Intrusion in Marine Country

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 4:37am by Cailus Griffin
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:27pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 19 - Marine Quarters
Timeline: After "There's Always A Lonely Clown"

It had been barely five minutes since the intrusion report before Security arrived in the form of Lieutenant Griffin and a young Vulcan woman, Ensign T'Kemi. It was exceedingly rare for security officers to be in 'Marine Country' as it was called, and indeed, the Marines were clearly less than comfortable at the presence of outsiders on their part of the ship. The two Marines standing guard outside the quarters saluted smartly as Cailus and T'Kemi approached, both their eyes flicking down to the security officers' phasers in their holsters, but they didn't pointedly comment. The Major's orders had been clear: cooperate with Security to their best capacity, regardless of how they might feel about it.

"Corporal," Cailus said sternly to the more senior of the two Marines, acknowledging the guards' salutes with an awkward nod. Damn, it never stopped being weird that the Marines still saluted while Starfleet didn't. "Has anyone been into or out of this room since the intrusion was reported?"

"No sir!" the corporal replied sharply, standing stiffly at attention, his rifle held at port-arms. "Per the Major's orders, nobody has been into or out of this room, sir! My patrol arrived immediately after the intrusion and we have maintained guard, sir. The sergeant is still inside, sir."

"Very well," Cailus said, frowning in an ill-tempered manner, even if privately, he fully approved of the Marines' discipline and etiquette. Without another word, he stepped through the door into the small space designated for Marine NCOs. It was a far more meager space than Starfleet NCOs warranted; rather than a bed, the NCOs pointedly only had bunks, and while a Starfleet NCO had their own personal quarters, the Marines clearly didn't enjoy such frivolity. All four NCOs slept in the same room, even sharing the same head and shower.

The key thing that Cailus focused on was the communications console, however, a necessary luxury. The sergeant, a burly human of African descent, stood at attention beside the console. It was a mark of the man's greater experience and rank that unlike the corporal, he didn't seem uncomfortable in the slightest at the security officers' presence in his sleeping space.

Indeed, the sergeant's strict discipline was eerily similar to Cailus' own sternness.

"Sergeant, this is the console that was switched on?" Cailus asked the man, walking up to it while T'Kemi immediately pulled out her tricorder and started scanning. "Have you touched it since you noticed the intrusion?"

"No Lieutenant, it's all yours," the sergeant answered promptly, still standing firm, his back straight. "I don't know who was in here, lieutenant, but someone was in here. I heard that chair get knocked over before I saw the console. They must've escaped by some auxiliary exit in the corridors, because the turbolifts weren't used. These quarters aren't locked, but nobody except NCOs and senior officers are permitted in here."

"Very good," Cailus said, crossing his arms as he glanced back T'Kemi. "Ensign?"

The Vulcan woman shook her head. "No sign of explosives or other dangerous materials, sir, and no forensic traces besides the Marine NCOs. The console hasn't been tampered with." She walked up and started tapping the console display, working quickly. "The last user appears to have been scanning the communications channels, both Starfleet and foreign. They did not send anything, however."

The sergeant spoke up then, his frown an almost exact copy of the lieutenant's. "I could have caught them before they did anything. I was just coming back to pick up a towel when I heard someone running. They might have panicked."

"Perhaps," Cailus agreed reluctantly, still concerned. "T'Kemi, get Chief Anderson down here. Have him check this console's code and run a full software forensic sweep. If he needs help, inform me and I'll ask Lieutenant Mindo to lend us one of his software engineers." Glancing at the sergeant, Cailus added, "Sergeant, good work on noticing this. I need to report to your CO and to the Captain, but while that console is being analysed, maintain a permanent guard on this room as you see fit."

"Yes sir," the sergeant answered, saluting as Cailus then strode out of the room. The security chief had work to do...and if his own instincts were right, he had a traitor to hunt down.