[SL] LtCmdr Sky Blake, "The cold."

[Deliera Jay]

((Science Lab 1))

Greyson: Hey, wait a minute... ::He paused and looked up at one of the monitors above his head.:: That's odd...the barometer readings don't match. Before and after, there's a ten degree variant.

Ryan: ::glancing sideways at him:: Ten degrees? That’s a significant difference.

::Sky stood up straight, off the console she was leaning on to approach the data being displayed on the round table.::

Walker:  Especially because that was ambient temp.  A lot closer to body temperature even…

T’Dara: What would cause the that kind of a change? It isn’t something typical…

::Deliberate changes, maybe.::

Greyson: I have no idea. Just going through the readings I got before the...before we came back. If I had to guess, something in the environmental controls necessitated a change of temperature...

T’Dara:  Are there any locals races that we require an adjustment to be comfortable? Maybe there was a meeting scheduled or something?

​Walker:  Comfort is possible, but ten degrees suggests something more.

Blake: I wouldn't be too sure.

::Brekkians, for example, would find that change exactly to their liking. Hell, Sky could do with the temperature of this lab being raised. Brekka was warm - not so much that the Tholians could set foot on it without exosuits, but warm enough that 35, 40 degrees Celsius was the norm.::

Greyson: It's possible, I suppose. ::He stroked his chin thoughtfully and arrived at yet another grim conclusion.:: It's also possible that there could've been a weapon calibrated to function in a slightly warmer... ::He didn't finish, instead glancing to Walker and Blake.::

Walker: :: Shaking her head:: I don’t think it was the trigger.  If it was, the sensors wouldn’t have needed to be offline.  Though, I guess, they could have messed with the sensors to cover the shift..

Greyson: If the room had to be ten degrees warmer for whatever it was to function, weapon, poison, compound, bomb...then maybe someone on the inside knew it had to be that way for it to work?

Ryan: It’s been well over a month and nothing else has happened. Which means if it is a weapon or a bomb, they either failed to finish the job or it’s still there waiting.

Walker:  I’m still leaning against the temperature being the weapon trigger or requirement.  Doing that is great for a terrorist weapon, you are remote and detonate without chance of being seen.  This was far more precise an event.

Blake: This is Shadow's Edge - if you're from the Shadows, you don't waste resources, especially anything that could be weaponized. Leaving something like a bomb behind knowing that you're still waiting for your target a month after the fact is a waste when you could be hitting something more vital. You wouldn't leave something behind for someone to eventually find and use against you in the home of a political asset. Giannakos walked out unscathed - if anyone was the suspected target, it'd be Carrero.

::Even though she said the words, she didn't entirely believe them. Part of her was still of the understanding that Carrero was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but given that Giannakos frolicked back into the waiting arms of his family when Sky's captain left in a body bag, she simply couldn't believe that the attackers had targetted somebody else. It wasn't like Giannakos had a butler owing some bad people money.

::Actually, she should look into that. Just in case.::

Greyson: On the other hand, Kessa's theory is a damn good one. I'm not as well versed in the species of the region.

::All eyes turned to Sky again. She sighed::

Blake: I'd have to send you all a dossier later. The jist of it is Shadow's Edge has anyone and everyone stop by - Cormac and I used to call it a pirate bay. The main players are Terrans and Vulcans, but every now and then you get a good share of Klingons, Brekkians and Romulans. Maybe one or two Shadow natives a year. Not sure about Romulans, but Klingons like a bit of heat, and Brekkians live for it. I myself have to wear an extra layer just to stand in this room which you all think is perfect temperature.

Ryan: ::shaking her head:: I’m sorry but it doesn’t make sense to me that environmentals would be changed for a person or persons in that area. I mean, why go through all that effort when whoever was already there could have just by passed the security system so they could get to Captain Carrero and the Governor? And if it was for a person or persons, it would have been a helluva lot easier just to wear environmental suits or tough out being a little cold until the job was complete.

T’Dara:  The doctor makes an excellent point. It really isn’t very realistic that the environment would be changed for one individual.

::Unless that person was someone Giannakos wanted to kiss up to. But even then, Carrero would have noticed.::

Walker: I think you are both right and wrong Kessa. Look at this.:: She tweaked the readings for ten degrees higher.:: Do you all not see what I don’t see?

T’Dara/Ryan/Greyson: Response?

Walker: :: Grinning:: Thermals. At that temperature, it wouldn’t take much at all, maybe as little as a hat and a trenchcoat, and a normal person’s thermal bloom would be the same as the background environment. 

T’Dara/Ryan/Greyson: Response/

Walker: But I’d be willing to bet that the temperature spike was across the entire building… where the sensors were only interfered with in a limited number of rooms.

T’Dara/Ryan/Greyson: Response

Walker: That’s the best part. If I’m right.. we should be able to see some of the external sensor logs.. filter it down to any people wearing clothing that cover most of their body. :: She chuckled wryly:: And as warm as it is down there, someone wearing a trench.. or a suit and hat, should stand out.

Blake: Good work, Commander. Let's start-

Kelrod: =/\= Kelrod to Veritas =/\=

::She'd had to stop herself asking why it hadn't been forwarded to Zhou. One would think that after a couple weeks without them aboard Veritas, she'd have gotten used to the knew conditions of First Officer by now. She hadn't.::

Blake: =/\= Blake here, Commander. =/\=

Kelrod: =/\= We had a situation here. The local doctor just drop dead in front of use. There’s a suspect, a small man that came with Dr. Marik a few moments ago. Please, see if you can discern anyone that has just left the building, do a sensor sweep to detect any transporter readings and check with the other teams. Inform the captain of this and make transporters ready for us to beam up if necessary. =/\=

Blake: =/\= Understood. We'll keep you informed. =/\=

::She gestured to the data displayed.::

Blake: This will have to wait. Greyson, Doctor Ryan, see if you can get started on that sensor sweep - cross reference with personnel files from the morgue if you have to.

Greyson/Ryan: Response?

Sierra: =/\= Bridge to Commander Blake. =/\=

::Her combadge was getting a workout, it seemed.::

Blake: =/\= Go ahead. =/\=

Sierra: =/\= Doctor Blueheart has returned to the ship. =/\=

Blake: =/\= Understood. =/\= ::Sky tapped her combadge again.:: =/\= Veritas to Captain Rahman. =/\=

::Seconds flew by with Sky just standing there, waiting for a response - anything at all. But nothing.::

Blake: =/\= Captain, please respond. =/\=

::. . .

::. . .

::Nope.::

Blake: =/\= Blake to Sands. =/\=

::Again. Nothing.::

Walker/T'Dara: Response?

Blake: No coms is never a good thing in this area. Find out what the problem is.

Walker/T'Dara: Response?

Blake: The sooner we reestablish communications with Rahman's team, the better I'll feel.

Greyson/Ryan/T'Dara/Walker: Response?

::It didn't matter what they'd actually intended, the look Sky gave them all was cold as she strode to the door.::

Blake: I lost one captain to this planet. I refuse to lose another. I'll see you on the Bridge.

::Commander Blake was out of the lab in seconds, intent on checking in with Doctor Blueheart.::

TBC . . .

LtCmdr Sky Blake

Executive Officer

USS Veritas

C238803SB0

I am not a sheep, ser.