Security Catch Up

Posted on 07 Jul 2022 @ 11:46pm by Commander Calliope Zahn & Lieutenant Theodore Winslow & Chief Deputy Marshal: Ridge Steiner - FMS

Mission: M3 - Into the Deep
Location: OC, Main Security Office
Timeline: MD05 HR1120
2198 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Calliope speedwalked her way off the express lift, having been using the new command lockouts granted her on the lifts so there would be no stops and no fellow passengers. When she came to the Security Office on the Promenade, she swept past the reception desk on a bee line for the conference room and waved for Winslow. "Bring your assistant Chief," she intoned, seeing the Marshal nearby. She'd never met him, but had just recently glanced over the personnel file.

Winslow did not even have time to register the woman properly or offer a greeting as it struck him that the woman was ready for business but did indicate to the man that they were needed.

"I'm Commander Calliope Zahn," she said over her shoulder for the Marshal's benefit while they caught up to her; assuming he arrived after her removal, he wouldn't know her from the next passing officer on the station. She extended them both orders on slim paDDs.

Steiner came over when called. "Commander" he nodded to Zahn when Winslow introduced her and took the offered PaDD she was holding out.

"Secure the room," she said.

Theo pressed the door lock and pressed a sequence of the door that would secure it to anyone inside who released it. "What is going on Sir?" He said quickly

"You're assigned to the USS Pathfinder, Commanded by Captain DeHavilland and myself, as your XO. We launch within the hour so let's get you both up to speed before you check in."

Ship duty? And on short notice, somemthing was up.... Steiner thought to himself. He had a couple of things ongoing with Promenade matters, but Lofthammer and T'Sar could handle those.

"Very short notice and both of us." The department head said taking the PADD from her. Things were getting stranger and stranger by the day. It was not standard for both of them to leave the base at all.

Calliope put both hands on her hips. "You're both aware that Captain DeHavilland brought back some ship remains which have been under wraps." The fact that there were ship remains hauled back had been observable from enough portholes. But what it was precisely had been entirely left to the imagination. "No doubt you've deduced there being some connection when shortly thereafter, a slightly higher alert status for the base was ordered. The alert you've been managing with the civilians."

For the past three days all ship movements had to coordinate with escorts from the station fighters and shuttle complements, a civilian curfew and increased check points had been established, there were more foot patrols, and civilian planned drills and emergency training courses had been scheduled and required for all adult residents. In the interest of preventing panic, no reasons had been announced, besides 'diligence' and most accepted the changes without much trouble seeing as the station had recently resisted an attack and it seemed on balance to make good sense to be prepared for any in the future. Life had otherwise continued on the station undisturbed. "I'm sure you've both been looking for more of an explanation."

"I was going to be requesting more information from the Captain this afternoon," Theo admitted. Whilst he did not mind being in the dark with a yes sir, the situation was becoming something that did not settle right with him. He wanted to know the threat to know that was coming from the remains of a vessel.

Steiner had heard rumours of alien wreckage, but having not been involved he'd concentrated on other duties. The increased security protocols and drills had been some of those. He had assumed that with the Promenade opening up and and increased civilian population Command had been keen to start things on the right foot. This was, after all, an operational Starfleet facility. Now it seemed there was a more ominous reason.

He accessed the PaDD and began thumbing through the data. He stopped at the initial reports on the wreckage analysis. Those weaponry projections were startlingly familiar! He felt his heartbeat increasing as he continued reading. He had seen this data before, well not exactly the same but too similar for coincidence. The Rule Thirty-Four gang had been dealing in weaponry with these kinds of energy matrices, not as powerful as the report suggested this ship carried, but certainly the same type. Was there a connection here? he wondered.

He continued reading and opened up the section on the Pyrryx. The report was stunning, these things sounded worse than the Borg and the Dominion combined! And they'd been known about for sometime? Why was this only being revealed now?

Clearly some bits of Pyrryx technology was out there on the blackmarket and criminals were trading it around as weaponry. That made him angry!

He glanced up at Zahn. He was about to demand why Starfleet was keeping this kind of information secret and not sharing it with other Federation agencies but one look at her big eyes and kinda cute freckally face, she was nice to look at and he bit his tongue.

Damn why had this got him so worked up? He looked over at Zahn again, taking in her green skin. She's Orion!

He blew out a lungful of air and stepped back a few paces across the room. Of course...! Pheromones! "Please, give me a moment"

He sat on the edge of his desk, and shut his eyes, concentrating on getting his heart to slow down and letting go of how pissed off he felt that Starfleet was letting alien technology be used for criminal purposes without telling anyone. He took several deep breaths, clearing his lungs out, feeling his head clear a little.

"Ok, sorry about that" He said, staying where he was, ten feet away. "Excuse the personal question but you're not using blockers are you Commander?"

Refraining from speaking at first, Calliope watched Steiner reel around through his emotions and finally take a big step back from her like she was going to bite. "I'm expressly disallowed access to pheromone blockers." Calliope tried not to grit her teeth as she responded. This was precisely why she'd ignored the contraindications over the years and done everything she could to get around the medical advice against the hypos she'd been on. "Will that be a problem?"

"Huh ok, yeah been a while since I've been exposed." He smiled "No problem though, I've got a prescription for anti-toxins I can get activated. Marshal's Service standard issue for male personnel."

There had been a few embarrassing incidents many decades ago when the Service first began tackling Orion Syndicate activities. Dozens of Deputies, Prosecutors and Judges had all been compromised, cases blown, criminals set free, a huge scandal. It had been a nightmare until the Service contracted with several medical universities to develop a male version of the pheromone blocker. It apparently had some kind of Vulcan bio-chemical ingredients, the in-service joke was that if you were on it long enough, your ears grew points and you lost your sense of humor.

He had a lot more questions but he knew he needed to let his head clear and get his focus back before asking them.

Theo turned to open his mouth to say something about the rudeness of the question in defence of his friend but he saw the look on Calliope's face. He had not realised that anything was amiss, either having grown used or perhaps he just did not see Calliope that way in any shape of form. She was a friend's wife, his friend and he was sure he would lose that connection if anything amiss happened.

After giving Winslow a telegraphed look to insist he not try to make a defense for her, Calliope took a moment, and a deep breath. On the one hand she was sorry for being an inconvenience, but on the other, she felt a level of relief that someone else would account for the effect.

"Thank you, Marshal," she said with genuine appreciation before pressing earnestly into the rest of the brief. "I'm afraid we only have about a half an hour to report aboard. Most personnel assignments have already been made, but if you would like to exchange any of the security teams, there is still time." She looked to Winslow, "I asked Captain DeHavilland to let me read you in because I know you've already had success working together with Major Finn, who is along for this." And because she trusted Theo implicitly, almost like a brother, she thought, catching his eyes as he looked up from the mission padd. Aside from his competence and capable actions on the planet and in the fight to defend the Station, his patient, non-judgemental friendship had made an impression on her. She looked back down to her own wrist display, calling something else up. "As you can see from the orders, the goal is actually to do our best to avoid any confrontation, to learn what we can and return safely. But there are too many unknowns and we have to be prepared in case we need to take any away teams to investigate, or... in the possibility of the Pathfinder being boarded. I need to give you the full picture of what we could be facing."

The security chief said nothing but nodded. The assignments would be what he would have made for anything that the time frame quickness would indicate was needed. "Go on." He said speaking finally as she caught her gaze and he offered a small smile.

Calliope holo projected the short clip that was in the file and a miniaturized version of the scene played out where a hulking black form in a terrifyingly beautiful armor crashed through the corridor, wasting a vulcan in spite of the Vulcan's skillful attempt to resist, then cracking his spine to toss him aside almost effortlessly.

That the image was miniaturized made it somehow slightly more palatable, but not by much. Calliope felt something familiar about the Pyrryx warrior as she watched, though it was the third time she had played the clip and she hadn't put her finger on it yet.

Theo winced as he watched the Vulcan be tossed aside. He would want to see the footage again later to process it more. "I think we get the level of security and need for secrecy now." He said trying to think on if he had ever heard of Pyrryx before but he was coming up blank.

"Sonofabitch! That's real?" Steiner rubbed his jaw, that was terrifying. He's seen footage of Jem'hadar in combat, this thing was so far beyond that. A couple of those on the Promenade would slaughter everyone in sight! "Are these Pyrryx related to those wandering hunter-things from the Delta Quadrant? Haro-jen is it? Something like that? They're big, tough, super-aggressive killers and wear armor right?"

"I couldn't say," Calliope responded as she shut down the hologram before it could replay the clip. "Although Tactical experts have not drawn any connections with the Hirogen beyond the superficial."

"I am guessing this is the most up-to-date information," Theo said reaching the end of the briefing and started to scroll back up to certain parts of it mostly the weapons they would be facing.

"It is, yes. I've amended your brief with all of the up to the minute summaries on the tactical information for their weapons and devices we've gathered so far in the lab analysis." Calliope said solemnly. "The Pyrryx employ a number of technologies the UFP, her allies, and even most of her enemies find abhorrent, including, but by no means limited to, subspace weapons and thalaron adjacent radioactive last-ditch scatter rays."

"Somehow I don't think they're the type for peace treaties, non-aggression agreements and cozy diplomatic chats," Steiner muttered.

"Without a doubt, not the warm and friendly type." Theo agreed as he quickly looked through the list of known weapons. There were going to be going into something far bigger than they had faced for a very long time.

"Anything else we need before we come aboard Commander?" Steiner asked. His mind already working through a list of things he'd need to take care off in the short time they had. Fortunately he always had a go-bag ready in the back of his closet, so packing wasn't one of them.

"I've given you everything I have in that brief. Any further information will be new to me as well." She looked between them both, knowing that none of them had enough time to prepare and they had to make the most of what they did have. "I know it goes without saying, but I have to: this is all highly classified. Senior officers and their assistants on the Pathfinder will all be informed as you have been and the rest of the crew will be given the information most pertinent to their roles. Lieutenant. Marshal. I'll leave you to it and see you aboard the Pathfinder."

Calliope gathered herself and left with the same urgency as she had arrived with.

"See you aboard" Steiner said to Winslow and left too.