Denying Death Part I
Posted on Mon May 6th, 2024 @ 12:08am by Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna & Staff Warrant Officer Rommie
Edited on on Tue May 7th, 2024 @ 11:06pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Quarters of Major Cornelius Tremble - Deck 2 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1500 hrs
Pocket—or parallel—universes, non-corporeal entities possessing the captain and commander, Neil and other crew members missing… Jayna's thoughts kept swirling around from one subject to another as she prowled the Pioneer's corridors.
It had been an incredibly long day and Jayna's head and heart ached. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't face her quarters, either. They were too empty, even though she'd spent years alone.
She didn't want to go to her office, as Rowena was somewhere on the ship, and she didn't have anywhere to go in Marine Country. Finally, she headed for Neil's quarters.
She took the long way, just in case she ran into anyone she wanted to avoid. Finally, she stopped at the door to Neil's quarters. She paused for several seconds, then palmed the door and walked in.
Just being somewhere that radiated Neil's presence helped. She knew she couldn't stay here—much as she wanted to—but right now, she needed this. She wandered through his quarters and into his bedroom. Maybe if she took one of his shirts, it would help her feel closer to him?
Then her combadge chirped. "Mira."
There was a pause, then a voice she didn't recognize said. "Major Tremble's body was found in the morgue with the Suits. One of the Marines found him. Word hasn't spread far, but I thought you should know."
Jayna's legs began to shake and she sat on the bed. "Dead? When? How?"
"Unknown, ma'am. His body was found inside his Suit. Just thought you should know." Then the communication ended.
Neil couldn't be dead. He'd walked out of his office and disappeared. Then the computer couldn't find him. So why did he go to the morgue and get in his Suit? And how, with all the safeties, did he die? She couldn't accept that he got into his Suit and died without calling for help. It didn't make sense.
But even though her head knew there were inconsistencies and her heart refused to believe it was true, she began to sob. She grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it, holding it tightly against her for comfort.
She cried until she felt numb, then she sat up and wiped the remaining tears from her face. There had to be a mistake. Why would Neil get in a Suit when there was no training planned? She could see him checking his Suit, but to get in it was odd. And why didn't the computer say he was in the morgue?
The morgue wasn't empty, was it? Surely someone should have seen him go in, should have checked when he didn't come out. Word would have spread, at least to Edmund, and he surely would have said something to her. Besides, the timing felt questionable.
She tossed the sodden pillow into the replicator and set it to recycle. She would go to her office. She had to find out what was going on, and she had to do it from an encrypted computer. But before she got to the door, she stopped. She couldn't use her office, not while Rowena was possessed and roaming around the ship. She could walk in on Jayna while she was working, or she could override her access. Well, some of it might take her a bit longer, but she had the authority. Besides, Jayna was trying to keep off her radar and working in her office at this time would cause the chief to wonder what she was up to.
She could find an empty office in Marine Country, but that, too, could be suspicious.
She paced Neil's quarters for several minutes, then pulled out a tiny data chip and inserted it into her PADD. Then she accessed the main computer as if she was using one of the ship's consoles. It was a program she'd developed years ago and tweaked from time to time, in case she ever had to access a computer while under cover, but she hadn't used it on the Pioneer. Not yet, anyway.
When she'd double-checked the connection, she entered her first question into the PADD. "Where is Major Cornelius Tremble?"
"Major Tremble is not on the Pioneer," came the reply.
"When did Major Tremble leave the Pioneer?" It was the next logical question.
"Major Tremble left the Pioneer on Mission Day 4 at 1600 hours."
That was when Jayna got to Neil's office. The time was burned into her memory. "What time did Major Tremble leave his office on Mission Day 4?"
"Major Tremble left his office at 1550 hours."
So far it was consistent with what she knew. Now for the question she needed to know most. "Who is the body in the Marine MARVEL-EAS morgue?"
"Major Cornelius Tremble."
Her hands began to tremble as she entered her next question. "When did Major Tremble die?"
"Unknown."
There it was. The first suggestion of an inconsistency. Or she was just grasping at straws. But right now, she'd take any straw she could find. "When did Major Tremble check out his MARVEL-EAS Mark IV Suit on Mission Day 4?"
"Major Tremble's MARVEL EAS Mark IV has not been checked out."
"How did Major Tremble die?"
"Major Cornelius Tremble is no longer on the Pioneer."
There was another question. If he was dead in the morgue, why was he also no longer on the Pioneer? "When did Major Tremble leave the Pioneer?"
"Unknown."
"Where is Major Tremble now?" She had to ask, just to be sure she had reason to hope.
"Major Tremble is not on the Pioneer."
"How did Major Tremble leave the ship?" If he wasn't here and he wasn't in the morgue, he had to have left by some means the computer could register.
"Unknown."
She began to cry again. There had to be hope in that. He couldn't be both dead in the morgue and no longer on the Pioneer. And if he wasn't on the Pioneer, how did he leave? The obvious answer was the same way the others did. None of them were dead on the ship, so maybe Neil wasn't, either.
She saved a copy of the text conversation to her crystal and then removed all signs of her having used the computer. The information would still be on her data crystal if she needed it. Then she removed the crystal from her PADD and put it away.
She wiped the tears from her face and clipped her PADD on her belt. She needed help and she needed more information.
She wouldn't wake Edmund at this hour, assuming he was asleep. But there was someone she could talk to. Someone who deserved an update. Someone who could help figure out what was going on. "Rommie?"
Rommie formed back in the Major's office and looked around, her almond shaped eyes landing on Jayna. She began processing incoming data streams and her facial expressions didn't change but her brow did furrow as she processed.
Looking at Jayna she said, "The Major died?"
"That's what I was told, but I have some reason to doubt it. The timing is...off." Jayna shook her head. "I don't want to believe it. He left his office, went to the morgue, and died shortly after. And he was found in his Suit. That takes a little time to get into, but there doesn't seem to be time for that. And I've learned that there is most likely an entity possessing both the captain and Commander McGowen. That entity or entities are likely also responsible for multiple disappearances on the ship." She went on to explain what she'd learned since she last spoke to Rommie. "So, now I'm gathering as much information as I can and passing it on to people who can do something with it, like science and medical." She paused, her thoughts jumbling around themselves. "I need to see for myself if it's really Neil."
As she processed she looked Jayna over and asked, "I understand the pain you must be experiencing, Lieutenant. The loss of a loved one can be very trying. Would you like me to assist in assigning a grief counselor and assign a Physician for an autopsy and related graves official to assist with the Major's final wishes?"
Rommie's programs were running on automatic while she also processed information from the ship’s records. At least the ones she had access to.
A Joint Post By
Staff Warrant Officer Rommie
Aide-De-Camp, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Mira Jayna
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
Intelligence Liaison, The Cure
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