On the Hunt
Posted on Fri Mar 8th, 2024 @ 4:05am by Lieutenant Commander Katherine Malbrooke & Lieutenant Fathom Fellini & Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna
Edited on on Tue Mar 12th, 2024 @ 8:08pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Chief Science Officer's Office - Deck 8 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD004 1730 hrs
Jayna wasn't sure who to talk to. Neil was missing, and both the captain and her department head were compromised in some way. She needed answers, but before she could find them, she needed information. Well, more information than she currently had. And she needed to know who she could trust besides Ronnie. So many things were running through her head that she needed to think, but before that, she needed to talk to several people, starting with the chief science officer.
Once she talked to Alyssa, she'd report to Merrick. Technically, with Neil gone, she would be liaising with the Marine XO. At least in part. But knowing Rowena was on the ship and compromised made her leery of intel right now.
She stopped in front of Alyssa's door to see if she was in. As they were traveling she might be in one of the labs, or on the bridge, but this was the first place to check.
She and Alyssa had developed a friendship since the other woman came aboard. First over Astrometrics and her search for what happened to the Pioneer and then over their mutual love of weapons. That thought made her check to be sure her knife was still in her side pocket and her wire bracelet was around her wrist. They were weapons, yes, but they were also tools, and as tools she was able to carry them around on board. She had no intention of using them, but she felt better knowing they were there.
Alyssa's office was empty. She tapped her combadge. "Computer, where is Alyssa Maren?"
"Commander Maren is not on the Pioneer," the computer replied pleasantly.
Jayna's stomach knotted. Not again. "When did she leave?"
"Commander Maren has not left the ship."
"Then where is she?" Was the computer also compromised? Ops would have to be one of her stops. Or Rommie. It all depended on what answers she found in the next few hours.
"Commander Maren is on the bridge."
"No," she whispered. Alyssa would be two—that she knew of. Jayna pulled out her small PADD and tapped into the computer. The chief science officer was scheduled for alpha shift, so she should either be in her office, in one of the labs, or on the bridge. The PADD said she was in her office.
Jayna rang the chime to Alyssa's office again. Again, there was no reply.
"Hi. Can I help you?" a female voice asked.
Jayna turned to see a brown-haired woman in a teal uniform. "I'm looking for Commander Maren."
"I haven't seen her all day. I'm not sure where she is right now. From what I've been told, she's not on the bridge and she's not in her quarters."
What was the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing and expecting a different result? Yeah. "And she's not in her office. Do me a favor. Ask the computer where she is," the half Vulcan asked.
Fathom frowned as if she'd refuse, then she tapped her combadge. "Computer where is Commander Maren?"
"Commander Maren is outside the ship," the computer replied in a calm, reasonable voice.
Jayna swore in Bajoran and began to pace the corridor. "Outside the ship where?"
At the same time, Fathom asked, "What would she be doing outside the ship?"
"Commander Maren is on the left nacelle."
"In an EVA suit?" Fathom asked. "Why would she be on the nacelle?"
"Commander Maren. She is in her quarters."
"That's what I was afraid of." Jayna ran a hand through her hair. "She's missing. Major Tremble is missing. I'm not sure who else is missing, but I'm sure there are more."
"What's going on?" Fathom asked.
"I don't know." Jayna stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm Mira Jayna, by the way. I'm a friend of Alyssa's and I wanted to talk to her about using Astrometrics."
"Fathom Fellini," the other woman replied. "We have an Astrometrics officer who is on gamma shift, I believe. And doctor Leonard is there during delta shift, if he isn't in the physics lab. Lieutenant Valen is going to be here soon. Do you want to talk to him?"
"No… Yes. I need to see if anyone else is gone. When you see him, have him find me. I'll explain what I can then."
"Can I help?" Fathom asked. "There's not a lot to do until we get to the nebula."
Jayna shook her head, then stopped. "I don't know. right now, see if you can find out if anyone in science has been behaving strangely."
"Besides Sheldon?" Fathom shook her head. "Never mind. He always acts strange. But other than that, no. I'll check around and let you know if I find anything. And If Alyssa shows up, I'll let her know you're looking for her." Fathom cast a worried glance at Alyssa's office door. "If she shows up."
She waved a hand in thanks and turned to go to operations. She was only half paying attention to where she was going, so when she turned a corner, she almost ran into Commander Malbrooke.
"Jayna? Is everything okay?" Kat asked, stopping to look at the half-Vulcan's face. "You look like something's wrong."
"Yes. No. Maybe." Jayna paused, noticing that Kat, too, looked upset. "Is something wrong with the captain?" Might as well get straight to the point.
Kat rubbed her belly. "How…what makes you say that?"
"Because Neil is missing. Alyssa Maren is missing. And Neil left me a rather cryptic message warning me that Captain Malbrooke and Commander McGowen have been compromised. He didn't know why and he was sweating and anxious."
Kat frowned. "Yes. Something is definitely wrong. Ty's not acting like himself, or he wasn't when I saw him last. He was nervous and paranoid. It's like he's another person. What's going on?"
Another person? "I don't know. I'm trying to get answers. Commander McGowen deleted the data on the Serenity that pertained to the visit to the underwater lab. I looked through the data and didn’t find anything unusual, but I obviously missed something."
Kat straightened. "I don't know what's going on, but I want to help. My husband is acting like he's possessed and I want to get him back." She put a hand on her belly. "I have a very good reason to protect my family."
Jayna froze. "Possessed?" She remembered a conversation with Rowena about the Maleficus and how the crew disappeared and the captain was acting like he was crazy. Like Captain Malbrooke was acting crazy? This sounded too similar, but she needed more than just a theory. She needed proof.
She remembered her encounter with Kavicus. Had that creature or something like it come aboard on the Serenity? Was Captain Merrick right? Was it possible that something had possessed the captain? And maybe Rowena? But if so, how could she—they—find out? And where did Neil and Alyssa go?
She shook her head. Too many thoughts and nothing to tie any of them to answers. "Come on. We need to find Captain Merrick. He was going to talk to Rowena, and if she's compromised, it may not go well."
Kat nodded. "Okay. Where do we find him?'
"We'll check intel first, then go down to the Cure." And hope they found him before he, too, disappeared.
A Joint Post by
Lieutenant Junior Grade Mira Jayna
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
Intelligence Liaison, The Cure
Lieutenant Fathom Fellini
Marine Biologist, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Katherine Malbrooke
Operational Advisor, USS Pioneer
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