Investigating

Posted on Thu Apr 7th, 2011 @ 11:46am by Lieutenant Three of Seven & S'anra & Lieutenant Xylia Lischka

Mission: Renegades
Location: Various
Timeline: Shortly after "Nothing Left"

Ensign Shenk sat in Security, the past forty minutes wearing heavily on him after the notification of the attack on the U.S.S. Temperance as he poured over every bit of data that he could find on the Temperance. Someone had attacked the vessel and barely a shred of information had been given over the distress call. He was concerned about the abrupt Red Alert and jump to maximum warp, but he was on a ship of war and it was their job to investigate the missing and attacked vessels in the Gavarian Corridor.

After the Tactical Officer on the bridge alerted him and passed the Captain's orders, Ensign Shenk tapped his comm badge. "This is Ensign Shenk in Security to Lieutenant Lischka, Lieutenant JG Three of Seven and S'anra. There's work to be done and the Captain wants us to determine a specific culprit and what kind of weaponry was used to do so much damage in such a short time. I'll meet you in the main Cargo Bay." Finishing, he grabbed a PADD and headed out to the main Cargo Bay where pieces of the Temperance were being beamed aboard.

Xylia walked toward the Cargo Bay where she knew Ensign Shenk was to be. It didn't take her long to spot the man standing alone not too far away. Taking a few long strides, she stopped next to him. "What's the problem, Ensign? Major DeVries handpicked you for this task. You don't need me watching your every move. That's only going to make you nervous, and in a situation like this, none of us wants that."

Marc straightened up as Lieutenant Lischka showed up. "Thank you for responding, Lieutenant Lischka. No disrespect, Lieutenant, but I feel that with your presence that I will perform better." He deliberately paused and took a breath. "I'm more than certain that your experience and expertise far surpasses mine and that you will be a valuable contribution to the investigation."

"Very well. I will stay if that's your wish, but this is your investigation. It's time to shine, Ensign Shenk. I will only offer my opinion if I feel that something was missed." She stated.

Marc nodded, taking confidence in her statement. "I'll do my best, Lieutenant." He turned to the wreckage that was starting to be beamed aboard. "My god," he whispered. "What could have done this....?"

S'anra stepped into the cargo bay, perhaps a bit more irritated that this seemed to be less of a request and more of an order. From an Ensign, even. If, and she thought if quite intentionally, if she was an officer, she would surely outrank him. "Ensign, I assume you are aware that my lack of rank does not make me available at every crewmember's request. Nevertheless, this is the wreckage of a Federation vessel?" From it's appearance, it was difficult to determine that the debris was even from a ship at all, much less whose ship it was.

"My apologies, S'anra," he replied in Romulan as he looked at the woman before switching back to Federation Standard. "I should have made it a request. This is my first assignment on the Arizona and I'm a little excited." He paused for a moment. "This is going to be a task." Taking out his PaDD, he reviewed the limited information that he was given on it. "In less than forty minutes, the Temperance was utterly destroyed and it's our job to figure out who did it and with what." He turned to glance at Lieutenant Lischka before picking up a scanner and approaching the nearest piece of debris.

Xylia continued to hang back, waiting for the last of the investigative crew to appear. She turned her attention to the woman who just appeared and couldn't help but arch a brow. Apparently, she was Romulan based on Shenk speaking to her in their native tongue. She didn't know the language personally, but she knew enough to realize when it was being spoken. Being this close to one made her skin crawl, but she wasn't completely in the dark. She was definitely aware that there were a couple on board, though she wasn't sure why. That definitely wasn't her call to make.

Taking another step back to put more distance between them, she looked down at the PADD she carried, pulling up all the information she could about the other woman. She definitely wouldn't cause a scene. Now wasn't the time, nor the place for such things. There was a job that needed to be done, and while she was here, she wasn't the one who would be doing it. Ensign Marc Shenk would be the one handling that side of things. It was his time to shine. Or to fail miserably, but she didn't think that was likely to happen.

Moving from piece to piece of the wreckage of the Temperance, shaking his head as his scanner over them. Looking at the readings, he muttered to himself. "This can't be right..." Looking at S'anra and Lt. Lischka, he felt a headache coming on. "Could you double check these readings? According to my preliminary scan, the Temperance took hits from multiple ships. I can't determine any blast patterns, either. Other than that...it looks like anything else was wiped clean from the explosion."

"I will take samples back to the lab, the scanners may be able to discern more than your tricorder," S'anra stated simply.

The small Borg drone arrived with an engineering kit in tow, pausing only to conduct a brief survey of the debris available. The individuals present were of no interest, nor was the manner in which the drone had been summoned. The strict hierarchical nature of Starfleet was one which Three was not entirely an advocate for. Another drone in their Collective had been aware of a mandate from their 'Queen' and requested an additional allocation of resources with which to tend to the present concerns of the Collective. Who was an ensign and who was a lieutenant was a pissing contest of prides which the former Ocampa would leave to those individuals obsessed with that individuality. Without word or greeting, the mechanized figure withdrew an engineering tricorder and immediately proceeded to the first substantive piece of wreckage.

'Substantive' being a term of art, as this duranium shard was barely larger than the commbadge which adorned the front of the Borg's coveralls. Due to the nature of the Borg hive consciousness, Three had seen a large number of Federation vessels destroyed - including the engagements at Wolf 359 and Sector 001 - in the nearly four decades which it had existed as a probe-drone. What Three saw laid out on the floor was nothing more than the fine remnants left as dust in the wake of a warp core breach. "It will not be possible to distinguish whether the detonation of the core was a direct or indirect result of the attack," Three announced after examining the largest piece of wreckage. It was the first time that the drone had spoken since arriving, the short humanoid turning to at last regard it's co-workers as though acknowledging their existence only now.

Folding the tricorder away, Three closed up it's engineering kit. "The wreckage is contaminated by low levels of theta radiation from the core breach which masks most other energy signatures, making identification implausible as to the type of weapon used." Three added in the same emotionless tones. Another failing of individuality, as a hive consciousness would have permitted the Borg to be aware of all causes of an attack as it happened in real time. This investigative approach being reactive would be insufficient to prepare the Arizona for whatever threat existed.

Ensign Shenk nodded at the Borg and S'anra, also giving an acknowledging nod at Lieutenant Lishcka. "Then it looks like this investigation has proved inconclusive. S'anra, thank you for your assistance. Lieutenant 3 of 7, your analysis of the situation has been noted." He added all the information to his PaDD, knowing the Captain wouldn't be happy. Inwardly, he had hoped that there would be something more substantial, but he acknowledged that it would take more than the meager evidence they had to pinpoint exactly who was doing this. "Lieutenant Lischka, thank you for your presence. For now...there seems nothing more to report until S'anra can do a full analysis at the lab. That will be all, unless anyone has anything else to add." He looked at the others, a lone Ensign with an investigation that was already starting to prove to go far deeper into the proverbial rabbit hole than he would be willing to delve into. Yet, he admitted to himself, it was his job and he would follow the white rabbit and hope that the Mad Hatter wasn't utterly psychotic and kill them all.

"When all reports are ready, let the Captain know." Xylia said before turning on her heel and walking out of the cargo bay.

Making a final check of his readings and entering the last of the information on his PaDD, Marc left the Cargo Bay to head back to Security so he could begin to compile his report for Captain Cowell.