A Visit From Starfleet Security

Posted on Wed Sep 8th, 2010 @ 3:50am by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Commander Fala Awen

Mission: Episode 1.3 - "The Time of Trial"
Location: Iluvar's Quarters, USS Pandora
Timeline: Mission Day 02, 1054

ON: [[Iluvar's Quarters, USS Pandora, MD02, 1054]]

Aris (NPC) lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he had been doing for the past hour and a half. He could tell that Iluvar was stressed and he was pretty sure that it didn't have to do with that Romulan planet they had been visiting. Just the other day, Iluvar had come back to their quarters earlier than usual...much earlier than usual. When Aris had asked about it, Iluvar hadn't answered.

"Are we just going to sit here until he get's back," Peter (NPC) asked, watching Aris from where he sat at the small desk. He was just as worried about Iluvar as Aris was, but sitting around wasn't going to help them figure anything out. If they wanted answers, they were going to need to go looking for them.

"Unless you have a better idea," Aris replied, continuing to stare at the ceiling, "What's taking him so long?"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he heard the sound of the door to the main room. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he exchanged a quick glance with Peter before turning to look toward the doorway to his room. They hadn't heard any kind of greeting and Aris almost wondered if maybe he had imagined hearing the door.

Whitaker moved through the foyer toward the bedroom door his hand not far from his phaser. Exchanging a look with his partner, the Security officer approached the door and knocked carefully, drawing himself up to his full height unconsciously.

Aris looked over at Peter again, slightly confused. It wasn't like Iluvar to knock without saying something. "You can come in," he said, turning back toward the doorway.

The young man sighed inwardly and looked to Palmenteri who nodded once to indicate that the quarters were clear. Whitaker moved toward the door sensor causing it to open. Seeing Aris and another young man in the room, Whitaker blinked, comparing the faces to the images he had memorized earlier. The young man before him didn't 'seem' dangerous, but then with someone from the Mirror Universe, anything was possible. He spoke politely, but with a slight edge. A man of impeccable manners, Whitaker was usually chosen as the 'talker' in these types of situations, while his partner Palmenteri was used as the 'backup'. A third man was stationed outside the door. The entire affair seemed a bit much to bring in a boy and a hologram, but the Security Officer had learned a long time ago to assume nothing in these situations.

"Mr. Aris, I'm Officer Whitaker and this is Officer Palmenteri of Starfleet Security. Would you come with us please?

Uncharacteristically, Palmenteri approached Peter holding a bulky device in his hands, drawing a brief questioning look from his partner. When the man spoke, it was like the sound of stone on stone. "Peter Pevensie, we've been asked to take you into custody as well. You can proceed under your own power, or through a storage device. Your choice," he rumbled.

Whitaker winced slightly at his partner's tone. One of the reasons he was usually chosen to to all the talking was that no matter what the big Italian said, it always seemed to come out as a threat.

As if they hadn't been confused enough by the presence of two strange security officers, Aris and Peter certainly didn't know what to make of the instructions they had just been given. There was something strange going on here, but with no way of knowing for sure, the two of them were entirely on their own. "Did my father send you," Aris asked, looking Whitaker directly in the eye.

Whitaker chose his words carefully. "No, but this does concern your father. Please come with us," he said, this time with just a hint of more firmness to emphasize the point. Truth was, he knew that Palmanteri wasn't known for patience and the sooner these two were remanded to custody the happier he'd be.

Aris surveyed the two men closely. Neither of them looked familiar to him, which meant that they weren't part of the Pandora's security department. He had a bad feeling about all this, as if something was telling him not to go with these two men. "I'd rather wait for my father," Aris replied, taking a step back from the doorway.

George could feel his partner flinching a bit at the boy's words. For his part, he understood Aris' apprehension. That said, he had a job to do. "Young man, we're from Starfleet Security and we have been instructed to bring you both in for questioning. I understand that this must be very confusing, but I must insist that you come with us immediately. I give you my word that your father will be informed and will join as soon as he is able." As he spoke, Whitaker's hand moved just a little closer to his phaser. For all his nervousness about the origins of this young man, Aris was just a boy, and a somewhat frightened one at that. Almost immediately a calm fell over Whitaker as he reverted into his training. All emotions were pushed aside. There was no anger, no fear, no sympathy. There was only the task at hand.

"You heard him," Peter said, getting to his feet, "We're waiting for Iluvar." The young hologram scowled toward the two men in the doorway. He had noticed how closely Whitaker's hand had been to his phaser the entire time, which only served to make him more suspicious about their intentions.

Whitaker nodded once, as if in resignation. "Gentlemen I think you need to be aware of what you're doing here," he said finally. "Your father is under investigation by Starfleet Command and we have been asked to bring you both in for questioning. Now by obstructing us in our duties, you could be making things much worse for your father."

Hearing unfamiliar voices coming from Iluvar's quarters, Awen slowed. She listened for a few moments before entering. As she walked in and headed to where the voices were coming from, her eyes looked from the Security Officers to Peter and Aris. "What is going on here?"

"Commander," Aris said, a mixture of surprise and relief in his voice. Lieutenant Commander Fala was the Pandora's Chief of Security and she had been left in command. Maybe she could help them sort out this situation with the two security officers.

Peter was relieved to see the lieutenant commander standing in the room beyond the doorway. He hadn't been thrilled about the way the situation had been going up to that point. Now they might actually get some real answers about what was going on here. "They keep telling us that we're supposed to go with them," the hologram said, pausing to glare at Whitaker again, "but they won't tell us why."

Awen frowned and moved into the room between the officers and Aris and Peter. "As Acting Commanding Officer of the USS Pandora, I expect an answer to that question. You will not simply be taking them with you and the fact that you came straight here without first coming to me will be reported. Now, I want answers."

This time Whitaker did sigh. This kind of prancing around between officers always annoyed him. "Commander with all due respect, we have been ordered by Captain Mercer to bring these two young men in for questioning. I intend to carry out those orders. If you would like to protest this, I would suggest taking it up with Captain Mercer personally."

"So you're telling me that Captain Mercer told you to come aboard the Pandora and kidnap two people from our ship? Because right now, that's what it looks like to me," Awen said, keeping her eyes on the man who had spoken to her. "The last I checked, proper protocol would be to bring the orders to the Commanding Officer of the vessel, who would then see that they were carried out...not sneaking onto a ship, entering quarters unauthorized and demanding that a hologram and child go with you."

"As I indicated Commander, these orders are from Captain Mercer directly. I was not ordered to speak to you or anyone else on this matter. If you insist on obstructing me in the fulfillment of my duties, then I have no choice but to report this to Captain Mercer." Which meant he was going to be raked over the coals, the man thought glumly. Why don't people just cooperate? Odds are both Peter and Aris would have been questioned and returned to their quarters in the time he had spent arguing with these people.

"We're not going anywhere," Peter said firmly, taking a step closer to Aris. He was not about to let these men bully him or Aris around. If only he had his sword...maybe that would make them think twice about the matter.

Awen glanced over at the young hologram. She wished it were true that they weren't going anywhere, but in the end, they likely would have to. Not without a fight though. Addressing the Security Officer once more, she said, "As a StarFleet Security officer, you should know protocol. Just because a JAG officer tells you to do something doesn't mean you ignore protocol. I'll be reporting this incident to your direct superiors as well as Captain Mercer's superiors. I'm not fooling around with reporting you to Captain Mercer when he obviously either doesn't know proper protocol in this case or has chosen to ignore it. Either way, I expect to not see you again at your current rank. And if you continue on this path, trying to kidnap them, I will also report it directly to Horizon Fleet Admiralty. Now, either show me the orders or get off this ship and send someone who can follow procedure."

"I'm sorry, commander," Whitaker said, withdrawing a small PADD and handing it to her with one hand, "but I am afraid I have no alternative." He looked over at Palmentari and nodded once. They had a job to do and it was about time that they got it done.

"Haven't you heard anything we've been saying," Peter demanded, taking a step forward, "We're not going to..." Suddenly, he shimmered out of existence, cut off mid sentence.

Aris stared at the open space where Peter had just been in what could be described as horror.

Taking a step closer to Aris once Peter disappeared, Awen took a few moments to look over the PADD. Unfortunately, she had to admit that there was little she could do...at least for the time being. Quite obviously unhappy, the Bajoran tried to calm herself as she turned to Aris, "I'm afraid you'll have to go with them. I don't have the authority to override these orders, but I will be looking into it. And I will make sure the Admiral knows what has happened."

The young man turned toward the woman. He could not understand why this was happening. Why couldn't they wait for Iluvar to get back? What was so important that he and Peter needed to be taken away? Unable to speak, Aris could only give her one last pleading look, wishing that there might yet be something she could do, knowing that there was not.

"There is one thing I can do for you, Aris," Awen said, looking back at the Security Officers for a moment before turning back to him. "I'll send Lieutenant JG Vek (NPC) with you; she'll stay with you and make sure you're alright."

Aris lowered his eyes to the deck beneath his feet, nodding slowly to show that he understood what she was telling him. He didn't know how much better that was going to make him feel, but at least it sounded better.

"Finally," George muttered to himself, glad to be making some sort of progress for the first time since he'd set foot aboard the Pandora. He had been worried that the situation was going to require more force. If the Bajoran had not conceded, he might very well have been forced to arrest her for obstruction. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jensen securing the data storage node. They wouldn't be long now.

There was the matter of this other officer, the lieutenant. It was almost as if this Bajoran didn't trust him and his men to ensure the job was done to satisfaction. "My people can handle this," he said curtly.

"Based on what I've seen, I'm not convinced. Regardless, much like you're not giving me a choice, I am not giving you a choice in this matter. Lieutenant JG Vek is going. It's either that, or we stay here and wait for the Admiral to return," Awen said firmly. This was something she would not back down on.

George considered the situation for a moment, weighing his options. In the end, his primary concern was to take the boy into custody. His orders said nothing about allowing others to accompany them and, at this point, there really wasn't much he was going to be able to do about it. "I suppose that would be acceptable," he said, allowing a little of his frustration with the whole situation to come through. The sooner they got this thing finished, the better.

Awen gave a brief nod and tapped her comm badge, "Fala to Vek. Meet me in Admiral Iluvar's quarters; I have an assignment for you."

OFF:

A JP by

Lieutenant Commander Fala Awen
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Pandora

Officer George Whitaker (NPC)
Security Officer
Starfleet Security, Deep Space Four
Played by: Lt. Bishop

Officer Andrew Wilkins (NPC)
Security Officer
Starfleet Security, Deep Space Four
Played by: Lt. Bishop

Officer Jensen Palmanteri (NPC)
Security Officer
Starfleet Security, Deep Space Four
Played by: Lt. Bishop

Aris Ibanya (PNPC)
Civilian - Commanding Officer's Son
USS Pandora
Played by: Capt Iluvar

and

Peter Pevensie (PNPC)
Holographic Mentoring Program
USS Pandora
Played by: Capt Iluvar