Investigating The Aftermath

Posted on Fri Jun 15th, 2012 @ 8:24am by Commander Oralia Zeferino & Lieutenant Commander Gilroy & Lieutenant Valkris Edwardson- tSepeS & Ensign Kai Sarkozi

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Archadia III

* * * Archadia III * * *


Security was still swarming when Kai arrived back at the restaurant. Searching the crowd, she spotted Oz and Gilroy and smiled. She immediately wiped the goofy grin off her face before he saw it. Really, she was acting like a schoolgirl. As Oz turned in her direction, she waved her over.

"Hello, Commander. I just wanted to let you know that the Admiral is back on the station. And good news, the baby has arrived and everything is fine. Valkris is on her way here to assist you as well."

"That's fine," Oz acknowledged Kai's statements with a small nod. Worry was etched into her face as she surveyed the scene. Suddenly her brows drew together in puzzlement, "Wait... what baby?"

"Admiral Hawke's wife, Aia Rios, Commander," Gilroy quietly filled in the blank. Though he was addressing Oz, his eyes were on Kai. He attempted a smile, but it was incongruous both to the situation and to his face; it looked more like a sneer.

"Yes, the admiral's wife. Do you all need me here? If not, Khali is about to verbally gut the Prime Minister and I'd like to be there. It should be quite a show." Kai caught Gilroy's look, and the attempt at a smile and for a moment, she wasn't sure if it was a smile or if he was indeed sneering at her. He was so hard to read, like, all the time. She gave him a nervous smile and backed away a little as some of the local Security arrived and the area grew more crowded.

"This certainly looked like some kind of party!" The voice of Valkris announced as she came up behind Kai and Oz. "Commander, Ensign." She acknowledged both officers with a slight nod. "I took a bit of time walking the perimeter before coming here, I wanted to see who else might be interested in seeing how this thing is playing out."

"And did you find anything while walking the perimeter?", Oz asked the Intelligence Lieutenant.

Valkris shrugged her shoulders, "Yes and no actually...." She replied as she fished the small PADD from her pocket. "This sort of fell into my hands shortly before the attack occurred, I believe that the device's owner and the timing of the explosion are related in some way."

Handing the small PADD to Oralia, she paused while the Lieutenant Commander inspected it. "Perhaps there's some useful information on that device that can help point us in the right direction? Now with this second attempt, perhaps we should move the meeting to a more secure location?"

Oz's 'inspection' of the device went no further than a mere glance at the thing before handing it to Gilroy, who glowered at the thing as if doing so would make it reveal its secrets. His expression didn't go unnoticed by Oz. "Commander Kh'ali is handling getting the meeting relocated to the Station. I imagine that's part of the show that Kai's about to catch," she chuckled and tried to lighten up. "As for the PADD, Lieutenant Edwardson-tSepes," she stumbled on the mouthful of a name, "Please work with Lieutenant Gilroy to get any information off of it that you can. Glaring at it won't work." She touched Gilroy's forearm, causing him to startle slightly. She guessed that he was still feeling the effects of having been nearly blown to bits.

A sly smirk cracked her usually stone faced demeanor "Not to worry Commander, you're not the first to have trouble with my name! For the record it's pronounced Tehp-Eh-ss, or to be perfectly honest, simply referring to me as Lieutenant Valkris." She replied.

Gilroy frowned and nodded as he made eye contact with Valkris. He had no doubt that the Lieutenant would be able to make short work of getting information off the PADD.

Kai looked from one to the other. "I should get back to Kh'ali. I'll check in with you, Commander or with Gilroy," she paused to look past Oz to the part Klingon just behind her, "Once we have a definite on the conference move, I suspect that in less than an hour, you'll have all the cooperation you can handle."

"Commander....," Valkris interjected, "I suggest that we limit the number of Archadians we allow onto the station, much in the same way the same thing was done prior to our arrival." Taking the PADD back she put it back into her jacket and patted it to make sure that it was safe and secure. "I have a few ideas I think may work in flushing out who our conspirators truly are." she added.

"Ensign Sarkozi, when you join up with Commander Kh'ali, please pass on the Lieutenant's suggestion. You're dismissed," Oralia obliquely gave an order to the Admiral's aide. As Kai nodded and headed off to find Kh'ali, the Commander turned her attention fully on the Intelligence officer. "The suite Gilroy and I were assigned here is a SafeHaven," a term by which Oz meant that the suite had been swept for listening devices and secured by Starfleet Security; two portable Fleet consoles were there, as well. "The two of you can take the padd there to work on it. Lieutenant Gilroy will remain on the planet, in charge of the crime scene and the investigation. I'm going to head back to the Station to make arrangements for the meeting there."

"Understood, Commander," Gilroy spoke up. "The Forensics team has had time to gather what evidence they could from the scene here, Lieutenant. Come, I'll show you to the suite," he turned slightly, indicating for Valkris to follow him.

Valkris said nothing further and simply followed the man where indicated, something about this whole affair made her skin crawl and the sooner she'd gotten to the bottom of this and off this planet the better.