Explosive Discoveries

Posted on Fri Sep 4th, 2020 @ 3:14pm by Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Bianca Lee & Lieutenant Odan Tran & Lieutenant JG Shaille Levine

Mission: Into The Delta Triangle
Location: Kessik III - Main Judicial Office

Scekvin, the head of the Kessik Judicial System, had kept the Starfleet crew waiting for nearly two hours. While initially the explosion in the refining plant had been their focus, the past two hours had seen a rather more alarming set of details come to light.

"I think we have enough," Scekvin commented quietly as he glanced toward his female companion and nodded. "Bring them in. We'll see what they have to say."

Two hours. Two hours. Ichiko's patience was once thing, but these were two hours of her life she'd literally never get back. She had read just about every brochure, article, and wall decoration in the office, and despite how thrilling the upcoming polyp festival sounded, she'd just have to live with the indignity of missing it.

When the group was called in, she stood with a pop coming from either her hip or her knee. She didn't seem to mind the release of tension, but it was a firm indicator of how little this situation relaxed her. She padded in with her team. "Director Scekvin." she acknowledged him by title. It was written in three different places in the waiting room. "I understand you have a lot on your schedule. I'm looking for a missing team of mine, but it's something I'd weather rather than burden you with."

"Tell me, Commander, what is Starfleet doing on Kessik?" Scekvin asked as he sat in the seat across from Ichiko, the large desk between them. "I do find your timing rather interesting. Director Zakariya over on Kessik Four tells me you have people on the surface there as well. I find it interesting that Starfleet just happens to be in the same place that we have two catastrophic explosions that cripple our entire industry and put our colonies and our people at risk?"

"Initially, searching for a fugitive from the law." she started. She figured she'd try a tactic he may not be ready for: Giving it to him straight. "Though now it seems that's not possible, which will shift our focus to search and rescue and polytarian aid." Humanitarian was so... human centric.

"I find it interesting as well, that the timing is so uncanny. I'd venture to say that whoever we were initially looking for, if he were here, set of explosives in those regions to draw attention away from him and potentially shift the blame onto Starfleet, as though Starfleet's motives include domestic terrorism. I assure you, they do not." It didn't need to be said, but she figured seal the notion. "The alternative would be for me to ask you if you have any rivals or enemies that would benefit from the destruction of these facilities and putting the blame on us? Seems to make for an open and shut case, no need to investigate to find the true culprits. Whoever it is might be hoping you're sloppy. Judging from the plaques on the wall here, you're anything but."

Scekvin turned to his companion who stepped forward and the sound of metal could be heard tinging against the top of the desk. Though charred and warped from proximity to the explosion, there was no doubt that they were Starfleet commbadges. "Security footage shows your officers entering the refining facility in plain clothing. Internal security sensors in the central core detected an energy blast consistent with a starfleet phaser shortly before the explosion, along with minute traces of trilithium, something we do not manufacture here on the facility." His voice was stern as he spoke, his gaze steady on Ichiko. "At this stage I'm willing to state that that," he nodded toward the commbadges, "is what's left of the crew you sent down, the same crew responsible for the explosion at the refining plant."

"Interesting." Ichiko's curiosity was captured. The grizzly prospect of her entire second away team being vaporized would be processed later.

Lieutenant JG Shaille Levine, Lieutenant William Gunnison, Lieutenant Farizah Alani, and Lieutenant Alexis Aenera

"I assure you this was not in our mission, though you raise an interesting question. I'm curious why they opted to remain in the blast radius of a device they were planting." she inquired. "I can provide you with sensor scan logs leading up to the moment we lost contact with this team. "And Trilithium isn't something we stockpile either. It gives off a particular reading, and I invite you to examine the shuttle that brought them here." she offered again. Transparency was key here.

She turned her attention briefly to the team she brought with her, "Does anyone know the thermal tolerances of a Starfleet communication badge? Mostly, would it have survived the blast? Especially with trilithium involved." she then turned back towards Scekvin.

Carissa gasped as the commbadges were dropped on the desk. Not very professional, but unavoidable given the shock of the announcement. "Commander, we can have Callisi relay a message to the ship asking for more information," she said quietly. "I think we should review the security footage as well," she suggested softly before glancing toward Darryl.

“While I cannot answer that question, they are certainly highly durable, a crystalline composite of gold, microfilament, silicon, beryllium, carbon-70… and…” Tran shook his head, “Not important… What is important is I was once gifted a lovely Varro crystalline vase, which survived a shuttle crash. Out of curiously, I tested its durability and it had a melting point of approximately 4, 187 degrees Celsius, slightly more than pure diamond. After the test I recall a colleague saying it was nearly as durable as a Starfleet combadge. This might be an accurate baseline?” Tran suggested. “In any case, maybe more helpful, I once worked with a team who was able to lift the biometric fingerprint data from a combadge which had experienced significant damage. If I could see the badges, I might be able to duplicate the process and lift such a fingerprint in effort to prove or dismiss their authenticity?”

“If I can access the footage, I may be able to find something, but before I was placed on board the Astraea, I was given some demolitions training as part of the Guardian’s bomb squad.” Darryl shook his head, “Commbadges are intended to survive catastrophic damage, to provide identification of victims. No doubt those were in the explosion, but not in direct contact, not enough warping. Trilithium in direct contact would have mangled them more than that.” He looked at Tran, “Tells me that they were in the blast shadow, even if just by the bodies, so I agree with him, there should be some genetic material adhered to the com badge, possibly enough to verify if it were our people or not.”

Ichiko turned back to Scekvin, "Sir, to help in both of our investigations, could I request one of the comm badges recovered from the site, as well as a copy of the security footage to review?" she requested. "We'll be maintaining full transparency with our findings."

Scekvin looked to his companion and nodded. Without saying a word she picked up two of the commbadges and handed them to Ichiko, along with a data PaDD. "I will give you six hours Commander," he said quietly. "If you can prove your people weren't involved. I have no quarrel with Starfleet and for our sakes, I don't want to start one now. Six hours." Without waiting for a response, he stood up and walked through the door at the back of the room.

His companion paused, offered a small smile to Ichiko and a slight nod of her head. "I wish you luck Commander, and for all our sakes, I hope your people weren't involved."

Carissa waited until they were gone before she turned to Ichiko. "I suggest we get started Commander, we don't have a lot of time."

Ichiko stood, dusting herself off to some extent. She turned to Carissa, and then the rest of her team. "Considering the countdown has already begun, I agree. Someone has our people, and that same person may be framing us for this act of terror. I want results in five hours."

"Let's begin."