Murder, She Wrote

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 5:25am by Cailus Griffin & Captain Nycolas Temple & Lieutenant John Sandoval & Ensign Emmanuelle Larose
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:31pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Paradise - Atrium Level

ON:

The message from Katya to Nyx had been short and pointed. "Meet me on the station." Temple and Sandoval had been visiting the Irokari in their docked ship, hoping to avoid scrutiny from Katya and her ever-present surveillance systems, but as soon as the message was relayed to him from the Pandora, there was a noticeable gulp in the Captain's throat. He had to wonder if Katya had somehow learnt of their private meeting with the Irokari, or perhaps they had been betrayed? He wondered if perhaps they weren't clear enough to Rivain that the meeting was supposed to be kept secret? He could only guess.

As they entered the transport cube, Nyx turned to Sandoval. "What do you think?" He asked, trying to keep his tone obscure. They were likely being watched in the cube, but he wanted to gauge the Chief Diplomat's feeling on the message.

“Not a lot to go on Captain,” John replied. “It could be anything. But her message didn’t include a meeting place. We don’t know where this cube is taking us. That gives Ms. Katya the advantage.” He leaned against his cane and tried to think of anything else. He looked at Emmanuelle. “Stay close, Ensign. Be ready for anything.” Emmanuelle nodded tightly.

"That's a good point." Nyx mused. He stepped forwards to the information Kiosk and after pressing a few buttons, saw their destination. "Looks like we're going back to the Atrium level."

“That was a good idea, sir,” John said a bit sheepishly. “That’s where most of our crew are, I believe. Shopping and exploring the entertainment areas.”

The Captain nodded, looking down at his PADD. "I've got a list here of who's currently on liberty." He said as he scrolled through the list. One name, Mauricio Arnaldo, struck him as odd. The Marine previously couldn't even leave the Brig, now he was on the station? The next name he saw, Dorian Rochester, filled him with a thickening dread. He sighed as he looked back to Sandoval, "Here's hoping they stay out of trouble."

“Yes, sir,” he said. He was silently hoping that if there was any trouble, that Aeryn was nowhere near it. He knew she was likely aboard the station shopping and enjoying herself. If anything happened to her...

"Speaking of..." Nyx murmured before tapping his badge, =/\= Lieutenant Griffin, have you finished your meeting with Paradise security?" =/\=

=/\=Yes sir,=/\= came the curt reply. =/\=Lieutenant Parrino and I are being escorted to the commercial area now.=/\=

Natalia glanced at Griffin when her name was called, yet kept walking.

=/\= Could you and Parrino make your way to the Atrium level. We have an urgent meeting with Chief Katya. =/\=

=/\=Aye captain, we're on our way.=/\=

Nyx and Sandoval waited for the next travel cube to arrive and for Griffin and Parrino to exit. Nyx wanted to ask them both about their meeting with station security, curious to see what insights the ever-observant Chief of Security had managed to uncover. But it was incredibly likely that they were still being watched now, so the Captain's curiosity would have to go unanswered.

A Paradise Guard stepped forward, his body language clearly aggressive as he stood close into the Captains' personal space and practically pointed his gloved hand into Nyx's face as he barked an order, "You will meet Katya in the conference room." The Guard stated. "Now!"

Nyx remained unperturbed; if he was nervous about the sudden change in tone coming from the station crew, he was certainly not about to show it. The Captain put on a half-smile and nodded, "As you wish." He said calmly.

Having arrived while the guard made the 'request', Cailus and Natalia stepped out of the transport cube. Cailus glanced at Natalia, frowning, but he didn't comment, instead wordlessly taking a bodyguard position behind the captain.

Natalia raised an eyebrow. The station inhabitants clearly had ill-mannered guards, which was generally a no-no if a community was to trust its police force enough to report crime.

The group were led back to the conference room where they first held discussions with the Irokari. Except this time, the feel of the experience was less elaborate spectacle and more ominous silence, with the Atrium level completely absent of any other people except for the Pandora five and the Paradise Guards. The colour-changing, parting waterfall had been turned off, exposing the blank concrete wall and mechanisms behind it, as if they were peeking behind the curtain of the show. The Guards walked in silence as the Starfleet officers were take into the room and they stood by the doorway this time, instead of leaving. There was no food table, which Nyx didn't particularly miss, and the room was noticeably darker in lighting. None of this was sitting well with the Captain.

Almost immediately the silver screen on the wall activated, revealing a terse-looking Chief Katya.

"Pandora crew. We have discovered a very serious crime onboard this station." She began immediately, dispensing with any greetings. "A body has been discovered in an alley way of the Entertainment district. They appear to have been murdered."

"Was it one of the children?" Natalia became very concerned.

"No." Katya replied tersely. "It was one of my security guards. From what we can gather, they had been shot at close range by a phaser in the Entertainment district. Their body was deliberately moved to the alley way where the culprit attempted to hide it. We have the following surveillance footage of the alleyway."

The screen changed to night-vision video of the area, with people normally walking through the busy street, before focusing on a particular corner of the screen. There, a shadowy figure in a silver suit is seen dragging the guard - identifiable with the round helmet - into the alleyway and attempting to cover it with rubbish and discarded pieces from around them. A patrol approaches and suddenly the figure disappears again out of sight.

"We should have the body examined for any clues," Natalia quietly said to Cailus.

"And the crime scene should be swept for forensic evidence, if it hasn't been already," Cailus replied just as quietly, his eyes fixed on Katya and her guards with intense focus. "Which this facility is perfectly capable of doing and does not need our assistance with."

Natalia nodded. She was not sure what this facility's security capabilities were.

"That's not all." Katya continued. "While retrieving the body, we found this." She held up a Starfleet PADD concealed in a plastic bag, which had a splattering of blood on it's left corner. "This was next to the body. I believe it belongs to your people?"

As soon as Nyx saw the PADD he stopped breathing for a moment. He knew what the discovery meant, why Katya had brought them all here so suddenly, and what she was about to accuse them of. One of the Pandora's crew members had murdered this Paradise security guard. Of course there could be countless reasons why that PADD was found with the body, but there was clearly only going to be this conclusion.

"That appears to be a piece of our personal equipment." Nyx confirmed, stepping forward towards the screen as if trying to see it better. "Or a very convincing replica."

"I know the products available on my station, Captain." Katya said firmly. "We do not sell or trade in Federation technology. Not even fraudulent ones. This has come from a member of your crew, they were present in the alleyway."

John stood silently and listened. One skill he learned over the years was when it was important to speak and when it was better to listen in silence. He could think of a variety of reasons why the PADD might be there of course, but the more they protested innocence the worst it would look for them. He shared a glance with Emmanuelle, who instinctively stepped closer to her charge.

"We have not had one murder of this kind since I took over management of Paradise." Katya hissed, her tattoos seemingly glowing in vibrancy as her tone became more heated. "We allowed your Federation ship to dock and now, one of my Guards is murdered and dumped in an alleyway! That Guard had a family, friends. Now he is no more."

Nyx stepped even closer to the screen, raising his hands slightly, "We are deeply sorry for the loss of your personnel. Allow me to reassure you that murder is abhorrent and unnecessary to us. The taking of another life is one of the highest crimes in Federation society and we are just as shocked and dismayed that this has occurred. We offer our full support in investigating what has happened and apprehending the culprit."

Katya shook her head, "It was one of your crew!" She pointed her finger angrily at the screen, "You must turn them over to us!"

John spoke up very softly. “It’s in our interests to cooperate with you fully and we’ll get to the bottom of this. We’ll find who is responsible for this murder. And if it was one of our crew, they will be apprehended. But we have strict rules governing the transfer of prisoners from one jurisdiction to another. We rely on extradition treaties, and we do not have one with Paradise Station. If a Starfleet Officer was responsible for this, he or she could not simply be handed over to you. We would need to negotiate an agreement that included certain guarantees.”

Natalia made a mental note to examine the PADD and pull the logs of all Federation vessels that docked with the station in the past 6 months.

"Hear me, Pandora." Katya growled. "If you attempt to leave Paradise with the murderer onboard your ship, we will use our full firepower against you. As such, I am giving your people twenty-four of your Federation hours to remove themselves from my station. I will allow you a small team to assist in our efforts to find the killer. You will need to provide access for our Guards to enter your ship and conduct a search if required."

Behind Nyx, Cailus had become very still. The normally quiet, sober man, usually unassuming or noteworthy, was suddenly anything but. Suddenly, he looked very, very dangerous. "Any such search, if performed without our consent, would be a direct violation of Starfleet security regulations and Federation law regarding a Starfleet vessel at a foreign port. If it occurs," he said coldly, emphasising the 'if', "it will be under the direct supervision of our personnel and with the express consent of Captain Temple. The Pandora is sovereign territory of the United Federation of Planets and you do not have jurisdiction to search it without our permission."

It was highly unusual for Starfleet to allow foreign guards to search the ship, a total violation of protocols and security measures. But Nyx knew Katya was not going to let the ship leave until the Chief was satisfied they had conducted an honest investigation, which he was more than willing to cooperate with. He also couldn't risk the Pandora being destroyed by Paradise's extensive defensive capabilities. He stole a short glance back to Griffin, his eyes indicating that he was being forced to comply with the demand.

"Of course." Nyx replied, turning back to Katya. "We will gladly accept your people on the Pandora, under supervision from our own Security officers. We will do whatever we can to find the person responsible."

"As you should." Katya replied with a curled lip. "Once we have the murderer, your ship will leave the station immediately. Your business with Paradise has concluded."

"With respect, Chief Katya," Nyx spoke quickly. "Is it not highly likely that someone is attempting to frame the Pandora for this crime? So that you would have this exact reaction to us?"

Katya shuddered, her face indicating that she didn't quite want to believe the Captain's idea, but there was a small moment of acknowledgement in her bright orange eyes dimming slightly. "Perhaps." She murmured. "But the evidence so-far is quite clear, Captain. The Pandora and all her crew are our number one suspect in this investigation. If your crew are innocent and we have cleared each and every Starfleet personnel, we will look at another suspect. We will speak again soon."

The screen went blank, returning to its normal silver appearance. Nyx gave a deep sigh before turning back to his crew. The Paradise Guards still stood by the doorway, their presence obvious and intentional. He knew they couldn't talk openly here and would have to return to the ship. He had to believe this was related to their recent security breaches, it was too coincidental not to be the same person.

"Griffin, we should meet with Commander Nash back on the ship to formalise our response." Temple declared, before looking back to the others. "Sandoval and Parrino, I need you to very quietly and discreetly gather everyone back onto the ship. Make a note of everyone's whereabouts when you find them, but don't tell them why we're cancelling liberties."

"Aye, aye, sir," Natalia responded. She was very concerned about the small window they had... it sounded like they had 24 hours to solve the murder or cough up a body to the station who would be named a murderer.

John nodded as Natalia responded. He looked to the intelligence officer. The two hadn’t worked together before, but there was a first time for everything. “Lieutenant,” he said softly to her, “let’s go to the entertainment district. Most of our crew should be there. Ensign,” he looked to Emmanuelle, “have Pandora security get us a list of all crew not presently aboard. Have them send it to Parrino’s PADD.”

Natalia nodded to John as she pulled her PADD out to monitor the communique.

Emmanuelle stepped aside and tapped her communicator, speaking softly with the Pandora security office. She remembered that the Captain had a list of all those who were currently taking liberty on Paradise Station, but it was best to ensure they got the most up-to-date list directly from the ship. She nodded to Natalia, quietly signaling her that the information transfer was underway.

John saw the nod and gestured back toward the transport cube. "Captain, by your leave, we'll go find everyone and bring them home."

"Aye." Nyx murmured vaguely, his face still a cold twist of suppressed emotion. He looked to the others, realising they were waiting for him to say something. He forced himself to give a grim smile. "I have faith that a member of our crew is not a killer. We've all taken the same oath from the Academy to the day we stepped onboard the Pandora. We dedicate ourselves to serving the Federation with our hearts, minds, and lives, in pursuit of the goal of creating a better galaxy. A Starfleet officer does not just forget that promise the moment they step off the ship." He took in a deep breath, "We will find out what happened to the guard and will preform a full investigation to clear every single member of our crew. Dismissed."

John and Emmanuelle, an increasingly tight team, nodded in unison. John looked to Natalia. “Shall we, Lieutenant?”

The trio quickly moved to the the transport cube, which Emmanuelle activated to bring them to the entertainment district.

The Captain stood back with Lieutenant Griffin while the others boarded their travel cube and disappeared. They remained in silence as they waited for their cube and walked inside with the same stillness. As the doors closed, Nyx stole a look across their glass transport to the Chief of Security.

For his part, Cailus looked as unflappable as ever, although there was a distinctly worried look in his eyes as he glanced back at the Captain. "Sir?" he asked quietly as the cube began zipping along to its destination.

"I never did believe in coincidences, Lieutenant." Nyx remarked obtusely. "We have a murderer to find."

OFF