes felt strange after wearing a uniform so often. The fabrics were softer, more textured and less protective, but they needed to blend in when they arrived at the colony. T’Fearne had tried the direct Starfleet approach and failed. It was time to be more subtle.
She glanced at Tess in the jumpseat next to her and caught his gaze. She didn’t have to be Betazoid to read the curiosity in him. She was relieved that he had agreed to come this far without a proper explanation. Their shore leave had been extended by a few days, the awards ceremony had taken time to organise, but their leave could be revoked at any time. There was a limited window to gather more data and put some more of the pieces together before they left for other worlds. Who knew if they would ever return to the Proxima Sigma system in their lifetimes?
Evinrude: So, ::he began, voice quiet and jokingly conspiratorial.:: What are we stealing?
The security officer glanced around casually, as though looking through the side views of the shuttle, but really checking to see if any of the other passengers were paying attention. There was a Bolian science technician in front of them that she recognised, but they seemed to be asleep. Other members of the crew were engaged in shoreleave-related murmured conversations around them, so she chanced a further explanation.
T'Fearne: Looking into some discrepancies and gathering intel on suspicious events isn’t illegal. ::leaning in slightly, voice low:: There were…small discrepancies surrounding the main investigation during my first planetfall. We never caught the bombers or whoever Emzai sent to plant explosives on the Orbital Receiving Station. My team uncovered evidence at the Tether Terminal that pointed to an inside job. I don’t want traitors running loose while Proxima Sigma tries to heal. They have enough to rebuild without saboteurs in their midst. Another odd thing is that one of PSIV’s renowned investigators went missing amid the commotion. Special Investigator Tarek, the man Planetary Admin dragged out of retirement to lead the planetside inquiry into the bombing, vanished mid-investigation. He is currently listed as a missing person. Many people went missing during the disaster, were lost, perished, or just separated, so it didn’t immediately appear unusual. ::growing more emphatic:: However, I find it highly suspicious that he went missing while investigating the attack. I believe he may have found what he was looking for… and they found him.
She paused to let the finality of her statement sink in before continuing.
T'Fearne: We aren’t stealing anything. We’re not breaking in. We’re discreetly collecting stray threads of data and linking them back to the spider. Once we have a clearer picture or actionable intel, we can notify Colony Security. They can do with it what they choose. But make no mistake, Tess. There is peril here. I’d not trade your safety to satisfy my curiosity. If it gets dangerous, we back out. Agreed?
Of course, Tess didn’t think she had brought them down here for an artifact heist. Back in his quarters, he meant what he said - he trusted her. But he didn’t expect to be deputized as a detective, with potentially dire consequences.
Evinrude: Sounds like you’ve uncovered quite the web. So… :He hesitated, choosing his words carefully.:: You’re officially bringing me into this investigation?
She shifted a little guiltily in her seat.
T'Fearne: Actually ::pulling at the collar of her turtleneck:: you know the new Chief of Sec-Tac, Lieutenant Jack Kessler? He…officially ordered me to drop the investigation. And he also might have offered me a new job with more responsibilities.
That revelation certainly raised the Human’s eyebrows. By now he had picked up on T’Fearne’s desire for subtlety, so he quickly reigned in his emotions, masking his surprise with a neutral smile. He glanced around the shuttle before replying, and when he spoke his voice was even quieter.
Evinrude: So this is off the books. A favor for…a friend.
T'Fearne: ::wry-smile:: Yes, discreet. And Yes…for a friend. ::pause:: Now that you know a little more about it, if you prefer not to be involved…
He looked into her eyes for a moment.
Evinrude: No, I’m in. I believe that what you’ve stumbled across here is worth investigating.
T'Fearne: I hope so. I want some answers. Much happened on that mission.
She couldn’t help but glance at Tess’s neck, where he had sustained a life-threatening injury when shrapnel, uncaringly, sliced through a critical artery. The skin was now smooth and unbroken, healed without even a trace of a scar, a testament to the skill of the Ronin's formidable medical personnel. She almost reached out to brush her fingertips over his neck, but stopped herself. He was fine, sitting here on the Kushiro, next to her. But if Dr. Kel hadn’t been aboard the shuttle, Tess might have died. Another casualty claimed by Emzai’s plot.
The clouds boiled below them like bruised water, violet and turquoise light refracting through the thin atmosphere. The Kushiro shook slightly as it descended through the upper turbulence, inertial dampeners thrumming. T’Fearne leaned forward, dark eyes fixed on the planetary surface as the patchwork sprawl of the colony’s dwellings, towers, agricultural and industrial zones came into view. All teeming with colonists who would have been destroyed if the terrorists’ plans had come to pass. Though the people survived, the colony faced a long road to recovery, and the disaster clean-up would take months yet.
Kushiro Pilot: =/\= All passengers, prepare for rapid set-down. We’ve got an Easterly squall front with a risk of radioactive razor rain forming over the bay. Prepare to disembark swiftly, ::wryly to the copilot:: I’d like to keep the paint unscratched. =/\=
Evinrude: Radioactive razor rain. Say that three times fast. ::He sighed and scanned the landscape through the viewport.:: This place has seen better days…
T'Fearne: They are still dealing with the aftereffects of the orbital station detonation. ::twisting around to look at the helm:: debris might be falling for several more weeks.
The Kushiro dropped fast, engines purring as the shuttle made a tight arc over the temporary landing fields. The damaged transfer terminal stood abandoned, several klicks away. The shuttle touched down on the rough red rock with a solid thunk, the helmsman shouted back through the cabin space.
Kushiro Pilot: Go, go, go! Five minutes or we’re taking off with you!
They and the other passengers were already moving. T’Fearne slung her pack over one shoulder, Tess following close behind, both ducking against the rising wind as they sprinted across the makeshift landing field. The rain hadn’t started yet, but a sharp metallic tang was in the air, overpowering the native scent of the planet.
((Temp Transit Platform, Shuttle Landing Field, Proxima Sigma IV))
As soon as all the passengers made it to the makeshift transport platform shelter, the shuttle’s maneuvering jets flared. Kushiro clawed back into the atmosphere, speeding west to open skies like it was being chased by lightning…or the thought of having to explain an exterior hull damage report to Commander O’Connor.
Evinrude: What have you dragged me into, T’Fearne?
Evinrude’s gentle apprehension belied the gravity of the impending debris shower looming above. He secured his pack and turned towards her as an attendant rolled an armored shutter down over the temporary shelter’s entrance. The Vulcazoid looked over her shoulder at him, arms crossed against the unseasonal chill as a clatter and ping of razor rain began pelting the reinforced roof.
T'Fearne: ::matter-of-factly:: A private investigation.
[JP / TBC in Part 2]
===============================
Lieutenant J.G. T'Fearne
Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14
and
Lieutenant J.G. Tess Evinrude
Operations Officer
USS Ronin
R240111TE1