The Splatter Matters

Posted on Sun Aug 18th, 2019 @ 7:41pm by Captain Abigail Laurens & Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan

Mission: War and Peacekeeping
Location: VIP Quarters

Annaleise slipped quietly into the quarters and cast a glance around the quarters, taking in the scene. Crime scene would definitely be an accurate way to describe it. There was no way this could have been anything but. Glancing around again, her gaze fell on the two officers that were talking quietly in the corner. Recognizing them as, as the First Officer and the intelligence officer, she looked away quickly, turning her attention to the other security officer that was standing near her. "I guess I'm supposed to report to you then?" Annaleise asked quietly. "I'm Ensign Carter, I was told to come and assist with the preliminary investigation."

"Hello ensign, I'm Lt. Tovas," Aram said extending his hand. He glanced around the room, though it certainly looked like a crime scene he'd not make that his final judgement until he actually started investigating. "Welcome to the mess."

With a vague smile of thanks, Annaleise took his hand and shook it quickly. "Any idea what actually happened?" she asked. "Do they have any idea?" she tilted her head slightly toward the two senior officers. "Before I came up I spent a few minutes going through security footage but there's a large chunk of it missing from overnight. You see him walk out of the room holding a bottle, probably that bottle over there," she said, motioning toward the bloody bottle on the carpet. "But then nothing until this morning. There's no footage of him returning or anyone else coming in or out. I'm guessing given that there's no corresponding transporter records either that someone's been tampering with out security surveillance. I checked the backups and the redundants as well, who ever did it is good. I couldn't find any trace."

Aleksi stepped forward into the room, careful to not disturb the blood on the ground. His eyes traced the arcs of blood, the artistic beauty lost in the harsh lighting, "Counselor Ernesto Miranda, Deputy negotiator for the Trion Government," He turned to face Aram, nodding as he continued, "Formerly the Interior Security Minister, let go due to his flagrant abuses of human rights. Still, one of Prizio's most trusted advisers," He looked at the body and chuckled, "Well, he was."

Annaleise grimaced. "Seems kind of a brutal way to die," she said quietly. "I mean, it doesn't take a criminologist to figure out that someone was really angry at this guy."

Aleksi smiled at Annaleise, closing the distance once more, "It certainly appears that way," He looked at the other man, "What are your thoughts Tovas?"

"Angry yes, full of rage, well that's a little harder to determine," Aram said, glancing around the room. "There certainly appears to have been a struggle but at this point, until we can put together some hard evidence, I'd like to refrain from jumping to conclusions."

"From a Doctor's prospective, I believe he's dead," Calvin said, returning to the room, having taken care of the Prizio and Aurelia. His eyes met each of the people in the room before returning to the body. He walked around the body, careful not to step in the blood.

"Excellent observation Calvin," Aleksi chuckled, taking his spot next to Ichiko. Looking back to Aram he grinned, "Don't mind him, he's a bit grumpy when he hasn't had his coffee. You were saying?"

Ichiko wasn't a fan of seeing the dead, though this wasn't her first rodeo. What an odd saying...

"It rules out sedatives or drugs designed to simulate death." she at least gave Calvin credit where it was due. "Though, please, continue." she mentioned, trying to keep her focus on the living. The last memory she wanted to carry forever was another corpse.

"And are preliminary reports suggest that there has been no effort or a large effort to tamper with the security footage," Aram said, he lowered himself to his haunches to look at the body. "And if someone did alter the security footage we have a much larger problem than just one dead body."

Accepting that this was going to stick with her forever, she hunkered down along with Aram to examine the body a little closer as well while muttering something to herself in her native tongue. Whatever she was saying, at least it sounded pleasant. "Roughly translated, 'Tell us your secrets, o death, that we the living may learn'."

"I presume you went over the security footage of the surrounding areas around these quarters. When did they cut out?" Ichiko questioned while looking over the body. What a terrible mess, and what a terrible way to die.

"Coffee would be fantastic right now," Calvin opened his tricorder and started taking readings. "I'll take some initial readings, but I'm going to hold back from giving any thoughts until I can get him on the table." He shuffled while knelt over the body, scanning different areas. "I'll need to compare temperature changes and formations of the different injuries to conclude pre and post mortem injuries or changes. If I can get security's report on timelines with footage, I will give you my best thoughts once I'm done autopsy."

"I can work with Operations to see if we can retrieve anything from the security systems," Annaleise offered, staying back out of everyone's way. "We can also look at security from surrounding areas to see if we can piece together who may have been in this general location, that would be much easier if we can get a narrowed down time frame as to when we think it might have happened?"

"Certainly, I can have a narrow time frame for you easily, but let us ballpark for now that it was in the last," Calvin stopped talking to tap at the tricorder. He raked his brain and did some quick calculations, "10ish hours I think. Once he's on the table I'll give you a better guess, but should give you a timeframe to work with. I'm not accounting for all the variables with that guess."

Annaleise nodded slightly. "I can work with that. "Lieutenant Tovas, if you don't need my presence here, I can go to Operations now?" she suggested, secretly hoping to be relieved so she could get away from the body.

"You're dismissed," Aram said, as he stood back up. "And see what personal information you can rustle up on our friend here as well as the rest of our newly acquired passengers. There might be something in their backgrounds that can give us a behavorial clue."

"It goes without saying..." Ichiko started, as she rose up to look over at Annaleise. Even from a glance to a stare, the rabbitess' hollow eyes were unlike anything in Starfleet at the moment. "That this is a vital part of the investigation. *You* are a vital part of the investigation. Check your findings, prepare your presentations, and be cautious. I have confidence in you." a holdover from her time in the Ts'usu Navy, perhaps. Perhaps that was how they wished people luck over there.

"Yes Ma'am, of course Ma'am," Annaleise replied gratefully with a quick nod before she turned and escaped into the corridor, clearly relieved to be free from the scene of the crime.