This is the guy I met...

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 2:45am by Cailus Griffin & Commander Mindo & Terrekal
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:36pm

Mission: Death in Paradise

A Mission Post by Lieutenant Cailus Griffin & Lieutenant Mindo & Terrekal
Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Little Caesar's Arcade (aka The Palace)
Timeline: current

ON

Lieutenant Mindo cursed, again. Another goal. Terrekal was pretty good at air hockey. The two stood on opposite ends of the table, propped up on milk crates, and had been playing for about fifteen minutes before Lieutenant Griffin got there. Mindo had suggested the game to calm his nerves, and Terrekal's as well. Terrekal knew why he was there, but Mindo wanted him to think of it as an informal thing. He didn't want Terrekal to suspect anything.

The Security Chief didn’t know what to expect as he walked to the ‘Palace’. It was, in one respect, simply a by-the-book talk with a civilian about a criminal investigation. During his years with Starfleet, and his brief service with Paris law enforcement before that, Cailus had done many such informal interviews. However, the recent revelation that Terrekal could be a secret Starfleet Intelligence operative set all that on its head. Thus Cailus simply settled on habit and procedure as he walked into the holodeck, and at the sound of metal-on-metal combat upstairs, along with Fesarian banter, he sighed before heading up.

As Cailus came up the stairs, Mindo smiled and waved him over. "Hey Cailus," he said, "we're just finishing up a quick game." The puck flew into Mindo's goal again. "No fair!" said Mindo. "I wasn't looking!"

Terrekal grinned. "That was your problem," he said with a wink. "And that's the game."

“Mindo,” Cailus greeted him stifftly. His face schooled into an indecipherable mask, Cailus then looked at Terrakal as he put his hands behind his back, bowing his head slightly. “Mister Terrekal, I am Lieutenant Griffin, Chief of Security.”

"Very nice to meet you," said Terrekal, hopping down from the milk crate and extending a hand. "Mindo's mentioned you a few times."

Cailus’ eyes shot up as he shook Terrekal’s offered hand. “Oh?” he said drily before shooting Mindo a wry look. “Mindo, what have you been telling this man?”

Mindo blushed. "Nothing horrible," said Mindo.

Terrekal chuckled. "He says you two have saved each others' lives on multiple occasions. He really trusts you." Terrekal furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. "Why? Is there something I should know?" he coyly asked, a small smile curling on his face.

Catching Terrekal’s implication, Cailus rolled his eyes in irritation. “No.” Bloody Fesarians. “Mister Terrekal, I’m sure you’re aware of what happened on the station last night, and so I appreciate your willingness to come. Would you be able to talk about your whereabouts last night, as well as anything you saw or heard?”

"Well I was with Mindo the whole time," said Terrekal. "We had met with your Captain earlier, then Mindo was called to your ship for something in Engineering and came back about twenty minutes later. I was in a small pub having a particularly good beer. Mindo rejoined me and we spent the rest of the night together walking around the station and ending up in Mindo's quarters." Terrekal paused for a minute before asking, "Do you need to know the details that happened after that?"

Mindo's eyebrows went up, and he looked away from Cailus after Terrekal's question. Mindo had learned fast that other species don't talk as frankly about such things as Fesarians do.

“That won’t be necessary, thank you,” Cailus said. “Knowing that you two were together for that period of time in Mindo’s quarters will suffice.” It did seem impolite to admit that he’d rather jump off the balcony than hear about Mindo and Terrekal’s bedroom antics. “During the evening onboard the station, did you happen to notice anything suspicious or out of the ordinary?”

Mindo chuckled a little, trying to be casual in front of Terrekal, nervous about where the questioning was hidden. "I saw Greep in a bar," said Mindo. "I think he was trying to drink something. He didn't seem to notice us though, and we were pretty deep into our conversation at the time."

"We had met up there," said Terrekal. "It was over by the docking bay where my ship is located. I didn't see Greep."

"He was behind you," said Mindo. "About ten yards away, at the bar."

"That place was pretty crowded," said Terrekal. "It was much better when we were alone. Why would Greep at a bar be unusual, though?"

Mindo chortled. "Greep isn't the alcohol-drinking type."

Just watching patiently during banter, Cailus finally said, “Computer, access the current investigation database, photographic file 1-VI-08 and all related data. Construct a static holographic simulation based on that image and display it here.”

Moments later one of the Paradise guards appeared next to Cailus, and after considering the holoimage for a moment, he looked back at Mindo and Terrekal. “Look carefully, please. Have either of you ever met this particular individual?”

Mindo looked carefully at the image, then shook his head. "No I haven't," he said.

Terrekal, however, had a different reaction. "He's one of the security officers here at Paradise. I don't know his name, or really his reputation. I don't think he likes me, though. He broke up a... situation I had a few days ago with a potential-now-ex client of mine. Really rough. I had bruises on my arm for a couple days. After that, he's been rather close by. I don't think he trusts me. I certainly don't trust him. That deal I was working on was going to be very profitable, and the situation was solving itself before that officer stepped in and ruined everything. Now my contact is gone and I missed out on what was going to be a very profitable venture... a legal one, I assure you."

Cailus’ stony demeanour stayed constant as he listened, his observant blue eyes flicking between both Fesarians, taking no note of the merry music and beeps from the arcade machines around them. “Have you seen this guard in any particular areas? Outside the airlock of your ship, perhaps? In my experience, station security tend to maintain a constant watch on docked ships that they do not trust, whether that mistrust is justified or not.”

Terrekal shrugged. "I've noticed him in and around various parts of the station. You know, casinos, bars, that sort of thing. He frequents several of these places. Why do you want to know about him? Is he in trouble?"

"Apparently so, given that he was murdered last night," Cailus said flatly. "Two more questions, Mister Terrekal. Do you know if anyone on the station might have a Starfleet issue PADD? We're a long way from the Federation, but it would help my investigation to know if there is any Federation technology here, or if there's a market for it. I'm sure that you aren't the first merchant from the Federation to do business at Paradise, for instance, and I know that some spacefaring civilians use old surplus Starfleet equipment rather than make the expense of acquiring more advanced civilian models."

Terrekal nodded. "Lots of merchants have old Starfleet PADDs. Heck, I have a few of my own in the cargo on my ship. I don't believe it's illegal, at least here, outside Federation space. You get some good money for them." He glanced at Mindo. "Is there something I should know about that?" Mindo shrugged and looked at Cailus.

"Nothing pertinent, no," the Security Chief said evenly, his cool demeanour revealing nothing to the diminutive Fesarians. "My last question may be slightly unusual. Have you seen or heard anything about two lost children during your stay on Paradise? They have no parents or adult guardians and appear to be of a humanoid species that we don't recognise."

Terrekal shook his head. "I'm aware that there was a search for them, but I don't know who they are."

"Very well," Cailus said politely. "Thank you for speaking to me, Mister Terrekal. If we need any more information, we'll contact you. In the short-term you are welcome to stay on the ship for the rest of the day if you like, although since we are currently operating at an elevated security status, I ask that you do not go anywhere unescorted while onboard. You may use our transporter room to beam directly to your ship if you'd prefer not to leave via the airlock." Cailus glanced then at Mindo. "Lieutenant, if you need to be anywhere while Terrekal is onboard, feel free to contact my department and have an officer come to escort our guest as necessary. Have a good day, gentleman."

"You do the same," said Terrekal. Mindo nodded.

With that, his manner still as indecipherable as ever, Cailus turned and strode out of the arcade, his thoughts entirely his own.

END